Millennium Second Ring

Mo Yuan struck, and the soul beast fell. The whole exchange took no more than a breath.

The thousand-year Gale Giant Ape had not even had time to react before a bloodline as fine as a hair appeared across its throat.

Its massive body crashed onto a low boulder, shaking loose fragments of stone and scattering flecks of blood across the surrounding earth.

The other three ape-like soul beasts instantly erupted into panicked shrieks and fled headlong into the depths of the forest, not daring to spare even a glance at their companion's corpse.

Mo Yuan remained where he stood, his right hand already withdrawn and clasped behind his back. His posture had not changed in the slightest from before he attacked.

He glanced at the ape's body on the ground, then at Li Long. His voice was calm. "While it's still fresh. A soul ring only condenses after you land the killing blow. Go finish it now."

Li Long snapped back to his senses and hurried forward.

With the iron rod in hand, he poured soul power into it, and the rod expanded to a length of one and a half meters.

He moved to the ape's side, aimed at the center of its brow, and brought the rod down.

Crack.

After the dull sound of bones breaking, the giant ape was completely lifeless.

The next instant, a purple soul ring rose from the corpse and slowly hovered in midair. Purple light flowed across its surface, radiating soul power fluctuations several times stronger than those of a yellow ring.

The thousand-year soul ring cast a purple glow across the valley, staining even the surrounding leaves with a layer of violet.

The moment the soul ring rose, Li Long sat down cross-legged on the spot. He laid the iron rod across his knees, closed his eyes, focused his mind, and circulated the soul power within him.

"Use your martial soul to draw in the soul ring. Let it enter your body slowly. Don't rush it."

Mo Yuan's voice came from beside him, still even and unhurried, yet every word was crystal clear. "The first surge of thousand-year soul power is the fiercest. Once you endure the first thirty breaths, you'll be past the most dangerous stage. I'll be watching from the side. Speak up if you can't hold on."

Li Long did not answer. He had already immersed his entire mind within his body.

Soul power surged from his dantian, traveled upward through his meridians to both arms, then gathered within the iron rod resting on his knees.

The iron rod let out a hum, then began drawing the purple soul ring toward itself.

The instant the soul ring came into contact with his martial soul, an explosion of violent, nearly uncontrollable soul power erupted.

It was far more intense than he had imagined.

The impact of a hundred-year soul ring was like a rushing river, violent but confined within its channel.

The impact of a thousand-year soul ring was like an entire mountain crashing down from above. Soul power forced its way into every meridian, swelling every inch of his flesh until his entire body cried out in protest.

It felt as though an invisible hand had clenched his internal organs. A constant pressure squeezed between his ribs, and every breath required several times more effort than usual.

He gritted his teeth, veins bulging across his forehead.

As expected, a thousand-year ring and a hundred-year ring are on completely different levels.

But at this moment, the physical strength of a three-ring Soul Elder showed its worth.

His muscle fibers trembled ceaselessly beneath the impact of soul power, yet did not tear. His bones bore the crushing pressure without breaking. His meridians were stretched to their limits, yet never ruptured.

The violent soul power rampaged through his body, but it was like crashing into a container sturdy enough to contain it. The container shook, but its walls did not crack.

For the first thirty breaths, he relied almost entirely on his body to endure it head-on.

Sweat ran from his temples and down his jaw, soaking his collar. The clothes on his back were already drenched over a wide area.

His meridians burned continuously under the assault of soul power, as if each one were on fire, but the resilience of his meridian walls surpassed that of an ordinary three-ring Soul Elder.

"Your meridians..." Mo Yuan spoke again, and this time, there was an unmistakable note of surprise in his voice. "Their resilience far exceeds that of Soul Elders at the same level. You trained your body down to the level of your meridians. No wonder you could withstand a five-hundred-year soul ring."

He said nothing more, but something beneath the calm in his eyes had been shaken.

Li Long did not hear him.

He had entered a deep state of absorption, his mind fixed on the path of circulating soul power as he sensed every change within each meridian.

After its initial frenzy, the thousand-year soul power gradually began to slow, like the first towering wave after floodwaters burst through a dam. The current remained fierce, but its momentum steadily weakened.

Time passed in silence.

One incense stick's time passed.

Li Long's initially twisted expression gradually eased, and his breathing became steadier than before.

