Second Soul Ring, an Unexpected Windfall

Shi An glanced back, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly as he darted through the dense forest.

As long as the Stonewall Bird got a little closer to the ground, he was confident he could pin it down for good.

One man and one bird raced through the jungle, but Shi An was not running blindly.

A hunter was a hunter because hunters used every possible method to capture their prey.

Not far ahead lay a natural valley. He had already checked it on his way here; there were no signs of soul beasts living inside, and the entrance was extremely narrow. As long as the Stonewall Bird entered that narrow gap, Shi An could manipulate the earth and stone to trap it there in an instant.

By then, the Stonewall Bird would be no different from fish on a chopping block.

Crack, crack~~~

The sound of breaking branches continued behind him. By now, Shi An could already see the valley entrance.

He sped up, charging toward the entrance like a whirlwind, leaving a string of afterimages behind him.

Whoosh~~~

Shi An suddenly shot out from the bushes and rushed toward the valley entrance.

The Stonewall Bird chasing relentlessly behind him also flew out. Without the trees blocking its way, its speed surged dramatically, and its sharp talons clawed toward the middle of Shi An's back.

If that attack landed, Shi An's back would be torn to bloody shreds.

Buzz, buzz, buzz~~~

Boom!

The ground began to writhe, and a heavy earthen wall rose from the ground behind Shi An. The Stonewall Bird's sharp talons slammed into it.

Its immense power shattered the earthen wall directly, sending dirt flying everywhere, but Shi An had already rushed into the valley on the other side.

The Stonewall Bird gave it no further thought. It flapped its wings again and chased after him, letting out a piercing screech.

But the instant the Stonewall Bird passed through the valley entrance, two enormous hands of earth suddenly extended from the stone walls on either side.

The earthen palms glowed with brown light, appearing exceptionally heavy and solid.

Bang!

The two enormous hands came together, violently slapping the Stonewall Bird between them. The crushing force made it let out a terrified scream.

Its wings were rendered useless by the powerful pressure, unable to flap at all. Its body struggled violently, but it was all in vain.

The earthen hands contained countless spikes. The more fiercely the Stonewall Bird struggled, the larger the wounds it inflicted upon itself became.

Shi An slowly emerged from the valley. His gaze fell upon the Stonewall Bird, which was writhing and struggling madly as it let out scream after scream, and the corner of his mouth curled into the smile of a hunter who had caught his prey.

"Be a good bird and become my soul ring." Shi An lightly clenched his hand, and a hard brown spear emerged from beneath his feet. He grabbed it firmly.

Squelch~~~

The spear plunged into the Stonewall Bird's eye, driving straight into its brain and shredding it.

Deprived of neural signals, the Stonewall Bird's body continued to struggle instinctively, but its soul ring had already floated out.

Looking at the yellow soul ring tinged with purple, Shi An frowned slightly.

This meant that the soul ring was already around nine hundred years old, close to a thousand.

Shi An hesitated.

He was not sure whether he could absorb this soul ring. If he succeeded, all would be well. But if he failed...

At best, his meridians would rupture and he would become crippled. At worst, he would die on the spot.

Shi An did not hesitate for long before a trace of determination flashed through his eyes.

I'm doing it!

His body had already been altered by the power of earth, and he had consistently trained it properly over the past six years.

His physical condition was far superior to that of others.

Absorbing a soul ring was inherently risky. His decision now merely carried a little more risk than usual.

If he was unwilling to take even this much of a gamble, how could he ever become strong?

Shi An sealed off the valley entrance, then sat cross-legged on the ground and began regulating his breathing.

Not long after, he opened his eyes. Those bright eyes were filled with calmness and determination.

Buzz~~~

The Origin Stone appeared. Shi An used his will to guide the soul ring toward the Origin Stone.

The soul ring trembled before slowly drifting closer to the Origin Stone.

Suddenly, an enormous surge of soul power poured into his body through the Origin Stone.

Shi An immediately let out a muffled groan. The violent soul power was like a runaway freight train, crashing madly through his meridians and filling his entire body with indescribable agony.

It was as though a massive hammer were pounding his flesh inch by inch, with bone-deep pain seeping from even the gaps between his bones.

Droplets of blood emerged from Shi An's pores, dyeing his coarse cloth outfit crimson and making him look utterly horrifying.

Shi An endured pain unlike anything he had ever experienced. His molars ground together with a creak, and blood seeped through the gaps between his teeth.

Shi An swore that he would never take this kind of risk again.

It hurt so fucking much. He had tried a pain endurance device before; even level twelve pain—the pain of childbirth—had been nothing compared to this.

This was simply inhuman torture.

Second by second, Shi An's body continued trembling without pause, covered in a layer of dried blood scabs.

Moonlight shone into the valley, draping the surrounding flowers, grass, and trees in a thin silver veil.

A yellow soul ring tinged with purple floated silently above the Origin Stone. This was the sign that the absorption was about to succeed.

Buzz~~~

A wave of soul power spread from his body. Its aura was unmistakably that of level twenty-three soul power, approaching level twenty-four.

Shi An sharply exhaled, his entire body filled with the numb, sore, swollen ache left behind after the pain receded.

Before he could even open his eyes, a tearing pain suddenly erupted from his back.

"Aah!!"

Caught completely off guard, Shi An cried out.

Crisp cracking sounds came from the bones in his back, as though they were undergoing some kind of transformation.

Shi An's body twisted unnaturally. Then, suddenly...

Bang!

Shi An's taut shirt burst apart, and a pair of brown feathered wings appeared behind him.

The sensation was marvelous, as though they had been part of him since birth, as natural to control as his own arms.

The blood scabs on Shi An's body fell away inch by inch, revealing pale yet smooth skin beneath.

His body slowly rose into the air. The wings behind him flapped gently, stirring whirlwinds of cool air.

Shi An smiled, then laughed heartily.

What was growing from his back if not an external soul bone?

He had not expected it!

He truly had not expected it!

The risk he had taken this time had brought such an enormous reward!

Risks were meant to be taken!

The greater the storm, the more valuable the catch!

Shi An flapped his wings and circled the valley once before landing on the ground.

He had already absorbed his second soul ring, and his soul power had reached level twenty-three.

He had also obtained such a treasure as an external soul bone. This outing had yielded tremendous gains.

It was time to head back.

But... before returning, he needed to test out his second soul skill.

PS: The book has been signed. If you think it's decent, please add it to your bookshelf.

1101775660.

This is a QQ group. Anyone who plays Honor of Kings can join; we team up every night to rank up.

I only get one or two hours of gaming time each day. Today is June 11, and I'm already at 61 stars.

There are some strong players in the group too. If you want to rank up, feel free to join.

Of course, if any masters see this and think I'm a joke, just have a laugh.