Mutated 3,000-Year First Ring

Ye Zhiqiu took a few steps to the Chameleon Stealth Dragon's head and lightly brushed his right palm over the Black Jade Bracelet. A dagger suddenly appeared in his hand.

Ye Zhiqiu smiled. Having a Storage Soul Tool really did make everything much easier.

This Storage Soul Tool might have been his greatest gain from this trip to the Soul Hunting Forest.

"Pfft—" The sound of a sharp blade piercing flesh rang out.

Ye Zhiqiu naturally wasn't as foolishly adorable as Ning Rongrong. With a single slash, the utterly defenseless Chameleon Stealth Dragon died on the spot.

Negative Emotion Value from Chameleon Stealth Dragon +4666

Specks of purple light drifted out from the Chameleon Stealth Dragon's corpse.

It was deep in the night, and these tiny purple motes floating in the air were particularly eye-catching. They adorned the nighttime Soul Hunting Forest with breathtaking beauty, like countless fireflies dancing around them.

Ning Rongrong happily jogged toward the place where the motes were densest, hopping and skipping among them. From time to time, she stretched out her little hands in an attempt to catch them, but unfortunately, those purple motes were not tangible.

Still, a genuine smile hung on Ning Rongrong's face, making her look much cuter than usual. With the atmosphere around her, she seemed like an elf of the night frolicking mischievously. The sight left Ye Zhiqiu slightly dazed.

After quietly slipping past Ning Rongrong, the purple motes slowly gathered above the dead Chameleon Stealth Dragon's head, forming a purple Soul Ring.

Seeing the motes disappear so quickly, Ning Rongrong pouted in dissatisfaction. But when she remembered that this was Ye Zhiqiu's Soul Ring, her expression changed in an instant, replaced by cheerful excitement.

"Xiao Qiu, a 3,000-year Soul Ring is nothing like a 300-year one. Even if your physique is special, absorbing it so rashly could still be dangerous. Have you really thought this through?" Sword Douluo's expression was somewhat grave. He had considered far more than Ning Rongrong had.

After hearing Sword Douluo's words, Ning Rongrong suddenly remembered that Ye Zhiqiu was only a Soul Scholar. No matter how formidable he was, he was still only a Soul Scholar—he had not even become a Spirit Master yet.

For a Soul Scholar to absorb a 3,000-year Soul Ring upon advancing to Spirit Master... no matter how she thought about it, it was dangerous, wasn't it? Realizing this, Ning Rongrong went to Ye Zhiqiu's side with a worried look and tugged at the hem of his clothes.

She said nothing, but Ye Zhiqiu saw much more in her eyes.

"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing." Ye Zhiqiu smiled gently and lightly rubbed Ning Rongrong's little head.

After comforting Ning Rongrong, Ye Zhiqiu turned to Sword Douluo and said confidently, "Grandpa Sword, don't worry. It's only a 3,000-year Soul Ring. I don't take it seriously. Give me half an hour, and I'll have absorbed it."

With that, Ye Zhiqiu turned and walked straight toward the Chameleon Stealth Dragon's corpse.

"You brat." Sword Douluo smiled and shook his head, secretly sighing that young people these days really were fierce. He was far behind them now. Fine, since you've made up your mind, I'll stand guard for you.

With that thought, Sword Douluo's figure flickered before disappearing. He had gone to clear out the nearby soul beasts. Since he could not help Ye Zhiqiu absorb the Soul Ring, he would take responsibility for securing the surroundings. That was Sword Douluo's thinking. He truly admired this little fellow, Ye Zhiqiu.

Only Ning Rongrong, her face full of worry, remained where she was.

Ye Zhiqiu leaped lightly onto the Chameleon Stealth Dragon's head and sat down cross-legged. Its head was large and smooth, and after sitting down, Ye Zhiqiu comfortably wriggled his butt.

From this position, the Soul Ring was directly above Ye Zhiqiu's head, making it much easier to draw in.

After giving Ning Rongrong one last reassuring smile, Ye Zhiqiu slowly sank his consciousness into his Dantian Qi Sea.

Under his control, the origins of Shukaku and Matatabi seemed to come alive, opening their mouths in silent roars.

