The Fourth Soul Ring Starts at Ten Thousand Years

"Ten thousand years?"

Before Dugu Bo could speak, Tang San frowned.

A Soul Master's first three Soul Rings mainly tested what his body could endure. But starting with Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, things were entirely different. Beyond the impact of Soul Power, the Soul Shock left behind after a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast died would strike directly at the absorber's mind.

That was a major reason almost no one dared choose a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring for his fourth.

"Ling Yun, you may be Level 40, and your physique is clearly stronger than an ordinary Soul Master's, but a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring is nothing like a Thousand-Year Soul Ring." After a moment's thought, Tang San warned him, "My teacher studied the limits of Soul Ring absorption. Under normal circumstances, a fourth Soul Ring should be around five thousand years old. Just because you absorbed a ring beyond the usual limit for your second doesn't mean you'll be safe this time."

Ling Yun did not rush to argue. He merely flexed the arm that had just undergone Ice and Fire Body Tempering.

"That's why I'm trying it now."

Ling Yun continued, "The Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot have already tempered my body anew. The impact of Soul Power on my meridians isn't the biggest problem. What I really need to worry about is the Psyshock left by a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast."

At that, he looked at Tang San. "You've just learned quite a bit about medicines affecting mental strength, so you should understand, right? A body that can take it doesn't mean a brain can."

Tang San nodded.

He could not argue with that.

Dugu Bo had listened with his arms crossed for some time before finally speaking. "If you know the danger, why insist on a ten-thousand-year beast?"

"Risk and reward have always gone hand in hand," Ling Yun said matter-of-factly. "I'm thirteen and Level 40. If I pick my fourth Soul Ring like an ordinary Soul Master, aiming for the lowest possible risk, what was the point of everything I went through to get here?"

Dugu Bo stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed.

"Now that's an interesting point."

Ling Yun had no intention of arguing further. He turned to Dugu Bo. "Old Poison, you've spent years roaming the Sunset Forest. You must know of a nearby Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast suited to agility-based attacks, the Water-type, or stealth, right?"

Dugu Bo thought for a moment. "Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts of the Water-type aren't common, and there are even fewer in the outer Sunset Forest. But there's a Mist Marsh to the southeast. A kind of Darkwater Shadow Leopard lives there. They're extremely fast, conceal themselves in water vapor, and favor explosive attacks. I saw one a few years ago, around twelve thousand years old."

Ling Yun's eyes lit up. "That's the one."

Dugu Bo raised an eyebrow. "You haven't even seen the beast, and you've already decided?"

"As long as it's the right kind. If it doesn't suit me, I'll choose another when we get there."

Tang San did not try to stop him again. He simply followed in silence. He, too, wanted to see what gave Ling Yun the confidence to choose a ten-thousand-year beast for his fourth Soul Ring.

Southeastern Sunset Forest.

The three reached the Mist Marsh Dugu Bo had mentioned in less than two hours.

The place was nothing like an ordinary forest. Shallow water covered the ground, and a faint mist hung in the air year-round, blurring anything more than a few dozen meters away.

Not long after they entered, Ling Yun could not help remarking, "Fighting here would feel like coming home."

Once his Greninja Martial Soul Possession activated, he sensed the surrounding water vapor far more keenly than an ordinary Soul Master. After Ice and Fire Body Tempering, his Soul Power also flowed more smoothly than before. His feet made almost no sound in the shallows.

Dugu Bo glanced at him. "Don't celebrate yet. The Darkwater Shadow Leopard has lived here for over ten thousand years. It knows the Mist Marsh far better than you do."

"Even better."

Ling Yun grinned. "I like fighting opponents who know my specialty."

Tang San followed behind them, his Purple Demon Eye already quietly activated.

The mist obscured ordinary sight, but it could not entirely block his vision. The three continued for roughly the time it took an incense stick to burn before Tang San abruptly stopped.

"Something's ahead to the left."

Ling Yun looked that way almost simultaneously.

Nothing disturbed the shallow water, but there was the faintest ripple in the vapor above it.

The next instant, a dark blue-black figure burst out of the mist!

It moved at astonishing speed.

Its target was Ling Yun, who walked in front.

Ling Yun slid sideways, his body skimming just above the water. Sharp claws swept past his shoulder, leaving several cold gleams in the air.

When the shadow landed, its full form finally came into view.

