The violet eyes remained motionless in the darkness.
No one moved forward.
Longyu could hear his own breathing.
The Destruction Coiling Dragon Staff rested in his hands, even though he had never commanded it to appear.
That was what concerned him the most.
Since his awakening, he had tried to understand both of his Martial Souls.
He had learned to manifest the staff with relative ease.
He had felt its weight, studied its structure, and experimented with the strange Destruction energy flowing across its surface.
But it had never manifested on its own.
Until now.
And the small dragon coiled around the staff was still staring into the darkness.
Waiting.
Observing.
Recognizing.
Longyu did not know which of those words was correct.
So he chose none of them.
Not yet.
“Don’t move,” Qianjun ordered.
No one argued.
A leg slowly emerged from the shadows.
Black.
Four claws touched the stone.
Scrrrch.
Then the head appeared.
The Soul Beast was lower to the ground than Longyu had imagined when reading the ancient records, but considerably more robust.
Its head had a clearly draconic shape, though broader and more primitive than that of a true dragon.
Black scales covered its body.
Under the faint Soul Power illumination, some reflected a violet sheen.
Two small horns extended backward from its skull.
Its neck was thick.
Its forelimbs were disproportionately developed.
And each ended in four long, dark claws.
Longyu lowered his gaze to the scale he was still holding.
It matched.
But a match was not confirmation.
“Luoyue,” he whispered.
“I’m looking.”
Her blue eyes moved over every part of the creature.
“Four claws on the forelimbs.
Black scales with a violet reflection.
Two horns pointing backward…”
She paused.
“The description matches.”
Jiangmo looked at Longyu.
“What else did that record say?”
Longyu searched his memory.
“Low body.
Forelimbs more developed than the hind limbs.
Thick tail, but relatively short for a draconic species.
The scales become darker with age.”
The creature took another step.
Now they could see its tail.
Short.
Thick.
Jin Yue whispered:
“Then that’s it.”
“Probably,” Longyu corrected.
Jin Yue looked at him.
“It’s literally standing in front of us.”
“And we have a description from more than three hundred years ago.
It could be a related species.”
“It looks exactly the same.”
“That increases the probability.
It doesn’t make it a certainty.”
Jin Yue opened her mouth.
Renxue touched her shoulder.
“Don’t start.”
Surprisingly, Jin Yue listened.
Qianjun never took his eyes off the Soul Beast.
“It doesn’t seem eager to attack.”
Longyu had noticed that as well.
The creature could see them.
It could smell them.
And it could surely sense that two extraordinarily powerful beings stood before it.
Even so, it did not retreat.
A deep growl escaped its throat.
The small dragon around Longyu’s staff raised its head even higher.
The creature responded.
Longyu felt a vibration travel through his Martial Soul.
His eyes narrowed.
That…
was new.
“Fall back.”
This time, it was Jiangmo.
The five children slowly began to retreat.
No one turned their back on the Soul Beast.
One step.
Another.
The creature did not follow.
Qianjun was the last to retreat.
When they left the deeper part of the tunnel, the Soul Beast remained in the darkness.
It did not attack.
Nor did it flee.
It simply watched.
They continued until they were once again near the cave entrance.
Jin Yue was the first to speak.
“That was it!”
Qianjun looked at her.
Jin Yue lowered her voice.
“That was probably it.”
Longyu smiled.
“You learn quickly.”
“Shut up.”
Luoyue already had her notebook open.
Longyu nearly did the same.
This time, Qianjun did not stop him.
“Describe it,” Longyu said.
Luoyue looked up.
“Me?”
“You observed its body better.”
She thought for several seconds.
Then she began.
“Approximate length…”
She stopped.
“No.
Provisional species first.”
Longyu smiled.
Luoyue wrote:
Provisional Species: Ruinclaw Dragon Lizard.
Underneath:
Number of forelimb claws: Four.
Scales: Black, violet reflection under illumination.
Horns: Two, pointing backward.
Constitution: Robust.
Forelimbs: Superior development.
Observed behavior: Territorial, cautious, did not immediately attack intruders.
Longyu added:
“Reaction to draconic Martial Soul unknown.”
Luoyue wrote it down.
Jin Yue pointed at the staff.
