Douluo: The Peerless King of Beast Tamers

Chapter 322 The Sun Clam, the Invincible Shield, and the Golden Cigar

Time passed quietly like flowing water at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy. After Zhou Sichen returned to the academy, his life continued to maintain a regular and fulfilling rhythm.

Every day, he still studies during the day and practices the Three Martial Souls Fusion Technique at night.

After learning that Zhou Sichen's soul power had steadily increased to level 67, Zhang Lexuan and Xu Jiujiu couldn't help but show envy in their eyes.

The immense advantages brought by twin martial souls were fully demonstrated in Zhou Sichen.

Unfortunately, they do not have this unique talent, and therefore cannot personally experience the many benefits brought by twin martial souls.

However, they also understood that Zhou Sichen's improved skills were a blessing for the entire team.

As Zhou Sichen's soul power increases, the power of his three-soul fusion skill will also rise accordingly, which means that they will have a more powerful trump card in future battles.

Time flies. A month after Zhou Sichen returned to the academy, it had been almost a year since they arrived at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy.

During this period, He Caitou's efforts finally paid off, and his soul power officially broke through to level 50.

Reaching level 50 is a significant milestone for a Soul Master, signifying that they are about to acquire their fifth Soul Ring and experience a qualitative leap in strength.

Zhou Sichen knew the importance of this breakthrough, and immediately began to plan for He Caitou to obtain a spirit ring after He Caitou broke through.

Considering the special nature of spirits, Zhou Sichen, after careful consideration, decided to choose a suitable spirit ring for He Caitou, rather than a spirit.

He knew very well that He Caitou, as a twin martial soul possessor, was only level 50 at the moment. If he used his soul spirit now, it would undoubtedly be a waste of his precious soul spirit slot.

Given He Caitou's talent, having two or three spirits at most in the future would be enough, since he is not a twin spirit-type martial soul.

Given He Caitou's talent and potential, it would be best to wait until he is able to absorb a 100,000-year soul ring before adding a soul spirit to him, so that his talent can be brought to its fullest potential.

Otherwise, it would be like Bei Bei in the original work, who chose the 20,000-year-old Heavenly Dragon Horse spirit as his seventh spirit ring.

Although he evolved his martial soul into the Holy Dragon of Light, he also lost the opportunity to gain a huge boost from absorbing a top-tier soul ring. In the end, Bei Bei only reached the level of Super Douluo.

A 20,000-year-old soul spirit occupying three soul ring slots is a huge waste of its talent, which Zhou Sichen believes is unacceptable.

Even the soul spirits of the 30,000-year sixth soul rings that Ling Luochen, Xu Jiujiu, and Gongyang Mo obtained were considered slightly underage in Zhou Sichen's eyes.

Fortunately, they are all exceptionally talented and will have the opportunity to absorb a second soul spirit in the future, which can make up for this regret to some extent.

After finalizing the plan to obtain a soul ring for He Caitou, Zhou Sichen immediately reported it to Xuan Ziwen.

He used the excuse of taking He Caitou out to test the soul tool, but his real purpose was to help He Caitou obtain a suitable soul ring.

The request was reasonable, and Jing Hongchen did not object to it after learning about it.

After all, He Caitou is a rare genius soul tool maker in the academy. Now that he has broken through to the fifth ring level, it is reasonable for him to urgently need to acquire soul rings to improve his strength.

In addition to Zhou Sichen and He Caitou, Zhang Lexuan and Xu Jiujiu also accompanied the operation.

Xu Jiujiu's purpose was naturally to test the soul tools together with Zhou Sichen and the others, so as to improve her understanding and application of soul tools through practice.

Zhang Lexuan accompanied the group as a teacher, bearing the important responsibility of protecting everyone's safety. In the treacherous territory of the soul beasts, her presence was undoubtedly a solid guarantee for everyone.

After receiving approval, Zhou Sichen and his group immediately left the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy.

Their destination was a mysterious sea area where, according to records, a kind of spirit beast called the Sun Clam had appeared.

Although the Sun Clam is a sea spirit beast, it is extremely special. It cultivates by absorbing the power of the sun and possesses pure solar attributes, which are a perfect match for He Caitou's Sun Martial Soul.

Zhou Sichen pondered that if he could find a ten-thousand-year-old Sun Clam and use it as the soul ring for He Caitou's second martial soul, the Sun, then He Caitou's Sun martial soul power would be greatly enhanced.

As for He Caitou's cigar-themed martial spirit, Zhou Sichen also had a plan: he intended to find a powerful defensive soul beast for him.

Even though the change in the way of acquiring soul beasts meant that He Caitou's fifth soul skill, the Cigar Martial Soul, was no longer the invincible shield from the original story, Zhou Sichen felt that it wouldn't have much of an impact.

After all, in the original work, He Caitou's second martial soul was not fully cultivated.

Now, they are going to make full use of He Caitou's two martial souls, so that his title of "Source of Destruction" will truly be well-deserved.

On the way to the sea, He Caitou felt both excited and nervous.

Excitingly, he is about to acquire a powerful spirit ring, which will likely further enhance his strength.

