Soul Hunt, Shi Jian Enters the Title

The next day, after dawn.

Ye Zhou followed Shi Jian out of the inn. The two rented a carriage and headed for Sunset Forest.

At this moment, Ye Zhou still looked the same as he had before transmigrating.

"Uncle Jian, have you decided which soul beasts to hunt?" Ye Zhou asked Shi Jian inside the carriage.

"Nether Wolf, Thunder Pattern Python, Blood Corpse Vine, Soul-Stealing Ghost Bat, Xuanming Turtle, Purple Lightning Suanni, Nine Nether Corpse Demon Tiger, Nine-Heart Begonia Demon," Shi Jian said.

"The Nine-Heart Begonia Demon may be difficult to find," Ye Zhou reminded him.

"Then we'll replace it with a Blue Silver King or Jade Swan. Anything that can rapidly heal injuries will do."

Ye Zhou nodded. As long as they had several options, there would be no problem.

Two days later.

"Force Split Mount Hua!" Ye Zhou gripped the Sun Moon Halberd and brought it down fiercely upon the Frostfire Dragon, which Shi Jian had already knocked limp onto the ground with Lightning Flash Fist.

With a bang, the Frostfire Dragon's head was smashed apart. The entire dragon stopped breathing, and a purple soul ring floated out from its body.

"Kid, this soul ring is a thousand-year one. Are you sure you want to absorb it?" Shi Jian asked Ye Zhou.

"Uncle Jian, I ate the Sun Moon True Fruit and gained the Yin-Yang Balanced Physique. In theory, it can balance all the different powers inside my body, just like the Tiger Talisman from Jackie Chan Adventures. So absorbing a thousand-year soul ring shouldn't be a problem," Ye Zhou replied with a smile.

Actually, he was still being cautious. If he were bolder, he would have directly absorbed a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.

But never mind. There was no need to take that risk. He would absorb a thousand-year one first, and once he cultivated to become a Titled Douluo, he would add soul rings to his second martial soul. By then...

Hmph, I'll start straight from a hundred-thousand-year soul ring!

Ye Zhou sat down cross-legged and began absorbing the soul ring under Shi Jian's protection.

The process of absorbing the soul ring was not as easy as he had imagined. The powerful energy of the thousand-year soul ring surged into Ye Zhou's body, expanding his meridians and bringing beads of sweat to his forehead.

Fortunately, the lingering power of the Sun Moon True Fruit within him took effect. Just as Ye Zhou felt that he was about to burst apart, the power of yang and the power of yin circulated through one another inside his body, jointly forming a Taiji pattern. It suppressed the excess power of the thousand-year soul ring and returned his body to a state of balance.

A little less than half an hour later, Ye Zhou opened his eyes. A purple soul ring appeared beneath his feet.

"Success!" Shi Jian said with a smile.

"Thank you for protecting me, Uncle Jian." Ye Zhou rose and cupped his fists toward Shi Jian.

"Why be so polite? Let's go. I'm still short a few soul rings. Once we get them all, we'll head back."

"Yes." Ye Zhou immediately withdrew his martial soul, stored the Frostfire Dragon's corpse in his Storage Bag, and left the area with Shi Jian.

As they traveled, he carefully sensed the first soul skill he had gained.

Its name was: Sun Moon Thrust. It had two forms.

When using the sun blade, the halberd blade erupted with True Sun Fire. A straight thrust dealt piercing damage and inflicted a burning effect, countering plant-type martial souls.

When using the moon blade, the halberd blade erupted with a lunar cold current, likewise dealing piercing damage and applying a "frost slow" effect.

Three more days passed.

Shi Jian had already absorbed seven soul rings. Whether it was luck or not, they had yet to find any trace of the Nine-Heart Begonia Demon, but that day, they discovered a Jade Swan beside a waterfall. Judging by its appearance, it had cultivated for at least sixty thousand years, perhaps even seventy thousand.

"That's the one." Shi Jian shouted and immediately leaped into the air, activating Martial Soul Possession as he attacked the Jade Swan.

"Fifth Soul Skill—Heavenly Corpse Thunderclap!"

Shi Jian used the Fifth Soul Skill he had gained by hunting the fifty-thousand-year Purple Lightning Suanni, summoning three lightning corpse puppets to charge at the Jade Swan and self-destruct. Each caused an area-wide lightning storm, while the residual area continued conducting electricity for three seconds.

This was a waterfall, and the Jade Swan was water-attributed. Encountering a Thunder Dharma King like Shi Jian meant it had truly run into terrible luck.

Before long, the Jade Swan fell, and a pitch-black soul ring floated out of its body.

Having done this seven times already, Shi Jian immediately went over and absorbed it. With the addition of seven Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings, his Soul Power had already risen from Level 84 to Level 89. Naturally, absorbing the Jade Swan's soul ring was effortless for him, unlike Ye Zhou, who had ended up drenched in sweat.