“It wasn’t the only one that reacted.”
Everyone looked at Longyu.
The Destruction Coiling Dragon Staff was still manifested.
Longyu studied the small dragon.
It had returned to its usual position.
“Correct.”
Luoyue added another line.
Reciprocal response between Soul Beast and Destruction Coiling Dragon Staff.
Mechanism unknown.
Longyu nodded in satisfaction.
“Now the age.”
Qianjun crossed his arms.
“That will be more difficult.”
Longyu’s excitement diminished slightly.
That was the problem.
Identifying a rare species did not mean he could absorb its Soul Ring.
It could be a thousand years old.
Two thousand.
Even more.
And then all that coincidence would have no immediate value.
“The records had age indicators,” Longyu said.
“Do you remember them?” Luoyue asked.
“Some.”
He closed his eyes.
He had reviewed too many documents over the past week.
He tried to reconstruct that page.
Scales.
Horns.
Claws.
Length.
Something about…
“The horns.”
He opened his eyes.
“According to the record, they’re born without them.
They begin developing at around one hundred years.
An additional groove appears every…”
He stopped.
He wasn’t sure.
One hundred?
Two hundred?
Longyu frowned.
“I don’t remember.”
Jin Yue blinked.
“Did you just say you don’t remember something?”
“Yes.”
“I thought that day would never come.”
Longyu ignored her.
“I’m not going to invent the information.”
Qianjun showed slight approval.
“We can observe them again.”
“From outside,” Qianjun said.
“From outside,” she immediately agreed.
Longyu looked toward the forest.
“We also need to examine the territorial signs.”
Luoyue understood.
“Track size.”
“Prey.”
“Height of the markings.”
“Shed scales,” Lingyu added.
Longyu looked at her.
“Yes.”
Lingyu pointed at the one they had found.
“If we collect several, we can compare development and wear.”
Mu Qinghe smiled.
“Looks like you’ve already found yourself some work.”
Lingyu smiled as well.
“A lot.”
Qianjun sighed.
“We came here for a Soul Ring, and now I have five researchers.”
Jiangmo shook his head.
“Four.”
He pointed at Jin Yue.
She glared at him indignantly.
“I can investigate too!”
“What do you want to investigate?”
Jin Yue looked toward the cave.
“How strong it is.”
Jiangmo smiled.
“I take it back.”
They spent nearly two hours examining the area.
They did not go deep into the cave again.
There was no need.
They found seven sufficiently clear tracks.
Three scales.
The remains of several prey animals.
Territorial markings.
And something that especially fascinated Luoyue.
“It doesn’t leave very often.”
Longyu approached.
“Why?”
Luoyue pointed at the tracks.
“Most of them return to the cave.
There are only a few routes.”
Longyu studied them.
“It could hunt mainly inside the cave system.”
“Or there may be other exits.”
That was even more interesting.
Longyu looked toward the rock formations.
If the system was large enough…
“There could be more.”
Silence immediately fell.
Qianjun looked at him.
“Don’t assume that.”
Longyu nodded.
“One creature proves the species survived until this generation.
It doesn’t prove there’s a viable population.”
Luoyue wrote that down word for word.
Longyu looked at her.
“Did you have to write that?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Jin Yue rolled her eyes.
Estimating its age proved more complicated.
Qianjun personally examined the tracks and scales.
Jiangmo did the same.
Luoyue compared the characteristics with what Longyu remembered.
Finally, they returned to a safe distance from the entrance.
“Between five hundred and fifty and seven hundred years,” Qianjun said.
Longyu remained silent.
Too broad.
Jiangmo held one of the scales.
“I’d lower the maximum a little.
I don’t think it reaches seven hundred.”
“Six hundred and fifty?” Longyu asked.
“Possibly.”
That was still a problem.
His limit was six hundred.
Longyu looked toward the entrance.
The beast fit better than any of his three candidates.
Power.
Dragon.
Breaking.
And possibly…
Destruction.
He had no proof of the last one.
But the wounds on the corpse and his Martial Soul’s reaction justified investigating it.
It was almost too perfect.
And that was precisely why he needed to be careful.
Wanting a particular result could contaminate a conclusion.
“We need a better estimate,” he said.
Qianjun nodded.
