Third Soul Ring

Half a month later, Jiang Liang returned to the Extreme North.

Only this time, unlike his previous trip alone,

Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan, an elder of Spirit Hall, accompanied him.

On the way there, Jiang Liang had explained his requirements for a Soul Ring to Yue Guan.

But Yue Guan found his ideas utterly incomprehensible.

The optimal Soul Ring configuration should have been to strengthen a Martial Soul's core advantages all the way through.

So in his view, the Cold Moon Sword Martial Soul should either follow the path of ice-attribute control,

Or take advantage of the Sword Martial Soul's powerful offensive capabilities.

Yet this brat Jiang Liang had gone against the grain and chosen some agility-attack path?

Not only that, the Soul Ring he wanted had to be a purely enhancement-type Soul Ring!

He claimed it was only to complement his swordsmanship?

Who on earth had taught him that?

Yue Guan thought of the mysterious master Jiang Liang often mentioned and became so angry that he nearly stamped his feet.

"What kind of master did you take?"

"How could swordsmanship possibly compare to Soul Skills?"

"Your master is clearly just like Yu Xiaogang, one of those frauds who steal fame through deception!"

Those words also infuriated Sword Mother.

If Jiang Liang had not stopped her, Yue Guan would already have been torn into pieces.

In the end, after Jiang Liang insisted repeatedly, Yue Guan had no choice but to find a suitable Soul Beast for him.

As time passed,

On the fifth day, Yue Guan finally caught a large ice-blue bird for him.

"This Soul Beast is called an Ice Sword Falcon. It is the fastest avian Soul Beast in the Extreme North."

"It is naturally skilled at diving attacks. Its beak is as sharp as an unsheathed sword, while its claws and feathers condense into icy blades. It was born with both extreme speed and sharpness."

"Its age is not as high as you imagined, but it is still twenty-three thousand years old."

"If you want its Soul Ring, then make your move."

"If not, I'll help you find another one."

"This one!"

Without hesitation, Jiang Liang summoned his Cold Moon Sword and thrust it forward with all his strength, piercing the Soul Beast's vulnerable spot.

With a wet squelch, the Ice Sword Falcon fell into the snow, filled with resentment and unwillingness.

At the same time, a black Soul Ring appeared above its corpse.

Seeing this, Yue Guan gently pushed Jiang Liang.

"Go on. Let me see how you absorb a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring."

Jiang Liang nodded slightly, immediately sat cross-legged, and activated the Sword Qi in his Qi Sea to draw the Soul Ring toward himself.

The instant the Soul Ring merged with his Martial Soul, a violent surge of Soul Power flooded into his body like a burst dam.

Coldness. Piercing pain.

It felt as though he had fallen into an icy hell.

Jiang Liang endured the pain coursing through his body and continuously stimulated the Sword Qi in his Qi Sea to suppress the Soul Ring's energy.

Beside him, Yue Guan frowned tightly and stared intently at the changes in him.

Very strange.

He could sense the energy Jiang Liang was circulating, and it was definitely not ordinary Soul Power.

That Soul Power was actually purer than the Soul Power of a Title Douluo like himself.

It also carried a piercing Sword Intent.

This brat really did have a problem!

And what surprised him even more came afterward.

The most dangerous part of a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring was not the impact of its Soul Power, but the tremor of the soul.

The lingering obsession of a dying Soul Beast would attack a Soul Master's soul with terrifying resentment.

If one's Spiritual Power was insufficient, the consequences would be extremely severe.

Yue Guan had once examined Jiang Liang's Spiritual Power and discovered that although it was strong, it was only at the level of an early Soul Ancestor.

Could Spiritual Power at that level withstand the soul tremor of a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring?

That was what had made him curious.

But now, reality gave him the answer.

Jiang Liang had truly endured it!

No.

More accurately, he had not endured it at all. The soul tremor appeared for only an instant before silently vanishing!

Yue Guan's pupils contracted sharply, and a monstrous wave surged through his heart.

How was that possible!

