In Douluo Continent, he tricked Xiao Wu into giving him a soul ring.

Lan Si seized the opportunity and fired two shots at the armpit of the Crimson Feather Eagle.

To ensure the bullets could penetrate defenses, Lan Si specially covered them with the Five Thunder Heavenly Heart Technique's soul power, which could increase penetration.

"puff!"

"boom!"

Two gunshots rang out.

Two bullets, imbued with blue electric arcs, were fired. The first bullet, with a soft "thud," pierced the armpit of the Crimson Feather Eagle.

The second shot, in pain, caused the Crimson Hawk to shift slightly off course. Although it missed the soft underarm area, it still injured its wing, knocking out seven or eight of its reddish-blue iron feathers.

With both wings injured, the red-feathered eagle could no longer maintain its balance and, along with the mandala snake, spiraled down from the sky.

Lan Si's guiding principle has always been to strike while the iron is hot and take your life.

Taking advantage of the Red Feather Eagle's injury, Lan Si, carrying the Haotian Bamboo Shoot in his left hand and holding an automatic pistol in his right, rushed out of the cave. He unleashed the Five Thunder Heavenly Heart Technique and the Supreme Holy Qiankun Skill to their limits, firing several shots at the Red Feather Eagle's wound. Then, he used the Haotian Bamboo Shoot to chisel away at the wound, creating a bloody hole with each chisel.

Blood stained the earth red, and soon the Crimson Feather Eagle fell silent.

Not satisfied with all that, Lan Si took out a short knife and stabbed it into the eyes of the Crimson Feather Eagle and the still-not-quite-dead Mandragora Serpent. The sharp blade went straight into their brains, and both the Crimson Feather Eagle and the Mandragora Serpent died.

Faint yellow light spots gathered above the corpses of the Crimson Feathered Eagle and the Mandragora Serpent, eventually transforming into two yellow halos.

Seeing the yellow halo appear, Lan Si finally collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. The attack just now had almost exhausted all of his soul power.

Looking at the corpse of the Crimson Feather Eagle and then at the mandala snake that was no longer serpentine, Lan Si's tender face revealed a faint smile. "Now not only do I have my own spirit ring, but I also killed Tang San's mandala snake. I just wonder what Tang San will choose as his first spirit ring. If it's that less than a hundred-year-old bamboo from the original story, that would be interesting."

Looking up at the distant horizon, a faint glimmer of dawn appeared.

As dawn approached, Lan Si did not hesitate. He put the corpses of the Crimson Feather Eagle and the Mandragora Serpent into his soul tool, then turned and darted into the cave he had been in before. The Crimson Feather Eagle could be used to absorb soul rings, while the Mandragora Serpent could provide him with materials for making poisons.

Back when he was the Fourteenth Protector in the Tongwen Hall of the Bad Guys world.

Lan Si once used the Jin Xin Ci.

The venom of the Datura serpent is enough to poison even a Great Soul Master or a Soul Venerable.

Once the Jin Heart Thorn is made.

Whether applied to bullet heads or Jin Xin Ci (a type of thorn), it's a good choice.

.......

Three hours later, a burst of blue electric arcs and a pale white flame surged out from the narrow opening.

A dark figure darted out and landed on the ground. The warm sunlight shone on the earth, reflecting Lan Si's straight figure.

Compared to yesterday, he has grown significantly taller and his shoulders are broader. The hospital uniform that was previously loose and heavy on him now gives him a slender and graceful appearance.

Looking down at his feet, a yellow halo had quietly risen and was swirling around his body, a distinctive mark of a first-ring Soul Master.

"The feeling of absorbing a spirit ring is truly wonderful. Not only has my spirit power broken through the bottleneck, but I've also grown taller. No wonder so many people on the Douluo Continent are eager to improve their cultivation."

Lan Si stretched comfortably, raised her right hand, and a blue lotus flower emitting a pale white aura appeared in her palm.

He broke through the bottleneck by absorbing the spirit ring.

The blue lotus in Lan Si's hand was noticeably larger, and its aura of a deep white was much more intense. The eight lotus leaves even shimmered with a metallic luster that they hadn't shown before.

"Let's test the power of the first soul skill."

Lan Si murmured, and the yellow soul ring on his body lit up instantly. His Azure Lotus Martial Soul rose into the air and split into eight. Each lotus petal transformed into a sharp blade, carrying a pale white flame, and shot fiercely toward a tree as thick as a water bucket.

