Over the next few days, Su Ze stayed by the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye, meditating as he digested the Immortal Herbs' medicinal effects.
Although his cultivation had already reached level 29, the effects he had absorbed wouldn't go to waste just because he didn't have a Soul Ring yet.
Instead, they would erupt all at once after he obtained his Third Soul Ring.
While Su Ze was digesting the herbs, Ye Qingxian went out and bought a large quantity of Whale Rubber from the market under the pretext of researching medicinal herbs.
She managed to find ten pieces of Ten Thousand Year Whale Rubber alone.
Dugu Bo, a Titled Douluo, ate most of it, and his physical strength increased by nearly a level.
Ye Qingxian and the other two women each swallowed a piece of Whale Rubber as well.
After eating it for several days in a row, both Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling broke through.
As for Ye Qingxian, the Whale Rubber, combined with the medicinal effects of the Immortal Herb she had absorbed earlier, brought her cultivation to level 69.
That meant everyone had met the requirements to obtain a Soul Ring.
So Dugu Bo decided to put off collecting more Whale Rubber and head to the Star Dou Great Forest to obtain Soul Rings first.
This trip would be quite complicated: they needed to obtain a Plant Type Soul Beast that was over ten thousand years old,
a Lightning Attribute Soul Beast that was over ten thousand years old, and another Soul Beast around two or three thousand years old.
Before they set out for the Star Dou Great Forest, Dugu Bo addressed everyone with a stern expression.
"Be very careful on this trip to the Star Dou Great Forest."
"It's a gathering place for Soul Beasts. Even the legendary Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts aren't the only ones there."
"Although I'm a Titled Douluo, I wouldn't be able to keep you safe if we faced a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast."
"So all of you need to stay alert this time. Don't let your guard down or be careless."
Listening to Dugu Bo, Su Ze nodded seriously.
He had heard of the Star Dou Great Forest's reputation back when he was at Nuoding Academy.
Every year, countless Soul Masters died there because they let their guard down.
Some of them were even Titled Douluos.
So staying alert at all times was essential for anyone entering the Star Dou Great Forest.
Ye Qingxian, an accomplished physician, had also prepared in advance for the trip.
She brought out a large quantity of herbs that could mask human scent.
That way, they could avoid clashing with Soul Beasts before finding the ones they needed, reducing the trouble they might encounter on their way in.
Several days later.
Su Ze and the others arrived at the Star Dou Great Forest.
A sanctuary for Soul Beasts on the Douluo Continent, the dense forest stretched across the Two Great Empires.
Pushing through the thick foliage, Dugu Bo led the way as he guided Su Ze's group deeper into the forest.
As they walked, Su Ze sensed the dense Soul Power in the air around them.
It really was the place where the Douluo Continent's Soul Beasts gathered in the greatest numbers. The Soul Power here was astonishing.
He could sense a strong presence of the Lightning Attribute throughout the forest. It was much easier to gather a storm here than in a city.
No wonder this forest could nurture so many Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts.
With Dugu Bo leading them, Su Ze and the others searched diligently through the Star Dou Great Forest. At last, in the mixed zone, Dugu Bo found a Soul Beast that met their requirements.
"Patriarch Ye, what do you think of this fifteen-thousand-year-old Purple Thorn Vine?"
Pointing to a purple, thorn-covered vine hundreds of meters long in the distance, Dugu Bo asked Ye Cixing beside him.
"It'll do. As long as it can provide a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, that's enough."
As she spoke, Ye Qingxian glanced at Su Ze beside her.
She wasn't treating him as her disciple.
She wanted every detail to be done as well as possible, but a ten-thousand-year-old Soul Beast was already enough.
With help from Dugu Bo, a Titled Douluo, Ye Qingxian soon killed the tenacious Purple Gold Vine.
After Su Ze waited nearby for half a day, seven Soul Rings appeared behind Ye Qingxian as she finished absorbing hers.
Two yellow, two purple, and three black!
Su Ze nodded at Ye Qingxian's Soul Ring Configuration. For a Healing Soul Master, a setup like hers was already quite good.
Even Qin Ming, an important supporting character, had the same configuration as Ye Qingxian.
After showing them her Soul Rings, Ye Qingxian quickly explained the new Soul Skill she had obtained.
While her Martial Soul True Body was active, she could heal a group at once, and the Soul Power consumed by her healing was reduced by half.
In other words, Ye Qingxian's healing ability had doubled.
The Nine Heart Begonia had already evolved, and now its healing ability had doubled as well.
This improvement made Ye Qingxian and her daughter Ye Lingling very happy.
Once Ye Qingxian had obtained her Soul Ring, Su Ze and Dugu Bo went to the front of the group.
After all, Lightning Attribute Soul Beasts liked to stay where the Lightning Element was abundant.
