Before long, a black stripe appeared on Xie Yue's Moon Blade Martial Soul. He, too, returned to a state of peace and calm, while a deep purple Soul Ring circled firmly around the Moon Blade.
Absorption, complete!
Xie Yue abruptly opened his eyes and sprang to his feet, carefully examining the Moon Blade Martial Soul gripped tightly in his hand.
He felt incomparably powerful now, a feeling he could never have experienced by absorbing a Soul Ring that did not exceed his age limit.
"Brother, how was it? What's your Soul Power Level now? What's your fourth Soul Skill?"
Hu Liena paid no mind to what Xie Yue was thinking and opened her mouth to unleash a barrage of questions.
"I haven't let everyone down. I'm already at Level 47."
Xie Yue smiled at everyone before him, feeling comfortable from head to toe.
Level 47 at fourteen or fifteen-that was something his former self would never have dared imagine.
"Fourth Soul Skill, Dark Cage!"
As for Hu Liena's other question, Xie Yue decided to let a practical demonstration speak for itself and decisively activated his fourth Soul Skill.
In an instant, Xie Yue's fourth Soul Skill blazed with black light, forming a gigantic cage within a five-meter radius around him, much like the enclosure Doflamingo created with his Devil Fruit ability in One Piece.
The cage was pitch-black inside. Of everyone enveloped within it, only Yu Tianling and the two Titled Douluo could still see Xie Yue. The others were as good as blind.
Yu Tianling and the other two could clearly see black blades attacking and swiftly pulled the others out of the way.
To test the strength of the attack, Yu Tianling immediately activated Martial Soul Possession, then moved to meet the blades again.
What surprised Yu Tianling somewhat, however, was that the blades instantly turned as soft as strips of cloth and bound his hands and feet.
Of course, these could not hold him. He broke free with just a little exertion.
Crack!
With the sound of something snapping, the black world vanished completely.
Yu Tianling and the others looked behind them, only to see that a tree which had stood tall before had now toppled.
"Brother Yue, your fourth Soul Skill looks pretty good. It can attack and take attacks. Those restraints just now would probably be very difficult for a Soul Master at the same level to break free of, and they wouldn't be able to tell which ones were attacks and which ones were restraints."
Looking at Xie Yue, who stood waiting for their assessment, Yu Tianling praised him sincerely.
The others' delight was written all over their faces as well. Their companion's strength truly made them happy, and Hu Liena and the others were utterly dazzled by his fourth Soul Skill.
Hu Liena was now looking forward to her own fourth Soul Skill, while Yan resolved to choose his Fifth Soul Ring carefully. Zhu Zhuqing hoped that she could one day possess a Soul Skill as powerful as Xie Yue's.
"Hehe."
Hearing Yu Tianling's praise, Xie Yue chuckled, clearly relishing his approval. He was also extremely satisfied with this Soul Skill of his. It could both attack and control-simply fantastic.
"But the Soul Skill provided by Shadow-Seizing Bamboo should have been a control skill. How could it...? Could it be...?"
Yu Tianling rubbed his chin in puzzlement, somewhat confused. Suddenly thinking of something, he sharply raised his head to look at Xie Yue, seeking an answer.
"That's right! My Martial Soul underwent a second evolution, and a beneficial one at that. I think the residual medicinal potency of the Immortal Herb allowed the Shadow-Seizing Bamboo's power of darkness to merge into the Moon Blade, which in turn gave my fourth Soul Skill the ability to attack."
Seeing that Yu Tianling had guessed something, Xie Yue finally explained, unable to suppress his smile.
"No wonder."
Yu Tianling nodded, inwardly somewhat surprised as well.
Although the darkness attribute added to Xie Yue's Martial Soul was not Ultimate Darkness, it was already sufficient to enhance his attacks. If he encountered another opportunity in the future, it might even have a chance to evolve into Ultimate Darkness.
"You brat! You actually kept quiet about it!"
Hearing Yu Tianling and Xie Yue's conversation, Yan could not help stepping forward and giving Xie Yue a hard slap, his words brimming with indignation.
"Wasn't I giving you a chance to show what you could do? Too bad you weren't up to it."
Looking at his friend, Xie Yue could not help teasing him.
"Let's go. We'll keep looking for a Soul Ring for Sister Na. This certainly counts as winning our first battle."
At Yu Tianling's command, the group once again embarked on their quest to find Soul Beasts.
Over the following month, the group never managed to leave Sunset Forest.
"Whew, in another month, I should more or less be able to break through to Level 50."
Sitting cross-legged on a rock, Yu Tianling opened his eyes and ended his midday cultivation. Sensing the condition of the Soul Power within him, he could not help nodding.
He then looked at the others, who were still cultivating, and did not disturb them. Instead, he continued considering where they might find a suitable Soul Beast.
Over the past month, they had searched many places but had not encountered a single Soul Beast Yu Tianling had recommended. If that had been all, it would have been fine; they could simply switch to other targets. In reality, however, they had not even found any other Soul Beast of a suitable age.
Two hours passed, and everyone cultivating had finished. After briefly gathering their things, they were ready to set out again.
"Hm? Stop!"
Ghost Douluo, who was clearing the way ahead, suddenly stopped in his tracks and stared fixedly into the darkness before him. He immediately summoned his Martial Soul into his hand, ready to attack at any moment.
Seeing Ghost Douluo like this, the others hurried to his side, formed a circle, and went on alert.
"Tap, tap, tap..."
Accompanied by a series of footsteps, a fierce tiger emerged, its entire body pitch-black and a white marking in the shape of the character for "king" on its forehead. It was over three meters long and stood around a full meter and a half at the shoulder. Despite its enormous body, it was exceptionally agile, and it stared fixedly at the group of Soul Masters before it.
"A Ghost Tiger! And one over nine thousand years old!"
After examining it carefully, Yu Tianling's eyes suddenly lit up.
Ghost Tigers were renowned for their terrifying speed and attack power. Among the powerful Soul Beasts, they were exceptionally ferocious and would fight to the death against any opponent daring to invade their territory. Because their speed was so terrifying, ordinary Soul Beasts were unwilling to fight them even if their cultivation was comparable. They possessed the innate ability Shadow Clone, and this was also one of the Soul Beasts Yu Tianling had recommended to Hu Liena.
In the original story, Zhu Zhuqing had absorbed a Ghost Tiger over five thousand years old. Before dying, it had summoned a twenty-thousand-year-old Ghost Tiger, which even a Seven-Ring Soul Sage felt unable to defeat. One could well imagine how powerful Ghost Tigers were.
"Grandpa Ghost, Grandpa Chrysanthemum, I want this Soul Beast."
Hearing Yu Tianling's words, Hu Liena was especially excited and hurriedly urged the two Titled Douluo on, afraid they might let it escape.
"Roar!"
As though it understood what Hu Liena meant, the Ghost Tiger flew into a rage and let out a low, furious roar, warning everyone before it.
"End this quickly, before the Ghost Tiger brings reinforcements."
Yue Guan knew something about Ghost Tigers and cautiously reminded Gui Mei.
If several Ghost Tigers tens of thousands of years old arrived, the two of them would immediately be tied down, and Yu Tianling and the others might well meet with disaster. That was a loss Gui Mei and Yue Guan could not bear.