The First Soul Skill, Dark Fragrance Bind, and the Thousand-Year Soul Beast, Thousand-Blade Jade Butterfly

With Ye Shuyuan's help, Ye Qingzhou killed the Sleeping Fragrance Orchid Butterfly with a single punch.

A yellow Hundred-Year Soul Ring dropped from the Sleeping Fragrance Orchid Butterfly's body.

Looking at the yellow Soul Ring hovering above the Sleeping Fragrance Orchid Butterfly, Ye Shuyuan said to Ye Qingzhou, "Go ahead and absorb it. Your grandpa will stand guard for you."

"Okay, Grandpa."

Ye Qingzhou went over to the yellow Hundred-Year Soul Ring, sat cross-legged before it, and began absorbing it.

Ye Shuyuan kept watch on their surroundings, constantly radiating the aura of a Titled Douluo.

With the aura of a Titled Douluo bearing down on them, not a single Soul Beast dared approach.

Luckily, they were in the Sunset Forest. It would have been a little dangerous if they were in the Star Dou Great Forest.

Ye Shuyuan's gaze remained fixed on the weaker Soul Beasts.

Sensing the aura Ye Shuyuan was giving off, a few reckless Soul Beasts came near and hid in the grass, watching his every move and Ye Qingzhou's.

They only dared watch from nearby; they had no intention of coming any closer.

Stare~

Half an hour later.

Ye Qingzhou successfully finished absorbing his First Soul Ring.

He held a Magnolia in his hand, while his first yellow Soul Ring revolved around him beneath his feet.

After absorbing his First Soul Ring, his Soul Power Level had not increased. He was still stuck at level twenty.

It seemed he would have to absorb his second Soul Ring before he could advance any further.

Seeing that Ye Qingzhou had successfully absorbed his Soul Ring, Ye Shuyuan asked with concern:

"Qingzhou, has anything felt wrong with your body? Any unpleasant reactions?"

Ye Qingzhou put away his Martial Soul, and the Soul Ring faded. He shook his head and looked at Ye Shuyuan.

"No, Grandpa."

His body had always been in good shape, and he had suffered no backlash from absorbing the Soul Ring.

Hearing this, Ye Shuyuan let out a sigh of relief.

As expected, children who had bathed in a god's power were different. Even their physical constitutions far surpassed those of their peers.

"As for the effects of your First Soul Ring..." Ye Shuyuan had only gotten halfway through when Ye Qingzhou cut in.

"My First Soul Ring is called Dark Fragrance Bind. The Soul Skill releases a faint fragrance through the Magnolia. Anyone within range of the scent will be paralyzed, unable to move for a short time, and become disoriented."

"It lasts ten seconds. If I get the chance, I can test whether I can increase the control time as my level rises."

Ye Qingzhou already had a rough plan in mind: later, during the divine trials, he might be able to make it happen with the trials' help.

Ye Shuyuan murmured to himself, "Paralysis and disorientation... those are both effects of the Sleeping Fragrance Orchid Butterfly's Soul Skill."

Those were secondary. The most important thing was the duration: ten seconds.

In a battle between Soul Masters, ten seconds could be enough to decide victory or defeat.

If he could really develop it so that the control time increased alongside his Soul Power, then...

Thinking of Ye Qingzhou's First Soul Skill, with its incredibly long control duration once he became a Titled Douluo, Ye Shuyuan drew in a sharp breath.

Terrifying. Truly terrifying.

"Good. That's a wonderful Soul Skill." Ye Shuyuan looked at his grandson. "Now let's go get your second Soul Ring."

The second Soul Ring he had chosen for Ye Qingzhou came from a Plant-type Soul Beast, one perfectly suited to the Magnolia.

He already had control. What came next was an attack Soul Skill.

Granted, it might have been a little early to obtain an attack Soul Skill. At first, he should have focused on enhancement, control, or unusual Soul Skills.

That would not waste a Soul Skill slot.

