First Soul Ring

Over the next few days, Xiao Yu and Miao searched the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest for a suitable spirit beast.

Both Xiao Yu and Miao understood just how important a spirit beast's quality was when it came to a spirit ring. Over the past few days, they had encountered quite a few spirit beasts, but either their cultivation age fell short of the standard, or their attributes differed too greatly from Xiao Yu's martial soul. Even if he absorbed one, there was a high chance he would only gain a useless spirit skill.

After several days, Xiao Yu was not particularly anxious. He remembered that in the original work, the Shrek Seven Devils had also spent considerable effort obtaining spirit rings in the Star Dou Great Forest and Sunset Forest. Good things did not simply fall into one's lap.

Miao, on the other hand, was beginning to grow impatient. If Xiao Yu had not stopped him, he would have slaughtered several of the utterly unsuitable spirit beasts they encountered as sacrifices to heaven.

"It isn't easy for a spirit beast to grow. Killing it brings us no benefit, so why go out of our way to do it? If humans slaughter spirit beasts without restraint, will there still be spirit rings for us to obtain decades from now?"

Before transmigrating, Xiao Yu had only read the original works of Douluo Dalu One and Two. He only had a rough understanding of Douluo Dalu Three, but he remembered one thing clearly: in Douluo Dalu Three, spirit beasts were nearly extinct.

Only after Xiao Yu persuaded him did Miao restrain his killing intent and spare those unfortunate spirit beasts.

"Roar!"

Perhaps Xiao Yu's kindness had brought him good fortune. After Miao and Xiao Yu once again spared a hundred-year spirit beast, an enraged roar suddenly sounded from ahead.

"This Soul Power fluctuation also carries a trace of darkness."

Sensing the energy response coming from nearby, Miao's eyes immediately lit up. He smiled and said, "Heaven rewards the diligent, Young Master. It seems your first spirit ring has been found."

Xiao Yu smiled faintly as well. "Let's go take a look."

The two moved quickly and soon saw the spirit beast's true form. It was a canine spirit beast with two heads, its entire body blazing red. All four eyes flickered with terrifying light.

Miao recognized the spirit beast. "This is a Hell Twin-Headed Dog. It has roughly five hundred years of cultivation. With Young Master's martial soul, it is perfectly suited to be your first spirit ring."

"Good. Let me test myself against this Hell Twin-Headed Dog first!"

Xiao Yu nodded and shouted, "Martial Soul Possession!"

In an instant, pitch-black armor covered Xiao Yu's entire body. With the wings that sprouted from his back, he shot forward like an arrow released from a bow.

"Roar!"

Seeing a child rushing straight at it, the twin-headed hellhound roared and lunged fiercely like a streak of crimson light.

"So fast! Is this the strength of a five-hundred-year spirit beast?!"

Xiao Yu's expression shifted slightly. Gathering his focus and strength, he shouted, "Kill!" The black greatsword in his hand stabbed straight ahead.

Hundred-year spirit beasts were not very intelligent. Or perhaps it simply looked down on Xiao Yu, a Soul Master who did not even possess his first spirit ring. The twin-headed dog neither dodged nor evaded, instead ramming headlong into Xiao Yu's thrusting greatsword.

Xiao Yu's martial soul, the Underworld Apostle, was a weakened incarnation of the Underworld King. The sword in his hand naturally carried a portion of divine artifact power. Though it was not much, it was enough to break through the defense of a hundred-year spirit beast.

With a miserable shriek, blood splattered as Xiao Yu's sword pierced the twin-headed dog's body.

The pain stimulated the twin-headed dog. Its two heads and four eyes radiated terrifying red light as it launched a savage assault on Xiao Yu.

Xiao Yu hurriedly pulled back his divine sword and held it horizontally before himself to block the twin-headed dog's attacks.

Driven mad by the excruciating pain, the twin-headed dog repeatedly slammed into Xiao Yu, determined to tear him to pieces. Every collision made Xiao Yu's body tremble, his blood and qi churning as though his internal organs had been turned upside down.

Xiao Yu gritted his teeth and withstood the twin-headed dog's fierce attacks without asking Miao to help. After his first strike had landed, the power of darkness and death inherent to the Underworld Apostle had entered the twin-headed dog's body through the blade. As long as Xiao Yu endured this final struggle, victory would be his.

They remained locked in a stalemate for around ten minutes. Then, the twin-headed dog suddenly staggered, its forelegs dropping to the ground as its once-arrogant heads sagged.

"I finally held out!"

Seeing the spirit beast collapse limply, Xiao Yu could not help letting out a long breath. His arms were already numb; he had clearly reached his limit.

This battle had also given Xiao Yu a rough understanding of a spirit beast's strength. To be honest, if the twin-headed dog had not been careless and allowed his first sword strike to land, then with a spirit beast's physique, it could have kept up that level of savage assault for at least another ten minutes. Xiao Yu truly would not have been able to endure any longer.

After taking another deep breath, Xiao Yu strode forward and stabbed his sword through the left head of the twin-headed dog, completely ending its life.

As the twin-headed dog died, pale yellow light gradually gathered around its body, eventually forming a gleaming yellow ring of light.

Xiao Yu did not immediately absorb the spirit ring. He had just gone through an intense battle, and his physical condition was extremely poor. Absorbing a spirit ring of roughly five hundred years at such a time would add considerable risk for no reason.

According to the original work, a spirit ring could remain for around two hours. Xiao Yu could use this time to adjust his condition.

More than an hour later, Xiao Yu, who had restored his body to peak condition through seated meditation, opened his eyes and circulated his Soul Power to draw the spirit ring toward him.

Whether it was because Xiao Yu's martial soul was too powerful, or because the Hell Twin-Headed Dog had been killed by a level-ten Soul Master like Xiao Yu and had lost its temper, the absorption of this spirit ring went extremely smoothly. In just over two hours, Xiao Yu completed the absorption. His Soul Power Level also reached level 12, faintly showing signs of breaking through to level 13.

"Young Master, what is your first spirit skill?"

Seeing that Xiao Yu had finished absorbing the spirit ring, Miao, who had been carefully standing guard nearby, could not help asking curiously.

Xiao Yu replied, "My first spirit skill is called Purgatory Body Protection. It creates flames of extreme heat around me to protect my body, while increasing my attack and defense by thirty percent."

"A good skill."

Miao nodded. For Soul Masters, it was most ideal for the spirit skill produced by their initial spirit ring to be an enhancement-type skill. That way, even upon reaching the level of a Titled Douluo, this hundred-year spirit ring could still be useful.

Xiao Yu thought so as well and was extremely satisfied with his first spirit skill.

Now that they had obtained the first spirit ring, the two naturally could not remain in the Star Dou Great Forest, where spirit beasts were everywhere and danger was unknown. They immediately set out to leave.

They had traveled slowly while entering the forest because they needed to search for a suitable spirit beast to obtain a spirit ring. Leaving, however, required no further searching; they only needed to travel in a straight line. In less than half a day, they left the forest and arrived at a small town on its outskirts.