There was no time to waste! After a fierce contest between Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo,
Sword Douluo narrowly defeated Bone Douluo and won the task of escorting Qian Yu and the others as they hunted for Spirit Rings.
Sword Douluo accompanied Qian Yu and the others back to Heaven Dou Royal Academy. During the trip, Dugu Yan made an unusual request of Qian Yu.
"Qian Yu, Ye Lingling from the Heaven Dou Royal Second Team is a close friend of mine. She's just reached the point where she needs her third Spirit Ring, too. Could we bring her along?"
Qian Yu readily agreed.
He had heard of the Ye family's unusual Martial Soul long ago.
The Nine Heart Begonia was one of the continent's top healing Martial Souls. Passed down through a single lineage, it had only two living bearers at any one time—a legacy etched with fate. Its Martial Soul had only one Soul Skill: healing everyone within range. Anyone who wasn't dead could be restored, and as Soul Power and Spirit Rings increased, wounds healed ever faster. Wherever its petals fell, even shattered bones and torn muscles could return to normal in an instant. Still, it had an inherent limitation: it couldn't replenish Soul Power or dispel deadly poisons.
In the outer reaches of the Star Dou Great Forest, near the center.
This was a gathering place for Spirit Beasts between levels thirty and fifty. It was also the destination of Qian Yu, Zhu Zhuqing, Dugu Yan, Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, Ye Lingling, Sword Douluo, and the others.
Since most of Qian Yu's group needed their third Spirit Ring, Sword Douluo decided to start by helping the level-thirty Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Ye Lingling obtain theirs.
To save everyone time searching for Spirit Beasts, Qian Yu immediately used his Divine Eye Soul Skill, Spirit Detection.
He also shared his view with the others.
It was Sword Douluo's first time experiencing such a miraculous Soul Skill, and he couldn't help marveling at it.
After a long search, their patience finally paid off. They spotted a Shadow Moon Demon Wolf.
The wounded Shadow Moon Demon Wolf raced through the forest, its ink-dark fur spattered with blood. The wind tugged at the wound along its back, making it bleed anew. The silver moon patterns on its coat had dimmed, but still flickered with each bound.
Its shattered right paw kicked up clods of mud. Its drooping ears were pinned to its head, and its cloudy, slit-pupiled eyes held a ferocious gleam. Its limbs moved with a slight hitch, but it still darted through the forest like an arrow, leaving a faint streak of blood in its wake.
"Everyone, be careful. It's a Shadow Moon Demon Wolf, about four thousand years old. Shadow Moon Demon Wolves usually live in packs, so one this far from the others is perfect for Zhuqing's third Spirit Ring," Qian Yu said, as the wolf charged toward them.
"What? Boy, are you joking? A Soul Master's third Spirit Ring has an absorption limit of around seventeen hundred years. How can you let Zhu Zhuqing absorb one that's about four thousand years old? This is complete nonsense!"
When Sword Douluo first heard it was a Shadow Moon Demon Wolf, he'd thought it was indeed a good fit for Zhu Zhuqing. But once he saw its age, he could only think that Qian Yu was being reckless.
Nearby, Ning Rongrong, Dugu Yan, Xiao Wu, and Ye Lingling all wondered if Qian Yu had gotten the limit for a Spirit Ring's age wrong.
Qian Yu said nothing.
He simply looked toward Zhu Zhuqing and released his First Martial Soul, the Desert Eagle.
Four Spirit Rings lit up: purple, purple, purple, black.
Silence. Utter silence.
Everyone looked as if they'd seen a ghost.
Sword Douluo in particular couldn't help exclaiming, "A monster! Qian Yu, I have to say, you really are a monster!"
"Zhuqing, do you trust me?" Qian Yu had proved with his actions that he hadn't been talking nonsense.
Everyone fell silent, too.
Qian Yu left the choice to Zhu Zhuqing.
He saw shock and longing in Zhu Zhuqing's eyes.
At last, Zhu Zhuqing nodded firmly. "Qian Yu, I trust you!"
At that, Qian Yu smiled.
A four-thousand-year-old Shadow Moon Demon Wolf was no difficult opponent for him.
