Innate Soul Skill, Absorbing a Spirit Ring Across Levels (1)

The next morning, at a manor in the eastern district.

As the sun rose, the boy sitting cross-legged in the courtyard slowly opened his eyes. He exhaled a breath of stale air and immediately felt refreshed all over. This person was none other than Shen Tianchen.

Because he truly could not sleep during the latter half of the night, he simply went out into the courtyard to meditate. Just moments ago, he had successfully adapted to the Soul Power of Douluo Continent, and he could now wield both of his Martial Souls with ease.

"Judging by the Douluo calendar, Qian Renxue should only be around nine years older than me. That's still acceptable."

"However, one thing worth noting is that the Son of Destiny plus transmigrator—Tang San—should be awakening his Martial Soul soon. Sorry, although we're both transmigrators, our choices have doomed us to become enemies. I'll be taking the immortal herbs," Shen Tianchen thought to himself.

Just then, a gust of wind swept past, and Qianjun Douluo appeared in the courtyard. He said, "Come on, Xiao Chen. I'll take you to obtain a Spirit Ring now, while there are fewer people around."

With that, he took the lead toward Sunset Forest in the southwest. Shen Tianchen hurried after him.

Sunset Forest was located in the center of the Heaven Dou Empire, roughly fifty kilometers east of Heaven Dou City. It was one of the three great Spirit Beast Forests of Douluo Continent, and the journey from Spirit City would take about three days.

As for why he did not simply bring Shen Tianchen there directly and instead chose the slowest method, walking, Qianjun Douluo's explanation was this: first, he did not want to draw attention; second, supposedly, he wanted Shen Tianchen to build a strong physique and lay a foundation for his future path as a Soul Master.

Yes, what ulterior motives could a Titled Douluo possibly have? He was merely concerned for his disciple. Shen Tianchen could only comply.

After roughly two and a half days of walking, master and disciple arrived at the outer region of Sunset Forest. Although Shen Tianchen felt exhausted after the journey, he could indeed feel that his physical condition had improved somewhat.

At that moment, Qianjun Douluo asked, "Xiao Chen, have you decided what type of Spirit Ring you want to add to your sword?"

Shen Tianchen lowered his head and thought for a while before replying, "Teacher, the greatest feature of my Dragon Abyss Sword is its attack power. When I swing it, it is faintly accompanied by a dragon's roar, so I want to obtain a Spirit Beast with dragon bloodline, or another rare Spirit Beast with strong offensive power. As for the age of my first Spirit Ring... I want one that is a thousand years old."

Qianjun Douluo frowned upon hearing that. "A thousand years? That's too great a leap. Are you confident?"

Shen Tianchen smiled. "Teacher, each of my two Martial Souls comes with an Innate Soul Skill. The Dragon Abyss Sword's Innate Soul Skill is called—Dragon Abyss Break. It unleashes a streak of sword light that deals damage while weakening the target's physical defense and enhancement-type Soul Skills by twenty percent. Its effect is reduced against opponents stronger than me."

"As for my second Martial Soul, the Life Divine Pearl, its Innate Soul Skill is called—Healing Divine Light. It creates an area that enhances physical condition and raises all bodily attributes by seventy percent. It can be used on myself or others, and as my level rises, the Innate Soul Skill will become increasingly powerful."

Qianjun Douluo smiled bitterly and shook his head. "As expected of a God-tier Martial Soul. Truly domineering. Come, let's search for Spirit Beasts." With that, he headed straight into Sunset Forest, Shen Tianchen following closely behind.

As the two ventured closer and closer to the inner region, the Spirit Beasts they encountered grew older and older. There were quite a few hundred-year Spirit Beasts, and they occasionally came across a couple that had only recently surpassed a thousand years. However, all of them were driven back by Qianjun Douluo's pressure.

Just then, Qianjun Douluo stopped. Shen Tianchen asked in confusion, "What is it, Teacher? Is there a problem?" Qianjun Douluo smiled faintly. "A Spirit Beast has delivered itself to our door."

As soon as he spoke, rustling came from the grass roughly fifty meters ahead. Then, a tiger-type Spirit Beast, two meters long and entirely purple-black, with lightning crackling around its body, appeared before them and roared.

"A Violet Firmament Demonic Thunder Tiger. A top-tier tiger-type Spirit Beast. Its attacks are often accompanied by lightning, making them extremely powerful. Its weakness is that these Spirit Beasts generally aren't very intelligent. This one has only recently broken through the thousand-year mark and is probably less than eleven hundred years old. It fits your requirements. I'll only use twenty to thirty percent of my strength. Watch my fighting style carefully."

As he spoke, Qianjun Douluo suddenly tightened his grip on the Coiled Dragon Staff. Yellow and purple Spirit Rings lit up one after another beneath his feet. "First Spirit Ability, Mighty Force; Third Spirit Ability, Moment of Peril!" A pale blue glow immediately enveloped his body, and the Coiled Dragon Staff instantly tripled in size. Then Qianjun Douluo charged toward the Violet Firmament Demonic Thunder Tiger like an arrow released from a bow.

Seeing Qianjun Douluo charge at it, the Violet Firmament Demonic Thunder Tiger was startled. It immediately channeled Soul Power into its right forepaw and, under Qianjun Douluo's slightly surprised gaze, pounced directly at him. The result was that Qianjun Douluo sent it flying with a single swing of his staff, and it only stopped after crashing through several trees.

Watching from a distance, Shen Tianchen shook his head. This thing actually tried to take a Super Douluo's Soul Skill head-on. Can't it sense the power of that attack? Absorbing its Spirit Ring won't affect my intelligence, will it?

