800-Year Blazing Pheasant (Please Keep Reading)

Ideals were full; reality was painfully thin.

Gao Lu wanted to find Su Chen the most suitable Soul Ring, but even after searching until nightfall, he had yet to find a suitable target.

He was not discouraged and reassured Su Chen:

"Little Chen, don't worry. Even if I have to turn this Soul Hunting Forest upside down, I'll find the Soul Ring best suited to you. I definitely won't just grab any old Soul Ring to make do."

Su Chen had already been prepared. Spending ten days or even half a month searching for a suitable soul beast was perfectly normal, so he was in no hurry.

"I'll follow the headmaster's arrangements."

Gao Lu smiled in relief, marveling that he truly was a good child.

The night had grown deep.

The forest was dark and silent.

Gao Lu and Su Chen camped on the spot and took turns keeping watch, one taking the first half of the night and the other the second.

Su Chen slept through the first half of the night. After Gao Lu woke him, he kept watch until dawn began to break.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo—"

A clear, ringing crow caught Su Chen's attention and instantly roused his spirits.

He sprang up from the ground and looked around, quickly locking onto his target.

Following the direction of the sound, he saw a huge boulder roughly eighty meters away in the depths of the forest.

A bird-type soul beast stood atop the boulder. It was the one that had crowed earlier.

Its body was covered in crimson feathers, and a blood-red comb sat atop its head. Its build was exceptionally robust, unlike the nimble bird-type soul beasts one usually saw.

From afar, it looked like a blazing mass of scarlet flame.

Su Chen was so delighted he nearly jumped off the ground.

It was a Blazing Pheasant!

He had only spent one day reading, so he still lacked knowledge of most soul beasts. However, he remembered fire-attributed bird-type soul beasts with perfect clarity.

The Blazing Pheasant was as fierce as fire and was born facing the sun. Among low-level soul beasts, it represented the utmost in hardness and yang energy.

Su Chen's eyes burned brightly. "I hope its age doesn't disappoint me. As long as it's suitable, this will be the most suitable first Soul Ring for me."

He hurried back to wake Gao Lu. "Headmaster, wake up! A suitable first Soul Ring came right to us. It's a Blazing Pheasant, and it was crowing just now."

After all, this was the Soul Hunting Forest, so Gao Lu had not slept deeply. He woke as soon as Su Chen called him.

After quickly taking in the situation, Gao Lu used Martial Soul Possession and charged straight at the Blazing Pheasant.

"Good beast, you came out on your own. Whether your age is suitable or not, I can't let you get away."

The Blazing Pheasant had an exceptionally fierce temper. Upon spotting Gao Lu, it not only failed to flee but instead launched an attack on its own, like an undefeated champion in a cockfighting ring.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo—"

The Blazing Pheasant spread its wings, which became coated in flames, then leaped from the boulder and shot toward Gao Lu like an arrow loosed from a bow.

The first yellow Soul Ring beneath Gao Lu's feet lit up. Violent winds rose around him as dozens of wind blades whirled out of the gale,

tracing arcs through the air before striking the Blazing Pheasant.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Large patches of feathers were ripped from the Blazing Pheasant's body, fluttering down in all directions.

Gao Lu's strike failed to heavily wound the Blazing Pheasant as he had hoped. Instead, it only provoked the beast's ferocity.

"Screech!"

The Blazing Pheasant let out a savage cry. Its already robust body swelled further, flames roaring around it as both its strength and attack power surged tremendously.

Gao Lu was somewhat shaken. Even the first soul skill of a Soul Ancestor had failed to seriously injure this Blazing Pheasant.

This Blazing Pheasant was definitely not young!

"You feathered beast, I'm a mighty Soul Ancestor. I refuse to believe I can't deal with you today!"

His third and fourth purple Soul Rings lit up.

A pair of dark brown wings spread from his back, wrapped in Fierce Storm.

In the blink of an eye!

Gao Lu and the Blazing Pheasant passed by one another!

