Absorbing a Thousand-Year Soul Ring with the Self-Created Fire Cloud Art

Bang!

The Fire-Patterned Python slammed straight at Huo Linfei!

Its enormous head smashed down toward him, gouging a huge crater where he had stood. Rocks flew everywhere!

"Whew. That was close."

Huo Linfei rolled aside, barely escaping. Still shaken, he glanced at the Fire-Patterned Python, then accelerated again and darted away.

He had dodged the blow, but it had still torn a gash across his back.

He was fast, but the Fire-Patterned Python was no slouch either.

If it had not already been gravely wounded, he feared he would have suffered far worse than a cut on his back. He might not even have known what killed him.

Elsewhere, Director Su was locked in a fierce battle with the Yellow Mountain Python and had no attention to spare. When he saw the Fire-Patterned Python ambush Huo Linfei, he thought the boy was done for. To his surprise, Huo Linfei dodged.

The Fire-Patterned Python shook the gravel and dirt from its head, flicked its tongue, and lunged at Huo Linfei again with astonishing speed!

Director Su had just been about to breathe a sigh of relief when he saw the Fire-Patterned Python rise again in the distance. But the Yellow Mountain Python had him tied down, and he could not break away.

He saw the danger and felt his heart burn with urgency, yet there was nothing he could do. He could only rage helplessly inside. He had finally found a promising young talent, and now he was about to lose him.

He blamed himself. He had failed to finish off the Fire-Patterned Python, assuming it could no longer move and would soon breathe its last.

Even when he unleashed every scrap of Soul Power he had, he could not defeat the Yellow Mountain Python. He wanted to rush over regardless of the cost, but the moment he tried, it attacked. Whether he blocked or not, he could not get through.

As though resigned to fate, he could no longer bear to look toward Huo Linfei. All he could do was let out a long sigh.

Watching the Fire-Patterned Python come at him again, Huo Linfei cursed inwardly, calling down curses on all eighteen generations of its ancestors.

There was nowhere left to dodge. He gathered all his Soul Power into his right fist.

I hope this works. Otherwise, I'm really done for...

As he murmured, the Fire-Patterned Python reached him, and Huo Linfei drove his fist forward!

"Fire—Cloud—Art!"

In an instant, blinding red light burst from Huo Linfei in every direction!

A wave of Soul Power erupted with a roar, powerful enough to make even Director Su's heart skip a beat!

What was going on?!

Director Su stared at the sudden turn of events, baffled. Even the Yellow Mountain Python stopped attacking and turned toward Huo Linfei.

When the red light faded, the Fire-Patterned Python's head was charred black. It crashed to the ground and lay motionless.

Beside it, a small, slender figure stood in disarray, panting for breath.

Was that... a Self-Created Soul Skill?!

Director Su was stunned beyond words. This boy kept surprising him. First, he had possessed Innate Full Soul Power despite having an ordinary Martial Soul. Then, without a Soul Ring, he had defeated a thirteen-year-old Silverback Gorilla Soul Beast. Now he had used a Self-Created Soul Skill to kill a Thousand-Year Soul Beast!

Granted, that Thousand-Year Soul Beast had been on the verge of death, with less than five percent of its health left. But it was still a Thousand-Year Soul Beast. For a Soul Master without a Soul Ring to fight one was almost impossibly difficult.

Yet this little fellow had done it. He had not only survived the Thousand-Year Soul Beast's attack but killed it as well.

"A genius. An unparalleled genius you'd be lucky to find once in a lifetime. Spirit Hall must have made a mistake."

Director Su could not help marveling again.

With his worry gone, Director Su's aura surged once more. Seeing this, the Yellow Mountain Python wisely turned and fled.

Huo Linfei was in poor shape. He had taken some nasty injuries, though fortunately they were only flesh wounds. The strike had, however, nearly drained his Soul Power.

Not bad. It's much weaker than it was in the Super Beast World, but that can't be helped. My cultivation is still shallow. Managing to use it at all is good enough...

Murmuring to himself, Huo Linfei sat cross-legged and regulated his breathing.

For now, he could barely use the Fire Cloud Art once. After that single strike, his Soul Power would be exhausted, leaving him almost no strength to fight.

He felt as though he had escaped death by a hair. If the Fire-Patterned Python's health bar had not already been nearly empty, he doubted even the Fire Cloud Art would have shaken it.

A Thousand-Year Soul Beast truly was beyond a little level-ten Soul Master like him. He had survived this time by sheer luck.

Director Su walked over and handed Huo Linfei two recovery pills.

"Thank you, Director Su."

Huo Linfei did not stand on ceremony. After thanking him, he took the pills and swallowed them.

Seeing how straightforward Huo Linfei was, Director Su thought even more highly of him.

What a shame about this Soul Ring. If only Linfei could absorb it...

As Huo Linfei recovered, Director Su glanced at the purple Soul Ring left by the Fire-Patterned Python and sighed inwardly. Then he shook his head. He was dreaming. Talented as Huo Linfei was, absorbing a Thousand-Year Soul Ring as his first was absolutely impossible.

Before long, Huo Linfei finished regulating his breathing and recovered. Director Su was just about to take him to search for a suitable Soul Ring.

Just then, something unexpected happened. Without the slightest warning, the Fire-Patterned Python's purple Soul Ring appeared around Huo Linfei!

"What's going on?!"

They were both dumbfounded.

Director Su reacted quickly, channeling his Soul Power to pull the ring away from Huo Linfei. But no matter how he directed it, nothing worked!

"How could this happen?!"

Bitterness filled Director Su's mouth. He had barely escaped one peril, only to tumble over another cliff.

And what on earth had caused this?

Huo Linfei had not tried to absorb the ring. Why had the Thousand-Year Soul Ring come to him on its own?!

Director Su could make no sense of it, and he had no way to help. All he could do was watch Huo Linfei and pray nothing went wrong.

Huo Linfei knew something about Soul Rings. Director Su had told him plenty on the way here.

He did not know what age of Soul Ring his body could withstand as his first, but even he thought a thousand years might be too much.

He had originally planned to absorb one at most a hundred years older than the limit for an ordinary Soul Master.

But a thousand years...

Just thinking about it made Huo Linfei's scalp prickle. Now that he could not remove the ring, though, he could only grit his teeth and absorb it.

I'm not going to explode and die, am I...?