The Appeal of Absorbing Soul Rings Beyond One's Level (Please Follow!!! Please Bookmark!!!)

The Meteorite Iron Mine Duan Jin spoke of was, as the name implied, a mineral vein that produced Meteorite Iron. Perhaps a meteorite had fallen there long ago, giving rise to the vein.

The only problem was that a Dark Gold Bear had taken up residence where the Meteorite Iron Mine was located. Dark Gold Bears possessed the bloodline of Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bears. Even if it was not a Super Soul Beast, it was still a top-tier Soul Beast. A thousand-year-old Dark Gold Bear was no weaker than a five-thousand-year-old Soul Beast.

Duan Jin was only a Soul Elder, after all. He could handle ordinary thousand-year Soul Beasts, but faced with a thousand-year Soul Beast like a Dark Gold Bear, he was sorely outmatched.

This was the reality of being a Soul Master.

Generally speaking, Soul Masters could not deal with the Soul Beasts at the maximum age limit of the next Soul Ring they could absorb. For instance, Duan Jin was currently a Soul Elder, and the optimal age for his fourth ring would be around five thousand years.

There was no way he could hunt one alone.

At times like this, he had to call in every connection he had, gather enough people, and hunt an optimal Soul Ring.

It could be said that being a Soul Master was a profession that heavily tested one's background. Even in the era of Dou San, this had not changed; it had merely taken a different form.

The two quickly retreated and returned to where they had previously found the Diamond Ape.

Su Ming was extremely satisfied with this Diamond Ape. Great apes were naturally very similar to humans, with outstanding attributes across the board. Its age also slightly exceeded the limit, which made it even more appealing to him.

"Brother Duan, I'll leave it to you," Su Ming said to Duan Jin.

Duan Jin nodded, and a massive hammer appeared in his hand.

Three Soul Rings appeared beneath his feet: two yellow and one purple.

Duan Jin's Innate Soul Power had reached Level 6, which was exceptionally high among Soul Masters from ordinary backgrounds. His Martial Soul was merely a large hammer with no special traits, so this level was already its limit.

When he had broken through Level 10, Duan Tie had sent him to Gengxin City to become the disciple of his current teacher. Thus, all his Soul Rings had always been optimal configurations.

"Tremor!"

Duan Jin's first Soul Ring shone.

He spoke a single word, then suddenly charged forward.

Su Ming saw Soul Power surging around the massive hammer in Duan Jin's hand. The intense Soul Power Fluctuation made the hammerhead tremble, its high-frequency vibrations emitting a deep hum.

"Roar!"

The Diamond Ape was startled by Duan Jin's sudden charge, then let out an enraged roar.

It pounded its chest with both hands as though loosening up its body, and its Soul Power instantly swelled to an extreme.

Duan Jin's pupils contracted.

The Diamond Ape's Soul Power Fluctuation had been weak while it was dormant, so he had judged it to be at least three hundred years old.

Now that the Diamond Ape had erupted, his heart began to race.

Could it be five hundred years old?

No matter. They had already begun fighting, and retreat was no longer an option.

He gritted his teeth and continued swinging his hammer.

Bang!

The massive hammer collided with the ape's palm, which gleamed with a metallic luster. Man and ape both staggered back.

Su Ming sighed in relief at the sight.

Judging by their sizes, the fact that Duan Jin and the Diamond Ape had each retreated several steps meant that Duan Jin held the advantage.

Duan Jin took only two steps back before forcibly steadying himself. His body moved in perfect coordination as he gathered strength in place. Power ran through him from the soles of his feet, beginning in his legs, centered in his waist, and exploding through his arms.

"Stack!"

His second Soul Ring lit up as well.

Seeing the little human before it swing its hammer again, the Diamond Ape roared and slapped out with its palm once more.

A phantom appeared behind Duan Jin's hammer, lagging half a second behind the Main Body. As Duan Jin's hammer collided with the Diamond Ape, the phantom overlapped with it.

The Diamond Ape roared in pain and stumbled back several steps.

Duan Jin leaped from where he stood and swung the hammer in a full circle through the air.

