If it had been an ordinary Hundred-Year Soul Beast, facing pressure of this level, it would likely have been scared out of its wits and fled in disgrace.
Yet this Wind Baboon seemed to have been utterly enraged, or perhaps its ferocity had completely overwhelmed its fear.
"Screee—!"
It let out a piercing shriek, opened its mouth, and spat out a highly compressed white Wind Bullet that tore through the air as it whistled toward Xia Ming's face!
At the same time, its long, powerful hind legs kicked violently against the tree trunk, using the recoil.
Its entire body turned into an afterimage, claws thrust forward as it pounced to kill, close behind the Wind Bullet!
Xia Ming's gaze instantly sharpened like a blade.
He did not choose any flashy evasive maneuver. Instead, he followed his instincts!
"Hah!"
With a low shout, he drew back his right arm, and under the command of his Martial Soul, the strength of his entire body twisted into a single force!
A pale golden glow of Soul Power condensed around his fist.
Though it had yet to take shape, it already carried the thunderous roar of a fist splitting the air as he threw a straightforward punch at the Wind Bullet!
Wherever the force of his fist passed, the air was brutally forced aside, forming a brief, visible shockwave!
"Pfft!"
A muffled sound that was not particularly loud.
That Wind Bullet—the full-force attack of a Hundred-Year Wind Baboon, enough to make an ordinary Soul Grandmaster treat it with utmost caution and perhaps even suffer injury—
Was shattered the instant it came into contact with Xia Ming's fist, blasted apart by pure, ultimate strength and condensed Soul Power!
Even after destroying the Wind Bullet, the force of his punch did not diminish in the slightest!
The next instant, fist and claw collided in midair!
"Crack!"
The distinct sound of breaking bones rang out!
It was followed by the dull sound of a fist plunging into flesh!
"Wuu—!"
The Wind Baboon let out an incomparably miserable howl.
Its forward charge came to an abrupt halt, as though it had struck an invisible, heavy steel wall.
The instant its claws touched Xia Ming's fist, they twisted and deformed.
Meanwhile, Xia Ming's fist, carrying all its remaining force, slammed squarely into its chest!
Terrifying brute force poured into it without restraint!
The Wind Baboon's seemingly tough body was as fragile as paper before that inhuman power.
Centered on the point where the fist had landed, its chest visibly caved in. The corresponding spot on its back bulged out grotesquely, tearing through its fur!
"Bang!"
Its body was hurled backward by that irresistible force, crashing heavily into a large tree before sliding limply to the ground.
Its limbs twitched a few times before it fell completely silent.
Its brown eyes were wide open, still filled with stunned disbelief.
A wisp of yellow light slowly rose from its gradually cooling corpse, rapidly gathering in the air and forming a ring that flickered with bright yellow light as it hovered quietly.
Xia Ming slowly withdrew his fist and stared at the floating yellow ring, momentarily stunned.
So this was a Soul Ring?
The entire process, from Martial Soul Possession to activating his domain to killing the enemy with a single punch, had taken no more than an instant.
A Hundred-Year Soul Beast that even ordinary Soul Grandmasters had to treat cautiously had been so utterly helpless?
"Clap—clap—clap—"
Clear applause sounded from nearby.
At some point, Yan Shaozhe had already approached. He looked at Xia Ming with undisguised approval and satisfaction on his face.
"Very good, Xia Ming," he said with a smile.
"You clearly understand where your greatest advantage lies. You did not try to compete in technique or speed with a Soul Beast known for its agility and wind attribute.
Instead, you chose the most domineering approach: crushing its attack head-on and delivering a fatal blow."
He pointed at the Wind Baboon, which had lost all signs of Life.
"This was a Wind Baboon close to five hundred years old, already quite formidable among Hundred-Year Soul Beasts.
The combination of its Wind Bullet and pounce just now would have posed a lethal threat to an ordinary Soul Grandmaster.
It was your first real battle, yet you kept your composure and resolved it with the force of thunder. You did exceptionally well."
Yan Shaozhe's praise stirred little emotion within Xia Ming.
He knew that his performance just now had largely relied on the overwhelming physical advantage granted by his Martial Soul.
But being able to overcome the hesitation or fear that might arise from instinct during his first real battle—
Was indeed a quality he possessed from having lived two lives, especially one that he had found difficult to possess as an ordinary person in his previous life.
He gently let out a breath, calming the slightly surging blood and Soul Power within him from the battle, then said solemnly to Yan Shaozhe:
"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother."
Yan Shaozhe nodded with a smile. "The warm-up is over. Let's continue deeper in."
"Yes."
The two continued onward into the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Along the way, whenever they encountered Soul Beasts over five hundred years old that were not particularly troublesome—
Yan Shaozhe stood by without intervening, leaving the battles entirely to Xia Ming.
He even deliberately guided Xia Ming into direct confrontations with several Soul Beasts of ordinary bloodlines that had just passed a thousand years of cultivation.
Such Soul Beasts were roughly equivalent in strength to human Soul Elders.
In terms of Soul Power intensity and explosive force alone, they were actually somewhat inferior to Xia Ming after Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff Possession and the activation of the Domination Domain.
However, their wild combat instincts and life-or-death fighting experience, born and raised in this place, were far beyond Xia Ming's.
Their use of claws and fangs, their grasp of timing, and even their frenzied counterattacks after being injured all brought Xia Ming considerable pressure and insight.
Fortunately, the Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff Martial Soul gave Xia Ming not only overwhelming strength, but also formidable defense and abundant endurance to match it.
Though several clashes had been perilous, Xia Ming had endured them all through sheer youthful fearlessness and overwhelming strength.
In the end, he killed each opponent independently beneath his fists, never giving Yan Shaozhe a chance to intervene.
Time quietly passed over five days amid tense searching and intermittent battles.
During those five days, they had not come away empty-handed.
They had encountered canine- and lion-type Soul Beasts over a thousand years old several times, and their cultivation age would have been perfect for Xia Ming's first Soul Ring.
Had it been an ordinary Soul Master, they would already have been overjoyed and unable to wait to kill and absorb them.
Yet neither Xia Ming, who was highly ambitious, nor Yan Shaozhe, who had placed great expectations upon him, spared much attention for Soul Beasts of such ordinary bloodlines.
The first Soul Ring was the starting point and foundation of a Soul Master's path of cultivation.
Absorbing a Soul Ring was not merely about acquiring a soul skill; it was also an important supplement and targeted enhancement to the very origin of one's Martial Soul.
Absorbing the Soul Ring of a Soul Beast with a powerful bloodline meant a higher starting point and greater potential, allowing for a broader limit to future growth.
For that reason, they would rather spend more time venturing into dangerous territory in search of stronger Soul Beasts.
"That Flame Lion King we encountered yesterday, around fifteen hundred years old—
Its bloodline was already quite good among lion-type Soul Beasts, and its fire attribute was also powerful. It would barely qualify as your first Soul Ring."
Yan Shaozhe frowned slightly as he spoke to Xia Ming, a faint trace of barely perceptible impatience in his tone.
"But although its flames are fierce, its Soul Beast bloodline cannot be considered top-tier.
Its compatibility with your Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff is still lacking by that final margin."
In truth, if not for his teacher Mu En's instructions, as well as his own high regard for Xia Ming's talent and hope that he would grow into a towering pillar supporting Shrek in the future—
Yan Shaozhe would likely have long been unable to restrain himself and would have had Xia Ming absorb the Flame Lion King's Soul Ring.
After all, the longer they lingered in the Star Dou Great Forest, the more unknowable risks quietly accumulated.
Before you continue