Twin Rings Formed, Battle Prowess Revealed

The Nine-Colored Light Pillar descended like a spear of judgment cast by the heavens, precisely enveloping the Ghost Tiger's true body as it staggered backward!

Within that pillar lay the overwhelmingly domineering power of the Nine-Story Demon Pagoda's Seal Laws, along with Qin Mo's vast Soul Power far exceeding that of others at his level! The instant the pillar touched it, the Ghost Tiger let out a shrill roar filled with shock, fury, and terror!

It sensed an unprecedented, fatal threat! That light was not trying to destroy its body—it was trying to strip away its very existence and drag it into an eternal, dark prison! This fear originating from the depths of its soul surpassed even physical pain!

"Awooo—!!!"

The Ghost Tiger struggled madly, dense black ghostly light erupting around its body as it tried to resist the pull of the Nine-Colored Light Pillar. Its claws frantically tore at the edge of the pillar, yet it was like scratching the toughest invisible barrier. It could only send up tiny Energy Ripples and could not shake it in the slightest! The spatial confinement within the pillar rendered its prized speed utterly useless.

At the same time, Bing'er continuously drove forth icy energy, freezing the Ghost Tiger's limbs and further restricting its movements. Though Yan'er's flaming halos did not directly ensnare it, they kept exploding nearby, their scorching shockwaves and firelight disrupting its senses and preventing it from concentrating all its strength against the seal.

Meanwhile, the summoned Hundred-Year Human-Faced Demon Spider stubbornly entangled the Ghost Tiger's phantom clone. Though it was at a disadvantage, its shell torn open by tiger claws and green fluid splattering everywhere, it successfully prevented the clone from returning to the true body.

Qin Mo's face turned slightly pale, and fine beads of sweat formed on his forehead. Maintaining the sealing light at such intensity was an enormous drain on his twentieth-level Soul Power. Yet his gaze remained sharp as an eagle's, fixed tightly on the struggling Ghost Tiger. Without hesitation, he poured his Soul Power into the Nine-Story Demon Pagoda like floodwaters released from a dam, driving the seal with all his strength!

The Nine-Colored Light Pillar spun and contracted, like an invisible giant hand forcibly compressing and refining the Ghost Tiger's massive body!

The Ghost Tiger's struggles grew weaker and weaker. The black ghostly light around it was completely suppressed and swallowed by the nine-colored radiance. Its form began to blur and turn transparent. Finally, amid a desperate Tiger Roar filled with unwillingness, it completely transformed into a condensed stream of black-and-white light carrying an aura of sharpness and agility!

The stream of light flashed, as though drawn by an invisible thread, and instantly plunged into the vortex at the base of the Nine-Story Demon Pagoda's second floor, disappearing from sight!

Buzz...

The Nine-Story Demon Pagoda gave off an even more delighted, satisfied tremor. Light flowed over its surface, and on the inner wall of its second floor, a brand-new, lifelike image of a Ghost Tiger rapidly formed! The image was agile and ferocious, as though it would leap from the tower wall and devour someone the next instant!

At the same time, another surge of pure, immense, incomparably gentle origin energy flowed back from the demon pagoda and entered Qin Mo's nearly exhausted Meridians!

This energy rapidly replenished his consumption and once again pushed against his Soul Power bottleneck!

Boom!

As naturally as water flowing into a channel, without the slightest obstruction, his Soul Power Level forcefully broke through the barrier and rose directly to level twenty-two! Moreover, his Soul Power remained full and surging, steadily advancing toward an even higher level!

A second deep-purple Soul Ring slowly rose beneath his feet, complementing the first purple Soul Ring as the two revolved around him in a slow rhythm!

Twin Rings! Soul Grandmaster!

And both were Thousand-Year Spirit Rings that exceeded the limits!

Purple, purple! The energy fluctuations released by the two Soul Rings were powerful yet harmonious, making Qin Mo appear like a divine child descended into the mortal world!

"Success! It worked again!" Yan'er jumped up excitedly, her little face flushed red. Even after witnessing this miraculous method of obtaining a second Soul Ring firsthand, she was still utterly shaken.

Bing'er also let out a long breath. A relieved smile appeared on her cool face as she looked at Qin Mo with eyes full of amazement. The Young Sect Master's power surpassed imagination every time it was revealed.

The Ghost Tiger clone battling the Demon Spider gave a faint pop the instant its true body was sealed, dispersing into the air like a bubble. The Man Faced Demon Spider also transformed into a stream of light and returned to the demon pagoda.

