A wave of weakness washed over Shi Meng. His face paled, and his body swayed.
Bibi Dong's expression changed immediately. She flashed to his side and caught him.
[Energy +2]
"Meng, are you all right?"
Shi Meng shook his head, but a flicker of embarrassment crossed his mind.
I wanted to finish showing off, but my mana bar started screaming for help. Talk about putting on a show.
Taking on a thousand-year Soul Beast with level 20 Soul Power and no Soul Ring was indeed pushing it a little.
Fortunately, he would soon be able to absorb his very first Soul Ring.
At that thought, Shi Meng immediately raised his hand and swung it at the Time-Ice Mystic Butterfly's vital point.
As they watched Shi Meng sit cross-legged and begin absorbing the Time-Ice Mystic Butterfly's Soul Ring,
everyone from Skywater Academy was dumbfounded.
He had slain a thousand-year Soul Beast single-handedly, and now he even intended to absorb its ring as his first!
Wasn't that a little too outrageous?
Was this the talent of someone with innate level 20 Soul Power?
Truly terrifying.
But an even greater shock awaited them.
As Shi Meng absorbed the Thousand-Year Soul Ring, not only did he encounter no resistance whatsoever, but the ring even underwent a strange transformation.
Blue flames crept over the Soul Ring, coating its ordinary purple color with a blue-gold sheen!
Purple tinged with blue and gold-a uniquely colored Soul Ring!
Other people absorbed Soul Rings like they were pulling from a gacha. His ten-pull had landed two golds and a limited-edition skin to boot!
"A Thousand-Year Soul Ring... he absorbed a thousand-year Soul Beast's ring as his first? And he succeeded?"
Xue Wu's eyes went wide.
"Yes, a thousand-year first ring, and its color is so unusual, too. Teacher, what kind of Soul Ring is this?"
Shui Bing'er stared at the uniquely colored Soul Ring and questioned their instructor.
"I... I'm not entirely sure, either."
The instructor's knowledge was limited, too. This was her first time seeing a Soul Ring with such unusual colors.
Just then, Bibi Dong spoke:
"This is a sign that the Soul Ring is highly compatible with his Martial Soul. When Shi Meng absorbed this ring, his Martial Soul automatically altered its nature, turning it into a Soul Ring that was highly compatible with itself."
Everyone was astonished by Bibi Dong's explanation.
So that was what had happened?
Shui Yue'er's eyes sparkled like stars as she looked at Shi Meng.
As if being so handsome wasn't enough, he was so powerful, too. He was practically a male lead who had stepped straight out of the storybooks she had read!
Shui Bing'er took a deep breath, suppressed her shock, and studied Shi Meng anew.
Compared with his, her own talent truly stood as far apart as heaven and earth.
Half an hour later, he finally finished absorbing the Soul Ring.
Shi Meng opened his eyes and checked the Soul Power inside him.
He was still level 20.
But he could clearly sense that his Soul Power had become considerably more condensed. And he had gained a Soul Skill:
Time's Continuous Slash!
[For swinging a big hand around and hacking people.]
This Soul Skill allowed him to use the hand as a blade and unleash any rapid sword attack. His attacks also carried flames, and consecutive hits could continuously stack his Weight of Ages talent, rapidly wearing down his opponent.
Holy shit! This Soul Skill is as brain-dead easy as Miyabi with a fan and double shoes in Currency Wars! (Though that build isn't easy mode anymore.)
"Teacher, I've finished absorbing it."
Bibi Dong looked at him, fell silent for two seconds, then spoke.
"What Soul Skill did you get?"
"Time's Continuous Slash."
Shi Meng held nothing back and told her everything about his Soul Skill.
After hearing him out, Bibi Dong nodded slightly, seemingly unsurprised.
But Shi Meng wasn't at all surprised by Bibi Dong's lack of surprise.
After all, her lack of surprise stemmed from her memories of his equally unsurprising "previous life."
Hu Liena also came over, her face brimming with excitement.
"Junior brother, you're amazing! A thousand-year first ring! I've never seen anyone on the entire continent who's this incredible!"
"You flatter me, senior sister."
Shi Meng gave her a sweet, well-behaved smile.
But Hu Liena reached out and pinched his cheek again.
Tsk, he's even cuter now.
Standing nearby, Chrysanthemum Douluo swayed the chrysanthemum in his hand and couldn't help stealing another couple of looks at Shi Meng.
As expected of Lord Time Douluo.
A thousand-year first ring. For an ordinary Soul Master, the ring's backlash alone would be enough to kill them.
Yet His Lordship absorbed it as easily as drinking water.
His Lordship really is playing on a different patch from everyone else.
Just then, Ghost Douluo returned from the dense forest, carrying a dying thousand-year Ice-Soul Python on his back.
The Skywater Academy instructor was delighted and hurriedly sent the student with the Frost Sword to absorb its ring.
"Hello, little brother."
Shi Meng turned to look, somewhat surprised,
only to find that Xue Wu had come over with Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er.
"H-hello..."
Shui Yue'er stammered a reply, her face instantly flushing red.
Another sucker for a pretty face. Confirmed.
Though Shui Bing'er said nothing, her gaze also kept drifting toward Shi Meng.
"Did you need something from me?"
In response to his question, Xue Wu got straight to the point:
"Shi Meng, what is your first Soul Skill, Time's Continuous Slash, like?"
She paused, seemingly feeling that her question was a little presumptuous, then added:
"I don't mean anything by it. It's just that your Soul Ring is so unusual, and we all want to know how powerful a Soul Skill from a thousand-year first ring really is."
The Skywater Academy instructor looked over as well.
Though she said nothing, she could barely conceal the curiosity in her eyes.
Shi Meng blinked.
I know this one. All I have to do is show off, right?
"You want to see it?"
Shui Bing'er froze for a moment.
"May we?"
"Of course."
Shi Meng raised his hand and summoned his Martial Soul, the Hour and Minute Hand.
"Stand back."
He was about to start showing off.
"First Soul Skill, Time's Continuous Slash!"
The instant his words fell, the hand in Shi Meng's grasp transformed into a deep-blue blade.
The blade was only a palm's length, yet the moment it appeared, the surrounding air let out a piercing shriek.
Shi Meng casually slashed toward the lake.
Shui Bing'er saw only a flash of blue before a long gash split the lake's surface.
Blue flames burned on the water along the gash, refusing to go out.
"Th-this is a first Soul Skill?"
Even the Skywater Academy instructor's voice changed.
"How could a first Soul Skill possibly be this powerful?!"
"And why can those flames burn on water? Doesn't water counter fire?"
Shi Meng shook his head.
"No. My flames are immune to every element!"
"Gasp!"
Everyone drew a sharp breath.
Immune to every element!
In other words, unless he wanted them extinguished, these flames couldn't be put out!
How did that even work?
She didn't understand, but she was profoundly shaken!
"Time's Continuous Slash... continuous slash?"
Shui Bing'er repeated the name softly.
"You only slashed once just now. Why is it called Continuous Slash?"
Shi Meng smiled.
"Because one slash is just the warm-up."
He flicked his wrist.
The blue blade formed from the hand began swinging once more.
Slash after slash, the blue blade hacked into the ice covering the lake, making it rapidly age, shatter, and vanish.
In the end, as though its years had been sucked away, nothing remained but a stretch of dried-out mud.
The entire gathering fell deathly silent!
The Skywater Academy instructor's legs went weak, and she nearly lost her footing.
"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible-this can't be a first Soul Skill!"
Before you continue