Dragon-Scaled Black Tortoise, Energy Reflection!

Looks like we still need to keep searching.

Xu Huxiao said, "Uncle Xiao, keep heading forward. None of these three are what I want."

Xiao Kong looked puzzled and pointed at the Dragon Scale Turtle that was over seven hundred years old.

"Isn't this one perfect? The limit for a Soul Master's second Soul Ring is seven hundred and sixty-four years. This one may not have reached seven hundred and sixty years, but it's already very close."

"Huxiao, Uncle Xiao has to tell you this: don't fuss over a few decades. Finding a suitable soul beast is already a rare stroke of luck, understand?"

Xu Huxiao said,

"Uncle Xiao, I know. But I'm looking for one that's a thousand years old, preferably over five thousand."

"..."

"What?! You..."

After that, Xiao Kong went on and on about not aiming too high and the dangers of absorbing Soul Rings beyond one's limits.

Xu Huxiao only said one thing. "My father agreed."

At that moment, Xu Bayan had woken up as well. After hearing Xiao Kong explain the situation, he said that he knew about Huxiao's plan to absorb a second Soul Ring over a thousand years old, and that he had agreed to it.

The reason Xu Bayan had agreed was that he had examined his son's blood and vitality. Its richness was practically that of a humanoid soul beast!

After his shock faded, he agreed to let him try.

After all, absorbing a higher-year Soul Ring was naturally better. And as long as his cultivation remained below Soul Elder, even if something went wrong during the absorption, Xu Bayan could use his powerful cultivation and control over blood and vitality to interrupt it without affecting his son's future cultivation.

Looking at the father and son, Xiao Kong did not know what to say. But with his elder brother's cultivation, he would never speak carelessly, so Xiao Kong could not say much more.

Still, the doubt in Xiao Kong's eyes refused to fade.

Could a second Soul Ring really absorb one that was a thousand years old—one over five thousand years old, no less?

Just as the small boat was about to continue onward, Xu Huxiao suddenly remembered something and said,

"Wait, Uncle Luo Ming. I remember that your Martial Soul is a Mountain Tortoise. Do you have any other requirements for your second Soul Ring? What do you think of this Dragon Scale Turtle?"

Luo Ming was helping steer the boat. Only when he heard his name did he remember that he had come to obtain a Soul Ring too.

It was simply because his Soul Power had not improved for thirty years. Now that he had broken through, he still had not fully adjusted to it.

"Young Master, I want to become a purely defensive Soul Master. I have no requirements for the age of my second Soul Ring, but it would be best if it could grant me a defensive Soul Skill."

"Then this is perfect. I looked into it in detail—the Dragon Scale Turtle's greatest ability is defense." Xu Huxiao smiled. The Dragon Scale Turtle he had chosen was indeed well suited for Luo Ming.

"I'll capture this Dragon Scale Turtle!"

Upon hearing that this soul beast suited Luo Ming, Xiao Kong immediately activated Martial Soul Possession. He kicked off the side of the boat and lunged straight toward the Dragon Scale Turtle on the shoal.

The Dragon Scale Turtle on the shoal was merely a Hundred-Year soul beast, while Xiao Kong was a seven-ring Soul Sage. The gap in strength between them was enormous.

In only a moment, the Dragon Scale Turtle had been captured and was left barely alive.

Luo Ming held a dagger and thrust it in and out, delivering the final blow.

At the same time, a bright yellow Soul Ring slowly emerged. Seeing it, Luo Ming's hand began trembling uncontrollably.

It had been thirty whole years!

He had never expected that, in his lifetime, Luo Ming would still have the chance to become a Soul Grandmaster.

At that thought, Luo Ming did not rush to absorb the Soul Ring. Instead, with tears in his eyes, he knelt and heavily kowtowed three times to Xu Bayan and his son.

"Thank you, Master. Thank you, Young Master. Luo Ming will never regret joining the Xu Family in this life!"

Xu Bayan smiled and raised his right hand. A vast surge of Soul Power lifted Luo Ming from afar.

