The Fifth Soul Ring

The wound on his right hand healed faster than expected; within three days, it had completely closed, leaving not even a scar.

Over the next three months, Xiao Hongchen followed his training plan step-by-step, dedicating most of his time to physical conditioning, metal manipulation, and meditation. He only set aside his mornings to follow Teacher Xuan and study the project of sealed Milk Bottles.

Despite this, all the soul cannons on his body had been upgraded to Level 5.

Furthermore, he had successfully opened the Undead Semi-Plane and mastered some basic Necromancy.

To aid his physical conditioning, he had specifically instructed the butler, Pin Hongchen, to purchase a large quantity of Whale Rubber.

It was baffling that the original owner had never consumed it before. Since he had already relied on medicinal aids to absorb soul rings beyond his limit, why hadn't he used Whale Rubber to build a foundation beforehand?

According to measurements from his soul guidance instruments, his body was now capable of bearing a soul ring of over forty thousand years, and his Soul Power had finally broken through to level fifty.

It was time to start the hunt.

After informing his grandfather of the good news regarding his breakthrough to level fifty, Jing Hongchen took him out of Ming Capital that very day.

Long before Xiao Hongchen had even reached his bottleneck, Jing Hongchen had already dispatched three Level 7 Soul Engineers from Mingde Hall to the Jingyang Mountain Range to scout for a suitable soul beast.

The target had been confirmed: a Quicksilver Morph Beast with forty thousand years of cultivation. It was a variant of the same species as the soul beast the original owner had absorbed for his fifth soul ring, but because it had fed on mercury for years, it had mutated into a new species.

This soul beast lived in mineral veins rich in rare metals and could shape its body into all sorts of bizarre forms.

When faced with a crisis, it could briefly turn its body into liquid mercury, becoming immune to physical attacks while simultaneously transforming into a violent torrent of liquid mercury to devour its enemies.

Those who were devoured would suffer from mercury poisoning that seeped into their bones, causing their Soul Power to dissipate continuously, making it an incredibly difficult opponent to deal with.

It was precisely because of this life-saving skill that it had managed to escape the encirclement of the three Level 7 Soul Engineers.

Fortunately, they had managed to plant a tracking mark within the mercury flow, so no matter how the Quicksilver Morph Beast reshaped itself, the mark would continue to emit a positioning signal.

The destination of Xiao Hongchen's trip was the current hiding place of that very soul beast.

Under the high-speed flight of Jing Hongchen, the grandfather and grandson soon entered the Jingyang Mountain Range.

Looking down from high above, the Jingyang Mountain Range resembled a giant spider, or perhaps an eight-legged octopus crawling across the earth; it was gloomy and majestic, with an undisguised ferocity hidden within its grandeur.

Although both were habitats for soul beasts, the feeling this place gave Xiao Hongchen was completely different from the Star Dou Great Forest.

The Star Dou Great Forest was deep and boundless, ancient and silent.

But the Jingyang Mountain Range was different; every ridge here looked like a bristling mane, and every dense forest looked like a row of snarling fangs.

Perhaps its heritage could not compare to the Star Dou Great Forest, but it was more aggressive and far less restrained.

Jing Hongchen flew him over six mountain peaks, finally slowing to a stop near the seventh.

This was already considered the core area of the Jingyang Mountain Range, where only ten-thousand-year soul beasts and a few exceptionally gifted thousand-year soul beasts were qualified to reside.

Jing Hongchen hovered in mid-air, his gaze locked onto a hidden valley below as he spoke in a low voice:

"Found it. It's right there."

As the words fell, a silver-gray figure slowly emerged, clearly having sensed the intruders.

This massive Quicksilver Morph Beast was composed entirely of flowing liquid mercury, its surface constantly shifting in form.

It had no fixed shell, and its entire body rippled slightly, like a mass of liquid metal imbued with life, exuding a cold and dangerous aura.

