Persuasion, Night Shadow

He turned back and smiled at Dugu Yan. "Watch how I persuade this big fellow."

With a beat of his wings, he transformed into a streak of purple light and shot toward the depths of the valley.

Deep within the valley, the Dark Night Thunder Tiger abruptly opened its eyes.

It had sensed an unfamiliar presence, along with a... bloodline suppression that made its heart tremble.

Raising its head, it saw a young man descend from the sky, a pair of purple lightning wings spread behind him as Thunder Light swirled around his body.

A vertical slit opened between the young man's brows, and a golden eye stared directly at it.

A human?

The Dark Night Thunder Tiger rose to its feet. Its enormous body was a full thirty feet long, and silver-white Thunder Patterns began to flicker across its pitch-black fur.

"Roar!"

The low growl carried both warning and threat.

Gu Ci landed on a boulder a hundred feet away, the Purple Lightning Wings behind him slowly beating.

"I know you can understand human speech."

He spoke calmly. "My name is Gu Ci. I came today to discuss a deal with you."

Mockery flashed through the Dark Night Thunder Tiger's eyes.

A level-twenty human wanted to make a deal with an eighteen-thousand-year-old beast like it?

It could not be bothered to waste words. It turned into a black shadow and pounced.

It was unbelievably fast, even leaving afterimages in the air.

Gu Ci had long been prepared. With a flap of his Purple Lightning Wings, he turned into a bolt of lightning and vanished from where he stood.

Boom!

The Dark Night Thunder Tiger's claw struck the spot where Gu Ci had just been standing, shattering the rock.

But before it could turn around, a streak of purple lightning slashed in from the side and struck its flank.

"Roar!"

The Dark Night Thunder Tiger roared in pain.

Gu Ci landed in the distance, lingering currents of lightning still crackling around his fingertips.

The power of his Ultimate Thunder was astonishing. Even an eighteen-thousand-year-old soul beast would feel pain if it took a direct hit.

"Don't be so eager to fight."

He spoke again. "Hear me out first."

The Dark Night Thunder Tiger stared at him, its gaze growing more solemn.

This human was too fast, and that lightning power... made it faintly uneasy.

"My Martial Soul is the Thunder Prison Heaven-Slaying Tiger."

As Gu Ci spoke, a thought crossed his mind, and an enormous tiger-shaped phantom appeared behind him.

The Dark Night Thunder Tiger's pupils abruptly contracted.

The suppression from the depths of its bloodline became even clearer than before.

The aura radiating from that phantom made the blood in its body tremble.

What kind of monster was that?

"A Super Martial Soul. Its bloodline is stronger than yours."

Gu Ci said indifferently, "But I did not come here today to kill you, nor did I come to show off."

He briefly explained the Soul Spirit Contract.

"You will form a contract with me and become my Soul Spirit."

"You will not need to sacrifice your life, nor will you lose your mind. You will still be yourself, merely existing in a different way."

"You can continue cultivating and become stronger. You may even use my bloodline to further purify that trace of Dark Demon Evil God Tiger power within you."

"At the same time, I can help you become a god, rebuild your body, and transform you into a divine beast."

A complicated look flickered in the Dark Night Thunder Tiger's eyes.

It could sense that this human was not lying.

That bloodline suppression truly existed, yet it carried no malice.

But it was an eighteen-thousand-year-old soul beast, the ruler of this valley. How could it so easily submit to a level-twenty human?

"Roar!"

It gave a low roar as Thunder Light flared around its body, then pounced once more.

This time, it was faster and fiercer.

Gu Ci no longer dodged. Instead, he met it head-on.

Driving his Purple Lightning Wings to their limit, he darted through the lightning and circled around the Dark Night Thunder Tiger.

The power of Ultimate Thunder struck its body again and again. Though it could not inflict severe wounds, it still made the tiger suffer greatly.

Meanwhile, the Dark Night Thunder Tiger's attacks were repeatedly evaded by Gu Ci's speed.

