Gu Rong charged.
The next instant, a streak of golden light flashed past.
Gu Rong went flying!
Caught completely off guard, Gu Rong was sent flying by the Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff's full-force charge.
If Gu Rong had not been so thick-skinned and tough,
that move would probably have severely injured him outright.
"What the hell is this soul beast? It actually shook me with a single move!"
Gu Rong was shocked.
His martial soul was the Bone Dragon, renowned for its defense. Although he had not released his martial soul just now, a five-thousand-year soul beast still should not have been able to shake him.
"Grandpa Gu, this soul beast possesses ultimate strength. Please, all three Titled Douluos, subdue it directly!"
Watching the two men suffer setbacks one after another, Ji Hongchen could not help speaking up to remind them.
As a monster with absurd stats from the era of Douluo Dalu III: The Legend of the Dragon King,
the Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff was no weaker than the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger from the era of Douluo I. It was a genuine, ultimate stat monster-simply outrageously strong.
Watching the Bone Douluo suffer, Chen Xin's little mouth was as sweet as honey. "Heh, old bones, those bones of yours have really gone soft. You can't even beat a five-thousand-year golden-haired mutt."
He had already caught on.
With Ji Hongchen's reminder, he also knew that this Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff was no ordinary beast. He immediately brought out the Seven Kill Sword, and his fourth soul ring lit up.
"Fourth Soul Skill, Murderous Intent Unleashed!"
With a fierce shout, Chen Xin swung the Seven Kill Sword in his hand. A strand of sword qi brimming with murderous intent shot straight toward the Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff.
Every blade of grass and tree in the sword qi's path was severed.
The Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff sensed danger, but it had no intention of dodging. It charged straight at the sword qi, choosing to take the blow head-on.
Shhk!
The sword qi passed through the Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff's body, instantly shredding half of it. Yet with its indomitable resilience, the beast still did not die.
"Hongchen, strike now!"
At those words, Ji Hongchen gripped the Jinghong Sword. Sword qi crisscrossed around him, whipping his white robes into the air as he slashed.
"First Soul Skill, Slash!"
The Jinghong Sword descended in a clean, decisive stroke.
The strike ignored the Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff's formidable defenses and pierced its skull.
A purple soul ring slowly rose from the Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff's corpse.
"This soul ring is at least five thousand years old. Hongchen, are you really going to absorb it directly?"
Ning Fengzhi was still somewhat uneasy. After all, he intended to nurture Ji Hongchen into the next Sword Douluo. He could not allow anything to go wrong.
Ji Hongchen spoke confidently. "Don't worry, Father-in-law. I made my preparations before absorbing the soul ring. I've been tempering my body with ten-thousand-year whale glue for the past half month. I could absorb even a six-thousand-year soul ring."
"Well..."
Ning Fengzhi hesitated.
The Sword Douluo beside him said, "Don't worry, Fengzhi. With us watching over him, even if Ji Hongchen fails to absorb it, we have ways to save him. He can take some medicine afterward and recover."
Only then did Ning Fengzhi nod.
Ji Hongchen took a deep breath and began absorbing the soul ring.
The three Titled Douluos around him watched his condition constantly. At the first sign of anything amiss, they would intervene immediately.
Although Gu Rong harbored some prejudice against Ji Hongchen,
it was mostly because Ji Hongchen had rooted up the cabbage he had raised for ten years. In truth, he still acknowledged Ji Hongchen's talent.
During the absorption, Ji Hongchen's brows drew together slightly. Rampaging soul power rushed straight into his dantian, but he quickly guided it into the sword dao soul core prototype within.
This was the perfect opportunity to condense my sword dao soul core!
As time passed,
everyone's heart rose into their throat.
Minute by minute, second by second, time ticked away. Suddenly, a trace of sword qi appeared around Ji Hongchen, and his aura grew increasingly sharp.
"What's going on?"
Gu Rong stared at Ji Hongchen in astonishment.
He had never seen anything like this happen during soul ring absorption.
Beside him, Dugu Bo's pupils contracted, and he exclaimed in surprise, "This boy is condensing a soul core. Don't worry, it isn't a bad thing."