But having an attack Soul Skill would do Ye Qingzhou no harm at this stage. On the contrary, it would give him a way to fight back against Soul Masters of the same level.

Ye Qingzhou and Ye Shuyuan continued deeper into the Sunset Forest.

Their target this time was the Thousand-Blade Jade Butterfly, a variant of the Butterfly Flower.

It was extremely rare in the Sunset Forest.

According to the information Ye Shuyuan had received, there happened to be a few thousand-year Thousand-Blade Jade Butterflies in the forest.

As they traveled, Ye Shuyuan searched for the Thousand-Blade Jade Butterfly and told Ye Qingzhou about its origins.

"The Thousand-Blade Jade Butterfly is a variant of the Butterfly Flower. Though it's a variant, it's fundamentally different from the Butterfly Flower. Its color is usually white."

"Its flower is wrapped in petals like sharp blades. It can inflict tremendous damage and has extremely strong penetrating power."

Ye Qingzhou hadn't expected to encounter so many Plant-type Soul Beasts right off the bat.

All he could say was that the Soul Beasts of Douluo Continent were incredibly diverse. There were Soul Beasts of every kind.

Even some that had never appeared in the original story.

And thanks to Ye Shuyuan's explanations, Ye Qingzhou learned about even more Plant-type Soul Beasts.

Soon, they found a Thousand-Blade Jade Butterfly wrapped in thorns on a sheer cliff face.

Just as Ye Shuyuan had described, Ye Qingzhou could clearly make out its blade-like petals from a distance.

Ye Shuyuan looked up at the Thousand-Blade Jade Butterfly on the cliff, then asked Ye Qingzhou, "Good grandson, are you confident you can absorb a thousand-year Thousand-Blade Jade Butterfly?"

Ye Qingzhou nodded with complete confidence.

"You can count on me, Grandpa."

His physical constitution now rivaled that of a nine-year-old—no, an eleven- or twelve-year-old boy.

Not to mention that he had bathed in a god's power.

His physical constitution was rock-solid—the kind that would make girls his age fall in love at first sight.

Absorbing a thousand-year second Soul Ring would be a piece of cake.

"Good!" Ye Shuyuan had been observing Ye Qingzhou's physical condition all along the way.

Based on what he had seen, absorbing a thousand-year second Soul Ring shouldn't be a problem.

He leaped up and, before Ye Qingzhou's eyes, landed on the cliff face.

With another leap, Ye Shuyuan reached the top of the cliff.

Sensing a hostile force drawing near, the Thousand-Blade Jade Butterfly, which had been absorbing solar energy on the cliff face, began to flee.

It shifted its vines, dragging its whole body as it crawled down the cliff.

Ye Shuyuan's gaze turned cold, and he said indifferently, "Trying to run? Not a chance."

With a single grab, his hand wrapped in a dense surge of Soul Power, he yanked the fleeing Thousand-Blade Jade Butterfly out by its roots.

Plant-type Soul Beasts were inherently fragile.

They were no match for ordinary Soul Beasts. When faced with a mighty foe like a Titled Douluo, they could only accept their fate and become a Soul Ring.

Ye Shuyuan threw the Thousand-Blade Jade Butterfly from the cliff down to the ground.

Even that gentle toss had inflicted considerable damage on it.

Ye Shuyuan then made his way back down from the cliff, landing with one foot on the Thousand-Blade Jade Butterfly's vines.

The Thousand-Blade Jade Butterfly seemed to have lost its breath. It gave a token struggle, then lay completely still.

Seeing it lie motionless, Ye Qingzhou pointed at it and asked Ye Shuyuan in a trembling voice, "Grandpa, you didn't crush it to death, did you?"

Ye Shuyuan lifted his foot from the Thousand-Blade Jade Butterfly's vines and nudged it. The Thousand-Blade Jade Butterfly still had a little life left in it; its body swayed weakly.

"It's still alive."

"Uh..." Seeing this, Ye Qingzhou couldn't help feeling a little sorry for the Thousand-Blade Jade Butterfly.