Su Ling and the others were in an area frequented by thousand-year soul beasts.
Although there were no particularly powerful soul beasts there, this was no longer a suitable place to rest for the night.
Early the next morning, everyone continued searching for a suitable soul beast for Tang San.
As expected of destiny's chosen protagonist, Tang San had excellent luck.
After losing a Man Faced Demon Spider the previous night, he found another one the following afternoon, though it was slightly younger than the first.
This Man Faced Demon Spider was around fifteen hundred years old. This time, Tang San would not pass it up.
Without Flender or Zhao Wuji having to intervene, Tang San and Xiao Wu successfully killed it in no time.
Meanwhile, on the night he absorbed his soul ring, in a canyon more than a hundred kilometers away...
"It really is just as that kid Su Ling said. This is a Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent over thirteen hundred years old. This soul beast is better than that Man Faced Demon Spider."
"Yiran, stay ready. I'll restrain it first." With that, Meng Shu raised his Dragon Staff and charged forward.
"That Su Ling has quite a talent. Yiran, if you meet him again, you two can get to know each other better," said Snake Granny Chao Tianxiang.
Meng Yiran's pretty face flushed. "Who knows whether we'll even meet again? Let me absorb this soul ring first."
The image of that perfectly handsome figure from the previous night still surfaced in her mind. He had also pointed her toward a soul beast that suited her, and her affection for Su Ling grew once more.
[Ding... Meng Yiran's affection +15. Obtained White Chest ×7, Yellow Chest ×3, Purple Chest ×1.]
At that moment, Su Ling also heard the system notification. Meng Yiran's affection had actually increased by so much again.
Didn't that mean it had already passed sixty, and he could bind her?
[Ding... Meng Yiran's affection has reached 62, meeting the requirements for a Bound Goddess. Bind her?]
With a goddess available to bind, Su Ling certainly would not let the opportunity slip by.
"System, bind Meng Yiran!"
[Ding... Congratulations to the host on successfully binding the Bound Goddess, Meng Yiran.]
Su Ling immediately shifted his gaze to the bound goddess interface.
[Bound goddess: Meng Yiran] [Goddess Overall Rating: 90] [Affection: 62 (quite fond of you)] [Binding effect: The host receives 10% of the bound goddess's daily cultivation gains. This does not reduce the bound goddess's cultivation speed.] [Binding skill: Enhancement (when the bound goddess is within one hundred meters of the host, all physical attributes are enhanced by 10%).]
The binding effect was the same as before, but this Enhancement skill was rather impressive.
Although its use had restrictions, it could still have a tremendous effect in certain situations.
For instance, during soul fighting or the Advanced Soul Master Tournament, having Meng Yiran watch from the sidelines would be equivalent to gaining an extra support skill.
Had they really found a Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent in that canyon? Was that why Meng Yiran's affection had suddenly risen so much?
After all, Oscar's previous Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent had been discovered there. Su Ling had guessed that it came from that canyon, and to his surprise, there really was one there.
Closing the system interface, Su Ling could not help glancing at Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong nearby.
By comparison, raising these girls' affection was far too difficult.
While Tang San absorbed his soul ring, everyone rested nearby that night, practically forming a circle around him.
After learning that Tang San was Yu Xiaogang's disciple, Flender also took special care of him.
It was not until noon the following day that Tang San finished absorbing the soul ring. His soul power reached rank thirty-one, making him a Soul Elder.
The process went fairly smoothly, with no unexpected incidents. Naturally, no soul bone appeared this time either.
If one really had appeared, Su Ling would truly have bowed before the protagonist's fortune.
"Thank you all for protecting me," Tang San said politely after getting up.
"Xiao San, there's no need to thank us. You're treating us like outsiders," Su Ling said.
"Exactly, Brother San!" said Ma Hongjun.
"Brother, congratulations." Xiao Wu congratulated Tang San as well.
