The True Genius!!!

The pitch-black Soul Ring hovered above the Withered-Pattern Ancient Demon Tree.

Lin Tian looked at the Soul Ring and let out a long breath.

In the battle just now, it had seemed as though he had held the upper hand the entire time.

But a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast was still a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

If the Prismatic Forge had not granted true damage, he might not have been able to pierce the Withered-Pattern Ancient Demon Tree's defenses.

Much less blast it to death head-on.

"Perfect. It can be my first Soul Ring."

Lin Tian walked up to the Withered-Pattern Ancient Demon Tree's corpse and reached out to draw in the Soul Ring.

"Wait."

Qian Daoliu stepped to his side in a single stride.

"Lin Tian, do you know what you are doing?"

"This is a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring."

"The universally recognized limit for a first Soul Ring is only a little over four hundred years."

"No one has ever succeeded in absorbing a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring at level ten."

Qian Daoliu had seen countless geniuses.

Yet he had never heard of anyone daring to challenge a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring as their first.

The Soul Ring contained all the power of the Withered-Pattern Ancient Demon Tree.

If the absorption failed, that power would tear Lin Tian's body apart.

Lin Tian looked at the pitch-black Soul Ring before him.

"Master, I know the risks."

"But a four-hundred-year Soul Ring is not worthy of my martial souls."

"I believe I can withstand it."

Qian Daoliu fell silent.

He glanced at the Primordial Chaos Azure Lotus behind Lin Tian.

The battle just now had already proven that Lin Tian's body far surpassed that of an ordinary level-ten soul master.

With the Primordial Chaos Azure Lotus' immense Life Force as well, Lin Tian was indeed qualified to attempt a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring.

But the price of failure was far too great.

Qian Daoliu had only just gained a disciple with Twin Divine Martial Souls, so naturally, he did not want Lin Tian to take such a risk.

"Have you made up your mind?"

Lin Tian nodded.

"I have."

Without waiting any longer, he pressed his right hand directly against the pitch-black Soul Ring.

The instant his fingertips touched the Soul Ring, the entire ring trembled violently.

Boom!

Immense energy surged wildly into Lin Tian's body through his arm.

The meridians throughout Lin Tian's body suddenly tightened.

Violent Soul Power slammed into every part of his body, and searing pain rippled through his bones and flesh.

Though the Withered-Pattern Ancient Demon Tree was dead, the ferocity lingering within its Soul Ring had not dissipated.

A phantom of the Tree Demon, dozens of meters tall, appeared within Lin Tian's Spirit Sea.

Countless vines flooded toward him, seeking to swallow his consciousness whole.

Lin Tian sat down cross-legged.

"You were no match for me while you were alive."

"And you still want to resist after death?"

The Nine Nether Beast opened its eyes within the Spirit Sea.

An aura of destruction erupted outward.

Every vine charging at Lin Tian shattered instantly.

The Tree Demon's phantom still tried to struggle, but the Primordial Chaos Azure Lotus had already slowly bloomed on the other side.

Azure Divine Light illuminated the entire Spirit Sea.

The lingering ferocity of the Withered-Pattern Ancient Demon Tree rapidly dissipated beneath the suppression of the two divine martial souls.

Outside.

Qian Daoliu stood beside Lin Tian.

Golden Soul Power gathered in his palm.

The moment Lin Tian showed any sign of being unable to endure it, he would immediately intervene and forcibly interrupt the Soul Ring absorption.

Even if doing so severely injured Lin Tian, it would still be better than having all his meridians shattered.

Shui Bing'er leaned against an ancient tree.

After being treated by the Primordial Chaos Azure Lotus, the injury on her shoulder had mostly healed.

Yet at this moment, even her breathing had become much lighter.

"Level ten?"

Shui Bing'er looked at Lin Tian, seated cross-legged, while the conversation she had overheard replayed endlessly in her mind.

Someone capable of killing a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast head-on was actually only a level-ten soul master.

How was that possible?

She had already reached the Soul Elder realm and possessed the top-tier beast martial soul, the Ice Phoenix.

Yet when facing the Withered-Pattern Ancient Demon Tree, she had not even been able to escape.

