The Qilin Is Hard to Find, A Twist in the Road

He wanted to tell Ling Yun that while a genius may have pride, they must not have arrogance, or trouble would surely follow.

"I know, I have a sense of proportion."

Ling Yun did not suffer from the typical ailments of local geniuses; if he could win, he fought; if he couldn't, he ran; if he couldn't outrun them, he joined them.

Only by being thick-skinned and having flexible boundaries could one live a long life.

As long as one is alive, there is hope.

After a few breaths, the buzzing in Ling Yun's head finally subsided, and he muttered to himself, "That hit was so heavy..."

Dugu Bo watched him, shaking his head. This perfunctory reply and this attitude made it truly difficult for anyone to feel at ease!

He sighed inwardly, realizing he would just have to keep a close eye on the boy himself!

Half a cup of tea later, Ling Yun remembered the task at hand: he had broken through and needed a soul ring to advance. He didn't know much about soul beasts, limited only to those that appeared in the original work.

But since there was a local expert right beside him—a Titled Douluo, no less—he had to ask.

"You are familiar with the Sunset Forest; are there any soul beasts that possess both Yin and Yang attributes? Or perhaps ones with opposing attributes?"

"My martial soul, the Yin-Yang Mirror, is based on Yin and Yang and encompasses all things. I can control the ratio of Yin and Yang at will, so I don't have to worry about an imbalance."

"However, my speed of comprehension in this area is still too slow. Using a soul ring to accelerate the process is clearly one path."

"..."

After Ling Yun finished speaking, Dugu Bo fell into deep thought.

His martial soul was the Jade Phosphorous Serpent, and the soul beasts he usually paid attention to were primarily various poisonous creatures. Ling Yun's sudden question had truly stumped him.

"There are no Yin-Yang attributed ones, but there is a Five-Elements soul beast that left a deep impression on me. However, its age is more than enough to serve as your third soul ring."

"Oh? What kind of soul beast is it?"

"A Five-Elements Qilin!"

"What the hell? Say that again!" Ling Yun stared at Dugu Bo in disbelief.

"A Five-Elements Qilin, a two-thousand-year-old Five-Elements Qilin," Dugu Bo repeated loudly.

"Hahaha... Heaven helps me!"

Ling Yun was so excited he danced about. A Five-Elements Qilin! To encounter one was like his ancestors' graves emitting auspicious smoke.

He remembered that during the Legend of the Dragon King era, twenty thousand years later, there was a Limit Douluo whose martial soul was a Five-Elements Qilin, and they possessed all hundred-thousand-year soul rings.

He never expected that such a rare soul beast would be encountered by Dugu Bo; he couldn't help but be thrilled.

"Where is the Qilin? I want it! Grandpa Dugu, help me, you must help me find it."

Ling Yun's eyes were fixed on Dugu Bo, the longing in them undisguised.

It was the gaze of a starving wolf.

Dugu Bo felt uncomfortable under the stare, but he quickly suppressed the feeling. "Calm yourself!"

"Not to mention that its age exceeds the limit for a second soul ring and you cannot absorb it for the time being, the last time I saw it was two years ago."

"Who knows where it is now!"

"It might have been hunted by someone else long ago! Let me think of something else that might suit you."

Ling Yun felt as if he had missed out on a fortune. "Two years ago? That's such a long time, it's hard to say."

"A Qilin is an auspicious beast of heaven and earth, and a Five-Elements Qilin is the most auspicious of them all. Wherever it exists, all the soul beasts in the entire forest benefit."

"No, I cannot give up. An auspicious beast is protected by destiny; I don't believe it has been hunted by others. It must still be alive. I must find it."

Dugu Bo emphasized again, "The matter of finding the Five-Elements Qilin can be pursued slowly after you obtain your second ring."

"A soul beast like the Five-Elements Qilin only exists as one of its kind at any given time. Even if you find it, its age is not something you can absorb right now; you can consider it as an option for your third soul ring."