"Alright, Little Luo. Stop being so sentimental and go absorb your Soul Ring. Xiao Kong, stay here and protect Luo Ming. We'll head ahead and find a Dragon Scale Turtle for Huxiao."

"Yes, Master is right."

After saying that, Luo Ming immediately sat cross-legged, summoned his Martial Soul, and began absorbing the Soul Ring.

Xiao Kong also accepted the order. Leaning against a large rock, he took out his little blue-covered book and began reading it with relish.

With Luo Ming and Xiao Kong gone, only Xu Huxiao was left to steer the boat. Fortunately, he was strong enough that handling such a small vessel was nothing to him.

The small boat sailed away.

Besides this place, Xu Huxiao had placed special bait on six other deserted islands.

The sky was clear and the water azure. Xu Huxiao piloted the boat and inspected them one by one.

There were no soul beasts at the first location.

There were two ten-year Dragon Scale Turtles at the second location.

There was a two-thousand-year Dragon Scale Turtle at the fifth location.

Seeing this soul beast, Xu Huxiao paused.

A two-thousand-year soul beast was not bad, but it was not ideal. His limit was six thousand seven hundred years.

There was one final location. If there was nothing on that deserted island, he would first capture and raise this two-thousand-year Dragon Scale Turtle as a backup.

The Xu Family had plenty of Gold Soul Coins anyway. Raising one or two soul beasts would not be a problem.

Having made up his mind, Xu Huxiao steered toward the last deserted island.

On the final deserted island, the bait was stuck to the grassy shore. From far away, Xu Huxiao saw a turtle-type soul beast on the grass.

However, after one glance, he frowned. This one... did not seem to be the Dragon Scale Turtle he was looking for.

It was nearly two meters long, with a dark shell and short, thick limbs covered in fine dragon scales. Those features were the same as a Dragon Scale Turtle's.

But this soul beast on the waterside grass had grown a blood-red horn on its head, curved like a rhinoceros horn.

A turtle with a horn on its head—how was it supposed to be a turtle that hid in its shell...

Curious, Xu Huxiao slowly brought the boat closer. Then he saw an even stranger sight.

This turtle did not have a tail!

Instead, a purple python extended from the back of its shell, its forked tongue constantly searching the air for the scent that had drawn it here.

"A turtle and snake in one body?! I never thought we'd encounter such a rare mutated soul beast. It looks like it mutated from a Dragon Scale Turtle."

"Son, your luck is pretty good!"

Xu Bayan had noticed the soul beast as well.

"A mutated soul beast?" Xu Huxiao asked doubtfully.

Xu Bayan explained, "Soul Masters can have mutated Martial Souls, so naturally soul beasts can mutate as well. It's just that mutations among soul beasts are even rarer, and most mutated soul beasts become weaker. Very few mutate in a stronger direction."

"This mutated Dragon Scale Turtle seems to be one of the rare few that mutated into something stronger."

"One more thing: mutated soul beasts are more likely to produce Soul Bones. That's why I said your luck is good."

"Whether this one has one or not is another matter."

While Xu Huxiao listened to the lesson on soul beasts, information about the mutated soul beast entered his mind as well.

[Mutated Soul Beast]: Dragon-Scaled Black Tortoise

[Age]: Eight Thousand Two Hundred Years

[Innate Abilities]: One, Shadow Armor; Two, Energy Reflection; Three, Death Ejection

[Path to Death]: It has already mutated. It might as well have written the words "path to death" across its face! No need for more words—send it on its way.

Eight thousand two hundred years, with three innate abilities!

It had clearly mutated to become stronger. And the defensive ability he cared about was among them, having even evolved into Shadow Armor.

It perfectly met his requirements!

Although this soul beast's age had already exceeded his limit by more than fifteen hundred years.

Still, he had a way to absorb this Soul Ring.

"Father, I want this soul beast. Please make a move." Xu Huxiao pointed at the Dragon-Scaled Black Tortoise, which was still circling around the bait.

"Fine. This soul beast looks to be over five thousand years old. It isn't suitable for you to practice on. Come with me."

