Blazing Bird, First Soul Ring

After a long while, under the transformation of the Datura Snake soul ring, Tang San's Blue Silver Grass martial soul evolved from a fragile little blue blade of grass into something far tougher and thicker, now imbued with a faint paralyzing toxin.

With the First Soul Ring successfully absorbed, his Mysterious Heaven Skill also took the opportunity to break through its bottleneck, entering the second stage of its realm.

Not only that, but with the advancement of the Mysterious Heaven Skill, the power of his Tang Sect arts—such as the Purple Demon Eye, Mysterious Jade Hand, and Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track—also increased accordingly.

After checking his own condition, Tang San opened his eyes in pleasant surprise. He stood up from the ground, about to share the good news with Yu Xiaogang, only to see Yu Xiaogang's right arm swollen and his lips purple, already having fallen into a dead faint. This was clearly a sign of poisoning!

"Teacher!" Tang San cried out in alarm, rushing to Yu Xiaogang's side. He looked at Dean Ding and Ye Chen and asked, "What happened to my teacher? Why is he poisoned?"

"It must be that Luo Sanpao was bitten by the Datura Snake's fangs, causing a martial soul backlash, which is why Grandmaster was poisoned."

Reminded by Ye Chen, Tang San couldn't help but feel fortunate. It was lucky that Dean Ding had used his soul power in time to suppress the spread of the poison in his teacher's body; otherwise, even with his own mastery of toxicology, he might not have been able to save him in time.

With saving a life being the priority, Tang San no longer hid his knowledge of the way of poisons and immediately set to work treating the venomous wound on Yu Xiaogang's right arm.

Dean Ding stood to the side, watching Tang San's every move with a thoughtful expression.

It was one thing that Tang San's father could craft hidden weapons capable of wounding soul beasts, but how was Tang San himself so proficient in the methods of detoxification and healing?

Could it be that his father was a blacksmith and his mother a healer?

Unlike Dean Ding's confusion, Ye Chen watched Tang San's skillful handling of the poison wound not with surprise, but with great delight.

Since Tang San had exposed the secret of his knowledge of poisons in front of him, he could take the opportunity to set a wager the next time Tang San initiated a duel.

If Tang San was unwilling to stake his Tang Sect poison techniques, he could take a step back and settle for just his knowledge of medicinal herbs.

As for how to make Tang San agree to the wager, that was a matter for another time.

Recovering from his thoughts, Ye Chen noticed that Tang San had already cleared all the toxins from Yu Xiaogang's right arm and finished dressing the wound, his movements crisp and efficient, without the slightest hesitation.

As a friend of several decades, Dean Ding naturally wouldn't leave Yu Xiaogang to fend for himself. After deliberating for a moment, he suggested, "Ye Chen, why don't we delay searching for soul beasts in the Core Zone for a few days? Right now, the most important thing is to ensure Grandmaster's safety."

"Very well, Dean, I will listen to you." Ye Chen readily agreed; after all, he and Dean Ding had only known each other for a few days, and their friendship was naturally not as deep as the one with Yu Xiaogang.

However, after a few days of delay, Dean Ding would likely feel apologetic toward him, and out of guilt, he would be even more patient in helping him find a higher-cultivation Blazing Bird.

And so, Yu Xiaogang remained unconscious for two full days, during which he suffered from constant fever, body paralysis that left him unable to move, and stinging pain in his skin.

During these two days, Tang San was responsible for looking after Yu Xiaogang, feeding him medicine on time every day, wiping his body, and observing his physical state.

Dean Ding was responsible for keeping watch, constantly staying alert to the movements in the surroundings.

Ye Chen took the herb sketches Tang San had drawn and, accompanied by his Torchic, searched the nearby area for herbs that would aid in detoxification.

It wasn't until the third day that, nourished by the detoxifying herbs, the residual paralyzing toxins in Yu Xiaogang's body were completely eradicated. The sensation of paralysis vanished entirely, and he finally woke from his coma.

