In Lin Ciyan's memories, Golden Hawksbill Turtles had made their appearance very late in the original story.
They seemed to have shown up only in the later stages of Douluo II, renowned for their unmatched defense and a trace of divine beast bloodline.
He never expected one to become the target for his third Soul Ring.
Well, the plot had moved up, but it wasn't a big deal.
Just as his thoughts began to wander, Mu En made his move.
There was no earth-shaking display of power. He simply pointed from afar at the Golden Hawksbill Turtle, still leisurely basking in the "sunlight."
A strand of pale golden Soul Power, condensed to the utmost degree, seemed capable of piercing through space.
It struck before the turtle could react, hitting the spot where its head was tucked inside its shell with pinpoint accuracy.
The hard shell, enough to give even a Soul Douluo trouble,
was like paper in the face of that pale golden Soul Power. It offered not the slightest resistance.
The Golden Hawksbill Turtle's massive body stiffened abruptly, and its mountain-like aura crumbled in an instant.
The gentle calm in its eyes gave way to a vacant stare—it hadn't even understood what had happened before sinking into a deep coma.
That was how a Limit Douluo acted: simple, unadorned, and utterly dull.
Next, Mu En swept his sleeve again, and an invisible force of space enveloped the three of them and the enormous Golden Hawksbill Turtle.
The scenery around them warped like rippling water once more. The next moment, they had returned to a sealed chamber on Sea God Island, specially built for absorbing Soul Rings.
"Ci Yan," Mu En said calmly, looking at Lin Ciyan.
"I've temporarily neutralized the defense of its shell with my Soul Power. With the penetrating power of your Dawn Break Fist, you can break through its flesh."
"Aim for its head and finish it off."
Lin Ciyan took a deep breath and walked up to the Golden Hawksbill Turtle, which was like a small mountain.
Even unconscious, the Soul Beast still emanated an intimidating sense of weight.
He didn't hesitate any longer. His First Soul Ring lit up beneath his feet, suffusing him with deep purple light.
"First Soul Skill, Dawn Break Fist!"
However, he didn't choose to attack at close range. Instead, he condensed highly compressed Ultimate Light Soul Power around his fist, then thrust it forward from a distance!
A brilliantly radiant fist of light, as solid as a miniature rising sun, shot from his hand.
Carrying the properties of purification and penetration, it struck the vulnerable spot where the Golden Hawksbill Turtle's head joined its shell!
"Pfft!"
The fist of light struck without a violent explosion, slicing through like a hot knife through butter.
It easily burned through the flesh and bone at that spot. The highly compressed light energy erupted inside its skull—triggering the Light Shock effect!
The Golden Hawksbill Turtle's enormous body convulsed violently once, then its life force ebbed like the tide and vanished completely.
At the same time, a surging energy began to gather from its corpse. A Soul Ring slowly took shape and rose into the air.
Its color was so deep, so black, that it seemed capable of devouring all the light around it.
And along the dense black edges, a faint, thread-thin golden line could just barely be seen.
It proclaimed the extraordinary nature of its bloodline and a quality far beyond that of an ordinary Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring!
A twenty-eight-thousand-year Golden Hawksbill Turtle Soul Ring!
"Begin," Mu En said, a hint of concern barely detectable in his voice.
Lin Ciyan nodded firmly, sat cross-legged, and used his Soul Power to draw the deep black Soul Ring, faintly edged in gold, toward himself.
The instant the Soul Ring settled upon him, it was as if a towering mountain came crashing down!
Soul Power, vast as the sea, surged into his limbs and bones like a breached dam, brutally washing through and widening his meridians.
A sharp, distending pain hit him at once.
If his body hadn't been subtly transformed by the Great Dream Freedom Scripture and his two Soul Bones, making him far stronger than his peers,
the violent energy would have burst him open on the spot.
It felt even worse than working seventy-two hours of overtime straight in his previous life.
But that was only the appetizer.
Next came a heavy, savage spiritual pressure, steeped in resentment and the weight of time.
Like an invisible sledgehammer, it slammed into his Sea of Consciousness!
The Soul Shock unique to Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings had arrived!
Lin Ciyan felt his head ring with a "buzz."
