Millennium Soul Ring, Soul Skill: Soul Burn

While Mo Li was pleasantly surprised, Liu Erlong also recognized the soul beast: a Black Flame Nether Sparrow.

After a brief moment of shock, Liu Erlong's body moved in the blink of an eye.

As a soul beast, the Black Flame Nether Sparrow's reflexes were even faster than those of Liu Erlong, a Soul Saint. It flapped its wings, transforming into a black shadow as it darted toward the core area.

Under the deep cover of night, its purplish-black feathers became the perfect camouflage.

Although it fled at a high speed, a moment later, Liu Erlong emerged from the nearby jungle and appeared in Mo Li's field of vision.

In her right hand, she dangled the purplish-black bird, which appeared to have sustained heavy injuries and had already fallen unconscious.

"I truly don't know whether to call this our good luck or its bad luck."

Looking at the Black Flame Nether Sparrow in her hand, even Liu Erlong couldn't help but smile.

"Haha, perhaps it is both," Mo Li laughed.

He and Liu Erlong had spent the entire day carefully searching the core area without finding a Black Flame Nether Sparrow, yet it had appeared before them in such an unexpected way.

"Time to welcome my second soul ring."

Mo Li carefully examined the Black Flame Nether Sparrow and roughly estimated its age: nearly three thousand years.

This age range was within his tolerance, though it was also pushing his absolute limit.

Mo Li was perfectly fine with this; it seemed that tonight he would not only obtain a soul bone but also successfully break through to the Great Soul Master realm.

After making brief preparations, the two left the core area.

Sunset Forest, outer perimeter.

The two built a new campfire on the outskirts of the forest, using the flames to dispel the surrounding darkness.

Soul beasts naturally appeared in the outer perimeter as well, but Liu Erlong alone was more than enough to handle them.

It was now the middle of the night, and two figures sat around the campfire.

The firelight flickered, reflecting on Liu Erlong's face. Her gaze was locked firmly onto Mo Li, her expression shifting between anxiety and tension.

In stark contrast to her demeanor was Mo Li, who sat on the other side.

At this moment, Mo Li looked focused, his eyes slightly closed, while a purple soul ring hovered prominently above his palm!

The soul ring had naturally been obtained from the Black Flame Nether Sparrow. This nearly three-thousand-year-old ring was, likewise, Mo Li's current limit.

Yet, such a limit would be enough to drop the jaws of the vast majority of the soul master world.

A second soul ring at three thousand years?

Are you kidding me?

Even the experienced Liu Erlong would never have believed it before tonight, yet the reality was laid out right before her.

The bright yellow soul ring circling Mo Li's body pulsed rhythmically, as if struggling to suppress something.

Choosing the Black Flame Nether Sparrow as his primary target was largely Mo Li's own plan, as this soul beast contained both fire and dark attributes.

This was his greatest justification for making it his first choice; its attributes perfectly aligned with his Nine Nether Sparrow martial soul.

But in truth, as long as there was a fire attribute present, choosing to absorb this ring would not have been problematic.

At the very least, his soul power's fire attribute would see steady improvement. As for the dark attribute, while Mo Li certainly hoped for an increase, it could only be considered a bonus.

By the campfire.

Ever since Mo Li began absorbing the soul ring, Liu Erlong's heart had not been at ease for a single moment; she was constantly on edge.

Mo Li had clearly told her before that after consuming the Whale Glue, his absorption limit was around two thousand five hundred years.

Even Mo Li could recognize that this soul beast's age was near three thousand years, so how could she not know?

Yet, she had ultimately been unable to sway him, as Mo Li always had a way of convincing her.

It wasn't that Mo Li had deceived her; rather, he had factored his own willpower into the equation.

In that light, three thousand years did not seem like such a great hurdle for him.

Although Liu Erlong did not stop Mo Li from absorbing it, she couldn't help but harbor resentment toward his recklessness. He always chose such dangerous soul rings without considering her feelings at all.

Liu Erlong sighed softly, her worried gaze falling once more upon the still-seated Mo Li.

Despite having already experienced the heart-stopping thrill of Mo Li's first soul ring absorption, the danger level this time was clearly more intense than the first.

She even began to pray in her heart, hoping that Mo Li would be safe and sound.

As for whom she was praying to, she herself might not have known; she was merely seeking solace in the vast, boundless night.

