Absorbing It with Ease

Lu Chen immediately sat cross-legged beside the Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk and adjusted his breathing, trying to steady himself as much as possible.

The next moment, colored light surged from within him.

Leugocyte's Martial Soul completed its possession.

Lu Chen's body quickly grew taller without pain, gaining strength as it did. The aura of the Colored Dragon Martial Soul spread around him.

The deep purple Soul Ring seemed to sense a pull and began drifting slowly toward him.

Lu Chen closed his eyes and circulated his Soul Power.

The deep purple Soul Ring reached the top of his head, then gradually descended, enveloping him completely.

The absorption of his First Soul Ring officially began.

The purple Soul Ring slowly lowered and settled around Lu Chen.

In an instant, the atmosphere in the camp fell silent.

Bibi Dong stood in front of Lu Chen, her gaze never leaving him.

Yue Guan and Gui Mei stopped talking, too. The three of them watched Lu Chen sitting cross-legged, each with a different expression, but all sharing the same nervousness.

An eight-thousand-year Soul Ring.

And his first Soul Ring, at that.

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Yue Guan would have taken anyone who told him such a thing for a lunatic.

But now, that deep purple Soul Ring was right there around Lu Chen, and its power was gradually merging into his body.

Even though Lu Chen had already confirmed it repeatedly, and Bibi Dong had examined his physical strength over the past few days, the three of them still couldn't fully relax now that the moment had arrived.

After all, absorbing a Soul Ring was no child's play.

When absorbing a Soul Ring beyond one's limits, failing to withstand it could mean damaged meridians at best, or instant death at worst.

And Lu Chen had exceeded his limits by far more than a little.

Watching the purple Soul Ring, Yue Guan couldn't help asking in a hushed voice, "Old Ghost, do you think Xiao Chen can really hold on?"

Gui Mei didn't answer at once.

His gaze rested on Lu Chen's face. After observing him for a moment, he said, "There's nothing unusual so far."

Yue Guan could see there was nothing unusual, of course.

That was exactly why it seemed so outrageous to him.

When an ordinary Soul Master absorbed a Soul Ring with a high age, even if their physical constitution barely met the requirements, they couldn't possibly show no reaction at all.

The Soul Beast's lingering power, the impact of Soul Power, and the pressure on the spirit would all continuously rebound against the Soul Master during the absorption.

But Lu Chen sat there, and aside from the Soul Power around him growing more and more active, he showed no sign of pain.

Bibi Dong didn't join in their hushed conversation. She kept her eyes on Lu Chen.

If anything at all went wrong with him, she would immediately step in and interrupt the absorption.

Even if that damaged Lu Chen's meridians, it would still be better than letting something happen to him.

The purple Soul Ring revolved without pause, its dense Soul Power surging toward Lu Chen like a rising tide.

Yet Lu Chen's feelings at that moment were completely different from the worries of the three people outside.

He'd originally thought it would hurt terribly.

After all, this was an eight-thousand-year Soul Ring.

Even though he had confidence in his physical constitution, he'd still prepared himself to withstand the impact.

But once he truly began absorbing it, he realized that the agony he'd imagined never came.

There was no feeling of his meridians being torn apart.

No feeling of his Soul Power running wild.

Nor did the Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk's lingering will leave him reeling.

Instead, he felt only a pleasant warmth throughout his body.

When the power from the Soul Ring entered him, it didn't barrel through him like some ferocious outside force. Instead, it flowed slowly through his body, as though it had always been meant to be part of him.

Lu Chen could feel his Martial Soul absorbing this power.

The energy within the purple Soul Ring was gradually guided, separated, and then integrated into his body and Martial Soul.

The entire process went smoothly beyond belief.

It was like water flowing into a riverbed, or like something long prepared finally filling a missing piece.

Lu Chen was a little surprised, too. He hadn't expected absorbing this Soul Ring to be so easy.

To others, the Soul Ring of an eight-thousand-year Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk might be powerful enough to crush the body. To him, though, it felt just right—and even a little pleasant.

Soul Power circulated through his body.

The warmth grew more and more pronounced.

Lu Chen settled his mind and stopped thinking about anything else, focusing only on absorbing the Soul Ring.

Time passed little by little.

Yue Guan's initial worry gradually gave way to astonishment.

Gui Mei remained silent, but the gravity in his eyes slowly turned into focused observation.

Bibi Dong understood Lu Chen's condition best.

She could feel that the Soul Power fluctuating around him wasn't becoming chaotic. On the contrary, it was growing steadier.

The power of the Soul Ring was being absorbed smoothly, with no sign of losing control.

Bibi Dong felt relieved.

At the same time, the shock in her heart deepened.

An eight-thousand-year first Soul Ring.

If Lu Chen really succeeded, it wouldn't just mean he was extraordinarily talented. It would mean he had utterly shattered common sense.

After some more time, the purple Soul Ring revolving around Lu Chen suddenly dimmed.

The Soul Ring's aura, which had still carried a trace of wildness, settled completely in that instant.

Lu Chen slowly opened his eyes.

He first looked down at himself, then sensed the Soul Power flowing through his body. A delighted expression appeared on his face.

He'd succeeded.

He had completely absorbed the Soul Ring.

The deep purple Soul Ring revolved slowly around him, steady and clear.

Lu Chen looked up at Bibi Dong and said, "Teacher, I succeeded."

The tension on Bibi Dong's face finally faded.

She gave a slight nod, satisfaction showing in her eyes.

Yue Guan seemed only now to have truly processed what had happened. He couldn't help looking at Gui Mei beside him.

"Old Ghost."

Gui Mei looked at him.

Yue Guan took a deep breath. His voice brimmed with undisguised emotion. "We really witnessed history."

Gui Mei fell silent for a moment, then gave a slight nod.

Yue Guan continued, "An eight-thousand-year first Soul Ring, and he absorbed it so smoothly. Who would've thought? That kid we rescued on a whim back then turned out to be this incredible."

Gui Mei watched Lu Chen, his voice still low. "His future will probably surpass everyone's imagination."

Yue Guan didn't disagree.

The reality before their eyes was already more convincing than any praise could be.

Bibi Dong walked up to Lu Chen and looked at the purple Soul Ring around him.

An eight-thousand-year first Soul Ring.

Even she couldn't help wondering what kind of Soul Skill it would grant him.

The Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk possessed dragon blood and the power of lightning, and excelled at both speed and attacks.

By all rights, Lu Chen's first Soul Skill should have something to do with lightning, flight, speed, or dragon power.

Bibi Dong asked, "Xiao Chen, what's your first Soul Skill?"

Yue Guan and Gui Mei immediately looked over, too.

They were just as curious.

After all, this was an eight-thousand-year first Soul Ring.

The higher a Soul Ring's age, the more powerful its Soul Skill tended to be—and the less predictable its effects.

What's more, Lu Chen's case was unusual to begin with. No one knew what kind of Soul Skill he would gain, especially from his first Soul Ring.

Hearing Bibi Dong's question, Lu Chen immediately closed his eyes and carefully sensed it.

He had completely absorbed the Soul Ring, and information about his Soul Skill had appeared in his consciousness.

But after he truly understood what the Soul Skill did, his expression became rather strange.