Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, Ice and Fire Targets

Zhu Zhuqing's spirit ring absorption went remarkably smoothly. With Qin Mo's assistance, the 1800-Year Netherworld Leopard spirit ring showed almost no rejection, and the pure energy and innate essence it contained merged perfectly into her Netherworld Spirit Cat Martial Soul.

Two hours later, the purple glow surrounding Zhu Zhuqing gradually receded, and she slowly opened her eyes. A deep violet glint flashed through her gaze as her entire aura became more restrained and elusive, as though she could melt into the shadows at any moment.

"Dean, I succeeded!" Zhu Zhuqing rose to her feet, unable to suppress the joy in her voice. She could clearly feel that her Soul Power had directly broken through to level thirty-two. Her speed, strength, especially her ability to conceal herself and control shadows, had all improved enormously.

"How does it feel? What Soul Skill did you gain?" Qin Mo asked with a smile.

Zhu Zhuqing took a deep breath, and three spirit rings—two yellow and one purple—rose beneath her feet. At a thought, her Third Soul Ring flashed with purple light, and her body instantly blurred, as though she had transformed into an indistinct violet phantom. Her speed surged dramatically, leaving several hard-to-follow afterimages across the clearing, while a faint but soul-piercing force of intimidation spread outward.

"Third Soul Skill, Netherworld Shadow Strike." Even Zhu Zhuqing's voice carried a trace of etherealness. "It greatly increases my speed and lets me enter a semi-incorporeal state for a short time, reducing physical damage. My attacks also carry a soul-intimidating effect that disrupts my opponent's movements."

This Soul Skill perfectly suited the characteristics of her Martial Soul. Whether for ambushes, assassinations, or escaping pursuit, it was exceptionally powerful.

"Very good." Qin Mo nodded in satisfaction. "This Soul Skill has tremendous potential. As your Soul Power grows and your understanding of your Martial Soul deepens, its effects will become even stronger. In the future, you may even be able to comprehend short-range Space Teleportation."

Having received Qin Mo's approval, Zhu Zhuqing's usually cold face revealed a rare, radiant smile, like snow and ice melting away.

With Zhu Zhuqing's Third Soul Ring settled, the next priority was finding suitable Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts for Bing'er and Yan'er. This was no small challenge even for Qin Mo. Ultimate Martial Souls were extremely demanding when it came to spirit rings. Not only did the attributes need to match perfectly, but the Soul Beasts' quality and talent also had to be top-tier.

"For Bing'er's Ultimate Ice, we need to find a king among ice-attributed Soul Beasts, or one with special extreme-cold abilities," Qin Mo analyzed. "As for Yan'er's Ultimate Fire, she needs a fire-attributed overlord, or a Soul Beast with special flames, such as Netherworld Fire or True Sun Fire. Their cultivation must be at least fifteen thousand years, or they won't be able to withstand the impact of their Martial Souls."

Soul Beasts like those were already difficult to find on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest's mixed zone. They had to venture deeper, to the edge of the true core region, where Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts thrived and they might even encounter the territory of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

After a brief rest, the four set off once more, heading deeper into the Star Dou Great Forest.

The deeper they went, the more primordial and perilous the environment became. Towering ancient trees stood everywhere, blocking out the sky and sun, while the auras of powerful Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts emerged one after another. If not for Qin Mo's formidable Spiritual Power, which allowed him to avoid most dangerous areas in advance, their journey would never have been so peaceful.

They crossed swamps shrouded in poisonous miasma, skirted valleys occupied by herds of Armored Rhinoceroses, and avoided the territory of a Ten-Thousand-Year Vajra Ape with a trace of Titan Giant Ape bloodline...

Along the way, they also discovered several decent Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts. One was a thirteen-thousand-year Mysterious Ice Turtle with formidable defense and pure ice attributes. Another was a sixteen-thousand-year Blazing Lion with violent flames and astonishing offensive power.

But after careful observation, Qin Mo rejected them all.

"Though the Mysterious Ice Turtle has strong defense, it is too clumsy and lacks offensive power. It does not suit the agile, kingly aura of the Ice Phoenix." "Though the Blazing Lion's flames are fierce, their quality is not pure enough. It has plenty of savagery but lacks spirituality, making it difficult to awaken the true essence of nirvana within the Fire Phoenix."

What he sought were Soul Beasts truly worthy of Ultimate Martial Souls, ones with the potential to become top-tier spirit rings.

After searching for several days, just as they were nearly approaching the Star Dou Great Forest's true core forbidden zone, Qin Mo finally sensed two extremely powerful and unusual energy fluctuations.

One came from the depths of a cold pool. It was bone-chilling, as though it could freeze even the soul, and carried a lofty, solitary pride. The other came from near the crater of an active volcano. It was scorching and wild, filled with the contradictory aura of destruction and rebirth, incomparably domineering.

"We found them!" A sharp glint flashed in Qin Mo's eyes. "Bing'er, Yan'er, your opportunity has arrived!"

He pointed in two directions. "Bing'er, go to the cold pool. A roughly 1800-Year Extreme Cold Ice Luan should dwell there. It possesses an ancient Ice Phoenix bloodline, and the extreme cold power of its origin is exactly what you need." "Yan'er, go to the volcanic crater. What resides there is most likely an Earth Core Fire Lizard around twenty thousand years old. It has devoured the fire at the earth's core for a long time, giving its flames extraordinary quality. It contains a trace of the essence of the earth's destruction and rebirth, which shares the same underlying principle as your Fire Phoenix Martial Soul."

Upon hearing Qin Mo's description, both Bing'er and Yan'er grew excited. An Extreme Cold Ice Luan! An Earth Core Fire Lizard! These were both top-tier Soul Beasts that could only be encountered by chance!

"Dean, then we..." The two girls looked toward Qin Mo.

"I will stand guard for you and ensure nothing goes wrong," Qin Mo said gravely. "But absorbing Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Rings, especially those from top-tier Soul Beasts like these, will be a tremendous test of your will and control over your Martial Souls. Whether you ultimately succeed will depend on yourselves. Remember the guidance I gave you along the way. Find the 'intent' that belongs to you."

"Yes, Dean! Young Sect Master!" Bing'er and Yan'er answered in unison, their eyes filled with determination.

The four split into two groups. Qin Mo and Zhu Zhuqing remained in the middle to provide support, while Bing'er and Yan'er separately made their way toward the cold pool and volcanic crater.

Two arduous battles were about to begin. Their outcomes would determine whether Bing'er and Yan'er could truly leap through the dragon gate and lay the foundation to become future powerhouses.