First Soul Ring!

"Roar!"

"Ah! Help!"

"Who told you to provoke it? Don't you know Soul Beasts are fiercely territorial? You went wandering around its home—why didn't you just fly into the sky while you were at it?"

"I thought it was only a Hundred-Year Soul Beast! I wanted to test myself against it. Who knew it was a Thousand-Year Soul Beast? Save me! Ah! Ah!"

Yes, the two people shouting at each other were Yang Que and Yu Tianheng!

For the past few days, Yang Que had deliberately taken routes with fewer Soul Beasts to avoid danger. Yu Tianheng, however, believed that the mysterious expert behind Yang Que had cleared every danger from their path!

Just yesterday, Yang Que had helped Yu Tianheng obtain a Purple Lightning Thunder Dragon Soul Beast around seven hundred years old! A Purple Lightning Thunder Dragon was in a different league from a Lightning Leopard. At the same age, it could easily crush a Lightning Dragon.

Yu Tianheng had been beside himself with excitement. After absorbing the Soul Ring, he had grown cocky today. But he did not dare challenge Yang Que. What a joke! Yang Que had nearly beaten a seven-hundred-year-old Purple Lightning Thunder Dragon to death with one punch. Wouldn't challenging him be asking for a beating?

So Yu Tianheng had decided to find a Soul Beast to practice on. As luck would have it, he found a Soul Beast's den and kept prowling around outside until he provoked a thousand-year-old Explosive Boar into coming out. He clearly could not beat it, so he fled while crying to Yang Que for help. And that was how this ridiculous scene had come about...

"Ah, what a pitiful child!" Yang Que shook his head. He had forgotten that he himself was only six and a half...

"Run toward me! I'll deal with it!" Yang Que shouted down to Yu Tianheng.

"Okay! I'm coming!" Yu Tianheng's eyes lit up. With the Explosive Boar on his heels, he ran toward Yang Que!

Yang Que closed his eyes. At some point, a sword had appeared in his right hand: the Clearwind Sword. "Human Flame! Envelop!" A flame slowly floated from his left hand. He swept it across the blade, and the Clearwind Sword burst into flames!

Thunderclap Sword Shadow Steps!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The sounds of something slicing through the air reached Yu Tianheng's ears. He turned and froze...

Yang Que was wiping a jade-green sword with a piece of white cloth. Blood dripped from its blade, one drop at a time. The Explosive Boar had become a heap of minced flesh, and a purple Soul Ring slowly rose from it!

"He's... he's that strong? He's younger than me, and he's already that strong!" Yu Tianheng swallowed hard!

"All right, let's go. I'll see you out. And give me the most valuable thing you have. I don't want you backing out of our deal later!" Yang Que said impatiently.

"How could that happen? The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan would never break its word!" Yu Tianheng said indignantly!

"What does that have to do with me? Hurry up. I don't have all day to waste on you!" Yang Que frowned.

Yu Tianheng opened his mouth to argue, but Yang Que's fierce glare silenced him. Sighing, he took a Jade Pendant from his robes. "Here. My grandfather gave me this Jade Pendant. It calms the mind and helps you focus! Don't lose it!"

Yang Que tossed the Jade Pendant in his hand. "Not bad. A nice little trinket. If your Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan tries to cheat me, this will cover the debt!"

"You..." Yu Tianheng was about to speak when a sudden "Roar!" cut him off!

"Not good! It's a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, an Explosive Boar King! Run!" Yang Que grabbed Yu Tianheng and used Thunderclap Sword Shadow Steps to race out of the Star Dou Great Forest!

"Whew! That was close! If it had caught us, we'd have been finished. I can't beat that thing!" Yang Que said, still shaken.

"What are you afraid of? Call out the person behind you, and he'll kill it in seconds." Yu Tianheng looked back into the forest with disdain.

"Hmph! You talk too much. Go find your clan's party yourself! I'm not wasting any more time!" Yang Que left Yu Tianheng outside the city and vanished with his movement technique.

Yu Tianheng opened his mouth, but Yang Que was already gone. He could only give up and return to Star Dou City, pleased with himself!

Back in Star Dou City, Yu Tianheng saw an extra person among his clan's party. "Huh? Second Elder? Did the clan leader send you to pick us up?"

