I, Erming, Acknowledge Kin [Please collect]

Ma Hongjun asked curiously, "By the way, Zhang Yang, what is your third soul skill?"

Zhao Wuji beside them also pricked up his ears to listen.

Zhang Yang answered calmly, "My third soul ring skill is called [Light Speed Body Technique]. It boosts the power of my physical attacks, but I can only use it while my first and second soul ring skills are active."

"Huh? Soul ring skills can be linked like that?" Ma Hongjun asked in confusion.

"Maybe it's because my Martial Soul mutated." Zhang Yang spread his hands. "You have a mutated Martial Soul too. You know how it is—mutated Martial Souls tend to pull this kind of weird stunt."

Ma Hongjun nodded with deep feeling. The problem of his Evil Fire had been troubling him all along.

In truth, Zhang Yang was nowhere near as calm inside as he looked.

What was [Light Speed Body Technique]? Put differently, it was easier to understand—Light Speed Kick.

Light Speed Kick: a kicking technique delivered at the speed of light, one of Borsalino's signature skills.

The power of Light Speed Kick was not exactly world-destroying, but it was cool enough to become Borsalino's signature move.

Especially when paired with the line, "Speed is weight. Have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?" It was ridiculously cool, making the Glint-Glint Fruit the coolest ability fruit in One Piece.

Zhang Yang decided that when he used Light Speed Kick in the future, he would also deliver that line as arrogantly as possible.

As for why Light Speed Kick required [Elementalization] and [Flash Physique] as prerequisite soul ring skills, Zhang Yang had guessed that as well.

Only after activating [Flash Physique] could Zhang Yang's kicking speed reach the speed of light.

Only after activating [Elementalization] could Zhang Yang avoid bearing the recoil from Light Speed Kick.

Of course, the third soul ring skill [Light Speed Body Technique] was not limited to Light Speed Kick. More accurately, [Light Speed Body Technique] was "the collection of all physical techniques executed at the speed of light."

So long as Zhang Yang wanted to, he could use strange physical techniques such as Lightspeed Uppercut, Light Speed Elbow Strike, and Lightspeed Headbutt.

In any case, Zhang Yang's strength had improved by far more than a little. Moreover, after obtaining his third soul ring, none of the Rokushiki required Soul Power to activate anymore.

After all, with such a powerful offensive skill as Light Speed Kick, Zhang Yang figured he would no longer spend Soul Power on those three moves. If they were not changed to consume stamina instead, they would truly be banished to obscurity.

After Ma Hongjun, the others also came to ask about Zhang Yang's third soul ring skill. Zhang Yang answered them one by one, and at the same time learned that Oscar's third soul ring skill was a Flying Mushroom Sausage that allowed someone to fly rapidly for one minute.

However, that sausage was not particularly useful to Zhang Yang, because the Flying Sausage was slower than his Lightspeed Movement, and he could use Geppo if he wanted to fly.

Still, since flying by eating a Mushroom Sausage did not consume his own Soul Power or stamina, it would be useful occasionally. Thus, Zhang Yang still praised Oscar's third soul skill.

Because Tang San had broken through to the Soul Elder level, everyone needed to remain in the Star Dou Great Forest for a while longer to hunt a soul ring for him.

They had experienced too much that day, and it was no longer suitable to keep moving. Therefore, Zhao Wuji decided to stop for the day rather than continue deeper, planning to begin hunting Tang San's soul ring after everyone had adjusted their condition the next day.

However, worried that Snake Dowager would return to cause trouble after meeting up with Dragon Duke, Zhao Wuji directly led the Shrek group to relocate and covered their tracks.

That night, everyone huddled together and spent the night cultivating.

Early the next morning, when Tang San returned to the ground after cultivating Purple Demon Eyes atop the tree canopy, he found Zhang Yang holding a waterskin and helping Ning Rongrong wash her face.

As the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Rongrong was probably washing her face this way for the first time.

There was no washbasin and no skincare products. Zhang Yang could only slowly pour water into her hands, while she had to spread her feet and bend over to keep her clothes and shoes from getting wet.

Fortunately, Ning Rongrong knew she could not be overly particular in the Star Dou Great Forest. Having cool clean water to refresh herself was enough to bring a bright smile to her face.

While eating, Xiao Wu secretly moved close to Tang San and whispered, "I couldn't tell before, but Zhang Yang is pretty good at courting girls. They had such a huge fight just a few days ago."

"..." Tang San felt that no answer would be appropriate, so he could only lower his head and chew on the dry rations and vegetables in his hands.

Seeing Zhang Yang thoughtfully hand Ning Rongrong a clean piece of fruit, then looking at Tang San wolfing down dry rations with carrots, Xiao Wu pursed her lips and fell silent.

Although she also had carrots in her hand, carrots not handed to her by Tang San just did not feel the same.

Master had long prepared options for Soul Beasts suitable for Tang San's third soul ring. There were many common types of Soul Beasts among them, and as long as their cultivation age was appropriate, Tang San would definitely not hold back.

Yet, strangely enough, everyone had spent two days searching the Star Dou Great Forest for Tang San, and they still had not found a suitable Soul Beast.

Could Soul Beasts have days off too? Should they come back on a workday instead?

"If we weren't wary of the Peerless Dragon Snake, Xiao San's Soul Beast would probably have been settled already. We wouldn't be wandering around the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest like this." Zhao Wuji sighed helplessly.

That night, after dinner, everyone returned to their tents to continue cultivating. Zhang Yang and Ning Rongrong unconsciously sat together and began cultivating seriously.

However, before Zhang Yang could complete even one cycle of Soul Power, Zhao Wuji's deep, resonant voice rang out beside them. "Everyone, leave the tents! Quickly!!"

