The First Soul Ring, Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear.

The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear is an incredibly rare species of soul beast, difficult to encounter even within the Star Dou Great Forest. Murong Fuhai spread his spiritual power out into the surroundings to begin his search.

However, a full day passed without the group finding any trace of one. The Star Dou Great Forest is vast; if they could not find one on the periphery, they would have to venture into the inner circle. The danger level of the inner circle far exceeds that of the outer, where ten-thousand-year soul beasts are common, and even encountering a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast is a possibility.

The group found a place to camp for the night. Murong Fuhai patted Murong Huai on the head and said with a smile:

"Huai'er, are you feeling a bit anxious?"

"No. Searching for a soul beast is a matter of luck, especially for a top-tier one like the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear. I have patience," Murong Huai replied, shaking his head.

Murong Fuhai nodded and said, "Go on then, get some rest. We will continue the search tomorrow morning."

After all, the three youths were still children and lacked the stamina of the adults. Murong Huai nodded and walked into his tent to rest.

Murong Fuhai's figure flickered as he sat cross-legged on a tree branch, closing his eyes to meditate. As for the task of keeping watch, there were naturally others to handle that.

At dawn, the Star Dou Great Forest shed its silence and welcomed the first light of day.

The three youths emerged from their tents one after another, and Murong Fuhai appeared before them.

"Since you're awake, let's continue."

The group nodded and proceeded to scout the perimeter of the inner circle. Murong Fuhai kept his spiritual power active to scan the area. During this time, they encountered several ten-thousand-year soul beasts, all of which were dealt with by Chen Xin and Gu Rong.

They even ran into a sixty-thousand-year Diamond Mammoth, but Murong Fuhai, without even using his martial soul, shattered its tusks and crippled one of its legs with his bare fists, forcing it to flee in a panic.

"Roar—"

Murong Fuhai's eyes lit up. He had found it. He led the group forward at high speed until they reached the top of a valley, where two soul beasts were locked in a brutal fight below: one was a three-thousand-year Diamond Tiger, and the other was a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear.

The two were locked in a frenzied battle, both covered in wounds. The Diamond Tiger was already battered, its body riddled with claw marks that went deep enough to reveal bone.

After roughly estimating the age of the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, Murong Fuhai shook his head.

"What a pity. This Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear is over eight hundred years old, far exceeding the limit for a first soul ring. Let's go."

Hearing this, Murong Huai looked down at the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, clenched his fists, and said:

"Wait, Father, let it be this one!"

Upon hearing Murong Huai's request, Murong Fuhai shook his head and refused outright.

"No. This Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's age is too high. If you force the absorption, it will cause irreversible damage to your body, or even cause you to explode and die. We cannot take that risk."

"That's right, Brother Murong. This soul beast is over eight hundred years old; it's too dangerous," Bibi Dong added from the side, trying to persuade him.

However, Murong Huai shook his head and said:

"No, Father, I am not taking a risk. This is what my martial soul is telling me. Ever since I awakened my martial soul, my physical constitution has been several times stronger than those of the same rank. I am confident I can absorb this Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's soul ring."

Murong Huai felt that with his twenty levels of soul power, absorbing a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear under a thousand years shouldn't be a problem, but Murong Fuhai remained unconvinced.

"Impossible. If it were an ordinary soul beast, eight hundred years might be acceptable, but this is a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear—a species at the very pinnacle of the food chain. Even at eight hundred years, the difficulty of absorbing it is comparable to an ordinary soul beast of three or four thousand years. You..."

"Father, have you forgotten the scene when I awakened my martial soul?" Murong Huai interrupted directly.

Hearing this, Murong Fuhai froze. Although he hadn't been on the scene when Murong Huai awakened his martial soul, he had been at the military camp just outside Martial Soul City.

At that time, a terrifying pressure had blotted out the sky. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the camp had been pressed to the ground, and he was no exception. Even though it lasted only for a single breath, it had made everyone feel the threat of death—a threat they were powerless to resist.

Thinking of this, Murong Fuhai hesitated. Seeing this, Murong Huai continued:

"Father, don't worry. If I cannot absorb it, you are a Title Douluo; you can use your immense power to interrupt the process. There won't be any danger to my life."

Murong Fuhai thought it over. He did indeed have the means to interrupt the absorption process, and at worst, it would only waste a soul ring slot, which could be recovered with medicinal aid without causing lasting harm. Thinking back to that overwhelming pressure, he sighed and compromised:

"Sigh, very well. You may absorb it. If any accidents occur during the process, I will interrupt you immediately."

Chen Xin and Gu Rong, standing to the side, were surprised that Murong Fuhai had actually agreed. They couldn't say anything, but they moved quietly to Ning Fengzhi's side; if anything went wrong, they would immediately take Ning Fengzhi and flee the Star Dou Great Forest.

Murong Huai nodded. Murong Fuhai raised his hand, and a giant palm condensed from black soul power instantly slammed down toward the two beasts in the valley.

With a boom, sand and stones flew, the ground cracked, and a cloud of dust rose into the air.

When the dust settled, only the dying Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear remained; the Diamond Tiger had been crushed into a pulp.

"Huai'er, go!"

Murong Huai nodded. Golden light flickered on his right hand, and the Immortal Lord Nine-Arrival Sword appeared in his grip. He leaped forward, his long sword unsheathed, and the golden blade plunged into the neck of the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, reaping its life.

A deep yellow soul ring condensed in the air above. Looking at the ring, Murong Fuhai asked Murong Huai solemnly:

"Huai'er, are you truly certain? It is not too late to turn back."

"I am certain."

Murong Huai took a deep breath and sat cross-legged on the ground, guiding the soul ring to begin absorption. As the deep yellow ring settled over his body, a powerful pressure instantly flooded his entire being.

Murong Huai felt his muscles being torn apart by a tyrannical force, causing him immense pain. Seeing this, Murong Fuhai stood ready to strike at any moment; if Murong Huai showed any signs of abnormality, he would interrupt him immediately.

Murong Huai could feel what seemed like a wild beast rampaging through his body. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists tightly.

"Damn it, the energy of this Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear is far too violent!"

Just then, a trace of purple energy suddenly appeared, instantly neutralizing the oppressive force and guiding the power of the soul ring to temper Murong Huai's physical body.

Murong Fuhai had been preparing to intervene when he saw Murong Huai in pain, but suddenly, the boy's aura stabilized.

"Strange. Could it be Huai'er's martial soul?"

Chen Xin and Gu Rong, watching from the side, were also astonished. He had actually endured it. Now, only the conversion of soul power remained, which posed no further danger. The two exchanged glances, feeling a sense of relief.

If something had gone wrong, they couldn't guarantee that the Demon Dragon Douluo wouldn't have gone mad and killed everyone. Now that the boy was safe, they both breathed a sigh of relief.

But more than anything, they were amazed. Someone had actually managed to absorb a soul ring beyond the limit for their first ring—and from a top-tier soul beast like the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear at that.