The circulation of soul power within him began to accelerate. The thousand-year soul power was gradually being digested and absorbed by his body, transformed into soul power of his own and slowly poured into his meridians and dantian.

Two incense sticks' time passed.

Fine purple patterns surfaced across the iron rod on his knees, as though part of the soul ring's color had seeped into it. They gradually merged into the martial soul itself as the absorption continued.

The total amount of soul power in Li Long's body continued to rise. The barrier at level twenty had long since been broken, and he was steadily advancing toward a new level.

After three incense sticks' time, Li Long suddenly opened his eyes.

A purple soul ring rose from beneath his feet and slowly revolved.

Its color was nearly twice as deep as his first ring, and its glow was richer as well. As it turned, it carried clear fluctuations of thousand-year soul power.

His second soul ring had successfully entered his body.

Li Long let out a long breath of stale air. He looked as if he had been pulled from the water, his clothes soaked through, yet his eyes shone brilliantly.

He clenched his fist, feeling the brand-new strength rushing through his meridians. It was far more abundant than before he had absorbed the ring.

"Second soul ring. Thousand-year."

Mo Yuan stood three zhang away, his hands still clasped behind his back. His expression remained unchanged, but his gaze lingered on the purple soul ring beneath Li Long's feet for two breaths.

Then he asked, "How much did your soul power level increase?"

Li Long closed his eyes and examined himself for a moment before opening them. "Level twenty-four."

Mo Yuan's eyelid twitched slightly.

He had jumped from level twenty to level twenty-four. The soul power feedback from a thousand-year second soul ring had directly raised him four levels.

That number would have been quite remarkable for any soul master, and it was even more so for Li Long.

"Get up and move around. See what your new soul skill can do." Mo Yuan offered no further comment, merely gave the routine reminder.

Li Long rose to his feet and rolled his shoulders and limbs.

The soul power in his body was full and flowing smoothly. The existence of his second soul ring made him feel as though his entire combat rhythm had changed. One more soul ring meant one more tactical option. It meant his opponents could no longer predict his moves on the assumption that he only had one trick.

He closed his eyes and sensed the information from his second soul skill flowing into his mind.

Gale Giant Force.

Once activated, it increased his overall strength and movement speed by three hundred percent. At the same time, the iron rod would be coated in a powerful wind pressure, generating additional shockwaves with every swing and exerting area-wide pressure on targets within five chi.

Its duration was approximately thirty minutes, and its consumption was about half that of his first soul skill.

Strength and speed, with area suppression as a bonus. Li Long summed it up in his mind, then opened his eyes. "This soul skill is good."

Mo Yuan did not ask about its specific effects. He merely nodded. "Since the absorption was successful, let's return."

He turned and headed back the way they had come, his pace as unhurried as ever.

Li Long followed behind him, and the two left the valley one after the other.

Silence returned to the valley. Only the giant ape's corpse remained sprawled beside the low boulder. The purple soul ring had already been drawn away and vanished without a trace.

By the time they returned to the outpost, night had fallen.

When the stationed deacon saw the purple soul ring beneath Li Long's feet, his mouth fell open. He seemed to want to say something, but swallowed it in the end and simply stepped aside to let them pass.

Mo Yuan stopped at the outpost entrance and glanced sideways at Li Long. "Rest here tonight. We leave for Spirit City tomorrow morning. Once we return, report directly to the Papal Palace. The Pope is waiting for your news."

"Alright," Li Long answered.

Mo Yuan said no more. He turned and entered the room arranged for him at the outpost. After the door closed, there was no further sound.

Li Long stood in the outpost courtyard, looking at the dark outline of the Star Dou Great Forest in the distance.

A thousand-year second ring.

He clenched his fists. The strength in his palms had risen another notch from before their departure, and level twenty-four soul power flowed steadily through his meridians.

Half a year ago, he had still been struggling to break through level ten in that cramped dormitory in Notting City. Now, he stood at the threshold of becoming a two-ring Grand Soul Master, with an even longer road ahead of him.

He took a deep breath, gathered his thoughts, and turned to enter his room as well.

Tonight, he would rest well. Tomorrow, he would return to Spirit City and report.

The competitions and challenges ahead would only be harder than those before, but with an additional thousand-year soul ring, he was no longer that ten-year-old boy with only one move.