The Third Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring

"Alright, as long as you know what you're doing. Let's head straight into the Mixed Zone then, there are more ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts there."

"Okay."

And so, the group began to traverse the outer perimeter, making their way towards the Mixed Zone. The journey was remarkably peaceful, with the surroundings remaining quiet throughout, and no Soul Beasts bothering them. After all, Lang Lei didn't need Soul Beasts below ten thousand years of age. A mere hint of aura from Xue Di and Bing Di was enough to scare away any Soul Beasts that dared to approach.

Xue Di and Bing Di were, in essence, Soul Beasts themselves. Unless provoked, they wouldn't casually slaughter other Soul Beasts. Therefore, upon entering the Mixed Zone, Xue Di and Bing Di retracted their auras and entered a state of concealment.

However, the moment Lang Lei and his group stepped into the Star Dou Great Forest's Mixed Zone, a deer-shaped Soul Beast, as if sensing something, suddenly appeared before Lang Lei. Upon seeing Lang Lei's group, this deer-shaped Soul Beast seemed to feel an immense threat and immediately turned to flee without hesitation, its speed as fast as lightning.

"Swift-Treading Spirit Deer! Sister Xue!" Lang Lei's eyes suddenly lit up, a wave of excitement surging within him. His studies at the academy these past few days hadn't been in vain; he immediately recognized the species of the Soul Beast that had appeared before them.

This Soul Beast's appearance wasn't much different from an ordinary deer, but its speed was lightning-fast, as if it could tread on clouds. Lang Lei rejoiced inwardly. This Soul Beast perfectly matched his requirements, and naturally, he couldn't miss such a rare opportunity.

"Good." Xue Di's response was concise and decisive, without the slightest hesitation. Her figure flashed, like a phantom, and she sped directly towards the direction the Swift-Treading Spirit Deer had fled.

As its name suggested, the Swift-Treading Spirit Deer's speed was unparalleled. It darted through the forest like a nimble swallow, weaving between trees with astonishing speed. Generally, the running speed of land creatures couldn't compare to birds in the sky, but this Swift-Treading Spirit Deer defied that norm. Its speed was even comparable to a swallow flying through the air, which is precisely why it earned the name "Swift-Treading Spirit Deer."

Perhaps in the world of Soul Beasts, this Spirit Deer had other names, but in human perception, people often named Soul Beasts based on their characteristics. After all, communication between humans and Soul Beasts was very limited, and there were few opportunities to sit down and discuss such matters properly.

However, despite the Swift-Treading Spirit Deer's already astonishing speed, Xue Di's speed was even superior. After all, the gap in strength between them was like an insurmountable chasm. No matter how desperately the Swift-Treading Spirit Deer ran, it couldn't escape Xue Di's pursuit.

Before long, the Swift-Treading Spirit Deer was thrown before Lang Lei by Xue Di.

When the Spirit Deer was tossed before Lang Lei like a discarded doll, its eyes widened, revealing a pitiable look that seemed to convey its innocence and helplessness. In that instant, Lang Lei suddenly felt like a heinous villain, cruelly mistreating this defenseless little animal.

"Lang Lei, the rules of this world are truly a bit twisted..." Elysia's voice softly echoed in Lang Lei's mind, as if lamenting the unfairness and cruelty of this world. Lang Lei frowned slightly, knowing that Elysia was right; the rules of this world could indeed be frustrating at times.

"Perhaps, but we really don't have any better way to change it right now, so we'll just have to do this for now." Lang Lei sighed helplessly. He knew that in any world, the law of the jungle was unavoidable. Although he didn't want to be a villain, sometimes, for the sake of survival and progress, he wouldn't choose to be a saint.

"Mhm, okay." Elysia's voice was calm. She understood Lang Lei's situation and knew he wasn't a cruel person.

However, Lang Lei was not a cold-hearted person. He would do his best to minimize the Spirit Deer's suffering during its death.

"Lang Lei, this Soul Beast is already thirty thousand years old. Are you really sure you can absorb it successfully?" Just as Lang Lei was about to act, Xue Di suddenly spoke up, reminding him. After a careful examination, a hint of obvious worry was evident in Xue Di's tone.

After all, this Soul Beast's age far exceeded the usual ten-thousand-year limit for Soul Beasts, and the Soul Power it contained would undoubtedly be immense. For a quasi-Soul Elder to absorb the Soul Ring of such a powerful Soul Beast into their own body was undoubtedly an extremely challenging task, and any slight mistake could lead to a backlash or even endanger their life.

However, facing Xue Di's doubt, Lang Lei appeared exceptionally calm. The corners of his mouth curved slightly, revealing a confident smile, and he nodded without hesitation, "No problem."

Before his words even finished, he walked directly to the Swift-Treading Spirit Deer's side and, to the astonished gazes of Xue Di and Bing Di, sat down with a plop.

Next, Lang Lei reached out and gently stroked the Swift-Treading Spirit Deer's neck. Surprisingly, the originally restless Swift-Treading Spirit Deer gradually calmed down under Lang Lei's touch. Its breathing became steady, and its eyes slowly closed, as if entering a peaceful state of slumber.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, in the next moment, a Soul Ring radiating a dazzling light slowly floated out from the Swift-Treading Spirit Deer's body.

Although Lang Lei wasn't particularly concerned about the life or death of Soul Beasts, as he began to absorb this Soul Ring, Elysia's previous words lingered in his mind like a ghost, planting a seed of doubt within him.

Are the bottlenecks that Soul Masters encounter every ten levels truly innate rules? Why must Soul Rings be the price for breakthroughs? Why do Soul Rings appear precisely when Soul Beasts die?

This series of questions swirled in Lang Lei's mind, and he seemed to be getting somewhere.

He woke up with twenty levels; according to Xue Di and Bing Di, these ten levels were bestowed by the gods. This meant that the rules set by the gods were superior to the rules of the Douluo Continent itself. Even the gods themselves could rewrite the rules of the Douluo Continent...

However, Lang Lei didn't dwell on it further. After all, all of this was still too far away for him. For now, he just needed to manage himself. Later, he could also protect the Extreme North a little for Xue Di and Bing Di, but that was all in the future. At least for now, the normal Lang Lei still needed Xue Di and Bing Di's protection.

The absorption of the ten-thousand-year Soul Ring proceeded without any accidents, everything felt as natural as water flowing into its course. When the black Soul Ring completely enveloped Lang Lei, even Xue Di and Bing Di couldn't hide the excitement in their eyes.