Soul Rings and Shadows

The streambed was slippery with wet stones, and the five walked quickly in silence. Mo Chen stayed at the back, his right hand always in his pocket.

After walking for about half an hour, an open riverbed appeared ahead. It was covered with pebbles, and the visibility was slightly better.

"Stop." Lu Yuan raised his hand.

The crowd drew closer. Su Yan's breathing quickened slightly, his right hand clenched loosely, and the phantom of an iron hammer appeared faintly in his palm.

"Here it is." Lu Yuan looked around. "The Soul Ring can't wait. Su Yan, prepare to absorb it."

Su Yan nodded vigorously.

Shen Moxin walked behind the large rock on the east side and quietly released her Soul Power. Mo Chen leaped onto the crooked tree on the west side and squatted among the branches. Li Wangye gripped his short knife tightly and stared downstream.

Lu Yuan took out his leather pouch and poured out two pale yellow pills. He took one himself and handed the other to Su Yan. "Mind-Calming Pill, hold it in your mouth."

Su Yan swallowed the pill. It was slightly bitter and cool.

The two walked to the middle of the riverbank. Su Yan sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and adjusted his breathing. The Iron Hammer Martial Soul appeared in front of him.

Lu Yuan crouched down beside him, his right hand lightly pressing against his back. "Remember, 'acceptance' and 'guidance' are not 'confrontation.' Soul Power is the riverbed, and Soul Ring energy is the flood. You need to widen the riverbed and let it flow smoothly."

"Clear."

Lu Yuan flipped his left hand, and the pale yellow Soul Ring floated in his palm. Energy radiance flowed, and the faint phantom of the Mountain-Shaking Armadillo roared. He poured his Soul Power into it.

The halo suddenly brightened.

"Now!" Lu Yuan shouted, slamming the Soul Ring towards Su Yan's head.

A pale yellow light entered. Su Yan's body trembled violently, and his face instantly turned red. His Iron Hammer Martial Soul vibrated violently. A massive amount of earth-attribute energy surged forcefully into his level ten Soul Power cycle.

He clenched his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead. It felt as if pebbles were rolling under his skin, his muscles twitching.

Lu Yuan's Soul Power intervened in time. The gentle yet resilient power protected the key nodes of his heart meridian, while simultaneously vibrating gently at a specific frequency to channel the raging torrent.

"Don't try to tough it out." Lu Yuan's voice rang directly in Su Yan's mind. "Sensitize the energy 'pulse.' Seize the gap and 'fit' into it."

Su Yan focused his mind to the extreme. He was naturally sensitive to force and had exquisite control over his Soul Power. Under guidance, he gradually captured the subtle rhythm within that violent energy.

Another wave of impact.

He didn't block it; his Soul Power retreated slightly, and in the instant the crest passed, it "attached" to it in a more sustained and stable manner, like a craftsman hammering along the grain of the iron.

Boom--!

A muffled sound rang within my body. The pain lessened. The external energy hesitated for a moment, then, following the guiding direction, slowly flowed into my circulation.

efficient.

Su Yan's spirits lifted. He completely abandoned any thoughts of resistance and devoted all his attention to the meticulous "guidance." Sweat soaked his clothes, his body trembled, and the pain on his face was gradually replaced by focus.

Lu Yuan nodded slightly. Su Yan's precise control over his Soul Power, coupled with the physique nourished by the Soul Marrow Essence, allowed him to withstand the impact of a hundred years. An ordinary level ten Soul Scholar would have suffered meridian damage long ago.

Time passed.

The riverbank was silent. Shen Moxin occasionally looked up to take notes. Mo Chen squinted, scanning the edge of the woods. Li Wangye's palms were sweaty.

Suddenly, Mo Chen's ears twitched.

He slowly turned his head and looked toward the northwest bushes. There was no sound, but the instincts of years of exile screamed—something was approaching, and he deliberately softened his steps.

He pulled his right hand out of his pocket, three black discs held between his fingertips. The soul-guiding patterns on their surfaces shimmered faintly.

Under the tree, Lu Yuan also noticed it. He maintained his Soul Power output and quietly reached for his waist with his left hand.

Behind the bushes, the scarred, burly man crouched at the front, holding his dagger upside down, the blade close to the ground.

"Boss, it's really absorbing." The skinny man lowered his voice, his eyes gleaming with greed. "It's just finished absorbing and is at its weakest..."

Scarface licked his lips. "Wait... until it's about time. We can't steal the Soul Ring, and the people... heh." He grinned maliciously, "Cripple them, and everything will be ours. That kid's new Soul Skill might be able to be forced out of us."

"That leader's weird," another subordinate whispered. "He mentioned the Inspection Office before..."

"Bullshit!" Scarface spat. "If we really had connections, why would we be running around in this desolate wilderness? Just bluffing! If we killed him and buried him here, who would know?"

His eyes flashed with a fierce light as he slowly raised his knife.

Just then, Su Yan's body trembled violently in the middle of the riverbank.

The Iron Hammer Martial Soul erupted with a bright yellow light, the illusory image of the hammerhead solidified, and fine armor patterns appeared on its surface. A clear, pale yellow Soul Ring rose from the hammer handle and slowly rotated around the hammer body.

It's done.

Su Yan opened his eyes. A faint, earthy yellow light flashed deep within his pupils. He exhaled a long breath, but his aura became even more deep and concentrated.

Lu Yuan stopped, a fine sheen of sweat on his forehead. "How did it feel? The effect of the Soul Skill?"

