Diamond Demon Ape

When he learned that Mu Yuan had broken through to level ten and needed to hunt for a Soul Ring, Qi Lin was utterly dumbfounded.

"What did you say? You went from level nine to level ten in just two months?"

Qi Lin suspected he had misheard.

Even with Innate Soul Power at level nine, breaking through to level ten would take four or five months. If one's mindset was unstable, it could even take more than half a year.

Yet Mu Yuan, an Arm Martial Soul Master with only level-three Innate Soul Power who had relied on pills to reach level nine, had broken through to level ten in just two months?

To that, Mu Yuan could only say that his thoughts had become clear.

Qi Lin's expression shifted.

Thinking of the Eight-Armed Demonic God concept Mu Yuan had told him about two months ago, his heart surged with excitement as well.

Over the past two months, he had discussed it with Sect Master Du Busi and all the experts in the sect above the rank of Soul Saint whose Martial Souls were related to arms.

Mu Yuan's idea was excellent.

But truly realizing it would not be so simple.

Merely using energy manifestation to condense extra phantom arms?

That would be completely useless.

For a Body Martial Soul, how far the Martial Soul could be strengthened depended greatly on the Soul Master's Willpower.

"That works too. Clear thoughts..."

Qi Lin let out a deep breath.

"It seems your Arm Martial Soul really may be suited to this path of the Eight-Armed Demonic God."

Even his Martial Soul itself acknowledged this path. Mu Yuan's chances of successfully walking it had greatly increased.

Sunset Forest.

"Your First Soul Ring won't be easy to find. Let's search Sunset Forest first. If we still can't find one, we'll make a trip to Star Dou Forest."

Qi Lin personally led Mu Yuan through Sunset Forest.

Yes, through it.

Traveling through a Soul Beast Forest like this, one could easily encounter danger without sufficient strength.

But Qi Lin had absolute confidence in himself.

Though his Martial Soul was only a single right arm, his luck had been extraordinary. For his Fifth Soul Ring, he had absorbed the Soul Ring of a Blood Qilin Beast with pure Qilin bloodline, directly undergoing a Secondary Awakening because of it.

After years of cultivation, he now possessed seven Soul Rings and a Martial Soul Avatar.

He was a genuine Soul Saint.

One month later.

"Haha, my luck is as good as ever!"

Qi Lin burst into laughter and shot forward in several leaps.

He roared, and the sleeve on his right arm instantly exploded into scraps. His right arm abruptly enlarged, its skin turning blood-red as countless scales covered it. A ferocious Qilin phantom appeared behind him.

Boom!

Without any Soul Rings flashing, he threw a plain, unadorned punch. A demon ape with golden skin covered in black demonic patterns was caught off guard and sent flying. It crashed through dozens of trees thick enough to require two Hands to encircle before falling to the ground and howling in agony.

Mu Yuan did not know what expression to make.

"Brother Qi, impressive."

In the end, he could only give him a thumbs-up in praise.

After stepping forward to inspect the Diamond Demon Ape's condition, Mu Yuan breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"Well?"

"Just over four hundred years of cultivation. I can absorb it."

Mu Yuan rolled his eyes.

Before even confirming its cultivation level, the other man had already punched it.

He could only call him a brute.

Moreover, the Body Sect placed great importance on its disciples' education and gave them time to learn about Soul Beasts. Yet this man simply could not distinguish the cultivation levels of most Soul Beasts.

Of course, he could roughly judge them based on fluctuations in Soul Power.

"Hehe, see? My luck is fine. The age is exactly right."

Mu Yuan said nothing. He took out a dagger and viciously stabbed it into the howling demon ape's neck.

Before long, it fell silent.

The Diamond Demon Ape possessed Vajra Power and Demonic Qi, fusing the two perfectly. Its strength lay entirely in its physical body, and it excelled at striking with its fists, making it highly compatible with Mu Yuan's Eight-Armed Demonic God system.

Mu Yuan had not intended to complete the Eight-Armed Demonic God concept with a single Soul Ring.

