Choosing a Second Soul Ring

Lu Xuan, Ye Lingling, and Dugu Yan had all consumed Immortal Herbs from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Besides transforming their Martial Souls, the herbs' immense medicinal power had pushed their Soul Power above rank twenty. All they needed was a suitable Soul Ring to advance to Soul Grandmaster.

How far they could grow after that would only become clear once all three had absorbed their second Soul Rings.

Of the three, Ye Lingling's second Soul Ring would be the easiest to find. A life-attribute Soul Beast around 1,300 years old would suffice.

Dugu Yan needed a highly poisonous Soul Beast of roughly the same age, though they would have to weigh their options carefully before choosing one.

Lu Xuan could withstand more—enough to absorb a Soul Beast 1,500 years old. But the choice of species demanded even more thought. He could not afford to rush it.

While Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan spoke quietly, Lu Xuan considered his Soul Ring options.

To him, both the Rainbow Dragon and the Rouge Dragon were exceptionally rare prospects.

The Rainbow Dragon leaned toward supportive enhancements, however, which overlapped somewhat with his existing First Soul Skill.

If he gained another enhancement buff from the Rainbow Dragon, stacking the two should mean he would not need any more later on.

The Rouge Dragon, by contrast, possessed the power of annihilation. When its attacks struck an enemy, they could break down and dissolve the target's attribute power, dismantling their abilities.

Lu Xuan's Divine Black Jade Bamboo Flute could attack groups across a wide area. If he obtained the Rouge Dragon's Soul Ring, he would likely gain a large-scale group attack skill!

"Xiao Xuan." Zhao Yan came up beside him with a smile. "Thinking about your second Soul Ring?"

"Mm." Lu Xuan nodded. "Both the Rainbow Dragon and the Rouge Dragon suit my Martial Soul. I'm planning to choose the Rainbow Dragon for my second Soul Ring."

Lu Xuan intended to obtain his second Soul Ring from the Rainbow Dragon!

He had a second, body-type Martial Soul he had yet to reveal. In the future, he would have no shortage of raw strength or attribute power.

With such a solid foundation, he wanted this second Soul Ring to fill a gap in his abilities.

A buff to strengthen himself, a debuff to weaken enemies, binding, sealing, powerful control...

Lu Xuan wanted all of those special effects.

As for a skill devoted purely to attacking?

He had no shortage of those.

For one thing, he could leave offensive Soul Skills to his second Martial Soul. For another, the Divine Black Jade Bamboo Flute itself was more than capable of serving as a weapon in direct combat.

Azure Sea Tide Song, Jade Flute Swordplay, Falling Petal Divine Sword, Falling Petal Divine Sword Palm, Air-Splitting Palm, Divine Finger Flick, Orchid Acupoint-Tapping Hand, Fortress-Crushing Divine Claw, Heart-Shattering Palm, Great Demon-Subduing Fist, White Python Whip Technique...

Lu Xuan knew them all!

To the people of Douluo Continent, these Martial Arts techniques would look like Self-Created Soul Skills. With them at his disposal, he hardly lacked ways to attack.

"The Rainbow Dragon?" Zhao Yan smiled as he heard Lu Xuan's reasoning. "Looks like I made the right call bringing all three Soul Beasts back."

When Zhao Yan had gone out to search for suitable Soul Beasts, he had happened upon the three rare creatures. Thinking they might prove useful someday, he had brought them all back. He had never imagined they would be needed so soon.

"I really do have to thank you, Uncle Zhao," Lu Xuan said sincerely. "A Rainbow Dragon is hard enough to encounter at all, and now there's one right here within reach."

The greatest obstacle was the age of the Soul Ring Lu Xuan could withstand.

That Rainbow Dragon was over two thousand years old. His body could not absorb its Soul Ring yet; he would have to strengthen himself further.

But that was no great difficulty.

With Whale Rubber to temper his body and daily practice of the Nine Yin Manual, it would not be long before he could withstand a Soul Ring of that age.

Lu Xuan even had another thought: he could save the Rouge Dragon for his third Soul Ring. If he could obtain its unique annihilation attribute, it would still be an immense help to him.

Having made up his mind, Lu Xuan told Zhao Yan and his master, Ye Renxin, of his plan.

Ye Renxin agreed that both dragons suited Lu Xuan well. The only sticking point was their age.

"Xiao Xuan," Ye Renxin said, looking at him, "why not reverse the order? First, raise the Rouge Dragon until it reaches fifteen hundred years and absorb it as your second Soul Ring. Then you can take the Rainbow Dragon as your third. That way, you won't have to wait."

"Master, I've thought that through too." Lu Xuan shook his head, his answer ready. "My First Soul Skill already focuses on enhancement, which makes it an especially good match for the Rainbow Dragon's innate ability. If I choose it for my second Soul Ring, the two might reinforce each other."

Of course, Lu Xuan also wanted to push the age of his Soul Rings higher!

Because of the timing, his First Soul Ring had been only a hundred years old. Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan, meanwhile, had both started with thousand-year Soul Rings.

He had already fallen behind them on his First Soul Ring. For his second, he wanted one older than either of theirs.

Lu Xuan was only six. Waiting a few months to absorb his second Soul Ring would cost him nothing.

Even Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling might wait a little while if they found an older Soul Beast that suited them exceptionally well.

More often, though, they would simply choose another beast.

Ye Renxin knew nothing of his disciple's competitive streak, but seeing that Lu Xuan had made up his mind, he agreed.

"Since you've decided, take your time refining the rest of the Whale Rubber," Ye Renxin instructed. "Once your body can withstand the strain of a two-thousand-year Soul Ring, you can absorb the Rainbow Dragon's."

Master and disciple settled the matter, then went their separate ways to rest.

The next day, Dugu Bo and Ye Renxin took Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan out to hunt for their Soul Rings.

Lu Xuan stayed behind at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to devote himself to cultivation.

Once the two girls had successfully absorbed their Soul Rings, the group would set off for Heaven Dou City.

The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was a haven for Immortal Herbs, but its environment was hostile to humans and ordinary Soul Beasts. They had only been able to stay there thanks to pills refined by Dugu Bo, which protected them from the violent energy of the place.

Once everyone had their Soul Rings, it would be time to return.

Well... except for Lu Xuan.

He had already decided to use his time cultivating there to study the Well's Immortal Herbs thoroughly.

One goal was to identify an Immortal Herb that could cure Aunt Ye's Martial Soul Regression. The other was to see whether he could use the herbs to refine pills!