Group Soul Skill Plus Silence! Qin Ming's Heart Stirs?

After Ye Lingling opened her eyes, she did not immediately inspect the third soul skill she had just gained. Instead, she frowned slightly, looked around, and asked:

"What... happened just now?"

Although she had been focused on absorbing the Soul Ring and could not spare attention for the outside world, there was no way she could have felt nothing from such an intense battle.

Hearing her voice, Dugu Yan immediately let out a sigh of relief and hurried over.

"Ling Ling, you're finally awake!"

"You nearly scared me to death just now."

Ye Lingling froze slightly, confusion appearing on her face.

"What happened?"

Just as Dugu Yan was about to explain, Qin Ming walked over from nearby.

He first briefly checked Ye Lingling's condition. Once he confirmed that she had successfully absorbed her third Soul Ring, he roughly explained what had happened.

At the end, Qin Ming glanced at Gu Ling, who was sitting cross-legged some distance away, and said:

"I was originally preparing to use my sixth soul skill to deal with the Earthbone Demon Armor Beast, then rush over to save you. But... that kid was faster than me. He instantly crossed more than ten meters and appeared behind you, killing the soul beast before it could bite you."

At those words, a change finally appeared in Ye Lingling's usually calm eyes.

She subconsciously turned to look. Only now did she understand why, upon opening her eyes, she had seen an unfamiliar youth dressed in black sitting opposite her.

"So... he was the one who saved me?"

Ye Lingling did not speak immediately. She merely looked quietly at Gu Ling. She had always been reserved by nature and was not good at directly expressing her feelings.

But now that she learned she had nearly died without any ability to resist, only to be saved by a complete stranger who had suddenly stepped in, she could not possibly remain unmoved.

"Teacher Qin, what is his name?"

Ye Lingling asked softly.

Qin Ming paused slightly at the question, scratched his head, and smiled awkwardly.

"Well... so much happened just now that I haven't even had the chance to ask his name."

Just then, Dugu Yan stepped forward, patted Ye Lingling on the shoulder, and added:

"Ling Ling, do you know? This guy has some serious guts. He's currently absorbing the Soul Ring of that Five-Thousand-Year Earthbone Demon Armor Beast."

"Five thousand years?" Ye Lingling was clearly stunned. She looked at Gu Ling again with disbelief on her face and pressed, "Which Soul Ring is it for him?"

Dugu Yan's expression turned somewhat strange as she spread her hands.

"His third Soul Ring."

Hearing that, Ye Lingling immediately fell silent. A Five-Thousand-Year Third Soul Ring? Even though she came from the Nine-Heart Begonia lineage, she had never heard of anyone daring to make such a mad choice.

Meanwhile.

Gu Ling clearly had no mind to pay attention to the discussions around him. The enormous energy within the Soul Ring formed by the Five-Thousand-Year Earthbone Demon Armor Beast was continuously battering his body.

A deep-purple Soul Ring circled his body as waves of violent Soul Power surged into him.

Crack... crack...

Fine beads of cold sweat had already covered Gu Ling's forehead. Faint sounds of bones grinding against each other occasionally came from within his body. His fists were clenched tightly, veins bulging on the backs of his hands.

The impact brought by a five-thousand-year Soul Ring was far more intense than when he had absorbed the Thousand-Year Second Soul Ring! If it had been an ordinary level-thirty soul master, the initial wave of energy alone would have been enough to severely damage their meridians.

But Gu Ling was no ordinary soul master.

Over the past six years.

His Bone Dragon Martial Soul had constantly strengthened his bones as his Soul Power rose. After accidentally obtaining and consuming Whale Rubber, his body's endurance had also improved. Combined with his long-term deliberate training, his physique had long surpassed that of soul masters at the same level.

What was more.

This was not Gu Ling's first time absorbing a Soul Ring beyond his level!

Ever since his first Soul Ring.

He had repeatedly adapted to energies far beyond the limits ordinary soul masters could endure.

Time slowly passed.

One hour.

Two hours...

The expressions of the three people gradually shifted from worry to astonishment, because although Gu Ling looked to be in great pain, he had never shown any true signs of being unable to endure it.

