The Ghost Wolf Beast, which had been unconscious, was jolted awake by the sensation—then promptly scared unconscious again.
Two hours later, Jiang Siming withdrew his Martial Soul and opened his eyes. The Ghost Wolf Beast had bled to death, and the blood on the ground had dried. A huge purple Soul Ring floated above the enormous corpse ahead.
"Damn, what stinks so bad?" Jiang Siming looked himself over and gave a bitter smile. He was now a completely black young man.
"Forget it. I'll absorb the Soul Ring first. It'll be dark soon. If I don't absorb it now, I'll be in serious trouble." Whether in his previous life or on Douluo Continent, nights in the forest were terrifying.
People struggled to think clearly in the dark. Once they lost their composure, it was easy to make the wrong call. This was the Star Dou Great Forest, the world of Soul Beasts. If nocturnal creatures set their sights on him, he'd be in trouble.
Jiang Siming sat down in front of the Ghost Wolf Beast and began absorbing the Soul Ring. The intense pain contorted his face. His body had been strengthened, but this was still a three-thousand-year-old Soul Beast—six times beyond the normal limit.
"Hang on, Jiang Siming. You're no coward. You can do this. Heaven gave you another chance, so you have to see it through." Jiang Siming could only remind himself of that.
Half an hour later.
He finally finished absorbing it.
"Damn it, that hurt like hell!" Jiang Siming yelped.
"Ding. The host's First Martial Soul has obtained a Soul Ring. The First Martial Soul is one-quarter unsealed. The Immortal Extinction Sword is unsealed. The second Rusty Sword is unlocked."
"Holy crap, the Immortal Extinction Sword! One-quarter unlocked—could my First Martial Soul be the Four Immortal-Slaughtering Swords?" Jiang Siming exclaimed in delight.
Ignoring the grime covering his body, he released his First Martial Soul. A long sword gleaming with a cold light appeared before him. The rust had vanished from its blade, and sword energy kept flickering at its tip. Jiang Siming casually swung it, and a deep ravine appeared before him.
"This is way too powerful!" Jiang Siming put away the Immortal Extinction Sword, and a Rusty Sword appeared in its place.
"Does this count as one Martial Soul, or two?" Jiang Siming thought it over. It should count as one, since they shared a Soul Ring.
"Let's see how powerful my first Soul Skill is." A deep-purple Soul Ring lit up before him.
"One Sword Separates the World!" A vast wave of sword energy swept out, carving a huge gash into the ground.
That was insane.
Jiang Siming tried the Immortal Extinction Sword again. Its power was about seven times greater than the Rusty Sword's. Despite the strength he now wielded, Jiang Siming didn't get carried away. He knew that mastering great power demanded even more than obtaining it.
Jiang Siming had been out for a day and had completed the sign-in task, but he wasn't ready to go back yet. He needed real combat experience; the students at the academy were no longer strong enough to challenge him, and they could easily expose his secret. Jiang Siming didn't want to be treated like a protected animal.
"Then let's begin." Ignoring the grime on his body, he prepared for battle. He didn't dare bathe in a lake in the Star Dou Great Forest. He could very well end up as nothing but bones.
The next day,
Thanks to the effects of the Body Strengthening Pill and the power he'd gained from absorbing the Soul Ring, which he had no way to release, Jiang Siming spent the entire night killing Soul Beasts. He'd been in mortal danger several times; the nocturnal creatures were no pushovers.
"I'm really risking my life here." Jiang Siming thought to himself. Nocturnal Soul Beasts generally weren't strong attackers. They were better at hiding and ambushing their prey. So Jiang Siming hadn't rested—not only because of the power surging through him, but also because there was no point in trying to guard against thieves instead of catching them.
After a night of fighting, Jiang Siming had made a qualitative leap forward and gained a basic command of sword energy. He could also use "One Sword Separates the World" with much greater ease.
He'd also discovered a trick for detecting hidden enemies. His First Martial Soul could sense killing intent. The Four Immortal-Slaughtering Swords were made for slaughter and were extremely sensitive to killing intent. Now that the Immortal Extinction Sword was unsealed, they were more formidable than ever.
Suddenly, a commotion came from up ahead, and Jiang Siming immediately grew alert. In the distance, he spotted a girl about his age being chased by an Earth Cave Demon Spider.
