Simultaneous Transmigration: From Douluo Continent to the Pinnacle

Chapter 71 Obtaining Soul Rings

The next morning, the morning mist in Tiandou City had not completely dissipated, and the bluestone road was still damp with the lingering coolness of the previous night.

Lin Yao finally managed to escape from the overly enthusiastic hospitality of Qian Renxue, who was disguised as Xue Qinghe.

As Lin Yao walked out of Xue Qinghe's mansion, he couldn't help but rub his temples and click his tongue in amazement.

If he hadn't known beforehand that the gentle and kind Xue Qinghe, who had been so kind to him, was actually a thousand-foot snowflake, he would have almost thought that this imperial prince was plotting against him.

For example, they may have some unusual hobbies that are not widely known.

Lin Yao, who is almost eight years old this year, has inherited the excellent genes of his parents, with handsome features and flawless skin.

In addition, with the improvement of his soul power, his body shape has been subtly optimized. Although his body shape is still immature, it has already begun to have a tall and upright outline. It is not an exaggeration to call him a "handsome young man".

Of course, he only dared to keep this grumbling to himself.

He knew perfectly well that if Xue Qinghe was not Qian Renxue in disguise, but just an ordinary prince of the empire, then given his status, there was no need for him to be so hypocritical.

As a disciple of the titled Douluo Dugu Bo, and with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, one of the three upper sects, as his backer, coupled with his cultivation talent far exceeding that of his peers, he really didn't take the attempts of ordinary princes to win him over seriously.

Having shaken off Xue Qinghe's entanglement, Lin Yao strode towards the Dugu residence.

As soon as they stepped into the mansion, they saw Dugu Bo, Dugu Yan, and Ye Lengleng already waiting by the stone table in the courtyard.

On the stone table sat a pot of warm tea, its steam rising and enveloping half of the table.

In fact, Lin Yao had already communicated with Dugu Bo and the others via the soul communication device on his way back.

This trip is to help Dugu Yan, whose soul power has just reached level 40, and Ye Lengleng, whose soul power has broken through level 30, to go to Sunset Forest to obtain suitable soul rings.

According to the commonly used theory of soul ring configuration in mainland China, the maximum age of a Soul Master's third soul ring is about a thousand years.

The limit for the fourth soul ring of a Soul Master is over four thousand years.

However, Ye Lengling and Dugu Yan already possessed extraordinary martial spirits.

One is the rare Nine-Heart Begonia, and the other is the Azure Scaled Flood Dragon evolved from the Azure Scaled Serpent Martial Soul.

Their backgrounds are also quite impressive: one is a descendant of the Nine Heart Begonia lineage, and the other is the grandson of a titled Douluo.

In addition to the tempering effect of consuming immortal herbs, his physical strength and soul power foundation have long surpassed those of other soul masters of the same level.

Previously, Dugu Bo and Lin Yao had specifically used their own soul power to examine the two women's bodies, and after some calculations, they concluded that...

With the two women's current physical strength, it is entirely feasible for them to absorb even higher-age spirit rings.

Ye Lengleng's third spirit ring can withstand the lifespan of a spirit beast of over three thousand years without any problem.

Even though Dugu Yan's fourth soul ring was over seven thousand years old, she was able to absorb it smoothly.

Soul beasts of this age are rarely found in ordinary Soul Hunting Forests.

After all, the Soul Hunter Forest was a place where soul beasts had gradually become scarce due to the hunting of soul masters over the years, and was now being protected and kept in captivity by the two great empires, the Spirit Hall and the Spirit Forest.

A soul ring that can satisfy a level 10 Soul Master and a level 20 Soul Master is already quite good.

Therefore, the suitable targets now are Starry Sky Forest and Sunset Forest.

Although the Star Dou Great Forest has a wide variety of soul beasts and they are quite old, it is too far away from Tian Dou City.

The round trip would take too long, and the depths of the forest harbored 100,000-year-old soul beasts such as the Titan Giant Ape and the Azure Bull Python, so venturing in rashly would be too risky.

Therefore, Sunset Forest, located on the outskirts of Tiandou City, becomes the best choice.

