At the same time that Tang San was fully focused on absorbing the Mandala Snake's Soul Ring.
Han Qiu also began a refinement journey of his own, targeting the Soul Ring of the Thousand-Year Soul Beast, the Purple Lightning Mane Lion.
Han Qiu took a deep breath, then sat cross-legged on the ground. Truth be told, he had sacrificed a great deal for this moment. He sank his full attention into his sea of consciousness, firmly locking onto his Martial Soul of Light.
He slowly began to draw upon the Soul Power within him, gently guiding the Soul Ring shimmering with purple light until it floated above his head.
As the Soul Ring drew closer, an immense pressure descended upon Han Qiu, like Mount Tai pressing down on him. He couldn't help sucking in a sharp breath.
The pressure of a Thousand-Year Soul Ring was simply too immense, like a towering tsunami crashing down upon him.
He had yet to truly begin absorbing it, but it was already battering his flesh and spiritual sea of consciousness with relentless fury.
After all, he hadn't killed the Purple Lightning Mane Lion in a fair fight. He had taken advantage of the battle between the two Soul Beasts, then picked up the spoils by landing the final, fatal blow at the very end.
As a veteran Soul Beast that had lived for a thousand years, it had long since developed considerable intelligence. Its hatred for Han Qiu had now reached its peak.
In mere moments, a sweet taste rose in Han Qiu's throat. He couldn't suppress a groan, his cheeks instantly flushed crimson, and traces of blood seeped from the corners of his mouth.
The pressure was simply too great!
The terror of this over-age Soul Ring far exceeded Han Qiu's expectations.
An ordinary Soul Master, even upon reaching the fourth Soul Ring realm, could barely withstand a five-thousand-year-old ring at most!
He was now trying to ascend to heaven in a single step.
"This is far too terrifying..."
Han Qiu's heart trembled, and he secretly regretted his overconfidence.
He hadn't even begun refining it. The Soul Ring's inherent pressure alone, combined with the Purple Lightning Mane Lion's lingering resentment, had already pushed him to the brink.
"I was too greedy after all." A bitter smile touched Han Qiu's lips.
If he actually began forcibly absorbing this power, his body would probably explode, killing him on the spot!
That was no exaggeration.
Given the current foundations of his body, under normal circumstances, touching a Soul Ring over 5,000 years old would definitely be a path to death.
Even if his physical strength doubled, it probably still wouldn't be enough to contain this terrifying power that spanned several major realms.
For any ordinary Soul Master, a Soul Ring of such a heaven-defying age would be enough to kill them ten or a hundred times over. There was no chance whatsoever of refining it.
[Sensing the host's exceptionally brave behavior, the Choice System has activated.] [Choice one: A wise man knows when to yield. Give up refining the Soul Ring immediately. Reward: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle buff, which can reduce your presence by 50% at any time.] [Choice two: A real man has to be tougher on himself. Continue forcibly refining the Soul Ring. Reward: one opportunity to refine a Soul Ring with 100% success.]
"System, you're the GOAT! I choose two."
Just after Han Qiu chose the second option, his expression suddenly changed. He discovered another line of extremely tiny print beneath it, so small that he had almost missed it.
"However, the pain your body experiences will increase tenfold, and you will be unable to lose consciousness throughout the entire process."
"System, you tricked me! You definitely did that on purpose!" Han Qiu let out a piercing scream.
A bone-deep pain instantly swept through his limbs and bones. The tenfold increase in pain was far beyond anything Han Qiu had imagined!
The excruciating pain of the Soul Ring crushing his flesh seemed to have been magnified infinitely. Every inch of his meridians and every inch of his bones felt as though they were being torn apart and crushed by countless bolts of lightning.
An ordinary person subjected to such extreme pain would have long since passed out from the agony, but the system's restriction held his consciousness in an iron grip, keeping him completely awake at all times. He was forced to endure every bit of torment without even the slightest chance of escape!