Hearing Zhao Wuji's warning, everyone rushed from the tents and arrived beside Zhao Wuji, who had already possessed the Great Vajra Bear.

"Teacher Zhao, what is it?" Dai Mubai asked.

Zhao Wuji did not answer him. "Everyone, get behind me. If anything happens later, don't worry about me. Leave this place immediately and get out of the Star Dou Great Forest first. Mu Bai, Zhang Yang, if I'm not here, I'm entrusting you with the responsibility of protecting everyone."

Everyone was deeply confused by Zhao Wuji's behavior, as if he were facing a great enemy.

But at that moment, in the direction Zhao Wuji was staring, two towering trees slowly parted to either side, and a massive black shadow silently emerged from between them.

When everyone saw the shadow's true form, even their breathing involuntarily stopped.

"Titan Giant Ape." Even Tang San's voice trembled.

The Titan Giant Ape looked like a hybrid of a gorilla and an ape. It was seven meters tall while crouching, at least fifteen meters tall standing upright, with powerful muscles bulging like small hills and as hard as granite.

It was a terrifying creature that, even at the hundred-year level, could contend with Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts. Its strength, speed, attack, and defense were all nearly perfect, without flaw.

And the Titan Giant Ape before them was at least at the ten-thousand-year level.

Information about the Titan Giant Ape flashed through Tang San's mind at high speed. He could not understand why such a powerful creature had appeared here. This was the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.

"Respected Forest King, we mean no offense. If this is your territory, we are willing to withdraw immediately," Zhao Wuji said in a low voice.

The Titan Giant Ape could understand human speech, but it ignored the goodwill in Zhao Wuji's words and silently took another step forward.

That single step snapped everyone's tightly wound nerves.

"Run!!"

Zhao Wuji roared. His first, second, third, fifth, and fourth soul rings lit up simultaneously. He shot into the air with an unyielding stance, pushing the Great Vajra Palm to its limit and striking at the Titan Giant Ape without sparing any Soul Power.

But no one listened to Zhao Wuji.

"Zhang Yang, cover everyone's retreat," Dai Mubai said. He directly unleashed his third soul ring skill, White Tiger Vajra Transformation. His entire body underwent a second transformation, blood-red eyes gleaming with bloodlust as ten blade-like tiger claws struck toward the Titan Giant Ape's forelimbs supporting its body.

"Xiao San, protect Rongrong and Oscar." As Zhang Yang spoke, his height instantly surged to two-point-one meters. Two yellow and one purple soul rings lit up at once, and his entire body instantly turned into a streak of yellow light, appearing beside Dai Mubai in the next instant.

"I want to help them." Ning Rongrong knew that this was when they needed her help most. She immediately released her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. Her two soul rings lit up at the same time, and six beams of light shot out, enveloping Zhao Wuji, Dai Mubai, and Zhang Yang.

Since Ning Rongrong was not leaving, naturally no one else would leave either.

Tang San released Blue Silver Grass, preparing to restrain the Titan Giant Ape's forearm. Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing climbed the trees in a few quick movements, preparing to Launch Attack from above.

Ma Hongjun spat out a stream of phoenix flames toward the Titan Giant Ape's vulnerable lower body, intending to teach it what it meant for "fire to burn beneath the crotch."

Meanwhile, Oscar rapidly made Mushroom Sausages, preparing escape tools for everyone.

The strength of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda lay in its amplification that ignored a Soul Master's level. Zhang Yang and Dai Mubai received a thirty percent boost, and Zhao Wuji, at level seventy-six, received the same thirty percent boost.

With the strength amplification, Zhao Wuji instantly erupted with attack power that only a Soul Douluo-level powerhouse possessed, and struck directly at the Titan Giant Ape's head.

Almost at the same time, Zhang Yang's and Dai Mubai's attacks landed on the Titan Giant Ape's forearm as well.

Using Light Speed Kick for the first time, Zhang Yang instantly felt that this kick was probably the strongest attack he had ever unleashed in all his years.

Yet, to everyone's astonishment, after taking Zhao Wuji's immensely powerful palm strike to the top of its head, the Titan Giant Ape merely tilted its head back slightly. Zhang Yang's and Dai Mubai's attacks did not move its arm even an inch.

Then, the Titan Giant Ape let out an earth-shaking roar.

A black shockwave swept over everyone without warning beneath the cover of the night. Other than Zhang Yang, who had Elementalized, everyone was instantly blown away.

And that was not the end. After being disturbed during its social visit, the Titan Giant Ape pounced directly toward the scattered group.

"No!" Zhao Wuji roared. He had been blasted away from atop the Titan Giant Ape's head by the shockwave and had no strength to save them.

Watching the Titan Giant Ape's mountain-like body descend in a black mass, everyone felt as though they could barely breathe. Yet even then, someone forced himself to move.

The Blue Silver Grass in Tang San's hand shot out and instantly wrapped around Xiao Wu's waist. Then, like swinging a chained ball, he traced an arc and flung Xiao Wu away from the Titan Giant Ape in an instant.

At the same time as he threw Xiao Wu away, Tang San kicked Ma Hongjun in the abdomen, sending him out of the Titan Giant Ape's Pounce range.

As for himself, after saving two people, he barely managed to escape.

Dai Mubai pounced toward Zhu Zhuqing, then swung his tiger paw and smashed a deep pit into the ground. He hugged Zhu Zhuqing and dove into the pit.

Zhang Yang reacted almost at the same time as Dai Mubai, but he had not been thrown away by the shockwave, and as the Titan Giant Ape lunged forward, the place where he stood was actually safe.

However, Zhang Yang still charged resolutely into the Titan Giant Ape's Pounce range.