Chapter 9: Su Mo's First Soul skills, Thousand-Year Second Soul Ring
Su Mo nodded, sat cross-legged beside the corpse of the Blood Moon Howling Wolf, and focused his mind to guide the Soul Ring.
The deep yellow Soul Ring seemed to be drawn by some force, slowly floating up from above the corpse and landing on Su Mo.
As time passed, a strange scene unfolded; Su Mo's entire absorption process was surprisingly smooth, with almost no resistance.
The moment the Soul Ring entered his body, his brows furrowed slightly, but immediately relaxed, his expression calm and peaceful.
Qian Xunji stood to the side, his gaze never leaving Su Mo, clearly very surprised as well.
Not long ago, when Bibi Dong absorbed her first Soul Ring, although she succeeded, the entire process was not easy.
Yet, Su Mo's process of absorbing the Soul Ring was as natural as eating or drinking.
A long while later, Su Mo slowly opened his eyes; in the instant he opened them, a crimson light flashed across his pitch-black eyes.
He stood up, brushed the dust off his body, and said with a smile, "Teacher, I have succeeded."
Qian Xunji walked a few steps closer, examined him carefully for a moment, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming he was unharmed.
"What Soul skills did you obtain?" Qian Xunji asked.
In Su Mo's mind, information about the Soul skills surfaced naturally.
"My first Soul skills, I have named it Asura Blood Fiend. After activation, it provides a dual boost to attack and speed, with the magnitude of the boost reaching one hundred percent. Most importantly, this Soul skills has no time limit; as long as I have sufficient Soul Power, I can maintain the boosted state continuously."
"No time limit?" A trace of surprise flashed in Qian Xunji's eyes.
Most boosting Martial Soul Abilities have a time limit and require a cooldown before they can be used again.
Yet, this Soul skills of Su Mo's could actually be maintained indefinitely.
He then nodded, a look of satisfaction appearing on his face, "Hmm, this Soul skills of yours is indeed very strong. Now, it is time to find your second Soul Ring."
Just as the group was preparing to move on and venture deeper, Su Mo suddenly spoke, "Teacher, for my second Soul Ring, I want to absorb a thousand-year level one."
His voice was not loud, but his tone was exceptionally firm, without the slightest hint of joking.
Qian Xunji frowned, the smile on his face fading, "Xiao Mo, a thousand-year Soul Ring is too dangerous."
The energy fluctuation of a thousand-year Soul Ring is several times more violent than a hundred-year Soul Ring. With your current physical strength, rashly absorbing a thousand-year Soul Ring is too dangerous.
Your talent is excellent; there is no need to rush, lest you cause irreparable damage."
Golden Crocodile Douluo also chimed in, "Xiao Mo, your teacher is right. Absorbing a thousand-year Soul Ring now is too risky."
"That's right, Junior Brother, just listen to Teacher," Bibi Dong added worriedly.
"Rest assured, I am confident," Su Mo said firmly. "You all saw it too; I absorbed the first Soul Ring just now very smoothly, without any discomfort."
Qian Xunji looked at him, silent for a moment.
He turned to look at Golden Crocodile Douluo, who was standing to the side with his hands behind his back, a questioning look in his eyes.
Golden Crocodile Douluo pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly, "Since that is the case, let him try."
Qian Xunji hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded.
The four of them continued to venture deeper into the Star Dou Great Forest.
Golden Crocodile Douluo released his mental force, which spread outward in all directions like invisible ripples.
With a level 98 Titled Douluo scouting the path, finding a suitable Soul Beast was easy.
Within a quarter of an hour, the group discovered their target.
Not far away was a steep cliff, several dozen zhang high, covered in cracks and protruding rocks.
In a deep crevice, a huge figure could be vaguely seen coiled within.
That was a massive Soul Beast.
It was nearly four meters long, its body covered in grayish-brown scales. The scales were layered, each as large as a palm, with edges as sharp as knives. They gleamed with a metallic luster under the sunlight; from afar, it looked as if it were wearing a layer of heavy armor.
On its spine was a row of protruding bone spikes, extending from its neck to its tail. The bone spikes were triangular, the longest being about half a foot, with sharp tips.
Its four limbs were thick and powerful, each as thick as an adult's waist, with webs between the toes and curved, sharp claws at the tips, gripping the cliff tightly.
Its head was triangular, and a pair of cold, vertical pupils stared coldly at the group, reflecting their figures. It frequently flicked out its long, forked tongue, making a hissing sound, full of warning.
"Iron-Armored Dragon Lizard," Golden Crocodile Douluo spoke, "A sub-dragon species Soul Beast, possessing a trace of thin dragon bloodline, known for its strength and defense."
Judging by its size and scale color, its age should be just over a thousand years."
Su Mo examined the Iron-Armored Dragon Lizard for a few moments, then nodded, "Let's go with this one. Sorry for the trouble, Teacher."
Qian Xunji nodded slightly, his figure flashing.
The next moment, he had already appeared in front of the cliff.
The Iron-Armored Dragon Lizard seemed to sense danger, suddenly letting out a hiss, its thick tail lashing out violently toward Qian Xunji.
However, in front of a Titled Douluo, this attack was simply not enough.
Qian Xunji didn't even use his Martial Soul; he just waved his hand casually, and a sharp blast of Soul Power shot out, knocking the Iron-Armored Dragon Lizard directly off the cliff.
With a loud boom, the Iron-Armored Dragon Lizard slammed heavily onto the ground, creating a shallow pit and kicking up dust.
It struggled to get up, but Qian Xunji had already landed beside it, stepping on its spine and pinning it firmly to the ground.
A moment later, the Iron-Armored Dragon Lizard lay on the ground, dying, with no strength left to struggle.
Its scales, which it took such pride in, were no different from paper in front of Qian Xunji, and were now completely shattered.
Su Mo walked up to it, and with a thought, the dark red Asura Demon Sword condensed and formed in his hand.
The blade vibrated slightly, emitting a faint hum, as if excited for the coming slaughter!
Su Mo raised the sword, aiming at the Iron-Armored Dragon Lizard's fist-sized pupil.
With a squelch.
The blade accurately pierced through its eye and stabbed into its brain.
Another strange scene occurred; no blood gushed out, only a wisp of dense, blood-colored mist drifted out from the corpse, being absorbed along the blade.
It was clear that this blood mist was denser and darker than the previous Blood Moon Howling Wolf, containing more powerful energy.
Su Mo could clearly feel the Asura Demon Sword in his hand vibrate slightly again, that feeling of satisfaction even stronger than last time.
It was as if someone who had been thirsty for a long time had finally drunk sweet spring water.
And the Soul Power within his body also increased by a bit, even more than the previous boost.
Feeling no abnormalities in his body, he immediately sat cross-legged beside the Iron-Armored Dragon Lizard's corpse and began to absorb the Soul Ring.
The pale purple thousand-year Soul Ring floated up from the corpse and slowly landed on him.
Both Qian Xunji and Golden Crocodile Douluo stared at him intently, their mental force constantly perceiving his state, fearing any accidents.
Bibi Dong also stood to the side, her two little hands clutching the corner of her clothes tightly, her pair of bright, large eyes staring unblinkingly at Su Mo, her face full of nervousness.