At the same time, a suction force surged from the mouths of the two tailed beasts and enveloped the purple Soul Ring above Ye Zhiqiu's head.

Ordinary Spirit Masters slowly guided a Soul Ring into their bodies before refining its energy for their own use. At the same time, they also had to resist the resentment left behind by the dead soul beast.

Ye Zhiqiu was not an ordinary Spirit Master, so his method of absorbing a Soul Ring was somewhat different. Even Ye Zhiqiu himself had not expected this.

The Soul Ring above his head seemed to become food for the two tailed beasts. In less than a breath, it was drawn into his body by them, transforming into strands of pure Soul Power that spread throughout Ye Zhiqiu's meridians.

Moreover, the two tailed beasts continued devouring that Soul Power. In the blink of an eye, all the pure Soul Power transformed from the Soul Ring had been completely swallowed. The process was unbelievably fast.

Ye Zhiqiu was a little dumbfounded. He had not even sensed the Chameleon Stealth Dragon's resentment. He did not know whether it had been tortured too badly to form any resentment, or whether the Tailed Beast Origins in his Dantian Qi Sea had simply devoured it.

It seemed that the Soul Power needed to condense his Soul Ring was gone. Could he still form a Soul Ring? Ye Zhiqiu felt utterly vexed. This situation was unique even on the Douluo Continent, and there was no one who could tell him what to do next. Don't panic. Stay calm. There must be something I haven't considered. Ye Zhiqiu furrowed his brows as he pondered in silence.

Time passed second by second. At one point, Ye Zhiqiu's eyes suddenly lit up.

He had figured it out. The issue should lie with Soul Skills. The greatest difference between him and the Spirit Masters of the Douluo Continent was how Soul Skills came into being.

After absorbing a Soul Ring, their Soul Rings naturally produced Soul Skills. But his Ninjutsu was added independently. Perhaps that was the reason.

With that thought, Ye Zhiqiu directly spent 100 Negative Emotion Value to purchase the D-rank Ninjutsu: Three Body Technique.

He had planned this long ago. Although the Three Body Technique was only D-rank Ninjutsu, the Substitution Jutsu within it was simply absurdly powerful. It was an essential skill for escaping, and it could occasionally be used like teleportation. It was practically a cheat-like ability from Naruto.

Items purchased from the shop were used automatically. Ye Zhiqiu had tried purchasing Ninjutsu long ago, but the system had always informed him that the requirements were not met and that he could not make the purchase.

This time, the process of purchasing Ninjutsu went very smoothly.

It seemed he had fulfilled some condition set by the System Shop.

After the Three Body Technique scroll was purchased, it transformed into specks of white starlight that gathered into a miniature galaxy-like stream of Soul Power, which began circulating through Ye Zhiqiu's body on its own.

At that instant, the origins of Shukaku and Matatabi seemed to sense something at the same time, and both opened their mouths. This time, however, they were not devouring Ye Zhiqiu's Soul Power. Instead, they simultaneously expelled an even more majestic surge of Soul Power, which merged with the galaxy-like stream and formed a small purple galaxy that slowly flowed through Ye Zhiqiu's meridians.

After this little galaxy circulated through Ye Zhiqiu's body for one grand cycle, it gradually dispersed into his flesh until it vanished completely.

Ye Zhiqiu only felt warmth spread through his entire body, an indescribably pleasant sensation. His already monstrous physique had risen by another great margin.

From Ning Rongrong's perspective, a deep-purple ring suddenly appeared above Ye Zhiqiu's head as he sat cross-legged absorbing the Soul Ring. It slowly descended until it stopped around his legs. The Soul Ring slowly rotated clockwise with each of Ye Zhiqiu's breaths, and he was positioned precisely at the center of the ring.

"Did he succeed?" The worry on Ning Rongrong's face vanished without a trace, replaced by a radiant smile so brilliant it could make a hundred flowers pale in comparison.

Sword Douluo, silently standing guard in the distance, lightly stroked the small tuft of white beard on his chin and nodded with a smile. However, his gaze toward Ye Zhiqiu's Soul Ring held a trace of confusion. This deep-purple Soul Ring did not look like it was only 3,000 years old. What was going on?