The 420-Year-Old Earth Savage Bear, First Soul Ring
The Earth Savage Bear did not attack immediately.
It stood behind the broken bamboo.
Its nose kept twitching.
Its gaze finally settled on the Green-Jointed Bamboo Snake's corpse.
This bamboo grove had originally belonged to the Green-Jointed Bamboo Snake.
After its death, the smell of blood had attracted a stronger Soul Beast from nearby.
"The rock markings on its forehead are intact."
Yu Xiaogang made a quiet assessment:
"Its body length and shoulder height also match the characteristics of one over four hundred years old."
"It should be between four hundred and ten and four hundred and twenty years old."
"That's already close to the theoretical limit for a First Soul Ring."
Han Yue looked at Dong Jian.
"Should we pick a younger one?"
"There are Rock Armor Bears around three hundred years old in the Soul Hunting Forest."
Dong Jian did not answer immediately.
The Soul Beast recommended by the Divine Dragon Secret Realm was an Earth Savage Bear.
The age range was three hundred and eighty to four hundred and twenty-three years.
The one before them was almost at the upper limit of that range.
The risk was higher.
The reward was greater too.
"Whether his body can withstand it doesn't depend on Soul Power Level alone."
Li Man suddenly spoke.
She had just absorbed a Soul Ring, and her face was still a little pale.
But she had already sensed Dong Jian's current condition through Green Jade Bamboo.
"Dong Jian has undergone gravity training."
"His body is stronger than that of an ordinary level-ten Soul Scholar."
"His black and white Soul Power is also very stable right now."
Yu Xiaogang looked at her.
"Physical strength cannot completely offset the mental impact."
"The residual will of bear-type Soul Beasts is usually extremely ferocious."
"So the final choice is his to make."
Li Man did not decide for Dong Jian.
She merely offered her observations.
Dong Jian looked at the Earth Savage Bear.
"That one."
Han Yue did not try to dissuade him further.
"I'll keep other Soul Beasts and Soul Hunting teams from getting close."
"You handle the main fight."
"If your lives are in danger, I'll step in."
Just as the group prepared to act, footsteps came from the other side of the bamboo grove.
A five-person Soul Hunting team appeared.
The young man leading them was around seventeen or eighteen.
Two Yellow Soul Rings rose beneath his feet.
A Soul Grandmaster.
Behind him were three Soul Masters and a guard.
"An Earth Savage Bear?"
The young man's eyes lit up.
"It's perfect for my younger brother's First Soul Ring."
A level-ten youth in the group immediately stepped forward.
His Martial Soul was a stone shield.
"We've already chosen this Soul Beast."
Han Yue stepped between the two groups.
"You didn't leave a Soul Hunting mark."
"And the Soul Beast isn't injured."
"It doesn't matter who found it first."
The young man's expression darkened.
"We're from the He Clan of Nuoding City."
"My younger brother's First Soul Ring must come from a defense-type bear Soul Beast."
Han Yue refused to yield.
"There are no Soul Beasts in the Soul Hunting Forest reserved for any family."
The He Clan youth glanced at the three Soul Rings beneath Han Yue's feet.
He did not dare attack outright.
But he did not leave either.
"Then let's see who kills it first."
He spoke.
The Earth Savage Bear had already been enraged by the crowd.
It slammed a forepaw into the ground.
A great spray of dirt flew up.
Then it charged at the He Clan youth, who was closest.
"Protect the young master!"
The He Clan team immediately fell into disarray.
The youth with the stone shield Martial Soul released it.
He held it in front of him with both hands.
Bang!
The bear's paw struck the stone shield.
The youth was sent flying backward.
A level-ten Soul Scholar who had yet to absorb a Soul Ring could not possibly withstand a direct attack from a four-hundred-year-old bear Soul Beast.
The Earth Savage Bear prepared to pursue him.
Dong Jian had already charged out from the side.
His right leg grew lighter.
His speed increased.
Once he drew close, his arms suddenly grew heavier.
He wrapped them around the Earth Savage Bear's foreleg.
He pressed all his black Soul Power down toward his lower body.
"Stop right there!"
The Earth Savage Bear's body rocked.
Then it unleashed even more terrifying strength.
Dong Jian was dragged along the ground.
His feet left long furrows in the earth.
The gap in raw strength was too great.
"Green Bamboo Binding Formation!"
Li Man's First Soul Ring lit up.
Four bamboo shadows rose around the Earth Savage Bear.
The bamboo vines did not bind its upper body directly.
Instead, they coiled around the areas near its four limbs.
The Earth Savage Bear tore through the first vine.
But as its left forepaw came down, a bamboo shadow suddenly bent.
The place where its paw landed was shifted.
Its massive body tilted to the left.
Dong Jian immediately released the bear's leg.
His shoulder grew heavier.
He slammed into its midsection from the other side.
Bang!
The Earth Savage Bear fell for the first time.