Xu Bayan had long since grown accustomed to his son's somewhat detached politeness and did not mind it. He immediately leaped down.

Xu Huxiao followed closely behind, while Bao Jingjing and Yun Ji remained on the boat to watch.

Against a soul beast under Ten Thousand Year old, Xu Bayan did not even need to activate his Martial Soul. He walked step by step toward the mutated soul beast, neither fast nor heavy.

Yet the Dragon-Scaled Black Tortoise in the middle of the grass seemed to face a great enemy. Dark diamond-shaped light armor appeared around its body, wrapping its entire turtle body.

Mooaah!

Hisss!

The turtle head of the Dragon-Scaled Black Tortoise and the purple python coiled around its shell let out anxious roars.

Both had sensed an oppressive, terrifying aura of death drawing near.

The Dragon-Scaled Black Tortoise's turtle feet sank deep into the grass. It was gathering strength, wanting to use Death Ejection to escape. But that life-saving God skill had failed; it could not activate it.

The mutated Dragon-Scaled Black Tortoise discovered that the surrounding air was as oppressive as if it had frozen solid. Moreover, whether turtle or snake, their hearts trembled uncontrollably in rhythm with the footsteps of the creature before them.

With their blood and vitality beyond their control, their bodies naturally could not move.

Just as Xu Bayan was about to finish the soul beast with one kick, Xu Huxiao saw the dark light armor on its body and stopped him.

"Father, wait. Do you have any energy-type offensive Soul Skills? If you do, attack this soul beast with low power. I want to see whether its innate ability is what I think it is."

Xu Bayan stopped and looked at the mutated soul beast, which had already fallen into terrified chaos.

"I do. Did you discover something special about this soul beast?"

As he spoke, eight incomparably dazzling Soul Rings rose around Xu Bayan. The phantom of a Demon Bear appeared behind him—his Martial Soul, the Blood Demon Raging Bear King. However, he did not choose to possess it.

Xu Huxiao said, "According to the soul beast records I consulted, ordinary Dragon Scale Turtles all possess a defensive Energy Armor. As long as the attack does not exceed their Soul Power Level, it can perfectly block energy attacks and provide a certain degree of physical defense."

"That is also why I chose this soul beast as my second Soul Ring."

"But this mutated Dragon Scale Turtle's innate ability, the Energy Armor Soul Skill, seems to have evolved. The purple snake on its back should have taken part in it as well."

"So I want to see how this innate ability has changed."

In truth, Xu Huxiao already knew after examining the Dragon-Scaled Black Tortoise's innate abilities.

[Energy Reflection]: After using Shadow Armor, the purple python on the Dragon-Scaled Black Tortoise can absorb energy attacks and spit out energy blasts to attack. If Shadow Armor remains intact, the purple python can absorb ninety percent of energy attacks and condense them into energy blasts. If Shadow Armor is broken, the purple python can only absorb fifty percent of energy attacks and condense them into energy blasts.

That was the Dragon-Scaled Black Tortoise's Energy Reflection.

But Xu Huxiao still wanted to see the changes in this innate ability with his own eyes and gain a deeper understanding of it.

Because he knew that the formation of a Soul Skill depended on three conditions:

First, the Martial Soul.

Second, the soul beast.

Third, the degree to which the Soul Master absorbed and accepted it.

The more perfectly a Soul Master absorbed a Soul Ring, the easier it was to form a powerful Soul Skill.

In other words, the formation of Soul Skills also contained some degree of the Soul Master's subjective influence.

Then.

The more one understood a soul beast's innate abilities, the more it should help in forming a Soul Skill.

After hearing his son's explanation, Xu Bayan did not waste words. Then let them have some fun.

His fifth Soul Ring lit up, and black-red energy gathered in his palm.

It was the Blood Demon Annihilation Cannon!

Sensing that aura of destruction, the Dragon-Scaled Black Tortoise's body went completely rigid. It even forgot to roar.

The coldness of death had frozen its Berserk beastly nature.

Yet its energy barrier remained active, relying on its instinct for survival.