About the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Shi Jian opened his eyes.

"Uncle Jian, how was it? What soul skill did you get?" Ye Zhou, who had been protecting him nearby, asked when he noticed that he had finished absorbing the soul ring.

"Eighth Soul Skill: Life-Death Siphon. It absorbs elemental attacks from enemies and converts them into my own life energy to heal injuries," Shi Jian answered.

"That powerful?!" Ye Zhou said in surprise.

Damn, there's no need to bite anyone anymore. If others attack you, they're helping you heal!

Was this not exactly what one would expect of a Jade Swan?

"There's something else..."

"Uncle Jian, what is it?"

"After absorbing its soul ring, I feel that I've reached a bottleneck. My Soul Power should have reached Level 90."

Ye Zhou: "..."

In the end, Shi Jian hunted another eighty-thousand-year Nine Nether Corpse Demon Tiger and gained the soul skill: Nine Heavens Yin Fiend Thunder.

Its effect was to draw upon the yin thunder between heaven and earth to form thunderclouds stretching a thousand meters, then unleash eighty-one Corpse Fiend Thunders to blast the enemy to death.

After obtaining his ninth soul ring, his soul power had also risen to level ninety-one, officially entering the realm of a Titled Douluo.

As for Ye Zhou, his current soul power was level fifteen.

The power of a thousand-year soul ring was still too great for him at present. After forcibly absorbing it, his soul power had risen five levels in one go.

Of course, he could not compare to Yan Chixia and Shi Jian, who already possessed profound cultivation and started directly with ten-thousand-year soul rings when adding soul rings.

But Ye Zhou had a second martial soul. Once he reached their level, he too could start with ten-thousand-year, or even hundred-thousand-year soul rings.

"Uncle Jian, let's head back." After putting away the Jade Swan's corpse, Ye Zhou spoke to Shi Jian.

"Mm." Shi Jian nodded, and the two of them headed out of the forest together.

Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

After dispelling the Transformation Technique, Ye Zhou returned here.

Carrying three cases of Cola, he headed straight for the Education Committee's office.

"Oh, Student Ye Zhou is here? You came at just the right time. This is Teacher Qin Ming. I was planning to have him take you to Sunset Forest to hunt for a soul ring." Seeing Ye Zhou arrive carrying that tasty beverage again, Meng Shenji smiled at him while speaking with a teacher.

He had already learned that Crown Prince Xue Qinghe had made contact with Ye Zhou. From the looks of it, it should not be too difficult to recruit this boy under the Crown Prince, so his attitude toward Ye Zhou had become a little friendlier.

The young man speaking with Meng Shenji also turned his head upon hearing this, looking toward the youth who had entered the office after knocking.

So this is the only Innate Full Soul Power student among this year's new students? Qin Ming thought.

"Greetings, Education Committee Member Meng. Greetings, Teacher Qin Ming." Ye Zhou was not particularly curious about Qin Ming, the second-youngest Soul Emperor on the continent. After setting down the gifts he had brought, he cupped his hands toward the two of them.

Then, straightening up, he spoke somewhat apologetically to Meng Shenji, "Sorry, Education Committee Member Meng. I came today to tell you that, with the help of an elder in my family, I have already obtained my first soul ring. There is no need for the academy to specially arrange for a teacher to take me soul hunting."

"Oh, you've already obtained your first soul ring? What kind of soul beast was it from?" Meng Shenji had read Ye Zhou's records. He was the hereditary Baron Lieyan. Although both his parents had passed away, as a hereditary noble, there were surely other elders in his family. It was nothing strange for someone to help him hunt a soul beast; he simply did not know what kind of soul beast Ye Zhou's first soul ring had come from.

"It was a four-hundred-year Frostfire Dragon," Ye Zhou said, releasing his soul ring at the same time.

A yellow soul ring appeared beneath his feet.

Yes, he had secretly used the Transformation Technique to alter the soul ring's color. The Transformation Technique was not a soul skill. He had already tested it in front of Shi Jian before, and Shi Jian had not noticed anything amiss, so deceiving Meng Shenji would certainly be no problem.

Hearing Ye Zhou's words and seeing the soul ring beneath his feet, Meng Shenji nodded. "So it was a Frostfire Dragon. Not bad. It is very suitable as your first soul ring."

After saying that, Meng Shenji looked at Qin Ming beside him. "Since Student Ye Zhou has already obtained his soul ring, Teacher Qin Ming, there is no need for you to make the trip. Go back and continue teaching Tian Heng and the others."

"Yes, Education Committee Member," Qin Ming replied respectfully.

After Qin Ming left, Meng Shenji took out a form and began assigning Ye Zhou to a class: First Year, Class One.