Logically speaking, when Soul Beasts below the hundred-thousand-year level are hunted, their lifelong cultivation condenses into a single Soul Ring.
For example:
A white Soul Ring represents ten years of cultivation.
A yellow Soul Ring represents a hundred years of cultivation.
A purple Soul Ring represents a thousand years of cultivation.
A black Soul Ring represents ten thousand years of cultivation.
A red Soul Ring represents a hundred thousand years of cultivation.
Not only that, but with good luck, thousand-year and ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts also have a high chance of directly dropping thousand-year or ten-thousand-year Soul Bones.
As for hundred-thousand-year Soul Beasts, needless to say, they are guaranteed to drop a hundred-thousand-year Soul Bone.
Because of this, the most crucial task after a Soul Master hunts a Soul Beast is absorbing the Soul Ring.
Of course, if you're incredibly lucky and a Soul Bone drops, there's no need to rush.
After all, Soul Bones can be stored indefinitely without any issues.
But Soul Rings are different. No matter how many years of cultivation they represent, if left unattended beyond a certain time limit, they will automatically dissipate.
Moreover, if the absorption of a Soul Ring is interrupted by external disturbances, the consequences can range from backlash and reversed Soul Power—leading to varying degrees of injury—to, in the worst cases, outright bodily explosion and death.
This was precisely why Yunxiao stopped Qian Renxue from absorbing the sixty-thousand-year Light Bear King's Soul Ring.
Knowing full well that the Titan Giant Ape and Sky Blue Bull Python were about to attack, even if he could effortlessly overpower these two hundred-thousand-year Soul Beasts, the old saying held true: better safe than sorry.
If Qian Renxue were affected while absorbing the Soul Ring, he would regret it for the rest of his life.
After all, he couldn't possibly gamble with Qian Renxue's safety.
A mere sixty-thousand-year Soul Ring was nothing—if lost, they could always find another.
Compared to Qian Renxue's safety, a single Soul Ring was utterly insignificant.
At that moment, Ci Xue and She Long, who had been lying in the deep crater, struggled to their feet with pale faces. Swallowing hard, they cautiously spoke up.
"Ahem… Lord Beast Kings, we brothers merely passed through your territory by accident. If we've offended you in any way, we'll leave immediately."
Of course, the claim of "accidentally passing through the core region" was just an excuse.
As Yunxiao had previously analyzed for Qian Renxue, the two had been sent by the Pope Bibidong to the core of the Star Dou Great Forest in search of hundred-thousand-year Soul Beasts.
Unfortunately, just as they spotted the Titan Giant Ape and were about to retreat, they were discovered by the Sky Blue Bull Python lurking in the lake.
"Y-Young Miss… and Lord Yunxiao!"
It was then that Ci Xue and She Long noticed Yunxiao and Qian Renxue standing not far away.
Their startled exclamations immediately drew the attention of the Titan Giant Ape and Sky Blue Bull Python.
Yunxiao: "…"
Qian Renxue: "…"
Seeing this situation, even Yunxiao couldn't help but feel exasperated.
If he weren't present, the foolish actions of Ci Xue and She Long would have undoubtedly pushed Qian Renxue into a desperate situation.
After all, the current Qian Renxue was merely a level 70 quasi-Soul Emperor with six Soul Rings.
Sending Qian Renxue to face the Titan Giant Ape and the Sky Blue Bull Python was nothing short of a death sentence.
For a brief moment, Yunxiao even considered simply taking Qian Renxue and leaving Star Dou Great Forest, leaving those two idiots behind to face the Titan Giant Ape and Sky Blue Bull Python on their own.
"Roar roar roar..."
"Moo..."
Sure enough, upon hearing that Yunxiao and Qian Renxue were also from Spirit Hall, the Titan Giant Ape and Sky Blue Bull Python roared furiously at them.
"You two humans are also from Spirit Hall?"
"Moo, anyone from Spirit Hall deserves to die!"
"Roar, big brother, enough talk. Let's kill them together!"
"Over a decade ago, Spirit Hall not only killed Aunt Rou but also took her Soul Bone."
"Now we'll kill them to avenge Aunt Rou."
With these words from the Titan Giant Ape, everyone present understood why these two harbored such hatred toward Spirit Hall members.
Especially toward Spirit Hall's Titled Douluo.
It turned out that the hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast called Aunt Rou had fallen to Spirit Hall members over a decade ago.
Now, the Titan Giant Ape and Sky Blue Bull Python were transferring that hatred onto them.
And truth be told...
Qian Renxue, as the young mistress of the Angel Clan within Spirit Hall.
And Ci Xue and She Long, as Spirit Hall's Titled Douluo Elders.
It was perfectly reasonable for the Titan Giant Ape and Sky Blue Bull Python to transfer their hatred onto them.
After all, the two Soul Beasts couldn't possibly leave Star Dou Great Forest to attack Martial Soul City directly.
Such reckless action would be tantamount to delivering two hundred-thousand-year Soul Rings and two hundred-thousand-year Soul Bones on a silver platter.
Spirit Hall's reputation as the strongest human faction on Douluo Continent wasn't for nothing.
With the current Pope Bibidong and nine Titled Douluo Elders.
Not to mention the seven Elders of Consecration.
Spirit Hall boasted a total of seventeen Titled Douluo.
Only because of internal conflicts among Spirit Hall's leadership...
Otherwise, these two Soul Beasts would have long been hunted by Bibidong's team for their rings and bones.
Hearing the words of these two Soul Beasts, Yunxiao suddenly remembered something.
"Aunt Rou?"
"Heh, interesting, very interesting!"
"Titan Giant Ape, Sky Blue Bull Python, is this 'Aunt Rou' you speak of that hundred-thousand-year Soft Bone Charming Rabbit who took human form over a decade ago?"
"If I recall correctly, she was already hunted by Spirit Hall's current Pope Bibidong for her ring and bone."
"Moreover, I believe this 'Aunt Rou' of yours had a daughter named Xiao Wu, didn't she?"
"Moreover, according to the information I've obtained, that hundred-thousand-year Soft Bone Charming Rabbit named Xiao Wu seems to have chosen to reincarnate through human form just like her mother did."
"Not only that, but that little girl called Xiao Wu is currentl
y in the human world. Am I right?"
"Keh keh keh keh keh, Titan Giant Ape, Sky Blue Bull Python, surely you two wouldn't want..."