A New Perfect Contract Candidate

A purple Thousand-Year Spirit Ring emerged above the dead Ice Jade Scorpion's head.

Lin Yu knew this was a hard-won opportunity, perhaps the only chance in his life to absorb a Thousand-Year Spirit Ring.

Because if he failed to absorb it, he would die.

Even if he barely survived, he would still have to endure until reaching level twenty and absorb his second Soul Ring. Otherwise, he would still die.

Under the pressure of life and death, Lin Yu had no time to hesitate. He sat down and began calming his mind to absorb the purple Thousand-Year Spirit Ring.

Before long, fine beads of sweat appeared on Lin Yu's tightly furrowed brow as his eyes remained shut.

This was the pressure the Thousand-Year Spirit Ring had begun to exert on him.

Normally, a Soul Master would not feel pressure so quickly when absorbing a Thousand-Year Spirit Ring. Feeling it shortly after beginning meant Lin Yu's Spiritual Power was far below the required standard for absorbing one.

This was the cruel reality of Douluo. Ordinary Soul Masters simply could not absorb Soul Rings beyond their rank.

A Thousand-Year Spirit Ring already required at least a level-thirty Soul Elder to absorb it.

Yet Lin Yu was only level eight. Challenging a Thousand-Year Spirit Ring was no longer an adventure; he was challenging the domain of the God of Death.

A layer of worry had already appeared on Snow Empress's face. She began regretting letting Lin Yu challenge a Thousand-Year Spirit Ring. This was impossible from the start.

But now that things had come to this, there was nothing she could do.

Snow Empress could only descend from the sky and wait at Lin Yu's side.

This was the effect of the contract. When Lin Yu was not in danger, Snow Empress only cared about herself. But once Lin Yu faced danger, an indistinct concern arose in her heart.

Perhaps Snow Empress's concern really did bring hope.

Two days and two nights passed. Although Lin Yu's face remained twisted in pain, he still had not collapsed.

Just as Snow Empress thought Lin Yu could hold on, his vitality suddenly plummeted on the third day. He looked as though he would not make it.

"Not good. Today is the tenth day. I've drained nearly all of his vitality."

Snow Empress grew nervous.

But then things took a turn. When Lin Yu's vitality fell to its lowest point, life emerged from death, and the aura of life suddenly swelled.

When that aura reached its peak, Lin Yu abruptly opened his eyes. A purple Thousand-Year Spirit Ring appeared beneath him.

The emergence of the Thousand-Year Spirit Ring replenished his depleted vitality and brought hope of survival once more.

Lin Yu and Snow Empress looked at each other, both letting out a sigh of relief.

They were now tied to the same rope. Escaping this disaster meant they had overcome a trial together.

"You nearly died."

Snow Empress smiled radiantly, like a bright splash of color amid the snow.

Lin Yu smiled as well. "Good thing I didn't die."

But it was not as simple as he made it sound. He was still shaken by the ordeal.

Although that Thousand-Year Spirit Ring had come from a Soul Beast's sacrifice and was not as violent as an ordinary Thousand-Year Spirit Ring, it was still not something an eighth-level Soul Scholar like him could absorb.

His success this time had relied entirely on staking everything on one desperate gamble, finding life only after placing himself in mortal danger.

But surviving such an experience once was luck. If it happened again, he would die horribly.

Lin Yu repeatedly exhaled before saying to Snow Empress, "I obtained a Thousand-Year Spirit Ring. The vitality it strengthened is at least three times what I had before.

"In other words, we have gained another month. But even so, time is still tight."

"Reaching level twenty within a month won't be easy."

Snow Empress's newly risen joy began to fade. Obtaining the Thousand-Year Spirit Ring had only bought them another month. Even a top Soul Master could only raise their Soul Power by one or two levels in that time.

Once Lin Yu's vitality was drained again, they would face danger once more.

Snow Empress stood there blankly and murmured involuntarily, "What should we do?"

Even as the ruler of the Extreme North Plains, she could not think of any way to raise Lin Yu to level twenty within a month.

She had once thought the Heavenly Tribulation that came once every hundred thousand years was already difficult enough.

But now, helping Lin Yu raise his Soul Power seemed even harder.

Why was this so difficult?

Lin Yu said confidently, "Don't worry. I have a way."

Snow Empress nearly thought she had misheard. Even she, the ruler of the Extreme North Plains, found this matter difficult, yet Lin Yu had a solution?

She asked in surprise, "What way?"

Lin Yu smiled. "You've already tried it." He extended his hand, revealing the Starry Express Martial Soul.

Snow Empress immediately understood. "You want to continue finding people to form contracts with? They will split off their power and become your Martial Soul, allowing you to keep raising your Soul Power?"

She remembered that Lin Yu's Martial Soul had initially been only level one. But after gaining her Heavenly Snow Woman Martial Soul, the two Martial Souls complemented each other, and his Soul Power had risen seven levels in nine days.

Naturally, the same method could be used on others.

Lin Yu confirmed Snow Empress's guess. "That's right. If I find another person to form a contract with, they will split off their power and become my Martial Soul. The stronger they are, the more power they can split off, which in turn will promote the growth of my Soul Power."

"And at present, this is the only workable way for me to reach level twenty within a month."

Snow Empress considered it before saying, "But finding a powerful person to form a contract with won't be easy. Your contract contains an element of stealing power, so anyone would resist it."

Calling it resistance was already putting it mildly. When that Rank 9 Soul Engineer first saw the terms of Lin Yu's contract, he had been so furious that he immediately summoned the Rank 9 God Sealing Platform to seal Lin Yu away.

The Starry Express's contracts were actually very fair, but every contract differed depending on the person.

Snow Empress had shared her Martial Soul with Lin Yu, but she had also gained the vitality she needed most.

That Rank 9 Soul Engineer's contract, meanwhile, had given him a promise: a promise that Lin Yu would help him revive the Sun Moon Empire and lead it toward glory.

Although that was what the Rank 9 Soul Engineer wanted, asking him to give up his power in exchange for some inexplicable promise from a Rank 1 Soul Master was simply insulting him.

That was why the Rank 9 Soul Engineer had reacted so strongly.

But even Snow Empress, who had signed the contract, had only been willing to form one with Lin Yu after being forced to the brink of death.

No one with great power would willingly give away their strength.

Lin Yu knew that as well, so he smiled. "Since the normal approach hasn't worked, we should stop following the usual path and find another way."

"Just like with you two, under normal circumstances, you wouldn't even spare me a glance."

"But when you are both trapped in a predicament, even if I'm only a Rank 1 Soul Master, my value will rise without limit."

"Until you have no choice but to take me seriously."

That was true. Snow Empress had experienced it herself. When she learned that even a Rank 1 Soul Master like Lin Yu could threaten her, the feeling had been indescribable.

Lin Yu said, "So when we seek someone else to form a contract with next time, we should target them at their weakest. It may be somewhat shameless, but we have no other choice."

"To survive, we would rather sacrifice others than sacrifice ourselves."

"And now, I have a new perfect contract candidate."

"She is also trapped in a difficult situation and needs us right now."