Second Spirit Ring, Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion

At the end of the Great Plains, near the edge of the Far North Land.

Beside a Water Pool, Dugu Feng sat cross-legged. The Emerald Rhombus Scales on his forehead were dazzling, and the aura of a Jade Phosphorous Serpent spread from him.

Beside him, two Nine-Section Emeralds stretched out their bodies and lay there lazily.

He had already been sitting in cultivation for two hours.

He looked utterly unguarded, but in truth, all his attention was focused on the sky.

A while later, Dugu Feng's eyes lit up. "Sure enough, it came!"

How could the aura of three snakes fail to lure in a Serpent King Vulture?

This Serpent King Vulture's wings spanned over Four Meters. It was a Soul Beast of Over Four Thousand Years.

"Breakfast is here. Get to work!"

Dugu Feng's idea of eating breakfast was also the Serpent King Vulture's idea. It had discovered two snakes, plus a snake-like Two-Legged Beast. That was definitely enough to fill its belly.

This four-thousand-year Serpent King Vulture had brown light flowing over its long legs. With a sharp cry, its entire body dove downward.

"Closer, closer!"

The Serpent King Vulture's speed increased again. Its wings swept upward, then slammed downward.

The weight of its entire body pressed onto its sharp claws. It was actually trying to stomp Dugu Feng to death in one blow.

This was precisely the Serpent King Vulture's usual move. Its long legs were covered in brown scales and were extremely sturdy, combined with the sharpness of its claws. When it dropped from high in the sky, it was like a sharp sword, with astonishing Attack Power.

But next, it saw that Two-Legged Beast stretch out both hands and Shoot Out purple light.

The other two Little Snakes also shot into the sky.

A hint of disdain actually appeared in the Serpent King Vulture's emotionless eyes.

These prey always had to struggle a little before they died.

Its agile body shifted. As long as it was just a bit faster, all these attacks would miss.

This was the experience it had gained from countless hunts.

But this time, the Serpent King Vulture miscalculated. It had encountered a true hunter.

Dugu Feng had only used four Jade Phosphor Twelve Fingers. Two of them were fired from his thumbs, carrying the fierce, forceful aura of Shattering Gold Splitting Stone, and the Serpent King Vulture dodged them easily.

The other two looked unremarkable, yet their forms drifted. Even though the Serpent King Vulture's body was a fraction faster, they still shot precisely into its eyes.

Then came the two Little Snakes it had looked down on. Fast as Thunder, they landed on the Serpent King Vulture's wings and bit fiercely into the flesh beneath its Feathers.

Poison entered the Serpent King Vulture's body. By instinct, its wings flapped wildly as it tried to fly back up.

But after flying only a few hundred meters, it fell to the ground with a slap.

"Haha, another one in the bag!"

Dugu Feng laughed happily.

From needing to expend some effort at the beginning to now dealing with a Serpent King Vulture easily in a single move, he had improved greatly.

Being able to fire Jade Phosphor Purple Poison in one-tenth of a blink was truly too fast.

And it was far too flexible. The Serpent King Vulture almost had no way to dodge.

"Congratulations, Young Master. Your use of the Second Stage of the Jade Phosphor Purple Poison has already reached perfection.

You can start attempting the third stage. By then, any hair on your body will be able to release poison, silently and invisibly!"

Old Scorpion burrowed out from underground, laughing with great delight.

"All right, Old Scorpion, this time I'll treat you to Roasted Vulture Wings. We'll set off after eating and get ready to absorb the Second Spirit Ring!"

Dugu Feng said excitedly.

By now, nearly a year had passed since he had first stepped onto this grassland.

His Soul Power Level had smoothly advanced to Level Twenty. All he lacked was the Second Spirit Ring.

"No problem. I'll show you my cooking skills!"

When it came to eating, Old Scorpion was definitely the one who had the most in common with him.

