Hunting Soul Rings in the Star Dou Great Forest

At a border town of the Star Dou Great Forest, Bibi Dong, Qian Jun, and Subduing Demon brought Zhao Xiaotian here. They planned to rest here for a while before entering the forest to hunt soul rings.

Zhao Xiaotian did not say much. After glancing into the depths of the forest, he followed Bibi Dong and the others into the town. Yet that single glance awakened a terrifying presence within the Star Dou Great Forest.

The four entered a restaurant, and a waiter stepped forward. "What would the four of you like to eat?"

Bibi Dong casually found a seat and sat down. "Bring us something to eat."

For titled powerhouses such as Bibi Dong, Qian Jun Douluo, and Subduing Demon Douluo, eating was merely a formality. The main purpose was to fill Zhao Xiaotian's stomach.

Only a few minutes after they ordered, the waiter served all the dishes. Zhao Xiaotian picked up his chopsticks and began eating, but none of these dishes compared to the food at the Papal Palace in Spirit City.

Zhao Xiaotian only took a few bites before setting down his chopsticks. Bibi Dong also knew that her son's palate had been spoiled by the food in Spirit City.

After placing a Gold Soul Coin on the table, she led the others away. The four boarded a carriage, and the driver headed into the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest.

"Xiaotian, what kind of soul beast do you want for your first soul ring? Either of us brothers can catch it for you!"

Hearing Qian Jun Douluo's question, Zhao Xiaotian replied, "Grandpa Qian Jun, I want my first soul ring to come from either a Titan Giant Ape or an Ice Crystal Black Bird."

Subduing Demon Douluo asked with interest, "Oh! Tell me why."

Zhao Xiaotian patiently answered, "According to Spirit Hall's records, seventy-two soul masters on the Douluo Continent have absorbed soul rings from Titan Giant Apes. Their soul skills were all gravity-type control skills."

Bibi Dong asked, "Xiaotian, do you want to take the control-type path?"

"No. My path is balance. As long as I take the path of balance to its ultimate limit, no one will be able to rival me."

Subduing Demon Douluo nodded. "Then tell us about the Ice Crystal Black Bird."

Zhao Xiaotian nodded. "According to Spirit Hall's books, an Ice Crystal Black Bird possesses a thousand years of cultivation from the moment it is born. Its body is pitch-black, its beak is sharp like a bird's, and it usually attacks by releasing ice spikes. That is how it got the name Ice Crystal Black Bird."

"Very good! So you intend to choose your first soul ring from these two?"

"That's right! A Titan Giant Ape soul ring follows the control-type path, while an Ice Crystal Black Bird combines strong control and control-type paths."

Qian Jun Douluo nodded. "Good! Since you already have the best choices for your soul ring, we brothers will capture one of those soul beasts for you to absorb. But we will do our best to find an Ice Crystal Black Bird!"

At that moment, a small insect on the carriage had heard everything the four of them said. It spread its wings and flew toward the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Before long, exhausted from the journey, Bibi Dong took out two tents from her Soul Tool. She gave one to Qian Jun Douluo and Subduing Demon Douluo, while the other was for herself and Zhao Xiaotian.

The four casually gathered some branches nearby and lit a bonfire before entering their tents to rest. Qian Jun Douluo kept watch outside, while Subduing Demon Douluo had been sent by Qian Jun to search for the two soul beasts Zhao Xiaotian wanted.

At midnight, a pair of Dark Gold Dragon Eyes appeared around their camp. Qian Jun Douluo sensed the disturbance in the surrounding aura, and his face turned terrified.

At that moment, Subduing Demon Douluo descended from the sky with one foot planted atop a massive black crow. Qian Jun Douluo ignored his younger brother, staring fixedly at the spot where that pair of eyes had appeared.

Subduing Demon Douluo's landing made quite a commotion, waking Bibi Dong and Zhao Xiaotian in the tent. Mother and son came outside and saw Qian Jun Douluo standing there blankly, while Subduing Demon Douluo stood on a huge black crow.

The instant Zhao Xiaotian appeared, the Dark Gold Dragon Eyes in the shadows turned toward him. Since Qian Jun Douluo had been watching those eyes the whole time, he immediately summoned his martial soul, the Coiling Dragon Staff.

Qian Jun Douluo pointed his staff toward the Dark Gold Dragon Eyes. Nine soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black—appeared around him as the powerful aura of a Level 96 Super Douluo instantly spread outward.

The Dark Gold Dragon Eyes sensed this aura and glanced at Qian Jun Douluo. That single glance made Qian Jun Douluo feel as though he faced a mighty enemy, and he instantly hurled a blast of staff energy toward it.

The Dark Gold Dragon Eyes vanished into the darkness. Qian Jun Douluo immediately let out a breath of relief and nearly collapsed. Seeing his elder brother look as though he had narrowly escaped death, Subduing Demon Douluo also became solemn.

Bibi Dong frowned. "What happened?"

Qian Jun Douluo waved his hand. "It's nothing now! Xiaotian, hurry and kill that crow so you can absorb its soul ring!"

Zhao Xiaotian nodded and looked toward his mother. Understanding his meaning, Bibi Dong took a dagger embedded with gemstones of various colors from her Soul Tool and handed it to him.

Zhao Xiaotian took the dagger without hesitation and walked toward the Ice Crystal Black Bird. His eyes were utterly emotionless as he stabbed the dagger through the Ice Crystal Black Bird's eye and into its brain.

The Ice Crystal Black Bird died instantly from the stab without any struggle. After its death, a deep-purple soul ring slowly appeared before everyone.

Just as Zhao Xiaotian was about to touch the soul ring, Bibi Dong and Qian Jun Douluo stopped him. Bibi Dong patted her chest in lingering fear and said to Zhao Xiaotian, "Xiaotian, you cannot absorb this soul ring! It already has eight thousand years of cultivation. It is not suitable for you to absorb right now."

Qian Jun Douluo nodded, not forgetting to glare at his younger brother. "That's right! The ideal age for a soul master's first soul ring is between two hundred and four hundred years. Since it has been three years since you awakened your martial soul without absorbing a soul ring, your body is different from ordinary people's. Even so, at most, you can only absorb a soul ring of just over a thousand years. This eight-thousand-year soul ring is not suitable as your first soul ring."

"No! I can do it! I can feel that this soul ring is calling to me. If I absorb it, a great opportunity may be waiting for me. So I want to give it a try!"

Bibi Dong refused, "No! I cannot let you take such a risk. After all, this has never happened before in the history of soul masters."

Zhao Xiaotian's eyes filled with determination. "If there is no precedent, then I will create one!"

With that, Zhao Xiaotian broke free of Bibi Dong and Qian Jun Douluo's restraint and summoned his martial soul. The instant his martial soul appeared, his hair turned a gradient white, while his pupils became black-and-white heterochromatic eyes.

Half of a Tai Chi Bagua appeared on the back of each hand. One hand bore a black Taiji symbol, while the other bore a white Taiji symbol.

Zhao Xiaotian reached out and touched the deep-purple soul ring, muttering, "My first soul ring and first soul skill, here I come!"

Zhao Xiaotian sat cross-legged. The deep-purple soul ring above his head expanded and contracted erratically, rising and falling. Bibi Dong and Qian Jun Douluo watched every movement as Zhao Xiaotian absorbed the soul ring, their hearts filled with worry.

The moment they noticed anything wrong, Bibi Dong would interrupt Zhao Xiaotian's absorption without hesitation, while Qian Jun Douluo would beat his younger brother, Subduing Demon Douluo, to a pulp without hesitation.