After returning to his room and washing up with Xiao Tao's help, Ning Bei couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement—tomorrow, he would receive the first soul ring of his life.
However, he recalled reading countless fanfictions in his past life, where the protagonist would absorb soul rings far beyond their age limits, resulting in blood-soaked and torturous scenes. The thought made Ning Bei's heart pound anxiously.
"Xiao Tao, did it hurt when you absorbed your first soul ring?" he asked.
"Huh? Not at all, young master. Why would you think that?" Xiao Tao looked at Ning Bei in confusion, clearly puzzled by the question.
"Then… how old was the soul beast you absorbed your first ring from?" he pressed.
She thought for a moment and replied, "I think it was a Star Demon Tiger, around 280 years old."
"I see."
Ning Bei relaxed a little. After all, he was an auxiliary-type soul master—there was no need to push for a soul ring beyond the typical age limit. As long as the beast was within the normal range, the process shouldn't be too painful.
Besides, even if he wanted a soul ring beyond his limit, his parents and the two elders of the clan would never agree to it. As the youngest child of the clan leader, he was already deeply cherished. And now that he had awakened a martial soul with innate full soul power, he was treated even more preciously. Absorbing a soul ring beyond the age limit? Out of the question.
With hope and anticipation, Ning Bei drifted off to sleep. In his dreams, his Soul Tower was adorned with nine soul rings, the last of which glowed a brilliant crimson. His peers in the clan whispered excitedly upon seeing him:
"Look, it's the Medicine God Douluo!"
"Wow, he's so cool!"
"Let's go! I've been having kidney issues lately—maybe His Excellency the Medicine God will give me a pill!"
The morning sunlight streamed into his room as Ning Bei lay fast asleep.
Bang! Bang! A knock at the door roused him.
"Young master! Time to wake up! Sword Douluo is waiting for you at the gate!" called Xiao Tao.
Rubbing his eyes, Ning Bei got up.
"I'm coming… Why do you seem more excited about this soul ring hunt than I am?"
After washing and having breakfast with Xiao Tao's help, Ning Bei arrived at the sect entrance, where his parents and Sword Douluo, Dustheart, were already waiting.
"Bei'er, over here!" his mother called from afar, waving him over.
After greeting the elders with practiced ease, Ning Bei walked to his mother's side.
"This is your first long journey. Be sure to listen to your Sword Grandpa, understood? And here, take this."
She placed a necklace around his neck as she spoke.
"What is it?" he asked curiously.
"It's a storage necklace, with a 20-cubic-meter capacity. I've already packed food, water, and clothes inside. I was going to give it to you yesterday after you awakened your martial soul, but you ran off to the library."
Looking at the beautiful necklace on his chest, Ning Bei grinned in delight. Now that he had soul power and a soul tool, storing items would be so much more convenient.
"Thank you, Mother!"
Ning Fengzhi stepped forward and added,
"The Star Dou Forest is nothing like our sect. Keep your temper in check, stay close to your Sword Grandpa, and don't wander off."
"Got it."
The couple nodded at Dustheart, who responded with a courteous bow. Without saying another word, Dustheart summoned his martial soul—the Seven Kill Sword—which stood upright on the ground. He stepped onto it.
"Bei'er, come on up."
This wasn't Ning Bei's first time riding Dustheart's sword. When he had first arrived at the sect, everything was new and exciting. He had begged Dustheart to take him flying several times.
"Coming, Sword Grandpa!"
Ning Bei leapt skillfully onto the Seven Kill Sword and stood at the front.
"Let's go!"
As the two soared into the sky under the watchful gaze of Ning Bei's parents, they headed straight toward the Star Dou Forest. Clouds passed by, yet Ning Bei felt no wind. A protective barrier formed from Dustheart's soul power surrounded him.
After several hours of flying, they finally reached their destination.
Jumping off the sword, Ning Bei stared at the vast forest before him, heart racing with excitement.
"This is it—the first step toward becoming a Soul Master."
As they entered the forest, the light dimmed instantly. Giant trees blocked out the sun, and patches of Blue Silver Grass scattered across the ground glowed faintly, giving the shadowy forest a touch of magic.
"Bei'er, stay close to me from now on. The Star Dou Forest is full of danger."
"I understand, Sword Grandpa."
Seeing how obedient Ning Bei was, Dustheart smiled.
"No need to be too tense. I can handle most threats."
"Our target this time is the Spirit-Devouring Rhinoceros, a soul beast that feeds on spiritual energy and primarily eats Blue Silver Grass. So, we'll search in areas where Blue Silver Grass is dense—its growth naturally produces spirit energy."
"Then aren't these rhinos just asking to be hunted?" Ning Bei joked as he nodded, relieved they wouldn't be wandering around aimlessly. He followed Dustheart deeper into the forest.
Along the way, a few clueless soul beasts crossed their path. Dustheart simply released a bit of pressure, and they scattered in fear.
Before long, they arrived at a valley noticeably brighter than the surrounding areas, a sign that Blue Silver Grass was abundant.
As they ventured deeper into the valley, they spotted several soul beasts grazing on the grass—Spirit-Devouring Rhinos, their target.
"We've found them. The age of these beasts is judged by the length of their tails—under a hundred years, their tails won't exceed ten centimeters. For every hundred years after that, they grow another ten centimeters," Dustheart explained.
Following his method, Ning Bei quickly assessed the rhinos and found one with a tail close to forty centimeters—nearly 400 years old.
"That one, Sword Grandpa."
"Alright."
Dustheart vanished from Ning Bei's side, reappearing above the target in a flash. His speed left Ning Bei in awe.
"A Titled Douluo... terrifying."
With a single punch, Dustheart knocked the rhino unconscious, grabbed it, and returned within seconds, dropping the beast in front of Ning Bei.
Ning Bei stared in admiration, though he knew that, as a support-type soul master, this kind of combat prowess would never be his.
Dustheart pulled out a finely crafted dagger from his soul ring and handed it to Ning Bei.
"Its eyes are the weak spot. Go ahead."
Swallowing hard, Ning Bei took the dagger. Across both lives, he had never killed anything—not even a chicken.
After five minutes of mental preparation, he finally closed his eyes and dealt the finishing blow. A faint yellow soul ring slowly rose from the rhino's corpse.
"Release your martial soul and use your soul power to guide the ring in," Dustheart instructed.
Ning Bei did exactly as he was told. The ring seemed to be drawn toward his Soul Tower and gradually settled onto it.
An hour passed quietly.
When Ning Bei opened his eyes, he looked at the pale yellow ring floating on his martial soul and broke into a joyful smile.
Dustheart stepped forward, asking,
"How do you feel, Bei'er? What's your first soul skill?"