After they landed.
A cool mountain breeze swept downward, dispersing the stifling heat trapped in the stream valley.
Jiang Ming stared fixedly at the golden Soul Ring beneath his son's feet, his face filled with shock that lingered for a long time.
Gradually, a trace of worry crept into his gaze.
His parched lips trembled slightly, but he faltered, unsure what to say.
Only after a brief pause did he speak in a hoarse voice.
"Dongjun, I won't ask where this Soul Ring came from. Can you disguise it a little? Make it look more normal?"
At those words, Jiang Dongjun willed it to change.
The golden Soul Ring's radiance dimmed, gradually drawing inward until it became a bright yellow Soul Ring resembling one five or six hundred years old.
"Dad, how's this? Does it look like a hundred-year Soul Ring?"
"It does! Absolutely! It's perfect!"
Jiang Ming immediately broke into a delighted smile, his worries gone. He circled his eldest son, examining him from every angle and clicking his tongue in wonder.
Then he changed the subject.
"By the way, Dongjun, what was that Soul Skill you used just now, the one that formed a gauzy robe of Soul Power?
"When I fished you out, that layer of protective energy actually affected me. From my rough impression... its effects resembled the 'Decomposition Ray' and 'Weakening Cannon' used in Soul Tools.
"First, it corroded and decomposed my fire-attribute, Soul King-level Soul Power.
"Then, when I deliberately touched it directly without protecting myself, it inflicted an additional wave of weakness on me.
"No, it was more like... 'aging'?
"If you were stronger, it might rapidly 'age' the skin touching that gauzy Soul Power robe, or even the tendons, flesh, and bones beneath it. A decrepit weakness would sweep over me, leaving my strength unable to match my will.
"Of course, I tested it just now. You can expend Soul Power to counteract that abnormal condition."
Jiang Ming methodically described his experience with "Dusk’s Blessing," hoping to help his son understand his own Soul Skill more clearly.
Jiang Dongjun nodded, carefully committing his father's observations to memory.
Then he answered, "Dad, it's called 'Dusk’s Blessing.'"
"Named after dusk, huh? That really fits."
Jiang Ming offered a word of praise.
"The sun setting in the west can be seen as the end of a day, extending into images of decay and withering. That matches this Soul Skill's special effects perfectly."
Listening to his father's continued analysis, Jiang Dongjun nodded in wholehearted agreement.
-Protection!
-Decay!
In summary, the Soul Skill he had just used had those two effects.
The former needed little explanation: a layer of energy shielding, the most common sort of defensive Soul Skill.
"White Tiger Protection Barrier," for example, belonged to the same category.
The latter imbued the gauzy Soul Power robe with a "decay" effect, causing any matter or energy it touched to rot and wither.
On offense, he could wear the gauzy Soul Power robe and deliberately brush against an opponent. One touch would inflict a severe negative condition on them.
On defense, the added "decay" effect would corrode and decompose energy attacks striking the gauzy Soul Power robe, weakening their power.
Jiang Ming asked curiously, "Dongjun, this golden Soul Ring of yours is unprecedented. Surely it doesn't have just one Soul Skill?"
"Of course not. There are three major Soul Skills in the ring. As I see it, the other two are the foundation, while 'Dusk’s Blessing' is an extra. Of the remaining two, one boosts every attribute, and the other is an eye technique."
"Every attribute?"
Startled, Jiang Ming sought confirmation again.
"Dongjun, you mean strength, speed, defense, elemental affinity, resistance to abnormal conditions... all of those can be enhanced by a single Soul Skill?"
"And an eye technique? Do you mean a mental attack? Tell me more."
Jiang Dongjun smiled proudly and explained at an easy pace.
"First, the enhancement Soul Skill is called 'Great Sun Golden Body.' Once activated, it immediately grants a standard 200% boost to all attributes. If I'm bathing in sunlight during the day, there's an additional 50% boost.
"Second, the eye technique is called 'Golden Eyes of Truth.' Once activated, my eyes receive a mysterious blessing, allowing me to see through falsehood and gaze directly upon the truth. My gaze also carries the sun's majesty, exerting mental pressure on my opponent.
"By ordinary classifications, the latter does count as a form of mental attack, but it's more than just that."
Those three tremendously powerful Soul Skills left Jiang Ming speechless with shock.
Even with his advanced studies at Shrek Academy and his broad experience, he could find no flaw, not even if he tried to pick bones out of an egg.
Defense, enhancement, offense-it covered every aspect.
This was a perfect Soul Ring!
Wanting to do something for his son, Jiang Ming suggested, "Dongjun, would you like me to help test the effects of 'Golden Eyes of Truth'?"
"Let's not, Dad. My spiritual power is very strong. Between awakening my Martial Soul and the tempering the Golden Disc gave me over these past two days, it's improved again. By my estimate, it shouldn't fall far short of an ordinary Soul King's."
"In other words, if I don't control it properly, I really could use Golden Eyes of Truth to severely injure your mind, Dad."
Jiang Dongjun refused outright.
