Absorbing the First Spirit Ring

At Chu Heng's words, Su Xianling's hand paused.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"But it's only a little over two hundred years old. That's still too young for you."

Su Xianling frowned.

"We still have plenty of time. We know what kind of Soul Beast you need now. If we keep looking, we'll have a chance of finding a better one."

Chu Heng knew that.

But he also knew that finding Soul Beasts came down to luck. The odds of finding one that perfectly met his needs were far too low. They could spend another ten days or half a month searching and still come up empty.

Besides, he had the Soul Ring Blessing.

"I think this one suits me."

Chu Heng spoke up.

"Even if we keep looking, we might not find anything better."

Su Xianling stared at him for a few seconds, then shook her head.

"No. We'll look for two more days."

"..."

Chu Heng was helpless, but he was also deeply touched by how much Su Xianling cared about him.

"Come on..."

"Two days."

Su Xianling's tone was firm.

"Just two days. If we still haven't found anything by then, I won't stop you."

What else could Chu Heng do when Su Xianling put it that way? He could only agree.

And so the two of them spent another two days searching the inner region.

The result... was the same.

Forget a more suitable Soul Beast. They hadn't even found a second one that drew a clear response from Chu Heng's Martial Soul.

On the evening of the second day, Chu Heng returned to the falcon-like Soul Beast and looked at Su Xianling.

Su Xianling was silent. After a moment, she sighed softly.

"You've really decided?"

"I have."

Chu Heng answered without hesitation.

Su Xianling glanced at the Soul Beast, then finally nodded.

"All right. Since it's your choice, I'll respect it."

As she spoke, she eased most of her hold on the falcon-like Soul Beast, leaving only enough restraint to keep it from fighting back.

"You have to kill the Soul Beast yourself. Only then can you absorb the Spirit Ring it leaves behind."

Chu Heng nodded. He knew that much.

He walked up to the falcon-like Soul Beast. It seemed to realize what was coming, and its body, which had finally gone still, began struggling wildly again.

"Screech!"

But under Su Xianling's restraint, it had no chance of escaping.

Chu Heng was silent for a moment.

He had killed plenty of Soul Beasts himself during this time. He wasn't about to hesitate now.

"Sorry."

He said it quietly, then drew the short blade he carried.

His hand rose.

The blade fell.

The falcon-like Soul Beast shuddered violently, then soon went still. At the same time, threads of pale yellow light began gathering above its corpse. The light grew denser until it formed a complete yellow Spirit Ring.

The Spirit Ring hovered in the air, pulsing gently.

Chu Heng looked up at it, his feelings suddenly complicated.

After searching for so long, it was finally... his turn.

"Sit down."

Su Xianling's voice came from beside him.

Chu Heng immediately steadied himself and sat cross-legged.

"Release your Martial Soul."

He did as she said. His Martial Soul appeared, and the yellow Spirit Ring that had been floating above the falcon-like Soul Beast's corpse began drifting toward him, as though drawn by an unseen force.

Su Xianling stood a short distance away.

"Don't resist. Draw the Spirit Ring in with your Soul Power. Remember, no matter what happens next, keep your mind steady."

Chu Heng drew a slow breath. The Mysterious Heaven Skill began to circulate, and Soul Power flowed through his body.

Under his guidance, the yellow Spirit Ring moved above his head.

The next instant, it contracted sharply!

Chu Heng felt a vast surge of energy pour into him from outside. His entire body went rigid.

"Ngh..."

He couldn't hold back a muffled groan.

A Spirit Ring formed from a Soul Beast over two hundred years old would put considerable strain on an ordinary Soul Master. Fortunately, Chu Heng had never stopped training his body, and the Mysterious Heaven Skill also helped nourish his meridians. He could endure more than an ordinary novice.

Once the initial discomfort passed, Chu Heng quickly steadied his mind. The Mysterious Heaven Skill continued to circulate, gradually drawing the Spirit Ring's energy into the flow of his own Soul Power.

The turbulent energy coursed through his meridians before slowly merging with his body.

Chu Heng could even feel his Soul Power changing. It had been stuck at the limit of level ten, unable to advance no matter how much he trained. But as the Spirit Ring's power merged with it, his Soul Power seemed to break through an invisible barrier.

That long-familiar feeling of being stuck... vanished. His Soul Power began to grow again.

At the same time, a unique power belonging to the falcon-like Soul Beast gradually merged with his Martial Soul through the Spirit Ring.

Time passed. Chu Heng's breathing grew steady, and the violent fluctuations in his Soul Power began to calm. Su Xianling remained by his side, relaxing a little only when she saw this.

It was going smoothly.

Chu Heng's training had clearly paid off.

After an unknown stretch of time, the last trace of energy inside Chu Heng settled.

It's almost over.

The thought had barely crossed his mind when...

Something changed.

A strange power, utterly unlike the Soul Beast's energy, surged without warning from deep within him.

Chu Heng was startled, but in the next instant, he understood.

The Soul Ring Blessing!

The power was exceptionally gentle. It flowed straight into the Spirit Ring he had just absorbed.

Immediately afterward, Chu Heng clearly felt the Spirit Ring, which had already begun to stabilize, change again. Its energy was growing stronger, and the power within the ring kept rising!

Chu Heng couldn't measure its age year by year, but he could sense the Spirit Ring strengthening rapidly.

When the blessing's power faded, the Spirit Ring's age had reached three hundred years!

Chu Heng was delighted.

It gained nearly a hundred years? That's far better than I expected!

More importantly...

As the last trace of power settled, Chu Heng slowly opened his eyes.

Hum! Soul Power surged.

A bright yellow Spirit Ring rose from beneath his feet and pulsed gently around his body.

His first Spirit Ring!

At that moment, he had finally become a true Soul Master.

Su Xianling was about to step forward, but she frowned when she looked at the Spirit Ring around Chu Heng.

"Hm?"

For some reason, she felt that the Spirit Ring's aura was a little stronger than the falcon-like Soul Beast's age should have allowed.

Had I judged its age wrong? A Soul Beast's age could only be estimated from its characteristics, after all. A little error wouldn't be strange.

With that thought, Su Xianling let the matter go.

"How do you feel?"

She asked him.

"Great."

Chu Heng rose to his feet.

Feeling the Soul Power within him, now noticeably stronger than before, he couldn't help breaking into a grin.

After searching for so long, he had finally succeeded.

But what interested him most now was what his first soul skill would be...

His Martial Soul was unusual, after all. His "Gun Soul" had been genuinely useless before he reached level ten.

Chu Heng closed his eyes and sank his awareness into his Martial Soul. Information about his first Spirit Ring gradually surfaced in his mind.

A moment later, Chu Heng opened his eyes again, surprise flickering in them.

This soul skill... might be even more interesting than I expected.