"My first soul ring was already beyond the limit, nearly six hundred years."

"Now that I have undergone the Ice and Fire tempering, a thousand-year second ring is nothing. I have absolute confidence!"

Dugu Bo's worldview was shattered once again. Soul ring absorption was something every soul master had to learn.

Facts had proven that most soul masters who attempted to challenge the limits of soul rings ended up exploding and dying.

Ling Yun's first ring was already equivalent to what others used for their second.

Now, he wanted to challenge a thousand-year second ring? Was this still the soul master world he knew?

"Don't try to fool me, how is that possible!"

"Have you been blinded by the Five-Elements Qilin and made up this story? Soul ring absorption is not something to be taken lightly."

"Take my advice, prioritize stability when absorbing a soul ring."

Dugu Bo's expression became exceptionally serious as he looked at Ling Yun, his concern evident.

Ling Yun explained his theory of soul ring absorption, and after listening, Dugu Bo tested his physical fitness.

"Good lad! You really are something. In terms of physical strength alone, you are no weaker than a Soul Elder with a power-attack martial soul."

Ling Yun's mind was still filled with the Five-Elements Qilin, and he continued, "Now can you take me to find the Qilin?"

Dugu Bo nodded, took him away from the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, and flew toward the north. After flying for about thirty miles, they stopped atop a cliff.

The cliff was covered in Five-Needle Pine trees; looking down from the summit, clouds and mist swirled about like cotton candy drifting through the sky.

Under the sunlight, it radiated a five-colored glow, looking exceptionally beautiful.

A waterfall cascaded down one side of the cliff like a piece of pure white jade, a sight that brought joy to anyone who beheld it.

"This is the place where I originally discovered the Five-Elements Qilin."

"Leaning against the mountains and facing the water, with high cliffs and so many Five-Needle Pines, this is indeed an environment the Five-Elements Qilin would favor."

"Start searching!"

Ling Yun's focus was highly concentrated; he would not let any spot where a Qilin might be hiding escape his notice.

The two began a carpet-style search, scouring this area for traces of the Five-Elements Qilin. No matter how high the cliff, how dense the trees, or how complex the caves, both of them left their footprints behind.

Five days flashed by in the blink of an eye. They had seen plenty of soul beasts and even discovered many Qilin-subspecies soul beasts, but they hadn't encountered a true Qilin, not even one with a single attribute, let alone a Five-Elements Qilin!

"How could it not be here?"

"Could it be that my luck isn't strong enough?"

Every area where a Qilin might possibly be active had been searched thoroughly by the two, and Ling Yun had no choice but to give up.

He shifted his target, finding a thousand-year-old Five-Needle Pine with well-balanced five-element attributes; that would have to do.

"Oh great tree, I hope you can satisfy my requirements."

Ling Yun summoned his martial soul and activated his first soul skill, sending a sky full of light needles aimed at the Five-Needle Pine.

The moment the light needles flew out, the pine needles of the Five-Needle Pine pointed straight at him in unison. Purple soul power flowed across the surface of the needles, and the next instant, the pine needles met the light needles with precision, covering the sky and earth with incomparable power.

Faced with the pine needles, the light needles were at an absolute disadvantage.

The sheer numerical superiority was far beyond what Ling Yun's soul skill could match.

Dugu Bo was happy to watch Ling Yun get humbled; with him there, there was no danger to his life, and such opportunities for training were rare.

Ling Yun erected a soul power barrier and retreated violently, exiting the attack range of the Five-Needle Pine in no time.

This was the disadvantage of plant-type soul beasts: they had no way to move.

However, he had no way to deal with the Five-Needle Pine for the time being, and looking at Dugu Bo's expression, it was clear he couldn't count on him for help.

He carefully pondered a countermeasure, and the next moment, he saw a pile of dirt beneath the Five-Needle Pine shift, and a head poked out.