As Yu Hengqing had expected, it took him only an hour to heal the meridians injured by the Soul Power Leiyi had converted earlier.
Di Tian, who had finished cultivating some time ago, saw Yu Hengqing open his eyes and asked, "Can we begin?"
Knowing he would need to absorb a Soul Ring shortly, Yu Hengqing decided not to get up. He simply nodded to Di Tian.
Seeing that Yu Hengqing was ready, Di Tian didn't want to delay any longer. He gave Thunder-Clap Bird a look, then stepped back a few paces.
At Di Tian's signal, Thunder-Clap Bird raised its head and let out a mournful cry before flapping its wings and taking flight.
An invisible flame suddenly appeared, burning Thunder-Clap Bird's body, Soul Power, and soul as fuel, until it forged them into a streak of purple light.
"Summon your Martial Soul and guide the light into it."
Watching Thunder-Clap Bird turn into a streak of light, Di Tian's usually placid eyes showed a rare flicker of complex emotion.
Yu Hengqing had already absorbed a Soul Ring, so he knew exactly what to do next.
Once his Martial Soul appeared, the motionless purple streak suddenly found its target. It shot toward Yu Hengqing, then flowed into his Martial Soul like water.
When the streak had completely merged with Yu Hengqing's Martial Soul, every trace of Thunder-Clap Bird's existence vanished without a trace.
Yu Hengqing wasn't sure whether it was because Thunder-Clap Bird had sacrificed itself, but the Soul Power in its Soul Ring was remarkably gentle as he absorbed it.
Under the guidance of life energy, it released one wisp for every wisp Yu Hengqing absorbed, as if afraid he might choke!
And with no lingering soul to interfere, Yu Hengqing finished absorbing the Soul Ring in just half an hour. Gaining this Soul Ring had been easier than drinking water.
As soon as he stood, a yellow Soul Ring and a purple Soul Ring appeared beneath his feet.
But when Yu Hengqing saw the two Soul Rings beneath him, he frowned, a hint of worry appearing in his eyes.
The First Soul Ring is fine, since the Purple Lightning Marten was still a Hundred-Year Soul Beast. But my Second Soul Ring has jumped straight to a thousand years. In this era, that's still far too shocking.
But Yu Hengqing had already asked Leiyi, and for now, he didn't have a good solution. All the skills Leiyi possessed needed to be adapted to this world, or Yu Hengqing wouldn't be able to use them.
The Self-Created Soul Skill Thunder Step that Yu Hengqing had used earlier was the result of Leiyi trying to adapt it over the past few days.
"Di Tian, do you know anyone with a Soul Skill that can change the color of a Soul Ring? My Soul Rings are a little too conspicuous right now. People who hate me and my family might try to assassinate me."
Suddenly, Yu Hengqing thought that Di Tian, as the Silver Dragon King's most trusted Soul Beast, might know such a Soul Skill.
"Change the color of a Soul Ring? I don't have one, but I know a Soul Beast with a similar Soul Skill."
Having interacted with humans, Di Tian naturally understood why Yu Hengqing was worried about the color of his Soul Rings.
Although Di Tian didn't say so outright, Yu Hengqing had mostly guessed which Soul Beast he meant.
But Yu Hengqing didn't name it, either. Some information was valuable to others, while some was just unwanted spam!
"Then, sorry to trouble you, Di Tian. I'd like you to introduce me. I want to learn this kind of Soul Skill from that Soul Beast so I can disguise my unusual Soul Rings."
Di Tian didn't reply. He simply gathered the Soul Power in his body and clenched his hand. A pitch-black bead appeared before Yu Hengqing's eyes.
Di Tian squeezed lightly. A crisp cracking sound rang out, and fissures spread across the bead in his hand. Before a second had passed, it scattered into specks of light.
Just then, a white-gold orb of light broke free from Di Tian's hand and fell to the ground.
"Hahaha, your big brother is finally free!"
