Qin Yuan felt fantastic.
He had expected this, but when he felt his Soul Power break through the level-twenty bottleneck and realized he could absorb a second Soul Ring, he was still overcome with joy.
All those eight years of eating Whale Rubber had paid off!
He stood up and looked at the sturdy giant tree before him. A deep purple Soul Ring slowly appeared around him, its light blazing.
"First Soul Skill—Golden Dragon Claw!"
He murmured the words, shaped his right hand into a claw, and suddenly slammed it toward the tree.
In an instant, a Golden Dragon Claw a zhang wide shot out with a piercing whistle and struck the tree hard.
The several-meter-thick trunk shattered with a crash. With nothing left to support it, the giant tree toppled with a rumble, sending dust billowing into the air.
Li Fu stood nearby, watching the scene, his eyes suddenly narrowing.
It was astonishing that Qin Yuan could smash a tree several meters thick with such ease despite having only just acquired his First Soul Ring. But Li Fu knew it was a five-thousand-year ring, so he wasn't all that surprised.
What unsettled him was what he had clearly seen just before the Golden Dragon Claw struck: the tree trunk seemed to have been sliced through in several places by a razor-sharp weapon, leaving cuts that were smooth and even.
That meant Qin Yuan's First Soul Skill possessed not only astonishing strength, but also terrifying sharpness.
More than that, what shocked him most was that the instant Qin Yuan's Soul Ring appeared and lit up, the Golden Dragon Claw—over a zhang wide—shot toward the tree without the slightest delay or warning.
What did that mean?
It meant their young master's First Soul Skill could be released instantly!
It had terrifying power and razor-sharp edges, and could be released instantly. No wonder it came from a top-tier five-thousand-year Soul Beast... Deeply shaken, Li Fu marveled silently.
Looking at the giant tree, felled with a single blow, Qin Yuan nodded with satisfaction. The description of his First Soul Skill surfaced in his mind.
First Soul Skill—Golden Dragon Claw: Greatly increases the user's strength and attack power. Soul Power condenses into a Golden Dragon Claw imbued with Extreme Power and razor-sharpness, tearing enemies apart. It can be released instantly, and as long as the user has enough Soul Power, countless Golden Dragon Claws can be unleashed in an instant.
Qin Yuan was very pleased with his First Soul Skill. Its power was astonishing, and it could be released instantly, meaning it could serve as both a single-target attack and an area attack. It was simply a superb Soul Skill!
Since he hadn't absorbed his second Soul Ring yet, Qin Yuan didn't know exactly how many levels his Soul Power had gained after absorbing a five-thousand-year ring, so he brought up his panel.
[Name: Qin Yuan] [Age: 12 years] [Martial Soul: Golden Dragon] [Soul Power: Level 25 (+)] [Soul Rings: Three-Clawed Dark Gold Dragon Soul Ring (5324 years) (+)] [Skills: Chess Path, Rank 9 (3234/50000), Carving Path, Rank 9 (135/50000)] [Evolution Points: 3]
His gaze fell on the Soul Power line. Seeing the number twenty-five, Qin Yuan's eyes suddenly brightened. He had actually reached level twenty-five in one go!
He was so thrilled he was about to laugh aloud, but then he noticed a new line on the panel.
"Hm?" Qin Yuan narrowed his eyes and stared at the newly appeared [Soul Rings] line, his gaze flickering.
The panel could actually change. That was an unexpected bonus.
The number after the Three-Clawed Dark Gold Dragon was probably the Soul Ring's age. But what was the little plus sign at the end? Could Soul Rings also be upgraded with points?
He looked at the plus sign after the [Soul Rings] line, pondered for a moment, then focused his mind and tapped it.
Evolution Points decreased by one.
At the same time, the age of the Three-Clawed Dark Gold Dragon Soul Ring changed from '5324' to '6324'.
Seeing that one Evolution Point had been deducted and the Soul Ring's age had increased by a thousand years, Qin Yuan's eyes widened. He was too stunned to speak.
This, this, this... Evolution Points could increase a Soul Ring's age, and one point was enough to add a whole thousand years!
Qin Yuan fell silent.
Wasn't this cheat ability a little too incredible?
But he liked it!
The only downside was that increasing a Soul Ring's age by a thousand years hadn't raised his Soul Power at all, though it had strengthened his Soul Skill.
Qin Yuan was thrilled. As long as he had enough Evolution Points, he could make all his Soul Rings a hundred thousand years old—or even a million!
He closed the panel and barely managed to suppress his excitement. With the corners of his mouth turned up, he set off with Li Fu to look for a second Soul Ring.
A chase was unfolding outside the Star Dou Great Forest while Qin Yuan searched for his second Soul Ring.
Zhu Zhuqing was heartbroken. She had never imagined her eldest sister would send assassins after her, pursuing her all the way from the Star Luo Empire to the Heavenly Dou Empire.
She ran toward the Star Dou Great Forest, glancing back to see three men in black glaring at her viciously, intent on killing her without mercy.
All three Soul Masters were Soul Ancestors. Zhu Zhuqing had no chance of standing against them right now. If her Martial Soul hadn't been the Hell Spirit Cat, renowned for its speed, she would have been caught long ago.
But her Soul Power was nearly exhausted, so she had no choice but to take a gamble and flee into the Star Dou Great Forest, hoping to escape her pursuers among the Soul Beasts inside. She might be killed by a Soul Beast herself, but she had no other choice.
Seeing Zhu Zhuqing flee into the Star Dou Great Forest, the three Soul Ancestors pursuing her exchanged uneasy looks. One of them asked quietly,
"What do we do? Do we keep chasing her?"
"Let's stop here. We've completed the Eldest Young Lady's task," another said with a sigh.
The last man hesitated. "But Miss Zhuqing's Soul Power must be nearly gone. If she enters the Star Dou Great Forest, her life could be in danger."
"No. Once Miss Zhuqing sees that we've stopped chasing her, she won't dare venture deep into the forest. At most, she'll stay near the outskirts and watch to see if we're lying in wait outside. With her Soul Grandmaster cultivation, she'll be safe near the edge of the forest."
"Right. Let's go."
Zhu Zhuqing had no idea her pursuers had already left. By then, she had entered the Star Dou Great Forest. Not daring to delay, she fled straight toward its depths.
She knew the Soul Beasts near the outskirts were at most a thousand years old and couldn't threaten the three Soul Ancestors. Only by going deeper did she have a chance of survival.
As Li Fu fought a Soul Beast with a body of black gold and eight wings on its back, Qin Yuan's grave expression filled with anticipation and delight.
"An Eight-Winged Black Gold Dragon! I never thought there'd still be a near-extinct super Soul Beast like this in the Star Dou Great Forest! It's only four thousand years old, but it must be much stronger than the Three-Clawed Dark Gold Dragon!"
After absorbing the Three-Clawed Dark Gold Dragon Soul Ring, Qin Yuan had been about to leave and look for a second Soul Ring when this Eight-Winged Black Gold Dragon appeared of its own accord. It had probably caught the scent of blood coming from the Three-Clawed Dark Gold Dragon's corpse.
This really was a surprise that had come without any effort!
But what astonished and delighted him was that this Eight-Winged Black Gold Dragon, despite being only four thousand years old, could hold its own against Li Fu, who had the cultivation of a Soul Saint.
The Eight-Winged Black Gold Dragon possessed two Ultimate Attributes, Extreme Power and Ultimate Wind, both of which suited Qin Yuan. He was determined to claim it and couldn't let it slip away.
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