In the Star Dou Great Forest, once Ning Chuan saw that Sword Douluo had agreed to his request, he stopped keeping him in suspense. After asking Sword Douluo to envelop their surroundings with spiritual power, he released the second martial soul awarded by the system.
Anything produced by the system was guaranteed to be exceptional.
The Chaos Sacred Sword was of the same grade as the Creation Exquisite Pagoda.
Ning Chuan slowly extended his right hand. Soul power surged through his palm, and a cloud of gray, hazy chaos mist gathered and swirled above it.
The next instant, a sword's ringing cry resounded.
As the sword cry reverberated, a luminous, pure-white sword slowly took shape within the chaos mist and hovered above Ning Chuan's palm.
A vast, overwhelming pressure spread from the sacred sword, making even the surrounding air tremble faintly.
Sword Douluo could clearly feel his Seven Kill Sword martial soul trembling and resonating uncontrollably within him.
Both were sword-type martial souls, and the pressure emanating from the Chaos Sacred Sword was far stronger than the suppression the Creation Exquisite Pagoda had exerted earlier. This was suppression at the very source of the sword path.
The aura and pressure radiating from the Chaos Sacred Sword held an indescribable allure for Sword Douluo, shaking him to his core.
Only after a long while did Sword Douluo slowly ask, "What is this sword called?"
"The Chaos Sacred Sword!" Ning Chuan answered frankly.
"The Chaos Sacred Sword! What... what a Chaos Sacred Sword!" Sword Douluo was utterly thrilled.
"When did this martial soul awaken?" Sword Douluo asked.
Ning Chuan answered truthfully, "After the Creation Exquisite Pagoda finished evolving, the Chaos Sacred Sword awakened as well!"
"Did its name suddenly appear in your memories too, just like the Creation Exquisite Pagoda's?" Sword Douluo continued.
"Yes!" Ning Chuan nodded.
"Excellent!"
The exclamation escaped Sword Douluo's lips. Then his expression turned solemn. "Xiao Chuan, would you be willing to take Sword Grandpa as your master and become my direct disciple?"
"Wouldn't that throw the generational hierarchy into chaos?" Ning Chuan said somewhat helplessly.
Sword Douluo chuckled at that. "It doesn't matter. Fengzhi and I can each reckon our relationships separately!"
Hearing "reckon our relationships separately," Ning Chuan nearly lost his composure. He immediately suggested, "Sword Grandpa, I'm willing to become your disciple, but we should change how I address you. How about Grandmaster?"
"No problem!" Sword Douluo readily agreed. In his heart, Ning Chuan was already his own grandson in all but blood. What he called him hardly mattered, as long as they formally became master and disciple.
Ning Chuan then performed the ceremony to acknowledge Sword Douluo as his master.
After seeing Ning Chuan's Chaos Sacred Sword martial soul, Sword Douluo valued him even more.
Deep down, Sword Douluo still disapproved of Ning Chuan's demand for a first soul ring over three thousand years old.
But he had already agreed, so he could hardly go back on his word.
Besides, the power to kill the soul beast remained in his hands, so he wasn't worried about Ning Chuan acting recklessly.
"Xiao Chuan, I don't know much about the deeper mysteries of twin martial souls. But there is one thing you must remember firmly: never rush to add soul rings to both martial souls at once. Ancient texts explicitly record that as a road to death. It can easily cause your soul power to clash, leaving your body to burst apart and killing you," Sword Douluo warned.
"Understood!" Ning Chuan nodded.
Sword Douluo continued, "Fortunately, you haven't obtained any soul rings yet, so you can choose one as your primary martial soul and develop it first. Which would you like to develop first?"
"The Creation Exquisite Pagoda!" Ning Chuan answered without a moment's hesitation. After all, this concerned his system mission.
Sword Douluo had actually hoped Ning Chuan would choose the Chaos Sacred Sword, allowing him to plan out Ning Chuan's development in advance. But since Ning Chuan had made his choice, Sword Douluo did not insist.