His consciousness was instantly pulled into a golden ocean—his Sea of Consciousness.
The sea, ordinarily calm, now surged with towering waves as howling winds and crackling thunder swept across it.
A Golden Hawksbill Turtle's phantom appeared, smaller in size but clearly defined, its entire body seemingly cast from gold.
It let out a silent roar and churned through his Sea of Consciousness, carrying boundless resentment and crushing spiritual pressure.
With every Soul Shock, Lin Ciyan felt as if his consciousness were being hammered over and over on an anvil. His vision went dark, and cold sweat soaked through his clothes.
This was bad. The Soul Shock was a little stronger than he'd expected!
So there was no easy ride when absorbing a Soul Ring beyond his level!
Just as he gathered all his spiritual power, preparing for a grueling battle of attrition against the Golden Hawksbill Turtle's remnant soul—
"Too noisy."
A crisp female voice, tinged with laziness and annoyance, rang clearly through his Sea of Consciousness.
It was Xiyao!
The Light Spirit, who had been quietly staying in the depths of his Sea of Consciousness like a goddess, furrowed her brow slightly.
She didn't even get up. She simply raised a slender jade hand formed from pure light elements.
She pressed it gently down toward the churning sea and the roaring phantom of the Golden Hawksbill Turtle.
There was no earth-shattering explosion, no dazzling burst of light.
It was as if someone had pressed the mute button, or an invisible hand had smoothed the wrinkles from a length of silk.
The towering spiritual waves stilled at once.
The roaring Golden Hawksbill Turtle phantom was like snow thrown into the blazing sun. It failed to stir even the slightest ripple.
It silently dissolved and vanished, turning into the purest spiritual energy and merging into this golden sea.
The wind died, the waves stilled, the clouds parted, and the mist dispersed.
His Sea of Consciousness returned to its former calm. It even seemed a little wider and deeper, having absorbed the remnant soul's Spiritual Origin. Its golden surface shimmered peacefully.
Xiyao: All done. Time to clock out.
Hidden merit, hidden fame.
In the real world, Lin Ciyan's body suddenly relaxed, and the pained look on his face eased at once.
All that remained was the pure distending pain of Soul Power rushing through his meridians. The pressure on his spirit had vanished without a trace!
This was bad. He'd become the one getting carried! Xiyao wasn't just his clingy girlfriend—
she was also his personal Soul Shock absorber!
Outside.
Mu En keenly sensed the change in Lin Ciyan's aura.
A moment ago, he had been like a little boat tossed about in a violent storm. The next, he was suddenly as steady as a mountain.
His Soul Power was still surging, but the spiritual turmoil and struggle had disappeared.
A flicker of understanding and amazement passed through his cloudy eyes. "As expected... Soul Shock is no longer difficult for Ci Yan."
Bei Bei watched from the side, his heart in his throat.
He had just experienced the Soul Shock of a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring himself, and knew how terrifying it was.
When he saw Lin Ciyan's pained expression at first, he had felt the strain himself and couldn't help holding his breath.
But in the blink of an eye, Brother Lin looked... fine? He was just focusing on absorbing Soul Power now?
"Great-grandfather, Brother Lin..." Bei Bei couldn't help asking in a low voice.
Mu En smiled faintly, his tone carrying a hint of inscrutability. "Ci Yan's path is different from yours. Just watch. This, too, is cultivation for you."
Bei Bei nodded, only half understanding. He watched Lin Ciyan's aura grow increasingly robust and his Soul Power Level steadily climb, his eyes filled with more than envy—there was determination, too.
Looks like he'd have to work even harder!
Nearby, the enormous corpse of the Golden Hawksbill Turtle lay still.
Its shell, once gleaming like gold, had dulled now that its life was gone.
But one could still sense its astonishing hardness and the heavy aura lingering around it.
The shell's profound, ancient patterns seemed to tell the story of its long life.
The wound dealt when it was killed was small and had left its body largely intact.
Could the body of such a top-tier defensive Soul Beast bring any other benefits?
Everyone's eyes were fixed on Lin Ciyan, whose aura continued to rise as he made his final push toward the Soul Elder realm.