A snow-white worm, its body ringed with ten golden markings, appeared before Di Tian and Yu Hengqing.
Before Sky Dream Ice Silkworm could enjoy its freedom for even a second, a powerful pressure radiated from Di Tian and bore down on it. Frightened, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm immediately ducked behind Yu Hengqing and shrank back.
Although Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's cultivation was far higher than Di Tian's, its actual strength wasn't even half of his.
That wasn't just because Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was a Mental Attribute Soul Beast with few ways to attack. It was also because it had never put any effort into training.
After all, the gluttonous Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had never imagined that eating a few "tasty treats" would make its cultivation soar to the million-year level.
"I remember you have a Soul Skill that creates illusions. The person beside you wants to learn it, so teach him properly. Once it's done, I'll give you a reward as compensation."
Facing the cowering Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, Di Tian ordered it with some displeasure and gestured toward Yu Hengqing.
Honestly, if Di Tian could teach Yu Hengqing a similar Soul Skill himself, he would never have let Sky Dream Ice Silkworm out.
To him, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was like a beggar sitting on a mountain of gold and eating scraps. It had such formidable power, yet couldn't even beat a slightly stronger Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.
Hearing that a reward was on offer, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, standing behind Yu Hengqing, perked right up and shouted excitedly, "Then your big brother wants to go back to the Far North and see Bingbing. Your big brother also wants—"
"I'll allow you one day off every seven days."
Di Tian cut Sky Dream Ice Silkworm off before it could finish, ending its "fantasy hour."
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was now a "power bank" for Di Tian and the others to recover their strength. How could Di Tian possibly let it leave Life Lake and return to the Far North?
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was just about to protest when that familiar pressure struck again. It understood there was no escaping this.
"Fine~"
With no hope left in its worm life, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm answered Di Tian in a lifeless voice, then led Yu Hengqing away with vacant eyes.
Once Di Tian was completely beyond Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's perception, it went right back to its usual carefree self.
"Kid, you need some serious spiritual strength to learn your big brother's Soul Skill! If you don't measure up, you could beg all you want and your big brother still won't agree."
Yu Hengqing didn't respond to Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's flippant tone. He simply displayed his spiritual strength.
"Wow, I never thought someone so young could have such strong spiritual strength! Your big brother agrees to teach you his Self-Created Soul Skill—Mimicry!"
"First, let me show you what your big brother's Soul Skill can do!"
As Sky Dream Ice Silkworm finished speaking, a golden light flashed before Yu Hengqing's eyes.
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, which had been standing in front of Yu Hengqing just moments ago, had vanished. In its place stood "Di Tian," his face marked with an air of aloofness.
But the "Di Tian" before Yu Hengqing stayed serious for less than a second. It planted its hands on its hips and laughed loudly. "Hahaha! Your big brother's Soul Skill is amazing, right? Am I exactly like Di Tian or what?"
Yu Hengqing was about to remind Sky Dream Ice Silkworm to be careful, since no one knew whether Di Tian could monitor this space.
Di Tian's dragon claw suddenly appeared beside Sky Dream Ice Silkworm. With a light swipe, it sent Sky Dream Ice Silkworm flying more than ten meters, and the Mimicry effect was broken, too.
"Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, if you dare impersonate me again, next time it won't just be my claw hitting you."
At Di Tian's warning, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm hurriedly nodded toward the direction of his voice, afraid Di Tian would decide it hadn't learned its lesson and swipe at it again.
Seeing Sky Dream Ice Silkworm nodding nonstop, Yu Hengqing covered his forehead and laughed helplessly. "If you'd known this would happen, why do it in the first place?"
Hearing Yu Hengqing's teasing, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm hurried back. First, it looked around to make sure Di Tian wasn't still monitoring it. Then it leaned close to Yu Hengqing's ear and said:
"If your big brother didn't do that, Di Tian wouldn't stop monitoring him! Next, your big brother needs you to do a few things."
Before you continue