Yu Tianhu was the brother of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's leader. In the original story, he had never broken through to Titled Douluo, yet the aura he now revealed clearly belonged to one! Had Yang Que been there, he would have realized that his arrival had caused many changes across the Douluo Continent. Perhaps this was the butterfly effect...

"That's right! You've caused quite a stir, brat! Did you get your Soul Ring? And where's that boy? I'd like to see what this lad making such outrageous demands looks like!" Yu Tianhu laughed.

Yu Tianheng scratched his head. "I got it—a seven-hundred-year-old Purple Lightning Thunder Dragon, no less. Uh, Yang Que dropped me off outside the city and left!"

"Hmph, that brat was lucky he ran! Wait, what did you say? A seven-hundred-year-old Purple Lightning Thunder Dragon? Hiss! That's an outstanding choice for your Second Soul Ring! Come on, tell us how you got it..."

Yu Tianheng then recounted everything that had happened with Yang Que over the past few days, including how Yang Que had nearly killed the Purple Lightning Thunder Dragon with one punch and slain the thousand-year-old Explosive Boar in an instant...

When he finished, they could hardly believe it. "Hiss! Was he really only six and a half?" Everyone was stunned!

Yu Tianhu sank into thought. "Tian Heng! Is everything you said true?"

Yu Tianheng nodded quickly!

"If what you say is true, this boy is no fish meant to stay in a pond. If he doesn't die young, he'll be a dragon rising to meet the wind and clouds! I'd love to see what this young man looks like." Yu Tianhu gazed toward the Star Dou Forest, his expression grave...

Yang Que knew nothing of the commotion he had caused. He entered the Star Dou Great Forest again, wisely taking another route because of that ten-thousand-year-old Explosive Boar King!

"With my current strength, I can kill a thousand-year-old Soul Beast instantly if I go all out with the Clearwind Sword. Two thousand years would probably be pushing it! Against a three-thousand-year-old one, I'd have to release my Soul-Slaying Sword Martial Soul just to stand a chance!" Yang Que thought as he ran.

Thanks to the mysteries of the Jade-Suppressing Nether King Body, my body should be able to withstand a Soul Ring around two thousand years old now! To kill a Soul Beast of that age, I'll have to release my Martial Soul and combine it with my Azure Yang Art and Thunderclap Sword Shadow Steps. Only then can I bring it down!

"System! What kind of Soul Beast would suit my Soul-Slaying Sword Martial Soul?" Yang Que asked.

"Based on the host's Martial Soul, it is recommended that the host seek a Soul Beast with extremely strong negative emotions," the system replied without a trace of feeling.

"A Soul Beast with extremely strong negative emotions? That'll be hard to find!" Yang Que pondered the problem.

Over the next few days, Yang Que searched for a suitable Soul Beast. He found plenty, but they were either Hundred-Year Soul Beasts or Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts! They were either too weak or too dangerous to provoke. This was far too difficult!

Getting my First Soul Ring is already this hard. What am I going to do about the ones after it?

On the fourth day of his search for a Soul Beast...

Just then, two roars rang out. "Roar!" "Roar!" Huh? It sounds like two Soul Beasts are fighting! Let's see what's going on...

Yang Que moved closer and opened the system panel to inspect the two Soul Beasts' attributes. His eyes lit up! A three-thousand-year-old Bloodthirsty Demon Wolf?! Blood-red fur covered its body, and even its eyes were crimson! Opposite it stood a 4,650-year-old Spirit-Devouring Rat. Its fur was golden, and its snout was long. When it opened its mouth, the sight sent chills down his spine!

After searching so long, I've finally found you. Bloodthirsty Demon Wolf, you're mine! Absorbing a three-thousand-year Soul Ring will be difficult, but I can still give it a try! I'll let them wear each other down first, then deal them a fatal blow!

The two Soul Beasts fought for nearly half an hour before both finally collapsed, glaring at each other with undying hatred. Suddenly, they turned in the same direction. A young man in white approached them slowly, carrying a jade-green sword...

Both Soul Beasts sensed extreme danger. They roared at Yang Que, as if warning him not to come closer!

