Five-Thousand-Year First Spirit Ring!

The Purple-Winged Thunder-Scaled Tiger froze.

It had lived for many years and seen countless human Soul Masters.

Some had wanted to kill it, some had been killed by it, some had fled, and some had been terrified.

But never had anyone stood before it like this six-year-old child, speaking to it as an equal.

"You might think I'm lying to you." Gu Ci smiled.

"But I have no reason to lie. With Grandpa Dugu's strength, he could kill you directly and take your Spirit Ring. I could still absorb it."

"A five-thousand-year Spirit Ring is enough for me."

He paused. His Heavenly Eye slowly opened, golden light staring directly into the Purple-Winged Thunder-Scaled Tiger's eyes.

"But what I want is more than just a Spirit Ring. I want a partner who can grow alongside me."

The Purple-Winged Thunder-Scaled Tiger met those golden eyes.

Within them, it saw sincerity.

There was no greed, no killing intent, only something... it could not put into words.

After a long silence.

The Purple-Winged Thunder-Scaled Tiger let out a low growl, and the strength of its struggle completely faded.

It lowered its proud head and gently touched Gu Ci's outstretched hand with its forehead.

Dugu Bo stood nearby, staring in astonishment.

That... worked?

Gu Ci turned and smiled at him. "Grandpa Dugu, let it down. We can prepare the contract now."

Dugu Bo released the suppression of his Soul Power. The Purple-Winged Thunder-Scaled Tiger leaped down from the boulder and landed before Gu Ci.

Its massive body crouched before Gu Ci, its wings folded as it lowered its head.

Gu Ci took out the materials for the formation from his Soul Tool and began setting it up according to the method recorded in the book.

The Purple-Winged Thunder-Scaled Tiger quietly watched him work, its eyes filled with curiosity.

Once the formation was complete, Gu Ci and the Purple-Winged Thunder-Scaled Tiger each entered it.

"Relax. Don't resist."

Gu Ci said softly, "Leave everything to me."

The Purple-Winged Thunder-Scaled Tiger closed its eyes.

Gu Ci bit his fingertip and let a drop of blood fall into the center of the formation.

At the same time, the Purple-Winged Thunder-Scaled Tiger followed his instructions and dripped a drop of its essence blood onto the formation's core.

The instant the two drops of blood merged, the formation erupted in brilliant light.

A mysterious connection formed between Gu Ci and the Purple-Winged Thunder-Scaled Tiger.

He could sense its emotions: nervousness, anticipation, and a trace of confusion toward its new life.

And the Purple-Winged Thunder-Scaled Tiger could also sense his calmness, goodwill, and the weight of his promise.

Time slowly passed.

The Purple-Winged Thunder-Scaled Tiger's body began to turn illusory, transforming into countless motes of light that merged into Gu Ci's body.

At the same time, a dark-purple Spirit Ring slowly rose beneath Gu Ci's feet.

A five-thousand-year First Spirit Ring!

Normally, the Purple-Winged Thunder-Scaled Tiger's five thousand years of cultivation should have yielded two or three Spirit Rings.

But Gu Ci's body had been strengthened by Whale Rubber and Immortal Herbs, allowing him to absorb all of its cultivation at once and condense it into a complete five-thousand-year Spirit Ring.

In other words, as long as his physique was strong enough and his spiritual power sufficient, he could contract a Soul Spirit every time he obtained a Spirit Ring.

The light faded, and the formation stopped operating.

Gu Ci opened his eyes and felt the surging power within his body.

He had succeeded.

With a thought, a figure suddenly appeared beside him.

The Purple-Winged Thunder-Scaled Tiger's phantom appeared at his side. It was more solid than before, and the Thunder Light on its scales shone even more brilliantly.

It threw back its head and roared, its voice brimming with excitement.

After becoming a Soul Spirit, it discovered that not only had it retained all its consciousness, but it also felt better than ever before.

That marvelous connection with Gu Ci gave it a vague sense of a higher level of existence.

"From now on, I'll call you... Zi Dian."

Gu Ci smiled and stroked its head.

Zi Dian let out a low growl, clearly pleased with the name.

Just then, Gu Ci suddenly felt a numb tingling across his back.

