In the eyes of Xuan Zi and the others, Jiang Qingtong was an unparalleled prodigy, a soul master possessing three martial souls.
Among them, both her spiritual-type martial soul and her Evilfire Phoenix had already been fitted with three spirit rings each. Only the Ice Jade Scorpion martial soul remained without any attached spirit rings.
Hearing Jiang Qingtong's words, Xuan Zi asked again,
"And what about your other martial souls?"
Jiang Qingtong shook her head and replied,
"I'm not planning to add any new rings to the Evilfire Phoenix. As for the Ice Jade Scorpion, I intend to wait until my cultivation is higher before attaching a higher-quality ring to it. So this time, I only want to choose a ring for my spiritual-type martial soul."
Hearing this, Xuan Zi nodded slightly, finding nothing unreasonable in her plan.
Xiao Xiao, walking alongside Jiang Qingtong, tilted her head curiously,
"A spiritual-type soul beast over ten thousand years old—can we even find one? Qingtong, that ten-thousand-year ring for your spiritual martial soul… did you get that in the Sun–Moon Empire?"
Jiang Qingtong nodded,
"That's right. Spiritual-type soul beasts are rare even in the Evil Demon Great Forest, but there seem to be more of them there than in the three nations of the original Douluo Continent. With a teacher's help, obtaining a ring wasn't too difficult."
At that, Xuan Zi reassured her,
"Don't worry. The Star Dou Great Forest is the largest soul beast habitat on the entire continent. In its deeper regions, finding a spiritual-type beast over ten thousand years old won't be a problem! With me here, I guarantee you'll get a high-quality ring."
The three of them passed the warning signs at the forest's edge, officially stepping into soul beast territory.
A suffocating aura pressed toward them.
Xiao Xiao shivered involuntarily,
"Hiss… why does it feel so eerie in here?"
Jiang Qingtong glanced at her,
"Probably just your imagination? After all, plenty of powerful soul beasts live here. Several of the Ten Great Savage Beasts call this place home."
Xiao Xiao shrank her neck further,
"We're not going to run into one of the Ten Great Savage Beasts, are we?"
"Even if we do, with me here, I have more than enough power to get you both out safely,"
Xuan Zi said from the front, glancing back at them to ease their nerves.
At his instruction, Jiang Qingtong activated her spiritual detection sharing, bringing everything within a 500-meter radius into clear view for them all.
Not far ahead, several weak soul beasts caught their notice. The moment they sensed people approaching, they fled at once, clearly unwilling to risk a confrontation.
Xuan Zi kept his aura tightly restrained. If he were to release the full pressure of a level 98 Super Douluo, every soul beast short of the hundred-thousand-year level would bolt instantly. That would make acquiring a ring here impossible.
Xiao Xiao kept her attention sharp, searching for a beast suitable for herself. Jiang Qingtong, however, was preoccupied with figuring out how she might slip away from Xuan Zi's watchful gaze—since she didn't actually need to kill a soul beast to obtain a ring.
But with her current strength, escaping from a Super Douluo without revealing her soul tools would be nearly impossible—and that would raise even more questions she couldn't answer.
As Jiang Qingtong pondered this, Xuan Zi suddenly let out a surprised "Hm?"
"A Dark-Gold Terror Claw Bear?"
The moment he spoke, Jiang Qingtong swept her spiritual detection toward the indicated direction, focusing entirely on the massive energy signature approaching them.
Xiao Xiao's eyes widened,
"A Dark-Gold Terror Claw Bear?"
Shrek Academy made sure to teach detailed knowledge of soul beasts—especially the powerful ones—so its students wouldn't accidentally provoke something deadly.
Thus, Xiao Xiao was well aware of the Dark-Gold Terror Claw Bear's infamous reputation. She stared,
"But… aren't they supposed to be in the inner regions of the Star Dou Great Forest? We're still in the outer zone, right?"
"Indeed. For a Dark-Gold Terror Claw Bear to appear here… it's not normal,"
Xuan Zi said, frowning in thought.
The bear, however, gave them no time to puzzle over it. It quickened its pace, and within only a few breaths it was standing before them.
Its deafening roar echoed in Xiao Xiao and Jiang Qingtong's ears. Xuan Zi's brows knit as he said in a deep voice,
"This one's cultivation is close to ten thousand years! Stand behind me."
Close to ten thousand?
Xiao Xiao's expression froze in shock as she quickly moved behind him. She vividly remembered their teachers' warnings—never judge a Dark-Gold Terror Claw Bear's power solely by its age. Even a mere thousand-year specimen could rival most ten-thousand-year beasts in strength.
One close to ten thousand years… would be far, far stronger.
Without hesitation, Xuan Zi released his martial soul. The perfect set of nine rings rose at his feet, the final one a deep crimson. An overwhelming wave of soul power surged forth, pressing down heavily on the bear.
Under the crushing aura of a level 98 Super Douluo, the beast's body sank slightly, unable to take a single step forward. Yet, despite this suffocating pressure, it made no move to retreat.
"Hm? Strange—it's not running?"
Seeing the creature remain steadfast even when it could barely hold itself upright, Xuan Zi's eyes narrowed in puzzlement.
Then, turning to Xiao Xiao, he asked,
"What do you think of making this Dark-Gold Terror Claw Bear your next spirit ring?"
"Eh? Elder Xuan, I—"
Xiao Xiao gaped at him in disbelief.
"The Dark-Gold Terror Claw Bear's attack power ranks among the highest of all soul beasts. One of the Ten Great Savage Beasts is from their kind! And besides that, their Geng Metal attribute grants them incredible defense. Doesn't that match exactly with the attributes you wanted for your Three-Life Suppressing Soul Cauldron?"
As Xuan Zi spoke, Jiang Qingtong fell into thought.
This was the difference between a spirit ring from a soul beast and one attached through other means. A beast's ring would grant part of its innate traits to the martial soul. Without solving that problem, even if they developed a method to attach rings without killing beasts, few would choose it for cultivation.
The research into self-condensed spirit rings had made some progress, but Jiang Shengyu still hadn't figured out how to imbue such rings with those innate traits.
It was not something that could be resolved overnight.
While Jiang Qingtong considered the matter, Xiao Xiao asked nervously,
"Are you sure it's okay? This bear's cultivation is almost ten thousand years… I'm afraid…"
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