Trial Passed, Martial Soul Evolution!

Boom!

Ning Wuque stomped the ground and leaped more than three meters, arriving before the Black-Gold Ant in an instant.

He swung his right fist, and Ning Wuque's plain, unadorned punch smashed viciously into the Black-Gold Ant's head, sending it flying straight into the trunk of a massive tree.

His mind did not rest either. Within moments, it issued his body a new command.

Strike while it was down!

Because of its own mistake, the Black-Gold Ant had crashed hard enough to leave its head spinning. Then it took Ning Wuque's precise blow to the head, leaving the entire soul beast in an extreme state of dizziness.

Simply put, it had been beaten senseless and could not fight back for the moment.

Without pausing for even a second, Ning Wuque dashed forward again, dragging his heavy body before the Black-Gold Ant. He raised both fists and began raining blows down on its head.

"Ora ora ora ora ora—"

An invincible sound effect rang passionately through Ning Wuque's mind. His arms, protected by his gear, struck the Black-Gold Ant's head again and again like jackhammers.

It truly deserved to be called a thousand-year soul beast. Its tough chitinous shell only cracked in a few places after taking more than thirty of Ning Wuque's full-force punches!

Keep going! Keep punching!

Ning Wuque did not dare stop. His punches had already begun slowing from his short burst of all-out offense, and his stamina was rapidly draining.

But unless he saw the Black-Gold Ant's soul ring, Ning Wuque would not stop punching. He was going to beat this Black-Gold Ant to death!

"Alright, Wuque. That's enough."

Before a purple soul ring could rise from the Black-Gold Ant's body, Zhang Can appeared at Ning Wuque's side, lifted him up, and pulled him away. Then he said,

"You've passed, Wuque. There's no need to kill it completely. This Black-Gold Ant might one day become some soul master's third soul ring. It would be too much of a waste to use it up here."

As he spoke, Zhang Can both instructed Ning Wuque and openly showed his satisfaction and praise.

This child had truly given him too many surprises!

At first, Zhang Can had thought Ning Wuque would be so frightened by this Black-Gold Ant—due to his young age and this being his first real battle—that he would only be able to take hits passively.

Who would have thought that the boy would overcome his fear of battle, force his way through the Black-Gold Ant's most lethal serrated mandibles, and deliver a head-on blow that left it stunned?

He then recovered swiftly, seized that hard-won opening, and viciously kicked it while it was down. Every strike landed on the Black-Gold Ant's most vulnerable area, forcibly staggering it. And in the end, he had clearly intended not to stop until its soul ring appeared!

Such outstanding combat instincts thrilled Zhang Can. Ning Wuque was simply a born warrior!

However... perhaps this was also inseparable from his usual extreme training. At the beginning, Zhang Can had noticed fear and panic in Ning Wuque when he first faced battle.

But he had endured it through sheer willpower, unyielding as iron!

"Whew... Yes, Grandpa. I understand."

Letting out a long breath, Ning Wuque had fallen into a brief state of oxygen deprivation after that barrage of oras. The sudden relaxation of his taut nerves also left his head a little dizzy.

This was an aftereffect that came with one's first battle and first time going all out. Once he grew accustomed to the feeling in the future, it would no longer happen.

"By the way, Wuque, why didn't you use Martial Soul Possession during that fight?"

"I forgot..."

Ning Wuque scratched his head and answered sheepishly. Accustomed to solving things with his fists, he had completely forgotten in his urgency that he could use Martial Soul Possession.

What else could Zhang Can say? Everyone had a first time fighting. He could improve next time.

Very soon.

Having passed the trial, Ning Wuque was looked after by Zhang Can as he recovered his stamina. Half an hour later, Zhang Can left carrying the severely injured Black-Gold Ant.

Clearly, he intended to return the unfortunate Black-Gold Ant to its colony and bring back the Dark Gold Soldier Ant that would truly be facing death for Ning Wuque to absorb.

A day later, Ning Wuque did not immediately absorb the soul ring after the battle.

After all, this was a thousand-year soul ring. Even though it was only a little over eleven hundred years old, Ning Wuque still had to make thorough preparations before daring to absorb it.

"Are you ready, Wuque?"

Holding an ant nearly two meters long in his hand, Zhang Can asked Ning Wuque, who stood before him.

Looking at the Dark Gold Soldier Ant dangling from Zhang Can's hand, Ning Wuque took a deep breath and nodded heavily.

"I'm ready, Grandpa!"

"Good. Then let's begin. I'll guard you from the side. Absorb it without worry."

With that, Zhang Can tossed the Dark Gold Soldier Ant at Ning Wuque's feet. A dagger was embedded in its head shell; all it took was one more hard thrust to end its life!

At the same time, Zhang Can subconsciously touched the Storage Soul Tool at his waist. To guard against any possibility, he had brought plenty of healing medicine.

Before him, Ning Wuque crouched down, gripped the dagger, and viciously drove it into the Dark Gold Soldier Ant's head!

Very soon, a purple soul ring emerged above its corpse.

That vivid purple reflected in his pupils, and Ning Wuque's heartbeat quickened slightly. He then sat cross-legged on the spot and began drawing in the soul ring to absorb it.

Defy heaven... change fate!

His heart trembled as he immediately felt endless pressure surging through his body, crashing wildly through his meridians and blood vessels. At the same time, it felt as though someone had gripped his heart in their hand, leaving him unbearably suffocated.

The first wave of impact from the thousand-year soul ring came so abruptly that Ning Wuque nearly lost his footing! His face turned as pale as if he had lost too much blood in an instant, and he was taking in far less air than he exhaled.

But he could endure it! He could still endure it!

His body, tempered through countless trials, showed its worth at this moment. The sweat and effort of the past seemed to answer him—this will definitely be useful—helping his body adapt to the onslaught of energy and gradually stabilize at a slow pace.

"Kraaah—"

Within his spiritual sea, a resonant shriek rang out.

Ning Wuque "saw" it. His Black-Gold Ant martial soul was transforming! It was enduring this trial alongside him, its master!

Mandibles like tiger clamps, six legs like hardened blades, a body like a wolf spider, and the aura of an enraged bear!

Evolution! His martial soul was evolving!

Just as Ning Wuque had expected, the thousand-year Dark Gold Soldier Ant soul ring had directly brought his martial soul through a higher evolution!

Time passed bit by bit.

Zhang Can guarded Ning Wuque for an entire day, two nights, and another afternoon. It was not until the faint light of dawn on the third day that Ning Wuque finally emerged from his soul ring absorption state.

"Martial Soul Possession!"

Ning Wuque used Martial Soul Possession. His hands transformed into ant pincers, antennae grew from his head, and even his physique changed somewhat.

A purple soul ring rose from beneath his feet, brilliant and dazzling, shining like the rising sun!

"Heaven did not grant me the fate of a king, so I'll break through the gates and seize it myself!

The earth has peaks, the heavens have heights, and the sea has depths—how hard can it be to defy heaven and change fate?"

"Right now, I can fucking do anything!!!"

I forgot to set a timer. Good thing I took a quick look when I had the chance. Whew~