Memories and Soul Skills

Star Dou Forest, core region, beneath the Lake of Life.

Within an immense emerald-green space, a lotus throne floated in midair. A woman sat upon it, her skin white as snow and her beauty peerless. Seven-colored light shimmered around her, while emerald crystals surrounding the space constantly cast their glow upon her.

"Master, are you really not going to bring him here? Leaving him out on his own means he could meet with disaster, and that would be a huge loss for us."

The Black-Robed Man who had helped Su Zhen stood below the lotus throne, trying to persuade her.

"Di Tian, are you questioning my decision?"

The woman spoke, her voice ethereal and cold, carrying an air of disdainful authority.

"This subordinate wouldn't dare."

The Black-Robed Man hurriedly dropped to one knee and bowed his head.

"I know you have doubts about my decision, but I had no choice. He is human, and has only awakened that kind of Martial Soul. If he came to Star Dou Forest, those little fellows would go mad. You must understand that Soul Beasts and Martial Souls are different things. Besides, someone up above has already taken notice of him."

The woman patiently explained, her tone brimming with helplessness. A few days ago, an aura had jolted her awake from her slumber. Within that aura, she had seen the future of the Soul Beast Clan—but she had also caught the gaze of an existence from above. She had immediately sent Di Tian to help Su Zhen.

"Someone up above?"

Di Tian snapped back from his memories, his hands clenched inside his sleeves until his knuckles creaked.

Di Tian watched Su Zhen absorb the Soul Ring, his expression full of regret.

The hope of the Soul Beast Clan? If only you were a Soul Beast.

Su Zhen felt as if his body were about to burst. The moment the Soul Ring's energy entered him, it surged wildly through his limbs and bones. He struggled to circulate his meditation method and guide the energy through his meridians, but then the Thunderstorm Winged Lion King's remnant soul lunged at his spiritual sea, trying to erase his consciousness. Its vast spiritual power was more than Su Zhen could bear, and there was nothing he could do.

Just then, a majestic beast's roar rang out from the depths of his spiritual sea. The Thunder Prison Qilin's phantom appeared and clamped its jaws around the Thunderstorm Winged Lion King's neck. With a slight exertion, it annihilated the remnant soul, which scattered into purple points of light and was absorbed by the Thunder Prison Qilin. Nourished by those motes, the Qilin phantom seemed to grow more solid.

Su Zhen didn't see any of this. At that moment, he was doing everything he could to guide the Soul Ring's energy as it washed through his meridians. Thanks to his earlier body-tempering and his extensive use of Whale Rubber, his meridians could now withstand this surging energy. All he had to do was proceed step by step, gradually refining the Thunderstorm Winged Lion King's tremendous Soul Power.

Outside, Golden Crocodile felt Su Zhen's aura settle and finally relaxed. Today, he would witness the birth of the first Soul Ring absorption limit in the Soul Master World—an unprecedented feat that would be exceedingly difficult for even future generations to surpass. And this peerless prodigy belonged to their Spirit Hall.

Two and a half hours later, all the Soul Power around Su Zhen's body had been drawn back inside him. That meant he had finished absorbing the Soul Ring.

Su Zhen slowly opened his eyes. A streak of golden lightning flashed through them and vanished.

"Xiao Zhen, how do you feel? Is anything bothering you?"

As soon as Su Zhen rose, Golden Crocodile hurried over to question him, his words full of concern.

"Second Grandpa, I'm fine—better than I've ever been. My Soul Power Level has reached thirteen, and I'm not far from fourteen. Sorry for making you worry, Second Grandpa."

A warm current flowed through Su Zhen as he watched Golden Crocodile's anxious face. These lovable old men were among the few family he had.

"As long as you're all right. As long as you're all right. Xiao Zhen, you really have created a miracle in the Soul Master World! Once we're back, I'll have the Great Enshrined enter your name into Spirit Hall's annals."

Golden Crocodile roared with laughter. Su Zhen's arrival had given these old fellows, tucked away in the Worship Hall, a new direction to look toward.

After calming the excited Golden Crocodile, Su Zhen turned and bowed to Di Tian.

"Thank you, senior. Without you, I couldn't have obtained such a perfect Soul Ring. If there's ever anything you need from me, please just say the word. If it's within my power, I'll do everything I can."

