Beast Form Warrior: Flame Crane

"Ling Yun, kid, you've obtained a thousand-year torso External Soul Bone. This is a good thing, but as your teacher, I must offer you a word of caution."

As he said this, the smile on Director Su's face vanished, replaced by a look of solemnity as he spoke gravely.

"In the future, unless you are in a life-or-death situation, never use your External Soul Bone! Unlike a soul ring, a soul bone can be extracted from a soul master simply by killing them.

Even though the one you obtained is only a thousand-year soul bone, it is still worth a fortune. If someone with ill intentions finds out you possess one, it could very well spell trouble for you."

"Understood, thank you for the warning, Director Su."

Ling Yun nodded. Even without Director Su's warning, he wouldn't have easily revealed his External Soul Bone.

To him, the External Soul Bone was nothing more than a trump card.

Seeing Ling Yun's response, Director Su nodded with relief. "That's good. Well, since you've already obtained your soul ring, it's time for us to head back..."

"Awooo—"

Before Director Su could finish his sentence, a sharp wolf howl suddenly rang out. Immediately after, a pack of massive black wolves came charging toward them, their fangs and claws bared, looking like a force to be reckoned with.

Upon seeing the pack, Director Su's expression shifted, and he exclaimed, "Nether Wolf? How are there so many?"

Ling Yun looked over as well, realizing there were twenty Nether Wolf in total. The leader, the wolf king, was a thousand-year soul beast, and the aura it exuded was no less intense than the Earth King that had just perished.

"This is bad. It seems this pack of Nether Wolf has set its sights on us."

Director Su frowned, then said to Ling Yun, "Ling Yun, kid, I'll cover you. Hurry up and transform into the Divine Wood Ape to get out of here."

"No need for that, Director Su. Just watch me." Ling Yun smiled slightly, then mimicked GG Bond by wiping his nose and gave a light shout.

"Five Spirits Power, transform!"

In an instant, the purple soul ring beneath Ling Yun's feet flashed violently, followed by the Five Spirit Lock emitting a dazzling red light. A surge of pure fire-attribute soul power poured out like a waterfall, merging into Ling Yun's body.

At the same time, pure white feathers sprouted all over Ling Yun, and his arms spread out, transforming into a pair of holy wings.

With a flap of his wings, Ling Yun soared into the sky, transforming into a crane as he danced freely through the firmament.

He was truly capable of anything, whether in the heavens or on the earth.

His current form was the fire-attribute beast-type warrior: Flame Crane!

"He actually turned into a crane?"

Director Su was stunned at first, then began to mutter to himself, "Just as I suspected, Ling Yun's Five Spirit Lock can absorb soul rings of the five elements. Every time he absorbs a soul ring of a different attribute, he can transform into a different beast-type warrior."

At this thought, Director Su felt a surge of joy. The Flame Crane was clearly capable of flight; it seemed they could leave this place and shake off the pack of Nether Wolf.

After transforming, Ling Yun dove downward, opening his beak wide. Red light flickered within, revealing an incredibly pure fire-attribute soul power.

Ling Yun then aimed at the Nether Wolf surrounding Director Su, spitting out basketball-sized fireballs that swept toward the pack.

A series of explosions followed, one after another. Under the dense bombardment of fireballs, the Nether Wolf pack suffered heavy casualties.

In just a single exchange, seven century-level Nether Wolf died in the blasts, and the others were all wounded to varying degrees.

Seeing this, the only unscathed Nether Wolf king let out a howl toward the sky, baring its teeth at Ling Yun as if it wanted to tear him to shreds and devour him.

But it couldn't fly and could only stand on the ground in impotent rage. Eventually, the Nether Wolf king turned its gaze toward Director Su, intending to kill him first to vent its frustration.

Pushing off with its hind legs, the Nether Wolf king lunged like an arrow from a bow, swinging its razor-sharp claws toward Director Su's throat.

At the same time, Ling Yun descended from the sky. His speed was significantly faster than the Nether Wolf king's. Before the beast could reach Director Su, Ling Yun grabbed the director's shoulders, flapped his wings, and shot straight into the clouds.

"Heh, you guys can play here by yourselves. We're heading out!"

With that, Ling Yun flew straight toward the exit of the Soul Hunting Forest, leaving the Nether Wolf king behind, roaring and thrashing in a fit of fury.

"Haha, as expected of someone who absorbed a thousand-year soul ring beyond their limit. This soul skill is truly incredible."

Director Su laughed and said, "This Flame Crane not only has astonishing attack power but can also fly. Its flight speed is even faster than that of an agility-type soul master of the same level.

Honestly, Ling Yun, kid, your strength is likely already above that of this old bag of bones."

"Heh, it's all thanks to the thousand-year soul ring." Ling Yun smiled, thinking to himself that if he used the Flame Tail Hook in combination with the Divine Wood Ape, his current strength should be enough to defeat Director Su.

Thinking about how much stronger he had become, the smile on Ling Yun's face grew even brighter, visible even in his Flame Crane form.

"Director Su, we're about to leave the Soul Hunting Forest."

As he spoke, Ling Yun landed and deactivated his transformation. There was no helping it; after transforming into a beast-type warrior, his soul power was consumed rapidly. With his current level 24 soul power, he couldn't maintain the transformation for long.

After deactivating the form, Ling Yun and Director Su walked out of the Soul Hunting Forest and took a carriage back to Notting City.

Director Su returned directly to Notting Academy, while Ling Yun headed to the Martial Soul Branch Hall in Notting City; he needed to be certified as a Soul Grand Master.

Once he became a Soul Grand Master, he could receive a monthly stipend of ten Gold Soul Coin, allowing him to save up more money to purchase Whale Rubber.

During the assessment, Ling Yun displayed his soul ring. Upon seeing his thousand-year second ring, Ma Xiunuo's face was filled with profound shock, and he once again invited him to join the Martial Soul Hall.

Ling Yun politely declined as before, and Ma Xiunuo did not press the issue. Finally, with his ten Gold Soul Coin subsidy in hand, Ling Yun left the Martial Soul Branch Hall.

Looking at the bustling traffic outside, Ling Yun muttered to himself, "Given Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo's personality, he will likely report my thousand-year second ring to a higher level of the Martial Soul Hall, or perhaps even directly to Martial Soul City."

It wouldn't be long before the news of his thousand-year second ring reached Bibi Dong's desk, and he would appear on her radar.

However, even so, Ling Yun had no regrets. To become stronger and to eventually achieve godhood, he had to absorb thousand-year soul rings.

"Now that I've obtained my second soul ring, my strength is comparable to a three-ring Soul Elder. It's time to leave this place."

With that, Ling Yun returned to Notting Academy and immediately sought out Director Su.

By this time, Director Su had finished his lunch and was resting on a lounge chair in his office, looking content and at ease.

Seeing Ling Yun, Director Su laughed, "Ling Yun, kid, why are you coming to see me in the middle of the day instead of taking a nap?"

"Director Su, I would like to apply for graduation, and I've also come to bid you farewell."