The next moment, its body suddenly liquefied, and its entire form transformed into a surging silver torrent, lunging toward the two of them.

Jing Hongchen's eyes narrowed. He raised his right hand, and a brilliant golden curtain of light instantly unfolded.

The liquid torrent of the Quicksilver Morph Beast slammed into the light curtain, emitting a harsh, sizzling sound. The highly toxic mercury flow corroded the barrier continuously, yet it could never break through Jing Hongchen's defense.

The repelled liquid quickly reorganized in mid-air, turning into a hideous mercury-silver python. It opened its maw, which was lined with sharp spikes, and lunged again.

Xiao Hongchen's gaze sharpened as he whispered:

"Grandfather, its liquid form can immunize it against most physical attacks, and it can release mercury poison... We must disrupt the rhythm of its shaping."

Jing Hongchen nodded. He released his level ninety-four Soul Power without reservation, and the powerful pressure of his Soul Power descended like a mountain.

He pointed a finger, and a streak of golden Soul Power shot out like a spear, aiming directly for the core of the Quicksilver Morph Beast.

The Quicksilver Morph Beast seemed to sense the danger; its body instantly dispersed into dozens of tiny mercury streams, attempting to bypass the attack from different angles.

Jing Hongchen let out a cold snort. His Soul Power erupted, and the golden light curtain expanded instantly, enveloping all the mercury streams and forcibly suppressing its ability to change form.

The Quicksilver Morph Beast let out an angry, low roar. Its surface churned violently, but it could not break free from Jing Hongchen's suppression.

Its form flickered constantly between solid and liquid, becoming increasingly sluggish.

Xiao Hongchen stood to the side, not rushing to strike, but carefully observing the characteristics of the soul beast.

"As expected... its weakness lies in its core shaping point. As long as I disrupt the rhythm of its liquid reorganization, it cannot quickly solidify to launch a counterattack."

Xiao Hongchen's eyes grew sharp, and he did not hesitate.

He stomped his right foot hard, and a full one hundred Level 5 soul cannons instantly appeared behind him. They were all the latest models he had personally upgraded in Mingde Hall, and each muzzle shimmered with a blinding golden light.

"Combine!"

Following his low shout, the soul cannons moved rapidly in mid-air, reorganizing as if being forcibly spliced together by an invisible hand.

The cannon barrels interlocked, their core arrays resonating with one another as the previously scattered Soul Power fluctuations stacked frantically, converging into a terrifying torrent of energy.

The muzzles aimed in a single direction, the golden beams of light gradually merging until they finally condensed into a single, massive Super Energy-Gathering Soul Cannon over three meters in diameter.

Jing Hongchen's pupils constricted, and he murmured in admiration:

"Good lad... This power already surpasses that of an ordinary Level 7 soul cannon."

The Quicksilver Morph Beast seemed to sense a lethal threat, its body liquefying frantically into a silver torrent as it attempted to evade in its liquid form.

Yet, under the suppression of Jing Hongchen's rank 94 Soul Power, it could not move an inch.

Xiao Hongchen pointed his right hand forward, his voice calm yet carrying an unquestionable pressure:

"Blast it away."

The muzzle of the Super Energy-Gathering Soul Cannon suddenly flared with a blindingly brilliant golden-red beam.

In that instant, the entire valley was illuminated as bright as day.

Carrying the momentum to destroy heaven and earth, the beam tore through the air and slammed instantly into the core of the Quicksilver Morph Beast's liquid body.

"BOOM—!!!"

An earth-shattering explosion rang out.

Under this strike, the Quicksilver Morph Beast's liquid body could not maintain its form at all; most of the mercury fluid was instantly vaporized, its core region was pierced straight through, and the highly toxic silver-gray liquid splattered in every direction, only to be rapidly vaporized by the aftermath of the golden-red beam.

It let out one final, shrill scream, its entire body twisting violently before finally collapsing limply, reduced to a pool of flowing, silver-gray residue.