The biggest difference between a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring and a Thousand-Year Soul Ring was that the former subjected its absorber to the Soul Beast's spiritual assault. Absorbing a Soul Ring above one's limit was already extremely dangerous, and the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's savage soul placed immense pressure on the mind. Feng Xinglie wanted to wait until he had recovered before absorbing it, but he didn't dare stay alone for long in Star Dou Forest. Most of the Soul Beasts had either been stunned by the Titan Giant Ape or scared off by the shock waves from the two's battle, but there was no telling when one or two particularly curious ones might return.
Fortunately, years of taking Whale Rubber and absorbing the Wisdom Skull had strengthened Feng Xinglie's spiritual power enough for him to barely keep his wits about him. The waves of tearing pain inside his body still made him suffer terribly, though, as if he had returned to the day he was forced to absorb his First Soul Ring.
As the seconds ticked by, Feng Xinglie's iron will finally subdued the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's Soul Ring. It settled slowly beneath him. He let out a long breath of stale air and opened his tired eyes.
"It's finally over..."
Just as he was about to stand, the corner of his eye caught sight of the little black pearl, and Feng Xinglie froze.
"The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's Origin Pearl?"
Feng Xinglie was astonished. This treasure contained all of the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's attributes and skills. When Tang San had tried to take it, he'd used his own power to open a black hole and escape to another world. Zhou Weiqing, the protagonist of Heavenly Jewel Change, had gradually risen to prominence and ascended to the Divine Realm after obtaining this pearl. He hadn't expected it to be left here completely intact, simply because the beast had died too quickly.
"Well, this really is..."
Suppressing his excitement, Feng Xinglie slowly bent forward, approaching as if afraid of disturbing something. When he was close enough, he suddenly lunged and grabbed it. The instant the pearl touched his blood, however, it transformed into a streak of black light and slipped into his body. It drew his Soul Power into a slow rotation around itself, emanating a cold, evil aura.
"Wonderful. Getting this pearl makes it worth it, even if this hand really is ruined."
After a brief examination, Feng Xinglie grinned.
"It's about time. Xiao Wu should have finished condensing her Soul Ring and gone back."
He secured and bandaged his right arm, which was too mangled to look at, then stretched his body and headed back.
"Third Brother, are you all right?"
After saying goodbye to the Titan Giant Ape, Xiao Wu returned to the Shrek Academy group with her newly condensed Third Soul Ring. But when she saw Tang San, surrounded by mist and wearing a pained expression, she immediately panicked and hurried forward to check on him. Zhao Wuji stopped her.
"Calm down, Xiao Wu. We just got here, so we don't know exactly what happened. But Xiao San is clearly absorbing the Man Faced Demon Spider's Soul Ring. That Soul Beast was two thousand years old, far beyond the one-thousand-seven-hundred-year limit for a Third Soul Ring. Still, don't worry. The most dangerous stage is over. As long as we protect him, Xiao San will definitely absorb it successfully."
After Zhao Wuji reassured her, Xiao Wu calmed down somewhat. Watching Tang San struggle, her heart filled with guilt.
"It's all because of me. He risked absorbing this Soul Ring for my sake."
"Exactly. I talked myself hoarse and still couldn't persuade him."
The sudden voice startled everyone. They turned around and saw Feng Xinglie limping toward them.
"Feng? Where did you go? And what happened to your hand?"
They were puzzled to see Feng Xinglie coming from deeper inside Star Dou Forest, but the state of his nearly ruined right arm quickly drew their attention. Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing hurried over.
"Where did I go? To look for you, of course."
He shot Xiao Wu an annoyed glance, then swung his left arm and tossed a Soul Beast onto the ground.
"A fifteen-hundred-year-old Wind Baboon. It was stunned by the Titan Giant Ape, so I picked it up on the way. Oscar, get to work."
With that, he sat down against a tree, crossed his legs, and began cultivating to recover his Soul Power and stamina.
"Brother! You're my real brother! Thank you, Feng!"
Seeing that Feng Xinglie was so badly injured yet had still kept Oscar's Third Soul Ring in mind, Oscar was moved to tears. He made several Recovery Great Sausages and shoved them into Feng Xinglie's hand, then drew his dagger and killed the Wind Baboon before beginning to absorb its Soul Ring.
"So, Feng. What happened to your injury?" Zhao Wuji asked in confusion.
"Well, a lot of Soul Beasts were stunned by the Titan Giant Ape, right? Some were knocked out cold, while others were strong enough to withstand it. I was unlucky enough to run into one of those. But I dealt with it."
Feng Xinglie made it sound easy, but everyone could imagine how perilous it must have been. In their eyes, Feng Xinglie had always been the very picture of composure and strength. He hadn't even been this battered when he fought Zhao Wuji during the entrance exam.
"I'm sorry. You all got into danger because of me."
Xiao Wu lowered her head, her eyes reddening. The Titan Giant Ape had come here because it missed its Sister Xiao Wu, and if not for her, none of these troubles would have happened. But the others didn't know her true identity or understand what had led to all this, so they hurried to comfort her again.
"Am I dreaming? Xiao Wu, is that really you?"
Nearby, Tang San had safely finished absorbing his Soul Ring. The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was his Xiao Wu, and he rushed toward her. Everyone fussed over the two of them for a while, and only stopped after Oscar had finished absorbing his Soul Ring as well. Feng Xinglie alone squinted at the External Soul Bone, the Eight Spider Lances, behind Tang San and sighed. He still hadn't managed to snatch away this opportunity, second only to the Immortal Herb, which was a real pity. At least he'd gained plenty himself. The black pearl inside him, like an inner core, was a tremendous prize.
"An inner core? No, perhaps I really can..."
As if he'd thought of something, Feng Xinglie sank into thought again, considering whether his plan could work.
"All right. The process was dangerous, but we succeeded in getting all three Little Monsters their Third Soul Rings, and no one died. That's something worth celebrating. Now, let's get back to Shrek Academy as quickly as possible and recover. I'm giving you all a few days off!"
Zhao Wuji waved a hand, bringing their expedition to a close. On the way back, he personally took the lead to protect the students. With Oscar supplying him with Recovery Sausages one after another, Feng Xinglie's injury gradually stabilized.
After two more days on the road, the group finally returned to Shrek Academy. Once Flender learned what had happened, he was deeply moved. He declared that next time they went Soul Hunting, he would lead the team himself and bring two more teachers along. He would never let such danger happen again.
The next few days passed quietly. Just like in the original story, Tang San and Xiao Wu gained Spider Web Restraint and Instantaneous Movement, while Oscar, because of Feng Xinglie's interference, obtained only a Soul Skill that increased his movement speed. It wasn't as good as flying at high speed for a short time, but it was still quite impressive. As for Feng Xinglie, he kept quiet about reaching level fifty-one, obtaining the black pearl, and gaining the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's Soul Ring. He obediently followed Flender to find a high-level auxiliary Soul Master to treat his arm.
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