Once Mo Li insisted on something, it was generally very difficult to convince him to change his mind.

In this regard, he was quite like her.

Liu Erlong found herself both amused and frustrated by this.

As time passed, the color of the purple soul ring in Mo Li's hand gradually dimmed, and his soul power aura was steadily rising.

Finally, amidst Liu Erlong's earnest anticipation, he crossed the threshold of a Great Soul Master as naturally as water flowing into a channel, yet the fluctuations of soul power in his body did not cease.

It was not until his soul power level had completely stabilized at level twenty-two that it finally came to a slow halt.

At the same time, Mo Li opened his eyes, casting a dazed look at the campfire before him before shifting his gaze to the purple soul ring on his body, his joy evident in his beaming expression.

Although to Liu Erlong, his absorption of this second soul ring had been far more difficult than the first, Mo Li himself felt that this absorption had gone much more smoothly than the initial one; after all, his physical constitution had already reached this level, and as for the struggle of willpower, he feared it not in the least.

He had succeeded in the feat of making his second soul ring a thousand-year one, even far exceeding the theoretical absorption limit for a third soul ring.

Of course, he was not the only one feeling excited; Liu Erlong, who had kept watch for half the night, was just as thrilled and happy for him.

At this moment, her eyes were filled with pleasant surprise as she looked at the purple soul ring on Mo Li. She tried her best to keep her tone calm, but she still could not hide her pride and joy.

"A thousand-year second soul ring—if word of this got out, it would scare a whole lot of people to death."

Mo Li stood up and stretched, saying with a smile, "No matter what they think, I am very satisfied with it."

After breaking through to become a Great Soul Master, Mo Li faintly sensed that the Yin-Yang Reincarnation Art was on the verge of a breakthrough.

The fact that he had been able to absorb a three-thousand-year soul ring so smoothly was largely due to the important role played by his powerful spiritual energy.

That the Yin-Yang Reincarnation Art was about to break through was an unexpected delight.

Ever since Mo Li had broken through to the first level two years ago, his progress had been slow.

However, while searching for the Earth King soul bone earlier, Peering at Heaven and Earth had already shown signs of advancing further.

Following that, when he broke through to become a Great Soul Master, he suddenly gained a flash of insight regarding his cultivation technique; it seemed it wouldn't be long before he could attempt to break through to the second level of the art.

"You always choose such dangerous paths—are you trying to worry me to death?"

After confirming that Mo Li's condition was stable and there were no issues, Liu Erlong said with a hint of irritation.

"I'm perfectly fine, look, the wounds are almost completely healed," Mo Li said.

Liu Erlong hurriedly leaned in to inspect Mo Li's injuries, and seeing that it was indeed as he said, she let out a long sigh of relief.

If he hadn't mentioned it, she almost would have forgotten that Mo Li had been absorbing the ring while still wounded!

This little guy was truly reckless.

Liu Erlong cast a helpless glance at Mo Li.

"Now that you've successfully broken through, it's about time for us to leave."

Liu Erlong looked toward the distant, whitening sky.

After the events of the night, it was nearing dawn, and a faint mist had begun to rise in the forest.

Mo Li nodded; with matters here concluded, there was no point in lingering, and it was time to return to the academy.

"So, what soul skill did you awaken this time?"

Liu Erlong tilted her head to look at Mo Li, her eyes filled with curiosity.

With a three-thousand-year second soul ring, Liu Erlong was far more curious than she had been the first time.

"Cough, cough, Sister Erlong, my second soul skill is..."

Mo Li's expression turned somewhat awkward. Seeing Liu Erlong's inquisitive look, he had no choice but to say helplessly, "The second soul skill is Soul Burn. While active, soul power consumption accelerates; the more soul power consumed, the higher the boost. However, once the skill ends, I enter a period of weakness, the duration of which depends on how much soul power was consumed."

Liu Erlong's expression was one of confusion. After pondering for a moment, she said, "How can there be a negative effect? Is this really a three-thousand-year soul skill?"

"I feel like it's a bit unworthy of this age."

Liu Erlong felt frustrated on Mo Li's behalf.

This three-thousand-year soul skill seemed inferior to his first one; at least the boost from Nether Flame was stable.

Liu Erlong suddenly snapped back to reality and continued to ask, "What attributes does it boost?"

"Um... all attributes."