Qin Yuan slowly opened his eyes. Seeing the two dazzling purple Soul Rings beneath his grandson's feet, he could not help but be moved once more despite having expected it. Stroking his beard, he laughed heartily, his voice shaking the surrounding wilderness. "Good! Good! Good! Twin Thousand-Year Spirit Rings! Mo'er, though you are only a Soul Grandmaster now, with this unprecedented Soul Ring configuration and the miraculous power of the Nine-Story Demon Pagoda, you are more than capable of directly challenging—and even defeating—an ordinary Soul Elder!"

This was an extremely high evaluation! It meant Qin Mo already possessed the formidable foundation to fight opponents above his level!

Qin Mo slowly calmed the surging Soul Power within him, feeling his increasingly seamless connection with the Nine-Story Demon Pagoda, as well as the flow of information transmitted by the new Sealed Object on its second floor. Bright, confident light flickered in his eyes.

"Grandfather, my Second Soul Skill..." A peculiar curve lifted at the corner of his lips. "It seems more interesting than the First Soul Skill."

With a thought, the second purple Soul Ring beneath his feet lit up!

"Second Soul Skill: Ghost Tiger Phantom!"

He did not summon a physical Ghost Tiger. Instead, Qin Mo's body swayed slightly!

The next moment, before Bing'er and Yan'er's astonished eyes, another "Qin Mo" appeared out of thin air beside him!

This "Qin Mo" was identical to the original in appearance, clothing, expression, and even the Soul Power fluctuations radiating from his body! He stood there quietly, wearing the same faint smile, his eyes lively as though he possessed an independent consciousness!

"Th-this is a clone?!" Yan'er rubbed her eyes, almost unable to tell which one was real and which was false.

Only after Bing'er carefully swept it with her Spiritual Power did she barely detect that the clone's aura was slightly more illusory than the original's. Without close inspection, it would be impossible to distinguish them!

"It is more than just a clone." Qin Mo, the original, spoke. At the same time, the phantom clone spoke in sync, its voice and tone exactly the same. "It possesses part of my speed and attack power, and it can carry out simple commands. It can be used to confuse enemies, or... coordinate attacks."

Before his words had even faded, the phantom clone suddenly moved! It was incredibly fast, like a ghost, instantly pouncing before a nearby tree. Its fingers came together like a blade, and it chopped the trunk with a hand strike! Though far less powerful than the original, it still left behind a clear mark!

At the same moment the clone moved, Qin Mo's First Soul Ring lit up beneath his feet. The poison stinger reappeared at his fingertips, stabbing toward the tree trunk from another direction!

Pop! Swish!

The attacks from two directions arrived almost simultaneously! They were impossible to guard against!

After the demonstration, the clone transformed into a faint stream of light and dispersed.

Qin Mo looked at the stunned girls and his grandfather, who was nodding with a smile, then continued, "Likewise, this Soul Skill has a second form. Instead of summoning a clone, I can attach this power of 'phantom' to an allied target, giving them a phantom clone with part of their speed and attack power to fight alongside them."

It combined summoning, through his own clone; enhancement, through speed and attack; and support, through an ally's clone!

It was another versatile, highly practical Soul Skill! Together with the First Soul Skill's physical beast summoning, self-poison enhancement, and ally poison enhancement, it formed a perfect complement!

One focused on offense; the other on agility and battlefield control.

Qin Yuan no longer knew how many times he had been pleasantly surprised today. Laughing loudly, he patted Qin Mo's shoulder. "Good! Excellent! Mo'er, every additional floor of your Nine-Story Demon Pagoda grants it another measure of heaven-reaching power! Grandfather can hardly wait to see the day you gather all nine seals!"

Bing'er and Yan'er were completely convinced as well. With such Divine Skills, the Young Sect Master's future was simply immeasurable.

Feeling the surging power within him and the tremendous confidence brought by his two Thousand-Year Spirit Rings, Qin Mo turned his gaze toward the deeper reaches of the forest once more.

His path of cultivation had only just begun. The Star Dou Great Forest, this vast treasure trove, held even more opportunities waiting for him.

"Rest for a moment. Then we continue deeper." Qin Mo's voice was calm yet full of strength. "I have a feeling that the target for my Third Soul Ring is not very far away either."

Having only just obtained his second Soul Ring, he had already set his sights on the end of the thousand-year range—and perhaps even... ten thousand years!