The Violet Firmament Demonic Thunder Tiger staggered to its feet, seeing stars. It shook its head and looked around, spotting Shen Tianchen hiding behind a tree. Fierce light immediately flashed in its eyes. After adjusting its body, it pounced toward Shen Tianchen again.

Seeing this, Qianjun Douluo laughed in fury. "You beast, do you think I don't exist?" He swung the Coiled Dragon Staff at it once more.

Just as the Violet Firmament Demonic Thunder Tiger was about to close in, the enormous Coiled Dragon Staff fell squarely onto its body, crushing it to the ground. It was barely alive and unable to move. The aftershock of the battle sent dust flying in every direction and made the trees rustle violently. Had Shen Tianchen not hidden well, even he would have been knocked to the ground.

At this point, Shen Tianchen hurried over from the side. Without wasting a second, he ended the Spirit Beast's life with a single sword strike. A purple Spirit Ring rose from its body. He then planted the Dragon Abyss Sword into the ground, sat cross-legged beside the thousand-year-old Violet Firmament Demonic Thunder Tiger's corpse, and summoned his second Martial Soul, the Life Divine Pearl. "Soul Skill, Healing Divine Light!"

At once, green light emerged from Shen Tianchen's hand, forming a dome of light around him. He then began absorbing the Spirit Ring.

Qianjun Douluo planted the Coiled Dragon Staff diagonally into the soil. The dragon patterns on its shaft flickered between light and dark as Soul Power coursed through it. "The first Spirit Ring is of vital importance."

Qianjun Douluo lightly tapped the ground with his toe, and a pale golden Soul Power barrier spread outward with the two of them at its center. "The Violet Firmament Demonic Thunder Tiger's speed and explosive strength happen to make up for the Dragon Abyss Sword's weakness of being overly focused on power." As he spoke, he flicked a finger. The Coiled Dragon Staff suddenly trembled, and the point of light gathering at its tip landed precisely on the Dragon Abyss Sword's guard.

Shen Tianchen felt a warm current flow down his arm into his dantian. The Dragon Abyss Sword suddenly emitted a soft hum. When he guided his Soul Power to touch the Spirit Ring dispersing from the Violet Firmament Demonic Thunder Tiger, the sword's cyan glow surged. It actually began wrapping the purple halo around the sword's hilt on its own.

"Steady yourself!" Qianjun Douluo's voice suddenly grew stern, and the third Spirit Ring on the Coiled Dragon Staff flared brightly. "It's actively absorbing the Spirit Ring. This is a trait unique to God-tier Weapon Martial Souls. Don't let it lead you along!"

Cold sweat instantly beaded on Shen Tianchen's forehead. The moment the Spirit Ring entered his body, countless chaotic images flooded his mind: the Violet Firmament Demonic Thunder Tiger's swift hunts in the darkness, its frenzy while being pursued, and the venomous glare in its eyes before death. The Dragon Abyss Sword suddenly shook violently, and faint purple patterns appeared across its blade, as though it were about to completely devour the purple Spirit Ring.

"Use your will to control it!" Qianjun Douluo stepped on the top of the Coiled Dragon Staff. The entire staff suddenly straightened, its dragon patterns rising like living creatures and condensing into a half-circle of golden dragon scales along the inner edge of the barrier. "Think of how you felt when you first held a sword!"

Those words were like thunder splitting apart the chaos. Shen Tianchen suddenly remembered the scene from several days ago, when he awakened at Spirit Hall and the Dragon Abyss Sword first materialized in his palm. Back then, its cyan light had been so pure that it contained not the slightest impurity. He hurriedly gathered his focus and condensed his Soul Power into a thin stream, guiding it slowly along the sword's spine. With every inch it passed, the restless purple-black spots of light on the blade faded a little more.

Seeing the boy's tightly pressed lips, Qianjun Douluo quietly activated his fourth Spirit Ring as well. The air around the Coiled Dragon Staff began to distort, and the dragon patterns tore apart every Spirit Beast aura attempting to penetrate the barrier.

He saw that the Dragon Abyss Sword resting across Shen Tianchen's knees was undergoing a wondrous change. Patterns similar to those on the Coiled Dragon Staff slowly appeared on the once-smooth scabbard, though they were more slender and lively.

When the final strand of purple-black light was swallowed by the cyan glow, Shen Tianchen's first purple Spirit Ring finally rose beneath his feet. The Dragon Abyss Sword sprang up with a sharp hum and automatically fell into his hand. As cyan light flowed across the blade, the phantom of the Violet Firmament Demonic Thunder Tiger could clearly be seen flashing within it.

"Try your First Spirit Ability." Qianjun Douluo withdrew the barrier, and the dragon patterns on the Coiled Dragon Staff had returned to normal. "Concentrate your Soul Power three inches from the sword tip."

Shen Tianchen did as instructed. He swung his sword and targeted a massive boulder ahead. "First Spirit Ability, Violet Firmament Heavenly Thunder Sword!" Purple lightning immediately erupted around him, forming four lightning swords that shot toward the boulder with Thunderous Might.

In an instant, the boulder exploded apart. The shattered fragments were still entwined with traces of purple lightning. Just as Qianjun Douluo thought the attack had ended, several even thicker bolts of lightning suddenly crashed down from the sky, pulverizing the remaining chunks of stone. The sight left Qianjun Douluo truly astonished.

"Violet Firmament Heavenly Thunder Sword. It's even a two-stage attack." Qianjun Douluo looked at the crisscrossing marks, a trace of approval flashing in his eyes. "It possesses both the Violet Firmament Demonic Thunder Tiger's speed and explosive power, while retaining the Dragon Abyss Sword's sharpness. Remember this sense of balance."

As he spoke, he raised a hand and gripped the Coiled Dragon Staff. The gust stirred up by its gentle turn happened to brush aside the loose strands of hair at Shen Tianchen's temples.