Azure Luan! Third Soul Ring!

Ning Rongrong lifted her head from his arms, blinking her big eyes with an expectant look. "Then let's go find your soul ring! What kind do you want? I'll help you look!"

Lin Ming's smile faded as he said seriously, "My minimum is a ten-thousand-year soul beast, but it can't exceed twenty thousand years. It must also be an assault-type one. I'm pursuing ultimate offensive power—the more violent, the better."

"A ten-thousand-year soul beast..." Ning Rongrong stuck out her tongue and made a face. "Those won't be easy to find. There are already few ten-thousand-year soul beasts in Sunset Forest, and finding an assault-type one makes it even harder. We'll probably have to venture into the heart of the forest to encounter one."

"That's exactly why we need to go deeper into the forest." Lin Ming looked into the distance, his gaze resolute. "Let's go. Hopefully, we'll find a suitable one before dark. If we don't find one today, we'll continue tomorrow. We're not in a hurry anyway."

The two continued deeper into Sunset Forest.

As they went farther in, the surrounding trees grew taller, their branches and leaves denser, while the light became increasingly dim, as though they had entered another world.

The soul power fluctuations in the air became more intense. From time to time, powerful auras drifted over from afar, putting them on guard.

Large soul beast tracks and droppings began appearing on the ground, along with half-eaten animal carcasses scattered through the grass.

Lin Ming led Ning Rongrong through the woods, sensing the movements around them as they walked. They encountered several thousand-year soul beasts, including an eight-thousand-year Flame Lion that was close to ten thousand years old, but none met Lin Ming's requirements.

"This one won't do. It's not old enough—only eight thousand years. It's far too lacking."

"This one won't do either. It leans toward defense, not what I want. I need an offensive type."

"This one's attributes don't match. My Heaven-Piercing Divine Spear doesn't need elemental enchantment. Pure strength is the true path."

Lin Ming shook his head again and again, while Ning Rongrong sighed along with him each time. The expression on her little face shifted from anticipation to disappointment, then from disappointment to anxiety.

As the sky gradually darkened and the last golden rays of the setting sun filtered through the treetops, Lin Ming grew somewhat impatient as well.

Would they really return empty-handed today? If they came back tomorrow, they would waste another day.

Just then, his gaze was suddenly drawn to a figure in the distance.

It was a gigantic jet-black snake, as thick as a water barrel and more than ten meters long. Three blood-red eyes grew from its triangular head, radiating a cold, sinister aura.

It was coiled beneath an enormous ancient tree, its body wrapped around the trunk as though waiting for prey. Its scales glimmered with a ghostly chill in the dim light, and from time to time, it flicked out a scarlet tongue with a hissing sound.

"A ten-thousand-year snake-type soul beast!" Lin Ming's eyes lit up as he lowered his voice. "At least fifteen thousand years old! Its aura is powerful!"

Ning Rongrong followed his gaze and instinctively shrank back, moving closer to Lin Ming.

"Lin Ming, are you going to hunt that snake? But its attributes don't really suit you, do they? Your Heaven-Piercing Divine Spear is purely offensive, pursuing ultimate sharpness and piercing power. Snake-type soul beasts usually carry poison attributes—wouldn't that be unsuitable? And it looks way too scary. Three eyes... just looking at it gives me chills."

Lin Ming merely shook his head, a mysterious smile curling across his lips. "It isn't my target."

Ning Rongrong froze, looking utterly confused. "Not it? Then why are you staring at it? Is there another soul beast?"

Lin Ming raised a hand and pointed toward the crown of the ancient tree in the distance, excitement glittering in his eyes. "Look there."

Ning Rongrong looked in the direction he indicated. Her pupils suddenly contracted, and she sucked in a cold breath.

At the highest branch of that ancient tree stood a bird in complete stillness.

Its body was covered in azure-blue feathers that gleamed with a metallic sheen under the fading sunlight, as if it had been carved from the finest lapis lazuli.

It was not especially large, with a wingspan of roughly three meters, yet its posture was exceptionally elegant. Its neck was slender, its lines graceful, and a tuft of golden crest feathers atop its head swayed gently in the breeze.

Its amber eyes were sharp as blades as it looked down upon the black snake below. They were filled with pride and disdain, as if it were looking at an ant.

Azure Luan!

A descendant of the ancient divine beast Phoenix, possessing an exceptionally pure bloodline—the king among avian soul beasts!

The moment Lin Ming finished speaking, the Azure Luan moved.

It was unbelievably fast. With a spread of its wings, it became an azure-blue streak of light and dove from the treetop.

A long afterimage trailed behind it through the air, and only then did the piercing sound of tearing wind arrive, as shrill as ripped cloth. It was so fast that the naked eye could barely track it; all they could see was a bolt of azure lightning ripping across the sky.

The black snake sensed the danger. All three blood-red eyes locked onto the diving Azure Luan at once, terror filling its pupils.

It opened its mouth and spewed out a dense cloud of black poisonous mist. Thick as ink and reeking with a pungent stench, it instantly withered and charred the grass wherever it passed. Even the rocks sizzled from corrosion, sending wisps of white smoke into the air.

Yet the Azure Luan paid the poisonous mist no heed. A faint azure halo appeared around its body, wrapping it like armor. The moment the poison mist touched that halo, it vanished like snow meeting blazing fire, unable to penetrate even the slightest bit.

The next instant, the Azure Luan's talons seized the black snake's vital spot.

Crack!

The crisp sound of breaking bones rang out, especially piercing in the silent forest.

The black snake's body suddenly stiffened. The light in its three eyes rapidly dimmed, replaced by endless pain and despair.

Its tail lashed wildly against the ground, snapping branches from surrounding trees and sending shattered stones flying, pounding one deep pit after another into the earth. But it was all a futile struggle. Its life was draining away rapidly.

The Azure Luan's talons were like forged steel, clamped tightly around the black snake's weak point. No matter how it struggled, it could not break free.

Then the Azure Luan lowered its head. Its sharp beak, like a dagger, precisely pecked open the black snake's skull and began enjoying its dinner.

Its feeding movements were elegant yet lethal. Each bite tore away flesh and blood, as though it were conducting some sacred ritual.

"So strong..." Ning Rongrong stared in stunned disbelief, her voice trembling as her little face turned slightly pale. "That bird killed that ten-thousand-year black snake in one move? That's terrifying, isn't it? That was a ten-thousand-year soul beast! It ate it like a snack?"

Excitement glimmered in Lin Ming's eyes, and the corners of his mouth rose unconsciously.

The stronger, the better! Only a top-tier soul beast like this was worthy of becoming his third soul ring! Only an opponent like this could truly test his strength!

"Rongrong, get ready to support me." Lin Ming gripped the Heaven-Piercing Divine Spear tightly. The soul power within him began circulating at high speed, and the golden patterns on the spear seemed to come alive, slowly flowing.

"I'm going in."