Han Qiu clenched his teeth so tightly that blood seeped from his gums. The muscles all over his body spasmed violently beyond his control, and cold sweat instantly soaked his clothes.
He had calculated everything a thousand times over, yet in the end, he still hadn't escaped the system's trap!
This system definitely had a mind of its own!
Otherwise, it couldn't have deliberately written the consequences of forced refinement in such tiny print.
The reward of perfectly refining a Soul Ring with one hundred percent certainty was indeed heaven-defying, but the punishment of tenfold pain while remaining conscious throughout was nothing short of hellish torture!
Rumble!
The instant his mind wavered, the thousand-year purple lightning Soul Ring floating above his head suddenly shuddered!
The Purple Lightning Mane Lion's lingering resentment, which had been temporarily suppressed, erupted completely. Pitch-black malice mingled with the power of raging purple lightning and poured into the crown of Han Qiu's head like a rampaging dragon!
That savage, bloodthirsty beastly obsession battered Han Qiu's spiritual sea of consciousness, trying to shred his consciousness and seize his body!
Yet the beastly obsession was forcibly suppressed and subdued by a mysterious power.
Han Qiu could clearly feel countless fine threads of blood bursting beneath the skin all over his body, while a dense web of tiny cracks spread across its surface.
The raging lightning energy surging through him rampaged savagely, instantly destroying the flesh within his body. Even the finest cellular pathways were breaking down bit by bit.
The bones throughout his body had also reached their limit. They cracked continuously as the terrifying Soul Power washed over them again and again!
A mysterious power erupted within him from time to time, repairing Han Qiu's body over and over.
Seen from a distance, he was now covered in blood, looking every bit like a man made of blood, a savage and horrifying sight.
The Silver Moon Spirit Deer crouched nearby, watching Han Qiu in silence. A distinctly human look of pity appeared in its eyes.
Although it was grateful that he had saved it earlier and wanted to help him, this human youth was far too unaware of his own limits.
But this human youth was far too unaware of his own limits.
The youth's body was simply too weak. Trying to refine a seven-thousand-year Soul Ring with a body like that was nothing but a fool's dream.
Even with its help, his physique would probably have to become ten times stronger before he had the slightest, most remote chance.
At that moment.
In Han Qiu's sea of consciousness, a bean-sized speck of light shone softly with a milky-white glow.
In an instant, the raging power of lightning seemed to have found an outlet, and all of it surged toward the speck of light.
The bean-sized speck of light grew bit by bit. Before long, it transformed into a lion woven from light and electricity. Then bolts of purple lightning coiled around the lion, making it look incredibly cool!
Once the power of lightning had been completely absorbed, the rampaging power of destruction vanished without a trace.
Han Qiu could no longer hold himself up and collapsed heavily to the ground. His chest heaved as he gasped for breath.
After resting for a moment.
Hum!
A warm, sacred white light rose from his back.
With a slight thought, the humanoid figure of his Martial Soul of Light quietly appeared behind him. Its outline was translucent and white as jade, and a sacred radiance spread in every direction.
Qi-State Origin-Flow circulated, and the ultimate healing power of the Martial Soul of Light instantly spread out!
Soft, milky-white radiance washed over Han Qiu's battered body like flowing water. Every inch of cracked, bleeding skin, every ruptured and damaged meridian, and every bone strained to its limit was visibly being repaired.
All the tiny pathways that had been broken and damaged were rebuilt, becoming even tougher and wider than before the refinement.
Not only had his injuries completely healed, but he had also used the immense residual energy drawn from the Soul Ring through the healing power of light to temper his own foundations, making up for every weakness exposed by the lightning's ravages. His body had actually undergone another transformation!
"I finally made it through alive..." Han Qiu let out a long breath of foul air.
"Just now, I really felt like dying."
The hellish pain had completely faded, replaced by a feeling of power filled to the brim, flowing through his limbs and bones.
Han Qiu fell into a deep sleep.