Second Soul Skill

The three of them moved quickly. Chrysanthemum Douluo led the way, and they met almost no resistance. In less than an hour, they had crossed the outer region.

"From here on, we could run into Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts at any moment. Stay close to me." Bibi Dong's voice sounded beside Gu Qingshan's ear.

Gu Qingshan nodded and moved a little closer.

"Three hundred paces to the left. There's a Soul Beast about thirteen thousand years old." Chrysanthemum Douluo's voice came from ahead, his tone casual. "Should we deal with it?"

"No. We'll go around," Bibi Dong said.

The three of them adjusted their course slightly and skirted the edge of the Soul Beast's territory.

Not long after, a gigantic ancient tree appeared before them. Its trunk was as thick as a small house, and its crown soared into the clouds.

At the base of the ancient tree was a huge, pitch-black cave. Gusts of foul wind wafted from within.

"This is the nest of a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, the Golden Scale Sky Tiger. Elder Chrysanthemum scouted it out. This Golden Scale Sky Tiger is around twenty-two thousand years old, which meets your requirements," Bibi Dong said softly.

Gu Qingshan's heart beat a little faster. Twenty-two thousand years was just right.

"The Golden Scale Sky Tiger hits hard and has a lot of vitality. Its defense is also very strong, but it's relatively slow. Its scales contain poison, so be careful when you absorb the Soul Ring," Bibi Dong continued.

"I understand." Gu Qingshan nodded.

Bibi Dong glanced at him to make sure he was ready, then gestured to Chrysanthemum Douluo.

Chrysanthemum Douluo stepped forward. A huge golden chrysanthemum appeared behind him, its layers of petals radiating a faint golden glow.

Nine Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet: two yellow, two purple, and five black—the standard Soul Ring Configuration of a Titled Douluo.

Chrysanthemum Douluo raised his right hand, brought his index and middle fingers together, and pointed lightly toward the cave.

A beam of golden light shot from his fingertips and soundlessly vanished into the depths of the cave.

"Roar!"

A deafening bellow exploded from within, shaking the entire forest clearing.

A hulking beast charged out of the cave.

At last, Gu Qingshan got a clear look at the Golden Scale Sky Tiger.

It was the size of a heavy truck and more than six meters long.

Golden scales covered its entire body. Its head looked like an enlarged tiger's, but with a golden horn jutting from its forehead. Its eyes were amber, flames of fury burning within them as it fixed its gaze on the three humans outside the cave.

The pressure of a twenty-two-thousand-year Soul Beast bore down on them, and a strong, rancid stench filled the air.

Gu Qingshan's Martial Soul quietly appeared. The pressure seemed to hit a wall and instantly vanished into thin air.

Bibi Dong noticed the detail, and a hint of satisfaction flashed in her eyes.

"Elder Chrysanthemum," she said softly.

Chrysanthemum Douluo nodded, lightly stamped his right foot on the ground, and rose into the air.

The enormous Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum unfurled behind him with a roar. Its golden petals overlapped in layer upon layer, each one thin as a cicada's wing yet razor-sharp.

"Sixth Soul Skill: Golden Stamen Flowing Rosy Clouds."

The enormous golden chrysanthemum spun violently, its razor-sharp petals raining down upon the Golden Scale Sky Tiger like a meteor shower.

The Golden Scale Sky Tiger sensed death looming.

It let out a world-shaking roar as every golden scale on its body snapped shut at once. Blinding golden arcs of electricity flared across them.

This was the Golden Scale Sky Tiger's life-saving skill, Golden Scale Body Protection. Its scales formed an electrified defensive barrier, powerful enough to withstand a full-strength attack from a Soul Beast of the same level.

But against Golden Stamen Flowing Rosy Clouds, the barrier was as thin as a cicada's wing.

"Roar... Awoo!"

The Golden Scale Sky Tiger howled in agony. The golden petals not only tore through its scales but sliced through its solid muscles as well.

Blood gushed from countless wounds. The whole thing took less than ten breaths.

When the last petal fell, the Golden Scale Sky Tiger had collapsed to the ground, barely clinging to life.

