svetikya Chapter 16 Obtaining the 1th Soul Ring
Chapter 16 Obtaining the 1th Soul Ring
Three days later, Yan Zu and Xiao Wu followed Yan Hu and his wife into the depths of the outer edge of the Soul Hunting Forest. Yan Hu was already a level 31 Soul Master, and his third Soul Skill, "Immovable Vajra," combined offense and defense; Su Qing had broken through to level 27, and the healing and support range of her Qinghe Martial Soul was even wider.
Yan Zu kept the Qilin phantom outwards, using its "aura concealment" property to avoid the detection of multiple high-level soul beasts. The group's original goal was to find a plant-type soul beast called "Spirit Wood Demon" that was about 400 years old, hoping to obtain healing or control-type soul skills.
"About two miles to the northeast, there's a gentle fluctuation of soul power, carrying a faint scent of blood," Xiao Wu whispered, relying on her soul beast instincts, her tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible intimacy. Yan Zu immediately had the Qilin phantom release its "Listening to the Wind" ability, and sure enough, it sensed a pure and gentle energy.
The group pushed aside the dense bushes, and the sight that came into view made them pause in surprise: in the open space ahead, a snow-white deer-like spirit beast was curled up under a tree, its antlers like fluffy clouds, gleaming with a faint silver light. It was the Auspicious Cloud Deer.
Its hind legs were a bloody mess, clearly severely injured, and several claw marks remained on its body. Several hundred-year-old wind wolf carcasses lay scattered around, making it easy to guess that it had been surrounded by wind wolves, managed to escape using its speed, but was unable to flee due to its injuries. —That was a Xiangyun Deer, approximately 850 years old.
The auspicious cloud deer sensed someone approaching and immediately sat up, its eyes full of vigilance. A thin layer of white mist appeared around its body, which was its defensive skill "Auspicious Cloud Protection".
Although it is gentle in nature, it also has the instinct to protect itself. However, the injury to its hind leg makes it difficult to escape quickly, and it can only stay on the sidelines.
"This auspicious cloud deer's soul ring is more suitable for Azu than the spirit wood demon's!" Yan Hu lowered his voice and gripped the iron axe in his hand tightly. "But it's a pity. It looks like it has eight or nine hundred years of cultivation, so it's not suitable for Azu's first soul ring."
Yan Zu said, "Father, I want this spirit ring. I have been cultivating since I was a child and I have twin martial souls. The white-bearded grandfather in my dream told me that my first spirit ring can absorb at least those less than a thousand years old."
Yan Hu: "Ah Zu, are you sure? This is no joke. If you exceed your body's limits, you'll explode and die."
Yan Zu said confidently, "Father, trust me."
Yan Hu considered it for a moment. He had long sensed his son's extraordinary abilities, and perhaps it really worked. "Auntie, since you have such confidence, let's give it a shot."
Su Qing nodded, and the Azure Lotus Martial Soul quietly appeared, its pale green light surrounding her: "I will use Azure Lotus to entangle and restrict its movement, you will focus on attacking and restraining it."
The battle was about to begin: Su Qing took the lead in activating her second soul skill, "Azure Entanglement," as several emerald green vines sprouted from the ground and wrapped around the limbs of the auspicious cloud deer.
The auspicious cloud deer reacted extremely quickly, its hooves lightly touching the ground as it tried to avoid the vines like a snowflake, but its hind leg was injured, and its movements were ultimately a beat too slow. A vine took the opportunity to wrap around its left hind hoof and gently pulled it, causing it to stagger.
"Now!" Yan Hu roared, and three soul rings—white, yellow, and yellow—lit up beneath his feet. His third soul skill, "Immovable Vajra," was activated instantly. His iron axe whistled through the air as it cleaved towards the auspicious cloud deer, kicking up a cloud of dust to attract its attention.
The auspicious cloud deer's "auspicious cloud protection" instantly thickened, and the white clouds formed a shield in front of it. When the iron axe struck the clouds, it only made a muffled "thud" sound and did not cause any real damage.
Upon seeing this, Yan Zu immediately ordered Xiao Yu to rush forward, exhaling a wisp of auspicious, pale golden energy.
This aura shared the same origin as the auspicious cloud deer's aura, yet it carried the unique "evil-dispelling" characteristic of the Qilin. Landing on the auspicious cloud protective layer, it caused the cloud mist to fluctuate instantly, significantly reducing its defensive strength. "Father, attack its front legs!" Yan Zu shouted a warning.
