Sharing the Heavens from Douluo Continent

"Fourth Prince, your cultivation talent is something seen only once in a century. Breaking through to become a Title Douluo in the future is practically a certainty."

Bishop Luo Dun said earnestly, "If you do not want your First Soul Skill to become a useless skill later on, then I advise you to absorb a soul ring capable of awakening an enhancement-type soul skill."

Attack-type soul skills might be powerful in the early stages, but they would not be of much use in the later stages.

Bishop Luo Dun was the best example. Ever since his Soul Power had broken through level eighty, the power of his first two hundred-year soul skills was not even as strong as his basic attacks!

"Since Grandpa Luo Dun says so, then I'll absorb the soul ring of a soul beast that can awaken an enhancement-type soul skill!"

Halfway through speaking, Dai Changsheng feigned curiosity and asked, "Grandpa Luo Dun, what kinds of soul beast soul rings do you think would be suitable for me?"

"Fourth Prince, the White Tiger Martial Soul you awakened is a beast martial soul, so it is best for you to absorb soul beasts with White Tiger bloodlines. Only then can you awaken soul skills that suit you best."

Bishop Luo Dun pointed at the soul beast distribution map before him and said, "Among the dozen or so soul beast forests within the Star Luo Empire, there are three kinds of soul beasts best suited for you to hunt: Adamant Tigers, Crimson Flame Tigers, and Ghost Tigers.

"After other soul masters who awakened the White Tiger Martial Soul absorbed the soul rings dropped by these three types of soul beasts, they basically awakened enhancement-type soul skills. The only difference was the strength of the enhancement effects."

"Grandpa Luo Dun, then let's hurry up and hunt soul beasts! I can hardly wait to get my first soul ring."

Seeing Dai Changsheng's impatient expression, Bishop Luo Dun smiled and rubbed his little head. "All right, all right. We'll set off right away."

When Bishop Luo Dun's Soul Power had reached level ten, he had acted much like Dai Changsheng. He had also desperately wanted to see what his First Soul Skill would be, so he could understand Dai Changsheng's current feelings.

Led by Bishop Luo Dun, Dai Changsheng boarded a Spirit Hall carriage and headed for the Artificial Enclosed Soul Beast Forest closest to Star Luo City.

The so-called "Artificial Enclosed Soul Beast Forest" was somewhat like a wildlife sanctuary. The soul beasts living within were protected and managed by the Star Luo Empire and Spirit Hall.

Only soul masters whose Soul Power had reached a bottleneck were qualified to apply to Spirit Hall for a permit to hunt soul beasts, thereby gaining the right to enter an Artificial Enclosed Soul Beast Forest and hunt soul beasts.

Compared to wild soul beast forests, the Artificial Enclosed Soul Beast Forest's greatest advantage was safety. The strongest soul beasts living inside were only Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, making it very suitable for novice soul masters to obtain soul rings.

After traveling more than five hundred li by carriage, Dai Changsheng and the others finally arrived at the Artificial Enclosed Soul Beast Forest closest to Star Luo City—Star Soul Forest!

Outside Star Soul Forest stood a bustling market. Simple man-made paths crisscrossed through it, and the noise never ceased.

"Forming a group to hunt strength-type soul beasts! I have a permit, just two people short!"

"Hunting agility-type soul beasts! Seven people waiting for a permit, only ten Gold Soul Coins per person!"

"Fine defensive armor, selling cheap..."

Under Dai Changsheng's curious gaze, Bishop Luo Dun led him through the bustling market and arrived at the entrance to Star Soul Forest.

A tall ring of iron fencing surrounded Star Soul Forest's perimeter, covered in sharp spikes.

Outside the iron fence, fully armed squads of soldiers could be seen patrolling.

Since materials from soul beasts were valuable, patrol soldiers guarded the perimeter to prevent poaching. There were also enforcement teams formed by Spirit Hall soul masters, responsible for patrolling within Star Soul Forest.