“Yes.”
Jin Yue looked at him in surprise.
“I thought you were going to say you wanted to absorb it.”
“I do want to absorb it.”
Longyu had no reason to lie.
“Very much.”
He looked toward the cave again.
“That’s exactly why I need to be especially certain I’m not searching for reasons to convince myself.”
Mu Qinghe watched him for a moment.
Then nodded.
“Good answer.”
Renxue crossed her arms.
“And how do we get a better estimate?”
Longyu thought.
“The original record.”
“It’s in Spirit City,” Lingyu said.
“Yes.”
Jiangmo looked at Qianjun.
“I could go there and return fairly quickly.”
Longyu remembered that he was talking to a Titled Douluo.
Distances worked differently for them.
But Qianjun shook his head.
“Not necessary yet.”
He moved toward one of the scales.
“There’s another way.”
Everyone waited.
“Get a clearer look at its horns.”
Longyu understood.
“The grooves.”
Qianjun nodded.
“If your memory is correct.”
“And if the records were correct,” Longyu added.
“Exactly.”
Luoyue wrote something down.
Longyu managed to read it.
Verify historical age indicators.
He smiled.
They were definitely going to need better forms.
They waited.
Patience, Jin Yue discovered, was also part of hunting Soul Beasts.
She did not like it.
“How much longer?”
“We don’t know,” Longyu replied.
Five minutes later:
“What about now?”
“We still don’t know.”
Ten minutes.
“Now?”
Renxue looked at her.
“If you ask again, I’m going to help you enter the cave.”
Jin Yue fell silent.
For approximately fifteen minutes.
Then Luoyue raised a hand.
“Movement.”
Everyone went silent.
Something was approaching the entrance.
The creature slowly emerged.
This time under natural light.
Longyu could see it completely.
It measured approximately three meters from its head to the end of its tail.
Its body was covered in overlapping black plates.
Its forelimbs looked designed to tear through rock.
And the two horns…
“Four,” Luoyue whispered.
Longyu saw them.
Four clearly visible grooves.
And a fifth.
Incomplete.
His memory reacted.
Suddenly, he remembered the sentence.
Not all of it.
But enough.
After their initial development, the grooves appeared progressively during the first thousand years.
The incomplete fifth meant…
“More than five hundred,” Longyu said.
Qianjun nodded.
“Yes.”
“Less than seven hundred.”
“Probably.”
The creature raised its head.
Then it clawed at a rock.
CRACK.
Its claws sank into the stone.
They did not simply cut it.
A faint dark energy traveled through the marks.
Longyu narrowed his eyes.
The energy inside the rock…
No.
But Qianjun could.
His expression changed.
“Interesting.”
“What happened?” Longyu asked.
Qianjun touched the rock after the creature moved several meters away.
He released a small amount of Soul Power.
The energy came into contact with the claw marks.
And weakened.
Only slightly.
But it happened.
Longyu felt his heart pound.
“Destruction…”
Qianjun looked at him.
“We don’t know that.”
Longyu stopped.
Then smiled.
“Correct.”
He had been the one to jump ahead this time.
He crouched beside the rock.
“But we do have a property that erodes or interferes with Soul Power.”
“That we can say,” Qianjun replied.
Longyu studied the marks.
His interest had just multiplied.
Mu Qinghe examined Longyu again that afternoon.
Pulse.
Meridians.
Recovery.
Physical condition.
Soul Power.
Even his mental state.
Longyu remained seated while Lingyu watched every procedure.
Finally, Mu Qinghe stood.
“You’re in good condition.”
Longyu waited.
“But that doesn’t answer the main question.”
“Its age.”
“Exactly.”
Qianjun stood a short distance away.
“Our agreement was six hundred.”
Longyu nodded.
“I remember.”
“If we determine that it clearly exceeds that age, we’ll search for another Soul Beast.”
Longyu looked toward the cave.
For a week, he had researched.
He had made a list.
Reduced the candidates.
Evaluated his body.
And now he had found something better than anything he had planned for.
A species believed extinct.
Potentially extraordinary compatibility.
Perhaps even a property related to Destruction.
Losing it would hurt.
A lot.
But…
“Agreed.”
Jiangmo raised an eyebrow.
“That easily?”
