The yellow soul ring pulsed with intense energy, its fluctuations so strong that Dugu Feng's heart trembled.
It was under six hundred years, yet with two years of nourishment from the Pill Pearl, his body could definitely endure it.
"Martial Spirit possession. Guide the soul ring with your soul power."
Following Old Snake's words, Feng sat cross-legged and summoned his martial spirit.
A diamond-shaped green scale appeared at his brow. His eyes flickered with a faint violet hue.
"Come, my first soul ring."
Purple light rippled from his hands, drawing the soul ring closer.
The yellow ring floated above his head for an instant, then collapsed inward, sinking into his body.
A blazing flood of energy surged through his meridians, filling every vein and bone.
His tenth-level soul power spun wildly, devouring and refining the heat, turning it into his own strength.
He dared not slacken. His mind sank deep within, focusing all his will on absorption.
"Remember," Old Snake's voice echoed, "absorbing a soul ring doesn't just strengthen your soul power. It tempers your body, meridians, bones, bloodline, and spirit itself. Feel the essence of the energy carefully. It will shape how you wield your soul skill."
Feng's heart steadied. His senses locked onto the soul ring's energy. Within the torrent, tiny purple sparks shimmered.
Jade Phosphor Violet Poison.
He could feel it clearly now. Normally, it was fused with his soul power, indistinct, but in this moment, its nature stood out.
As for the pain of surpassing the safe age limit? He barely felt it.
Compared to the nightly torment of poison outbreaks, this was nothing. His nerves had been tempered far beyond normal limits. As long as his body could withstand it, pain meant little.
Moments later, a phantom yellow ring flickered into existence around his body.
His first soul ring.
Feng's eyes burned with joy. The first step on his path to becoming the Poison King.
"Jade Phosphor Violet Poison. Old Snake, my first skill really is Jade Phosphor Violet Poison. No surprises."
Residual energy flowed into his body, merging with flesh and spirit, stabilizing the ring until it gleamed solidly yellow.
His soul power surged, leaping to rank twelve.
Old Snake's expression was unreadable, his gaze fixed on Feng as if he were some rare treasure. Six hundred years, absorbed as easily as drinking water.
Not a single cry of pain.
Has he truly grown so accustomed to torment?
As the last of the power merged, Feng stood. A single yellow ring glowed around him.
"Ha!"
His eyes and hair flushed violet. A faint aura of purple mist coated his body.
He opened his mouth. A stream of violet fog erupted, spreading across the air.
The poisonous mist moved at his will, shifting and covering the surrounding ground.
"So this is a soul skill… The mist moves under my intent, like my own limbs. I can direct it wherever I wish."
He guided the cloud toward a nearby rocky outcrop.
"Zzzzzt—"
The stones sizzled, splitting apart before crumbling into powder.
"Rank twelve, and your first use of Violet Poison already covers such a wide area. More than that, you can sustain its control through will alone. Feng'er, you're leagues ahead of that stupid brat of mine." Old Snake's eyes gleamed with naked praise.
Feng rolled his eyes inwardly. Little Snake wasn't stupid at all. This flattery was a bit too obvious.
"Old Snake, shouldn't we be looking for the soul bone?"
At the mention, Old Snake's gaze sharpened. His aura swelled like a tide.
Seven rings flickered around him—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black.
The perfect configuration.
Feng's heart skipped a beat. A Soul Sage. No wonder his father had been so confident. With Old Snake present, the soul bone was as good as theirs.
Old Snake's martial spirit erupted. His face sprouted fine green scales, a diamond-shaped scale glistened at his brow, and his hair deepened to a venomous green.
He leapt lightly, landing atop a boulder with predatory grace.
"Don't be anxious. We're still at the forest's edge. But I've seen the traces already. They can't run far."
Though he had seemed passive on the road, Old Snake had clearly been watching closely.
"From here."
With a flicker, he vanished into the treetops, racing forward.
Feng steadied his breathing and followed. Soul power surged into his legs, his aura tightly restrained.
Two years of constant meditation had honed him. His presence was now snake-like—cold, silent, nearly invisible.
His Emerald Nine-Section Serpents coiled on his wrists hissed softly, eyes glowing crimson.
His hand tightened around his short sword.
The instant enemies appeared, he would strike like lightning.
Half an hour passed before Old Snake's pace slowed.
Feng noticed it too—battle marks scarred the land.
Several trees cleaved cleanly in half. Deep gouges scored the ground, each a man's height in depth.
"Blade strikes. Wild, crushing power." Feng whispered.
"Heh." Old Snake's lips curled. "I know who it is. Xiahou Mang has finally shown himself."
Feng's expression remained calm, though the name meant nothing to him. Few in Douluo were known for blade martial spirits.
Old Snake explained.
"The Xiahou clan was once an affiliate of the Clear Sky Sect. Not as powerful as the four great single-attribute clans, but still notable. Their strongest was a Soul Sage.
When the Clear Sky Sect retreated six years ago, their affiliates became prey. We joined forces with the Elemental Alliance and the Ge family to wipe them out.
The clan's leader fell, but his younger brother, Xiahou Mang—merely a Soul Emperor—escaped. He revealed a soul bone skill mid-battle, slipping away.
It seems the Huyan family has found him again.
Elsewhere, we might struggle. But here, in Sunset Forest, no one senses like we do.
The Elemental Alliance has five branches—fire, earth, lightning, ice, wind. The Huyan family represents earth, their Elephant Armored Sect among the strongest.
But for Huyan Lie to wound Old Scorpion? This time, he must die."