So Su Ze relied on the resonance of his Martial Soul to search for places with a strong Lightning Attribute presence.
Thanks to this method, half a day later, a several-meter-tall Sub-dragon appeared before them.
The Sub-dragon lived in a gorge filled with lightning.
It was several meters long and several meters tall, with its horns raised above its dragon head. Its eyes gleamed like purple lightning, and every low growl was accompanied by a surge of Lightning Power.
Its body was covered in dark blue dragon scales, and golden lightning glimmered along their edges. Under the sunlight, they shone with a metallic luster.
"What kind of Flood Dragon is this? How come I've never seen one before?"
Looking at the enormous creature before them, Dugu Bo's eyes filled with doubt.
He had only planned to find a Plant Type Soul Beast with the Lightning Attribute.
He hadn't expected to come across a Lightning Attribute Flood Dragon lurking in the Star Dou Great Forest!
Su Ze took a closer look at the massive Flood Dragon in the distance, and its description immediately surfaced in his mind.
Thousand Fiend Instant Cloud Dragon!
It was described in detail in Legend of the Dragon King. This Soul Beast wasn't purely a Lightning Attribute creature.
It possessed a precious trace of the Wind Dragon King's bloodline.
Even a trace of the Dragon King's bloodline made it a Sub-dragon that was just one step away from becoming a true dragon.
In Legend of the Dragon King, the head of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan chose a twenty-thousand-year-old Thousand Fiend Instant Cloud Dragon as his Eighth Soul Ring!
That was more than enough to prove this Lightning Attribute Sub-dragon could meet the needs of a high-level Lightning Attribute Soul Master.
He hadn't expected to run into one here.
Su Ze's eyes filled with excitement.
According to its description, when the Thousand Fiend Instant Cloud Dragon had only just passed the ten-thousand-year mark, its strength was merely average.
But once it grew to ten or twenty thousand years, it became terrifyingly powerful.
The Thousand Fiend Instant Cloud Dragon before them had just broken through the ten-thousand-year mark, an awkward stage for it.
Its strength was still quite average.
But what mattered to Su Ze was the trace of true dragon bloodline within it.
That bloodline could also strengthen his Storm Dragon King Martial Soul.
The trace of the Wind Dragon King's bloodline was the most important part.
He could tolerate its age.
"Senior, I know what this Soul Beast is called. It's a Thousand Fiend Instant Cloud Dragon, and it possesses a trace of true dragon bloodline."
"It'll be a great help to my Martial Soul. I want this one."
A look of understanding appeared in Dugu Bo's eyes when he heard Su Ze.
No wonder his evolved Golden Horn Jade Fish Flood Dragon had felt uncomfortable when it saw this Sub-dragon.
It seemed the problem was the true dragon bloodline within the creature.
"Good. In that case, I'll be right back."
"Be careful. Don't approach it until I've completely subdued it."
After giving that serious warning, Dugu Bo quickly headed toward the Thousand Fiend Instant Cloud Dragon.
The moment Dugu Bo stepped into the mud, the Thousand Fiend Instant Cloud Dragon noticed him. With a low dragon's roar,
it unleashed a powerful surge of Lightning Power and rushed toward Dugu Bo as swiftly as the wind.
"You're a beast, but you sure can move."
"But the faster you run, the better I like it."
Dugu Bo was a master of poison. The moment he entered the gorge, he had already begun silently spreading poison through the air.
Then, relying on his Jade Scale Snake Poison, evolved by the large amount of Golden Fiend energy it had absorbed,
Dugu Bo toyed with the Thousand Fiend Instant Cloud Dragon for a few moments before poisoning the creature, barely past ten thousand years old, into submission.
Su Ze eagerly walked up to the Thousand Fiend Instant Cloud Dragon lying on the ground.
"Kid, are you sure you want to absorb this ten-thousand-year-old Soul Beast? I've never heard of anyone absorbing a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring for their Third Soul Ring!"
"If anything goes wrong, you could burst from the inside and die."
Looking at the Sub-dragon lying on the ground, Dugu Bo's expression turned grave.
Ye Qingxian also spoke with concern. "That's right. The Ye Family has practiced medicine for years, and we've never heard of anyone absorbing a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring as their Third Soul Ring."
"Su Ze, have you really thought this through?"
Su Ze smiled at their concerns.
"Don't worry. My body and my spiritual strength have both reached the level needed to absorb a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring."
"It's only my Soul Power that hasn't reached the required level!"
"Besides, Master, Senior Dugu, I read an old book I found when I saw the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye. It recorded someone who successfully absorbed a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring as their Third Soul Ring."
"If he could do it, so can I."
He was referring, of course, to Huo Yuhao, the protagonist of Douluo II.
As the Child of Destiny, he had a Million Year Soul Ring for his First Soul Ring, and his Third Soul Ring had reached the ten-thousand-year level as well.
