Chapter 14: The First Millennium Soul Ring
Time passed swiftly—night faded into morning as the moon set and the sun rose.
At daybreak, Dugu Bo led Dugu Chen and Dugu Yan into Sunset Forest. Although Dugu Chen had previously seen the forest from above with Dugu Bo, this was his first time truly experiencing its distinct atmosphere compared to the Star Dou Great Forest.
The differences between the two forests were clear. The Star Dou Great Forest, located centrally on the continent, was the largest soul beast forest in the region. As it sat within a tropical climate, the majority of its flora were lush and dense, lending it a humid, oppressive feel.
In contrast, Sunset Forest lay at the heart of the Heaven Dou Empire. While not a frigid region, its climate was notably cooler. As a result, its ecosystem was composed mostly of temperate plants common to the northern territories. These plants gave Sunset Forest a fresher, more breathable quality, though they lacked the density and concealment of tropical foliage. This made traversing Sunset Forest far easier than its tropical counterpart.
Of course, this also meant fewer powerful soul beasts. Most soul beasts in Sunset Forest ranged from one thousand to under ten thousand years in cultivation. Ten-thousand-year beasts, preferring the humid tropics, were exceedingly rare here. Years of unrestrained hunting by imperial soul masters had only worsened this decline, resulting in weaker and fewer high-quality soul beasts.
After half a day of searching, it was obvious that the quantity and quality of soul beasts here paled in comparison to the Star Dou Great Forest.
Realizing the inefficiency, Dugu Chen turned to Dugu Bo and suggested,
"Teacher, why don't you take Senior Sister and me up to search from the sky? Sunset Forest doesn't have any ten-thousand-year soul beasts, and with your strength, I believe you can easily protect us."
Dugu Bo nodded in agreement. He still needed to visit the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to exchange for soul bones and didn't wish to waste time. Given that there was nothing in Sunset Forest that could threaten him, aerial scouting was entirely viable.
"I'll take you up. If you see anything suitable, speak up immediately."
With a quick instruction, Dugu Bo released his spirit power, bringing both Dugu Chen and Dugu Yan into the air.
From above, the view was vastly different. In just moments, they spotted several soul beasts, but none were quite right in terms of age or suitability.
Then Dugu Chen's eyes lit up.
"Teacher, there's a Man-Faced Demon Spider down there!"
Dugu Bo immediately turned and flew toward the area Dugu Chen had indicated. As they descended, a massive spider web shot toward them. Dugu Bo casually unleashed a wave of spirit power.
Bang!
The web disintegrated instantly.
A rustling sound followed, like shifting leaves or clothing. A black shadow leapt out from the canopy ahead. Dugu Chen and Dugu Yan stood firm while Dugu Bo casually sent a palm of spirit power forward.
The massive spider collapsed to the ground, heavily injured and unable to move.
It was a bizarre and terrifying creature—its body about 1.3 meters wide, with eight long, spear-like legs stretching over two meters each. Its black carapace gleamed like obsidian, while its leg tips exuded a faint dark purple glow, hinting at a potent venom.
On its abdomen, pale white markings formed a grim human face, stark against its black body. Eight small, purple-glowing eyes clustered tightly beneath the markings.
It was the Man-Faced Demon Spider that Dugu Chen had spotted earlier. Judging from its aura, it had cultivated for around 1,500 years—within Dugu Yan's acceptable range.
"Senior Sister, this one is just right for you," Dugu Chen said. "Its age is suitable, and its venom should produce a strong spirit ability."
Dugu Yan didn't hesitate. The spider was indeed an ideal match. She moved forward, dealt the final blow, then sat cross-legged beside the corpse. Releasing her martial soul, she began absorbing its spirit ring.
Dugu Bo stood nearby, watching intently. He was nervous at first, but after Dugu Yan showed only a flicker of pain and then calmed, he relaxed.
Dugu Chen, meanwhile, examined the corpse thoroughly for a spirit bone but found nothing. He wasn't disappointed—thousand-year beasts rarely dropped bones, and unless it had been an external bone, it wouldn't have been particularly valuable.
An hour later, the spirit ring absorption neared completion. Dugu Yan slowly opened her eyes as her aura surged. The emerald light around her darkened into a deeper ink green.
