Target: The Second Soul Ring!

Jiang He rose to his feet, clasped his hands and bowed to Dugu Bo. "Thank you, Teacher, for making this possible!"

Dugu Bo smiled faintly and stroked his beard. "You earned this yourself. If you hadn't shown promise, there would have been nothing I could do to help you."

"No matter what, if it hadn't been for you, Teacher, I wouldn't even have been able to approach this Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, much less absorb its Soul Ring."

Dugu Bo smiled again, accepting the sentiment.

Among Soul Beasts, the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear was indeed said to be capable of fighting Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts when it was only a hundred years old.

But that was a Soul Beast.

Jiang He was merely a Soul Master who possessed that Martial Soul.

Besides, being able to fight was one thing.

Defeating an opponent was another.

And defeating one was entirely different from killing one.

If Jiang He awakened the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear and recklessly challenged a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, he would definitely be slapped to death in a single blow!

With that thought, Dugu Bo asked Jiang He, "Jiang He, what is your First Soul Skill?"

Jiang He lifted his chin slightly. "Teacher, my First Soul Skill is called Berserk. It can increase all attributes by three hundred percent."

"A threefold increase in attributes? Not bad."

Dugu Bo nodded.

Among Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Rings, this kind of enhancement could only be considered decent.

"How long can it last?"

"There is no time limit. It mainly depends on how much Soul Power I consume."

"Hm?"

Dugu Bo glanced sideways at him.

No time limit? That was impressive!

Forget an entry-level Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring—even if Jiang He claimed it was a thirty-thousand-year or even fifty-thousand-year Soul Ring, Dugu Bo would have believed him!

"Then how long can you maintain this Soul Skill with your current strength?"

"I'll try."

Jiang He spoke, then activated Martial Soul Possession, his body suddenly swelling in size.

The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear appeared, while a pitch-black Soul Ring lit up beneath his feet.

The black Soul Ring flashed. Jiang He's body, transformed through Martial Soul Possession, was shrouded in a layer of dark radiance, and his eyes turned red.

After carefully sensing his berserk strength, Jiang He said to Dugu Bo in a deep, muffled voice, "Teacher, with my current Soul Power, I can probably sustain it for half a shichen."

"Half a shichen?! Not bad, not bad."

Dugu Bo nodded in satisfaction.

An hour of combat was basically enough for battles between Soul Masters.

Moreover, Jiang He was only a Soul Master who had obtained his first Soul Ring. Once he became stronger in the future, this would definitely be a godly combat skill!

Even at the level of a Title Douluo, this would be a bonus that could not be ignored!

After carefully sensing the strength of his body, Jiang He withdrew his Martial Soul.

Seeing that his clothes had not been damaged, Jiang He could not help sighing again. The clothes worn by a Title Douluo really were excellent.

"By the way, what level is your Soul Power approximately at now?"

Dugu Bo asked Jiang He.

After all, Jiang He had absorbed a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring. By Dugu Bo's estimate, his Soul Power should have risen by at least three levels!

The difference between a hundred-year First Soul Ring and a Ten-Thousand-Year First Soul Ring was simply enormous.

Yet in the next instant, Jiang He's words left Dugu Bo rooted to the spot.

"Teacher, my Soul Power should be at level twenty-five now."

"How much?!!"

Dugu Bo cried out, staring wide-eyed at Jiang He.

In his shock, he even accidentally tore out several strands of his beard.

Faced with Dugu Bo's astonishment, Jiang He explained, "Teacher, I hadn't fully absorbed the medicinal power of the three Immortal Herbs earlier. Most of it remained hidden in my body and meridians.

"This time, after I absorbed the Soul Ring, all that medicinal power erupted. Apart from a portion used to strengthen my body's foundation, the rest was converted into Soul Power. That is why I was able to advance so many levels."

Jiang He's Innate Soul Power had long since exceeded level twenty.

It was only because his meridians had reached their absorption limit at the time that he had been stuck around level twenty.

However, from the moment he awakened his Martial Soul, his Soul Power had begun to rise.

Jiang He simply had not circulated his cultivation method to absorb the medicinal power, so it had not shown up during the test.

When he absorbed the Martial Soul of the Berserk Giant Ape, Jiang He's medicinal power was converted, and combined with the boost from the Berserk Giant Ape's Soul Ring, his Soul Power surged directly to level twenty-five.

By his estimate, some of that medicinal power should still remain. It would likely give him another small increase when he absorbed his next Soul Ring, though it would not be as substantial as this time.

If Jiang He had not spent the more than half year while Dugu Bo was in seclusion absorbing Immortal Herbs tempering his body and using part of the medicinal power to strengthen it, he could probably have soared even higher.

But it was precisely because of that that he had been able to absorb a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring as his first ring.

Trading a few levels of Soul Power for a higher starting point was undoubtedly a profitable deal for Jiang He!

After a long while, Dugu Bo came back to his senses and said to Jiang He with a sigh, "Being greedy has its benefits after all."

Dugu Bo had watched Jiang He consume four Immortal Herbs.

Aside from the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew, the other three Immortal Herbs all increased Soul Power and enhanced physical constitution.

Dugu Bo had missed none of the scene when Jiang He consumed the Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid.

When Jiang He absorbed that Immortal Herb, he had swollen like an inflated balloon, as though he might explode at any moment.

Yet he had endured it, suppressing all the medicinal power within his body.

Now that his Martial Soul had awakened and he had absorbed a Soul Ring, all the medicinal power left behind in his body erupted, giving him a starting point far beyond countless Soul Masters of the same age.

"All of this is thanks to you, Teacher."

Jiang He thanked Dugu Bo once more.

Those plans that had once seemed perfect would have long since fallen apart if Dugu Bo, a Title Douluo, had not spared him.

Thus, this expression of gratitude also came from the bottom of his heart.

"Enough, stop flattering me. Now that you've absorbed your First Soul Ring, how do you feel? Are you in condition to seek your second Soul Ring?"

Jiang He lifted his chin slightly. "Teacher, I'm fine. It's just that for my second Soul Ring, I think I should raise the age somewhat."

"Hm?"

Dugu Bo frowned slightly. "Raise it further? In the Ten-Thousand-Year range, every step represents an enormous gap. Are you sure? Don't become impetuous just because you absorbed your First Soul Ring. Once a cultivator becomes impetuous, the consequences may not be something you can bear."

Facing Dugu Bo's warning, Jiang He explained seriously, "Teacher, I did not feel much pressure when I absorbed the Berserk Giant Ape's Soul Ring.

"Besides, now that I have absorbed my First Soul Ring, both my physical constitution and Spiritual Power have improved considerably. I think I can try a Soul Ring with a higher age."

Dugu Bo pondered for a moment and felt that Jiang He had a point, so he asked, "Then what age do you want to challenge?"

Jiang He glanced at the system panel, where it clearly read:

[Second Soul Ring: None (Current physical strength can withstand force impacts below twenty-two thousand years; Spiritual Power can withstand the Soul Shock of Soul Beasts below twenty-one thousand years)]

"Teacher, I want a twenty-thousand-year Second Soul Ring!"