"You must all be careful. Thorn Dragons have spatial attributes. If you carelessly get dragged into a space by an older Thorn Dragon, we might not even have time to save you."
Lin Qingze cautioned the others beside him.
Soul Beasts with spatial attributes were sometimes a nightmare for low-level Soul Masters. Often, after encountering one, the Soul Master would already be dead in its clutches before help could arrive.
"Yes."
They nodded firmly.
Then they each summoned their Martial Souls and watched their surroundings cautiously, guarding against a surprise attack from a Thorn Dragon.
"Hmm? There's a Thorn Dragon up ahead."
Gui Mei suddenly stopped and spoke to the others behind him.
"How many spikes does its tail have?"
Delighted, Yu Tianling hurriedly asked.
"Two, but the second spike is relatively small."
"Great, this one is just right. The spikes on a Thorn Dragon's tail represent its age. Two means it's two thousand years old, and it should have only just reached that age."
After hearing Gui Mei's latest information, Yu Tianling concluded that this was their prey!
"This one will do, then."
Gui Mei watched the Thorn Dragon feeding ahead. After confirming that there were no hundred-thousand-year Soul Beasts nearby, he stood ready to strike.
"Ghost Elder, please help us take it down. Afterward, we'll absorb the Soul Ring somewhere else. We don't know whether there are any hundred-thousand-year Soul Beasts here."
"All right."
The instant he finished speaking, Gui Mei appeared beside the Thorn Dragon.
His third Soul Ring lit up, and his third Soul Skill, Killing Ghost Transformation, activated. Black Qi coated his hands as they transformed into sharp claws.
"Roar!"
A pained roar rang out, then everything fell silent. He had dealt with it easily, severely wounding it in a single blow.
After all, Gui Mei was a rank ninety-five Titled Douluo. Dealing with this little two-thousand-year Soul Beast could hardly have been easier.
"Roar!!!"
As though they had sensed something, every Thorn Dragon throughout Thorn Ridge let out an angry roar.
The group hurriedly dragged the severely wounded Thorn Dragon away at top speed, returning to their original campsite.
Then Yu Tianling thrust his short blade straight into the Thorn Dragon's neck, and crimson blood instantly stained the ground.
At the same time, a purple Soul Ring rose unsteadily from the Thorn Dragon's corpse.
Taking a deep breath, Yu Tianling activated Martial Soul Possession and sat cross-legged. He drew the Soul Ring above his head, and it settled directly around his body.
"Urgh!"
The moment the Soul Ring's power entered his body, Yu Tianling's face turned sharply pale. The impact was far greater than that of his seven-hundred-year first Soul Ring.
Now his body felt as though it had been filled with hot cement, not only unbearably hot but also heavy.
But once absorbing a Soul Ring began, there was no way to stop. Yu Tianling could only grit his teeth and endure the impact of the Thorn Dragon's power.
"Xiao Ling."
Hu Liena and the others watched Yu Tianling anxiously. A two-thousand-year second Soul Ring-surely this was a configuration without precedent or successor. But the danger was certainly greater, too.
Ten minutes passed, and Yu Tianling suddenly discovered that the Soul Ring's power, which had been so aggressive just moments earlier, had become docile. Little by little, it was becoming part of the Soul Power within him.
Whew, I've finally finished absorbing it. I never expected a two-thousand-year second Soul Ring to raise me a full five ranks. Looks like I'll reach rank thirty in another year at most. What will Tang San have to compete with me then?
Yu Tianling opened his eyes, unable to contain his delight.
"Xiao Ling, what's your second Soul Skill like? It certainly won't disappoint, right?"
Hu Liena stepped forward curiously to ask. The others were also staring at Yu Tianling, all wanting to witness the might of a two-thousand-year second Soul Ring.
"Second Soul Skill, Spatial Thorns!"
Seeing their expressions, Yu Tianling curled his lips into a smile and abruptly activated his second Soul Ring.
The floating purple second Soul Ring suddenly blazed with light. A mass of thorns appeared five meters around the group, then lunged at them from every direction.
Hu Liena and Xie Yue were just about to leap out of range when the thorns instantly appeared beside them, binding their hands and feet.
Gui Mei and Lin Qingze kept cutting the thorns apart, but more kept closing in. Seeing this, they decisively activated their Martial Soul Avatars and only then escaped.
"Well? That's my second Soul Skill."
Dismissing his Soul Skill, Yu Tianling looked at the still-astonished group with a buoyant heart.
"Holy Son, this Soul Skill of yours is very powerful. I'm afraid even a Soul King would struggle to break free quickly."
Gui Mei looked at Yu Tianling, generous with his praise.
"Yes. My second Soul Skill, Spatial Thorns, can summon a great many thorns to form an encirclement nearby. They then attack the enemy through spatial jumps, with extremely powerful binding capabilities. It also increases my attack, speed, and defense by two hundred percent."
Yu Tianling nodded, then explained his second Soul Ring to them.
"It's over. Looks like we'll never be able to beat you from now on."
Xie Yue could not help lamenting when he heard this, feeling as though all his years had been wasted on a dog.
After all, Yu Tianling was only six or seven now, while they were already twelve.
Before meeting Yu Tianling, they had always considered themselves geniuses. Only after meeting him did they realize that Yu Tianling was the one who truly deserved to be called a genius.
Yu Tianling merely smiled without speaking.
"All right, since we've found all the Soul Rings, let's hurry back to Spirit City."
Seeing that this Soul Hunting trip was complete, Lin Qingze led the others away.
The party then returned to the town. After resting for a day, they set off again, and after several days on the road, they returned safely to Spirit City.
"Brother Yue, Grandpa, Sister Na and I will go see Teacher first. You two head back to Spirit Hall Academy."
Standing at Spirit City's gates, Yu Tianling spoke to the other two.
"Yes, all right."
The two nodded in understanding.
Then they headed in different directions.
The Pope's Palace
Gui Mei, who had arrived ahead of them, was reporting on the Soul Hunting trip.
Bibi Dong was merely momentarily speechless upon hearing it. Then she said nothing more and simply dismissed Gui Mei.
"They met Qian Renxue? And the Soul Ring came from a two-thousand-year Thorn Dragon?"
Through the palace doors, Bibi Dong gazed into the distance toward the Heaven Dou Empire, her thoughts unknown.
"Teacher, we're back."
Suddenly, Hu Liena's lively voice came from outside the quiet hall.
Then the two of them, one older and one younger, walked into the Pope's Palace together, looking at Bibi Dong, who was as beautiful and captivating as ever.
"Yes, good. One at rank thirty-two, the other at rank twenty-five. Don't slack off in the future."
Coming back to herself, Bibi Dong smiled at her two outstanding disciples and acknowledged their strength.
She then had them demonstrate their Soul Skills. After watching their Soul Skills, Bibi Dong sent them back to rest.
"Heaven Dou Empire and Star Luo Empire, prepare to welcome your one and only sovereign."
The doors of the Pope's Palace slowly closed, leaving only a voice filled with majesty echoing within.
After leaving the Pope's Palace, Yu Tianling and Hu Liena returned to Spirit Hall Academy. After letting Fei Situo know he was safe, Yu Tianling began a new day of study.