Riiip! Riiip!

All the feathers on the Blazing Pheasant's body were torn apart. Feathers filled the sky, while bloody holes covered its entire body, each one a wound ripped open by the Fierce Storm.

It let out a miserable wail as its body plummeted uncontrollably toward the forest below, crashing down with a bang and kicking up a cloud of dust.

"I'm a dignified Soul Ancestor. Taking care of a hundred-year soul beast is still no problem at all."

Gao Lu caught his breath and descended to inspect the Blazing Pheasant closely, but his expression turned grim.

Su Chen had already rushed over. Gao Lu said to him:

"Little Chen, I'm afraid you can't absorb this soul beast's Soul Ring. This is a Blazing Pheasant at least five hundred years old, far beyond what your body can withstand."

"A Soul Master's first Soul Ring can only be absorbed from a Soul Ring over ten years old but below three hundred years old. Going beyond that range risks death."

What Gao Lu said was the common knowledge of the Soul Master world.

Yu Xiaogang's theory copied from Spirit Hall was complete nonsense. He claimed that the limit for a first Soul Ring was four hundred and twenty-three years, completely ignoring the different physical enhancements granted by beast martial souls and tool martial souls, as well as the differing physiques of battle Soul Masters and support Soul Masters.

Who knew which genius had absorbed a four-hundred-and-twenty-three-year Soul Ring, only for Yu Xiaogang to copy it and treat it as an unbreakable rule?

Su Chen compared his fist to the Blazing Pheasant's comb and secretly drew in a sharp breath.

This was not merely a five-hundred-year soul beast. It was an eight-hundred-year Blazing Pheasant, undoubtedly the king of chickens in this Soul Hunting Forest.

He had specifically read up on Blazing Pheasants before, which was why he could now accurately identify its age.

Eight hundred years, then so be it!

He had cultivated the Sun Immortal Scripture and eaten fifteen-hundred-year Whale Rubber. Absorbing an eight-hundred-year Soul Ring would definitely not be a problem.

Su Chen summoned his Great Sun Golden Crow Martial Soul. A massive golden-red flaming bird condensed behind him.

Under the pressure of the Great Sun Golden Crow, not only did Gao Lu's heart tremble as he took a step back, but even the Blazing Pheasant shook in terror.

"Headmaster, I want to absorb this Blazing Pheasant's Soul Ring. There won't be anything more suitable for me in this Soul Hunting Forest."

"I believe in my martial soul. Look, the Blazing Pheasant is trembling from fear at my martial soul. It can't hurt me while alive, much less after it dies."

Gao Lu's expression shifted uncertainly. He did not want Su Chen, such a genius, to take a risk, but feeling the pressure emanating from the Great Sun Golden Crow Martial Soul, he inexplicably thought that perhaps Su Chen could succeed.

He took out a dagger and handed it to Su Chen, instructing him, "Strike beneath the comb and pierce the Blazing Pheasant's brain. That will kill it in one blow."

Su Chen followed his instructions, cleanly driving the dagger into the Blazing Pheasant's comb before twisting it with force. The sight of flesh tearing made his teeth ache, but it did indeed kill the Blazing Pheasant in a single strike.

A dark yellow Soul Ring floated out from the Blazing Pheasant's corpse.

A gleam flashed through Su Chen's eyes. His first Soul Ring would be the Soul Ring of an eight-hundred-year Blazing Pheasant.

He was very satisfied!

With Gao Lu standing guard, Su Chen sat down without hesitation and drew the Soul Ring toward himself.

The Soul Ring entered his body, its scorching and tyrannical energy sweeping through his meridians like magma and burning him red from within and without.

Yet he gritted his teeth and did not cry out in pain even once.

"Screech!"

The Great Sun Golden Crow cried out. As the supreme existence among flames, it seemed to have been challenged.

Under its full suppression, the Blazing Pheasant's Soul Ring energy failed to stir up any trouble.

The absorption of the Soul Ring quickly settled onto the right track.