Seeing Xie Yue's puppy eyes, Chenxin thought about it for a moment and simply used a little of his soul pressure to capture the bird.
The Emerald Demon Bird was frightened, but what could it do? It was already a done deal.
Because of Chenxin's instant capture method, the bird didn't get a chance to showcase its talents. Xie Yue was also helpless. Even though Sword Douluo had captured it, he kept it for himself. A 100-year-old soul beast was equivalent to a 20+ level Great Soul Master. If he gave it to Xie Yue, the boy would die.
Even though Sword Douluo didn't know exactly what type of soul beast this bird was, he could still estimate its age.
They continued walking. Xie Yue thought about what to say. After considering for a while, he came to a decision.
"Grandpa, why don't we find out what kind of soul beast it is?" Xie Yue asked.
"I don't know its name. This is my first time seeing this bird. If I had to guess its ability, it must be a speed-type soul beast. But its age is only around 200 to 250 years."
Even though Sword Douluo made an educated guess based on common knowledge, he didn't even consider letting Xie Yue absorb its soul ring. In his opinion, the bird's age was too low.
"Oh~ then Grandpa, let it fly. If we let it fly, we can find out its ability, right? I want to see it fly. You can catch it again after we see what it can do," Xie Yue pleaded again with curious eyes.
"Okay," Sword Douluo said. It was just a childish wish—fulfilling it wasn't difficult for him.
But the moment he let it go… in a flash, it disappeared.
Xie Yue thought, Why does it look like teleportation? Did I remember it wrong? No way.
Sword Douluo's eyes narrowed. Only he managed to capture its movements. It's so fast... Extremely fast.
Realizing its power, he acted decisively. He used his mental power to scan the entire area—and then he too disappeared.
When he reappeared, he had the same green bird in his hand. But there was astonishment on his face.
"Its speed is faster than most 3,000-year-old soul beasts… What the hell is this beast?" Sword Douluo muttered to himself.
Without further hesitation, he turned to Xie Yue and spoke forcefully.
"Moon, forget about raising it. You must absorb its spirit ring." He didn't want Xie Yue to waste such a powerful beast. Only by obtaining its soul ring would it be of any real use.
Xie Yue still acted like a child.
"But Grandpa~ I want to keep it as a pet," Xie Yue said, unconvinced. Because of Chenxin's forceful tone, he also let mist gather in his eyes, pretending to be on the verge of tears.
"Moon, this is not the time for playing. Grandpa will make it up to you later. First, absorb its soul ring," Sword Douluo insisted firmly.
'Hey... I shouldn't have thought so much. I didn't expect it to be this simple. If I had known, I would have just thrown a stone at this bird. There was no need to waste so much of my acting talent,' Xie Yue thought.
If he had made the bird fly earlier, he wouldn't have had to put on such an act. A simple stone would have been enough to force it into action. Because he was worried about letting the bird escape, he had taken a more roundabout approach. It was a foolish choice.
'Hehe, but in the end, I still got my bird,' Xie Yue laughed in his heart. He couldn't always find the best solution for every problem. He was also human; he wasn't perfect. He would make foolish decisions sometimes too.
"I'll listen to you, Grandpa~" Xie Yue said pitifully, still crying. Since he had started the act, he had to see it through to the end.
Chenxin injured the Emerald Demon Bird, made it unconscious with his spiritual power and placed it in front of Xie Yue.
"Moon, kill it and absorb its soul ring using the method I taught you," he instructed.
Xie Yue summoned his martial soul and slashed the bird's neck while shedding a few tears.
He then sat cross-legged and started absorbing it. After a while, he finished. His height and shoulder width increased slightly, but his soul power didn't rise much—only to level 11.
After sensing his first soul ring, his eyes shone brightly. His soul skill's name was Flash Attack. A simple name, just like the Emerald Demon Bird's appearance. But the skill itself was extraordinary.
120% improvement in movement speed while holding the Moon Blade in his hands.
When the Moon Blade flies, it gains a 150% speed boost.
120% improvement in attack power while holding it.
150% improvement in attack power while flying or leaving his hand.
These amplifications would increase with his soul power—gaining a 2% boost for every level he advanced. It was an absolutely top-tier skill. (AN: It's within the limits of Douluo settings. Super soul beasts do indeed provide skills of this level, possibly even stronger.)
Xiao Wu's first soul skill was also an amplification skill. But compared to hers, Xie Yue's was significantly better.
Xie Yue knew that, compared to the Emerald Demon Bird's bloodline, Xiao Wu's rabbit bloodline wasn't as strong. He also knew the terrifying history of the Emerald Demon Bird. It was a soul beast that had once caused catastrophe in the ancient world.
During that era, an Emerald Demon Bird had once fed on a true dragon's brain and continued evolving, eventually becoming the most terrifying killer of its time.
To avenge the dragon's death, the Dragon Clan, which had dominated the continent in that era, gathered its forces to massacre the Emerald Demon Birds and annihilated them completely.
From then on, the Emerald Demon Birds were exterminated in an operation led by a few soul beast kings. They were specifically targeted and wiped out. Only a few survived the massacre. After that, their threat to the continent's living creatures was greatly reduced. Even when one appeared, it was extremely cautious and vigilant.
The way Xie Yue killed this one may have seemed easy. But if not for Sword Douluo, all he could have done was watch it fly away.
A 100-year-old Emerald Demon Bird could already fly faster than a 1,000-year-old speed-type soul beast—and it had the same potential for terrifying attack abilities.