Second Soul Skill and Soul Bone

With a muffled bang, the emerald streak of light came to an abrupt halt.

The palm-sized bird smashed a shallow dent into the cliff face, then drifted down like a falling leaf. Its legs twitched once, and it passed out cold.

Before Snake Lance Douluo could close his mouth, another gray-black shadow shot out of the dense forest. Following close behind the Emerald Demon Bird, it crashed into the very same cliff face at an equally bizarre angle.

It was a Sharp-tailed Swift, gray-black all over, with long tail feathers like shears. It was a size larger than an ordinary swallow, its wingspan as long as a forearm when spread.

It now lay beside the Emerald Demon Bird, equally unconscious.

Snake Lance Douluo rubbed his eyes hard to make sure he had not seen wrong. The corners of his mouth twitched twice, and his expression became a spectacle—shock, bewilderment, and above all, a helpless feeling of not even knowing where to begin complaining.

An Emerald Demon Bird and a Sharp-tailed Swift—both were soul beasts Zhao Ming needed—yet they had simply flown into a cliff and knocked themselves out, lying neatly before them.

Two flying soul beasts had been flying perfectly well, only to crash into a cliff and pass out? If he had not witnessed it himself, Snake Lance Douluo would never have believed it even if someone beat him to death.

Putting aside whether bird-type soul beasts could knock themselves out, flying straight into a cliff face was utterly absurd!

At his age, Snake Lance Douluo had hunted no fewer than eight hundred, if not a thousand, soul beasts. What strange scene had he not witnessed? Yet this was truly a first for him.

He took a deep breath and decided not to dwell on it. The soul beasts had practically delivered themselves to his doorstep; there was no reason not to take them.

He grabbed the still-dazed Zhao Ming by the collar. Soul Power surged beneath his feet, and in two leaps, they arrived beside the two unconscious soul beasts.

Snake Lance Douluo crouched down and examined the ages of both soul beasts.

A moment later, he straightened up and said in an almost numb tone, "Both are just over two thousand years old, right at the upper limit for your second soul ring."

After a pause, he added, "Kid, did you step in dog shit when you left the house today?"

Zhao Ming chuckled but did not answer. He had already more or less concluded that this outrageous luck was most likely connected to the Treasure-Dropping Coin.

The Fortune-Gathering Domain automatically gathered fortune, wealth luck, opportunities, destiny—even the chance of encountering the target soul beast while hunting was greatly increased.

But this was not the time to investigate it further. Zhao Ming took a deep breath, composed himself, and strode toward the Emerald Demon Bird.

The legendary vicious bird lay defenselessly on the ground. Its emerald feathers gleamed brilliantly beneath the setting sun, while its scarlet pointed beak hung slightly open, revealing dense, needle-like barbs within.

Even unconscious, it still radiated a fierce, baleful aura that made it impossible to underestimate.

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhao Ming flipped his right hand, and a pitch-black Steel Whip appeared in his palm.

Gripping the whip with both hands, he aimed at the Emerald Demon Bird's head and brought it down with all his strength.

Bang! Bang! Bang! After three consecutive strikes, the Emerald Demon Bird finally breathed its last.

A deep purple soul ring slowly rose from its small corpse, casting a gentle yet mysterious glow through the dim forest.

Zhao Ming immediately sat cross-legged, laid the Steel Whip across his knees, and circulated Nine-Breath Qi Absorption, guiding the purple soul ring toward himself.

The instant the soul ring settled over the Steel Whip, an immense and violent force poured into every part of his body like floodwaters bursting through a broken dam.

Though small, the Emerald Demon Bird was a soul beast famed for its ferocity. The energy contained in its soul ring was far more domineering and fierce than that of other soul beasts of the same age.

Zhao Ming felt as though molten iron had been poured into his meridians. Waves of searing pain spread from deep within his bones throughout his entire body.

He clenched his teeth and circulated Nine-Breath Qi Absorption with all his strength, guiding, refining, and gradually merging that violent energy into his Soul Power circuit.

Time passed second by second.

Snake Lance Douluo stood quietly to one side with his arms crossed, guarding Zhao Ming.

His gaze occasionally swept over the still-unconscious Sharp-tailed Swift, then returned to Zhao Ming as he absorbed the soul ring. In the end, he could not help muttering, "This is too damn bizarre."

Two hours later, Zhao Ming slowly opened his eyes.

He let out a long breath of stale air and looked down at the Steel Whip in his hand. A faint layer of emerald patterns had appeared along its body, glimmering with an eerie sheen under the moonlight.

A purple soul ring rose beneath his feet, complementing the first yellow ring tinged with purple.

"How is it?" Snake Lance Douluo asked, his voice carrying a hint of anticipation.

Zhao Ming closed his eyes and sensed it for a moment. Then he activated his Soul Power and released the strength of his second soul ring.

A pale emerald glow poured from his body, forming a thin membrane of light around him, as delicate as a cicada's wing.

Faint feather-like patterns flowed across the membrane, light and agile, standing in sharp contrast to the heavy, steady golden radiance of his first soul skill, Vajra Body.

Zhao Ming opened his eyes with a satisfied smile. "Uncle Snake Lance, my second soul skill is called Emerald Feather Protection."

"Its effect is a thirty percent boost to all my attributes, with an additional one hundred percent increase to speed and agility. There is no duration limit either; as long as I have enough Soul Power to sustain it, I can keep it active indefinitely."

Snake Lance Douluo's brows shot up.

A thirty percent increase to all attributes, with an additional one hundred percent boost to speed and agility.

That meant Zhao Ming's speed and agility would directly double when he used his second soul skill. With the overall attribute increase stacked on top, his actual speed and agility boosts would reach an astonishing one hundred and thirty percent. More importantly, there was no time limit.

In terms of effectiveness, such a second soul skill could rival the fourth soul skills of many agility-attack Soul Ancestors.

"This soul skill is truly not bad, you kid..." Snake Lance Douluo trailed off when he noticed Zhao Ming taking a dagger from his storage Soul Tool and walking toward the Emerald Demon Bird.

"Don't tell me you're planning to find a soul bone on this two-thousand-year-old Emerald Demon Bird?"

Zhao Ming nodded.

"The chance of a millennium soul beast producing a soul bone is far too low. You'd better not waste your ti—" Snake Lance Douluo's voice abruptly stopped, because he watched Zhao Ming pull a right arm bone from the Emerald Demon Bird's corpse.

"I... you... he—fuck!" Snake Lance Douluo finally burst out with a curse. At that moment, only those words could express how he felt.

A two-thousand-year-old soul beast had actually produced a soul bone!

"Unfortunately, it isn't an External Soul Bone. A two-thousand-year right arm bone is a little too low-level for me," Zhao Ming said regretfully.

The corner of Snake Lance Douluo's mouth twitched. Why did he suddenly want to hit someone?