A bright yellow Soul Ring pulsed around Mo Li's body, its surface shimmering with a deep, rich light.
Behind him, the Nine Nether Sparrow, which had originally been rather small, had changed dramatically. Its body was now more than twice its former size, and the flames burning across its black feathers seemed even fiercer than before.
Its proud head lifted high, a strange glint shining in its beastly eyes. As its wings beat steadily, its feathers shimmered with a profound black radiance.
After absorbing the Soul Ring, Mo Li's Soul Power naturally reached level twelve, and he was just one step away from breaking through to the next level.
Not only that, he could clearly feel that his body had changed in some ways. Evidently, this over-limit Soul Ring had brought him considerable benefits.
"You... you really succeeded."
Liu Erlong's eyes sparkled as she looked Mo Li up and down, unable to hide her delight.
"Good thing you succeeded. At least I didn't stand guard here for half the day for nothing."
Mo Li scratched his head sheepishly and was just about to speak when Liu Erlong raised a hand to stop him.
"If you're going to thank me, don't bother. You've been like this since you were little, and I'm nearly sick of hearing it. Why are you always so polite?"
Liu Erlong smiled at him. "Isn't this what I'm supposed to do?"
"Sister Erlong..."
Mo Li looked at Liu Erlong, his eyes a little complicated.
He was always so courteous, perhaps because he didn't feel much sense of belonging in this world. Even though he knew how most people's stories would unfold, this world still felt like a strange place to him.
In the original story, Liu Erlong had a fiery temper and was usually cold and unapproachable. But whenever Mo Li spent time with her, he could always sense so many different feelings beneath the surface—feelings wrapped in a shell of pain, yet passionate and sincere.
Mo Li seemed to have grown rather fond of this world. Whether coming here had been a good thing or a bad thing, as far as he was concerned, the future was still something to look forward to.
"What are you spacing out for? Hurry up and tell me what your First Soul Skill does."
Liu Erlong stood opposite him with one hand on her hip, urging the distracted Mo Li on.
Naturally, she was curious about the Soul Skill granted by this six-hundred-year Soul Ring that had surpassed the limit.
Seeing Liu Erlong's eager expression, Mo Li came back to his senses and mischievously decided to tease her. He cleared his throat and said:
"Sister Erlong, Soul Skills are a Soul Master's secret. How can I just tell someone so easily..."
Before he could finish, Liu Erlong's fist had already landed on his head. It wasn't a hard blow, but it still hurt enough to make Mo Li grimace.
"Secret? I've seen everything there is to see since you were little. What secrets could you possibly have from me?"
Liu Erlong kept one hand on her hip and gave a threatening wave with the other, a carefree smile tugging at her lips.
Mo Li rubbed his head indignantly, staring reproachfully at the fist she had used to hit him.
"Sister Erlong, you're way too overbearing. You could at least let me build up the suspense."
"Suspense, my foot. Hurry up and tell me!"
Under Liu Erlong's intimidation, Mo Li sighed helplessly.
"All right. First Soul Skill: Nether Flame."
The yellow Soul Ring around Mo Li flashed. Black flames surged out and clung to his palms, as if he were wearing a pair of flaming gauntlets.
"While the Soul Skill is active, it increases my speed by fifty percent and my attack power by fifty percent. Then, for every ten levels I gain, both increases will go up by another ten percent."
As an experienced Soul Saint, Liu Erlong immediately spotted the changes in Mo Li.
Her gaze grew serious as she watched him, wreathed in black flames. From what she could sense, the flames around Mo Li were much stronger than before.
A First Soul Ring that granted a boosting Soul Skill—the potential was enormous!
It would be of tremendous benefit to his future development.
"I didn't expect your First Soul Skill to boost both your attack power and your speed."
Hearing the astonishment in Liu Erlong's voice, Mo Li grinned and edged closer. "Sister Erlong, you really do have a sharp eye. What else can you see?"
"I don't see anything else. Just a little brat whose tail's about to stick up to the sky."
Liu Erlong knew Mo Li had deliberately come closer to get her to acknowledge how impressive he was, so she replied with a scowl.
"Could it be that your First Soul Skill has other abilities too?"
"It does, Sister Erlong. It does."
Mo Li smiled slyly. Those two boosts alone were already quite impressive.
But the surprises this over-limit Soul Ring had brought him went far beyond that. After obtaining the Fire Spirit Kite's Soul Ring, his physical strength had also improved further.
When it came time to absorb his next Soul Ring, he would probably be able to push his limits much higher again. A step ahead meant staying a step ahead!
"Sister Erlong, look at this."
Mo Li held out his palm. The black flames rising from it grew darker and darker, until at last a glimmer of crystalline purple emerged within them!
Liu Erlong stared fixedly at Mo Li's palm, then suddenly understood. The final effect of Mo Li's Soul Skill was—flame amplification!
"Flame amplification?"
"That's right. A hundred percent flame amplification." Mo Li sounded rather pleased with himself.
Liu Erlong marveled inwardly. The flames, now touched with purple, gave off an aura that clearly surpassed that of the pure black flames from before.
Against an opponent of the same level, Mo Li's mysterious black flames would be enough to handle the fight. But if he encountered a Soul Master in a higher tier, then no matter how many other abilities he had, he would still be held back.
This flame amplification gave him an exceptionally powerful means of attack, one that could have an unexpected effect in many situations.
Thinking of this, Liu Erlong looked at Mo Li with even greater approval.
Mo Li felt a little uncomfortable under Liu Erlong's gaze. He withdrew his Soul Power with a smile and said, "Sister Erlong, it's about time we headed back to the academy, isn't it?"
Liu Erlong glanced at Mo Li and laughed heartily.
"Let's go home!"
By the time the two of them left the Sunset Forest, it was already afternoon.
On the way back, Liu Erlong no longer cared whether they would alarm the Soul Beasts. Once they were out of the Core Circle, she summoned her Martial Soul and carried Mo Li as they hurried back at full speed.
The two of them needed less than half an hour to leave the core area of the Sunset Forest and return to the outskirts of Heaven Dou City—far more efficient than they had been that morning.
Just as Mo Li was marveling at this and about to enter the city, a commotion came from a secluded corner near the city gate, catching his attention.
He instinctively turned to look toward the noise. In a quiet, out-of-the-way corner, several people were surrounding a blue-haired girl.
Mo Li frowned as he watched for a moment, then his expression turned surprised.
He hadn't expected to run into someone so unexpected here.