When he said his spiritual power could rival an ordinary Soul King's, he meant an ordinary Soul King ten thousand years in the future.
In the current era, Soul Masters did not fuse with Soul Spirits and did not cultivate their spiritual power sufficiently. His spiritual power, which seemed to be in the Spirit Sea Realm, would rank another notch higher by this era's standards.
Testing a move on his old man would be just too filial.
"I didn't think that through." Jiang Ming did not insist. Instead, he said, "How about this? Let's go pick a fight with that Evil Soul Ancestor. You say your spiritual power rivals a Soul King's, and 'Golden Eyes of Truth' is so powerful. I'd like to see whether you can kill an Evil Soul Ancestor with a single look."
Jiang Dongjun gave him an odd look and smiled. "Dad, if he were an ordinary Soul Ancestor, I really wouldn't dare guarantee it. But he's an Evil Soul Ancestor, and sun-related abilities counter him completely. Ten thousand years ago, the natural enemies of Evil Soul Masters were the Angel lineage. Their Angel God once held part of the Sun Authority, too."
At that mention, Jiang Ming's expression turned equally odd.
"Before we set out, you kept clamoring about hunting a sun-related Soul Beast. Through a strange twist of fate, the process turned out completely differently, but the final result still gave you what you wanted. All three major Soul Skills in your ring are sun-related."
Jiang Ming was clever as well. A possibility occurred to him, and he offered a reminder:
"Hey, Dongjun, do you think that 'Dusk’s Blessing' Soul Skill might be related to when you obtained the Soul Ring? The sun was setting right then. I was close enough to sense what seemed like power coming from the setting sun. If you ever get another chance to obtain a golden Soul Ring, remember to try it at noon or in the morning instead."
"Oh, and did obtaining such a heaven-defying Soul Ring trigger your Martial Soul's evolution?"
Jiang Dongjun said, "Does the fireball getting hotter count? The deep red flames turned golden-orange?"
Jiang Ming said, "I meant to ask whether it turned into a sun."
Jiang Dongjun said, "You'd be better off hoping I achieve Ultimate Fire. At least that's more plausible. Are a fireball and the sun even the same species?"
Jiang Ming said, "Why make it sound so far-fetched? The Sun Moon Empire's Sun Martial Soul, the Heavenly Sun Martial Soul of the Dou Ling Empire's guardian, and the Brilliant Sun Martial Soul found among the common people all have 'sun' in them. Which one of those can compare to Ultimate Fire?"
Jiang Dongjun was instantly struck speechless.
Who's going to take the blame for this, huh?
Why were the sun and moon so pathetic when they appeared as Martial Souls?
After some bickering, father and son set off at once.
Using a Flying Soul Tool to cross treacherous peaks and secluded valleys, they traveled through the night toward Old Dragon Ravine in the northeastern corner of the Heavenstar Mountain Range.
They had only traveled a few dozen li.
As he moved through the dense forest, Jiang Dongjun suddenly stopped, frowning as he scrutinized the distance ahead.
Noticing something amiss with his son behind him, Jiang Ming hurriedly stopped as well. Standing on a branch of an ancient tree, he looked back in confusion.
"Dongjun, why did you stop?"
"Dad, something seems wrong up ahead. It makes me uncomfortable."
Because of his yin spirit, Jiang Dongjun's mind had already been extremely sensitive to sinister, evil auras.
Now, after receiving this sun Soul Ring, his body had been cleansed and transformed to some extent. Evil auras caused him physical discomfort.
"Is it just discomfort, or do you feel your heart pounding with fear?" Jiang Ming asked solemnly to be certain.
He trusted his son's senses. If it was the latter, there was definitely some "great terror" ahead, and they had to turn around immediately and flee for their lives.
"Just discomfort. I feel an urge to set a fire and burn everything ahead!"
"Get airborne! I'm afraid that Evil Soul Ancestor from Old Dragon Ravine has made his way over here," Jiang Ming surmised gravely.
Then Jiang Ming took a basket Soul Tool out of his Storage Soul Tool and tossed it to Jiang Dongjun.
His son climbed into it with practiced ease, while Jiang Ming hooked the steel cable attached to the basket onto his waist and activated the Flying Soul Tool on his back.
Inside the basket was also a heavy machine gun fitted with a drum magazine.
Once again, its inspiration had come from Jiang Dongjun.
It perfectly combined high-energy gunpowder with Soul Guidance Arrays in pursuit of the greatest possible damage.
Pure metal projectiles with no mystical properties might be stopped by Soul Power defenses, so Soul Cannon shells had been miniaturized into individual soul-guided bullets, with a Milk Bottle serving as an external energy source to power the Soul Guidance Arrays on both the bullets and the gun.
Even an ordinary person could use such a deadly weapon to slaughter low-ranking Soul Masters, provided they could withstand its recoil.
There were drawbacks, too-expensive! Time-consuming!
Manufacturing soul-guided bullets was delicate work.
The heavy machine gun in the basket was rated Class Four. Every bullet it fired was no different from burning through several dozen Gold Soul Coins.
Before you continue