Nine-Tails

Duan Fan slowly opened his eyes, a dense ripple of soul power radiating from his body.

A purple soul ring rose slowly from beneath him, finally settling over the century-old soul ring he already possessed, the pressure of a thousand-year soul ring fully revealed.

A hint of admiration appeared in Ghost Leopard Douluo's eyes: "You kid are quite impressive. You absorbed a fifteen-hundred-year soul ring steadily, and your soul power level jumped directly to twenty-four."

"If this old man remembers correctly, you are only just over six years old. To possess twenty-four levels of soul power before the age of seven, with your second soul ring being a thousand-year one, is truly a rarity in this world."

As Ghost Leopard Douluo spoke, a flash of reminiscence crossed his face, and he sighed inwardly: "Aside from you, this old man has only seen one other person possess such soul power at this age, though her soul rings were not as exaggerated as yours."

Duan Fan stood up, bowed, and cupped his fists: "Many thanks to Grandpa Ghost Leopard for taking me to obtain my second soul ring!"

Ghost Leopard Douluo laughed: "I didn't expect a little tyke like you to be so polite; you're much better behaved than that little ancestor of mine."

"Come, let your Grandpa Ghost Leopard see what your second soul skill from this thousand-year soul ring is like."

With the strength of a Title Douluo, Ghost Leopard Douluo naturally had no interest in a mere thousand-year soul skill.

What truly interested Ghost Leopard Douluo was Duan Fan himself, as well as his Martial Soul.

He had long since learned from Wen Xiyue about the uniqueness of Duan Fan's Martial Soul and his special soul skills. Today, he had seen with his own eyes Duan Fan bringing his drawings to life; such a soul skill was indeed rare.

It was precisely for this reason that Ghost Leopard Douluo had a sliver of interest in Duan Fan's second soul skill; otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered to ask.

"Alright, Grandpa Ghost Leopard."

Duan Fan agreed immediately. Even if Ghost Leopard Douluo hadn't asked, he wanted to release his second soul skill to see it for himself.

The moment he successfully absorbed the thousand-year Black Flame Demon Fox soul ring, Duan Fan had already gained an epiphany regarding his second soul skill, and his heart surged with excitement.

Duan Fan shifted his feet, turned his direction, and faced an open space ahead.

"Grandpa Ghost Leopard, this second soul skill of mine is called Nine-Tails. Please, take a look!"

Duan Fan introduced it with a smile, and then the purple thousand-year soul ring on his body suddenly lit up.

The next second, Duan Fan gripped his Fantasy Pen and waved it with a broad stroke.

Black lines flowed from the tip of the pen, spreading rapidly like ink, and in an instant, they formed the outline of a fox.

As Duan Fan continued to wave his pen, in just a moment, the Black Flame Demon Fox was drawn by him, appearing in mid-air with the style of an ink wash painting, looking incredibly vivid.

What was most eye-catching was that the Black Flame Demon Fox Duan Fan had drawn actually possessed nine tails.

As the painting was completed, the Nine-Tailed Black Flame Demon Fox suddenly came to life, growing larger in the wind until it transformed into a massive demon fox over five meters long. Its entire body radiated an oppressive, fierce aura, and the nine tails behind it danced gently, as if filled with immense power.

"Nine-Tails, interesting."

Ghost Leopard Douluo watched the Nine-Tailed Black Flame Demon Fox that Duan Fan had drawn, and the look of interest on his face increased a little more.

When Duan Fan said his second soul skill was Nine-Tails, Ghost Leopard Douluo had been curious about what form it would take.

But upon seeing Duan Fan wave the Fantasy Pen, Ghost Leopard Douluo understood immediately.

Knowing that Duan Fan's second soul skill was still based on bringing drawings to life, most of his interest faded.

However, seeing that Duan Fan's drawing method was completely different from his first soul skill, and that his speed was incredibly fast, Ghost Leopard Douluo couldn't help but take a few more looks.

Finally, the Nine-Tailed Black Flame Demon Fox appeared, and its unique appearance didn't surprise the well-traveled Ghost Leopard Douluo too much.