"Puff puff..."

A sound of something being pierced rang out as the sharp blade pierced through the trunk of the large tree without any resistance, creating eight transparent holes. Looking through the holes at the other side, the sunlight shining from there was exceptionally dazzling.

"The power is not bad, so-so."

Lan Si raised her hand and recalled the blade, which transformed back into a blue lotus and floated in front of her.

His first soul skill is called Azure Lotus Assault, which is a group attack soul skill.

Judging by its power alone, it may not be the strongest among the first soul skills, but it grants the Azure Lotus Martial Soul a powerful passive ability—flight.

Lan Si was able to control the Azure Lotus to fly freely without using spirit rings.

In other words, if he uses it properly, he can gain the ability to fly briefly by stepping on the Azure Lotus Martial Soul.

Chapter Twelve: Picking Up the Bowl to Eat

Having obtained the soul ring, Lan Si naturally had no intention of staying in the Soul Hunter Forest any longer.

He strolled along leisurely, testing his newly acquired spirit ring skills on the surrounding spirit beasts.

At midday, they finally emerged from the Soul Hunter Forest.

However, when they were leaving the Soul Hunter Forest, they were stopped by two fully armed armored guards.

"stop."

"Uncles, is there something you need?" Lan Si glanced at the two men, revealing a look of bewilderment and fear that was typical of his age.

It must be said that a child's appearance is the most deceptive.

Seeing Lan Si's fair and pretty face, the expressions of the two armored guards behind their masks softened slightly. One of the guards squatted down and asked Lan Si, "Which academy are you from? Where is your master?"

"I'm from Notting Academy. I got separated from my teacher not long ago, so I went back the way I came," Lan Si said, half telling the truth and half lying.

"What an irresponsible teacher." The armored guard was somewhat angry, but dared not speak out. He was just an ordinary guard and could not afford to offend a Soul Master. He pointed to the wooden house not far away and then said to Lan Si, "Little brother, it's a full four hundred miles from here to Notting City. We're worried about you going back alone. You can wait for your teacher in that wooden house."

"Thank you, Uncle." Lan Si didn't refuse. Since he had already obtained his first soul ring and advanced to a Soul Master, he could now cultivate the Supreme Qiankun Technique and the Five Thunder Heavenly Heart Technique again, breaking through to the second level. At that time, his speed, strength, soul power density, and explosive power would all be greatly improved.

..........

On the evening of the third day, Tang San and Yu Xiaogang finally emerged from the Soul Hunter Forest.

The two were in a rather disheveled state. Although Yu Xiaogang appeared unharmed, his face was deathly pale, devoid of any color, clearly a symptom of poisoning.

Carrying Tang San on his back, Yu Xiaogang's legs were dangling on the ground, dragging as he walked, due to the huge difference in their physiques. Tang San, who was carrying him, was obviously exhausted, breathing rapidly and covered in sweat.

"It seems that even without the Mandragora Serpent, Tang San still encountered a decent spirit ring." Seeing this, Lan Si sighed inwardly, then walked up to the two of them and asked with feigned surprise, "Tang San, what's going on between you and Master?"

Tang San glanced at Yu Xiaogang, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes, before turning to Lan Si and saying, "My teacher and I encountered a hundred-year-old soul beast. To protect me, my teacher was poisoned by that soul beast."

Lan Si said, "Then let's hurry up and send Master back to Notting Academy."

Tang San nodded, and then heard Lan Si say, "You wait here first, I'll go hire a carriage."

After saying this, Lan Si greeted the two armored guards and then turned and strode towards the market.

When Yu Xiaogang woke up, the three of them were already in the carriage.

"Hey, Master, you're awake." Lan Si, who was looking at the Soul Beast Encyclopedia, closed the book and smiled at Yu Xiaogang.

"Lan Si?" Yu Xiaogang was somewhat shocked. He turned to Tang San and asked, "Xiao San, what's wrong with me?"

Tang San glanced at Lan Si without leaving a trace, then said to Yu Xiaogang, "Teacher, you were poisoned by the Black Mamba Snake, so I carried you out. Then I met Lan Si at the entrance of the Soul Hunter Forest."

"What about the Black Mamba? And how's your spirit ring?" Yu Xiaogang suddenly realized and quickly asked.

"Don't worry, teacher, I've already taken care of my spirit ring. That black mamba snake was already at its last gasp after being hit by your spirit skill. I took care of it with just a little effort," Tang San said without batting an eye.

