The blood-red Soul Ring was drawn toward Lu Heqiu.
The Azure Blood Dragon Beast's unyielding remnant soul roared incessantly, its cries battering Lu Heqiu's Sea of Consciousness.
Let alone Lu Heqiu, who was experiencing it firsthand.
Even Ma Xiaotao, standing nearby, felt slightly uncomfortable.
This mental assault was far more powerful than what she had experienced while absorbing a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.
If Yan Shaozhe hadn't been protecting her, Ma Xiaotao would likely have collapsed to the ground long ago, unable even to move. Yet the figure sitting cross-legged amid the flesh remained as steady as a mountain, showing not the slightest sign of wavering in the face of such an assault.
As the Soul Ring merged with the Soul Power, it followed the source of the power and burrowed straight into Lu Heqiu's Sea of Consciousness.
The instant the remnant soul entered, its previously arrogant air vanished. It couldn't even make a sound. It stared in shock. Not even a mental-type Titled Douluo could possess such a vast Sea of Consciousness.
Yet a tiny child had managed it.
That golden ocean was countless times larger than the Lake of Life in the core region. Nine Lightning Chains hovered in the sky, binding the phantom. The phantom, which had been unable to move, quietly curled its lips upward when it saw the remnant soul arrive.
It was the embodiment of a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring.
But what it faced...
Was practically a Deity!
The Nine Lightning Chains rumbled with the might of the heavens. Before the remnant soul could strike, they completely suppressed it. The figure seated in midair gave a slight twitch of his left hand.
One chain crashed down and shattered it into ten thousand specks of blood-red light, which drifted toward Lu Heqiu.
This was the Soul Ring's energy.
Once the Martial Soul absorbed this energy, it could fully condense a Soul Skill.
Lu Heqiu had been waiting for this moment for a long time!
Mu En had partially unsealed the first seal, and he had absorbed the Azure Blood Dragon Beast's Soul Bone. Now this remnant soul had foolishly barged into his Sea of Consciousness.
There was no reason he could possibly fail.
This Soul Ring... had been Lu Heqiu's for the taking all along!
Outside, Xuan Zi's gaze grew evasive. He could see the Soul Ring merging into Lu Heqiu's body, which meant the absorption was about to succeed!
What a monster. What a monster!
He never would have believed it.
Lu Heqiu had actually managed to absorb this Soul Ring!
And it was only his first Soul Ring!
Both his Soul Ring and Soul Bone were Hundred Thousand Year ones.
That meant Lu Heqiu, as a One-Ring Soul Master, already possessed four Soul Skills, all of them Hundred Thousand Year Soul Skills. How were people his age supposed to fight him?
Wait! Lu Heqiu was only half a year old. Children his age hadn't even awakened their Martial Souls yet. No matter how you looked at it, they couldn't possibly fight him. This kid... really had become a monster!
Yan Shaozhe's thoughts, however, were completely different from Xuan Zi's.
Xuan Zi was worrying about where to hide his old face, while Yan Shaozhe was looking much further ahead. Lu Heqiu's first Soul Ring was already a Hundred Thousand Year one.
The second and third Soul Rings couldn't possibly be worse than the first, could they?
He still had to absorb at least eight more Soul Rings in the future, and every one of those would have to be at least a Hundred Thousand Year one!
This...
Yan Shaozhe glanced toward the core region of the Star Dou Great Forest. The worry in his eyes could no longer be concealed. Would this provoke those Ferocious Beasts into retaliating?!
Or perhaps...
In the future, one of them would become Lu Heqiu's Soul Ring too!
Who would be responsible for hunting it down then?!
Before Yan Shaozhe's shock had even subsided, Lu Heqiu, still sitting cross-legged, opened his eyes. The Soul Ring in front of him vanished again, merging completely into his body, just like the Soul Bone had.
His eyes had turned strange colors.
His left eye was still golden yellow, a result of absorbing the Soul Bone. His right eye was blood-red, the color that appeared after absorbing the Soul Ring. His body had grown larger again, and he now looked no different from a three- or four-year-old child.
His clothes had been stretched to tatters. Even the way he stood was smooth and practiced; he no longer staggered.
Lu Heqiu had completely undone the first seal!
He had taken back control of his body.
Although the lower half of his body still retained its human instincts, at least he wouldn't climb onto Ma Xiaotao in the middle of the night anymore.
And he no longer had to worry about food.
He could eat the same things as Ma Xiaotao and the others.
"Let's go!"
"We'll leave here first!"
Yan Shaozhe took a piece of clothing from his Soul Tool and draped it over Lu Heqiu. Then he carried the two of them up into the sky. This was still the inner region, and powerful Soul Beasts could appear at any moment.
Besides, who knew whether the Lord of Soul Beasts might attack them?
Even Xuan Zi and Yan Shaozhe together wouldn't stand a chance against it.
The four hurried toward Shrek Academy. Only after they had completely left the Star Dou Great Forest did Yan Shaozhe turn to Lu Heqiu and ask, "Little guy, what are your four Soul Skills?"
Lu Heqiu sank his awareness into his Sea of Consciousness. He had been focused on unlocking the power of the first seal and had forgotten to examine the Soul Skills granted by the Soul Ring and Soul Bone. In this world, Soul Skills were clearly more important.
But after a quick look, disappointment showed in Lu Heqiu's eyes as well. He was obviously unsatisfied with these Soul Skills.
"The Soul Bone's two skills are Dragon Transformation and a domain."
"Dragon Transformation increases my physical strength by thirty percent and boosts all my attributes by twenty percent."
"The domain... suppresses all living things when activated. The effect decreases as the level gap widens. If it were this older sister..." He glanced at Ma Xiaotao. "It'd suppress all her attributes by fifty percent."
"If it were Dean Yan, I estimate even ten percent would be a stretch."
As soon as Lu Heqiu spoke, Xuan Zi froze.
An increase to all attributes, plus suppression of all attributes, and it could even suppress a Super Douluo. What was this kid disappointed about?!
If it could suppress someone at the same level, then this Soul Bone would at least let Lu Heqiu remain undefeated among Soul Masters of his rank. He might even be able to challenge those above him.
And this kid was actually... disappointed?!
At that moment, Xuan Zi wanted to slap the back of the kid's head.
But curiosity got the better of him, and he held back, merely asking in an annoyed tone,
"What about the Soul Ring?"
Lu Heqiu briefly gathered his thoughts, then continued.
"The Soul Ring is even worse."
"Most of the skills are related to the body."
"Subdue Demons and Suppress Monsters."
Lu Heqiu spoke listlessly, but Xuan Zi, standing nearby, could hardly listen to any more. A Body Martial Soul naturally acquired Soul Rings related to the body. What did the kid expect, to release Boundless Wind Wave with his Body Martial Soul?
"Quit rambling, kid."
"Just attack me so we can see."
"Body Martial Soul skills are hard enough to understand when you only describe them. Besides, this is your first time acquiring a Soul Skill. It'd be strange if you could explain it clearly!"
Xuan Zi stopped in midair. The Godly Taotie Bull Martial Soul appeared around him as he fixed his gaze on Lu Heqiu.
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