"Thorn Dragon!"
"This is an incredibly rare Spirit Beast! A Ten-Thousand-Year Thorn Dragon—we've struck it rich!"
Lin Qingfeng was overjoyed. Ever since he'd learned that Lin Fan could make Martial Souls and Soul Rings to sell for money, whenever he saw some rare Spirit Beast, it was like seeing glittering gold and jewels.
"Indeed."
Lin Fan nodded. "If we can kill this Thorn Dragon, it'll be just right for my granddaughter's fourth Soul Ring!"
"Fourth Soul Ring? A Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast?!"
As soon as he said that, everyone stared at Lin Fan in astonishment.
After all, according to what people knew, a fourth Soul Ring should still be at the Thousand-Year level.
"Lin Fan..."
Dugu Yan said gloomily, "Are you trying to get back at me?"
"Normally, a fourth Soul Ring can only absorb a Soul Ring of around five thousand years. But after my granddaughter's Martial Soul evolved into a dragon species, her physique will grow stronger too. The Thorn Dragon is also a dragon species, so the limit of the Soul Ring she can absorb will be higher."
Lin Fan looked at Dugu Yan and said calmly, "A Thorn Dragon that's only just reached ten thousand years will be perfect for you to absorb. Besides, my elder brother is here. How could I let you fail?"
At that, Dugu Yan couldn't help feeling tempted.
A Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring was definitely stronger than a Thousand-Year Soul Ring!
She hadn't dared before, but Lin Fan's reasoning made sense. Now that she knew she could absorb a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring, she naturally didn't want to settle for a Thousand-Year one.
"That's right. With me here, there's nothing to worry about."
Dugu Bo's voice rang out. Dugu Yan and the others immediately felt even more confident. Lin Qingfeng summoned the Heavenly Frost Sword, and a wave of icy air surged out, sweeping toward the Thorn Dragon.
Lin Qingfeng already considered Dugu Yan his future daughter-in-law. As soon as he saw a Soul Ring suitable for her, he drew his sword and charged.
How could a Spirit Beast that had only recently reached ten thousand years stand a chance against a Soul Master on the verge of becoming a Soul Douluo? On top of that, the Heavenly Frost Sword's chilling aura was astonishing. In just a few breaths, the creature's entire body had frozen into an ice sculpture.
Not only that, the cold seeped through its body and relentlessly invaded the Thorn Dragon from within, giving it no chance to fight back.
Dugu Yan didn't stand around either. She seized the opportunity and swiftly summoned her Martial Soul, the Jade Jade Dragon. Its dragon claws glimmered with green light as they plunged straight into the Thorn Dragon's body. The poison took away the last of its life.
Poor Thorn Dragon. In front of a Soul Douluo, it was toyed with like a puppet in the palm of someone's hand!
Buzz—
The Soul Ring drifted out of the Thorn Dragon's body. Dugu Yan took a deep breath, braced herself, and immediately began absorbing it.
Since this wasn't a Soul Ring she'd bought from Lin Fan, absorbing it was not only difficult but also especially painful.
After glancing around, Lin Fan said, "Dad, Aunt, you two stay here and keep watch. We're not that far in, anyway. I'll have my elder brother accompany me farther into the forest."
"There must be Thorn Dragons with higher cultivation deeper in. I'll catch a few more."
"This..."
Lin Qingfeng looked up at the sky.
"Go ahead."
Only after Dugu Bo's voice rang out did Lin Qingfeng nod. "All right, off you go. I'll take care of Yan'er."
Lin Fan ventured deeper alone. Before long, Dugu Bo landed beside him and asked, "Aren't you going to absorb a Second Soul Ring?"
"I haven't come across one that suits me."
Lin Fan wanted to give the Poké Ball a Second Soul Ring too, but unfortunately, they hadn't encountered any Spirit Beast he liked along the way.
When hunting Soul Rings, he didn't care about their age. He only wanted a rare Spirit Beast with some special effect.