Yan Hu understood, and changed the direction of the iron axe, its blade aimed directly at the foreleg joint of the auspicious cloud deer. The auspicious cloud deer tried to dodge, but Su Qing activated the Azure Grass Entanglement again, binding its other hoof, and could only watch helplessly as the axe blade fell.
With a crisp clang, the auspicious cloud deer's foreleg was struck by the axe's edge, its protective cloud formation completely disintegrated, and it let out a mournful cry before collapsing to the ground.
Yan Zu silently apologized and used the Xuanyuan Sword to deliver the final blow. A deep yellow soul ring rose up.
The moment Xiao Wu saw the auspicious deer fall, she could no longer hold back. Her eyes reddened, and she turned and ran behind a big tree, her shoulders trembling slightly.
She thought of her companions in the Star Dou Great Forest, and her mother who had perished protecting her. Tears streamed down her face like a broken string of pearls: "Why... must humans hunt soul beasts to become stronger? They are so gentle, they never harmed anyone..."
Yan Zu did not rush to absorb the spirit ring. Instead, he came to Xiao Wu's side, squatted down, and looked her in the eye, his dark eyes filled with tenderness and determination.
"Sister Xiaowu, I don't deny that many humans in this world hunt soul beasts out of greed. I hunt soul beasts to protect you and my parents, to gain a foothold in this cruel world, and not to be bullied by others."
He raised his hand and summoned the Qilin, letting it lie down at Xiao Wu's feet, releasing a gentle vitality:
"Soul beasts and humans are inherently in the same survival cycle. Just as the auspicious cloud deer feeds on grass and trees, humans sometimes need soul rings to grow. But the key is that we must know how to respect them—not to kill the innocent indiscriminately, not to waste every bit of value of a soul beast, and certainly not to hunt those harmless soul beasts out of greed."
Yan Zu gazed at the distant mountains and forests, his tone filled with anticipation for the future:
"What I want to do is not just protect ourselves, but also make this world different. In the future, I will try to find ways to become stronger without hunting spirit beasts, and try to make humans and spirit beasts coexist peacefully. But right now, we must first have enough power to change all of this."
Xiao Wu looked down at the gentle Qilin at her feet, then at Yan Zu's clear eyes, and the sadness in her heart gradually dissipated.
She knew Yan Zu hadn't lied to her; there was no greed in his eyes, only a determination to protect. "Then... shall we only hunt evil spirit beasts from now on, or only hunt spirits as a last resort, okay?" Xiao Wu asked softly, raising her tearful eyes.
Yan Zu smiled and extended his little finger: "Okay, let's pinky swear."
After comforting Xiao Wu, Yan Zu introduced the spirit ring of the Auspicious Cloud Deer into his body and fused it with the Qilin martial spirit.
Thanks to the auspicious protection of the Qilin, the absorption of the 850-year soul ring was painless, and instead, it exhibited a "reverse nourishment" phenomenon. With the integration of the Jade Spirit Deer's essence, the soul ring's age was slightly increased to 890 years, and its color was a deep yellow with a jade-like luster.
A surge of powerful yet gentle energy instantly flowed into his limbs and bones, causing the phantom of the Qilin to grow larger. Faint cloud patterns appeared on its jade-colored fur, and its antlers, like solidified auspicious clouds, exuded an even stronger auspicious aura.
After absorbing the spirit ring, Yan Zu stood up. His parents and Xiao Wu immediately surrounded him, asking with concern, "Zu, how was it? Did the absorption go smoothly? Are you feeling any discomfort?"
Yan Zu smiled happily and said, "Mom and Dad, don't worry, it went very smoothly. I'll show you my first soul skill."
After saying that, Yan Zu summoned Xiao Yu and shouted: "First Soul Skill 'Corridor of Vitality'!"
Yan Hu and Su Qing felt their soul power circulating more smoothly, and the fatigue from hunting souls earlier vanished; Xiao Wu felt that the essence of the soul beast and the aura of the Qilin were becoming more and more compatible, and the speed of soul power circulation increased significantly.
晏祖介绍到：我的第一魂技「生机迴廊。小玉15米範围内友方每秒恢复1%魂力与体力，获得 35%防御增幅+ 20%修炼速度提升。同时，我的魂力也升到了13级。
"Recovery, defense, and even increase cultivation speed—this soul skill is amazing!" Yan Hu exclaimed in surprise, his eyes filled with pride as he looked at his son.
Looking at Xiao Wu beside him, whose smile had returned, Yan Zu understood: this soul hunt had not only granted him powerful soul skills, but also deepened his bond with Xiao Wu. He not only had to protect his family, but also fulfill his promise to Xiao Wu—to use his own power to slowly change this world where humans and soul beasts were at odds.