Just then, the Primordial White Stone in his dantian suddenly began to tremble violently.
In the next moment, a strange force of suction burst from the White Stone of the Ancients, frantically absorbing the Soul Ring energy he could not withstand.
Yu Hong immediately felt the pressure ease.
The violent energy that had been rampaging through his meridians was now being absorbed by the Primordial White Stone in an unending stream.
"So that's why..." Yu Hong suddenly understood.
The reason the Primordial White Stone had yearned for the Soul Ring of the Three-Headed Mutant Holy Light Sub-Dragon was that it needed the energy to hatch.
And now, it was using that energy to nourish itself.
With the Primordial White Stone's help, the pressure of absorbing the Soul Ring eased considerably.
He began refining the Soul Ring energy in an orderly fashion, converting it into his own Soul Power.
Time passed second by second.
Yu Tieshan and the other team members watched Yu Hong nervously, ready to rush in and save him at any moment.
A quarter of an hour passed.
Yu Hong's face was still pale, but his body showed no signs of anything wrong.
Half an hour passed.
Yu Hong's breathing gradually steadied, and color began to return to his face.
An hour passed.
Yu Hong opened his eyes and let out a long breath of stale air.
"I did it."
Yu Tieshan and the other team members all breathed a sigh of relief, their faces filled with disbelief.
"Lord Yu Hong, you... you really did it?!" Yu Tieshan's voice trembled.
A Soul Master at level twenty had actually succeeded in absorbing a two-thousand-year Soul Ring!
It was simply unbelievable!
Yu Hong stood up, stretched his body, and felt the surging power within him.
Although the Primordial White Stone inside him had absorbed most of his Soul Power, it had at least shown him some mercy and left him enough to gain two levels.
His level had now reached twenty-two.
His second Soul Skill was called Light Guidance. It wasn't an attack skill, but a support skill that doubled the strength of himself and his allies.
If Blue-Eyes White Dragon was present, he could instantly teleport himself to the side of any White Dragon.
Not bad.
Yu Hong silently evaluated the effects of his second Soul Skill.
Yu Tieshan came over and asked respectfully, "Lord Yu Hong, shall we head back now?"
Yu Hong thought for a moment and said, "Mm."
On the way back to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, the atmosphere was completely different from when they had set out.
Yu Tieshan kept stealing glances at Yu Hong as he walked ahead, his eyes full of awe.
A two-thousand-year Soul Ring, absorbed successfully by a Soul Master at level twenty.
There were probably only a handful of such cases in the entire history of the Douluo Continent.
"Lord Yu Hong, how are you feeling? Are you unwell at all?" Yu Tieshan couldn't help asking.
Yu Hong looked back at him and smiled, shaking his head. "I'm fine. I feel great."
"That's good, that's good." Yu Tieshan nodded again and again, his worries finally easing a little.
The other team members also breathed a sigh of relief.
They had watched Yu Hong absorb that two-thousand-year Soul Ring with their own eyes. The whole process had been hair-raising, and several times they had thought Yu Hong wouldn't be able to hold on.
In the end, not only had Yu Hong held on, he had successfully absorbed it.
That kid was a monster.
A day later, the group returned to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
"Lord Yu Hong, go back and rest first. I'll report to the deputy clan leader," Yu Tieshan said.
"All right. Sorry for the trouble, Captain Yu," Yu Hong replied with a nod.
Yu Tieshan led several team members toward Yu Luomian's courtyard, while Yu Hong returned to his own quarters.
In Yu Luomian's courtyard.
Yu Luomian was sitting at a stone table, drinking tea. Hearing footsteps, he looked up and saw Yu Tieshan returning with the others.
"You're back?" Yu Luomian set down his teacup, a smile appearing on his face. "How did the Soul Hunting go? Was it successful?"
Yu Tieshan stepped forward, his expression somewhat complicated.
"Deputy Clan Leader, the Soul Hunting... went well."
"Good, that's good." Yu Luomian nodded. "Did Yu Hong absorb the fifteen-hundred-year Holy Light Sub-Dragon?"
Yu Tieshan shook his head.
Yu Luomian paused. "No? Which one did he absorb, then?"
"Deputy Clan Leader, that Holy Light Sub-Dragon... mutated." Yu Tieshan took a deep breath and recounted everything in detail.
"...When we reached our destination, we discovered that the Holy Light Sub-Dragon had turned into a Three-Headed Mutant Holy Light Sub-Dragon, and its age had increased from fifteen hundred years to two thousand years."
"What?!" Yu Luomian's expression changed at once. "A two-thousand-year mutant Soul Beast? Then how did you..."
He suddenly realized something and sprang to his feet.
"What about Yu Hong? Is he all right?!"
"Lord Yu Hong is fine," Yu Tieshan hurriedly replied. "Not only is he fine, he also... successfully absorbed that two-thousand-year Soul Ring."
Yu Luomian froze.
He thought he must have misheard.
"What did you say?"
"Lord Yu Hong successfully absorbed that two-thousand-year Soul Ring." Yu Tieshan repeated himself, his voice full of emotion. "I watched him absorb it with my own eyes. The whole process was dangerous, but in the end, he succeeded."
Yu Luomian stood rooted to the spot, his mind completely blank.
A two-thousand-year Soul Ring?
A Soul Master at level twenty?
He had absorbed it successfully?
This... how was that possible?!
"Deputy Clan Leader? Deputy Clan Leader?" Yu Tieshan called out twice when Yu Luomian didn't respond for a long time.
Only then did Yu Luomian come back to his senses. He grabbed Yu Tieshan by the shoulders and asked excitedly, "Is what you said true? Yu Hong really absorbed a two-thousand-year Soul Ring?!"
"Absolutely!" Yu Tieshan nodded earnestly, though Yu Luomian's grip hurt a little. "We all saw it with our own eyes. There's no way it could be false!"
Yu Luomian let go, still somewhat dazed.
In all his years, he had met countless geniuses, but never anyone like Yu Hong.
Twelve years old, level twenty, absorbing a two-thousand-year Soul Ring.
Such a thing was practically unheard of!
"Hahahaha!"
Yu Luomian suddenly threw his head back and laughed, his laughter brimming with delight and pride.
"Good! Good! Good!"
He said "good" three times, unable to wipe the smile from his face.
Yu Tieshan and the other team members looked at one another, unable to understand why the deputy clan leader was so happy.
"You can go rest now. You've worked hard this time." Yu Luomian waved a hand. "I'll give each of you a reward later."
"Thank you, Deputy Clan Leader!"
Yu Tieshan led the others away.
After they left, Yu Luomian sat alone in the courtyard, his smile still lingering.
"A two-thousand-year Soul Ring..." he murmured. "That kid Yu Hong has given me the biggest surprise of my life."
He thought of his daughter, Liu Erlong.
Liu Erlong would arrive in a few days.
When she did, he would have to do his best to bring Yu Hong and Liu Erlong together.
With the talent Yu Hong had shown, it was practically certain that he would become a Titled Douluo in the future.
He might even become a level-ninety-nine Titled Douluo!
Before you continue