Chapter 9: The Second Soul Ring
A few days later, news arrived that the Haotian Sect had been forced to close its doors by the Spirit Hall. This move made the two major empires feel the overwhelming power of the Spirit Hall, and even the conflicts along the borders had reduced.
Ning Bei went to the council hall to find Ning Fengzhi.
"Father, when can I go to get my second soul ring?"
Recently, Ning Fengzhi had been in an exceptionally good mood, as his wife was pregnant again and Ning Bei had broken through to a higher soul power level. He had been smiling pleasantly, making everyone around him feel at ease.
"Oh? You can't wait already?"
Ning Bei smiled and scratched his head, remaining silent. He was indeed excited at the thought of obtaining his second soul skill soon.
"Then, this time, let Grandpa Gu take you to the Star Dou Forest."
After receiving the satisfying answer, Ning Bei thanked him happily and quickly ran out of the council hall, heading straight for Gu Rong's residence, causing Ning Fengzhi to shake his head.
The door to Gu Rong's house was practically useless to Ning Bei, who entered quickly and found Gu Rong resting with his eyes closed.
"Grandpa Gu, I'm level 20 now, and I can go get my second soul ring."
Gu Rong smiled and looked at the excited Ning Bei, understanding the feeling. He himself had been through this process.
"Well then, Bei'er, have you decided what kind of soul beast you need?"
Ning Bei had already thought about this. Since his martial soul didn't require a corresponding attribute for the soul beast, and it couldn't even match one, he just needed to find a soul ring with a similar age.
"Grandpa Gu, my martial soul doesn't have specific requirements for soul ring attributes, so finding a soul beast that's close to a thousand years old should be fine."
Gu Rong frowned upon hearing this.
"Isn't a thousand years a bit too dangerous? My second soul ring was from a soul beast just over 700 years old, and I'm a battle soul master."
Ning Bei felt quite speechless. He thought he had been conservative enough and didn't directly aim for a thousand-year soul ring for his second one. Firstly, a purple second soul ring would be too eye-catching, and at the moment, he could barely leave the house. If he did that, it would only make things worse.
Secondly, and most importantly, he feared pain.
"Grandpa Gu, my body should be able to handle the pressure from a soul master around level 28, which is close to a Soul Emperor level. Anything under a thousand years should be fine, and a yellow second soul ring won't be too noticeable."
Gu Rong thought about it and agreed, so he didn't argue further. He told Ning Bei to prepare and then immediately took him flying to the Star Dou Forest.
After hours of flight, the two arrived at their destination.
Returning here after two years, Ning Bei's excitement hadn't diminished in the slightest.
Gu Rong reminded Ning Bei to stay close to him and not wander off once they entered the forest. They began searching for an appropriate soul beast.
Their luck this time was not as good as it had been when they came with Chen Xin. After two days of searching, the soul beasts they found either had too low of a cultivation age or too high.
However, Ning Bei didn't complain. This situation was actually the norm for soul hunting.
"Bei'er, it seems we can't find a suitable target today either. Let's rest here for the night."
Ning Bei looked around. Compared to other parts of the forest, this area was relatively open and suitable for resting.
"Alright, this will do. We don't have much of a choice."
The two started a fire, had some dry rations, and Ning Bei leaned against a pile of stones to meditate and cultivate his soul power.
The whale resin and the increasing soul power had drastically improved Ning Bei's physical condition. He could easily go without sleep for a few days.
Just as Ning Bei was focused on his cultivation, Gu Rong suddenly spoke up.
"Bei'er, there's some movement over there. Let's go check it out."
He immediately started walking toward the source of the noise.
Ning Bei, startled, followed quickly behind.
They reached the edge of the forest, and Ning Bei looked up to see two snake-type soul beasts in a standoff over their prey.
The prey was a dead Softbone Rabbit.
Ning Bei thought to himself, "Well, these two snakes are asking for trouble."
The two snake soul beasts included one with small wings and a rooster comb on its head and another that was entirely black.
Gu Rong's face lit up with excitement upon seeing them.
"Bei'er, this is the Phoenix Tail Chicken Crown Snake and the Black Water Python. The Phoenix Tail Chicken Crown Snake is just under a thousand years old, and the other one is over a thousand years. What do you think?"
Gu Rong judged their ages based on the size of their crowns. Ning Bei was also pleased, but after the initial excitement had passed, he was more focused on the discomfort of being in the wild. Finally, they could go home after completing the task.
"Grandpa Gu, I'll take the Phoenix Tail Chicken Crown Snake."
Upon hearing this, Gu Rong's figure flickered, and he appeared between the two beasts, reaching out to grab the target's vital point.
The Phoenix Tail Chicken Crown Snake sensed the danger and immediately attempted to flee.
Although the Phoenix Tail Chicken Crown Snake was known for its speed, even Soul Emperors couldn't catch it, it was a different story when the pursuer was someone like Gu Rong, a rare Title Douluo. No snake could escape his grasp.
In no time, the snake was caught by its vital point, rendered motionless, and knocked unconscious with soul power. Gu Rong then brought it back to Ning Bei.
"Here, Bei'er."
Ning Bei, seeing the situation, took out a prepared dagger from his soul tool and ended the Phoenix Tail Chicken Crown Snake's life with a single strike. After going through it once, Ning Bei no longer had any psychological barriers.
A deep yellow soul ring emerged from the Phoenix Tail Chicken Crown Snake's body.
Ning Bei immediately sat down cross-legged and summoned the Pill Tower. He began to use his soul power to guide the soul ring.
Gu Rong, noticing this, became vigilant. He had heard from Chen Xin about the potential danger of soul beasts interrupting the soul ring absorption process and made sure nothing disturbed Ning Bei.
Two hours later, Ning Bei opened his eyes with excitement.
"Grandpa Gu, I..."
His view was filled with unconscious soul beasts.
"Bei'er, let's go. This isn't the time to discuss it."
Ning Bei nearly forgot that his Pill Tower attracted soul beasts. He nodded at Gu Rong, who immediately grabbed him by the neck and flew off in the direction of the forest's edge.
"Grandpa Gu, could you change the way you're holding me?"
Gu Rong ignored Ning Bei's protests and continued to fly with full speed.
After a while, they arrived at an uninhabited mountain range, and Gu Rong set Ning Bei down.
"How is it, Bei'er? Does the soul skill fit?"
Ning Bei rubbed his sore neck and shot Gu Rong an exasperated look.
"The soul skill fits, but my neck does not."
Gu Rong awkwardly looked up at the sky.
Ning Bei stopped complaining and began to release his second soul skill.
A jade bottle appeared in his hand, and after summoning his martial soul, the second soul ring lit up. A stream of liquid poured out from the second layer of the Pill Tower into the jade bottle, followed by several colored pills appearing in his hand.
Gu Rong watched this in confusion.
"Isn't this from the Pill Tower? Why is there liquid flowing out now?"
Ning Bei rolled his eyes at Gu Rong and explained the purpose of the pills.
"This liquid is called Foundation Building Essence. Soaking in it can help improve a soul master's innate soul power, but its effect is quite limited."
Gu Rong's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Something that can enhance innate soul power? I've never heard of such a thing. How limited is it?"
Ning Bei thought for a moment before replying, "For soul masters with innate soul power below level 5, it works quite well. If they start soaking in it at age four, it can bring them up to level 5 of innate soul power. However, for those with innate soul power above level 5, the effect is very limited."
(END CHAPTER)
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