What made him nervous was that this was his first time going to sea, and in that unknown sea, no one knew what kind of dangers they would encounter.

The four people's boat cut through the waves on the turbulent sea, the salty sea breeze carrying the waves that pounded against the gunwale, splashing up tiny droplets of water.

The journey has lasted for a full week. Every day they have been navigating the vast ocean, searching for traces of soul beasts that match He Caitou's martial soul requirements, based on sea charts and scattered records.

In this boundless blue world, every undercurrent and every wisp of mist may conceal unknown dangers and surprises.

Finally, after searching for several days, their attention was focused on a golden tortoise with 15,000 years of cultivation.

This golden coin tortoise is covered with a thick shell, with dark gold patterns winding across it, like a natural defensive totem.

As a purely defensive sea spirit beast, its innate spirit skill "Golden Shield" is renowned, making it an excellent choice for He Caitou Cigar's fifth spirit ring.

He Caitou's eyes gleamed with excitement. As a genius soul tool maker, he couldn't wait to use his self-developed soul tool to personally capture this money turtle.

With the others providing cover, He Caitou quickly activated his soul tool, and beams of energy shot towards the money turtle like arrows.

However, the golden tortoise remained calm in the face of the attack. Its massive body swayed slightly, and instantly, a dazzling golden shield rose from the surface of its shell, blocking all of He Caitou's attacks.

What's even more troublesome is that the seawater in this area seems to have become an aid to the golden turtle, continuously injecting power into its shield, making the golden shield even stronger.

He Caitou gritted his teeth and kept changing the attack mode of his soul tool, unleashing a variety of powerful skills in turn.

However, thanks to its super strong defense with its golden shield and the support of seawater, the golden coin turtle can swim nimbly in the seawater and easily deflect every attack.

For a time, He Caitou was caught in a fierce battle, with large beads of sweat rolling down his forehead, but he was still unable to break through the Golden Coin Turtle's defense.

Seeing that He Caitou was proving difficult to defeat, Xu Jiujiu knew that he could not delay any longer.

She took a deep breath, and the light from the spirit rings on her body suddenly shone brightly, with powerful spirit energy fluctuations spreading across the sea.

Xu Jiujiu used his own special soul skills and soul tools to coordinate with He Caitou's soul tool attacks.

He Caitou was responsible for attracting the golden coin turtle's attention and using concentrated attacks to restrain it, while Xu Jiujiu seized the opportunity to launch a surprise attack from the side.

With the combined efforts of the two, after a fierce battle, cracks finally appeared in the golden shield of the money turtle.

As He Caitou seized the opportunity to deliver the final blow, the golden tortoise let out a mournful cry, having been beaten to the point of near death and losing its ability to resist.

Zhou Sichen and Zhang Lexuan stood on the distant reef, quietly watching the battle.

Instead of offering assistance, they chose to let He Caitou and Xu Jiujiu do as they pleased.

In their view, this was not only an operation to acquire spirit rings, but also a valuable opportunity to hone their combat skills. Gaining experience in battles against sea spirit beasts and improving their ability to handle different situations would have an immeasurable impact on their future growth.

After successfully capturing the golden turtle, the group found a tranquil small island in the sea nearby.

After landing, He Caitou couldn't wait to start absorbing his fifth soul ring on the island, while Zhang Lexuan protected him to prevent any accidents.

Meanwhile, Zhou Sichen and Xu Jiujiu began exploring the island.

They wandered through the lush vegetation and walked on the soft sand, preparing to find some seafood to cook a sumptuous feast for everyone.

Sunlight shone on the beach, and waves gently lapped against the shore. The two laughed and played as they collected various kinds of seafood.

As they searched along one side of the island, their gaze was suddenly drawn to a flashing light in the distance.

From a distance, it turned out to be a group of sun mussels!

This discovery delighted the two, as the data they had previously obtained indicated that this area was indeed the habitat of the sun mussel.

But no one expected that good fortune would be so kind to them. Just as He Caitou obtained the fifth spirit ring of the Cigar Martial Soul, the spirit ring prepared for the Sun Martial Soul was delivered to their doorstep.

Zhou Sichen and Xu Jiujiu carefully observed the solar clam clan using a probe-type soul guide.

The entire group consisted of about forty or fifty sun mussels. Some lay quietly on the seabed, while others swam slowly, radiating a soft glow, seemingly absorbing the sun's power to cultivate.

The strongest of the Sun Clams was particularly dazzling. According to the two, its cultivation had exceeded 50,000 years, and its strength was comparable to that of a Soul Douluo powerhouse.

After a moment of contemplation, Zhou Sichen quickly made a decision.

He planned to capture a Sun Clam with 20,000 years of cultivation for He Caitou as the first soul ring for his Sun Martial Soul.

After He Caitou absorbs the Golden Coin Turtle's spirit ring, his physical fitness and mental strength will be greatly improved. At that time, absorbing a 20,000-year spirit ring will not be difficult.

Moreover, He Caitou had already absorbed a ten-thousand-year-old soul bone, which enhanced his body's ability to withstand powerful energy. Adding this soul ring shouldn't put too much pressure on him.