Upon hearing this, Yu Xiaogang breathed a sigh of relief and smiled with satisfaction. "That black mamba snake is nearly three hundred years old. Although it hasn't reached the limit of the first soul ring, it's not bad either. You'll have to show me your first soul skill later."

"Yes." Tang San respectfully replied. After absorbing this soul ring, he not only solved the problem of his Xuan Tian Gong being unable to improve further, but also gained a comprehensive understanding of martial souls. In his opinion, this so-called soul power was actually similar to his internal energy in his previous life, except that this world seemed to lack cultivation methods and could only operate in a simple way.

Lan Si, who was standing to the side, heard the conversation between the two and sighed inwardly, "Is this the kind of plot repair?"

Come to think of it, given Tang San's temperament, how could he possibly absorb that trashy bamboo that's less than a hundred years old?

However, the transformation of a nearly 400-year-old mandrake into a nearly 300-year-old black mamba snake can be considered an unexpected delight.

Both are similar in toxicity, but their lifespans differ by a full hundred years.

"And you, Lan Si? How's it going with getting your first soul ring? If you haven't gotten it yet, let's turn around and head back to the Soul Hunting Forest to hunt that Soul Power Sacred Tree. It'll be a good opportunity to test out Xiao San's first soul skill." Yu Xiaogang looked at Lan Si, a hint of smugness flashing in his eyes.

"There's no need to trouble you, Master. My soul ring problem is already solved," Lan Si said calmly.

"That's good." Yu Xiaogang didn't pay much attention. According to his thinking, Lan Si probably just randomly chose a ten-year soul beast. Then he said, "In that case, you two should remember to go to the Spirit Hall when you get to Notting City."

"Why go to the Spirit Hall? Haven't we already awakened our spirits?" Tang San asked, puzzled.

A wise glint flashed in Yu Xiaogang's eyes as he said to Tang San, "It's not about awakening your martial soul, but about undergoing a soul master assessment. First, it's to test your soul power, and second, you can receive a monthly stipend, so you won't have to work as a student anymore. You can spend more time cultivating."

"It seems the Spirit Hall is quite friendly to us commoners." Upon hearing that there was a subsidy to receive, Tang San's calm face revealed a faint smile.

"Hmph, it's just about winning people's hearts; all that money comes from the two great empires," Yu Xiaogang sneered, disdainfully.

biquge.name

Upon hearing this, Tang San frowned, all the goodwill he had towards the Spirit Hall vanished.

In his view, feudal monarchy was supreme, and the Spirit Hall's actions were clearly overstepping its bounds. They even smack of rebellion, clearly contradicting his previous life's ideals of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism.

Just as the master and disciple were united against the Spirit Hall, Lan Si's voice suddenly echoed from inside the carriage: "Master, I have a question I would like to ask you."

"Oh? Go ahead." The theory of invincibility has been proven in Tang San, and he is clearly in a good mood at this moment.

"Master, you must come from a noble family or a major sect, right?" Lan Si asked casually.

Yu Xiaogang frowned. "Why do you say that?"

P.S.: First update. Please vote, invest, and add to your favorites. The contracts have been sent out; those interested in investing should hurry.

If you're interested, you can check out the author's first Douluo novel, "Douluo: Stealing the System of Myriad Realms."

The Doupo fanfiction "Doupo: The Treasure Exchange System" is currently in completion.

Chapter Thirteen: Putting Down the Bowl and Cursing the Mother

“It seems so,” Lan Si said. “Master comes from a noble family and has been pampered since childhood. Naturally, he thinks like a nobleman and doesn’t see things from the perspective of us commoners.”

"According to you, the subsidies that the Spirit Hall distributes to Soul Masters come from the Empire. Then I want to ask you, where does the Empire's money come from? From those nobles? From those sects?"

Lan Si shook his head repeatedly, "No, none of that. They are commoners, collected from us commoners. As the saying goes, what is taken from the people should be used for the people. If there were no Spirit Hall, would the Empire still be issuing subsidies to Spirit Masters? Or would the Empire be allowing commoners like me and Tang San to awaken their Spirits? Would you still be able to accept Tang San, a disciple with innate full Spirit Power?"

"This..." Lan Si's question stumped Yu Xiaogang, because he had never thought about these things. His impression of the Spirit Hall was only that Bibi Dong coveted his theories and abandoned him, which made him resentful. That was all.