Xiao Shan's body surged with mighty Soul Power.
Then, eight Soul Rings—two yellow, two purple, and four black—emerged from beneath his feet, lining up neatly around him and radiating a heart-pounding aura in the dusk.
A pitch-black great cauldron appeared in his hands. Its body was ancient and unadorned, covered in patterns resembling those on Xiao Xiao's Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron, but it was heavier and more substantial, exuding a powerful sense of oppression honed by the passage of time.
He didn't charge straight into the rhino herd. Instead, after building up his Soul Power, he launched himself into the air and swept toward the heart of the herd.
At the heart of the Thick-Armored Iron Rhino herd, the largest of them all—the Thick-Armored Iron Rhino King, with roughly thirty thousand years of cultivation—was the first to sense danger.
It jerked its head up and instinctively let out a low warning. Then it pawed the ground with its forelegs, its thick armor gleaming dully.
But in the next instant,
a pitch-black great cauldron had appeared above it.
The cauldron hummed, and black suppressive power poured down like a waterfall, pinning the Thick-Armored Iron Rhino King and all the surrounding rhinos firmly in place.
The Thick-Armored Iron Rhino King struggled, but its limbs seemed nailed to the ground, and its massive body could not move an inch.
At the same time, Xiao Shan had taken the opportunity to land near the center of the herd.
He struck with incredible speed, grabbing one of the medium-sized Thick-Armored Iron Rhinos. His fingers clamped around the edge of its armor, and then his Soul Power jolted violently.
The Thick-Armored Iron Rhino didn't even have time to make a sound before it fell unconscious. Xiao Shan lifted it whole.
"Go!"
Xiao Shan shouted toward the spot where the others were concealed in the distance, his figure already darting out of the herd.
The two Soul Kings had clearly been expecting this. Without a moment's hesitation, each took either Jiang Ci'an or Xiao Xiao and hurried away.
As Xiao Shan moved farther away, his Martial Soul's suppressive power, which had spread across the entire Thick-Armored Iron Rhino herd, abruptly dissipated.
The herd immediately erupted into chaos. Low growls rose and fell as iron hooves shook the ground.
But when they looked around, they couldn't find a clear target. All that remained was the lakeshore, crowded with their own kind, and an unfamiliar scent lingering in the air.
In the end, the rhinos could only growl a few times before reluctantly beginning their migration early.
Evening.
A naturally formed cave.
The entrance was small, just wide enough for two or three people to enter shoulder to shoulder, but the cave itself was unexpectedly spacious, with room for more than a dozen people to use it as a temporary base.
The two Soul Kings stood guard on either side of the entrance, warily scanning the pitch-black forest outside.
Inside the cave, Elder Xiao and Jiang Ci'an sat on a rock, their eyes fixed on the Thick-Armored Iron Rhino's corpse nearby.
Xiao Xiao sat beside it, a small black cauldron floating in front of her. A clear yellow Soul Ring was drawn from the corpse, slowly circling the little cauldron before gradually sinking into it.
This Soul Ring was between four and five hundred years old.
For Xiao Xiao, who had never lacked nourishment as a child and had built a solid foundation, absorbing it wasn't difficult.
Jiang Ci'an stood not far away, golden light flickering in his pupils as he focused on watching Xiao Xiao absorb the Soul Ring.
He noticed something interesting.
Xiao Xiao... was growing taller.
Of course, nothing strange was happening. It was just that Xiao Xiao's body was undergoing some subtle changes.
She seemed to have grown a little taller. She had barely reached his chest before, but now she seemed to be a bit taller.
She was still a tiny little thing, but Jiang Ci'an was sure the change was real.
So absorbing Soul Rings could promote a Soul Master's physical development?
Jiang Ci'an pondered this.
That could also explain why Soul Masters on the Douluo Continent tended to mature early.
It wasn't for some strange reason. Rather, Soul Power itself nourished the body, while the energy surging through the body during Soul Ring absorption helped the bones and meridians grow.
It was like gaining a year or two out of nowhere.
Jiang Ci'an understood a little more and quietly watched Xiao Xiao absorb the Soul Ring.
Time trickled by.
At last, the clear yellow Soul Ring completely entered Xiao Xiao's body, settling firmly around her as it revolved slowly.
The fluctuations of Soul Power around her suddenly rose to a new level.
She opened her eyes, a glint flashing through her green pupils before fading. The little cauldron floating before her trembled, turned into a streak of black light, and sank into her palm.
"Phew—"
Xiao Xiao breathed out softly, her little face bearing the excitement of someone who had just tasted power for the first time.
Elder Xiao had already risen. He took a Soul Power tester from his Soul Tool and handed it to her.
"Test your Soul Power."
Xiao Xiao obediently took it, placed her little hand on it, and channeled her Soul Power.
Soon, a small number appeared.
"12."
Xiao Shan looked at the number and nodded, the wrinkles on his face relaxing a little.
With Innate Full Soul Power, she had smoothly reached level twelve after obtaining her First Soul Ring. Everything was proceeding as it should.
Jiang Ci'an stepped forward and asked, "How's your Soul Skill?"
Xiao Xiao lowered her eyes, as if sensing the new ability inside her. A moment later, she raised her head and answered earnestly:
"My First Soul Skill is called 'Weight of the Cauldron.'"
She held out her hand, and the phantom of a small black cauldron appeared in her palm as the clear yellow Soul Ring revolved around it.
"It increases the weight of the Soul-Suppressing Cauldron. How much its weight increases depends on how much Soul Power I put into it.
"If all three cauldrons are summoned, they can also work together for defense."
Jiang Ci'an breathed a small sigh of relief.
Though this effect wasn't as straightforward as Soul Skills that added various other effects, it offered plenty of room for development and wouldn't fall behind for a long time.
Elder Xiao nodded too, almost without realizing it.
Xiao Xiao's First Soul Skill was excellent, offering both offense and defense.
And they had only been in the Star Dou Great Forest for a day, yet they had already secured a Soul Ring for one of them. That was certainly heartening.
Elder Xiao smiled, then seemed to remember something and turned to look at Jiang Ci'an.
"By the way, Ci'an, you still haven't decided on your First Soul Ring, have you?"
Jiang Ci'an paused at that and said slowly, "Actually, I've already got an idea."
"You've got an idea?"
Xiao Shan raised an eyebrow.
Why did he suddenly have a bad feeling about this?
A month later.
The outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Beneath a shady tree.
Elder Xiao furrowed his brows, looking as if he wanted to say something, then thought better of it, only to want to say it again.
He stared at the gray mouse, about thirty or forty centimeters long, lying peacefully on the ground in front of Jiang Ci'an. After a long silence, he finally couldn't help asking:
"You're planning to use that as your Soul Ring?"
Jiang Ci'an nodded and lowered his eyes to the mouse lying there in a rather peaceful pose.
A Silent Form Mouse.
A gregarious, omnivorous Soul Beast whose innate ability was concealment. It had a touch of the Mental Attribute and could move without leaving a trace.
It usually acted at night, using its innate ability to attack small Soul Beasts sleeping soundly. Once it succeeded, it dragged them underground and ate them.
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