Instead, as time passed.

The deep-purple Soul Ring that had been constantly trembling began to stabilize little by little.

Several hours later.

Bzzzz—!

A powerful wave of Soul Power suddenly spread from Gu Ling's body!

The next second, a deep dragon's roar rang through the forest. A massive phantom of a pale Bone Dragon surged up behind him, while two clusters of pale flames burned fiercely within its hollow eye sockets.

At the same time, the purple Soul Ring around Gu Ling's body, which had still been shaking continuously, finally stabilized completely!

Seeing this scene, Qin Ming's tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed.

"He actually succeeded?"

"This kid is simply terrifying!"

Dugu Yan was even more incredulous as she said in a trembling voice, "A Five-Thousand-Year Third Soul Ring, and he really absorbed it successfully? He might be the first in the entire continent, right?"

Yu Tianheng also stared fixedly at Gu Ling's third Soul Ring. Although he considered himself a genius among the younger generation of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, at this moment, he felt inferior to the youth before him.

The next moment, Gu Ling's eyes, which had been shut for several hours, finally opened slowly. As the last wisp of violent Soul Power merged into his body, his third Soul Ring was fully absorbed.

Seeing this, Qin Ming immediately walked over and asked kindly:

"How is it?"

"Is there anything wrong with your body?"

Hearing Qin Ming's question, Gu Ling first rolled his shoulders, then carefully sensed the changes within his body before smiling and shaking his head.

"It went smoothly."

"Other than it hurting a little during absorption, there's no problem."

Gu Ling lightly clenched his fist. Soul Power flowed rapidly through his meridians, and that full, powerful sensation made the smile on his lips grow more obvious.

The Soul Power he had accumulated before was also completely released with the absorption of his third Soul Ring.

Only after seeing that he was in good condition did Qin Ming truly breathe a sigh of relief. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, curiosity appeared in his eyes.

"Since you've successfully absorbed the Soul Ring, what soul skill did this five-thousand-year Earthbone Demon Armor Beast give you? Did it meet your expectations?"

Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan, and Ye Lingling also turned their gazes toward him.

They were just as curious. Gu Ling had even dared to gamble with his life for this Five-Thousand-Year Third Soul Ring. What kind of soul skill had he ultimately gained?

At those words.

The smile on Gu Ling's face immediately deepened.

"Not bad."

"It's basically what I expected."

As soon as he finished speaking.

The third purple Soul Ring on Gu Ling's body suddenly lit up!

The next second.

An intense fluctuation of Soul Power erupted from the ground beneath Qin Ming's feet without warning!

"Hm?"

He froze slightly, but before he could react.

Crack!

A pale bone spike several meters long suddenly burst from the ground beneath his feet!

Then came a second, a third, a fourth... countless massive bone spikes erupted wildly from the ground one after another. Moreover, these spikes did not simply rise vertically. They slanted toward one another, crossed, and intertwined!

In the span of a single breath.

Every possible position Qin Ming could have used to evade was completely sealed off by the pale bone spikes!

From the outside, it looked like a huge white bone cage formed from countless sharp bone spikes, trapping Qin Ming inside!

Of course.

These bone spikes were all the result of Gu Ling's deliberate control. Every single one precisely avoided Qin Ming's body. Otherwise... those spikes would not have trapped Qin Ming just now, but pierced through his body from every direction!

Qin Ming stood at the center of the bone cage, surprise flashing through his eyes. Then he raised his hand and knocked on the bone spike before him.

Thud! Thud!

A muffled sound rang out.

"The hardness seems decent."

Qin Ming then pushed against it with a little force. The bone spike only swayed slightly.

With his strength, he could naturally destroy it by force. But for soul masters of the same level, or even those with slightly higher cultivation, it would clearly not be easy to break through such a blockade in a short time.

"It can control the enemy while attacking. If you can freely control where these bone spikes emerge... then it suits your Martial Soul's fighting style quite well. The control aspect alone is barely passable, but as an offensive soul skill, it still seems a bit weak."

At this, Gu Ling suddenly smiled.

And no matter how one looked at it, that smile carried a hint of ill intent.

"Who told you my third soul skill is already over?"