The Saber-Toothed Demon Tiger appeared before Kamisato Ayaka, and a grave look surfaced in her eyes.
This Saber-Toothed Demon Tiger was more than a level stronger than she was.
Even so, she had promised the Traveler that she would protect him, even if it meant dying in battle.
Kamisato Ayaka hurriedly swung the longsword in her hand at the Saber-Toothed Demon Tiger.
The Saber-Toothed Demon Tiger immediately let out an angry roar and charged toward Kamisato Ayaka, its violent aura sweeping forward.
Kamisato Ayaka hurriedly raised her katana to block.
Clang—!
After the crisp ring, Kamisato Ayaka immediately felt immense pressure.
She was knocked several steps back.
"Soul Skill—Kamisato Art: Hyouka!"
Kamisato Ayaka cried out.
Then, the katana in Kamisato Ayaka's hand suddenly swung out.
The same Soul Skill was unleashed once more. In the next instant, frost condensed within the katana, which then slashed fiercely at the Saber-Toothed Demon Tiger with the force of splitting the air.
The Saber-Toothed Demon Tiger snorted coldly, utterly fearless. It directly lashed out with a claw, meeting the attack head-on.
Bang—!
After a tremendous muffled crash, Kamisato Ayaka was sent flying several meters, while the Saber-Toothed Demon Tiger merely paused slightly.
"Roar—!"
The Saber-Toothed Demon Tiger howled furiously and continued its charge.
Kamisato Ayaka was horrified. This Saber-Toothed Demon Tiger's reactions were simply too fast.
"Roar—!"
The Saber-Toothed Demon Tiger roared, opened its bloody maw, and bit at Kamisato Ayaka.
"Not good!" Kamisato Ayaka's expression changed slightly.
At that moment, a violent aura erupted from Chen Feng's body. It was filled with endless majesty, dominance, and ferocity.
This aura instantly blanketed the entire area. Under its pressure, the Soul Beasts actually all prostrated themselves.
Within Chen Feng's mind, the system's voice rang out.
[ Ding, congratulations to the host on successful fusion. The host's martial soul has successfully upgraded. ]
The next moment, Chen Feng opened his eyes, and terrifying power instantly erupted around him.
Chen Feng immediately rose to his feet, took one step forward, and instantly arrived in front of Kamisato Ayaka.
He leaped high into the air and arrived above the Saber-Toothed Demon Tiger's head, declaring, "A trail of Frost Snow reflects an ancient sword; raging blossoms shatter the vast sky!"
As Chen Feng's voice fell, the longsword in his hand immediately radiated an icy aura. Then, the light within the sword blazed, and the blade, carrying terrifying power, slashed directly toward the Saber-Toothed Demon Tiger.
The Saber-Toothed Demon Tiger seemed to sense the danger as well. It let out a furious roar, its sharp claws flashing with cold light as they instantly met Chen Feng's attack.
Boom!
Sword qi condensed into ice and fell from the sky in an instant.
Sshk—
With a tremendous crash, Chen Feng's sword brutally pierced through the Saber-Toothed Demon Tiger beneath its head, sliding all the way down and directly penetrating its skull.
The Saber-Toothed Demon Tiger's body stiffened before it instantly collapsed to the ground, devoid of all signs of life.
Chen Feng landed atop the Saber-Toothed Demon Tiger's head, kneeling on one knee with his sword in hand. He softly recited once more, "This sword is called—Frost Snow!"
The Saber-Toothed Demon Tiger was completely dead. A purple Soul Ring slowly emerged from its body.
Ice fragments danced all around, like countless crystalline petals fluttering through the air. Each shard glimmered faintly beneath the sunlight, like a host of sparkling sprites dancing in the sky.
A gentle breeze passed by, scattering the ice fragments like snowflakes. They settled upon leaves and blades of grass, adorning the earth like a mysterious and tranquil painting.
"Snow mist dresses the silver plain, while tangerine boughs rise against jade. Hmm... with such beauty before us, all that is missing is a pot of tea to complement it."
At the side, Kamisato Ayaka looked at the beautiful sight and spoke.
Chen Feng smiled slightly. "Once I finish absorbing the Soul Ring, we'll go into the city for tea."
"Alright."
Kamisato Ayaka replied sweetly, and her adorable appearance left Chen Feng staring in a daze.
For some reason, he found Kamisato Ayaka very beautiful and even felt an urge to protect her.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—"
A gentle breeze brushed past them, stirring their clothes.
Chen Feng nodded slightly. Then, he went to the Saber-Toothed Demon Tiger. This time, he would not make the same mistake as before. He found a safe place and prepared to absorb the thousand-year Saber-Toothed Demon Tiger's Soul Ring.
Chen Feng's Soul Power had originally been around Level 19, but after fusing all those weapons, not only had the quality of his martial soul improved, his Soul Power had risen as well, reaching Level 20.
Thus, Chen Feng had also reached the point where he could absorb a Soul Ring.
Now that he had this thousand-year Saber-Toothed Demon Tiger martial soul, and since it was highly compatible with his sword martial soul, Chen Feng had to challenge himself even if it was a thousand-year Soul Ring.
Although the ideal age for a second Soul Ring was around seven hundred years, this Saber-Toothed Demon Tiger was only about a thousand-year Soul Beast, exceeding the limit by merely three hundred years or so.
Chen Feng had read plenty of fanfiction where countless protagonists absorbed Soul Rings beyond their level. He had a system, so why could he not do the same?
Even if he could not absorb it, he had a system. The system should not let him die so easily.
In any case, he had to take the risk!
With that thought, Chen Feng closed his eyes and began absorbing the Soul Ring.
Although the two had moved to a safe place, Kamisato Ayaka still guarded Chen Feng seriously at his side, not daring to lower her vigilance.
The terrifying thousand-year Soul Ring gradually merged into Chen Feng's body. As it fused with him, its dreadful power slowly poured into every limb and bone of his body.
Chen Feng's entire body exuded an icy aura. Waves of terrifying power spread wildly through his sinews, blood vessels, and meridians.
When the thousand-year Soul Ring's aura spread to a certain point, strange ripples suddenly transmitted through his meridians. Those meridians began spinning rapidly like flowing water.
This process caused Chen Feng unimaginable pain, and he kept letting out low growls. Veins bulged across his forehead, bead-sized droplets of sweat rolled down, and the muscles throughout his body twitched without stop as he endured pain beyond what ordinary people could bear.
Seeing this, Kamisato Ayaka could not help but grow worried.
However, Chen Feng did not stop absorbing the Soul Ring.
At this moment, the Soul Power within his body had begun to boil. He was using it to strengthen his meridians and bones.
Waves of heat surged through him, and the searing sensation nearly made Chen Feng pass out.
Still, Chen Feng managed to endure it. At last, his meridians and bones had reached their limit, and the thousand-year Soul Ring finally fused into his sinews.
In that instant, waves of icy energy raced through his meridians before finally flowing into every limb and bone.
Though it had been difficult, Chen Feng ultimately persevered.
Chen Feng opened his eyes and discovered that after absorbing the thousand-year Soul Ring, his Soul Power had risen by three levels, reaching Level 23.
Although his level was still below Ning Rongrong's and Tang San's, his combat strength was another matter entirely.
Moreover, he had a system, and his martial soul could be upgraded freely. At this rate, he would catch up soon enough.
Seeing Chen Feng open his eyes, Kamisato immediately came before him and said happily, "That's wonderful, Traveler. You finally succeeded."
Before you continue