As a Title Douluo, he knew better than anyone how terrifying the soul tremor of a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring was.

Even when he had absorbed his first Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring in his youth, he had needed to focus completely and resist with all his strength, not daring to be careless in the slightest.

But what about Jiang Liang?

He clearly had not activated his Spiritual Power to resist it, yet the soul tremor of the Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring had vanished for no apparent reason.

It was as though...

Before him, even the resentment and soul assault of a Soul Beast were unworthy of being called a threat!

The way Yue Guan looked at Jiang Liang finally contained more than mere curiosity. There was now an undisguisable trace of shock and wariness.

The secrets this boy carried were far more terrifying than he had imagined.

Yue Guan had guessed correctly.

Jiang Liang only needed to tame the energy of the Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring.

As for the so-called soul tremor and lingering obsession assault, Sword Mother had been helping him deal with those.

It had been the same before, and it was the same this time.

The instant the lingering obsession of the Ice Sword Falcon appeared in his Sea of Consciousness, Sword Mother directly suppressed it.

Then, following the experience he had gained from absorbing two Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Rings before, he used Sword Qi to tame that violent energy bit by bit.

Finally, he transformed it into Sword Qi, circulated it through his meridians, and gathered it into his Qi Sea.

In the blink of an eye, another four days passed.

Jiang Liang slowly opened his eyes. Feeling the surging power within him, he broke into a wide smile.

"Fairy Sister, I successfully broke through to level thirty-five. Does that mean I can learn Sword Flight now?"

Sword Mother laughed softly. "You can try after we return, but with your current cultivation, even if you use Sword Flight, you may not be able to fly very far."

"It's fine. As long as I can fly!" Jiang Liang chuckled.

Ever since learning the Sword Control Technique, he had been looking forward to this for a long time.

When Yue Guan saw that he had awakened, he had originally wanted to ask about his level and Soul Skill.

But when he saw the boy grinning foolishly to himself, he could not help wondering whether something had gone wrong with the brat's head.

His heart jolted, and he hurriedly shook Jiang Liang by the shoulders. "Brat, don't scare me like that!"

This was someone the Pope had ordered him to look after closely.

If something happened to him, even ten lives would not be enough to compensate for it!

Jiang Liang came back to his senses and said helplessly, "Mister, can you stop making such a fuss?"

Only when Yue Guan met his clear gaze did he let out a long breath.

"You scared me to death. I saw you smiling like an idiot and thought something had happened to your brain."

"By the way, what is your third Soul Skill? Show it to me."

"Mister wants to see my third Soul Skill? Then stand firm. Don't let it scare you."

Jiang Liang laughed, rose from the snow, and flicked the Cold Moon Sword.

"Third Soul Skill, Swift Blade Piercing Clouds!"

Whoosh—!

The next second, he suddenly vanished from before Yue Guan.

Yue Guan's pupils shrank sharply.

What incredible speed!

In that instant, even he could not see which direction the brat had charged toward!

That speed was actually faster than Old Ghost's!

Both were agility-attack types. With Old Ghost, one could see only a ghostly shadow, not the Soul Ring.

But with this brat, forget a ghostly shadow—there was not even a shadow to be seen!

"Mister, protect yourself with Soul Power, or don't blame me if you get hurt!"

Jiang Liang's voice suddenly rang out, startling Yue Guan into instinctively circulating his Soul Power.

Then came a crisp clang.

Jiang Liang abruptly appeared behind Yue Guan, and the Cold Moon Sword stabbed straight into his Soul Power shield!

Almost the instant they made contact, a bone-piercing chill spread wildly along the Sword Force, and fine ice crystals instantly formed across the shield's surface.

Bang—!

Before Yue Guan could react, that seemingly thin layer of ice shattered apart!

The incomparably sharp blade broke through his Soul Power shield like bamboo, its icy Sword Qi driving straight toward him!

Yue Guan's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly activated his Martial Soul, the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum.

The purple chrysanthemum trembled gently, and its falling petals erupted with dazzling light. Only then did it block the edge of the Cold Moon Sword.