Time passed quickly. Half a month had already gone by since Lu Chen arrived in the Mixed Zone of Star Dou Forest.
During that time, Lu Chen had found several ten-thousand-year plant spirit beasts by communicating with Blue Silver Grass.
There were Gluttonous Flowers, Bloodthirsty Thorns, and the like...
These plant spirit beasts were all excellent. Absorbing their spirit rings would certainly give his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul some good control or attack skills.
But that ran counter to Lu Chen's original intentions.
He wanted his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul to follow the support path from beginning to end.
He now had Health Recovery, Mana Recovery, and Shield soul skills. In his plans for what came next, he also wanted a Detoxification soul skill, a Self-Amplification soul skill, and even a soul skill that could forcibly drag him back from the brink of death.
All of this was preparation for adding spirit rings to his second martial soul in the future.
The soul skills he envisioned for his second martial soul were all terrifyingly powerful ones that would leave their targets dead or crippled at the slightest use, or even take his enemies down with him.
Thus, when adding spirit rings to Blue Silver Grass, there was no need to add control or attack skills.
On this particular day, Lu Chen followed the guidance of Blue Silver Grass to a lake in the Mixed Zone.
He hid behind a large tree and poked his head out to look at the lake. In its center stood a lotus displaying seven colors.
The lotus stood graceful and elegant, emerging from the mud unstained, washed by clear ripples yet never gaudy. It shimmered with a soft luster, radiating a sanctity that could cleanse evil.
The sight of the lotus instantly refreshed Lu Chen's mind, and delight sparkled in his eyes.
"A Pure Heart Lotus! To think it would be this kind of spirit beast! This is a super plant spirit beast said to purify all filth, darkness, and evil. Judging by its size and number of petals, this Pure Heart Lotus has roughly thirteen thousand years of cultivation."
"Its attributes fit, and so does its age. This is the spirit beast best suited to becoming my fourth spirit ring."
"Absorbing the Pure Heart Lotus's spirit ring will definitely give me a powerful purification soul skill. After that, Tang San's bizarre poisons certainly won't be able to poison me."
The instant Lu Chen saw the Pure Heart Lotus, he decided to make it his fourth spirit ring.
After making his decision, Lu Chen did not rashly step out. Instead, he remained hidden and continued observing.
About ten minutes later, a crane's cry came from the sky. Immediately afterward, an enormous white crane with a wingspan exceeding eight meters and a body over six meters long descended from above, landing squarely in the lake.
A Tassel White Crane!
Seeing this white crane spirit beast, Lu Chen inwardly counted himself lucky. Fortunately, he had not rushed out, or he would certainly have been fighting the Tassel White Crane by now.
Judging by its size, this Tassel White Crane had at least fifteen thousand years of cultivation. It was a spirit beast exceptionally skilled in speed, and it also had the advantage of flight.
Lu Chen felt that if he fought the Tassel White Crane, it would not merely be a matter of losing. With its terrifying speed, he probably would not even be able to escape.
While at the academy, Lu Chen had heard about Tassel White Cranes from Xiao Wu. They were spirit beasts obsessed with cleanliness, fond of spotless surroundings and disgusted by filth.
The Pure Heart Lotus could purify all filth, darkness, and evil. The water in this lake, where a Pure Heart Lotus grew, was bound to be the cleanest within a thousand li.
It was therefore no surprise at all that it could attract a Tassel White Crane.
Looking at this pure-white spirit beast, untouched by even a speck of dust, Lu Chen suppressed the restlessness in his heart and used the surrounding stretches of Blue Silver Grass to conceal his presence with all his might.
He wanted to hunt the Pure Heart Lotus for his fourth spirit ring, but he had no desire whatsoever to clash head-on with the Tassel White Crane.
So he could only wait!
And that wait lasted five whole days!
Over those five days, Lu Chen patiently observed the Tassel White Crane's daily habits. He clearly memorized when it went out to hunt and when it returned to play in the water.
After making thorough preparations, he waited until the Tassel White Crane went out to hunt on the sixth day.
Then Lu Chen charged out without hesitation!
"Explosive Step!"
Lu Chen rushed to the lakeside and used Explosive Step, stamping one foot heavily into the ground and leaving a deep footprint. Borrowing the force of the rebound, he leaped straight into the air.
