"An ability?"
Ban Shu closed the book in his hands and smiled faintly. "The Demon-Devouring Mosquito's ability is simple. Their long, needle-like proboscises can suck Soul Power from the bodies of Soul Masters or Soul Beasts."
"The victim won't even feel it, but after their Soul Power is drained, they'll suffer a series of negative effects. That's why both Soul Masters and Soul Beasts hate this species."
"Eww, what a strange ability. I'd hate them too."
Bibi Dong rubbed her arms with a look of disgust. "So, Xiao Ban, you picked this Soul Beast because you liked its ability to absorb Soul Power?"
"Exactly."
Ban Shu nodded. "In my previous battles, I discovered my weakness: my Soul Power is relatively low. If I get caught up in a group fight, I could easily be surrounded and killed."
"To make up for that, I spent time searching the Spirit Hall library and found this kind of Soul Beast."
"Your Soul Power isn't low at all, you know?"
Bibi Dong looked rather speechless. Ban Shu was talking nonsense. She had never seen anyone with Soul Power as strong as his.
Most Soul Masters around level twenty or thirty didn't have much Soul Power in reserve, and could only use a limited number of Soul Skills. How could they compare to Ban Shu, who could spend his Soul Power so freely?
If everyone were like him, they'd soon exhaust their Soul Power and become lambs waiting to be slaughtered. And he still wasn't satisfied?
"All right, we should get going."
Ban Shu unfolded the map and took a look. "We're still a long way from there. We probably won't arrive until the afternoon."
"But there's no need to hurry. The Demon-Devouring Mosquitoes only come out to feed at night."
That night, the group reached the Demon-Devouring Mosquitoes' habitat.
Since the Demon-Devouring Mosquitoes were dangerous, Golden Crocodile Douluo was going to capture one himself. Ban Shu and the others waited where they were.
"Grandpa Golden Crocodile."
Ban Shu called out to Golden Crocodile Douluo. "Based on my own estimate, I should be able to absorb a Soul Ring at least four thousand years old for my third ring. With my Martial Soul, five thousand years should be within reach."
Golden Crocodile Douluo frowned. "Are you sure? Xiao Ban, you need to think this through."
Based on past experience, the maximum age for a Soul Elder's third Soul Ring was only around seventeen hundred years. Ban Shu was jumping straight to five thousand. That seemed a little far-fetched.
"Mm."
Ban Shu nodded. "I trust my judgment. I haven't been wrong before."
During this time, Ban Shu had trained his body day after day, supplementing his efforts with Whale Rubber and precious medicinal herbs. His body was now exceptionally resilient.
On top of that, the Painted Halberd could absorb excess Soul Power, so a five-thousand-year Soul Ring wasn't impossible.
Golden Crocodile Douluo fell silent. Then Qian Xunji spoke up unexpectedly. "Uncle Golden Crocodile, let him try. I believe in Xiao Ban."
"Oh?"
Golden Crocodile looked at him in surprise. The last time Ban Shu had tried to absorb a Soul Ring beyond his level, Qian Xunji had been the first to stop him. He hadn't expected him to agree so readily this time.
"I believe in him."
"All right."
Golden Crocodile Douluo finally agreed and headed deeper into the forest with Qian Xunji to search for a suitable Soul Beast.
"Teacher, Grandpa Golden Crocodile, for every thousand years of age, a Demon-Devouring Mosquito's proboscis grows ten centimeters longer."
"Understood."
Qian Xunji replied, then disappeared into the woods.
A while later, two powerful auras suddenly erupted from the forest. It seemed Qian Xunji and Golden Crocodile had made their move.
Sure enough, before long, the two returned, carrying a giant mosquito over a meter long.
At the sight of the enormous mosquito, Bibi Dong instinctively hid behind Ban Shu and buried her face against his shoulder.
"It's all right. Teacher and Grandpa Golden Crocodile have already subdued it, haven't they?"
Ban Shu patted Bibi Dong, then stepped forward.
"Xiao Ban, absorb it quickly."
Qian Xunji tossed the mosquito down at Ban Shu's feet.
"Mm."
Without hesitation, Ban Shu summoned the Painted Halberd and killed the Demon-Devouring Mosquito with a single strike. A deep purple Soul Ring slowly rose into the air.
Ban Shu quickly sat cross-legged and drew the Soul Ring toward himself.
Meanwhile, Qian Xunji and the other two stood guard over him.
As soon as the Soul Ring entered his body, a powerful force surged through him. Ban Shu's expression changed. He had still underestimated the might of a five-thousand-year Soul Ring.
Though the Demon-Devouring Mosquito was unusual, it wasn't a particularly powerful Soul Beast. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been ostracized so badly.
Even so, its five-thousand-year age put Ban Shu under immense pressure. Countless streams of powerful Soul Power rampaged through his meridians, as if they were going to tear him apart.
Fortunately, his Painted Halberd Martial Soul began to work. Thin bolts of purple lightning wrapped around Ban Shu, gradually eroding the excess Soul Power inside his body.
Before long, Ban Shu's expression began to settle, and absorbing the Soul Ring became smoother and smoother.
With Ban Shu and his Martial Soul working together, he successfully absorbed the five-thousand-year Soul Ring.
Qian Xunji kept his eyes fixed on Ban Shu the entire time. When he saw the pain on Ban Shu's face, he instinctively moved to intervene.
But based on Ban Shu's experience absorbing his first two Soul Rings, he knew nothing would go wrong at this point, so he forced himself to hold back.
Just as expected, Ban Shu soon calmed down.
Qian Xunji breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed everything was fine. At the same time, he was a little puzzled. Ban Shu's Martial Soul Avatar was incredible—it could actually help its master absorb a Soul Ring. He had no idea what its origins were.
Time passed second by second, and Ban Shu's absorption of the Soul Ring gradually neared its end. No accidents occurred. Everything went smoothly, just as it should.
Absorbing a five-thousand-year Soul Ring took a long time. Several hours passed, and it was nearly dawn before Ban Shu finally let out a soft breath. He opened his eyes and smiled at the three of them. "Teacher, Grandpa Golden Crocodile, Sister, I did it."
"How did it go?"
Bibi Dong asked curiously. "Did you get the Soul Skill you wanted?"
"Mm."
A smile spread across Ban Shu's face. "Not only that, I got an unexpected bonus, too."
"My third Soul Skill is called Demon Devour. As the name suggests, as long as my Soul Skill hits an enemy, I can take their Soul Power and use it myself. And as long as I can handle it, there's no limit to how much Soul Power I can take."
"Also, after their Soul Power is taken, it disrupts its circulation and leaves them briefly paralyzed. So it doubles as a minor control Soul Skill."
Ban Shu was very satisfied with this Soul Skill. Put simply, landing a skill gave him resources—but in the real world, it was an exceedingly rare divine ability.
He had searched for a long time before finding a suitable Soul Beast in an ancient book.
"What a terrifying Soul Skill. It combines stamina and control. No wonder it came from a five-thousand-year Soul Ring," Qian Xunji said with a sigh.
"Mm."
Ban Shu nodded, his smile growing even wider. "That's not all. I got another unexpected reward."
"An unexpected reward?"
The three of them were stunned by Ban Shu's words.
Before you continue