Ensuring that Yu Xiaogang could walk normally and was no longer in any serious danger, Dean Ding took Ye Chen to the Core Zone of the Soul Hunting Forest to search for a Blazing Bird.

As for Tang San, having already obtained his first soul ring, Yu Xiaogang took him out of the Soul Hunting Forest and returned to Nuoding Academy.

The next day, at noon.

Soul Hunting Forest, Core Zone.

Following the markings on the map, Dean Ding led Ye Chen into the habitat of the Blazing Bird.

What appeared before them was a volcanic landscape. The surrounding temperature was significantly higher than anywhere else in the Soul Hunting Forest, and the wind that blew toward them was scorching.

Coupled with the fact that it was noon and the sun in the sky was extremely fierce, heat waves were faintly rising from the nearby rocks and the ground.

Walking to the foot of the volcano, sweat trickled down Dean Ding's face. He looked at the map in his hand, then raised his head to scan the towering, scalding boulders ahead.

Because the incident with his old friend Yu Xiaogang had delayed them for a few days, Dean Ding did not complain despite the intense heat and harsh environment, instead patiently helping Ye Chen search for traces of the Blazing Bird.

"It's fortunate that I also have a fire-attribute martial soul; otherwise, searching for soul beasts here would be absolute torture." Wiping the sweat that was blocking his eyes, Dean Ding said with a smile, "The habitat of the Blazing Bird is right around this dead volcano."

"Ye Chen, you must stay close to me. The Blazing Bird is extremely territorial. The terrain here is complex, which is very suitable for them to set ambushes."

Just as he finished speaking, Dean Ding was drawn to a figure twenty meters to his right.

Ye Chen wiped the sweat from his face and looked over as well. The figure that entered his eyes was a giant ostrich covered in burning brownish-red flames. It stood over three meters tall, its long legs strong and powerful. When it tilted its head and let out a sharp cry, the cluster of flames behind its neck, which looked like a scarf, suddenly expanded, and the color of the flames shifted from brownish-red to purplish-red.

"That is a Blazing Bird!"

Dean Ding instinctively pulled Ye Chen to hide behind a giant rock and whispered a warning, "Grandmaster said that the absorption limit for a first soul ring is 423 years. Judging by its physical characteristics and the color of its flames, this Blazing Bird's cultivation is at least 500 years. It has already exceeded the absorption limit for a first soul ring."

"Ye Chen, if you use it as your first soul ring, you will face the danger of your body exploding and dying. So, let's wait patiently and see if a Blazing Bird with a cultivation of around 400 years appears."

"No!" Ye Chen whispered, "Dean, let's capture this Blazing Bird first. My Torchic martial soul possesses a very rare fire-attribute talent; I should be able to absorb a fire-attribute soul ring beyond my level. I will explain it to you later."

"Alright, then let's strike directly." Saying this, Dean Ding didn't think too much and immediately released his Fire Ring martial soul.

To succeed in one strike, he even activated his strongest Fourth Soul Skill.

The purple light of a thousand-year soul ring shone from behind the boulder. Immediately following, five red rings wreathed in flames suddenly shot toward the Blazing Bird's position.

Under the amplification of Dean Ding's Fourth Soul Skill, the attack speed and flame power of each red ring were significantly increased.

With the addition of attack speed, the five red rings seemed to have a teleportation effect.

The Blazing Bird was enjoying its sunbath, comfortably spreading its wings outward and tilting its neck back as if stretching.

It was at this moment that the five red rings, moving like a teleportation, arrived with a violent whistling sound, respectively snaring the Blazing Bird's neck, both wings, and both legs.

"Ying?"

After the Blazing Bird realized it could not break free from the control of the red rings, it instinctively turned to flee. With a powerful push from its two sturdy legs, it vanished from the spot in a mere blink of an eye.

The next moment, it wove through countless giant boulders, leaving a trail of afterimages in its wake; its speed was so great that it was difficult for anyone to react in time.

"Still trying to run? Third Soul Skill, Control!"