Su Yan clenched his fist, the iron hammer landing in his palm. "Vibration. When striking heavily, Soul Power transforms into high-frequency shockwaves that penetrate into the target's interior. Effective against hard objects and crustaceans, it can disrupt the stability of Soul Power."

A perfect fit.

Lu Yuan's lips curled slightly, but before the smile could fully bloom, his eyes suddenly sharpened. "They're here!"

Almost simultaneously, several figures burst forth from the northwest bushes! Scarface took the lead, his ghost-headed saber slashing straight at Li Wangye! The other four flanked him from the left and right, their target the center!

"Attack!" Scarface roared.

However, just as they burst out of the bushes and stepped onto the gravelly edge of the riverbank—

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Several blinding bursts of bright white light exploded from the rubble! Immediately following, a piercing, ear-splitting mixed noise filled the air!

The light engulfed their vision. The noise throbbed in their heads, and their Soul Power stagnated. Scarface screamed, closed his eyes, covered his ears, and staggered. His four henchmen fared even worse; some fell, while others clutched their heads and spun around.

In the middle of the riverbank, Lu Yuan had already covered Su Yan's eyes and turned his head away. Shen Moxin and closed her eyes. Mo Chen, perched in a tree, plugged his ears and coldly watched the chaos below.

"Let's go!" Lu Yuan shouted, pulling up the dazed Su Yan.

Without lingering in battle, the five men sprinted southeast along the escape route. Mo Chen leaped down and casually tossed a smoke grenade behind him. A thick, grayish-white fog filled the air, obscuring their vision.

When Scarface finally managed to dispel the dappled light and the buzzing, and staggered out of the smoke, the riverbank was already deserted. Only a few blades of grass swayed at the edge of the distant woods.

"Fuck him! Fuck him to death!" Scarface roared in fury, slashing his ghost-headed blade at the ground, sending shards of stone flying. His eyes were bloodshot as he looked around, but there was no one to be seen. Not even the remains of the Mountain-Shaking Armadillo had been collected!

Skinny Monkey cried out with a long face, "Boss, they've already laid a trap! The light was a 'flashbang,' the noise was a 'sonic bomb'... This is some kind of Soul Engineer technique!"

"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!" Scarface trembled with rage, yet he was helpless. The other party had outmaneuvered him perfectly. He had suffered a humiliating defeat.

He kicked the rock hard, panting heavily. "Investigate! Investigate as soon as we get back! See if there are any new faces in Maple Leaf Town lately, especially those who know about Soul Tool! I want to see which god dares to mess with my ' Desolate Wolf '!"

In the distance, Lu Yuan and his group of five had already spread out. They didn't walk along the streambed, but instead ventured into the denser, side forest. They maintained their speed and kept a tight formation.

Su Yan was pulled along, his breathing gradually steadying. He couldn't help but look back, but the riverbank was already out of sight. The iron hammer in his palm felt real and warm, and the pale yellow Soul Ring rose and fell slightly with his run.

He got it. He obtained his First Soul Ring amidst a sea of powerful enemies.

Li Wangye followed beside him, panting as he looked at Su Yan, his eyes filled with envy and a burning determination.

As Shen Moxin ran, she adjusted her hair, her eyes bright behind her glasses. The process she had just witnessed—early warning, confrontation, hunting, absorption, and counterattack—was practically a perfect case study of teamwork and theoretical validation. She had already mentally listed over a dozen data points that needed to be analyzed.

Mo Chen ran to Lu Yuan's side, grinning and revealing slightly yellowed teeth. "How about those little 'blindingly bright and deafening' gadgets of mine? I buried them beforehand, knowing they'd definitely walk on the gravel."

"The key," Lu Yuan commented briefly, his steps unwavering, though his brows furrowed slightly.

This incident, which appeared to end without serious harm, actually exposed a problem.

The Desolate Wolf have their eyes on them. The "Spark" operation is starting to attract the attention of surrounding forces. Trouble is brewing.

More importantly, he used Deacon Han's name. This creates a deterrent effect and may also give "Spark" a vague label—that it has ties to the imperial government. For them, who need to accumulate power covertly, the outcome is uncertain.

Moreover, the Desolate Wolf, having suffered a loss, will certainly not let it go. A covert investigation and retaliation will likely come soon.

Lu Yuan cast his gaze into the distance. The outline of Maple Leaf Town was faintly visible, with wisps of smoke rising from chimneys, seemingly peaceful.

But the future path of "Spark" is shrouded in more Mist than the stone paths of the Black Stone Mountain Range. Every step must be taken with caution.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his thoughts. The most urgent task was to finalize a plan to rescue Lin Xiao as soon as possible. Further contact and intelligence exchange with Deacon Han had to be put on the agenda. Resources were limited, and time was even more limited.

The group silently made their way through the last vestiges of the woods and onto the path back to town. The setting sun cast long shadows.

Unbeknownst to them, in the corner of an old teahouse at the eastern end of Maple Leaf Town, a middle-aged man in a gray cloth long gown with an ordinary face was slowly sipping coarse tea. His gaze swept across the street, lingering for a moment in the direction of the Lu family's old house.

His eyes were calm and still, yet deep within them lay a cool, inquisitive gaze. He noticed that there had been more people coming and going from this old house recently, and their demeanor was subtly different from that of the town's residents.

He put down his teacup, tapped his fingertips lightly on the rough wooden table with a steady rhythm, as if calculating something. Then he tossed down two Copper Soul Coin, stood up, dusted off his clothes, and disappeared into the crowd on the street.

The tea stall owner, collecting the bowls, muttered to himself as he looked at the Copper Soul Coin, "A new face... drinking tea like he's appreciating wine, what a weirdo."