Tang San said, "Next it's your turn, Big Brother Su. Didn't you say earlier that you wanted an Earth Attribute soul ring?"
Even he could not understand it. He believed he had already learned a great deal from Yu Xiaogang over the years, yet he still would not dare absorb soul rings so recklessly.
Su Ling said, "That's right. Not only do I want to absorb an Earth Attribute soul ring, but I also have a rather unusual requirement for its age."
"Dean, Teacher Zhao, could you help me find an Earth Attribute soul beast just over ten thousand years old?"
What?
Everyone stared at Su Ling in shock. Somewhat angry, Flender said, "Su Ling, have you gone mad? You already failed to absorb one last time, and now you actually want a ten-thousand-year one? Are you courting death?"
"Su Ling, letting you absorb another Earth Attribute soul beast's soul ring is already indulging you. Why do you insist on one over ten thousand years old?" Zhao Wuji demanded angrily, looking at Su Ling with the exasperation of someone watching iron refuse to become steel.
If Su Ling wanted a soul ring over ten thousand years old, he still had to persuade these two.
Su Ling said, "My body is strong enough. If you don't believe me, we can test it."
"Your body's strength? Just how strong could your body be?" Flender asked with a stern expression.
"Soul Emperor Tier," Su Ling said outright.
Su Ling felt that he could currently kill a ten-thousand-year soul beast himself, but absorbing a soul ring in the Star Dou Great Forest without anyone protecting him was absolutely out of the question.
At this point, Su Ling could only trust and rely on these two Soul Saints, Flender and Zhao Wuji.
To absorb a stronger soul ring, he first had to convince them.
"If your body really is as strong as a Soul Emperor's, we'll let you absorb it. If it isn't, you'll obediently absorb a normal soul ring," Flender said.
"All right!" Su Ling nodded.
He had consumed two portions of supreme ten-thousand-year whale glue and completely digested their medicinal effects.
By now, Su Ling's physical strength had risen from Soul King level to Soul Emperor Tier. As for the remaining portion of whale rubber, he had not yet had time to consume it.
However, his current physical strength was already sufficient. Even if he consumed the other portion of supreme ten-thousand-year whale glue, its effect probably would not be very significant.
After all, when he consumed the second portion, its improvement had been noticeably smaller than the first's.
Flender said, "Zhao Wuji, use your Gravity Squeeze. If you can withstand Soul Emperor Tier intensity without injury, I'll believe you."
Gravity Squeeze was Zhao Wuji's fifth soul skill, as well as a ten-thousand-year soul skill. It was currently the most convenient way to test a soul master's physical strength.
"All right!"
Zhao Wuji stepped forward and said to Su Ling, "Su Ling, be careful. I've killed several Soul Emperors with this soul skill before, so I can roughly judge from your condition whether your body has reached Soul Emperor Tier."
"Teacher Zhao, go ahead. Don't hold back," Su Ling said earnestly. To absorb a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, he first had to pass this test.
"Everyone, move aside!" Zhao Wuji looked at the people beside Su Ling.
Tang San, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and the others all retreated to the side.
"Brother, do you think Big Brother Su's body really has reached Soul Emperor Tier? Is that even possible?" Xiao Wu asked, looking puzzled.
"I don't know. Since Big Brother Su is confident, I think he should be able to do it," Tang San replied.
As he said this, Tang San also recalled the moment in the Soul Fighting Arena when Su Ling had effortlessly broken free of a Soul Elder's restraint with his hands.
That was certainly not something a rank-forty soul master could easily accomplish.
In short, Su Ling was different from other soul masters. His strength could not be judged by his soul power alone.
Yet while everyone was worrying about Su Ling, Dai Mubai called out, "You can do it!"
Su Ling, you'd better be able to win Zhao Wuji's approval.
You failed even with a four-thousand-year Earth Attribute soul ring, yet you want a ten-thousand-year one? Don't blame me if you insist on courting death.
Before you continue