Not far from the city, saving travel time, and with many thousand-year-old or even ten-thousand-year-old soul beasts hidden in the forest, it was enough to meet the needs of the two women.

More importantly, Dugu Bo made a special mention of it before he left.

He will not make a move during this Soul Hunt unless the group faces a life-or-death crisis.

His words were full of expectations for Lin Yao.

Lin Yao had long been labeled a "little monster" in his mind. Although he only had a four-ring cultivation level, his soul ring configuration was far superior to those of others of the same level.

He wanted to see for himself just how powerful this "little monster" really was.

Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling did not object to Dugu Bo's proposal.

After all, the two had spent a long time with Lin Yao and knew that his strength was far beyond what a mere four-ring Soul Master could achieve.

Both of them were full of confidence that Lin Yao could protect them and help them hunt suitable soul beasts.

Normally, ordinary Soul Masters in the first stage of Douluo Continent, without the support of later Soul Tools or the enhancement of special cultivation systems, are generally unable to contend with Soul Beasts with the "limit of four Soul Rings" (i.e., five thousand years) in Yu Xiaogang's theory.

Of course, this does not include top geniuses like Lin Yao.

Therefore, whether it was Dugu Bo, Dugu Yan, or Ye Lengling, they were all filled with curiosity about Lin Yao's combat power at the Soul Master stage, this top genius.

Along the way, Dugu Bo briefly explained a few things to note about Sunset Forest.

For example, which areas harbor high-level soul beasts, and which soul beasts are extremely poisonous and require extra caution.

He then flashed and disappeared into the dense forest beside the road, so that Lin Yao and the other two would not notice that he was following behind.

Lin Yao led Dugu Yan and Ye Lingleng along the path leading to Sunset Forest.

It was early summer, and the roadside weeds grew exceptionally lush. Occasionally, unnamed wildflowers bloomed among the grass, pink and yellow, making the path exceptionally vibrant.

A breeze carries the fresh scent of grass and trees, dispelling the fatigue of the journey.

Dugu Yan was lively and talkative, and she was very excited about her upcoming acquisition of her fourth spirit ring.

Ye Lengleng remained aloof, walking on the right side, her gaze occasionally sweeping over the dense forest beside the road.

Occasionally, he would respond to Dugu Yan with a word or two, his voice soft yet carrying a unique tranquility.

Lin Yao walked at the front, carefully observing the surrounding environment.

He had complete confidence in his own strength, and since his target was a thousand-year-old soul beast, he naturally wouldn't waste time on the outskirts of the forest.

Most of the spirit beasts in the outer areas are less than a hundred or a thousand years old, so it would be a waste of time to find a spirit beast suitable for the two of them.

Perhaps they were really lucky, because as soon as they stepped into the central area of ​​Sunset Forest, they heard a slight rustling sound coming from the dense forest ahead.

Lin Yao immediately raised his hand, signaling Dugu Yan and Ye Lengleng behind him to stop, while he himself quietly approached the source of the sound.

Parting the layers of leaves, one could see a soul beast covered in pale red scales slowly crawling on the open ground ahead.

The soul beast had a slender body, about ten feet long, with a tuft of bright red rooster comb on its head and scales on its tail that spread out like a phoenix tail.

It was indeed the Phoenix-tailed Cockscomb Snake.

After observing carefully for a moment, Lin Yao made a judgment in his mind.

This Phoenix-tailed Crested Serpent is only mediocre among thousand-year-old soul beasts; it has neither powerful attack capabilities nor any special attribute enhancements.

Its only advantage is its extreme speed; if an ordinary Soul Master tries to hunt it, it will often toy with them for a long time.

For this reason, unless there are no other better options, very few Soul Masters would actively choose the Phoenix-tailed Crested Serpent as a source of Soul Rings.

Just like Oscar in the original work, when he chose the Phoenix Tail Crested Serpent as his third spirit ring, it was Yu Xiaogang who made Oscar sacrifice his own potential in order to cooperate with Tang San's plan.

But for Ye Lengleng, this phoenix-tailed crested snake, which is exactly three thousand years old, is the perfect match.

It should be noted that Ye Lengleng is about to absorb a soul ring that far exceeds the general theories of the continent.