"Phee—"

After Bishop Luo Dun brought Dai Changsheng into Star Soul Forest, he took out a whistle marked with the Spirit Hall insignia and blew it. The piercing whistle instantly carried deep into the forest.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

Not long after Bishop Luo Dun blew the whistle, five figures rushed over from the depths of Star Soul Forest. They stopped before Dai Changsheng and the others. They were the soul master squad responsible for patrolling the forest.

"Greetings, Lord Bishop!"

When the five middle-aged soul masters saw Bishop Luo Dun, they hurriedly bowed to him.

"No need for formalities."

Bishop Luo Dun waved his hand and introduced Dai Changsheng. "This is His Highness the Fourth Prince of the Star Luo Empire. I came today to select a suitable soul ring for him.

"You patrol Star Soul Forest, so I assume you are familiar with the soul beast distribution here. Are there any tiger-type soul beasts nearby with a thousand years of Soul Power? Preferably an Adamant Tiger, Crimson Flame Tiger, or Ghost Tiger."

"Reporting to Lord Bishop, about fifty li southwest of here, there is a small mountain roughly one hundred meters high. A Thousand-Year Adamant Tiger lives there, with Soul Power of around twelve hundred years."

"Twelve hundred years? That is just right. Lead the way!"

At Bishop Luo Dun's command, the five middle-aged soul masters hurriedly led the pair toward the small mountain where the Thousand-Year Adamant Tiger lived.

The reason Bishop Luo Dun had chosen to bring Dai Changsheng to hunt a Thousand-Year Soul Beast was that, during their journey to Star Soul Forest, Dai Changsheng had deliberately displayed physical qualities far surpassing those of ordinary people.

Bishop Luo Dun was not some half-baked expert like Yu Xiaogang. He knew that the maximum age of soul rings a soul master could absorb was not fixed, but directly proportional to the soul master's physical condition.

When absorbing soul rings below ten thousand years, there was no need to worry about spiritual backlash. As long as a soul master's body was strong enough, they could absorb soul rings of greater age.

By injecting Soul Power into Dai Changsheng's body, Bishop Luo Dun had determined that he could easily withstand Soul Power at around level thirty-three. In other words, his physical condition rivaled that of a Soul Elder, allowing him to directly absorb a Thousand-Year Soul Ring.

That was why Bishop Luo Dun had decided to let Dai Changsheng absorb a Thousand-Year Soul Ring as the first soul ring of his White Tiger Martial Soul.

External Soul Bone

Led by the five Patrol Soul Masters, Dai Changsheng soon laid eyes on the legendary Thousand-Year Adamant Tiger.

It was a white tiger roughly five meters long. Its fur was like metal, reflecting a cold, silvery-white gleam.

"Roar!!!"

Upon discovering Dai Changsheng and the others, these uninvited guests, the Thousand-Year Adamant Tiger sensed its territory had been invaded. It immediately let out an angry roar and pounced at the group.

Bishop Luo Dun's eyes flashed with disdain. Eight soul rings of different colors appeared beneath his feet, while a blood-red spear appeared in his hand.

"Whoosh!"

As Bishop Luo Dun's fifth soul ring glimmered faintly, a terrifying gravity abruptly appeared from nowhere and forcibly crushed the Thousand-Year Adamant Tiger to the ground.

Bishop Luo Dun took out a sharp metal spear from his Storage Soul Tool. "Fourth Prince, this beast has already been restrained by me. Quickly, stab this spear into its eye."

"Pfft!"

Dai Changsheng took the spear without hesitation, thrusting it into the Thousand-Year Adamant Tiger's eye with all his strength and viciously scrambling its brain.

Suppressed by gravity, the Thousand-Year Adamant Tiger did not even have the ability to struggle before death. It could only let out painful whimpers as it breathed its last, its face filled with unwillingness.

"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle..."

As the Thousand-Year Adamant Tiger died completely, countless purple motes shot out from its body and gathered above its corpse, forming a pale-purple Thousand-Year Soul Ring.