He instinctively turned around and saw a pair of purple light wings slowly spreading from his back.

The wings were as thin as cicada wings, a deep violet in color, with golden Thunder Light flowing along their edges. Fully spread, they were more than ten feet wide.

"This is..."

Gu Ci was stunned.

An External Soul Bone.

And it was precisely an External Soul Bone formed from Zi Dian's pair of wings.

Dugu Bo sharply inhaled. "Kid, your luck... An External Soul Bone is a hundred times more precious than an ordinary Soul Bone. There aren't many on the entire continent!"

Gu Ci felt the Purple Lightning Wings on his back. With a thought, he gave them a light beat and instantly rose into the air.

They were incredibly fast and exceptionally agile.

More importantly, the wings came with a Soul Bone skill: Thunder Flash. It allowed him to transform into Thunderbolt and teleport over a short distance.

And as the Soul Bone grew, the distance would continuously increase.

Gu Ci landed, folded away his wings, and looked toward Dugu Yan.

The little girl was already staring blankly, her eyes sparkling with stars.

"Don't rush, Yanyan."

Gu Ci smiled. "We'll find a good one for you too."

"Let's go. It's your turn now." Gu Ci put away the Purple Lightning Wings behind him and looked at Dugu Yan.

The little girl nodded firmly, her eyes filled with anticipation and nervousness.

Dugu Bo led the two away from the Thunder Pool and flew westward.

About half an hour later, faint miasma began to appear in the valley ahead. The mist was an eerie grayish-green, obviously laden with deadly poison.

"This is the place."

Dugu Bo landed atop a mountain peak. "This valley is called Poison Mist Valley. Quite a few poison-attributed soul beasts live inside."

"As for flood dragon types, I remember there being one in the poison pool at the deepest part of the valley."

Gu Ci opened his Heavenly Eye and swept his gaze through the valley.

The miasma affected his vision to some degree, but the Heavenly Eye still pierced through the layers of fog and revealed the scene at the valley floor.

It was a long, narrow valley with steep cliffs on both sides and a black stream running along the bottom.

The deeper one went, the thicker the miasma became, and the more active the poison-attributed elements grew.

At the deepest point lay a pool roughly three hundred meters across. Its water was black as ink, bubbling continuously.

And within the water, a pitch-black flood dragon lay coiled.

The flood dragon was more than twenty feet long, with a single horn on its head, four claws beneath its belly, and fine black scales covering its entire body.

Its eyes were closed as though it were sleeping. From time to time, drops of venom fell from the corners of its mouth into the pool, letting out hissing sounds.

"Found it." Gu Ci pointed toward the valley floor.

"A Black-Scaled Poison Flood Dragon just over two thousand years old. It's sleeping at the bottom of the pool."

Dugu Bo narrowed his eyes, took a look, and nodded. "It really is a Black-Scaled Poison Flood Dragon. This thing's venom is extremely potent. Even soul beasts of the same level don't dare provoke it. Yanyan, are you sure you want it?"

Dugu Yan stared at the black flood dragon. Her little face was somewhat tense, but she still nodded hard. "I'm sure."

The three descended to the valley floor and approached the poison pool.

The moment they drew near, the Black-Scaled Poison Flood Dragon sensed movement and abruptly opened its eyes.

They were a pair of amber vertical pupils, cold and cruel, gleaming with the savage light of a predator ready to devour its prey.

"Hiss—"

The Black-Scaled Poison Flood Dragon leaped from the pool and coiled atop a boulder beside it, watching the three warily.

When its gaze passed over Dugu Bo, a trace of fear clearly flashed through its eyes, yet it did not retreat.

Dugu Bo snorted coldly and released the aura of a Titled Douluo, directly suppressing the Black-Scaled Poison Flood Dragon until it could not move.

"Little worm, behave yourself."

The Black-Scaled Poison Flood Dragon struggled desperately, yet it could not even lift its head.

Dugu Yan stepped forward and looked at the suppressed flood dragon.

Up close, it looked even more ferocious. Its black scales glimmered with a dark sheen, and poison faintly gathered around its horn.

"Yanyan, you tell it."

P.S.: Today is this little author's birthday, and this book is also entering its trial run today. Please keep reading and send some votes!