The phantom still followed behind the Main Body of the massive hammer.

This strike slammed directly into the Diamond Ape's chest. As the phantom stacked over it, Duan Jin also unleashed his Third Soul Skill.

"Burst!"

Boom!

With a thunderous explosion, the Diamond Ape was sent flying.

When the dust settled, Su Ming saw Duan Jin breathing heavily as he put away his Martial Soul.

The Diamond Ape that had been blasted away was barely breathing, with a massive bloody crater in its chest.

"Little Su, go finish it off. Be careful. Don't let it ambush you."

A blade forged from refined steel appeared in Duan Jin's hand, and he handed it to Su Ming.

Su Ming nodded.

He took the blade and approached the Diamond Ape. Raising it high, he chopped down at its neck.

The Diamond Ape suddenly swatted at Su Ming.

Su Ming had expected it. He immediately retreated several steps and narrowly avoided the attack.

After dodging, he seized the opening created by the Diamond Ape's attack and thrust out with the blade.

The Diamond Ape howled in pain and struggled madly.

Su Ming repeatedly kept his distance and engaged it. After ten minutes, he finally killed it completely.

"Little Su, this Diamond Ape's Soul Power Fluctuation is rather strong. I'm not sure whether it's five hundred years old. Do you still want to absorb it?"

Though he was asking, Su Ming felt that Duan Jin seemed ready to stop him from absorbing it.

He explained himself to Duan Jin.

"Brother Duan, its age shouldn't exceed four hundred years."

Duan Jin revealed a puzzled expression upon hearing this.

Su Ming stepped forward and pointed at the patterns beneath the Diamond Ape's fur. "Look, it has these patterns all over its body. Most of them have four rings, while a few have three. Taking its possible age range into account, the density of these patterns is most likely related to its age. In other words, it is over three hundred and ninety years old. It is only a few years away from cultivating every pattern to four rings, at which point it would be four hundred years old."

A difference in interpretation could make the number of rings represent an age gap of a full hundred years.

Duan Jin hesitated. "But its Soul Power Fluctuation is far too strong."

"Brother Duan, have you forgotten the Dark Gold Bear? Did that thousand-year Dark Gold Bear have the Soul Power aura of an ordinary thousand-year Soul Beast? This Diamond Ape probably has the bloodline of some powerful Soul Beast mixed into it as well."

Su Ming's explanation was convincing, and Duan Jin believed him.

"Fine. Absorb it, then."

Letting out a breath, Su Ming sat cross-legged and directly drew in the Soul Ring.

Surging Soul Power crashed through his limbs and bones, causing cracks to form in his meridians.

But everything was still fine.

He did not even feel as if he were about to collapse.

"Very good. This is easy. My first time absorbing a Soul Ring beyond my level isn't leaving me half-dead."

Su Ming knew this was the result of tempering his body. Though this was called absorbing a Soul Ring beyond his level, it was actually within the limits of what his body could endure.

But being within his body's tolerance did not mean this was a stage his Martial Soul should be able to withstand.

In later research, some scholars compared a Soul Master's cultivation to the repeated growth of a Martial Soul. Every ten levels formed a stage, and every Soul Ring helped them grow at those key points.

For the first ring, the limit was just over four hundred and twenty years.

Everything was normal beneath that limit.

Beyond the limit, the additional cultivation would serve as extra stimulation for the Martial Soul, allowing it to improve further.

Absorbing every Soul Ring beyond one's level would allow the Martial Soul to develop far beyond what others of the same rank should possess, creating an overwhelming, snowballing advantage.

If every Soul Ring provided a 1.1-fold increase, then nine Soul Rings would amount to roughly 2.358!

Su Ming had already achieved a 1.1-fold increase from this tentative attempt at absorbing a Soul Ring beyond his level. The extent to which he exceeded the limit would only grow greater in the future, perhaps even surpassing 2. One could imagine the effect once all nine Soul Rings were stacked together.

Three hours later.

Su Ming rose safely to his feet. The cracked meridians within him had long since healed completely, and he felt better than ever.

"How is the Soul Skill?" Duan Jin stepped forward and asked at once.