It exceeded the limit of the third soul ring of an ordinary Soul Master by more than two thousand years.

The fact that this Phoenix-tailed Crested Serpent has no special attributes means that its soul ring energy is purer.

As long as she can suppress its speed and successfully hunt it down, Ye Lengleng's body strength is sufficient, so there won't be much hindrance when absorbing it.

In addition, Ye Lengleng's Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul's core ability is healing.

The purer the attributes of a spirit ring, the better it matches the essence of a martial soul, and the less likely it is to cause attribute conflicts.

Moreover, Ye Lengleng's current soul skills have not yet broken free from the limitations of the Nine Heart Begonia, which is "passed down through a single lineage and has a single soul skill".

Although they appear to have two soul skills, they are essentially the same: one is single-target healing, and the other is group healing.

The more spirit rings she has and the higher their age, the stronger her healing ability becomes.

Previously, after consuming the immortal herb, there was an additional auxiliary effect of restoring soul power.

Thinking about it this way, this three-thousand-year-old Phoenix-tailed Crested Serpent is practically a third soul ring tailor-made for Ye Lengleng.

Lin Yao quietly retreated and explained what he had seen to Dugu Yan and Ye Lengleng.

After listening, a glint of light flashed in Ye Lengleng's clear, cold eyes. After a moment's hesitation, she nodded gently and said firmly, "I'll choose it. Thank you, Xiao Yao."

"You're too kind, Sister Lingling."

Seeing that Ye Lengleng had made up her mind, Lin Yao turned to Dugu Yan and said.

"Sister Yan, could you look after Sister Lingling for me? I'm going to take care of this Phoenix-tailed Crested Snake."

Dugu Yan immediately patted her chest and assured her, "Don't worry, with me here, I will absolutely not let anything happen to Lingling."

Ye Lengleng nodded slightly to Lin Yao, a hint of trust in her eyes.

Having received their responses, Lin Yao no longer hesitated. With a thought, his soul power suddenly erupted.

A long sword, entirely silver-white and adorned with starlight, appeared out of thin air in his hand; it was his martial spirit, the Star Sword.

With his right hand gripping the hilt of the Star Sword, Lin Yao slowly circulated his soul power.

The four different elemental powers of wood, fire, earth, and metal, like four colorful ribbons, slowly wrapped around the sword.

The silver-white sword was instantly stained with a layer of colorful hues, with faint starlight shimmering, making it exceptionally dazzling.

"How did they manage to create such a powerful spirit ring configuration? It's absolutely incredible!"

Hidden in the dense forest in the distance, Dugu Bo saw this scene through the gaps in the leaves and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Even though he already knew Lin Yao's spirit ring configuration, he was still shocked every time he saw it in person.

Four spirit rings, two purple and two black, floated around Lin Yao's body. The two black ten-thousand-year spirit rings, in particular, exuded a terrifying pressure.

This is hardly the configuration one would expect from an eight-year-old Soul Master! You could easily be mistaken for a Soul Douluo!

Dugu Yan and Ye Lengleng, standing behind Lin Yao, were also speechless with shock at the scene.

Dugu Yan opened her mouth, her eyes filled with envy.

Although her Azure Scale Flood Dragon Martial Soul was strong, her Soul Ring configuration was only average, a world of difference compared to Lin Yao.

Ye Lengleng's eyes widened slightly, a rare hint of surprise appearing on her usually aloof face.

Lin Yao was unaware of the reactions of the three people behind him.

His gaze was fixed on the crested snake in the open space ahead.

With a slight dip in his wrist, the third pale black ten-thousand-year soul ring around his body suddenly lit up, and a dazzling black light instantly enveloped his entire body.

"Third Soul Skill, Earth-Shattering Sky-Splitting Slash!"

A low shout came from Lin Yao's mouth as he gripped the Star Sword and slashed fiercely towards the Phoenix-tailed Crested Serpent.

The earth-attribute soul power wrapped around the sword suddenly erupted, spreading along the ground and instantly cracking a thin trench in the ground.

At the same time, the power of stars and space inherent in the Star Sword intertwined, forming an invisible spatial constraint that firmly locked the Phoenix-tailed Crested Serpent's body.