Dai Changsheng immediately sat cross-legged, summoned his White Tiger Martial Soul, and drew the Thousand-Year Soul Ring toward himself.

The instant the Thousand-Year Soul Ring settled around the White Tiger Martial Soul, Dai Changsheng felt a powerful surge of Soul Power flow into his body through the martial soul, making his meridians feel slightly swollen.

Fortunately, Dai Changsheng's physical condition was strong enough. He quickly adapted to the impact of that Soul Power and gradually converted it into his own.

After more than half an hour of full-force refinement, Dai Changsheng finally refined all the Soul Power fed back by the Thousand-Year Soul Ring and slowly opened his eyes.

Seeing that Dai Changsheng had successfully absorbed the Thousand-Year Soul Ring, Bishop Luo Dun could not help but breathe a sigh of relief. He then asked curiously, "Fourth Prince, what soul skill did you awaken? Is it an enhancement-type soul skill?"

"Grandpa Luo Dun, the First Soul Skill I awakened is called White Tiger Adamant Transformation. It can double all my attributes for half an hour."

"Hiss—"

The five Patrol Soul Masters responsible for leading the way all sucked in a sharp breath.

What an absurd enhancement effect!

Under normal circumstances, enhancement soul skills awakened from a first soul ring could only raise several of a soul master's attributes by around twenty percent, and their duration was usually only a few minutes.

However, compared to the enhancement effect of the soul skill, what truly shocked the Patrol Soul Masters was that Dai Changsheng had actually absorbed a Thousand-Year Soul Ring as his first soul ring!

After all, a first soul ring could only be around four hundred years at most. This was practically an acknowledged rule among all lower-class soul masters.

Yet Dai Changsheng had broken that rule. It might even directly alter the course of Douluo Continent's history.

Bishop Luo Dun, on the other hand, appeared quite calm. As a high-ranking member of Spirit Hall, he knew many secrets inaccessible to lower-class soul masters.

For example, a soul master who had just awakened an Angel Martial Soul might directly possess level-twenty Innate Soul Power.

Or His Holiness the Pope had used some method to evolve his second soul ring from a hundred-year soul ring into a Thousand-Year Soul Ring.

Compared to those secrets, Dai Changsheng, who possessed innate divine strength, being able to directly absorb a Thousand-Year Soul Ring was not all that outrageous.

"Good, good, good. It truly is a very practical enhancement-type soul skill."

Bishop Luo Dun smiled and stroked his beard, then took out a Blue Crystal Ball and held it before Dai Changsheng. "Fourth Prince, please place both hands on it. Let us test your current Soul Power."

"Mm!"

Dai Changsheng nodded obediently and placed his little hands on the crystal ball.

"Flash!!!"

A brilliant blue glow burst forth, and the crystal ball ultimately displayed the mark representing level-thirteen Soul Power.

"Level thirteen Soul Power?"

Bishop Luo Dun nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad! Not bad!"

After ordinary soul masters absorbed their first soul ring, their Soul Power could usually only break through to level eleven.

By relying on the Soul Power fed back by the Thousand-Year Soul Ring, Dai Changsheng had directly raised his Soul Power to level thirteen, saving him at least three or four months of arduous cultivation.

"Very well, continue your patrols. I will take the Fourth Prince back to Star Luo City first."

Just as Bishop Luo Dun was preparing to leave with Dai Changsheng, Dai Changsheng suddenly said, "Grandpa Luo Dun, can you help me bring the corpse of this Thousand-Year Adamant Tiger back? It was the first soul beast I ever killed. I want to make a set of clothes from its hide and keep it as a memento."

"Of course!"

Bishop Luo Dun smiled and walked over to the Thousand-Year Adamant Tiger's corpse, storing it in his Storage Soul Tool.

As the Thousand-Year Adamant Tiger's corpse was put away, a Silver White Bone Tail more than two meters long and about as thick as a wrist appeared before everyone.

"This is..."