Yang Que said nothing. Sword in hand, he activated the Azure Yang Art and swept Human Flame along the blade. With Thunderclap Sword Shadow Steps, he struck twice—swish, swish! Both Soul Beasts fell, unwilling to die!

"Heh, found another opening! Why do you Soul Beasts spend every day fighting each other?" Yang Que asked with a roguish grin.

He looked up at the Bloodthirsty Demon Wolf's Soul Ring, glowing purple all over, and swallowed. You're mine...

Yang Que sat cross-legged and released his Martial Soul. Feeling his way carefully, he used Soul Power to draw the Soul Ring slowly toward him...

I've heard that slain Soul Beasts leave powerful resentment inside their Soul Rings. I'll have to be extremely careful when I absorb it!

The Soul Ring drifted above Yang Que's head and settled around him. He closed his eyes and began to absorb it. Suddenly, "Roar!" A Demon Wolf covered in blood-red fur appeared in his mind! It roared without pause, then lunged at his mind!

"Ah!" Yang Que threw back his head and screamed! Veins bulged across his forehead!

Looks like this really is pushing it. I have to endure!

As Yang Que struggled to hold on, the Nine-Headed Demon Lion inside him suddenly roared. One of its heads glowed white and lunged at the Bloodthirsty Demon Wolf with its jaws wide!

Crunch! The Nine-Headed Demon Lion swallowed the Bloodthirsty Demon Wolf whole!

What? What just happened? The Nine-Headed Demon Lion devoured the Bloodthirsty Demon Wolf's lingering mental energy! That's terrifying! The Nine-Headed Demon Lion really lives up to being a Golden Legend Martial Soul! Yang Que thought excitedly...

All that remained was to absorb the Soul Ring slowly. Nearly two hours later, Yang Que stood and muttered, "Whew! A three-thousand-year Soul Ring really is something! That took a lot out of me. Now let's see what you can do!"

Yang Que slowly opened his right hand. A longsword steeped in Blood Fiend Aura appeared in it: the Soul-Slaying Sword! A purple Soul Ring floated gently around the blade!

First Soul Skill! Activate!

Yang Que swung the Soul-Slaying Sword forward. A blood-red Light Blade suddenly hurtled ahead, sweeping aside everything in its path! Boom! It cleaved rocks and trees in two without losing any power, then surged onward into the sky and disappeared!

What kind of power was that? That was insane! If it hit someone, wouldn't it send them flying into the sky? Soul Masters have Soul Power to protect themselves, but they couldn't withstand many strikes like that! So this is the power of a thousand-year Soul Skill?

A Soul Skill this fierce needs a name to match!

Domineering Sword Strike? Invincible Sword Strike?

After agonizing over it for ages, Yang Que finally settled on a name for his First Soul Skill!

Blood Blade!

First Soul Skill: Blood Blade!

Yang Que opened his personal status panel!

[Infinite Upgrade System]

[Host: Yang Que]

[Level: LV23]

[Title: Soul Grandmaster]

[Soul Power: 0/23000]

[Gold Coins: 4001]

[Martial Souls: Nine-Headed Demon Lion, Soul-Slaying Sword (Soul Ring: purple)]

[Arts: Azure Yang Art, Jade-Suppressing Nether King Body (Part One), Thunderclap Sword Shadow Steps, Dragon-Tiger Roaring Heaven Art (unusable)]

[Weapon: Clearwind Sword]

After killing two thousand-year-old Soul Beasts, I've finally earned back what I spent! That Aura-Sealing Talisman cost so much it hurt! Absorbing my First Soul Ring even raised my level by one. Not bad at all. Time to head back!

Yang Que put away his Martial Soul. It was time to return to the academy! He had been gone nearly ten days. If he stayed away any longer, he would be reported for expulsion!

Yang Que took a few steps, then noticed a glimmer of light inside the Cave Abode the Bloodthirsty Demon Wolf had been guarding!

Confident in his skills, Yang Que entered the Cave Abode. After all, he had already killed the Bloodthirsty Demon Wolf, so there should be no danger left!

Even so, he went in cautiously. The moment he entered, he saw a white lotus swaying inside the cave!

Yang Que quickly opened the system to inspect its information!

Yang Que stared in shock. "Holy shit! That's a Heavenly Soul White Lotus..."