The crested serpent tried to dodge using its speed, but as soon as it twisted its body, it found itself trapped as if by invisible shackles, unable to move an inch no matter how hard it struggled.

Before it could react, the sword shadow whistled through the air and slammed into its body.

With a muffled thud, the Phoenix-tailed Crested Serpent didn't even have time to scream before it was knocked unconscious by the sword shadow.

The entire process took only a few breaths, and Lin Yao had easily dealt with a soul beast that was over three thousand years old, without even giving it a chance to use its speed advantage.

Upon seeing this, Ye Lengleng immediately stepped forward, the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul appearing in her hand. She injected pale pink soul power into the Phoenix Tail Crested Serpent's body, quickly ending its life.

Although she was a healing-type Soul Master, she knew that hunting Soul Beasts required a swift and decisive approach, and she did not want to cause them too much pain.

Hidden in the shadows, Dugu Bo witnessed this scene and couldn't help but secretly praise, "As expected of the little monster I've set my sights on, he dealt with a soul beast over three thousand years old so easily."

Soon, a purple soul ring slowly rose from the corpse of the Phoenix-tailed Crested Serpent, radiating a rich yet pure soul power fluctuation.

It was that soul ring that was over three thousand years old.

This spirit ring has no special attributes, so there are not many taboos when absorbing it. In addition, Ye Lengleng's physical quality has been tempered by immortal herbs, and it has long met the standard for absorption.

She walked to the base of the spirit ring, sat cross-legged, slowly closed her eyes, circulated her spirit power, and began to absorb the spirit ring.

The purple soul ring slowly descended, enveloping Ye Lingleng's body. The rich soul power flowed into her body like a stream, merging into her soul power through her acupoints.

Ye Lingleng's brows would occasionally furrow slightly, clearly as she was enduring the impact of the soul ring's energy, but they would quickly relax again, and the fluctuations of her soul power would become stronger and stronger.

Lin Yao and Dugu Yan stood guard quietly to the side, keeping watch for any other soul beasts that might appear.

Sunset Forest is already teeming with spirit beasts, and this rich spirit ring energy would easily attract other high-level spirit beasts.

Time passed slowly, and the sky gradually darkened. The afterglow of the setting sun shone on Ye Lengleng, gilding her with a golden halo.

At the same time, the soul rings around Ye Lengleng gradually faded and completely merged into her body. Then she slowly opened her eyes, a glint of light flashing in them.

His soul power fluctuated, but quickly stabilized, and his soul power directly rose to level thirty-six Soul Venerable.

Upon seeing this, Lin Yao and Dugu Yan immediately stepped forward to offer their congratulations.

"Lingling, congratulations! You've leveled up to level 36 in one go, that's amazing!"

Dugu Yan said with a smile, her tone full of joy and envy.

Lin Yao smiled and nodded, "Sister Lingling, as expected of the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul, coupled with the blessing of the Narcissus Jade Bone and Muscle, the speed of improvement is truly amazing."

It should be noted that when Ye Lingling arrived in Soto City to fight the Shrek Seven Devils in the original story, she was already an adult, but her soul power was only level 35.

At such a young age, he has already reached level thirty-six, far surpassing his original self, and his future is bright.

Ye Lengleng stood up, nodded slightly to the two of them, and a faint smile appeared on her cold face: "Thank you, Xie Xiaoyao. If it weren't for the immortal herb you gave me and the help you hunt soul beasts, I wouldn't have been able to break through so smoothly."

Seeing Ye Lengleng successfully break through, Dugu Yan's anticipation grew even stronger.

After Ye Lengleng absorbed the third soul ring, her soul power increased by six levels. Although the effect of the immortal herb played a role in this, the absorption of the soul ring beyond the limit also had an important effect.

After absorbing the fourth soul ring that has been around for over seven thousand years, how many levels will I be able to reach?

However, it doesn't have to be level 41.

However, suitable spirit beasts are not so easy to find. Dugu Yan's Azure Scale Flood Dragon Martial Soul now possesses both earth and poison attributes.

