At the Spirit Rhinoceros Sect in the Dou Ling Empire, the Martial Soul Awakening ceremony had erupted into an uproar.
It was all because their young sect master, Chu Qing, had awakened neither the inherited Shield Armored Spirit Rhinoceros Martial Soul nor its variant, the Spirit Rhinoceros Shield.
What he had awakened was the super Beast Martial Soul, the Sky Azure Bull Python!
A beam of azure light shot from his right hand into the sky, shattering the building. It transformed into a Sky Azure Bull Python that blotted out the sun as it coiled high overhead. Its enormous body overshadowed more than half the Spirit Rhinoceros Sect, its imposing presence bearing down in every direction.
Sect master Chu Jiazheng and his wife, Xue Lingyi, glared at each other, both wearing unhappy expressions.
The others whispered among themselves incessantly. After all, by all rights, Chu Qing should at least have had a Swan Martial Soul. No matter how it mutated, it should never have become a Sky Azure Bull Python.
Chu Qing himself had no time to pay attention to the gazes around him. In front of the Sky Azure Bull Python were two glowing orbs of power, like dragon pearls, with two illusory figures swimming inside them.
He sensed his Martial Soul and realized these were two paths of evolution for the Sky Azure Bull Python Martial Soul.
The first was to evolve into the Azure Divine Dragon Martial Soul.
The second was to evolve into the Sky Azure Bull Emperor Python Martial Soul.
As he pondered, everything around him seemed to fall silent.
As a transmigrator, he knew that dragons undoubtedly stood at the pinnacle of Soul Beasts in the Douluo World, but he did not want to be constrained by the Tang family's Dragon God Bloodline in the future.
Besides, did a snake absolutely have to become a dragon?
Having made up his mind, he decisively chose to evolve into the Sky Azure Bull Emperor Python!
With his choice made, the Sky Azure Bull Python in the sky swallowed one of the glowing orbs. Its entire body then began to transform as if shedding its skin, countless golden rays bursting from beneath its dark azure scales.
Chu Qing could sense even more clearly that, aside from his Martial Soul transforming into the Sky Azure Bull Emperor Python, a power was being stripped from its body. He understood that it was likely the Azure Dragon bloodline power within the Sky Azure Bull Python.
Before long, with a roar that shook heaven and earth, the Sky Azure Bull Emperor Python completed its transformation. Its dark azure body had turned azure-gold, and it radiated the majestic presence of an emperor.
The Azure Dragon power that had been stripped away fused into the other glowing orb, transforming into an azure Soul Ring that descended onto Chu Qing and slowly pulsed like breathing.
Everyone around them stopped whispering and stared in open-mouthed astonishment.
Though the world's Martial Souls came in all manner of bizarre forms, one that could evolve in quality upon awakening and come with an unusually colored Soul Ring of its own was truly something they had never seen or heard of before!
Chu Qing looked at his parents, who had nearly come to blows just now, and said mildly:
"Looks like there's no need to test my Soul Power. Innate Full Soul Power."
"If there's nothing else, I'll go cultivate."
Chu Jiazheng nodded, and Chu Qing simply turned and left.
"The awakening ceremony will continue."
Only after a long while did Chu Jiazheng speak, his voice full of excitement.
They had indeed been surprised when Chu Qing awakened the Sky Azure Bull Python. Although it was a super Martial Soul, he had strongly suspected he had been made to wear a green hat.
But now the Martial Soul had actually evolved on the spot and even come with an unusually colored Soul Ring. The shock was so great that whether the boy was his biological son no longer seemed like such a big issue.
He knew his son had been clever and precocious since childhood. This was not the place to press him for answers, so he let him go and decided to ask that evening.
A smile brought out charming dimples on Xue Lingyi's face, and she gave Chu Jiazheng a proud, disdainful snort.
Earlier, she had worried that her son might not be able to inherit the position of sect master. Now, she felt that even inheriting the throne of the Dou Ling Imperial Family might not be a problem.
After leaving, Chu Qing went to the mountain behind the sect.
His First Soul Ring had been formed from the Azure Dragon power within his Martial Soul. It could almost be considered a Soul Ring provided by an Azure Divine Dragon, and its effects were quite powerful, granting him control over four atmospheric elements: wind, rain, thunder, and lightning.
This Soul Skill was called Azure Four Phenomena. It was a passive Soul Skill, and the Soul Ring currently had an age of 500 years. It could absorb Soul Rings with the attributes of those four atmospheric elements to keep growing.
"That's a bit like an Evil Soul Master, isn't it?"
He had barely finished marveling when, less than two seconds later, he couldn't help chuckling.