The He Clan youth saw an opportunity and immediately shouted:
"Attack!"
Two Soul Masters unleashed their Soul Skills at the same time.
Flames and stone spikes flew toward the fallen Soul Beast.
They wanted to steal the final blow.
Han Yue let out a cold snort.
He used Ironback Ape Martial Soul Possession.
His Second Soul Ring lit up.
A gigantic ape palm slammed into the ground.
The shock wave scattered the flames and stone spikes.
"They're hunting that Soul Beast."
"If anyone interferes again, I'll consider it an attack on academy students."
The He Clan youth's expression was ugly.
But he did not dare continue.
The Earth Savage Bear had already risen again.
The fall had completely enraged it.
The rock markings on its forehead lit up.
A layer of earthy yellow light covered its body.
"It's activated its innate ability."
Yu Xiaogang warned:
"Its defense and weight will both increase."
"Don't meet it head-on!"
The Earth Savage Bear charged at Li Man.
It seemed to have determined that the bamboo formation restricting its movements was the greatest threat.
Li Man controlled two bamboo shadows, placing them in front of her.
The bear's paw came down.
Bang!
The first bamboo shadow shattered.
The second bent violently.
Li Man's face turned pale.
With her Soul Skill forcibly broken, her Soul Power immediately rebounded against her.
She did not retreat.
The remaining two bamboo shadows rose from the sides at the same time.
Bamboo vines coiled around the bear's paw.
"Dong Jian!"
No further explanation was needed.
Dong Jian had already approached the Earth Savage Bear from behind.
His legs grew lighter.
He stepped onto the bent bamboo shadow.
Li Man released her control.
The force of its rebound sent him into the air.
Dong Jian landed on the Earth Savage Bear's back.
The weight of his legs increased instantly.
Bang!
The Soul Beast, which had just risen, was forced down again.
It thrashed wildly.
Dong Jian was nearly thrown off.
He grabbed the bear's coarse fur with both hands.
"We can't hold it down like this!"
The Earth Savage Bear's strength was still increasing.
If Dong Jian kept increasing his weight, his legs would give out first.
"Don't compete with it over weight!"
Li Man saw the problem.
"Make it lose its balance on its own!"
The Green Bamboo Binding Formation shifted again.
The last two bamboo shadows stopped pulling at the bear's paws.
Instead, they crossed in front of it, forming a slanted fulcrum.
The Earth Savage Bear charged forward.
Its front paws landed on the bamboo shadows.
The bamboo shadows bent in an instant.
Their rebound lifted its body upward.
Heavy in front, light in the rear.
Its center of gravity was completely out of control.
Dong Jian immediately leaped off its back.
His body spun through the air.
Black Soul Power gathered in his right shoulder.
The instant he landed-
Mountain-Leaning Collision!
Bang!
The blow struck the Earth Savage Bear squarely in the jaw.
The Soul Beast's head snapped upward.
Li Man's Green Jade Bamboo thrust out from the side.
Its tip struck the old wound left by the Green-Jointed Bamboo Snake's fangs.
The Earth Savage Bear let out a furious roar.
Its paw swept sideways.
Li Man couldn't dodge in time.
Dong Jian stepped in front of her to take the blow.
He crossed his arms.
Bang!
Both of them were sent flying.
Dong Jian's back slammed into a bamboo stalk.
The Qi and blood in his chest churned.
Li Man stood up as soon as she landed.
"Can you keep going?"
"Yes."
Dong Jian wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"It's almost at its limit too."
The rock patterns on the Earth Savage Bear's forehead had already begun to dim.
Its innate enhancement couldn't be maintained for long.
The He Clan's group was still waiting nearby.
As soon as Dong Jian and Li Man lost the ability to fight, they would take over.
They couldn't drag this out.
Li Man looked at the remaining bamboo shadows.
Two had been destroyed just now.
She had only enough Soul Power to maintain the complete Green Bamboo Binding Formation one more time.
"One last time."
"Okay."
Dong Jian charged at the Earth Savage Bear.
He didn't use Light-Heavy Conversion.
He moved at normal speed.
The Soul Beast brought a paw down on him.
Dong Jian rolled to the side.
A second paw followed close behind.
Li Man's bamboo shadows suddenly rose beneath the bear's paw.
The Earth Savage Bear's paw missed its footing.
But Dong Jian didn't attack immediately.
He kept moving around the Soul Beast.
He made the Earth Savage Bear turn again and again.
Once.
Twice.
On its third turn, its injured hind leg was noticeably half a step slower.
Kung Fu Deconstruction caught the shift in its center of gravity.
"Right hind leg!"
Li Man saw it too.
Two bamboo vines wrapped around its right hind leg at the same time.
The Earth Savage Bear strained to break free.
But Dong Jian crashed into it from the left.
His force didn't strike its body directly.
Instead, all of it fell upon its already displaced center of gravity.
Bang!
The enormous Soul Beast fell for the third time.
