Obtaining the First Soul Ring

All at once, the bowstring twanged, and a streak of light shot straight toward the unsuspecting black panther.

The black panther was still enjoying its prey, paying no attention at all to the two little bugs over there.

And it was precisely this lack of vigilance that gave Du Hao and Zhu Zhuqing the perfect opportunity to aim.

A stationary target was much easier than a moving one.

The result was exactly as expected:

A golden headshot!

"Got it!"

Seeing the black panther across from them burst into a Soul Ring, Zhu Zhuqing cried out in delight.

Judging by its color, it was right around seven to eight hundred years old. Perfect—just right for her first Soul Ring.

"All right, go absorb the Soul Ring." Du Hao took the Zhuge Crossbow from her and smiled.

"Mm, thank you, young master." Zhu Zhuqing quickly turned her head and gave him a light peck. Before he could react, she immediately ran toward the Soul Ring.

"Heh, so she's pulling a move like that..." He touched the spot she had just attacked, a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.

Once Zhu Zhuqing reached the Soul Ring, she sat cross-legged on the ground and began absorbing it.

Why didn't she look back?

Sorry, it was the young girl's first time too. It was only natural for her to feel shy. They could talk after she finished absorbing the Soul Ring.

"She ran off so fast. Looks like she knows how to be shy after all. Next time, I should probably take the initiative..." Muttering to himself, Du Hao carried the Zhuge Crossbow over to Zhu Zhuqing and stood guard beside her.

As the Soul Ring slowly settled over Zhu Zhuqing's body, the absorption process began.

Meanwhile, Du Hao watched warily, lowering the hand holding the Zhuge Crossbow slightly so he could react at once if he spotted any movement.

A gentle breeze stirred the leaves in the forest, making them rustle.

A long while passed. No Soul Beasts appeared to disturb them, and everything went smoothly.

But thinking about it, that made sense. The black panther from earlier was clearly the ruler of this area. It was unlikely there were any other powerful Soul Beasts nearby. Otherwise, the panther wouldn't have been able to keep its coat so sleek and glossy.

"Well, well. I was gone for how long, and you two went and hunted a Soul Beast on your own?"

Following the voice, a figure quickly descended from above. It was Flender.

He held an Emerald Garlic in his hand, his gaze falling on Zhu Zhuqing as she absorbed her Soul Ring.

"You two have some nerve. You dared to kill a six- or seven-hundred-year-old Soul Beast?" The two little Soul Scholars didn't even have a single Soul Ring, yet they'd been bold enough to take on something like this.

No one would believe it if they heard.

Still, judging by what he saw, nothing seemed to have gone wrong...

Even so, Flender stepped forward and gave the dog's head in front of him a hard smack.

"Next time you run into something this dangerous, call for me, understand? You don't even have a Soul Ring, and you went up against that thing. Aren't you afraid of dying? What were you thinking?"

That was what he said.

But in his heart, Flender was quite pleased with them. They were so young, yet already had such courage and good sense. They were destined for great things.

He had to get them into his academy someday!

"Sure, sure. Next time, definitely..."

It wasn't as though they could count on things turning out this way every time. This time, the black panther hadn't taken them seriously, which was why they'd been able to work out their plan so easily.

If it had been even a little more cunning, the two of them would probably already have been yelling for Hu Lande to save them.

After all, life was precious, and their own lives were worth even more...

"All right, stop talking nonsense." As he spoke, Flender tossed the Emerald Garlic, wrapped in Soul Power, onto the ground. "This is an Emerald Garlic around six hundred years old. See if you're satisfied."

"Of course I'm satisfied!" At this point, what else could Du Hao say?

I'd go through fire and water for you, Principal.

"Then hurry up and absorb it. Since things went so smoothly this time, it looks like we won't have to camp out in the wild." Flender walked off to the side to guard him.

He also leaned against a tree to rest.

Du Hao didn't hesitate either. He raised the Zhuge Crossbow and shot the core of the Emerald Garlic, hitting a bull's-eye at point-blank range!

A yellow ring of light slowly appeared where it lay.

"What a beautiful color." And with his Soul Ring's age added to it, it would turn a beautiful purple soon, wouldn't it?

A thousand-year purple Soul Ring as his first one. Just thinking about it was exciting.

Du Hao didn't waste any more time. He tamped down his excitement and summoned his Scallion Spirit with his right hand. With a thought, the Soul Ring on the ground settled over his Martial Soul.

At that very moment, Du Hao felt a vast surge of Soul Power flood into him, as though it wanted to burst him apart.

But he had thoroughly read Soul Power Control: From "Beginner" to "Buried in the Ground."

It covered plenty of ways to guide Soul Power. In no time, the raging Soul Power was flowing smoothly.

With the Soul Power no longer in the way, the rest of the Soul Ring refinement went much more smoothly.

Not far away, Flender, seated beside the tree, watched the scene and clicked his tongue in wonder.

He'd originally thought the information Grandmaster had updated was exaggerated. He hadn't expected it to be true...

Was the limit for a first Soul Ring really this outrageous?

If he'd had this Soul Ring Configuration back then, maybe he'd already be a Soul Douluo by now.

He sighed inwardly, unable to help recalling the glorious days when he had traveled the continent.

The absorption took two hours. It wasn't until the sky gradually darkened that Du Hao's expression changed.

Just as Du Hao was about to open his eyes, filled with joy, another system choice suddenly popped up before him.

"Option One [White]: Keep it normal. Don't stir up trouble.

Reward: Increase the Soul Ring's age by 100 years."

"Option Two [Pitch Black]:

Stage One: Add 550 years to the first Soul Ring, giving the two people outside a surprise.

Reward: Special Soul Skill: Garlic Scallion!

Description: Combines the properties of scallions and garlic. Intensity of the smell: 300%. Mental strength: 100%.

Stage Two: Without opening your eyes, forcefully swing your hand toward a point one foot in front of you.

A light swing: Reward: Soul Power + half a level.

A forceful swing: Reward: Soul Power + one level.

A critical hit: Reward: Soul Power + two levels."

After glancing over the two choices the system gave him, he immediately passed on the first one.

His first Soul Ring was already a thousand years old. Even if he added another hundred, it wouldn't improve much.

His gaze fell straight on the second option, and he quickly read through it.

"Why does this one feel like it isn't even that shady? Could it be... the system's grown a conscience?"

Usually, the system's choices were opposites: white meant a positive outcome, while black meant something harmful.

But this time, the black option didn't seem to have much wrong with it. The only real issue was that increasing his Soul Ring's age would turn it purple, and Flender would notice.

That didn't seem like a big deal either...

After all, he was going to Shrek. They'd find out sooner or later that he'd obtained his first Soul Ring...

So, the second option?

After thinking it over for a long while, Du Hao decided that the proof was in the doing. He increased the first Soul Ring's age to 1,100 years. His Soul Power was already at level 13.

If he gained two more levels, he'd reach level 15 right away, saving him a great deal of time.

Du Hao made up his mind and took a deep breath.

He'd ignore the Self-Created Soul Skill in his mind for now. He'd complete the second task first...

Outside, Zhu Zhuqing had been keeping an eye on him the whole time. When she saw his Soul Ring turn purple, she curiously came closer.

At that moment, she happened to bend down... her chest less than a foot from the space in front of Du Hao.

And right then, completely unaware, Du Hao thrust out his hand with all his strength!

"SMACK!!!!!!"