Bishop Luo Dun's pupils suddenly constricted, his face full of disbelief. "A soul bone—and an exceptionally rare External Soul Bone!"

At that moment, Bishop Luo Dun's feelings were exceptionally complicated. He could not even stop himself from feeling a little jealous of Dai Changsheng's incredible luck.

Soul bones were treasures that could only be encountered by chance. Only exceptionally lucky soul masters had a chance of obtaining soul bones from the bodies of soul beasts they killed.

Soul bones could broadly be divided into two types: ordinary soul bones and External Soul Bones.

Ordinary soul bones could be further divided into six major categories: left leg bones, right leg bones, left arm bones, right arm bones, skull bones, and torso bones.

Among them, torso bones were the strongest, followed by skull bones, then right arm bones, left arm bones, left leg bones, and right leg bones.

Soul bones produced by soul beasts of ten thousand years or below only came with one skill, while soul bones produced by Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts were guaranteed to come with at least two skills.

Once a soul bone was absorbed, it usually could not be separated from the body unless its owner was killed. Then, the soul bone would automatically drop and become ownerless.

However, the first four types of soul bones were exceptions. Once their owners reached the level of Title Douluo, they could cut off the limbs containing the soul bones and forcibly remove them at the cost of reducing their own Soul Power by ten levels.

External Soul Bones, meanwhile, were the most special kind of soul bone. They were unique soul bones beyond the six major categories, and their value was second only to Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bones.

The most special thing about External Soul Bones was that they evolved alongside the growth of their owner's Soul Power. Therefore, the earlier they were absorbed, the better.

Aid and Abet

Even in the wealthy and powerful Spirit Hall, not every Title Douluo was qualified to receive a soul bone, much less a Soul Douluo like Bishop Luo Dun.

Over the past several decades, at least several hundred soul beasts had died at Bishop Luo Dun's hands, yet not a single soul bone had ever dropped.

And yet Dai Changsheng had obtained an External Soul Bone from the very first soul beast he killed. Such luck was truly enviable.

After calming his emotions, Bishop Luo Dun vigorously rubbed Dai Changsheng's little head. "Fourth Prince, you truly are someone blessed with great fortune. I never expected you to obtain an External Soul Bone, one that appears only once in ten thousand cases. Hurry and refine it!"

"Oh~"

Dai Changsheng had not expected his luck to be so good either. He hurriedly picked up the thick Adamant Tiger Tail Bone and began refining it with Soul Power.

Perhaps because Dai Changsheng had already absorbed the corresponding soul ring, the process of refining the Adamant Tiger Tail Bone went very smoothly.

Before long, Dai Changsheng had completely refined the tiger tail soul bone. A tiger tail as thick as an arm promptly grew from behind him.

Bishop Luo Dun first forcibly suppressed the urge to pet Dai Changsheng's tail, then asked curiously, "Fourth Prince, how do you feel? What soul skill does this External Soul Bone possess?"

"It feels pretty fun."

Dai Changsheng unconsciously swayed his tail, then revealed a smile he could not conceal. "Grandpa Luo Dun, the soul skill attached to this External Soul Bone is called Aid and Abet. It can transform the souls of soul beasts I kill into Soul Battle Slaves that obey only my commands.

"However, I can only use this soul skill to enslave soul beast souls whose spiritual power is weaker than mine.

"And there is a limit to the number of souls I can enslave. At most, it cannot exceed the number of soul rings I have absorbed."

In truth, Dai Changsheng had deliberately concealed one matter: the soul skill Aid and Abet could enslave not only soul beast souls, but human souls as well.

However, enslaving human souls sounded far too evil. It could easily provoke the wariness and hostility of others, which was why Dai Changsheng had intentionally hidden that fact.

Bishop Luo Dun sighed. "Aid and Abet? It truly is a growth-type soul skill perfectly suited to you."

If another soul master obtained the soul skill Aid and Abet, restricted by the number of soul rings they possessed, they could enslave at most nine soul beast souls.