In his understanding, a Soul Master's cultivation was like assembling a puzzle with each Soul Ring. Using Soul Rings to gradually piece together one's vision for one's Martial Soul was the true essence of Soul Master cultivation.

Of course, that was the ideal process.

And a Body Martial Soul happened to make that ideal process as achievable as possible.

Because the Martial Soul was oneself. What a Soul Ring could grant the body could be influenced to the greatest extent by one's own Willpower.

Secondary Awakening in particular gave Soul Masters an opportunity to unify the puzzle pieces from their early stages.

Looking at the bright yellow Soul Ring, Mu Yuan did not hesitate in the slightest. He directly used Soul Power to draw it in and place it around himself.

Violent Soul Power filled his Meridians.

Mu Yuan's expression remained unchanged.

After being tempered by the Mystic Water Pill, his Meridians had become exceptionally tough.

At that moment, in his Mental World, a phantom of a Diamond Demon Ape raised its head and roared at the sky.

Meanwhile, he himself seemed to gradually transform into this Diamond Demon Ape, continuously moving both arms.

His left hand became a palm, pushing out Vajra Power with the force of mountains and seas. His right hand formed a fist, with Demonic Qi condensing into a fist shadow that seemed capable of shattering the void.

Everything in the Mental World appeared immensely exaggerated, yet Mu Yuan was immersed within it. He seemed to truly become the demon ape, controlling Vajra Power and Demonic Qi as he fused the black and gold forces together.

As his fists and palms shifted, the black and golden powers had already merged seamlessly.

His mind trembled, and Mu Yuan suddenly awoke.

At that moment, the Diamond Demon Ape's phantom had vanished from his Mental World, leaving only himself behind.

Both arms glowed, with golden and black energy flowing within them.

Mu Yuan moved his arms.

"With this First Soul Ring, I have mastered these two powers. The Soul Skill..."

Feeling the profundity of his First Soul Skill, Mu Yuan gradually became engrossed in it.

One hour later.

In the real world, Mu Yuan slowly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing through them.

"How is it?"

Qi Lin noticed Mu Yuan waking up immediately and asked expectantly.

Mu Yuan nodded, an involuntary smile appearing on his face.

"First Soul Skill, Diamond Demon Body. While the Soul Skill is active, my physique increases by one hundred percent, while my strength and defense receive an additional one hundred percent increase. At the same time, my Soul Power transforms into Diamond Demon Power, which can be used for both offense and defense. Offensively, it can condense fist shadows through energy manifestation. Defensively, it can form energy barriers or even merge into my body to reduce the damage I take."

As Mu Yuan finished describing the Soul Skill's effects, Qi Lin slowly nodded as well.

"Not bad."

For Beast Martial Souls, a one-hundred-percent boost from the First Soul Ring would naturally be astonishing.

But for Body Martial Souls, a one-hundred-percent boost was actually quite normal.

The human body was too fragile, and its foundation too weak, so its potential for improvement was correspondingly greater.

Especially at the moment of absorbing a Soul Ring, when the body was weak while the Soul Beast providing the Soul Ring was powerful, an increase exceeding one hundred percent was understandable.

Soul Skills that enhanced attributes proportionally had extremely high value. They remained useful even in the later stages. It was only because the Soul Ring's age was low and its conversion mechanism was somewhat outdated that Soul Power consumption would be far greater than that of a Ten-thousand Year Soul Ring granting the same enhancement.

Mu Yuan's Soul Skill not only provided a one-hundred-percent boost, but also came with the derived effect of mastering Diamond Demon Power for additional offense and defense. For those two attributes, how could the increase be merely doubled?

The corners of Qi Lin's mouth could not help but curl upward.

They were all family of the Body Sect. Mu Yuan had been personally brought into the sect by him, and Qi Lin had watched him cultivate until now. Learning that Mu Yuan's First Soul Skill was so outstanding, there was no way Qi Lin could be unhappy.

"Come on, let's tell the Sect Master and the others this good news!"