Absorb It While You Can!

Lor Diarra gave Chen Li no chance to object. Or rather, in his fanatical research mindset, an experimental subject's personal wishes and safety concerns were utterly worthless before "the pursuit of truth."

"Go! Right now! I can't wait to see the results!" Lor Diarra growled, grabbing Chen Li by the wrist.

How could Chen Li resist the strength of a six-ringed Soul Emperor? He felt an enormous force yank him forward, sending him rushing ahead uncontrollably. Wind howled past his ears, and the scenery around him blurred backward.

Lor Diarra seemed extremely familiar with the place. Dragging Chen Li along, he charged straight into the deeper, more heavily guarded area reserved for high-level soul beasts.

With his research clearance and status, the guards along the way merely checked them briefly before letting them pass.

Before long, they entered a vast zone designed to simulate a mountainous lightning environment. Lightning elements were exceptionally active here, with tiny electric arcs occasionally streaking through the air. On a steep cliff platform stood an extraordinary soul beast, proud and majestic.

It resembled an eagle, but its entire body was covered in gorgeous blue-violet feathers. Sparks flickered along the edges of its wings, while natural lightning patterns marked its sharp beak and talons.

It was a lightning-element flying soul beast, a Thunderclap Eagle. Judging by its imposing aura and the intensity of its lightning, its cultivation had definitely surpassed a thousand years!

"Good! This is the one! A Thunderclap Eagle of around thirteen hundred years—a standout among lightning-element beasts! Its Soul Ring quality is absolutely superior among those of the same age!"

There was nothing left in Lor Diarra's eyes but the fervor of experimentation. He released Chen Li, licked his somewhat parched lips, and stared fixedly at the eagle as though it were the perfect test specimen.

"Are you ready, kid?" he asked without looking back, his voice brimming with urgency and temptation. "This will be the most important step on your path of martial soul research! It may also be your only chance to break free of your predicament! Let's see where your limits lie, and what your martial soul... truly craves!"

Chen Li steadied himself and looked at the thousand-year soul beast radiating danger, then at the crazed Lor Diarra beside him. He took a quiet breath and suppressed every emotion. Deep in his eyes, an almost imperceptible flash of lightning and anticipation passed by.

Lor Diarra's fervent, urgent growl pulled Chen Li back from his racing thoughts.

"I'm ready." Chen Li narrowed his eyes, shifting his gaze away from the crazed Lor Diarra and locking it firmly onto the majestic yet dangerous Thunderclap Eagle atop the cliff platform.

The pressure of a thousand-year soul beast faintly drifted over, carrying the sharp edge unique to lightning.

"Then give it a try! Let me see the limit reaction!" Lor Diarra barked. Before his words had faded, his entire body had already shot forward once more as a blurred afterimage!

The six Soul Rings behind him flashed simultaneously. In particular, the black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring suddenly unleashed a condensed, almost tangible spiritual pressure that struck the Thunderclap Eagle squarely in the head!

"Screee!"

The Thunderclap Eagle let out a pained, piercing cry. The lightning coursing over its body instantly fell into disarray, and its massive form swayed violently before stumbling off the cliff platform. Its soul had clearly suffered a severe blow, leaving it briefly dazed and weakened.

As a researcher, Lor Diarra knew well how to weaken a target efficiently and controllably, rather than simply relying on brute force to kill it.

"That's enough, hurry!" Lor Diarra instantly retreated to Chen Li's side. His breathing was slightly ragged; repeatedly using high-level soul skills had drained him considerably. Yet the excitement in his eyes only grew brighter as he stared fixedly at Chen Li and the struggling eagle.

Chen Li did not hesitate in the slightest. Lightning flashed beneath his feet as he rushed forward. Facing this weakened thousand-year soul beast, he had to ensure that he delivered the final blow himself.

He raised his right hand. The source power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit surged violently within him as highly condensed lightning compressed and took shape in his palm, ultimately forming a Lightning Holy Spear nearly three meters long. Its entire body was woven from deep-blue lightning, while dazzling violet electricity flickered from its tip!

This was not a soul skill, but a self-created killing move born from his deep control over lightning. Its power far surpassed the form he had used against low-level soul beasts before!

"Go!"

The Lightning Holy Spear flew from his hand, tearing through the air with a piercing boom. Dragging a dazzling blue-violet trail behind it, it struck like true heavenly lightning, piercing the Thunderclap Eagle's head with flawless accuracy!

Boom!

Violent lightning power exploded inside the eagle's skull! It did not even have time to let out one final cry. Its body stiffened abruptly, then blackened and crashed to the ground in a plume of smoke. Its life force vanished completely.

A deep Purple Soul Ring slowly condensed above the Thunderclap Eagle's charred corpse. Its purple glow shimmered as faint electric arcs seemed to flow within it, releasing energy fluctuations far stronger and purer than those of a Hundred Year Soul Ring. To any lightning-element soul master, it held a deadly allure.

"Quick! Absorb it while you can!" Lor Diarra's voice trembled slightly with excitement. He raised his recording board again, his pen tip nearly piercing the paper.

"Key observations: structural stability of a thousand-year Soul Ring, initial energy interaction patterns upon contact with the martial soul's source, critical collapse threshold..."

Following his instructions, Chen Li sat cross-legged before the Soul Ring, calmed his mind, and used his Soul Power to try drawing in the purple ring.

Buzz! The thousand-year Soul Ring seemed to sense the pure lightning aura within him and drifted toward him with unusual compliance. It hovered steadily above his head, then slowly descended, its purple light enveloping his entire figure.

"It reacted?! The energy has begun interacting?! Could the strength of a thousand-year Soul Ring actually be enough to match it?!" Lor Diarra's eyes widened. He could hardly believe the smooth initial development before him; it was completely unlike the instantaneous collapse he had expected countless times before!

However, just as the Purple Soul Ring was about to touch Chen Li's body and begin the deepest level of fusion,

The anomaly struck again!

Ding~

Crack!

Without any warning, countless fine cracks burst from within the deep Purple Soul Ring!

Then the entire Soul Ring structure shattered completely, turning into a dense cloud of energy mist speckled with purple light. It spiraled around Chen Li as if alive, flowing mournfully for several breaths before reluctantly dispersing into the air without leaving a trace.

It had failed again.

The gulf remained impossible to cross.

"This... this..." The wild joy on Lor Diarra's face froze, slowly replaced by enormous confusion and an even deeper desire to research.

He stared fixedly at the place where the Soul Ring had vanished, then abruptly turned to Chen Li, as though he wanted to find some answer written on him.

"Why? Hundred-year Soul Rings were like this, and thousand-year ones don't work either?! The collapse patterns are almost identical, except the thousand-year Soul Ring lasted a little longer... Could it really be an absolute rejection of rank? What kind of Soul Ring does your martial soul source actually need?!"