As Feng Xinglie continued drawing it in, the immense Soul Power within the Soul Ring surged through his body like a raging torrent. In just a few seconds, his body began to swell like a balloon. A Soul Ring with a lifespan more than twice that of an ordinary one was not something he could grit his teeth and endure through sheer willpower. His skin cracked inch by inch, and Soul Power that he couldn't absorb in time slowly seeped from his wounds along with his blood. The meridians inside him began to collapse, unable to withstand the strain. Feng Xinglie felt as if he were sitting beneath a hydraulic press, being slowly crushed to powder. But he also knew all too clearly that the moment he lost consciousness, not even his bones would remain.
Five minutes passed. Then ten. Then twenty...
After half an hour of continuously absorbing the Soul Ring, Feng Xinglie looked like a blood-soaked man, covered from head to toe in wounds. His steadily depleting mental strength finally reached its limit. When another surge of Soul Power struck, the world spun before his eyes, and he crashed to the ground.
Seeing this, the Evil Soul Master sneered under his breath, watching the prodigy whose talent was several times greater than his own with vengeful glee. But he failed to notice the faint layer of Soul Power that had enveloped Feng Xinglie's body, preparing to sever his connection to the Soul Ring. Just as that Soul Power was about to act, the blood continuously seeping from Feng Xinglie's body suddenly stopped. Even the expression of agony on his face eased considerably.
"What... what is going on!?"
The Evil Soul Master stared at Feng Xinglie in disbelief. Though the latter's consciousness had sunk into a haze, his body, possessed by a God-tier Martial Soul, was still roaring with life. Driven by the instinct to survive, his body flooded with adrenaline, halting the bleeding. His muscles contracted and writhed, temporarily filling in his wounds. At the same time, Feng Xinglie felt a tingling numbness in his brain, as if struck by an electric current, and endorphins began to flow.
"Ah... so warm, so comfortable..."
At that moment, Feng Xinglie felt as if he were soaking in a hot spring, warmth spreading through his whole body. He felt his muscles and bones slowly dissolving, his entire body turning into a puddle of water that flowed outward in every direction. He washed over the dips and hollows in the ground, streamed across the Evil Soul Master's feet, and engulfed the corpse of the Thousand Jun Charging Elephant...
Suddenly, his eyes flew open. The liquid that had spread out around him flowed back in an instant, gathering into human form. The terrifying muscles contracted with such force that they propelled his prone body nearly two meters into the air. Only when he hung suspended did Feng Xinglie's consciousness finally clear. He reflexively somersaulted in midair to shed the momentum, and as his feet touched the ground once more, a deep yellow Soul Ring emerged beneath him.
"It actually worked?? Good... good! Good!!!"
The Evil Soul Master's expression shifted from shock to confusion, then gradually to wild joy. His white First Soul Ring had already locked away his potential for growth, but if he could learn this method of absorbing a Soul Ring beyond his level, perhaps he could advance further along the path of cultivation.
"Kid, how did you do it? Tell me, and I won't kill you."
Though he said this, his body had already rushed forward of its own accord, both hands reaching for Feng Xinglie's head.
After absorbing the Soul Ring and sensing the immense power within him, Feng Xinglie's confidence surged. He pushed off the ground and leaped backward, dodging the lunge. This turn of events surprised the Evil Soul Master. He had thought that even if Feng Xinglie successfully absorbed the Soul Ring, a six-year-old child whose Soul Power was more than twenty levels below his would be easy to handle. He hadn't expected the boy to dodge a surprise attack from an Agility Attack System Soul Master like himself. As he was thinking this, Feng Xinglie had already charged at him, fist flying toward his face.
"Heh, you're a little interesting. Then let's play! Blood Bat Possession, Third Soul Skill: Thousand Bat Illusion Body!"
The moment the Evil Soul Master unleashed his Soul Skill, his body suddenly scattered into countless bats that flew in every direction. Feng Xinglie's heavy punch struck nothing but empty air. Just as he was about to retreat and dodge while preparing to use a Soul Skill, several bats suddenly flew in front of him and became an arm again, grabbing him by the neck.
"Ke ke ke, weren't you so good at dodging? Go on, dodge again. Let me see you do it!"
The swarm of bats gathered back into human form. The Evil Soul Master's eyes were now bloodshot, four sharp fangs jutted from his mouth, and a pair of enormous black wings flapped behind him.
"Damn it, don't all transmigrators get to punch above their weight? A six-year-old, badly wounded, with one Soul Ring and the Soul Power of a fake Soul Grandmaster—still can't beat a Soul Elder who's over twenty levels higher and has three Third Soul Rings?"
Feng Xinglie thought indignantly:
They haven't even made a move yet. Could it be that Spirit Hall didn't send anyone to watch from the shadows? No, if it were that simple, Qian Daoliu wouldn't have made this trip at all. Or they could have just taken me back to Spirit Hall then and there. That means things haven't spiraled out of control yet, and they're still observing and testing me... but what exactly do I have to do to pass?
Feeling the grip on his neck tighten, his already blood-depleted body grew weaker still. Even his voice was feeble:
"D-don't kill me. I'll tell you..."
The Evil Soul Master forced down his excitement and sneered to himself:
Once I get the method for absorbing a Soul Ring beyond my level out of him, I'll drain this kid dry. Maybe my talent will improve too.
"The method... for absorbing a Soul Ring... beyond your level is..."
Seeing that Feng Xinglie was too weak to speak properly, the Evil Soul Master had no choice but to pull him closer and press his ear against him. Feng Xinglie took the opportunity to place a hand on his shoulder to steady himself, then spoke haltingly:
"I... hope... you... die...!"