Dean Ding took a moment to steady himself before leaping onto a boulder. As he reached forward with both hands and his third yellow Soul Ring flared to life, the fleeing Blazing Bird was suddenly hoisted into the air, restrained by five red rings.

Violent flames erupted from the five red rings, burning fiercely against the Blazing Bird's neck, wings, and legs.

Regrettably, the Blazing Bird was a high-grade fire-type avian Soul Beast. While it was not particularly adept at flight, it possessed a formidable fire affinity, meaning the five red rings Dean Ding unleashed could only serve to restrain it rather than inflict any severe burn damage.

"Ye Chen, I will hold it down! You and the Shiny Torchic launch a fierce assault. We must end this quickly to avoid attracting more of the Blazing Bird flock!"

Following Dean Ding's reminder, Ye Chen swiftly threw his right hand forward, launching a streak of red light into the air.

With a muffled thud, the red light transformed into the form of the Shiny Torchic.

"Shiny Torchic, use Focus Energy combined with Scratch!"

While issuing the command, Ye Chen immediately channeled his soul power into his legs, using Agility to sprint toward the rear of the Blazing Bird.

The Shiny Torchic, using the kinetic energy from the throw as momentum, first activated Focus Energy to increase its critical hit rate, then launched a Scratch attack, kicking toward the Blazing Bird's abdomen.

At this moment, the Blazing Bird's neck, wings, and legs were firmly locked by the five red rings, leaving its entire body suspended in mid-air in a spread-eagled position, unable to move.

Seeing the Shiny Torchic's flying kick closing in, the Blazing Bird tried to dodge but found it impossible, forced to take the full impact of the strike.

Screech--

After taking the Shiny Torchic's kick to its abdomen, the Blazing Bird let out a miserable cry. Its weak point was located exactly in its abdomen, and with the enhancements from Focus Energy and Scratch, the power of the Shiny Torchic's kick was a true critical hit.

Simultaneously, Ye Chen, who had circled behind the Blazing Bird, launched his own attack. He climbed a five-meter-tall boulder, leaped into the air, and used the momentum of his descent to slam a Mega Punch into the back of the Blazing Bird's head.

Having first taken the Shiny Torchic's kick to the abdomen and then a Mega Punch to the head, the Blazing Bird's consciousness began to fade. Finally, a follow-up kick from the Shiny Torchic to its forehead knocked it completely unconscious.

"Ye Chen, let's go! It's not safe here. We'll retreat to the Outer Zone first before deciding whether to absorb the Soul Ring!"

With that warning, Dean Ding retracted his Fire Ring martial soul, hoisted the unconscious Blazing Bird onto his shoulders, and sprinted toward the Outer Zone.

Ye Chen and the Shiny Torchic followed closely behind Dean Ding. The boy and his Pokémon moved with perfect synergy, retreating while keeping a sharp eye on their surroundings to guard against ambushes from other Soul Beasts.

Evening, the sun setting in the west.

Soul Hunting Forest, Outer Zone.

In the center of a clearing.

Ye Chen took a sharp short sword from the pouch at his waist and plunged it into the Blazing Bird's neck. As the bright red blood flowed out, the Blazing Bird was finally put to rest.

Wisps of yellow light slowly rose from the Blazing Bird's carcass, eventually coalescing into a yellow Soul Ring.

Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Ye Chen followed the method Dean Ding had taught him. He channeled his soul power, and soon, the yellow Soul Ring hovering above the Blazing Bird's body was drawn into his own.

Finally, I am about to advance to a first-ring Soul Master. Shiny Torchic, you are also about to undergo your first evolution! Ye Chen murmured to himself, closing his eyes tightly to focus on the absorption of the Soul Ring.

Just as the energy of the Soul Ring flowed into his body, the martial soul origins of Ye Chen and the Shiny Torchic seemed to connect; for that brief moment, the boy and his Pokémon experienced a flash of telepathic resonance.

It felt as if their minds had merged into one, their intentions perfectly aligned, entering a state of profound and unspoken synchronization.