The Final Choice

Choosing to attempt absorbing a ten-thousand-year-level soul beast as his Fourth Soul Ring was a decision made after much deliberation.

First, his various attributes were up to par, providing an absolutely solid foundation sufficient to withstand a soul ring of a higher age.

Second, his mindset actually coincided somewhat with Jing Hongchen's; in terms of martial soul alone, he had a significant gap compared to those top-tier geniuses.

Although he could still keep pace with those top geniuses at the current stage by relying on double the effort and sweat, Ye Luochen was very clear that this would likely only hold true for the current stage.

Once his soul power level grew higher, those possessors of top-tier martial souls would begin to demonstrate their higher potential limits.

Therefore, he needed to find a way—a way to bridge that gap.

And the soul ring was one of the most important means to bridge that gap.

If he could absorb a ten-thousand-year soul ring at level forty, he would be able to catch up by a significant margin in terms of soul rings.

But even with this resolution and the opportunity before him, there was still one problem standing in front of Ye Luochen.

That was how to make the specific choice.

Ten-thousand-year soul beasts also had their differences.

Ten thousand years, twelve thousand years, fourteen thousand years...

These were all ten-thousand-year-level soul rings, but the energy they contained and the burden they placed on a soul master varied greatly.

After much thought, Ye Luochen finally stood before a cage.

Species: Thorn Vine.

Cultivation: Twelve thousand years.

"Oh? A Thorn Vine?"

Watching Ye Luochen's choice, Jing Hongchen was slightly surprised.

Because among the array of soul beasts over ten thousand years old, it was not at all outstanding.

"Can you tell me the reason why you want to choose it as your Fourth Soul Ring?"

Facing Jing Hongchen's question, Ye Luochen spoke slowly:

"First, the Thorn Vine is a plant-type soul beast. Its energy volatility is far lower than that of animal-type soul beasts, so the difficulty of absorbing the soul ring is naturally lower."

"Second, this Thorn Vine has a cultivation age of twelve thousand years, which, according to convention, is the safe limit for a Soul King to absorb."

"Combining these two factors, this Thorn Vine is the most suitable choice relatively speaking."

Listening to Ye Luochen's analysis, Jing Hongchen nodded.

"A very rational judgment."

"However, you must think clearly. Even so, this is still beyond the endurance capacity that a four-ring soul master should have. Once the soul ring absorption begins, there is no turning back. If you cannot withstand the energy of the soul ring, then even this old man cannot save you."

Ye Luochen naturally understood this logic, but he did not waver; instead, he firmly pressed the button.

Inside the metal cage, several soul-guided rays erupted suddenly.

In just an instant, the Thorn Vine, which had been swaying and lashing out, became wilted and on the verge of death.

As Ye Luochen opened the cage and personally delivered the final blow, the Thorn Vine no longer had any signs of life.

Replacing it was a soul ring as black as ink, slowly rising from its remains.

Taking a deep breath and adjusting his aura, Ye Luochen began to mobilize his soul power, slowly drawing the soul ring toward him.

To be honest, he was extremely nervous at this moment.

He certainly knew that there were many geniuses who had successfully absorbed soul rings that defied conventional logic.

This matter was entirely within the realm of possibility.

Not to mention those big figures who only existed in rumors, he had seen several with his own eyes.

Even back at Shrek, there was a student in his batch named Wang Dong whose second soul ring was already an inconceivable thousand-year level.

But the question was, what kind of person was that?

A Radiant Goddess Butterfly, a possessor of a top-tier martial soul.

Moreover, at a single glance, Ye Luochen could tell that this person was definitely not from an ordinary family and must have had an extraordinary background.

A genius born with a silver spoon in his mouth like that had likely been soaked in precious treasures and herbs since childhood.

His physical strength naturally far exceeded that of his peers.

But what about him, Ye Luochen?

His martial soul, the Dark Iron Blade, was unremarkable.

He came from an ordinary background without any influence or backing, and all his resources had to be fought for with his life; it was already a stroke of luck that he hadn't been left with any hidden injuries.

Under such circumstances, how could he not feel apprehensive about choosing to absorb a 12,000-year-old Thorn Vine as his Fourth Soul Ring?

Just as these thoughts surged, the soul ring finally made contact with Ye Luochen's body.

After a moment of stagnation, it abruptly transformed into a surge of energy, pouring into Ye Luochen's body.

Seeing that the soul ring absorption process had begun, Jing Hongchen's gaze locked tightly onto Ye Luochen.

Much like Ye Luochen, this Hall Master of Mingde Hall could not help but feel a bit of apprehension himself.

This child's talent in soul tools was truly stunning, and what was even more precious was his extremely diligent attitude toward learning.

If such a promising seedling were to perish because of this, it would be a massive loss for Mingde Hall.

But at the same time, if Ye Luochen succeeded, he would have the opportunity to push toward a higher limit, which meant more possibilities for Mingde Hall.

"Keep going, Ye Luochen..."

"Survive this hurdle, and your future will be unimaginably vast..."

Ye Luochen was naturally unaware of the situation in the outside world.

At this moment, he was focusing all of his mental energy on the massive amount of energy flooding into his body.

As soon as the energy entered his body, Ye Luochen felt an intense swelling sensation instantly spread through all his meridians, as if they were unable to bear the impact of such immense power.

However, as he began to circulate his soul power, guiding this energy through his meridians according to his cultivation method, the swelling sensation soon began to gradually subside.

And through the circulation, it began to merge into his meridians, thread by thread.

Slowly, it was refined and absorbed.

Ye Luochen's condition naturally could not escape Jing Hongchen's perception.

Seeing that his aura, after fluctuating for a short while, tended toward calm and then began to rise steadily, Jing Hongchen could not help but raise his eyebrows slightly.

Good lad.

He had worried for nothing just a moment ago; it seemed he had been overthinking it entirely!

This kid's foundation was truly solid to an excessive degree.

The various data measured previously were absolutely devoid of any exaggeration.

I fear that if a Soul King-level cultivator were to come and absorb this soul ring, they might not even have an aura as stable as Ye Luochen's.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, what a waste."

Having observed until the very end, seeing that the soul ring absorption was about to conclude without Ye Luochen encountering a single mishap, Jing Hongchen shook his head and sighed.

"Had I known it would be like this, I should have pushed him further and tried for an even higher age limit. I still lack experience in this regard; I was inevitably too conservative."

Of course, despite these words, judging by the uncontrollable smile gradually rising on Jing Hongchen's face, this Hall Master of Mingde Hall was clearly extremely satisfied with Ye Luochen's performance.

And not long after Jing Hongchen's voice fell, Ye Luochen's aura finally returned to complete calm.