The hand on his shoulder slid upward and clamped around the Evil Soul Master's neck. A child's hand was too small to grasp much of it, but that was enough. Feng Xinglie's small hand, placed over the carotid artery, suddenly tightened. A shrill scream rang out:
"AAAAAAHHH!!!!!"
A crushing grip was an attack requiring extremely demanding physical attributes. It relied on immense grip strength to crush a portion of an enemy's body outright. Seizing the moment when the Evil Soul Master had let his guard down, Feng Xinglie used Poison Hand to clamp down on his carotid artery. The instant his small palm tightened, it tore through the Evil Soul Master's skin, its force enough to gouge a fist-sized hole in his body. As the poison invaded him, the immense blood pressure in his artery sent blood spraying two or three meters. But one thing Feng Xinglie hadn't expected was that the Evil Soul Master's hand around his neck didn't loosen from the pain. Instead, it clamped down even tighter, like an iron vise.
"You little bastard! I'll kill you!!!"
The Evil Soul Master squeezed out a curse through clenched teeth, then increased the force of his grip, trying to snap that slender neck. But to his shock, no matter how hard he squeezed, his hand couldn't close even a fraction further. Just as confusion set in, he felt an overbearing burst of Soul Power explode in his palm, forcing him to let go. Sensing something was wrong, the Evil Soul Master tried to retreat, only to discover that his feet were rooted to the ground and wouldn't obey him. In a daze, he looked up and saw Feng Xinglie soaring toward him in an attack... with the enormous phantom of a Golden Crocodile behind him.
"T-Titled..."
"First Soul Skill: Collapsing Ape Giant Arm!"
Before the Evil Soul Master could finish speaking, the yellow Soul Ring beneath Feng Xinglie's feet lit up, and both his arms began to swell violently. His solid muscles gleamed like metal, and his arms grew so huge that they dwarfed Feng Xinglie himself. Seeing a pair of enormous fists coming straight at his head, the Evil Soul Master instinctively summoned his Soul Power to block them. But the instant they met, his immobile body was pulverized with overwhelming force.
"Huff... huff... I finally... finally made it out alive. I should've gotten a passing grade for that performance, right..."
After dealing with the powerful enemy, Feng Xinglie gasped for breath. Only then did he have time to carefully examine his First Soul Skill. His arms, planted on the ground, brimmed with explosive strength. The packed earth was softer than tofu in his hands, and even the little stones mixed into the soil crumbled to powder with a light rub.
"Strong! The destructive power of this First Soul Skill is practically on par with a Power Attack System Soul Master's Third Soul Skill! It's just..."
Feng Xinglie kept twisting his body, but no matter how hard he strained, his tiny shoulders couldn't lift the two arms that were bigger than he was.
"What use is all that strength if I can't even lift them!? Looks like I need to plan out my growth from now on and figure out how to deal with this Soul Skill's side effect. What a pain..."
Feng Xinglie wore a bitter expression as he gazed at his hands, both delighted and rueful, until his vision went black. His badly wounded body had already fought several battles, and now he had kept using his Soul Skill, burning through his Soul Power. Even with adrenaline and endorphins coursing through him, a six-year-old's body had finally reached its limit. But before he could fall to the ground, a large hand suddenly reached out and caught him in its arms. Golden Crocodile Douluo's eyes flickered as he looked down at the unconscious Feng Xinglie, his expression complicated. He sighed, and then the two of them vanished from sight.
Several days later, in Spirit City.
"His Excellency Golden Crocodile, you've asked me this countless times along the way. I really wasn't lying. I could absorb a Soul Ring beyond my level because of my Martial Soul's unique properties."
Ever since learning that Golden Crocodile had saved him, Feng Xinglie had been completely dumbfounded. For the sake of a little kid like him, the two strongest offerings of Spirit Hall had gone together to a tiny village that might not even be marked on the map. During the journey afterward, Feng Xinglie had been interrogated from every angle, like they were checking his household registration. The method that let him absorb a Soul Ring with more than twice the lifespan of an ordinary one had especially tempted this Titled Douluo. Once he confirmed that it was entirely due to the God-tier Martial Soul, he could only reluctantly give up, regretful as he was.
"Child, once we pass through this gate, we'll truly be entering Spirit Hall. Remember, stay close to me once we're inside. Don't look around, and don't say anything. Understand?"
"Yes, His Excellency Golden Crocodile. I understand."
Feng Xinglie obediently nodded and kept his mouth shut, following behind Golden Crocodile Douluo. They were on someone else's turf, so it was best to behave and do as he was told. Several Red-robed Cardinals bowed as they passed, but Golden Crocodile seemed to be in a hurry and paid them no heed, simply leading Feng Xinglie deeper inside. Then, after they passed a corner, he abruptly stopped. Feng Xinglie, unable to halt in time, bumped straight into him.
Rubbing his head, Feng Xinglie was about to ask what had happened, but when he saw Golden Crocodile's furrowed brows, he quickly shut his mouth. He peeked ahead and saw an exceptionally beautiful woman wearing a Phoenix-Winged Purple-Gold Crown and holding the Pontiff's Scepter. She blocked their path and smiled.
"Consecrated Golden Crocodile, in such a hurry—what brings you here?"
Bibi Dong!?
Looking at this stunningly beautiful, number-one villain, Feng Xinglie felt a sense of foreboding rise in his heart.
Can I still make a run for it?
Before you continue