The two continued searching through the forest.
"Oh, right, Sword Grandpa. The Creation Exquisite Pagoda has no requirements for the type of soul beast. You can just catch any one you like!" Ning Chuan reminded him.
"No requirements?"
Sword Douluo murmured to himself, thinking, If what Xiao Chuan says is true, then everything I've learned about martial souls over all these years may not apply to him at all.
Perhaps Xiao Chuan's claim that the Creation Exquisite Pagoda can absorb a soul ring over three thousand years old really is feasible!
At that moment, a little more anticipation suddenly stirred within Sword Douluo.
He knew very well that if Ning Chuan could truly fuse with a soul ring over three thousand years old as his first, his future would be immeasurable.
I hope Xiao Chuan really can do it! Sword Douluo thought.
Without needing to select a particular type of soul beast, the search became much easier.
Before long, Sword Douluo found an Earth Rock Bear around thirty-two hundred years old. With his strength, he captured it effortlessly.
"Xiao Chuan, I've caught the soul beast for you. How are you going to prove your claim?" Sword Douluo asked.
"Sorry for the trouble, Sword Grandpa, but please knock it unconscious!" Ning Chuan said.
With just a slight application of spiritual power, Sword Douluo sent the Earth Rock Bear into a deep sleep.
Ning Chuan immediately released the Creation Exquisite Pagoda and pinned the Earth Rock Bear beneath it.
With Ning Chuan's current strength, he could not kill this defense-type soul beast.
But once the Creation Exquisite Pagoda enveloped it, Ning Chuan no longer needed to worry about what followed.
The System Sprite manifested inside the pagoda and, with a gentle tap, awakened the Earth Rock Bear's soul spirit.
The creation power swirling within the pagoda instantly captivated the Earth Rock Bear.
"Little bear, would you like to stay here?" the System Sprite asked enticingly.
A three-thousand-year-old soul beast had already developed intelligence, and the creation power within the pagoda held an irresistible allure for it.
It could clearly sense that absorbing the aura radiating within the pagoda would allow it to evolve rapidly. Even the tiniest wisp was worth ten thousand years of arduous cultivation.
The Earth Rock Bear nodded repeatedly, conveying its willingness to stay.
"You may stay, but this place can only accommodate souls. You'll have to relinquish your physical essence to remain here!" the System Sprite continued.
The Earth Rock Bear pondered this for a moment, then opened its mouth and roared twice at the System Sprite, seemingly asking a question.
The System Sprite nodded. "Your freedom won't be restricted here. If you wish to leave in the future, I'll naturally send you out, and I'll even give you a stronger body."
The Earth Rock Bear believed the system's words without a shred of doubt and immediately agreed to its proposal.
Under the system's guidance, the Earth Rock Bear directly sacrificed its body to the Creation Exquisite Pagoda.
Unlike an ordinary soul beast sacrifice, the Earth Rock Bear's sacrifice would consume some of its soul power, but would not inflict much damage on its soul.
Sword Douluo could not peer inside the pagoda, but he was certain that without his help, Ning Chuan could never kill this Earth Rock Bear.
Yet as he observed the Creation Exquisite Pagoda, a faint purple glow suddenly radiated from its base.
In the blink of an eye, that purple light condensed into a soul ring and slowly rose from the bottom of the pagoda.
Sword Douluo's eyes immediately widened at the sight. He had no idea what Ning Chuan had done, but there was no doubt that the Creation Exquisite Pagoda's first soul ring had been successfully added.
With a wave of Ning Chuan's hand, the Creation Exquisite Pagoda shrank and returned to his palm. The Earth Rock Bear had vanished without a trace.
At the same time, Ning Chuan's aura began soaring rapidly. Within a few breaths, his soul power broke through level after level, reaching level thirteen outright.
The reward for completing the system mission arrived as well.
Before you continue