It was a leopard-like Soul Beast nearly four meters long. Its body was dark blue, marked with black patterns like ripples on water. Its limbs were long and slender, and its paws barely splashed as they touched the shallows.

Dugu Bo needed only one glance to judge it. "About thirteen thousand years old. A little stronger than the one I saw before."

Tang San's expression grew graver.

Thirteen thousand years.

That was far beyond the normal limit for a fourth Soul Ring.

Ling Yun did not retreat.

Instead, he smiled.

"Perfect."

His third Soul Ring lit up, and rings of ripples spread across the water beneath his feet. As Wave Treading activated, his speed surged, and he seemed to melt into the Mist Marsh.

The Darkwater Shadow Leopard evidently sensed the threat. It gave a low growl, and its body gradually faded into the mist.

Tang San swept his Purple Demon Eye around them, but could barely catch a few indistinct fluctuations of Soul Power.

"It isn't completely invisible. It's using the water vapor to refract light and hide its body!"

"I can see that."

Ling Yun raised his right hand. His First Soul Ring lit up, and several Water Shadow Clones appeared throughout the Mist Marsh, darting in different directions.

The Darkwater Shadow Leopard, hidden in the mist, visibly hesitated for an instant.

It could not tell which one was real.

That instant was enough.

A rapidly spinning Water Shuriken flew in from the side.

The Darkwater Shadow Leopard sprang up. The Water Shuriken skimmed past its belly, leaving a bloody gash despite missing a direct hit.

Pain sent the Soul Beast into a fury. The moment it landed, it lunged again at the nearest Ling Yun.

Claws ripped down, spraying water everywhere. It was a fake. The real Ling Yun had appeared behind it.

The Soul Power tongue scarf at his shoulder shot out and coiled around the Darkwater Shadow Leopard's hind leg. Ling Yun seized the scarf with both hands and, using the speed Wave Treading gave him, yanked hard. The Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, far larger than he was, was dragged off balance.

Tang San's eyes shifted slightly at the sight.

Ling Yun's fighting style had changed again.

He was not simply overwhelming his opponent with speed. He was using the entire stretch of water to keep it making the wrong calls.

The Darkwater Shadow Leopard excelled at concealment, but Ling Yun had turned the tables, using his clones to confuse it first. Dugu Bo's role was much simpler: he stood aside and watched.

As long as Ling Yun was not in mortal danger, Dugu Bo had no intention of intervening.

After suffering one setback after another, the Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast finally realized that the youngest-looking human was the hardest to deal with. It growled, and the dark blue-black markings on its body flared. The surrounding mist began to churn violently.

Great banks of mist compressed in an instant. Dozens of hazy leopard shapes appeared almost at once from every direction, impossible to tell apart.

Ling Yun stood still, making no move to dodge.

He closed his eyes. If sight could be deceived, he would stop relying on it. The ripple of every drop beneath his feet and each shift of vapor in the air sharpened within the senses granted by his Greninja Martial Soul.

Three seconds later.

Ling Yun's eyes snapped open. "Found you."

A Water Shuriken flew from his hand.

It struck at none of the leopard shapes, instead flying toward a seemingly empty patch of mist behind him and to the right.

Thud!

Blood splashed across the water, and the Darkwater Shadow Leopard's true body staggered into view.

Approval finally entered Dugu Bo's eyes. "Good eye."

Ling Yun did not let up.

He drove Wave Treading to its limit, crossing more than ten meters in a blink. The Darkwater Shadow Leopard tried to flee, but the Soul Power tongue scarf wrapped around its neck once more. Ling Yun used the pull to leap up and slammed a fist into the top of its head.

The blow smashed the Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast bodily into the shallows.

By then, there was little doubt how the fight would end.

With a casual flick, Dugu Bo sent a burst of Soul Power down to suppress the Darkwater Shadow Leopard's last struggle.

"That's enough."

He looked at Ling Yun.

"I've pinned the beast down for you. Finish it yourself."

Ling Yun drew a short blade and drove it cleanly into the Darkwater Shadow Leopard's vital point.

A moment later.

A pitch-black Soul Ring slowly rose from the corpse.

As Tang San watched that ring of black, his expression turned truly grave for the first time.

Killing the Soul Beast was easy.

But no one could absorb the Soul Ring for Ling Yun. He sat cross-legged, watched the Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring drift toward him, and suddenly smiled.