"Whoosh!"
A dark silhouette darted from side to side through the dense forest.
It was a Ghost Leopard more than ten thousand years old, pitch-black from head to tail, with a sleek body and powerful limbs.
Ghost Leopards were blindingly fast, coming and going without a trace, and were known as the hunters of the jungle.
Yet at that moment, this jungle killer was in rather poor shape.
A wound over a meter long ran across its abdomen, blood streaming from it.
A group of Soul Masters pursued it relentlessly-Yu Chen and his companions.
Light rain kept drifting down from the sky. The Ghost Leopard's wound grew wider and wider, and its steps gradually slowed.
"Boom!"
A burst of icy-blue energy exploded to the Ghost Leopard's right, freezing its right leg solid and sending it crashing to the ground.
"Got it!"
One of the Soul Masters shouted in excitement.
His name was Han Bing, his Martial Soul was the Ice Bow and Arrow, and he was a level fifty-four Battle Soul King.
"Huff-"
The Ghost Leopard panted heavily, its abdomen heaving. As it watched the group approach, its eyes filled with hatred.
Especially toward Yu Chen, who stood at the very back of the group.
"Hahaha, why aren't you running anymore?"
Jin Ying looked at the Ghost Leopard sprawled on the ground and taunted it.
Meanwhile, several Soul Kings surrounded it.
The jungle killer had no escape from its doom.
"Yu Chen, your combination Soul Skill is incredible!"
Jin Ying turned toward Yu Chen, his voice brimming with praise.
Ghost Leopards were exceptionally fast. Even after activating his Martial Soul Avatar, he would have struggled to catch one at the ten-thousand-year level.
When the group first spotted this Soul Beast, none of them had considered going after it.
Yu Chen, however, had come up with a plan:
He combined his Third Soul Skill and First Soul Skill to create a light rain, drastically reducing the Ghost Leopard's speed while greatly increasing its Soul Power consumption.
That was how Jin Ying had managed to leave a wound across its abdomen.
"I didn't expect it to work on my very first try, either."
Yu Chen scratched his head as he spoke.
After he obtained his Third Soul Ring, Xiao Bai's control over the elements had strengthened considerably.
Using the methods for casting [Sunny Day] and [Sandstorm] as a reference, Yu Chen combined water and wind elements to create a new weather move, [Pray for Rain].
It had only been an experiment, but unexpectedly, he succeeded on the first try.
Once [Pray for Rain] was cast, water-type attacks were strengthened by 100%, fire-type attacks were suppressed by 50%, and electric-type attacks were guaranteed to hit.
Moreover, the move also carried the properties of [Hydro Pump].
After hitting an enemy, it reduced their speed by 50% and increased their Soul Power consumption by 50%.
"Boom-"
Another burst of icy-blue energy struck the Ghost Leopard's body.
It blasted straight through the beast's abdomen. Foam spilled from its mouth, its limbs convulsed, and it was clearly on the verge of death.
"Oh no, I hit it too hard! Principal Ming, hurry! This Soul Beast only has one breath left!"
Han Bing hastily called out.
"Whoosh!"
Ming Dashan's Third Soul Ring lit up. His figure flashed as he dashed behind the Ghost Leopard and ended its life with a single sword strike.
A wisp of black light slowly rose from the Ghost Leopard's corpse.
The light grew denser and brighter, finally condensing into a deep black Soul Ring.
"Hum-"
The aura of the Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring spread outward, making even the surrounding air tremble slightly.
"Thank you all for your hard work!"
With that, Ming Dashan sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to meditate.
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, and a trace of irrepressible excitement showed on his face.
A Soul King-he was finally going to become a powerful Soul King himself!
Han Bing walked over to Yu Chen and patted his shoulder. "Yu Chen, your Soul Skill is incredible. My Soul Skill was about twice as powerful as usual!"
As he spoke, he glanced back at the Ghost Leopard's corpse.
His Martial Soul, the Ice Bow and Arrow, excelled at slowing and controlling enemies, but its attack power was unremarkable.
Yet his last strike had blasted through the abdomen of a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. Normally, he would never have dared imagine such a thing.
Yu Chen smiled and said modestly, "It was mainly thanks to you teachers. I only provided a tiny bit of support."
"That was no tiny bit!"
Han Bing shook his head, his tone earnest. "For water-type and ice-type Soul Masters, this move of yours is something they wouldn't trade even for a Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda!"
"My Soul Skill's power doubled outright. In terms of attack enhancement alone, I'm afraid only Sect Master Ning could manage that."
"And yours is a group support skill!"
Han Bing heaped praise on him until flowers might as well have been raining from the sky.
Yu Chen listened in a daze.
He had never expected [Pray for Rain] to provide such powerful support.
When practicing [Sunny Day] before, he had failed more than a dozen times before barely getting it to take shape.
Practicing [Sandstorm] had taken considerable effort, too.
[Rain Dance] produced a perfect result on the very first try. Perhaps it's all thanks to my talent and hard work!
Yu Chen thought, thoroughly pleased with himself.
Xiao Bai Dragon crouched on Yu Chen's shoulder, her eyes half-closed and both foreclaws tucked against her chest, looking utterly languid.
Though Yu Chen said nothing, she could sense the joy in his heart.
After Yu Chen obtained his Third Soul Ring, she possessed the four basic elements of fire, wind, earth, and water.
She had everything she needed!
In Xiao Bai's eyes, Yu Chen's ability to devise a few elemental combination skills did indeed show a little talent.
But...
She was the Elemental God!
Yu Chen's combination skills were child's play to her, and she could do them even better.
This [Pray for Rain] had surprised Xiao Bai somewhat, since Yu Chen had managed to cast it using only two elements.
But with just a slight intervention, she had doubled [Pray for Rain]'s support effects.
Not only that, if Yu Chen cast [Sunny Day] or [Sandstorm] again, he would discover that their support effects had doubled as well!
That was her power as the Elemental God!
Even a mere sliver of her divine soul could bring about a fundamental transformation in an ordinary Soul Master's skills.
Moreover, if she exerted her full strength, she could trigger an Elemental Tide.
That was elemental power in its most fundamental form.
Ordinary elemental attacks were subject to relationships of suppression.
Water suppressed fire, and fire suppressed wood.
But an Elemental Tide mobilized the most primordial energy between heaven and earth, directly triggering explosions of Soul Power.
It could neither be blocked nor evaded.
"Hmph!"
Xiao Bai Dragon cast a brief sidelong glance at Yu Chen, then shifted into a more comfortable position.
"Huff-"
A short while later.
Ming Dashan abruptly opened his eyes, and a powerful aura rippled outward.
He slowly rose to his feet and rolled his shoulders.
Five Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet, one after another.
Two yellow, two purple, and one black.
The black Soul Ring at the very top was especially striking, gleaming with dark, flowing light beneath the sun.
"Uncle Dashan, you did it! Congratulations!"
Yu Chen walked forward with a smile, his gaze settling on Ming Dashan's black Soul Ring. He was happy for him, too.
"Hahaha!"
Ming Dashan threw back his head and laughed.
He reached out to pat Yu Chen's head, a wave of emotion rising in his heart.
Originally, he had only been taking Yu Chen to Heaven Dou City to attend school.
Yet everything he had experienced along the way had been more exciting than his past ten years put together.
Yu Chen had broken through to Soul Elder, they had encountered Wolf Bandits, he had obtained a Soul Bone and healed his lame leg, and now, thanks to Yu Chen, he had also obtained a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.
What a journey!
What an incredible journey!
Before you continue