"Looks like a roughly 2,500-year-old Earth Cave Demon Spider. This poor kid's really unlucky. Should I help her?" Jiang Siming wondered. But then he reconsidered. "In my previous life, those holier-than-thou do-gooders never lived long. I'm no Tang San, the protagonist. I'm just some transmigrant. Better not. Amitabha. Hope you get lucky." Jiang Siming was just about to retreat when he saw the girl change direction and run straight toward him.
"Damn it! Am I a trouble magnet? A 2,500-year-old Earth Cave Demon Spider—and now I have to risk my life again." Though he complained, Jiang Siming was already preparing to fight. He wasn't sure he could handle a 2,500-year-old Earth Cave Demon Spider. It didn't mainly attack with venom; it relied on restraint and brute strength. Of course, spiders were also experts at hiding. The girl must have done something to anger it.
"Looks like I'm just too kind." Jiang Siming thought to himself. Even though the girl was charging toward him, he could have ignored her, but he didn't. In this world of Soul Beasts, his own life mattered most. Risking himself to save a stranger he didn't know was incredibly foolish. What finally made Jiang Siming decide to save the girl was that his heart told him he should. By following his instincts, his cultivation would progress more smoothly. Of course, Jiang Siming wasn't the sort to sacrifice himself for others. He'd help when he could, and save those who could be saved. During the night's slaughter, he'd killed a roughly 2,000-year-old Ghost Leopard, which wasn't much weaker than this Earth Cave Demon Spider.
A row of eyes atop the Earth Cave Demon Spider's head glinted with murderous light. The girl's left arm was injured and bleeding freely as she struggled to run.
The girl's legs grew weaker and weaker, as if she were about to collapse. But the Earth Cave Demon Spider had no intention of letting her life end so easily. It didn't want her to die just yet.
Jiang Siming seized his chance and launched a surprise attack with "One Sword Separates the World," severing four of the Earth Cave Demon Spider's legs. The spider let out a wail and crashed down on its left side, then spat out a web that wrapped around the girl. It quickly dragged her into its mouth. Jiang Siming struck again, cutting through the web. He whipped around and slashed with his sword, severing the spider's other four legs. His final blow finished off the Earth Cave Demon Spider. The battle was over in just a dozen seconds. It wasn't that the spider was weak; Jiang Siming had simply won through surprise. If the fight had turned into a drawn-out battle, he might not have been able to beat it. After all, the Earth Cave Demon Spider was a master of concealment. If it had targeted Jiang Siming, he'd never have been able to sleep or eat in peace.
Jiang Siming picked up the unconscious girl. Her face was delicate, like a porcelain doll's, and her brows were knitted tightly. She had a cool air about her. She probably wasn't an ordinary Soul Master. Judging by her clothes, Jiang Siming was sure she was no ordinary girl.
Half an hour later, the girl slowly came around. Jiang Siming leaned close and was just about to ask, "You're awake?"
The girl fainted again.
"What the hell? What's that supposed to mean? Am I really that ugly? I did risk my life to save you!" Jiang Siming complained.
The poor girl wasn't to blame. Think about it: after having his body cleansed the day before and expelling all its impurities, he'd spent the night fighting. The smell coming off him was unbearable to an ordinary person, and the black grime had dried all over his body. He really did look like a human-shaped Soul Beast.
Jiang Siming glanced at the ring on the girl's hand and infused it with Soul Power. Sure enough, it was a Soul Tool. It held plenty of food and water.
"Looks like she came here to train." Jiang Siming thought to himself.
"This girl's probably from an important family. Maybe she's the darling of some powerful faction. But what kind of brutal training is this? Whatever. As long as she doesn't involve me, it's none of my business." Jiang Siming thought.
Then he picked up the girl and carried her out of the Star Dou Great Forest with him.
"Miss, the road is long. Maybe we'll meet again someday." Jiang Siming said to the still-unconscious girl.
After Jiang Siming left, the girl suddenly opened her eyes and gazed in the direction he'd gone.
Jiang Siming had known she'd woken up already. If he'd saved her, why would he leave her in danger again?
"Now, how am I supposed to explain this to Tang San and the others?" Jiang Siming gave a bitter smile.
First, Jiang Siming needed to find somewhere to clean himself up. He hadn't used the water in the girl's ring because he didn't want her to recognize him too easily and cause unnecessary trouble.
If she had to risk her life to train, then either someone in her faction was targeting her or the faction itself was cold-blooded. Either way, Jiang Siming didn't want to get caught up in that mess.
"I need a bath! A good wash makes you feel so much better. This is amazing. I never knew soaking in a bath could feel this good." Jiang Siming lay in a small pool, and the water had turned pitch-black. That showed just how dirty he was.