The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had one thing in abundance: money.
Its commercial network spanned the entire continent, making it completely possible to quietly acquire whale rubber without attracting any attention.
Even if they couldn’t monopolize the whale rubber market, simply getting in ahead of everyone else would be an enormous gain for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Perhaps, in time, the title of the world’s number-one sect would even pass from the Clear Sky Sect to their Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
This was undoubtedly a strategic resource!
The fact that it could increase the number of years a soul ring could be absorbed meant that soul masters with the same level of talent could start from a higher point.
Accumulated over generation after generation, the strength of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would inevitably undergo a qualitative leap.
And even if the effects of whale rubber were exposed later, they could use the opportunity to increase the sect’s wealth to an even higher level.
“Go.
Finish it.” Ning Fengzhi took a dagger from his soul tool and held it out to Ning Wen.
Ning Wen drew a deep breath, tightened his grip on the dagger, and walked toward the Bloodflame Fierce Tiger.
Compared to the relatively peaceful world of his previous life, the world of soul masters had always been cruel.
Deception, schemes, and life-and-death struggles were everywhere.
It was impossible to avoid shedding blood or taking lives.
And this was a step Ning Wen had to take himself.
No one could help him.
[Hehehehe, this will be the first step toward my resurgence and return to the peak!!] [Little tiger, becoming my soul ring is your honor.
Just peacefully become nourishment for my strength!] [Once I ascend to godhood again, perhaps I’ll revive you and let you become a divine beast in one stroke!] [Of course, that’s assuming I still remember you by then.
Hehehehe…] Ning Wen: “???” ‘No, seriously!’ ‘You are completely ruining the atmosphere!’ ‘Can’t you see I’m gathering my resolve here?’ ‘And could you please stop laughing like some kind of villain?!’ ‘You’re giving me a really bad feeling.’ ‘Besides, I’ve never even killed a chicken in my entire life.’ Ning Fengzhi: “…” Chen Xin: “…” Gu Rong: “…” This guy was way too good at acting!
On the surface, he looked timid and hesitant, but deep down, he couldn’t wait for the Bloodflame Fierce Tiger to die and move on to the afterlife.
They had seen plenty of people who were completely different on the inside and outside, but never anyone this blatantly two-faced!
Ning Wen looked down at the Bloodflame Fierce Tiger lying motionless on the ground.
Its amber beast eyes were filled with terror, while faint whimpers continuously escaped its throat.
Even though he had already prepared himself mentally, the moment he actually held a blade and faced a living creature, an instinctive sense of discomfort still welled up inside him.
[Don’t blame me.
Spirit Souls haven’t appeared yet, and if I want to become stronger, hunting soul beasts is the only way.] [Survival of the fittest.
The strong survive while the weak perish.
This is only natural.
If you want someone to blame, blame yourself for not being strong enough!] The voice pack sounded once again.
This time, it was less chuunibyou and carried a hint of unquestionable indifference.
“…
Spirit Souls?” A thoughtful look flashed through Ning Fengzhi’s eyes.
These spirit souls were probably far from simple.
Ning Wen gritted his teeth and stopped hesitating.
He strode forward, suddenly exerting force with his arm.
A flash of cold light.
The dagger pierced precisely into the Bloodflame Fierce Tiger’s vital point between its brows.
A faint, brief cry of agony rang out.
The massive tiger’s body convulsed violently twice before falling completely still.
Warm blood slowly flowed along the blade and seeped into the soil beneath its feet.
At that moment, Ning Wen instead became calm.
After a while, yellow specks of light began to emerge above the Bloodflame Fierce Tiger’s corpse.
Countless tiny points of light drifted out from the corpse like fireflies filling the night sky, slowly converging together.
In the blink of an eye, a deep-yellow soul ring with a rich hue and steady, profound radiance appeared in midair, slowly revolving.
“Xiao Wen, sit down cross-legged.” Ning Fengzhi’s voice rang out.
“Clear your mind and calm your breathing.
Guide the soul ring into your body.” Ning Wen followed his instructions, sitting down cross-legged.
He closed his eyes and completely settled his mind.
As if drawn by an invisible force, the soul ring slowly descended from the air and merged into his body.
The instant the soul ring’s energy entered his body, crimson light flickered.
The energy that should have been violent and rampaging was somehow subdued by an invisible force.
All its ferocity and scorching heat faded away, becoming gentle and docile instead.
“Damn it.
I’ve really lost out this time.” Ning Wen cursed inwardly and focused entirely on absorbing the soul ring.
Although he didn’t know why this was happening, judging from the current situation, absorbing a 1,000-year soul ring as his first soul ring shouldn’t be a problem.
A 1,000-year first soul ring!
Whether for increasing his own strength or showing off, it was incredibly useful.
Ning Fengzhi stood to the side, his gaze never leaving Ning Wen.
Even he looked somewhat surprised.
The process of Ning Wen absorbing the soul ring was simply too smooth.
“Fengzhi, it seems that an 800-year soul ring was nowhere near this kid’s limit.” Chen Xin raised an eyebrow, a look of understanding appearing on his face.
“This kid really is a monster.” Gu Rong smacked his lips.
“For his second soul ring, I think he can completely try absorbing a 1,000-year soul ring!” “The energy fluctuations of a 1,000-year soul ring are several times more violent than those of a 100-year soul ring.” Ning Fengzhi shook his head.
“The risk of absorbing one recklessly is too great.
But ultimately, we’ll have to leave the decision to him.” After a long while, the fluctuations of soul power around Ning Wen finally settled completely.
He slowly opened his eyes.
Deep within his clear, pitch-black pupils, a sharp crimson glint flashed and vanished in an instant.
“Xiao Wen, how was your harvest from absorbing this 800-year soul ring?” Ning Fengzhi asked with a smile.
[A harvest?
I suffered a huge loss this time!] [Even I didn’t expect that the mark left behind by that Asura fellow would have such an effect!] [As expected of a god realm law enforcer who “knowingly breaks the law”!] [Since I benefited from it this time, I’ll let you off without cursing you.
Hehehehe…] Knowingly breaks the law?
A god realm law enforcer?
A strange look flashed through the eyes of Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, and Gu Rong.
It seemed that even those lofty gods were not all that different from ordinary mortals.
“My soul power has increased by two ranks.” After examining his soul power rank and the effects of his soul skill, Ning Wen smiled and said, “As for my soul skill, it’s called Bloodbath Asura.
After activation, it increases all attributes by forty percent and absorbs the blood of all enemies within the surrounding area, converting it into my own stamina.” “Most importantly, as long as I have enough soul power, I can maintain this enhanced state continuously.” “How is that even possible?
Such a high enhancement, and it also allows a soul master to fight continuously?” Gu Rong said in shock.
Chen Xin and Ning Fengzhi were already too stunned to speak.
Most enhancement-type soul skills had a time limit and could only be used again after a cooldown.
Yet Ning Wen’s soul skill could not only be maintained indefinitely, but it also came with its own recovery mechanism.
The magnitude of the enhancement was far from weak, either.
Even a 10,000-year soul skill might not necessarily be this powerful.
Clearly, this was not an ability that a normal 100-year soul ring could grant.
Could it be because of that Asura Armor martial soul?
A soul ring being influenced by a soul master’s martial soul was extremely rare, but it was not unheard of.
For example, no matter what soul beast’s soul rings a soul master with a Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul absorbed, they would obtain an auxiliary soul skill with roughly the same effect.
End of Chapter