"But it can keep growing. That's wonderful!"
"As long as I hold up under the pressure, turning it into a Million-Year Soul Ring, or even something stronger, will be no problem."
The thought filled him with fighting spirit. He immediately sat cross-legged on a nearby boulder and began meditating and cultivating.
When he opened his eyes that evening, Chu Jiazheng and Xue Lingyi had already come to his side at some point.
Judging by the half-eaten pastries beside Xue Lingyi, they had apparently been waiting for him for a while.
"Mom, Dad."
He stood, picked up a pastry, and ate as he told them about the characteristics of his First Soul Ring's Azure Four Phenomena.
They both found it unbelievable, and Xue Lingyi exclaimed in shock:
"There's actually a Soul Skill like that."
She thought it was somewhat cruel, but saw no need to instill too much in a child. Besides, what Soul Master didn't hunt Soul Beasts? Her son might simply have to hunt a few more. Rather than that, she was more worried about the danger her son might face because of this Soul Skill.
Chu Jiazheng also cautioned him:
"In the future, do your best not to let outsiders know about this ability. Be on guard against anyone with ulterior motives falsely accusing you of being an Evil Soul Master. We also have to worry about Evil Soul Masters and Shrek setting their sights on you."
"The Soul Master World isn't what it used to be."
Chu Qing naturally knew that too.
"Don't worry. Until I have enough strength, I won't casually reveal this ability or use it."
Chu Qing continued:
"Besides that, my Sky Azure Bull Emperor Python Martial Soul itself can travel through the air and fly. It also comes with a domain called Slow Domain, which has the effects of movement delay, skill interference, and mental suppression."
"Movement delay: the movement speed of enemies within the domain is greatly reduced, their steps become stiff, and their range of movement is restricted. In severe cases, they can be rendered completely unable to move."
"Skill interference: delays the frequency at which enemies can release Soul Skills and can even seal their six senses, making it difficult for targets to use their skills normally."
"Mental suppression: has a Mental Interference effect that weakens enemies' combat perception."
Chu Jiazheng and his wife nodded repeatedly.
"Good, good. Your domain's abilities are very powerful..."
As Chu Jiazheng spoke, he was so delighted he could hardly close his mouth.
He could sense a terrifying power contained in his son's small body. Even more excited than Chu Qing, he asked:
"Your Martial Soul should have strengthened your physique quite a bit, right? If I gave you another Soul Bone of 30,000 years, would you be confident you could absorb a Thousand-Year Soul Ring as your Second Soul Ring?"
"Huh!"
Chu Qing was visibly astonished.
"Aren't you afraid I'll explode and die?"
Xue Lingyi became interested as well and said:
"Honey, in a while I'll go back to the imperial palace and ask for more Whale Rubber. You go secretly pull up those spirit herbs Dad's growing."
"A thousand years for his Second Soul Ring. If only Qing'er could absorb a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring for his Third Soul Ring." The more Chu Jiazheng thought about it, the more outlandish his ideas became.
Watching the two of them ignore him completely as their discussion grew more and more excited, Chu Qing was somewhat speechless.
"Hey."
"Hey!"
"Hey, I'm leaving first."
Chu Qing went back on his own. He had just finished eating and returned to his room when Chu Jiazheng and his wife brought out an exquisite, slender wooden box.
"A 30,000-year Shield Armored Spirit Rhinoceros left arm bone."
Chu Jiazheng's face was full of excitement. He looked as though he wanted Chu Qing to absorb a Thousand-Year Soul Ring right then and there.
Seeing that Xue Lingyi looked the same, Chu Qing asked in puzzlement:
"Aren't you really worried about my safety?"
"With my Martial Soul, I can make steady progress. There's no need to take this risk."
"With my First Soul Ring, there's no need to worry about the ages of my early Soul Rings being too low, either."
Xue Lingyi stroked his head and coaxed him:
"You brat, what do you know?"
"Now that we have this chance, of course we have to go for it."
"You have Innate Full Soul Power, so you can probably cultivate to rank twenty by the time you're around nine."
"We'll wait until you're twelve to absorb your Second Soul Ring and use these six years to improve your physique."
"That way, it won't delay you for too long, and your safety will be assured too."
"Listen to your mother. Would I ever harm you? Starting tomorrow, you'll eat thousand-year Whale Rubber until it stops having any effect."
Chu Jiazheng was even more excited, rubbing his hands together as he said:
"Tomorrow I'll start tempering your body and conditioning it with medicinal baths."
"Our Spirit Rhinoceros Sect has studied the training of defense-type Soul Masters thoroughly over the past several thousand years."