However, Zhou Sichen was also very cautious. He could not act rashly at this moment and had to wait until He Caitou successfully absorbed the fifth soul ring.

Otherwise, if they capture any members of the Sun Clam Clan, it could enrage the entire clan, causing them to swarm out. This would severely interfere with He Caitou's absorption of the Soul Ring and could even endanger his life.

So, after confirming the location of the Sun Clam clan, the two quietly retreated, waiting for He Caitou to complete the absorption of the soul ring, and then they would go and help him catch a Sun Clam.

Two hours passed quietly in a tense yet peaceful atmosphere.

Suddenly, He Caitou's figure burst forth with dazzling light, and five spirit rings—two yellow, two purple, and one black—slowly rose from his body, signifying that he had officially entered the realm of a five-ring spirit king.

As the last trace of soul power fluctuation subsided, He Caitou slowly opened his eyes, his eyes sparkling with excitement and joy. His soul power had successfully broken through to the peak of level 51, just one step away from level 52.

Zhang Lexuan, who had been guarding the Dharma protector, couldn't help but ask first, seeing He Caitou's excited appearance, "How is it, Caitou? Are you satisfied with the soul skill?"

Her eyes were full of concern and expectation, after all, this was not only about improving He Caitou's personal abilities, but also of great significance to the entire team.

Just then, Zhou Sichen and Xu Jiujiu also rushed back.

They were exploring the island when they learned that He Caitou had completed the absorption of the spirit ring, so they rushed over. Now they looked at He Caitou with anticipation, wanting to know about the new spirit skill as soon as possible.

He Caitou's lips curled up slightly, revealing a confident smile.

He didn't answer immediately, but instead activated his fifth spirit ring and shouted, "Fifth Spirit Skill: Invincible Shield Golden Cigar!"

Upon hearing the name of this soul skill, Zhou Sichen was startled and froze.

This name is exactly the same as the one in the original work!
This made him wonder if He Caitou's fifth spirit ring in the original story also came from a money turtle?

Is it all preordained that, even in this changed world, He Caitou's fifth soul skill still appears in the same way?

As the fifth soul skill was activated, a golden cigar slowly appeared in He Caitou's hand.

The cigar was entirely golden, shimmering brilliantly in the sunlight; if you didn't look closely, you might mistake it for a long gold bar.

He Caitou proudly introduced with a smile, "My fifth soul skill is comparable to a level six invincible shield. After use, it can withstand the strongest attack below the Soul Saint level for a full seven seconds!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Lexuan and Xu Jiujiu stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with shock and disbelief.

Xu Jiujiu exclaimed in surprise, "This effect! This is actually a ten-thousand-year soul skill of a five-ring Soul King?!"

In her understanding, such a powerful defensive effect could only be achieved by higher-level soul skills.

It is truly astonishing that He Caitou, a Soul King who has just broken through to level 50, possesses such an incredible Soul Skill.

Zhang Lexuan walked straight up and took the gold cigar from He Caitou's hand.

Although she doesn't usually smoke, she couldn't care less about that at the moment.

In her view, if such a powerful cigar could be mass-produced, it would definitely become the ultimate weapon on the battlefield for Soul Masters.

It should be noted that while the Level 6 Invincible Shield is extremely powerful, it can only maintain its defensive duration for three seconds and is very expensive, making it difficult to deploy on a large scale.

He Caitou's Golden Cigar not only provides defense for a much longer time than a level 6 invincible shield.

More importantly, as long as there is enough soul power, it can be continuously produced, and the strategic value contained therein is immeasurable.

Zhang Lexuan lit a gold cigar, took a light puff, then closed her eyes, carefully sensing the energy and effects it contained.

A moment later, she opened her eyes, her face showing admiration, and said sincerely, "Cai Tou, you truly deserve to be a top-tier food-type soul master. The effect of just this one soul skill is enough to make you a treasure that others dream of."

"With this soul skill, we have an extra powerful trump card, whether it's team battles or personal survival."

He Caitou was a little embarrassed by the praise. He scratched his head and said with a smile, "Actually, it's not as good as you say, Senior Sister. With my current cultivation level, I can only make a maximum of ten golden cigars before my soul power is exhausted."

"Moreover, this golden cigar is not without limitations. A Soul Master can only use its effect three times a day, and the second time it is used, the defense time will be halved, and the third time it will only last for one second. Therefore, although it is powerful, it cannot be used without limit."

Xu Jiujiu was speechless upon hearing this. Ten at once? And that's not allowed?
Why don't you go to heaven?

This is equivalent to He Caitou hand-making ten invincible shields at once! Isn't that even more awesome than a processing plant?

Moreover, this is only because He Caitou currently has a cultivation level of five rings. What will happen when He Caitou breaks through to the Title Douluo level in the future?

Hand-rolling two hundred gold cigars at once? That's like having two hundred invincible shields!!

Xu Jiujiu could easily imagine that if He Caitou's golden cigar were placed in the army, it would be an absolute trump card.

A seven-second absolute defense against attacks below the Soul Saint level also means it can withstand the bombardment of a level seven soul tool.

If used properly, this could be a lifesaver.

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(End of this chapter)