First Soul Ring

Snake Spear Douluo was dumbfounded. Since when had hunting soul beasts become this easy? He had hunted souls in the Star Dou Forest plenty of times—when had finding and killing a suitable soul beast ever taken less than ten days or half a month?

And now, they had barely entered the forest when their target soul beast delivered itself right to them!

However, Snake Spear Douluo was a battle-hardened Titled Douluo after all. After a brief moment of stunned silence, he did not hesitate. With a flick of his right hand, a spear shaped like a venomous snake flicking out its tongue appeared in his grasp. It was his martial soul, the Snake Spear.

Nine soul rings rose beneath his feet—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, purple, black, black, black, black. The nine rings shone against one another, radiating a suffocating pressure.

Sensing that terrifying aura, the Golden Armored Earth Dragon abruptly halted its charge. It instinctively tried to turn and flee, but it was already too late.

Snake Spear Douluo did not use a soul skill. He merely shook the Snake Spear in his hand, and an emerald-green spear beam tore through the air, piercing precisely through the Golden Armored Earth Dragon's head and pinning its enormous body to the ground.

The Golden Armored Earth Dragon let out a shrill wail. Its limbs twitched a few times before it collapsed limply to the ground, barely alive, with only its last breath hanging on.

Snake Spear Douluo glanced at the scales on the tip of the Golden Armored Earth Dragon's tail and found that there were nine of them. He sighed. "Ah, what a pity. This Golden Armored Earth Dragon is already over nine hundred years old. It isn't very suitable as your first soul ring."

"Elder Snake Spear, I think this soul ring is just right. Uncle Tom examined my body before. He said my physical condition is stronger than that of many Great Soul Masters."

Zhao Ming was not lying. After consuming the whale glue, he had deliberately asked Tom to examine him, and Tom himself had said as much.

Snake Spear Douluo was stunned upon hearing this, then immediately began examining Zhao Ming's body himself. To his surprise, he found that Zhao Ming's physical condition really was stronger than that of quite a few Great Soul Masters. This kid might even be able to attempt a thousand-year first ring, with roughly a forty to fifty percent chance of success.

But Snake Spear Douluo did not dare take the risk. This was a genius born with full innate soul power. A soul ring over nine hundred years old was the safest choice.

With that in mind, Snake Spear Douluo withdrew his martial soul and said to Zhao Ming, "Kid, do it!"

Zhao Ming had long been prepared. He rushed to the Golden Armored Earth Dragon in a few strides, raised the steel whip in his hand, and smashed it viciously down on the beast's head.

After several consecutive strikes, the Golden Armored Earth Dragon finally breathed its last. A yellow soul ring tinged with purple slowly rose from its corpse.

Zhao Ming immediately sat down cross-legged and circulated Nine-Breath Qi Absorption, guiding the soul ring toward himself.

The moment the soul ring settled around his steel whip, a vast surge of power flooded into every part of his body.

Thanks to the whale glue that had strengthened his physique beforehand, along with the tempering of his meridians by Nine-Breath Qi Absorption, absorbing this soul ring of over nine hundred years was not easy for Zhao Ming, but he did not encounter any major obstacles.

Zhao Ming could feel waves of stinging pain in his meridians, but that was all. He guided the soul ring's power slowly through his body, gradually merging it with his own soul power.

More than two hours later, Zhao Ming slowly opened his eyes and let out a long breath of stale air. His first soul ring had been successfully absorbed.

With a thought from Zhao Ming, a yellow soul ring tinged with purple rose beneath his feet.

"Kid, what is your first soul skill?" Snake Spear Douluo asked from the side, anticipation in his eyes.

Zhao Ming closed his eyes and sensed it for a moment. Then he activated his soul power and released the power of his first soul ring.

A faint golden glow surged from within his body, covering the surface of his skin and making him look as though he had been coated in a layer of gold leaf.

"First Soul Skill: Vajra Body." Zhao Ming opened his eyes, unable to conceal the excitement in his voice. "Its effect is a twenty percent boost to all attributes, with an additional one hundred percent increase to strength and defense."

She Long's brows shot upward.

A twenty percent boost to all attributes, plus an extra one hundred percent increase to strength and defense—this meant that when Zhao Ming used his first soul skill, his strength and defense would directly double. With the all-attribute boost added on top, his actual increase in strength and defense would reach an astonishing one hundred and twenty percent.

In terms of effect, such a first soul skill was already comparable to the third soul skill of an ordinary Soul Elder.

"Good kid, this soul skill is quite impressive." She Long rarely smiled as he reached out and patted Zhao Ming's shoulder. "Golden Armored Earth Dragons are soul beasts renowned for their strength and defense. For you to obtain such a soul skill from one, your luck is indeed quite good. Come on, I'll take you to Heaven Dou City."

Yet Zhao Ming shook his head. Looking up at She Long, he said seriously, "Elder Snake Spear, I want to stay in the Star Dou Forest for a while longer."

"Hm?" She Long frowned slightly. "You just absorbed your first soul ring. Staying in the Star Dou Forest is too dangerous."

"I know, but I want to cultivate here for a while, familiarize myself with my first soul ring's soul skill, and temper my practical combat ability. With Elder Snake Spear here, the soul beasts in the outer region shouldn't be able to hurt me."

She Long stared at Zhao Ming for a long while. Within those clear eyes, he saw a resolve and determination far beyond the boy's age.

"Fine." She Long finally nodded. "I'll accompany you in this outer region for half a month. We had originally planned to spend a month taking you back to Heaven Dou City and hunting your soul ring anyway. Letting you cultivate in the Star Dou Forest for half a month won't hurt."

"Thank you, Elder Snake Spear!" A smile appeared on Zhao Ming's face.

Over the next half month, under She Long's protection, Zhao Ming began practical combat training in the outer region of the Star Dou Forest.

He actively sought out ten-year and hundred-year soul beasts to fight, familiarizing himself with the use of Vajra Body in real combat while honing the offensive and defensive techniques of his steel whip.

What surprised She Long was that Zhao Ming possessed an exceptionally high talent for battle.

At first, Zhao Ming was still somewhat flustered when facing ten-year soul beasts. Yet after only a few days, he could already handle hundred-year soul beasts with ease.

His steel whip whistled through the air with tremendous force, and the strength granted by Vajra Body was even more astonishing. Often, a single strike would leave a hundred-year soul beast with broken bones and torn tendons.

What caught She Long's attention even more was the faint killing intent permeating Zhao Ming's fighting style. Though his moves still appeared somewhat immature, they already carried a sharp, decisive edge, as though he had been influenced by some profound art of combat.

What She Long did not know was that Zhao Ming's spiritual sea bore the imprint of the Shangqing Sword Technique: Introductory Chapter.

Every move Zhao Gongming had used with his whip that day was deeply imprinted in Zhao Ming's soul. As he continued practicing through real combat, those imprints were subtly shaping his fighting instincts.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye. When She Long led Zhao Ming out of the Star Dou Forest, Zhao Ming's aura had already changed noticeably.

His gaze had become sharper, and his every movement carried a little more composure and confidence. The fluctuations of soul power around him had also grown increasingly solid.

"Kid, your progress over these past half a month has exceeded my expectations by far." While flying, Snake Spear Douluo rarely gave Zhao Ming a word of praise.