Ning Xiaochun's Steadiness!

At this moment, the excited Sword Douluo Chen Xin stepped forward, his voice booming like a bell:

"Good! Very good! Twin martial souls and innate full soul power! Xiaochun, your talent is the greatest I have ever seen in my life! There is no time to lose; Grandfather will take you to the Star Dou Forest right now to hunt the most suitable soul beast and obtain your first soul ring! With me by your side, I will certainly find you a top-tier soul ring!"

The Sword Douluo's words were filled with confidence and left no room for argument.

Before he could even finish, Ning Xiaochun shook his head like a rattle, his small face filled with terror and resistance.

"No, no, no! Absolutely not!" Ning Xiaochun repeated the word "no" three times, his voice rising an octave. "Sword Grandfather, the Star Dou Forest is too dangerous! Soul beasts are everywhere there. Ten-year or hundred-year ones are one thing, but what if we accidentally walk deep inside and run into a thousand-year, ten-thousand-year, or even a hundred-thousand-year beast? Even with you there, what if there's a soul beast stampede? What if a stronger beast ambushes us? What if I'm unlucky enough to step on a poisonous plant or fall into a swamp? It's too dangerous, the risk is just too high!"

Sword Douluo Chen Xin was choked up by this series of "what ifs," his old face turning slightly red.

As the dignified Sword Douluo Chen Xin, a level 96 power-attack Title Douluo, he was protecting a child to hunt for a first soul ring, yet he was being accused of being dangerous?

"Nonsense!" The Sword Douluo's mustache twitched. "With me here, what kind of accident could happen? In the outer perimeter of the Star Dou Forest, what soul beast could even get near you? You child, why are you so..."

Ning Xiaochun continued to shake his head, refusing to go no matter what.

The Sword Douluo felt terrible; how could there be such a cowardly soul master?

In the end, Ning Xiaochun proposed his own idea: have the Sword Douluo bring the soul beasts back to the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect for him to absorb.

That would be absolutely safe!

Three days later, at the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect's private beast-taming grounds behind the mountain.

It was less of a taming ground and more of an open-air cage reinforced with layers of protection.

At this moment, a dozen unconscious soul beasts lay scattered across the cage, ranging from hundred-year to thousand-year cultivation levels.

They were of various species, but without exception, they all bore clear marks of being gently restrained by powerful soul power, clearly intended to prevent them from waking up, going berserk, or self-harming.

Sword Douluo Chen Xin stood outside the cage with his arms crossed, his face darker than the bottom of a pot.

His white robes were spotless, but the faint, lingering scent of blood and vegetation from the Star Dou Forest that hadn't fully dissipated, along with the subtle, stifled frustration in his eyes, indicated that this "shopping" trip had not been very pleasant.

To think that he, Chen Xin, whose sword path was divine and whose Seven Kill Sword had claimed countless souls, had ever stooped to such tasks?

He had ventured deep into the Star Dou Forest, not to test his sword against those fierce, ten-thousand-year soul beasts, but to carefully control his strength to knock out these "little things" that were at most a few hundred years old.

"Kid, the soul beasts are back. Pick one!" the Sword Douluo said irritably to the tardy Ning Xiaochun.

He pointed at the sleeping soul beasts in the cage.

"They're all here..."

Accompanied by his father, Ning Fengzhi, and Bone Douluo Gu Rong, Ning Xiaochun cautiously approached the cage.

He poked his head through the sturdy soul-alloy bars, his small face filled with a serious and earnest scrutiny.

Ning Fengzhi looked at his son's overly cautious demeanor, feeling both amused and helpless. Bone Douluo watched with great interest, finding the little guy's thought process truly amusing.

"Huh, this 'Weakness Aura Beast' is six hundred years old? No, no, the energy fluctuation is too strong; there's definitely a risk in absorbing it. What if it blows out my meridians? A ninety-percent success rate? How is that any different from suicide? I, Ning Xiaochun, never do anything with a success rate lower than one hundred percent... no, ten thousand percent!"

"This 'Fatigue Lizard' is four hundred years old. The energy fluctuation is stable, its size is small, and it looks like the meat... ah, no, the soul power composition is relatively mild..."

Ning Xiaochun muttered to himself, holding a small notebook he had gotten from somewhere, recording as he observed.

Hearing his son's "ninety-percent success rate equals suicide" logic, Ning Fengzhi felt the veins on his forehead twitch. He took a deep breath, constantly telling himself:

He's my own flesh and blood, he has extraordinary talent, he's just a bit unique in personality...

The Sword Douluo's patience had reached its limit. He felt his Seven Kill Sword humming in its scabbard, wanting to come out and give the kid a swat on the backside.

"You brat! Have you picked one yet? Dithering like this, what kind of behavior is that! I didn't bring them back for you to hold an appreciation seminar!"

"Alright, alright, Sword Grandfather, just a second. Comparing products is only fair."

Ning Xiaochun didn't look back. Finally, his gaze locked onto a sleeping soul beast about the size of a house cat, with grayish-brown fur and a harmless appearance.

"This one! A four-hundred-year 'Soft Sable'! According to the description, its innate ability is to release an aura that relaxes the prey's muscles and leaves them powerless. It's mild, controllable, has few side effects, and the estimated absorption risk is less than 0.5 percent! Perfect!"

Everyone looked at the dusty, unremarkable "Soft Sable," then at the other soul beasts with more bizarre auras or higher cultivation ages.

They were speechless for a moment. This kid had truly carved the word "safety" into his soul ring.

"Decided?" Ning Fengzhi confirmed.

"Decided! This one! Lowest risk, moderate gain, highest cost-effectiveness!" Ning Xiaochun clenched his fist, looking determined.

Everything was ready. After killing the soul beast, a yellow soul ring rose.

However, Ning Xiaochun still felt it wasn't safe enough.

He took out one jade bottle after another from his robes and lined them up neatly on the ground in front of him.

"This is the 'Pulse Protection Pill' to prevent soul power surges from damaging my meridians."

"This is the 'Soul Guarding Paste' to protect my mental strength and resist any potential impact from the soul beast's lingering resentment."

"This is 'hemostatic powder'... this is 'antidote pill'..."

There were no fewer than a dozen types of medicinal pills spread across the floor. Anyone unaware would have thought he wasn't about to absorb a spirit ring, but rather preparing to transcend a heavenly tribulation.

Ning Fengzhi watched the pile of pills, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably: "Xiaochun, what is this..."

Ning Xiaochun looked up with a solemn expression, gazing at his father and two grandfathers:

"Father, Uncle Sword, Bone Douluo, I am ready. Once I start absorbing, you must keep a close watch! If you notice my face turning pale, my breathing becoming unstable, my body convulsing, or any signs of my spirit power running wild, don't hesitate—save me immediately!

I have prepared all the pills; feed me whatever is necessary! If the situation becomes critical, interrupt the process without hesitation. Forget the spirit ring; my life is what matters!"

Ning Fengzhi: "..."

He suddenly felt that letting Uncle Sword go catch a spirit beast for him to absorb might have been a wrong decision; it had only fueled this kid's fear of death.

Bone Douluo had already turned his head away, his shoulders shaking violently.

A vein throbbed on Sword Douluo's forehead as he squeezed the words through his teeth:

"...You are only absorbing a four-hundred-year spirit ring! You aren't challenging a hundred-thousand-year spirit beast! Start it for me now!"