"Enough. You don't need to thank me. I'll have plenty of use for you in the future. If there's nothing else, I'm leaving. Don't release your Martial Soul in Star Dou Forest again unless you have to. Even with my Dragon Scale protecting you, a trace of your Martial Soul's aura could still leak out."

"Understood, senior. I'll remember. Before you leave, could you tell me your name?"

"Di Tian."

As soon as he spoke, Di Tian vanished, as completely without a trace as when he had arrived.

It really was him!

Su Zhen had long suspected his identity, but only after hearing him say his name aloud could he confirm it. Di Tian, known as the Beast God, the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King, a pure-blooded descendant of the Dragon God, and wielder of the Dragon God Claw personally passed down by the Dragon God—he was a peerless powerhouse on par with a Second-Level God, the true number-one beast on Douluo Continent.

Seeing Di Tian leave, Golden Crocodile secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The man was incredibly powerful; Golden Crocodile had no confidence he could defeat him, especially with Su Zhen at his side.

"Xiao Zhen, now that the Soul Ring hunt is over, let's head back. Big Brother and the others must be eager to see your Soul Skill."

With that, Golden Crocodile wrapped Su Zhen in Soul Power and flew out of Star Dou Forest.

Golden Crocodile flew fast, reaching Spirit City in just twenty minutes. Then he and Su Zhen went up to the Worship Hall together.

Inside the Worship Hall, the seven Enshrined surrounded Su Zhen. Everyone but Golden Crocodile looked him over curiously. Su Zhen was currently in a state of Martial Soul Possession, with a purple Soul Ring slowly appearing beneath his feet.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. A thousand-year first Soul Ring. Second Brother, you really dared to let Xiao Zhen take that risk."

Jiang Mo propped his chin on his hand and teased his second brother.

"The circumstances were unusual. That thousand-year Soul Beast was the only one he could absorb."

"Now that he's succeeded, there's no point dwelling on that. Xiao Zhen, what's your first Soul Skill?"

Qian Daoliu interrupted them and looked at Su Zhen as he asked.

"Grandpas, my first Soul Skill is an enhancement skill called Thunderstorm Shocking God Transformation. When activated, it boosts all attributes by one hundred and fifty percent, grants fifty percent immunity to thunder attributes, and increases the power of thunder-attribute Soul Skills by one hundred percent."

When Su Zhen finished speaking, he saw the Enshrined staring at him in astonishment.

"That skill is downright heaven-defying. Its effects are even more outrageous than some Soul Elders' third Soul Skills. You got an incredible Soul Ring!"

"Exactly. Compared with Xiao Zhen's, my third Soul Skill is trash."

"Second Brother's decision really was right."

The Enshrined gathered together again to discuss the Soul Skill, leaving Su Zhen standing off to the side.

Only after a good while did they finally quiet down.

"Xiao Zhen, don't tell anyone about your Soul Skill from now on. We'll seal away all information about you. Until you can protect yourself, you're not allowed to go anywhere alone. Whenever you leave, one of the Enshrined must stay by your side and protect you."

Qian Daoliu announced the arrangements they had made for Su Zhen.

"Mm, I'll follow whatever my teacher and grandpas arrange."

"As for your contribution involving the Whale Rubber, we've unanimously decided to let you choose a seventy-thousand-year thunder-attribute Soul Bone from Spirit Hall's treasury. You can pick whichever part you want."

Su Zhen was very satisfied with this reward. A Soul Bone reward like this was the highest-grade prize in Spirit Hall's system of rewards and punishments.

"Go back and rest first. Starting tomorrow, we'll put you through hellish training."

Su Zhen left, brimming with joy, while the Enshrined stayed in the hall to discuss how to train him.

Elsewhere, in the Crown Prince's Residence in Heaven Dou City, a pretty maid with long golden hair stored a letter in her Soul Tool.

"A thousand-year first Soul Ring? This child is interesting. Looks like I'll have to speed up the plan. I need to make time to cultivate, or my little brother will surpass me."

The maid murmured to herself in a corner.

"Xue'er, His Highness the Crown Prince wants you to pick out an outfit for tonight's banquet."

"Coming!"

The maid stepped out of the corner and headed toward the Crown Prince's bedroom.

The cocoon hanging from a tree branch outside slowly split open from within. A pair of purple-patterned wings pushed through, followed by its body inch by inch. The butterfly emerged, stretched its body, then spread its wings and flew toward the distant sky.