This time, Dong Jian didn't let it get back up.
He planted his foot on the Earth Savage Bear's shoulder.
He concentrated his entire weight in his right arm.
His fist struck its previously injured jaw squarely.
The first punch.
The rock patterns cracked.
The second punch.
The Soul Beast's resistance weakened.
When the third punch landed, the Earth Savage Bear finally stopped breathing.
Yellow specks of light steadily gathered above its corpse.
A deep yellow Soul Ring slowly took shape.
The He Clan youth took a step forward.
Han Yue blocked him again.
"They completed the hunt and killed the Soul Beast."
"The Soul Ring belongs to Dong Jian."
The He Clan youth stared at the Soul Ring, whose age was close to the limit.
In the end, he could only leave with his people.
Dong Jian didn't absorb it immediately.
He first checked his meridians and injuries.
Li Man took out medicine to treat the bruises left by the bear's paw.
"Your Soul Power is stable."
"You have minor internal injuries, but they won't affect the absorption."
"What about my mental state?"
Dong Jian asked.
"You know that best yourself."
Li Man said:
"My assessment is only a reference."
Dong Jian sat down cross-legged.
Drawn by his Soul Power, the Soul Ring slowly descended above the Panda Martial Soul.
The instant they made contact-
Boom!
Violent power surged into his meridians.
His black Soul Power rapidly expanded.
The Earth Savage Bear's earth and strength attributes clearly favored the black side of the Panda Martial Soul.
His white Soul Power was suppressed.
The two forces began to fall out of balance.
Yu Xiaogang's expression changed.
"We can't let the black attribute keep growing!"
"Forcing it back won't work either!"
Li Man said immediately.
She had been there when Dong Jian lost control last time.
The harder he forced it down, the stronger the backlash.
"Dong Jian!"
"Let the black power complete a circuit!"
"Don't block it!"
Her voice reached him through the onslaught of Soul Power.
Dong Jian didn't try to force the black power back into his dantian.
Instead, he guided it along his meridians.
The black Soul Power entered his bones.
It passed through his right arm, shoulder, and waist.
Meanwhile, the white Soul Power traveled along the meridians on the other side.
The two finally met in his chest.
The conflict was still fierce.
The Panda Martial Soul suddenly opened its mouth.
A wisp of emerald-green life energy emerged from within its body.
Like a bridge, it connected the black and white Qi.
The three forces formed a complete cycle.
The Earth Savage Bear's residual will roared in his consciousness.
Dong Jian felt as though he were standing on a barren plain.
A giant bear charged at him again and again.
Every collision sent searing pain through his mind.
He didn't dodge.
Countless failures in the Hundred Battles Hall had already made him accustomed to facing impacts head-on.
The giant bear charged again.
Dong Jian sank into his legs.
He didn't use brute strength to block it.
Instead, he felt for its center of gravity.
The instant they made contact.
Circular Force Redirection.
The giant bear's charge veered off course.
It rushed past Dong Jian's side.
The second time.
The third time.
As the giant bear's strength gradually waned, Dong Jian's shoulder grew heavier.
Mountain-Leaning Collision struck it head-on.
In his consciousness, the Earth Savage Bear turned into yellow motes of light.
In reality.
The Soul Ring had fully stabilized.
Black-and-white Astral Qi rose from the surface of Dong Jian's body.
The Yellow Soul Ring pulsed slowly around the Panda Martial Soul.
A level-eleven Battle Soul Master!
"First Soul Skill."
Dong Jian opened his eyes.
"Bear Astral Energy Body Protection."
The Soul Ring lit up.
Black-and-white Astral Qi covered his entire body.
His defense and ability to withstand impacts noticeably improved.
More importantly, when he was attacked, some of the impact would be temporarily stored by the Astral Qi.
It could be released in his next close-quarters collision.
There was a limit to how much could be stored.
He would still be injured if that limit was exceeded.
The Soul Skill could not make him completely immune to sharp attacks or attribute damage, either.
But it was highly compatible with Dong Jian's Circular Force Redirection, Light-Heavy Conversion, and Mountain-Leaning Collision.
Li Man summoned her Green Jade Bamboo and lightly whipped it at his arm.
Smack!
Ripples spread through the Astral Qi.
Dong Jian barely felt any pain.
"A little harder."
"You just absorbed a Soul Ring. It's not a good time to keep testing."
Li Man put away the Green Jade Bamboo.
"We'll talk about it after we get back to the academy."
Dong Jian looked at the Yellow Soul Ring beneath her feet.
"We've both completed our First Soul Rings."
"It's only the first step,"
Li Man said.
Yet the corners of her lips had already curved up slightly.
After leaving Iron Bamboo Village.
The two of them truly stood at the same stage of cultivation for the first time.
Level eleven.
Hundred-Year Soul Rings.
First Soul Skills of their own.
After they returned to the academy-
Tang San and Xiao Wu would also meet them now that they had Soul Rings.