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"ROOOAR—!"
A massive fireball erupted from the dense underbrush, soaring high before crashing heavily to the ground.
Before Yang Fan stood a towering tiger wreathed in flames—roughly three meters long, nearly two meters tall at the shoulder, with forelimbs thicker than Yang Fan's own thighs. Its powerful frame was streaked with jagged black patterns, and the contrast of crimson fire against dark markings made the beast appear even more ferocious and terrifying.
Flame Tiger!
Over his six years in Soul Land, Yang Fan had studied soul beasts extensively.
From the faint black stripe on the tiger's tail, he could tell it was a Thousand-Year Tiger, right at the cusp of its next evolutionary threshold.
"Don't be afraid!" Yao Lao urged. "This is the first soul beast you'll face in your life—the most crucial step in becoming a true soul master."
Yao Lao understood Yang Fan's nerves all too well.
Back in his youth on the Dou Qi Continent, his first encounter with a demon beast had left him drenched in cold sweat.
But Yang Fan's mind had gone blank—he hadn't even registered Yao Lao's encouraging words.
The moment the Flame Tiger lunged, Yang Fan instinctively thrust his Soul Breaking Spear forward.
Clang!
The spear struck the tiger's razor-sharp claw—producing a sharp, metallic ring.
Sparks flew. Yang Fan was thrown backward, landing hard on his backside.
He'd always believed his strength and physique were exceptional—but now, the gap between man and beast was painfully obvious.
Before he could react, the Flame Tiger pounced again in a blur of motion, slamming him into the earth.
Scorching heat mixed with rancid breath washed over him, churning his stomach.
The beast's massive paw pinned his chest, crushing the air from his lungs. Only the shaft of his Soul Breaking Spear, wedged between them, kept the tiger's claws from tearing open his ribcage.
From the corner of his eye, Yang Fan saw Yao Lao hovering above his head, hand already raised, ready to intervene…
"Master—I've got this!" Yang Fan roared with every ounce of strength he possessed.
This was his first hunt in the Star Dou Forest. He refused to fail.
Yao Lao hesitated—then slowly withdrew the Dou Qi gathering in his palm. His eyes, filled with warmth and pride, shone with approval.
He hadn't misjudged this stubborn boy after all.
Whether or not Yang Fan could defeat this tiger today, he'd already proven he possessed the heart of a true cultivator.
"AAAAAH—!"
With a primal scream, Yang Fan channeled every fiber of his being into his core. His soul power surged violently through his meridians.
And then—a miracle happened.
As his soul power flooded his martial soul, the flame-like pill patterns on his Soul Breaking Spear ignited with blazing red light. The patterns filled rapidly, overflowed—and suddenly, a foot-long tongue of fire erupted from the spear tip.
The searing blaze blinded the thousand-year tiger, forcing its eyes shut.
In that split second, Yang Fan seized his chance. Using his core strength, he planted both feet against the tiger's chest and rolled backward, wrenching free from its grasp. In the same fluid motion, he drove his flaming spear deep into the beast's neck.
Blood geysered out the moment he yanked the spear free.
"ROOOAR—!"
The Flame Tiger reared up, howling in agony.
Blinded and bleeding, it charged wildly through the forest, crimson trails marking its path, each paw-print stained with its own lifeblood.
The wound on its neck was already charred black from the intense heat.
Then—in a final burst of madness—the enraged tiger lunged straight at Yang Fan.
Yang Fan didn't flinch.
He knew: when a soul beast entered a berserk state, its instincts sharpened, and its attacks grew even deadlier.
Using the spear's length to his advantage, he dodged and weaved like a monkey, leaping onto the trunk of a massive tree—so wide it would take two men to encircle it. Gripping his spear tightly, he plunged downward like lightning towards the ground.
The combined force of his drop and the spear's razor edge pierced clean through the tiger's neck.
The neck—the most vulnerable and lethal point on any living creature.
Struck for the second time in the same spot, the tiger collapsed, gasping raggedly, limbs trembling as it fought its final battle against death.
Yang Fan gave it no mercy. He leapt down and delivered a finishing strike to its vital points.
Only when the flames on the tiger's body flickered out—and the colossal beast lay utterly still—did Yang Fan finally allow himself to slump to the ground, panting heavily.
Now, he finally understood the true effect of his mutated martial soul.
Flaming Soul Breaking Spear!
His mutation had imbued his Soul Breaking Spear with explosive fire-element energy—granting it far greater destructive force.
Not only could the spear pierce through defenses with its razor-sharp tip, but the attached flames inflicted devastating burning damage on top of physical trauma.
This wasn't just enhancement—it was practically martial soul enchantment!
As Yang Fan caught his breath, a purple soul ring gently rose from the tiger's corpse, floating to a height of about five meters.
Roughly two meters in diameter, it hovered silently above the fallen beast.
When a soul beast died, it always dropped a soul ring—guaranteed.
But the ring would vanish naturally if not absorbed within roughly thirty minutes.
"Master, I'm going to absorb this soul ring."
The Flame Tiger was an exceptionally aggressive soul beast—not only did it possess volatile fire energy, but its raw offensive power was legendary.
If Yang Fan hadn't gotten lucky with that neck strike, he might not have survived.
"You've made up your mind?" Yao Lao asked.
"I have!"
Yang Fan stared up at the thousand-year soul ring, a strange confidence swelling within him. He knew his body could handle it.
"Then go ahead."
Over the years, Yao Lao had researched soul rings thoroughly.
At their core, soul rings were simply specialized energy constructs.
Absorbing one granted a soul master increased strength and a new soul skill.
The higher the age, the more potent the energy—and the greater the risk.
If a soul master's body couldn't contain such power, they'd explode from within.
But crucially—if something went wrong during absorption, a stronger external force could interrupt the process and save the absorber.
"Thank you, Master!"
Yang Fan took a deep breath, centering himself into peak condition.
He formed a hand seal.
As he activated his soul power, his body naturally became a vortex, drawing the soul ring toward him.
The ring shrank rapidly—from two meters across to wrapping snugly around his torso in the blink of an eye.
A strange, pulsing energy shot into his body, sending a tremor through his very soul…
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