Leugocyte had devoured so many planets, yet it had never shown any sign of its mind being corrupted by the desire to devour. Aside from the one whose cognition Tregear had altered, the others even seemed rather well-liked?
By comparison, he had only devoured the corpse of an eight-thousand-year Soul Beast. How much could that really amount to?
Of course, Lu Chen wasn't going to say any of that aloud.
So he simply stood where he was and let Bibi Dong examine his condition.
Yue Guan walked over, no longer looking as relaxed as he had before.
"Xiao Chen, you should use that ability sparingly from now on."
Lu Chen looked at Yue Guan.
Yue Guan said, "I'm not saying this Soul Skill is bad. On the contrary, it's extremely powerful. But devouring life is dangerous by nature."
"Even if you haven't been affected now, there's no guarantee you'll remain unaffected forever."
Gui Mei spoke up as well. "And especially don't devour living creatures lightly."
His voice was still low, but the warning in it was unmistakable.
Bibi Dong added, "Yue Guan and Gui Mei are right. Your devouring ability can be a trump card, but it shouldn't become a regular method."
Lu Chen nodded.
"I understand."
This time, he agreed earnestly.
In truth, even if they hadn't warned him, he hadn't planned to use his ability to devour life carelessly.
Devouring a corpse and devouring a living being were two different things.
The former meant breaking down and absorbing material that had already lost its life. The latter meant turning a living being into nourishment.
That kind of thing went too far against the natural order.
Even Leugocyte mostly devoured ruined planets without a trace of life left in them. It didn't devour living beings simply for the sake of killing.
So Lu Chen didn't reject this ability, but he would control how he used it.
Seeing that Lu Chen had agreed, Bibi Dong didn't dwell on the matter any further.
Instead, she observed the Soul Power fluctuations around him.
The First Soul Ring had been absorbed.
The deep-purple Soul Ring hovered steadily around Lu Chen, proving that he had indeed succeeded in obtaining an eight-thousand-year First Soul Ring.
However, since Lu Chen hadn't absorbed his Second Soul Ring yet, his Soul Power Level still seemed to be stuck at level twenty.
That wasn't surprising.
He had been born with Innate Level 20 Soul Power. Only after absorbing two Soul Rings would his subsequent increase be properly reflected.
Bibi Dong said, "You haven't absorbed your Second Soul Ring yet, so your Soul Power Level is still at twenty."
Lu Chen nodded.
"I can feel it."
His Soul Power was actually denser than it had been before absorbing the Soul Ring, but his level hadn't broken through again.
It was as though his body had already filled to the brim with power, but he still needed the second gate to open.
Bibi Dong continued, "Once you absorb your Second Soul Ring, all the Soul Power you've accumulated will be released at once. Your level should break through by quite a bit then."
Yue Guan chuckled from beside them. "Your First Soul Ring is already eight thousand years old. Once you've absorbed your Second Soul Ring too, your starting point will be truly astonishing."
Gui Mei nodded silently.
Lu Chen didn't look proud. He simply focused on sensing the changes within his body.
Bibi Dong looked at Lu Chen, her tone turning serious again.
"Xiao Chen, you've already told me what you want for your Second Soul Ring."
Lu Chen looked up.
Bibi Dong said, "You want to choose a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring. That's fine. But a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring is different from a Thousand-Year Soul Ring."
"A Thousand-Year Soul Ring mainly tests your body's ability to withstand it and its compatibility with your Martial Soul. A Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring will also cause Soul Shock."
Lu Chen listened attentively.
Bibi Dong continued, "Soul Beasts that have lived for over ten thousand years have far greater intelligence and spiritual power. After they die, the lingering mental shock will strike back at a Soul Master while the Soul Ring is being absorbed."
"This kind of impact can't be resisted by physical strength alone."
"If you can't withstand it mentally, you'll either fail to absorb the Soul Ring or, at worst, suffer damage to your consciousness."
Yue Guan added, "Many Soul Masters can withstand a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring physically, only to fall to Soul Shock in the end."
Gui Mei looked at Lu Chen. "So don't be careless."
Lu Chen understood what they meant, of course.
But he wasn't worried.
There was more than just him in his Sea of Consciousness.
Leugocyte itself was there.
Out here, if the lingering mental shock of a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast hit him, he might not have many ways to deal with it.
But once that spiritual power entered his Sea of Consciousness, everything would be different.
When that happened, Leugocyte would show that unlucky Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast what a rainbow dragon was—and what it meant to be the Universe Devourer.
That was what Lu Chen thought, but he didn't explain much aloud.
He only said, "Teacher, I can handle it."
Bibi Dong looked at him.
"Are you sure?"
Lu Chen nodded.
"I'm sure."
His expression was serious, without the slightest hint of a joke.
Bibi Dong furrowed her brow slightly.
She was still a little worried.
The Soul Shock caused by a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring was no trivial matter.
Even though Lu Chen had successfully absorbed an eight-thousand-year First Soul Ring, that didn't mean he could absorb a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring for his second one.
But looking at Lu Chen's resolute expression, Bibi Dong recalled what had happened when he absorbed his First Soul Ring.
Back then, she had also thought it was far too risky.
Yet Lu Chen had not only succeeded; the entire process had gone so smoothly that it was almost unbelievable.
There were too many things about this child that defied common sense.
In the end, Bibi Dong made her decision.
She looked at Gui Mei.
"Gui Mei."
Gui Mei bowed his head slightly.
"At your service."
"Go capture a Ten-Thousand-Year Dragon-type Soul Beast."
Gui Mei didn't ask any questions.
"Yes."
As soon as the words left his mouth, his figure melted directly into the darkness and soon disappeared into the depths of the forest.
Yue Guan looked in the direction Gui Mei had gone and raised an eyebrow.
Bibi Dong spoke.
"Adjust your condition before Gui Mei returns."
Lu Chen nodded.
"Yes, Teacher."
The camp grew quiet again.
Lu Chen didn't waste the half day.
He sat cross-legged nearby, recovering his Soul Power while continuing to ponder his First Soul Skill.
Void Dragon Form was powerful.
But transforming completely into a cloud of gas dozens of meters across caused too much commotion and wasn't nimble enough. It could serve as a trump card for saving his life.
If he could call upon some of his devouring power without fully turning into a cloud of gas—or speed up the transformation—then the Soul Skill would be far more practical.
Lu Chen tried several times.
At first, it didn't go well.
The devouring power seemed best suited to being fully unleashed in Void Dragon Form. While maintaining Martial Soul Possession in human form, he could only draw out a very weak portion of it.
Still, after half a day of experimenting, Lu Chen made a little progress.
At the very least, he could now gather a thread of dark-purple devouring energy at his fingertips.
It was just very unstable at that level, and he would need to keep practicing.
Bibi Dong didn't disturb him.
Yue Guan only glanced over occasionally.
They both knew Lu Chen had just obtained his First Soul Skill and needed time to get familiar with it.
Half a day passed quickly.
Suddenly, a heavy dragging sound came from deep in the forest.
Gui Mei had returned.
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