Lin Tian, however, did not possess a single Soul Ring.

Relying solely on his martial souls and physical strength, he had beaten the Withered-Pattern Ancient Demon Tree to death.

Shui Bing'er's gaze fell upon Lin Tian's face.

Though his black clothes had been damaged, he did not look disheveled.

His handsome face remained calm and composed, without the slightest trace of panic between his brows.

Shui Bing'er gently pressed her red lips together.

At last, she understood what a true genius was.

Time passed bit by bit.

The violent Soul Power around Lin Tian grew increasingly dense.

Broken stones on the ground were lifted by Soul Power and spun continuously around his body.

Qian Daoliu never took his eyes off him.

The time it took to burn one stick of incense passed.

Then two sticks of incense.

Half an hour.

Just as Qian Daoliu was preparing to act, the Primordial Chaos Azure Lotus slowly rose behind Lin Tian.

Petal after petal unfurled.

Azure Divine Light spilled from the lotus pedestal, enveloping Lin Tian's entire body.

The Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Power that had been rampaging wildly gradually stabilized.

Lin Tian's damaged meridians rapidly healed.

Washed by the Azure Divine Light, his flesh, bones, and internal organs strengthened once more.

The Withered-Pattern Ancient Demon Tree's final trace of resistance was completely suppressed.

Buzz!

The pitch-black Soul Ring rose from beneath Lin Tian's feet.

The Soul Ring slowly revolved before finally circling the Primordial Chaos Azure Lotus.

[The Primordial Chaos Azure Lotus' first Soul Ring has been successfully absorbed.]

[Soul Ring source: Ten-Thousand-Year Withered-Pattern Ancient Demon Tree.]

[First Soul Skill acquired: All-Heaven Prison Root.]

[All-Heaven Prison Root: Summons a vast number of withered vines to seal off an area. The withered vines can continuously draw Life Force from surrounding plants.]

A flood of information entered Lin Tian's mind.

He had already completely mastered All-Heaven Prison Root.

As long as he activated his first Soul Ring, countless withered vines would burst forth from the earth.

In terms of restraint and control alone, the vines the Withered-Pattern Ancient Demon Tree had used earlier could not compare to All-Heaven Prison Root at all.

And this was only a Ten-Thousand-Year first Soul Skill.

Under the Prismatic Forge's enhancement, All-Heaven Prison Root would gain an additional thirty percent true damage.

The Pearlglow Gauntlet could likewise allow this Soul Skill to trigger critical hits.

Any enemy entangled by the withered vines would have to endure both restraint and true damage.

Once the first Soul Ring stabilized, the remaining Soul Ring energy began merging into Lin Tian's body.

His Soul Power broke through along with it.

Level eleven!

Level twelve!

Level thirteen!

His Soul Power soared without the slightest pause.

The immense energy accumulated by the Withered-Pattern Ancient Demon Tree over ten thousand years continuously broke through the barriers of Soul Power within Lin Tian's body.

Level fifteen!

Level eighteen!

Level twenty!

Only upon reaching level twenty did Lin Tian's Soul Power finally stop.

Qian Daoliu stared at the pitch-black Soul Ring beneath Lin Tian's feet, and the calm expression on his face vanished completely.

A first Soul Ring reaching ten thousand years was already incredible enough.

Yet absorbing a single Soul Ring had directly raised him ten levels.

Such a cultivation speed could no longer be measured by common sense.

Lin Tian slowly opened his eyes, and the pitch-black Soul Ring receded with them.

System prompts appeared in succession.

[Host's Soul Power has increased by ten levels.]

[Attribute Stacking Attribute Stacking Attribute has taken effect.]

[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained ten Attribute Forgers.]

[Tank Engine has completed ten enhancements.]

Boom!

Powerful vitality erupted from Lin Tian's body.

The Tank Engine's ten enhancements stacked layer upon layer.

His vitality, strength, agility, and defense all rose at once.

Lin Tian's shoulders broadened once again, and every bone in his body let out soft cracks.

With only a clenched fist, he squeezed the surrounding air into ripples.

Compared to when he killed the Withered-Pattern Ancient Demon Tree, his physical strength had risen to another level.