"Young Master Qingshan, please." Chrysanthemum Douluo turned to Gu Qingshan, a faint smile on his heavily powdered face.

Gu Qingshan came back to himself, drew a short blade from his waist, and ended the giant tiger's suffering with a single slash.

A ring of black light slowly rose from the Golden Scale Sky Tiger's corpse.

"Absorb it. Relax your body and let the Soul Ring merge with you," Bibi Dong said from behind him.

Gu Qingshan sat cross-legged and released his Thorn Shield Martial Soul.

Soon, the Soul Ring's energy rampaged through his meridians, but he didn't panic.

The Thorn Shield activated. The raging energy seemed to collide with a resilient wall, and was tamed, absorbed, and gradually drawn into his Martial Soul and meridians.

Bibi Dong and Chrysanthemum Douluo stood to one side, watching in silence.

They had already prepared to step in and rescue him at any moment.

No one had ever dared to absorb a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring as their Second Soul Ring. Even with Gu Qingshan's far-superior physique, the process should have been fraught with danger.

But Gu Qingshan absorbed it far faster than they had expected.

From the moment the Soul Ring touched his body to the moment it fully merged with him, the entire process took less than the time needed to drink a cup of tea.

Bibi Dong's eyelid twitched. Chrysanthemum Douluo's mouth twitched.

A six-year-old child had absorbed a twenty-two-thousand-year Soul Ring in the time it took to drink a cup of tea.

No screams, no struggling, no loss of control.

Just how strong was this child's physique?

Gu Qingshan opened his eyes and exhaled a mouthful of turbid air.

Second Soul Skill: Taunt.

As expected, it was the shield warrior's core skill: a divine ability that forced enemies to attack him.

Combined with Thorn Shield's percentage-based damage reflection, this was practically the perfect combination.

"How do you feel?" Bibi Dong's voice came.

"Great. My Soul Power has reached level twenty-four." Gu Qingshan stood up, feeling the power surging within him.

Bibi Dong nodded. Qingshan had absorbed the Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring far more smoothly than she had expected, and a four-level increase in Soul Power was only reasonable.

Chrysanthemum Douluo's gaze fell on Gu Qingshan. "Young Master Qingshan, what is your Second Soul Skill?"

Bibi Dong also looked over curiously.

"Taunt."

"Taunt?" Chrysanthemum Douluo frowned. The name didn't sound like a proper Soul Skill. "What does it do?"

Gu Qingshan thought for a moment and decided to demonstrate it in the most straightforward way.

"Teacher, Elder Chrysanthemum, I'd like to try this Soul Skill. Are there any Soul Beasts nearby? Nothing too strong—just something I can use to test it."

Bibi Dong closed her eyes and extended her perception outward. A few breaths later, she opened them again.

"On the way back, there's a pack of Nether Wolves, about twenty of them. They're between fifteen hundred and two thousand years old."

"Perfect." Gu Qingshan grinned.

Soon, the three of them reached a gentle slope. In the valley below, more than twenty Nether Wolves were gathered around a large Soul Beast they had just hunted, devouring it.

"That's the one." Gu Qingshan stood at the top of the slope, looking down at the pack.

Bibi Dong and Chrysanthemum Douluo stood behind him, one on either side, watching with interest.

"How are you going to test it?" Bibi Dong asked.

"I'll just go for it." Gu Qingshan walked a few steps forward, stopping at the very edge of the slope.

He took a deep breath and released his Thorn Shield Martial Soul. A dark golden shield appeared beside his left arm, the thorn patterns on its surface glowing faintly.

Two Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet, one purple and one black.

"Hey, you little punks! Come and get me!"

Bibi Dong: "..."

Chrysanthemum Douluo: "..."

The air froze for a moment.

Chrysanthemum Douluo's face twitched several times. The strange look on his heavily powdered face refused to go away.

Then, a wondrous scene unfolded.

All twenty Nether Wolves that had been eating in the valley stopped moving at the same moment.

They raised their heads and fixed their dark green eyes on Gu Qingshan.

A strange red glint appeared in their eyes, as if some force had injected a command into them. Their reason was suppressed, their instincts rewritten, and only one thought remained.

Attack that person.