Sword Douluo didn't even need to step in.
Qian Yu shifted his Martial Soul into its 98K form and lit up his second Spirit Ring.
Second Spirit Skill—Sky Full of Dancing Bullets.
Bullets streaked through the air, carrying the aura of Ultimate Ice.
Qian Yu fired repeatedly at the Shadow Moon Demon Wolf. Bang, bang, bang!
Sword Douluo saw Qian Yu preparing to take on the Shadow Moon Demon Wolf alone.
Sword Douluo was just about to warn him. "Qian Yu, the Shadow Moon Demon Wolf is incredibly fast, which makes it the perfect counter to your Martial Soul. Let me handle it."
Before Sword Douluo could finish,
Qian Yu pointed to the two extra body lengths he'd left ahead of the Shadow Moon Demon Wolf.
Then he began triggering the bullets' explosions.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Three blasts rang out.
The bullets burst into a flurry of ice shards. Carrying the power of Ultimate Ice, they froze the air and covered the Shadow Moon Demon Wolf's escape route.
The Shadow Moon Demon Wolf's speed dropped sharply. The sound of Qian Yu pulling the trigger was waiting for it.
"Stop!!!"
"Stop!!!"
"Stop!!!"
At that critical moment, three young voices shouted at Qian Yu all at once.
From the voices, two sounded male and one female.
But Qian Yu remained unmoved.
He pulled the trigger all the same, and the bullets flew as usual.
They tore toward the Shadow Moon Demon Wolf's limbs.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The Shadow Moon Demon Wolf lost all four limbs and collapsed, completely crippled.
Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, Xiao Wu, Ye Lingling, and Dugu Yan were all awed by Qian Yu's astonishing control.
Beside them, Sword Douluo praised Qian Yu's battle instincts. Even he had to admit he couldn't match them.
The Spirit Beast was a perfect counter to Qian Yu's Martial Soul, yet Qian Yu had skillfully used the distance between them to outmaneuver it. The elemental advantage had completely suppressed it.
A genius, born to fight. Someone like him is naturally a team leader—and he even has that absurdly powerful mental Soul Skill.
Sword Douluo couldn't help praising Qian Yu in his thoughts.
Everyone had noticed that, just moments earlier, voices had called for Qian Yu to stop attacking the Spirit Beast, but he hadn't stopped.
So, once the Shadow Moon Demon Wolf could no longer move, everyone sensibly moved closer to Sword Douluo.
At the same time, they warily watched the direction the voices had come from.
"Stop!" "Stop!" "Stop!" The furious shouts rang out from that direction again, just as Qian Yu attacked.
Qian Yu and the others looked up. The ones who had shouted were a trio: a girl in purple, her hair loosened and clinging to her sweat-dampened cheeks; her skirt torn in several places and smeared with mud and grass, faint purple Soul Power wavering at her fingertips. Though her breathing was unsteady, she still held her chin high;
a silver-clad young man, his fringe falling over his eyes. His robe was ripped at the waist, a bloody wound visible beneath the torn fabric clinging to his skin. A weapon hung diagonally across his shoulder. His steps were slow, but his back remained straight, and his cold aura had yet to fade;
and a young man in red, his armor scorched black and cracked in several places, its edges curled. His palm bore a raw, reddened burn, while the flames of his Soul Power flickered weakly around him. He kept his labored breathing low.
Two old men followed behind them. One wore pale pink finery embroidered with chrysanthemums. His features were soft and feminine, and he idly rolled something between his fingertips as a faint fragrance surrounded him. His oppressive aura was concealed, but still present. The other was wrapped in a dark cloak, its hood hiding his face except for his hard jaw. Dense and shifting black mist churned around him, and each step made the surrounding air feel a little colder.
Sword Douluo's gaze sharpened. A fierce sword intent erupted at once, and he fixed his eyes on the two old men. The figure in chrysanthemum-embroidered finery and the one shrouded in black mist were impossible to miss. His brow furrowed as he said gravely, "Chrysanthemum Ghost Douluo—the people of Spirit Hall have come, too." Sword energy hummed around him, and his blade trembled. He had clearly marked the two men as formidable foes and was on full alert.
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