Life Drain

A dense green light suddenly burst from Jun Yan's body, and a small tree swayed ceaselessly in his palm. Six Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet, immediately filling the room with light of three colors.

Jun Kuang took one look and said in surprise, "A black Soul Ring. It should be forty thousand years old."

"Yes, this Soul Ring came from a forty-thousand-year-old Dragon Blood Tree," Jun Yan said with a nod.

Jun Kuang smiled and stroked his beard. "Good, good, good! What's the Soul Skill?"

"Life Drain. Once I release the Soul Skill, it absorbs the life force and Soul Power of the surrounding plants. If my Wood Release touches an opponent, it can also absorb that Soul Master's Soul Power through it."

Jun Kuang stared at Jun Yan in surprise. "Th-this Soul Skill is that powerful?"

Just hearing Jun Yan's description was enough for him to grasp how terrifying the Soul Skill was. Absorbing the life force and Soul Power of plants meant that Jun Yan's ability to sustain a fight would greatly increase, and the ability to absorb an opponent's Soul Power was exceptionally domineering as well.

He might even be able to use the Soul Skill to increase his own Soul Power. Benefiting himself at others' expense, it was nearly a method used by Evil Soul Masters.

Jun Kuang thought no more about it and asked curiously, "Weren't you injured by the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger? How did you manage to kill a forty-thousand-year-old Dragon Blood Tree?"

As compensation for injuring me, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger personally helped me hunt down the Dragon Blood Tree. Jun Yan had really wanted to say that.

In the end, Jun Yan said, "By a fortunate coincidence, my injuries healed very quickly. On my way back to Spirit City, I came across a gravely injured Dragon Blood Tree. It was the right kind of Soul Beast and the right age, so I killed it for its Soul Ring."

Jun Kuang smiled in satisfaction. "Good, good, good! Excellent."

His mood had risen and fallen dramatically that day. First, he had learned that his son was dead; then he found that his son had returned safe and sound, and had even obtained a perfect Sixth Soul Ring.

"My son truly is a heaven-blessed talent. It's not impossible that you'll stand at the very peak of the continent someday."

"You're joking, Father," Jun Yan could only say modestly.

But Jun Kuang insisted, "I'm not joking. Time will tell."

After a pause, he asked, "Yan'er, now that you've reached the Soul Emperor level, do you have any plans?"

Jun Yan shook his head. "Not yet. I only want to focus on cultivating my Soul Power and improving my strength."

Jun Kuang said gravely, "That won't do. Burying yourself in cultivation might increase your Soul Power faster, but without real combat, you'll be nothing more than a flower in a greenhouse. Just look at this trip to the Star Dou Great Forest. You almost didn't make it back."

"But..." Jun Yan interrupted him. "Even if you'd been there, Father, I doubt you could have beaten the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger either!"

"Ahem, ahem." Jun Kuang broke into a fit of coughing. He had been so focused on lecturing Jun Yan that he had forgotten Jun Yan had encountered the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, a Ferocious Beast with Titled-level combat strength.

Jun Kuang put on a stern face. "In any case, burying yourself in cultivation won't do."

"Yes, then you can make the arrangements, Father," Jun Yan said indifferently.

In fact, Jun Yan wasn't entirely without combat experience. As a genius of Spirit Hall, he naturally had to take part in the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament and bring glory to Spirit Hall.

The last tournament had taken place a little over a year ago. Jun Yan and Bibi Dong had both been mainstays of Spirit Hall's team, and they had been the only two Soul Masters on the team to reach the Soul King level.

There wasn't much to say about the outcome. With two five-ring Soul Masters against teams with at most four rings, how could they possibly have lost?

Of course, the current Pope, Qian Xunji, wasn't as extravagant as Bibi Dong would be in the future. Although the champion's prize had been precious, it was nowhere near as valuable as a Soul Bone.

As if he had heard Jun Yan's thoughts, Jun Kuang said with a hint of disdain, "Real killing between Soul Masters is far more brutal than a game of playing house like the Soul Master Tournament. If you don't undergo a baptism in a rain of blood, how can you grow?"

He paused. "How about this? I have some connections with an elder of the Spirit Hall Enforcement Corps, so I'll arrange for you to join it!"

Jun Yan didn't mind either way, so he said, "I'll leave it entirely to you, Father."

Jun Kuang waved a hand, signaling for Jun Yan to leave.

"All right, go back and rest. It won't be long before the Enforcement Corps' summons reaches you."

The Spirit Hall Enforcement Corps was essentially Spirit Hall's forceful enforcement arm, responsible for eliminating dangerous individuals who threatened the continent's safety, including but not limited to Evil Soul Masters and Spirit Hall's enemies (being hostile to Spirit Hall meant endangering the continent's safety).

The Enforcement Corps was jointly controlled by several enforcement elders, with an adjudication elder above them. Spirit Hall's adjudication elder was the previous Pope, the current Great Enshrined, Qian Daoliu.

If Jun Yan could achieve something in the Enforcement Corps and catch Qian Daoliu's eye, he would rise straight to the top in Spirit Hall. So Jun Kuang really had given careful thought to his son's future.

Early the next morning.

After breakfast in the dining hall, Jun Yan was about to head to the dense woods behind the residence to cultivate when a young man stopped him halfway there.

"Uncle Yan!" The young man was Jun Kuang's biological grandson, named Jun Yi.

Jun Kuang naturally had biological sons, but all three of them had ordinary talent, inferior even to his own. That was why Jun Kuang had adopted Jun Yan as his son.

Although Jun Yan was adopted, Jun Kuang truly treated him as his own son, and the rest of the Jun family were very close to him as well.

The young man before him, Jun Yi, was the son of Jun Kuang's eldest son and the oldest of the Jun family's third generation. Although he was only three years younger than Jun Yan, he had always addressed him as uncle.

"What is it?" Jun Yan asked with a smile.

"Well... the Holy Maiden is with that good-for-nothing again."

There was some indignation in Jun Yi's voice. Everyone in the Jun family knew that Jun Yan had his heart set on Bibi Dong, yet Bibi Dong was always with a good-for-nothing.

Jun Yan asked, "The good-for-nothing? Yu Xiaogang?"

Jun Yi nodded. "Who else could it be? I really don't know what the Holy Maiden sees in him."

Jun Yan said calmly, "Perhaps she likes that he's the son of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect's master. Who knows?"

Jun Yi asked in puzzlement, "Uncle Yan, aren't you angry?"

He remembered that whenever Jun Yan heard Bibi Dong was with Yu Xiaogang in the past, he would get very angry. How was he so calm this time?

Jun Yan replied, "What is there to be angry about? The legs are hers. Where he wants to go and who he wants to see-how could I possibly interfere?"

Jun Yi shook his head. "That's true, but it doesn't sound like something you'd say, Uncle Yan."

It seemed Jun Yan's image as a simp had taken deep root in people's minds.

"Because I've seen through it. And from now on, don't come telling me any more news either. I... do... not... care." Jun Yan made a point of stressing those last words.

"If you've really got nothing better to do, go cultivate."

Jun Yan waved a hand at Jun Yi, then continued toward the dense woods.

"How strange. Did the sun rise in the west?" Jun Yi muttered under his breath as he watched Jun Yan walk away.