Man and tiger battled fiercely through the valley. Lightning exploded, and rocks flew apart.

After an unknown amount of time, Gu Ci suddenly retreated and landed in the distance.

He panted heavily, drenched in sweat, yet his eyes remained bright.

"Had enough?" he asked.

The Dark Night Thunder Tiger also ceased its attacks and stared at him.

There were quite a few scorched marks on its body, left behind by the bombardment of Ultimate Thunder.

They were only superficial wounds, but they were enough to prove one thing: this human truly had the right to fight it.

More importantly, it sensed a kind of... longing within that human.

Not a longing for a spirit ring, but a longing to grow stronger.

Just as it had cultivated alone in this valley for eighteen thousand years, sometimes yearning for a companion of its own kind.

After a long silence.

The Dark Night Thunder Tiger finally lowered its proud head and let out a deep whimper.

Gu Ci smiled.

He walked forward, stretched out his hand, and gently stroked the massive tiger head.

"From now on, you'll be called Night Shadow."

Gu Ci gently patted Night Shadow's head, feeling the giant tiger's aura soften. His heart was filled with accomplishment.

An eighteen-thousand-year-old Dark Night Thunder Tiger had thus become his second Soul Spirit.

With a thought, Night Shadow's enormous body turned into countless points of light and merged into his body.

At the same time, a deep purple spirit ring slowly rose beneath his feet.

It was his Second Spirit Ring, eighteen thousand years old.

The purple First Spirit Ring also emerged, and the two rings reflected one another, radiating a heart-palpitating aura.

Feeling the surging power within him, Gu Ci smiled.

Level twenty-five, two rings, a spirit ring configuration totaling more than twenty thousand years—this was unique even across the entire Douluo Continent.

He turned and flew back to the valley entrance, landing before Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan.

"Success," he said with a smile.

Dugu Bo looked at the two spirit rings beneath his feet, his eyes full of shock.

An eighteen-thousand-year Second Spirit Ring. This kid was practically a monster.

Dugu Yan excitedly circled him once. "Brother Gu Ci is amazing! Now it's my turn!"

Gu Ci nodded and looked at Dugu Bo. "Grandpa Dugu, next is Yanyan's soul beast."

"A roughly six-thousand-year Ice Fire dual-element flood dragon type. Do you have any leads?"

Dugu Bo pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "Flood dragon soul beasts are already rare. Ones possessing both Ice Fire attributes are rarer still."

"Over my years traveling the continent, I have heard of one place that may have them."

"Where?"

"Deep within the Star Dou Great Forest, there is an area called the Ice Fire Swamp."

Dugu Bo said, "Its terrain is unique. One half is a scorching lava pool, while the other is an ice-sealed freezing pond. The environment is extremely harsh."

"But precisely because of that, some soul beasts adapted to extreme environments live there."

"I once heard that there is a clan of Ice Fire dual-element flood dragons there, likely around seven thousand years old."

Gu Ci's eyes lit up. "Seven thousand years? That's even higher than Yanyan needs."

"Can Yanyan's current physique withstand it?"

He looked at Dugu Yan. The Heavenly Eye between his brows opened as he carefully examined the little girl's condition.

With her Ice Fire Flood Dragon Martial Soul, along with the Immortal Herb and Whale Rubber she had absorbed before, Dugu Yan's physique was far stronger than that of her peers.

Her meridians were broad, her bones tough, and Ice Fire energy faintly circulated through her flesh and blood.

"Seven thousand years should be manageable." Gu Ci nodded.

"But we need to be careful. It would be best to have suitable assistance."

Dugu Bo said, "Then we'll go to the Star Dou Great Forest. I would also like to see just what that Ice Fire Flood Dragon is made of."

The three did not delay and immediately set out.

The distance from Sunset Forest to the Star Dou Great Forest was considerable.

Even at the speed of a Titled Douluo, the journey would take more than half a month of flying.