The suitable soul beast not only needs to be over 7,000 years old, but it is best to be a high-quality dragon soul beast. Finding one with such conditions in Sunset Forest is indeed quite difficult.

Fortunately, Lin Yao had already prepared plenty of dry food and tents, and was prepared for a long search.

For a Soul Master, cultivation is cultivation no matter where you are, especially since the Soul Power in Sunset Forest is already more concentrated than in the outside world, and it is also Dugu Yan's "hometown".

None of them felt like strangers here.

Night fell quickly, and Sunset Forest was plunged into complete darkness, with only the occasional roar of a soul beast breaking through the air.

Wandering through the forest added a touch of danger.

Lin Yao and his two companions found a high-lying spot with a wide view and set up three tents.

The two larger tents were given to Dugu Yan and Ye Lengleng, while the smaller one was for Lin Yao himself.

After setting up the tents, the three of them also set up several simple soul power warning arrays around the camp to prevent soul beasts from attacking at night.

After doing all this, the three agreed on a time to take turns keeping watch.

Lin Yao took the first half of the night watch, Dugu Yan took the second half, and Ye Lengleng, having just absorbed her soul ring, needed to rest and therefore did not need to participate in the night watch.

After the agreement was made, Dugu Yan returned to her tent to adjust her state and prepare for the second half of the night's watch.

Ye Lengling also told Lin Yao to "be careful" before going into her tent.

The camp quickly quieted down, with only the crackling of the campfire and the occasional cries of spirit beasts in the distance.

Lin Yao sat by the campfire, holding a branch in his hand, occasionally poking at the flames, sparks flying up and illuminating his face.

While feeling bored, Lin Yao suddenly sensed a light footstep beside him.

He turned his head and saw that Ye Lengleng had walked out of the tent at some point and was slowly walking towards him.

"Sister Leng Ling, it's so late, why aren't you asleep yet? Didn't Sister Yan tell you to get some rest?"

Lin Yao put down the tree branch he was holding, pointed to the tent not far away, and then gestured towards Dugu Yan's tent with his lip.

"Look at Sister Yan, she's already started to adjust her mindset."

Ye Lengleng walked to Lin Yao's side and sat down, hugging her knees and resting her chin on them.

His gaze was fixed on the flickering campfire, his voice still cold, yet it carried a hint of loneliness in the quiet night.

"I can't sleep, I'm thinking about things."

Lin Yao looked at her profile. The firelight reflected on her face, softening her cool features and making her look more charming.

He couldn't help but laugh and said, "Sister Leng Leng, you're not so excited about breaking through to level 36 that you can't sleep, are you?"

In his view, it was perfectly normal for Ye Lengleng to be so happy that she couldn't sleep after absorbing the suitable soul ring and increasing her soul power by six levels.

Ye Lengliang shook his head slightly, his gaze still fixed on the campfire, his tone carrying a hint of imperceptible loneliness: "No, my pursuit of strength is not actually that strong, because I don't need to bear the responsibilities and pressures from my family and sect like you do in the future."

She paused, then lowered her voice even further: "Moreover, our Nine Heart Begonia lineage has always been passed down through a single heir. Our martial souls only have healing abilities and no offensive capabilities, so we are destined to rely on other families or sects for survival."

Lin Yao was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

Previously, he only knew that the Nine Heart Begonia was the number one healing-type martial soul in the world, and Ye Lengleng had a cold and aloof appearance, but he did not expect her to have such a lonely performance.

Looking at Ye Leng Leng's expression, he couldn't help but comfort her, "Sister Leng Leng, don't think like that. The Nine Heart Begonia is the number one healing martial soul in the world."

Whether it's the top three sects or other major sects, they would all be eager to have you, so how could they possibly neglect you?

In this situation, joining a faction makes you an important member with your own voice, so how could you be someone dependent on others?

In Lin Yao's view, even Ye Lengleng, who did not change her diet and take the immortal herb, was an outstanding individual.

Possessing the top-tier Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul, its martial soul is powerful and does not have the limitations of the equally renowned Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul.

Even if she joins a faction, Ye Lengleng, who has the potential to become a Title Douluo, will definitely occupy an important position within the faction. There is really no need for her to be so pessimistic.

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