During this year on the grassland, deep-frying, barbecue, Hot Pot—they had everything. Though they were in the wilderness, Old Scorpion was still very particular, completely different from Old Snake.

Old Scorpion took out a short knife, and in no time at all, he began processing the Serpent King Vulture.

Dugu Feng did not waste a single moment. He sensed the two Pill Beads inside his body. Their energy had already grown to Thirty-six Percent, rising from the Twenty-five Percent just after the evolution to thirty-six.

The increase was very slow, less than one percent per month.

And that was with himself, the two Nine-Section Emeralds, Zhu Zhuqing, and Zhu Zhuyun raising them together.

After Pill Bead Evolution, their quality was too high.

At this rate, evolving again into eight beads would still take more than five years.

Five years. That was slow.

But when he thought of all the strange wonders and marvelous uses of the Pill Beads, Dugu Feng accepted it.

This was a true treasure.

The last time his speed had increased, it had been because of Tyrant Poison. Under normal circumstances, even if everything went smoothly, he would have had to reach Soul King before he could possess Tyrant Poison.

Yet while he was still at the Soul Master level, he had used the opportunity of his father unleashing Tyrant Poison to boost himself fiercely.

Then perhaps other Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures could also speed up his Pill Bead Evolution.

He still needed to try more things. Dugu Feng looked thoughtful.

A moment later, the aroma of meat drifted over. Dugu Feng directly tore off a huge wing bone. The meat on the wing bone, roasted under high heat, had a golden, tender skin.

A few drops of grease fell onto the grass with a sizzling sound, giving off a spicy fragrance.

It really had to be Old Scorpion!

Dugu Feng sighed in admiration, then began eating straight away.

Though it was a nearly four-meter-long vulture wing, for Dugu Feng and Old Scorpion, it was only enough for one meal.

With the Pill Bead inside him, he needed energy badly.

After this year had passed, the eight-year-old him was already no different from a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old Youth on Blue Star. Soul Masters on Douluo Continent generally grew quickly.

His body was still growing, so naturally it needed more energy.

His Bones, meridians, and blood, all strengthened by the Pill Bead, were like gaping Taotie maws one after another, constantly devouring the meat that entered his stomach. Wisps of heat spread out, making Dugu Feng feel that his body was growing stronger every moment.

Very soon, the two of them finished off the vulture wing. The meat from the other parts of the Serpent King Vulture was all placed into the Soul Tool, to be taken out and eaten when they were hungry.

Then they set off impatiently.

This time, the two of them traveled very quickly.

Dugu Feng had to gather his Soul Power the entire way just to keep up with Old Scorpion's pace.

Several days passed, and Dugu Feng was surprised to discover that the rivers they passed were already covered in ice.

Even the mountaintops of the mountain ranges were blanketed in snow.

They were approaching the Far North Land.

The cold air not only failed to make Dugu Feng feel unwell, but instead made his Martial Soul become active.

The Soul Power within his body flowed smoothly through him, resisting the bitter cold.

Dugu Feng was full of fighting spirit.

In the end, the two of them arrived atop a range of mountains.

The mountain range stretched upward beyond sight. Looking up, all he could see was a vast expanse of white snow and frost.

"There are Ice Jade Scorpion Clan Soul Beasts on this mountain. The Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion you chose, Young Master, is the emperor of the Ice Jade Scorpion Clan and possesses a special Bloodline, so it rarely appears.

But with me, Old Scorpion, here, no matter where it's hiding, I'll dig it out for you, Young Master!"

Old Scorpion said rather proudly.

Dugu Feng nodded. He would rather go without than settle for less. Even if it took some time, he had to find the most suitable and most powerful Soul Beast.

Dugu Feng waited at the foot of the mountain while Old Scorpion transformed into a shadow and disappeared over the ice.

Ice Jade Scorpions generally lived within glaciers or ice caves and possessed extremely powerful Cold Poison.

They were not as easy to find as the Soul Beasts in Sunset Forest.