It was only because its appearance differed greatly from an ordinary Black Flame Demon Fox that Ghost Leopard Douluo took a few extra glances.

"Judging by the size of this Black Flame Demon Fox, its age exceeds two thousand years. A two-thousand-year Soul Beast is enough to deal with an ordinary Soul Exalt, and it might even have the strength to fight a Soul Ancestor."

"Especially since this Black Flame Demon Fox of yours has nine tails; I imagine its combat power will be even stronger."

"How many of these Black Flame Demon Foxes can you draw?"

Ghost Leopard Douluo looked at Duan Fan and asked.

Duan Fan pondered for a moment and said: "I can draw four in succession."

Having crossed the threshold of level twenty, Duan Fan's soul power had increased exponentially.

Even though drawing a Nine-Tailed Black Flame Demon Fox consumed a significant amount of soul power, Duan Fan could still draw four in a row.

"Oh? You can actually draw four?"

Ghost Leopard Douluo was slightly surprised upon hearing this: "To be able to draw four Soul Beasts with the combat power of a Soul Exalt in succession—your soul skill is truly quite special."

"Logically speaking, such a soul skill should consume a great deal of soul power."

"I originally thought two would be your limit."

As Ghost Leopard Douluo spoke, his gaze fell upon the Fantasy Pen in Duan Fan's hand, and a look of realization suddenly appeared on his face: "That's true, a Martial Soul that grants you Full Innate Soul Power is inherently special, so the soul skills it brings you should also be special."

"With your current soul power, using your first soul skill should be even easier, right? How many Dream-Weaving Spiders can you draw?"

Duan Fan looked thoughtful again and quickly gave his answer: "I should be able to draw about ten without a problem. To be specific, I would have to draw them to know for sure."

Ghost Leopard Douluo nodded gently, then his gaze fell back onto the Nine-Tailed Black Flame Demon Fox: "Control it to attack me with all its might; I'll help you test its combat power."

Duan Fan was naturally eager to do so and nodded quickly: "Alright!"

Under the control of Duan Fan's will, the Nine-Tailed Black Flame Demon Fox opened its large mouth and spat out a sheet of black flames, which swept toward Ghost Leopard Douluo.

These black flames naturally could not harm Ghost Leopard Douluo in the slightest, but the heat waves and scorching aura they emitted were enough to prove the terrifying high temperature within.

Ghost Leopard Douluo stood calmly in place, the black flames stopping dead one meter in front of him, as if they had struck an invisible barrier.

The Nine-Tails Black Flame Demon Fox naturally possessed more than just this one method of attack; spewing black flames was merely preparation for what was to come.

The Nine-Tails Black Flame Demon Fox charged straight into the black flames, its body suffering not the slightest burn, but instead absorbing the special power within to suddenly surge in size.

From its original length of five meters, it instantly grew to seven meters. Including its tails, its total length now exceeded ten meters, and its shoulder height surpassed four meters, making it look like a true behemoth.

After its size increased, the Nine-Tails Black Flame Demon Fox opened its mouth once more. This time, it did not spew flames, but instead condensed a massive black fireball and launched it toward Ghost Leopard Douluo.

Just like the black flames, even though the black fireball had a higher temperature and greater power, it was forced to stop dead one meter in front of Ghost Leopard Douluo.

"Explode!"

Duan Fan focused his mind.

The black fireball suddenly detonated, unleashing a wave of fiery shock that possessed considerable power.

However, such an attack still amounted to nothing before Ghost Leopard Douluo, who possessed the strength of a Titled Douluo.

Ghost Leopard Douluo stood with his hands behind his back the entire time, allowing the fiery shock to wash over him without sustaining the slightest bit of damage.

Duan Fan had long anticipated this result; there was no change in his expression, only a look of focus.

After unleashing the fireball attack, he immediately commanded the Nine-Tails Black Flame Demon Fox to strike at Ghost Leopard Douluo using its physical strength.

Just as before, no matter how the Nine-Tails Black Flame Demon Fox charged, it could never break through the invisible barrier in front of Ghost Leopard Douluo.

"That's enough."

Ghost Leopard Douluo spoke calmly, and having stood with his hands behind his back the entire time, he finally made a move.