“It isn’t easy.”
Longyu looked at his grandfather.
“But if I ignore the limit the moment something I want appears, then the last several days of research meant nothing.”
Qianjun remained silent.
Longyu continued.
“I don’t want to prove that I can absorb this Soul Ring.
I want to find out whether I can do it at an acceptable level of risk.”
Mu Qinghe smiled.
“Now you’re learning.”
Jin Yue crossed her arms.
“I hope it’s under six hundred.”
Longyu looked at her.
“So do I.”
Renxue smiled faintly.
“All of us do.”
As evening approached, they found the missing piece.
It wasn’t another footprint.
Nor another scale.
It was Luoyue.
She had been reviewing her notes again and again.
Finally, she approached Longyu.
“I think we’re interpreting the grooves incorrectly.”
Longyu raised his head.
“Why?”
Luoyue showed him a drawing.
She had reproduced the creature’s horns.
“You’re counting this as the fifth.”
“Because it is the fifth.”
“Not completely.”
Longyu looked at her.
Luoyue pointed at the drawing.
“The first four almost circle the entire horn.
The fifth has barely begun.”
Longyu immediately understood.
It wasn’t simply “five grooves.”
It was a developmental stage.
Qianjun approached.
Luoyue explained her observation.
The Titled Douluo thought for a moment.
“Then it would be closer to the beginning of its sixth century than the end.”
Longyu felt a spark of hope.
But he said nothing.
Qianjun continued examining the scales.
Then the tracks.
Then the cave entrance.
“My estimate…”
Everyone waited.
“Between five hundred and eighty and six hundred and twenty years.”
Jin Yue threw both arms into the air.
“Perfect!”
“That includes six hundred and twenty,” Renxue said.
Jin Yue slowly lowered her arms.
Longyu almost laughed.
But the problem remained.
“We can’t determine it more precisely.”
Qianjun shook his head.
“Not without better records or methods that we currently don’t have.”
Longyu looked toward Mu Qinghe.
The Soul Sage understood the question.
“And even if we could say ‘six hundred and ten,’ that wouldn’t mean it was actually exactly six hundred and ten years old.”
Longyu nodded.
That was precisely one of the conclusions from his tests.
Soul Beast ages were estimates.
His own limit was an estimate as well.
There was no invisible wall between 599 and 601 years.
There was a progressive increase in risk.
Qianjun watched him.
“What do you propose?”
Longyu did not answer immediately.
He wanted that beast.
That made his own opinion the least reliable one there.
So he did something different.
He looked at Mu Qinghe.
“Let him decide.”
Mu Qinghe seemed surprised.
“Me?”
“You evaluated my body.
My grandfather established the limit.
I want the Soul Ring.”
Longyu pointed toward the cave.
“I’m the person with the greatest conflict of interest here.”
Jiangmo burst out laughing.
“You definitely read too much.”
But Qianjun smiled.
Mu Qinghe remained thoughtful for several seconds.
“If the compatibility is as high as we believe…”
Longyu waited.
“If tomorrow your condition remains perfect…”
Another pause.
“And if the estimate remains within that range…”
He looked directly at Longyu.
“I would consider the risk elevated, but acceptable.”
Longyu felt his heart accelerate.
Qianjun raised a hand before he could speak.
“There’s still something missing.”
Longyu looked at him.
His grandfather turned toward the cave.
“So far, we’ve only studied that creature.”
Qianjun’s presence slowly changed.
The air seemed to grow heavier.
“But before deciding whether it will become your Soul Ring…”
Jiangmo smiled.
This time, it wasn’t the smile of a grandfather teasing his grandchildren.
It was the smile of a Titled Douluo before a battle.
“We need to find out how it fights.”
A growl came from the cave entrance.
Longyu stood.
The Destruction Coiling Dragon Staff appeared in his hand.
The three candidates disappeared from his thoughts.
Now only one remained.
But it was not his Soul Ring yet.
First, they had to confirm its identity.
Its strength.
Its abilities.
Its compatibility.
And then…
hunt it.
Longyu stared toward the violet eyes appearing once again among the shadows.
Luck had placed an opportunity before him that should not have existed.
But luck had only opened the door.
Whether he should walk through it was still up to them.