Like a hawk swooping on its prey, Lu Chen lunged toward the Pure Heart Lotus.
The Pure Heart Lotus instinctively sensed something amiss. Its flower bud opened, shooting out a beam of pure-white light.
Facing this pure-white light, Lu Chen neither dodged nor evaded. The Pure Heart Lotus's purification ability targeted filth, evil, darkness... Lu Chen was relying purely on physical strength now, so he had no fear of purification at all.
Sure enough, the pure-white light fell upon Lu Chen without harming him in the slightest.
Lu Chen smiled gladly at this!
The Pure Heart Lotus itself had little ability to attack.
"Cannon Fist!"
Bursting out of the pure-white light, Lu Chen swung his fist at the Pure Heart Lotus. Vast soul power flowed into his fist and, compressed to an extreme degree, radiated an imposing might!
Boom!
Lu Chen's punch slammed into the Pure Heart Lotus's flower bud. A terrifying shock wave of energy erupted, instantly smashing the seven-colored bud apart.
Ruined petals scattered across the water!
Lu Chen also fell into the water with a splash. He raised his right hand and grasped, summoning his second martial soul, the Black Iron Sickle.
An unceasing stream of soul power poured into it, making the Black Iron Sickle gleam with a chilling light.
Holding the Black Iron Sickle in his right hand, Lu Chen wrapped his left arm around the ruined flower bud, then swung the sickle and severed its roots and stem together.
Once its roots and stem were severed, this Pure Heart Lotus with thirteen thousand years of cultivation lost its life completely. Streams of black light poured out and, after several transformations, finally condensed into a black spirit ring.
Black and lustrous!
Black and profound!
Black as though it could devour everything!
This was a true ten thousand year soul ring!
Lu Chen felt his breathing quicken slightly. Cradling the Pure Heart Lotus's body, he swiftly swam ashore.
Without the slightest hesitation, Lu Chen ran into the depths of the forest.
Once the Tassel White Crane returned and discovered that the Pure Heart Lotus was gone, it would certainly go mad. It would no longer have a clean lake to play in.
About forty minutes later, Lu Chen was panting with exhaustion, having run at least several dozen li.
Now the Tassel White Crane probably would not be able to find him easily!
Lu Chen spent a little more time finding a crevice in a cliff face. He squeezed and barely managed to wedge himself inside.
Twisting his body, Lu Chen barely managed to sit on the ground. Looking at the Pure Heart Lotus's body he had brought back, he gritted his teeth and said,
"I've already killed the spirit beast. If I don't absorb its spirit ring now, it'll be a complete waste."
"Besides, compared with animal spirit beasts, plant spirit beasts have a much harder time developing intelligence, and their souls are correspondingly weaker. The Soul Shock probably won't be very strong."
Having fully made up his mind, Lu Chen closed his eyes, circulated his Meditation Method, connected with his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, and began absorbing the Pure Heart Lotus's black spirit ring.
The pitch-black spirit ring slowly drifted over, encircled the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, and rapidly contracted, merging into it.
An incomparably sacred surge of soul power, brimming with the breath of life, swiftly swept through and filled his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul.
His Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul underwent tremendous changes visible to the naked eye, beginning its fourth round of evolution.
After a long absorption process lasting over an hour, despite some setbacks along the way, Lu Chen ultimately succeeded.
Lu Chen slowly opened his eyes and spoke in a low voice, still feeling somewhat shaken.
"So that's Soul Shock. It really is difficult to withstand. Fortunately, I absorbed a plant spirit beast's spirit ring, so the Soul Shock wasn't particularly strong. Besides, my spiritual strength was strengthened to some extent during my previous three spirit ring absorptions. Only then was I able to absorb a ten thousand year soul ring in one go this time."
"The price was enormous, but the rewards are gratifying. My fourth soul skill, Blue Silver Baptism, can dispel all abnormal conditions, including poisoning, disease, curses, and erosion by all kinds of elemental powers... This is simply perfect!"
"As for my soul power, it's reached level 50 as well. I can go look for my fifth spirit ring. More than half of the vast soul power lying dormant inside me has gradually been released. My true soul power should be revealed soon."