An Eight-Thousand-Year Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk

Gui Mei furrowed his brow.

The Soul Beast's condition was clearly abnormal. Otherwise, it wouldn't have continued charging toward the camp despite knowing a Titled Douluo was ahead.

Yue Guan woke at the same time in another tent.

He quickly stepped outside and came to Gui Mei's side.

"Old Ghost, what is it?"

"A Soul Beast."

Gui Mei stared ahead.

"It's approaching fast."

Yue Guan sensed that presence too.

Neither of them said another word. Their Soul Power was already surging as they prepared to capture the Soul Beast before it broke into the camp.

The tent where Bibi Dong and Lu Chen were resting stood behind them.

Whatever the Soul Beast's reason for approaching, they couldn't let it disturb His Holiness the Pope.

But before either of them could act, an even stronger presence suddenly appeared behind them.

The tent flap was swept aside.

Bibi Dong had already stepped out.

Her expression was cold, and her eyes held the clear displeasure of someone whose sleep had been interrupted.

She had just been holding Lu Chen, enjoying the rare peace of a quiet dream. Then the steadily approaching Soul Beast's presence had wrenched her awake.

It put her in a foul mood.

Especially since she hadn't slept this comfortably in a long time, not since the Rakshasa Evil Thought had been suppressed.

The hard-won peace she had finally found had now been ruined by some witless Soul Beast.

Bibi Dong looked toward the source of the presence, her voice icy.

"I'll go."

Yue Guan and Gui Mei had just been about to move, but at those words, they both stopped.

The next moment, Bibi Dong swept past them and vanished into the darkness.

Lu Chen had woken up as well.

He stepped out of the tent and stayed in the camp to wait.

With his strength, following after a Soul Beast bold enough to approach a Titled Douluo would be pointless.

Since Bibi Dong had already taken action, all he had to do was wait for the result.

Deep in the forest, a blue-green figure rushed toward them.

It wasn't especially large, but it was incredibly fast.

Its broad wings swept over the treetops, blue lightning coiling between its feathers. Its head and body bore unmistakable draconic features.

Bibi Dong recognized the Soul Beast at a glance.

An Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk.

It possessed dragon blood, along with lightning and flight attributes.

Judging by its presence and size, it was around eight thousand years old.

The anger in Bibi Dong's eyes eased slightly, replaced by a hint of surprise.

They had searched all day without finding a suitable dragon-type Soul Beast.

She hadn't expected an eight-thousand-year Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk to come straight to them in the middle of the night.

She didn't know why it had ignored a Titled Douluo's pressure, but that didn't matter.

What mattered was that its bloodline, attributes, and age all matched Lu Chen's requirements for a First Soul Ring.

Watching the Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk speed toward her, Bibi Dong said mildly, "This really fell right into our laps."

"Just the right thing to make your First Soul Ring, my disciple."

As soon as she finished speaking, her figure vanished.

The Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk seemed to sense danger. The blue lightning on its wings suddenly intensified, and it sped up again, trying to veer off to one side.

But the gap between it and Bibi Dong was simply too great.

The next instant, Bibi Dong appeared above the Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk.

Deep purple Soul Power rapidly gathered in her hand.

She didn't use enough force to kill it outright. Instead, she struck the Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk with a palm.

Purple Soul Power hit its target in an instant.

The Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk let out a piercing cry, and the blue lightning coiling around its body shattered.

The powerful impact threw it off balance. Several bloodied feathers were blasted loose, and dragon blood sprayed from its wounds.

Then it plummeted heavily from the sky.

A dull thud rang out as it struck the ground.

The Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk tried to struggle to its feet, but Bibi Dong had already landed beside it.

She released another wisp of Soul Power, completely suppressing its ability to resist while still leaving it its final breath.

A Soul Beast had to be finished off by the Soul Master who needed its Soul Ring for the ring to be absorbed.

That was why Bibi Dong hadn't killed it outright.

She grabbed one of the Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk's wings and swiftly carried it back to camp.

The whole thing had taken almost no time.

Yue Guan and Gui Mei hadn't gone far from the camp before Bibi Dong was already back in their sight.

The moment they recognized the Soul Beast in her hand, both of them knew it was an Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk.

A flicker of surprise crossed Yue Guan's eyes.

"An eight-thousand-year Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk?"

Gui Mei glanced at Lu Chen as well.

This Soul Beast really had arrived at just the right time.

Bibi Dong didn't answer Yue Guan. She simply tossed the barely breathing Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk into the center of the camp.

It hit the ground and twitched faintly. The blue lightning around its body had grown so weak that it could barely keep breathing.

Lu Chen stepped forward and carefully examined the Soul Beast before him.

Dragon blood.

Eight thousand years old.

Lightning attribute.

It was close to what he had in mind in every respect.

Bibi Dong took a purple dagger from her Storage Soul Tool.

But she didn't hand it to Lu Chen right away. Instead, she confirmed one last time, "Xiao Chen, this Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk is nearly eight thousand years old."

"Its bloodline and attributes suit your Martial Soul, but its age is close to the limit you set yourself."

"It's not too late to change your mind."

Lu Chen looked at Bibi Dong.

He understood that although Bibi Dong had agreed to let him try for a thousand-year First Soul Ring, she was still worried.

For an ordinary Soul Master's First Soul Ring, eight thousand years wasn't merely a case of exceeding the usual limit. It was completely beyond all reason.

If he failed, the consequences would be severe.

But with the Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk right in front of him, Lu Chen couldn't possibly give up.

He answered earnestly, "Teacher, I don't regret it."

Bibi Dong held his gaze.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

Lu Chen didn't look away.

After a moment, Bibi Dong handed him the dagger.

"Then kill it and prepare to absorb the Soul Ring."

Lu Chen took the dagger.

The purple blade felt cool in his hand.

He walked up to the Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk and looked at the dying Soul Beast. He couldn't help sighing softly to himself.

He understood the relationship between Soul Masters and Soul Beasts.

For a Soul Master to break through, they had to obtain a Soul Ring.

At least on the Douluo Continent as it stood, this was a path no Soul Master could avoid.

If the Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk were in good condition, it wouldn't have shown mercy to a weak Soul Master either.

In this world, the strong hunted the weak. That was simply the most common rule.

Lu Chen didn't hesitate for long.

He gripped the dagger, aimed at the Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk's head, and stabbed down hard.

The dagger pierced a vital spot.

The Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk's body suddenly stiffened. Its wings struggled reflexively a few times, and a faint groan escaped its throat.

A few breaths later, it fell completely still.

As the Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk died, flecks of deep purple light gathered above its corpse.

Soon, a deep purple Soul Ring slowly took shape.

The Soul Ring hovered above the Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk, releasing the Soul Power fluctuations of an eight-thousand-year Soul Beast.

Yue Guan and Gui Mei both turned their eyes to Lu Chen.

Even as Titled Douluos, neither had ever witnessed a child who had only just awakened his Martial Soul absorb a First Soul Ring approaching eight thousand years.

Bibi Dong's expression grew especially grave.

"Begin."

Lu Chen nodded and didn't waste any time.