Dugu Bo explained the matter of soul cores again.
Understanding dawned on Gu Rong. "Well, well! I never imagined this boy possessed a secret art like that. No wonder he could evolve his martial soul a second time."
There was no denying it.
He was finding Ji Hongchen more and more pleasing to the eye now. At the very least, he was far better than a certain fellow with innate rank-half soul power who had gotten involved with his own cousin and swindled people with stolen theories.
A short while later,
Ji Hongchen opened his eyes, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.
Dugu Bo also hurriedly asked,
"Well? What does your third soul skill do?"
Ji Hongchen picked up the Jinghong Sword, his gaze sharp.
Three soul rings-yellow, purple, and purple-lit up around him.
"Third Soul Skill, Momentum!"
Ji Hongchen shouted, feeling his entire bearing change. The Jinghong Sword in his hand also grew sharper, radiating a cold gleam.
He slashed.
An utterly ordinary sword strike actually rivaled a blow from an ordinary Soul Ancestor.
"My third soul skill instantly grants me five stacks of sword momentum, increasing all my attributes by fifty percent. After that, every attack adds another stack, up to a maximum of ten. There's no cooldown, and it consumes no soul power. As long as I keep attacking, it can last indefinitely."
"What?"
This time, everyone was stunned. What kind of monstrous soul skill was this? No cooldown, no soul power consumption? Just consider what that meant.
Ji Hongchen himself had been stunned by this soul skill for quite a while. However, he said nothing about the domination domain. His third soul skill had already proven his worth.
Factoring in the soul power costs of his other soul skills, he could now stack his boosts to over two hundred percent. With Ning Rongrong's enhancement, he could potentially reach three hundred percent!
"Not bad. Not bad at all!"
Beside him, Chen Xin spoke with a slightly sour tone.
His soul skills truly fell far short of Ji Hongchen's. Barring any accidents, Ji Hongchen's future accomplishments would certainly surpass his own.
Still, he also felt somewhat gratified.
After all, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect finally had a worthy successor. There was no need to worry anymore.
Suppressing his excitement, Ning Fengzhi could not help asking, "Hongchen, what rank is your soul power now?"
Ji Hongchen smiled faintly.
"Not bad. Only rank thirty-three!"
At those words, Ning Fengzhi's face darkened.
What do you mean, only rank thirty-three?
Would it kill you sword wielders not to show off? At that age, his own soul power had only been in the twenties. He could not compare with Ji Hongchen at all.
A twelve-year-old Soul Elder.
There probably were not more than a handful on the entire continent.
He had a vague suspicion that perhaps the continent's youngest Titled Douluo was about to emerge from this generation of their Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!
Ning Fengzhi took a deep breath.
"Hongchen, you've done very well."
"Once we return, I'll invite all the nobles of Heaven Dou City and hold an engagement ceremony for you and Ning Rongrong."
He could not hesitate any longer.
Hesitation meant defeat. Right now, he wished he could drag Ji Hongchen off to marry Ning Rongrong immediately. Only then would he feel more at ease.
"All right, Father-in-law."
"But for now, let's help Rongrong find a suitable soul ring."
Ji Hongchen thought for a moment, then looked at Ning Rongrong.
"What I need right now is support that increases all attributes, so we must choose Rongrong's second soul ring carefully. Its boosts should be as comprehensive as possible. It's fine even if we have to spend a few extra days in the Star Dou Great Forest."
Ning Fengzhi nodded in agreement.
"All right. With Uncle Gu and Uncle Jian here, plus the Poison Douluo's help, we won't be in danger even if we venture deep into the Star Dou Great Forest."
"We only need to search the outskirts."
Ji Hongchen nodded.
After all, no one in this era knew where the true Lake of Life was. Several ferocious beasts were hidden there. If they accidentally disturbed them, even three Titled Douluos would not be enough.
However, they generally would not intervene either.
These ferocious beasts were just like those turtle-like worshippers in the Worship Hall. Later, when Bibi Dong came to hunt Da Ming and Er Ming, they did not appear either.
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