Su Ze had the advantage of knowing what lay ahead.
He had taken several Immortal Herbs and absorbed a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone.
Combined with the physical enhancements from years of tempering his body with lightning,
he fully met the requirements to absorb a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring.
"There really is someone like that?"
"Then how come I've never heard of him?"
Dugu Bo asked, looking puzzled.
A genius like that shouldn't have gone unknown.
"According to the old book, he became a god."
Su Ze replied calmly.
Dugu Bo's eyes widened at Su Ze's words. Then he looked at the boy standing calmly before him.
From that one sentence, he had glimpsed the ambition of the young man in front of him.
No wonder Su Ze wanted to absorb a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring for his Third Soul Ring.
He wanted to follow in the footsteps of the one in the old book who had become a god.
With that thought, Dugu Bo stopped trying to talk him out of it.
Seeing this, Ye Qingxian realized that trying to dissuade him would be pointless. She came to stand before Su Ze and spoke softly. "Su Ze, my Nine Heart Begonia has evolved!"
"I'll stay beside you and protect you while you absorb the Soul Ring!"
"Just focus on absorbing it."
Su Ze nodded at Ye Qingxian's words.
Before it evolved, the Nine Heart Begonia was already said to be able to save someone as long as they had even a breath left.
After evolving, its effects were sure to be even more remarkable.
With his physical strength and the support of the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul, he was completely confident he could absorb it.
As he thought this, Su Ze slowly raised his hand.
The next moment, a violent bolt of lightning descended from the sky and struck the Thousand Fiends Following Cloud Dragon, which was on its last legs.
Then a black Soul Ring rose from the dragon's head.
Without changing his expression, Su Ze began absorbing the Soul Ring under everyone's watchful eyes.
As Su Ze began absorbing the Soul Ring, Dugu Yan anxiously went to her grandfather and asked,
"Grandfather, will Su Ze be able to absorb it successfully? Why couldn't he just absorb one that's a thousand years old? It would be safer."
Dugu Yan couldn't understand why Su Ze insisted on taking a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring right at the limit.
He could have played it safe. There was no need to push himself so hard.
"Yan Yan, you don't understand. Su Ze has a huge ambition."
As he watched Su Ze absorbing the Soul Ring, Dugu Bo once again recalled the judgment he had made when he saw the earlier phenomenon.
Potential for Godhood!
Su Ze had that kind of ambition too.
Whether he would succeed and make history as the first person to do so—
that depended on what happened now.
As Su Ze absorbed the Soul Ring, Ye Qingxian and Ye Lingling each summoned their Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul.
They were ready to help at a moment's notice.
After all, a Soul Master on the Douluo Continent usually had a Soul Ring of around fifteen hundred to seventeen hundred years for their Third Soul Ring.
Except for those with Twin Martial Souls, having a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring for one's Third Soul Ring was unprecedented on the Douluo Continent.
Dugu Bo watched closely from the side too. If anything went wrong with Su Ze, he would immediately stop him.
Although Su Ze would suffer serious injuries from the backlash of his Soul Power,
that would only cost him some of his potential. Saving his life would be worth it.
The moment Su Ze began absorbing it, dark clouds gathered across the sky above the entire Star Dou Great Forest. A furious storm of lightning continued to rain down over the canyon.
It was as if Heavenly Punishment had descended.
This bizarre scene of Heavenly Punishment also kept virtually every Soul Beast away from the area where Su Ze was.
As everyone watched tensely, the lightning kept striking for a full day.
Then, accompanied by a dragon's roar,
one yellow, one purple, and one black Soul Ring appeared around Su Ze.
At the sight of this, everyone nearby finally breathed a sigh of relief.
As a Titled Douluo, Dugu Bo looked at Su Ze before him, once again astonished by the young genius.
This was truly unprecedented!
Across the entire Douluo Continent, aside from the god who had ascended in the ancient books Su Ze had mentioned,
the only person Dugu Bo had ever seen—or even heard of—
who could absorb a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring as his Third Soul Ring was Su Ze.
Even as he marveled, Dugu Bo found himself thinking, for the first time, that his own talent was terribly lacking.
The instant this feeling arose, Dugu Bo was surprised.
After all, as a Titled Douluo, his talent had always been the envy of everyone.
And now he was feeling this way about a child of around eight years old.
But when Dugu Bo looked at the Black Soul Ring floating around Su Ze, he felt at peace again.
He glanced up at the sun, now hanging high overhead at noon.
Feeling its fierce rays, Dugu Bo had a thought.
Su Ze's future would be like the sun shining high above the Douluo Continent.
His brilliance and achievements would dazzle every genius on the Douluo Continent until they could barely keep their eyes open.
And the Dugu Family would flourish and prosper alongside Su Ze's rise.
Before you continue