"Sorry for the trouble, Brother. Please catch some Spirit Beasts for me."
"No problem!"
To Dugu Bo, a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast was easy to deal with with a flick of his hand. Lin Fan had not only saved his granddaughter but would also be the one to remove the poison in his body. How could he possibly neglect him?
For a while, no Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast could withstand Dugu Bo wherever Lin Fan went. One after another, they were poisoned and fell to the ground.
All Lin Fan had to do was keep throwing Poké Balls!
Buzz—
Bang, bang, bang!
At the crisp sounds, one Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast after another was caught: Ghost Tigers, Heavy Armored Insect Kings, Demon Underworld Deer, Ghost Vines, and even Man Faced Demon Spiders.
As a result, the Thousand-Year Soul Beast populations they'd encountered earlier gradually dwindled, until the last of them were turned into Martial Souls or Soul Rings and sold.
What delighted Lin Fan most was catching a twenty-thousand-year-old Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear and a fifteen-thousand-year-old Emerald Swan!
The Emerald Swan belonged to Bi Ji's species and possessed the most powerful healing abilities. With one in his hands, whenever Lin Fan controlled Spirit Beasts in battle in the future, it would be like having an extra support, multiplying the combat strength of all his Spirit Beasts.
[ Ding! ] [ Congratulations, Host, on successfully capturing ten Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts. The Poké Ball has evolved once more, becoming a Super Ball! After evolving, the Host can make one Super Ball every month! The Super Ball has a 100% chance of a successful capture and can even be used on Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, regardless of their condition! ]
"!!!"
The Poké Ball had evolved, and the effects filled Lin Fan with delight.
He could make Super Balls now!
And the Super Ball didn't disappoint. Not only did it have a 100% success rate, it could also be used on Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts!
In that case, couldn't he go capture the Sky Azure Bull Python or Tai Tan?
No!
Lin Fan quickly calmed down. Even if he could capture them, just like in Pokémon or Roco Kingdom, successfully capturing one didn't mean he could control it in battle. His own level would still have to reach a certain point.
Otherwise, even if a captured Spirit Beast couldn't hurt him, it wouldn't listen to him either.
In other words, a Super Ball would only be useful on a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast wandering alone!
Even if it didn't obey him after being caught, he could still summon it to intimidate others.
And if Lin Fan died, those Spirit Beasts would die too.
After all, this wasn't a game. When danger truly came, a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast would still fight for Lin Fan!
I have to find a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast that's wandering alone...
Lin Fan pondered which unlucky one he should choose.
"Hmm?!"
"Bad news! Powerful Spirit Beasts are fighting up ahead!"
As Lin Fan was thinking, Dugu Bo's expression suddenly changed. He said gravely, "We need to leave now. Those two Spirit Beasts are probably both Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts. I can only protect myself; I can't keep you safe!"
Hearing they were Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, Lin Fan's face lit up with delight. The only problem was that there were two of them.
But if he waited to reap the spoils after the fight, could he successfully capture one?
Still, they should retreat for now. Even if he managed to form a Super Ball, he could only catch one Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, and Dugu Bo alone would have a hard time handling the other. They'd have to wait until the two had fought each other to the point of mutual destruction.
"Go!"
Lin Fan and Dugu Bo quickly retreated. But just then, a streak of white light suddenly flashed beneath the ground, carrying a hint of icy cold. It shot straight into Lin Fan's body.
"Heh heh, I finally ran into a human with a Mental Attribute! It's enough to make a person—no, a beast—thrill with excitement!"
(PS: Don't worry, there'll be Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, and even million-year ones! The characters from the original Douluo 1 who weren't in Douluo 2 only didn't appear because the author hadn't planned on writing part 2 at the time. Otherwise, think about it: in the same forest, with so many powerful beings, the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts would definitely have crossed paths, so some characters will appear too! Of course, the Sun-Moon Empire won't appear, since it hasn't collided with them yet and is too far away.)
Before you continue