Tang San's Second Soul Ring (Part 1)

Duan Fan took less than four hours to complete the absorption of the 6,300-year-old Three-Eyed Griffin soul ring.

The process was safe and uneventful, though there was one moment where Duan Fan's soul power fluctuated violently.

Ghost Leopard Douluo had been ready to intervene, but Duan Fan quickly stabilized himself.

At this moment, Duan Fan stood before Ghost Leopard Douluo, showcasing his newly acquired third soul ring.

Compared to his 1,500-year-old Second Soul Ring, this 6,300-year-old third soul ring was much deeper in color, bordering on a profound purple.

Ghost Leopard Douluo looked Duan Fan up and down, sensing the soul power fluctuations radiating from him, and smiled. "You brat, you're truly impressive. You should be at level 34 soul power now; every time you advance and absorb a soul ring, it brings a massive boost."

"Though, it makes sense. A 6,300-year-old soul ring already exceeds the limit for a normal Soul Master's fourth soul ring. It's only natural that you'd gain such a significant boost by absorbing it."

"If it were anyone else, trying to absorb a six-thousand-year-old soul ring as their third would likely result in their body exploding shortly after starting."

Hearing this, Duan Fan felt the abundant soul power within him and muttered, "Level 34 soul power, huh?"

Ghost Leopard Douluo raised an eyebrow. "What? You're not satisfied with such a huge increase, you brat?"

"Level 30 is a hurdle for Soul Masters; many never manage to break through it in their entire lives. Even after reaching the Soul Exalt level, further increases in soul power become increasingly difficult."

"The boost you've gained from this soul ring is enough to keep most Soul Exalts working hard for several years."

Duan Fan gave a sheepish smile. "I'm not dissatisfied at all; I'm extremely satisfied!"

A soul power level of 34 was exactly within Duan Fan's estimates.

In the original story, Tang San absorbed a Human-Faced Demon Spider soul ring that exceeded his limit by over two thousand years, raising his soul power to level 32.

It was only logical that Duan Fan, having absorbed a soul ring over six thousand years old, would reach level 34.

If it weren't for the fact that every level of soul power becomes harder to gain after reaching the Soul Exalt stage, the boost from a six-thousand-year-old ring would likely have pushed him even higher than level 34.

Ghost Leopard Douluo's gaze fell on Duan Fan's third soul ring. "Alright, show me your third soul skill."

Duan Fan immediately dropped his playful expression and nodded. "Yes, Grandpa Ghost Leopard!"

In the next second, the third soul ring on Duan Fan's body suddenly bloomed with deep purple light. He gripped the Fantasy Pen and swung his arm.

Blue lines flowed from the tip of the pen, spreading out in the air like water.

He first drew three eyes, then accelerated his strokes. The outline of a griffin gradually took shape; steel-blue feathers spread out layer by layer, wings unfurled, talons curved, and an obsidian-like eagle beak was outlined with sharp precision.

In just a moment, a complete Three-Eyed Griffin appeared in mid-air, its ink-wash style lines glowing with a faint blue light, appearing incredibly lifelike.

Then, the light retracted, and the Three-Eyed Griffin came fully to life, flapping its wings and landing on the ground.

This Three-Eyed Griffin was a size larger than the one they had hunted earlier.

Its body length exceeded five meters, its wingspan stretched nearly twelve meters, and its steel-blue feathers were distinct, shimmering with a metallic luster.

Although the third eye on its forehead was closed, one could feel the incredibly dense energy contained within—far beyond what a six-thousand-year-old beast should possess, at least on the level of a nine-thousand-year-old one.

Duan Fan pointed toward a row of trees not far away.

The third eye on the Three-Eyed Griffin's forehead suddenly snapped open, and purple-gold light condensed into a beam, shooting out violently.

The beam pierced through the trunk of the first tree, leaving a hole the size of a washbasin. Without stopping, it continued through the second, the third, and did not dissipate until it had passed through the fourteenth tree.

The trunks were all marked with identical round holes, their edges charred black, completely pierced through from front to back.

Immediately after, the Three-Eyed Griffin flapped its massive wings and took to the air, carving an arc through the sky with incredible speed, the wind pressure from its movement flattening the grass below.

It dove down, its right claw swiping through the air. Several translucent wind blades condensed in front of its talons, silently sweeping across the ground and slicing into a few nearby trees. The bark exploded, revealing fresh wood underneath, the cuts as smooth as if they had been carved with a blade.

Ghost Leopard Douluo looked at the marks left by the wind blades and nodded slightly.

"Very strong. If you calculate the age of the Three-Eyed Griffin you drew based on soul beast standards, it's at least nine thousand years old. It no longer fears a five-ring Soul King, and even against a Soul Emperor, it has the strength to put up a fight."

"How many can you draw?"

Duan Fan replied, "Four."

Ghost Leopard Douluo gave a dry laugh. "Four again?"

"If I remember correctly, when you drew the two-thousand-year-old Black Flame Demon Fox for your second soul ring, it was also four."

"In time, when you are able to draw a hundred-thousand-year-old soul beast, will it still be four?"

Duan Fan laughed. "I'm not sure about that."

"I should be able to draw more than ten Black Flame Demon Foxes now, and the ones I draw should be stronger as well."

"Would you like me to demonstrate, Grandpa Ghost Leopard?"

Ghost Leopard Douluo shook his head with a smile. "Forget it. Seeing you draw a nine-thousand-year-old Three-Eyed Griffin is enough. You can study your other soul skills slowly in the future."

"It's time for us to return."

"Understood." Duan Fan nodded.

After Duan Fan returned to the Spirit Hall Academy with his third soul ring, it didn't take long for a massive stir to ripple through the school. The students' discussions aside, the teachers' debates never ceased, and even the Dean of the Spirit Hall Academy was alarmed.

However, as Duan Fan was the disciple of the Second Consecrated of the Consecrated Hall, no one dared to disturb him.

This commotion lasted for two months before gradually subsiding. Duan Fan's life remained largely unaffected, clearly due to the intervention of those in power.

In the blink of an eye, another two years passed.

Duan Fan stepped into the Soul Ancestor rank at the age of eight, his fourth soul ring being a 23,000-year-old Golden Armored Earth Dragon.

Now nine years old, his soul power level had already reached level 47.

The further a Soul Master progressed in their cultivation, the more difficult it became; the 23,000-year soul ring had granted Duan Fan a three-level increase in soul power.

The subsequent four levels of soul power were something he had spent an entire year of cultivation to obtain.

At nine years old, a level 47 Soul Ancestor with a soul ring configuration of yellow, purple, purple, and black, Duan Fan had already become a legend at Spirit Hall Academy.

Even within the entirety of Spirit Hall, he was a well-deserved genius and prodigy.

On this day, after finishing his daily cultivation, Duan Fan did not rush to leave his training grounds, but instead checked on the current status of Tang San.

Lines of text appeared before Duan Fan's eyes. Skipping over some trivial matters, he found the information he was focused on in the final few paragraphs.

After three years, Tang San's soul power level had finally risen from his initial level 11 to level 20.

This meant that Tang San was finally about to obtain his Second Soul Ring.

The opportunity to manipulate Tang San's fate had arrived along with it.