Diamond Tiger: A Ten Thousand Year Third Soul Ring

After more than twenty days of arduous searching,

Their perseverance had finally paid off, and they had found the Soul Beast needed for the Third Soul Ring.

But by now, Dai Mubai and his two companions were such a sorry sight that it was hard to look at them.

Flender, Zhao Wuji and Dai Mubai were all filthy, their clothes tattered from head to toe.

Dai Mubai had brought a change of clothes before setting out for the Star Dou Great Forest.

But he had never imagined that this trip to hunt a Soul Beast and obtain a Soul Ring would keep him in the Star Dou Great Forest for so long.

Fortunately, they had finally found a suitable target Soul Beast for his Third Soul Ring, and Dai Mubai breathed a small sigh of relief-

"A Diamond Tiger! It's a Diamond Tiger! We've searched for more than twenty days and finally found one. That wasn't easy," Zhao Wuji said, delighted and excited.

"It is the Diamond Tiger Mubai needs for his Third Soul Ring, but its age seems a little..."

Unlike Zhao Wuji, who was so delighted that he lost himself in his joy,

Flender, standing beside him, had only looked happy for a moment after spotting the Diamond Tiger basking in the sunlight at the mouth of a cave.

He soon sensed that something was wrong. His brows furrowed slightly, and unmistakable disappointment appeared on his face.

"What's wrong?" Zhao Wuji asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Sigh..." Coming down from his elation, Flender shook his head in considerable disappointment.

"Judging by its size and the presence around it, this Diamond Tiger should be over ten thousand years old. That's a little too old for Mubai," Flender said.

"Ten thousand years?!" Zhao Wuji was likewise startled by Flender's words.

He then examined it closely and discreetly released his Soul Power to sense it.

"Its age really has reached ten thousand years. That's a little too high for the kid Mubai."

"Sigh... We got happy for nothing. Now we'll have to go back to that miserable search." Once Zhao Wuji saw the Diamond Tiger's age clearly, his previously delighted face fell.

Just then, however, Dai Mubai spoke up from beside them. "Dean Flender, Teacher Zhao, this Diamond Tiger is just right for me. I want this one."

"What?! Mubai, kid, have you gone mad? That's a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast!" Flender looked at Dai Mubai in some shock.

"That's right, Mubai. Although you successfully absorbed a purple Thousand-Year Soul Ring as your First Soul Ring, and your Second Soul Ring was even over six thousand years old,

"Adding a black ten-thousand-year-level Soul Ring as your Third Soul Ring is still too risky.

"Although finding a Soul Beast of the right species and age isn't easy, as long as we search patiently, we'll definitely find a suitable one-

"Old Zhao was just grumbling offhandedly. I didn't mean that I was getting impatient, so don't take it to heart, Mubai. Dean Flender and I will definitely help you find a Diamond Tiger Soul Beast of the right age."

He thought his complaint had made Dai Mubai unwilling to trouble them any further, leading him to make this choice.

So Zhao Wuji hurried to dissuade him and explain.

"Dean Flender, Teacher Zhao, you've misunderstood. I'm not forcing myself to choose this Diamond Tiger. It really is very suitable for me.

"As for how much stronger my Soul Power cultivation and my body's capacity to endure are than those of Soul Masters at the same realm, I already explained that when I added my first two Soul Rings, so I won't say any more about it here.

"I'm sure you both understand that yourselves, Dean Flender, Teacher Zhao.

"Under normal circumstances, a Soul Master's Third Soul Ring is only around 1,760 years old. But not only did I absorb a Thousand-Year Soul Ring as my First Soul Ring, it was also 2,643 years old.

"You could say that not only did I add my First Soul Ring according to the standard for a Third Soul Ring, it was even higher than that standard.

"The normal age for a Soul Master's Fourth Soul Ring is around 5,000 years, but the Second Soul Ring I added was as old as 6,527 years.

"Again, not only was it added according to the standard for a Fourth Soul Ring, it even exceeded the specifications of a conventional Fourth Soul Ring.

"By the same reasoning, what I'm adding now may look like a Third Soul Ring, but I can actually add one according to the age standard for a normal Soul Master's Fifth Soul Ring, or even higher.

"The optimal age for a Soul Master's conventional Fifth Soul Ring is generally around twelve thousand years. And if my guess is right, the Diamond Tiger in front of us should have only just passed ten thousand years."

Seeing that both his elders were firmly opposed,

Dai Mubai, who needed their support and needed them to step in and help him subdue and cripple the Diamond Tiger, offered his analysis.

"This..." Zhao Wuji's mind was not as quick as Flender's, nor was he as quick with his tongue.

Hearing Dai Mubai's well-reasoned analysis, he could not find the words to refute him for the moment.

"Dean Flender, Teacher Zhao, perhaps adding a black ten-thousand-year-level Soul Ring as my Third Soul Ring is a little shocking to the world.

"But if an ordinary Soul Master added a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring as their Fifth Soul Ring, would you still find it shocking?

"Right now, you only need to think of it as me adding a Fifth Soul Ring. Doesn't that make it seem much more normal?" Dai Mubai said after posing his question.

"This..." Zhao Wuji scratched his head, even less able to find a rebuttal.

Flender, however, shook his head and said,

"Mubai, according to your earlier analysis,

"Judging solely by the Soul Ring's age and the strength of the Soul Power it contains, given your current Soul Power cultivation and your body's capacity to endure, it seems you really can add a black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.

"But you've overlooked one thing, Mubai, or perhaps there's something you don't know.

"Once Soul Beasts reach the ten-thousand-year level, they can awaken intelligence. As a result, in a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring produced by a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, the intense resentment it generates at death forms a Soul Shock within the ring.

"When absorbing a Soul Ring below ten thousand years, a Soul Master only needs to withstand the surging, violent impact of Soul Power. But when absorbing a black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, they must also resist the Soul Beast's Soul Shock.

"The difficulty and danger of absorbing a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring are beyond anything involved in absorbing a hundred-year or thousand-year Soul Ring. The slightest mistake can damage your soul and turn you into an idiot.

"I know you're extraordinarily gifted, Mubai, and that by absorbing your first two Soul Rings, you created a miracle that could shake the entire Soul Master World.

"But I wouldn't advise you to take the risk of absorbing a black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring as your Third Soul Ring.

"Let's find an eight- or nine-thousand-year-old Diamond Tiger for you to absorb. The effect of the Soul Skill the ring produces in the end won't be much worse than that of a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring."

"Mubai, listen to the dean. Your talent is outstanding, and you have a bright future. When it's time to take risks, we can take reasonable ones, but when it's time to be cautious, we must be cautious.

"Being a genius only means you have outstanding talent. Only by turning talent into strength and growing up can you be considered a strong person. Do you understand, Mubai?"

Flender was worried that, after creating unbelievable miracles by adding his first two Soul Rings, Dai Mubai had grown restless and complacent, becoming proud and conceited.

So Flender, as his elder and teacher, earnestly urged him to reconsider.