Two spirit rings rose beneath her feet: a yellow one and a bright purple one. She had successfully entered the realm of the Great Spirit Master—and with a thousand-year second ring, no less. If others found out, it would surely cause a stir.
"Congratulations, Yanyan," Dugu Bo and Dugu Chen said in unison, both smiling.
Dugu Yan smiled back at her grandfather, then turned playfully to Dugu Chen.
"Junior Brother, Senior Sister was the first to reach Great Spirit Master!"
Dugu Chen laughed softly, unfazed. Dugu Bo then resumed the journey with his two disciples.
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Soon, they stopped near a large swamp.
A massive golden crocodile lay sprawled ahead, nearly thirteen meters long. Its scales gleamed like burnished gold, shimmering under the sunlight. Its tail bristled with sharp spikes, while its claws glinted with lethal sharpness.
Dugu Bo's eyes narrowed.
"This is the Golden Crocodile King. It's just over three thousand years old—well below your limit. Want to keep looking?"
"No need," Dugu Chen replied. "This one is perfect. Beasts of this quality are hard to find."
The Golden Crocodile King was a top-tier soul beast. Even the Second Elder of Spirit Hall, a Rank 98 expert, possessed it as his martial soul. It excelled in offense, defense, and sheer strength. More importantly, it carried traces of a golden bloodline—possibly inherited from the Golden Dragon King.
Even the faintest trace of the Golden Dragon King's bloodline was exceedingly rare and precious.
Despite its strength, it was no match for a Titled Douluo. In mere moments, Dugu Bo had gravely injured it.
Dugu Chen didn't delay. His dragon claws extended and slashed open its soft underbelly—its back was far too tough.
He then released his martial soul and began drawing the spirit ring into himself.
He'd expected some resistance, but instead of pain, he felt a warm, nourishing energy flowing through him. His body rapidly strengthened in every aspect.
Unbeknownst to him, his body turned entirely golden during the absorption—neither his extreme fire nor extreme earth attributes appeared. Dugu Bo noticed but didn't dwell on it.
Though painless, the absorption still took three hours.
When it finally ended, Dugu Chen opened his eyes, a golden flash flickering in their depths. His body slowly returned to its dark red hue, the sign of his dual extreme attributes.
A yellow and purple spirit ring now rose from beneath his feet. Power surged through him—absorbing the Golden Crocodile King had definitely been the right decision.
Unfortunately, there was still no spirit bone. Dugu Chen sighed but didn't linger on it. He instead cut off a large chunk of the Golden Crocodile King's flesh and stored it in Dugu Bo's spirit tool. This meat was a rare delicacy. He only stopped when the spirit tool was full.
With both spirit rings acquired, their mission was complete. Dugu Bo brought the two back home—they needed to prepare for their time at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. He also had a transaction to complete with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and would use the time to collect spirit bones.
As the sun set, its glow lit up Dugu Chen's slightly maturing face. After his breakthrough, he looked more like a child of eight or nine years old.
His clear heterochromatic eyes shone with brilliance under the fading light.
Back in his courtyard, Dugu Chen reclined on a chair, quietly watching the sunset and reflecting on the day's rewards.
He had obtained an immortal herb and his second thousand-year spirit ring. His current goals were fulfilled. Next, he needed to focus on cultivation, curing Dugu Bo, and helping him break through once more. Then, he would wait for Nuoding Academy to open in three years.
He had already confirmed the timeline: the previous Pope had died three years ago, meaning Tang San's martial soul awakening was still three years away.
When that time came, he would personally go to Nuoding Academy to meet the so-called "pure and innocent" Tang San. That hundred-thousand-year soul beast meant for Tang San? He would make sure it didn't fall into the wrong hands.
Whether he raised it himself, let Dugu Yan absorb it, or extracted its spirit bones, it was a win either way.
The only variable was Tang Hao. He mustn't be discovered. Tang Hao's intentions were unclear—would he really let go of a hundred-thousand-year soul beast that had nothing to do with his son? Dugu Bo would need to reach at least Rank 95 to confidently face Tang Hao, just in case.
That night, after dinner, Dugu Chen returned to his room and began a full night of cultivation.
Soul masters could replace sleep with meditation, though it lacked the comfort of rest. Removing his outer garments, he sat cross-legged on the couch, closed his eyes, and silently cultivated.
Even with these small victories, there could be no complacency.