Sunset Forest was very close to Heaven Dou City.
Just over half an hour later, the carriage carrying Lin Rong arrived at the gates of the ducal estate.
As he stepped down from the carriage, a guard came up to report:
"My lord, the child named Ma Hongjun—the one who awakened the Fire Phoenix Martial Spirit—arrived at the estate yesterday and has been safely settled in."
Lin Rong's expression didn't change much as he listened. He simply gave a casual order:
"Bring him to the main residence. I'll receive him in the drawing room."
"Yes, sir!"
Main Residence, Central Drawing Room
Ma Hongjun sat curiously studying the boy around his age before him. He thought:
"This is the Duke Uncle talked about? He's just a kid like me!"
"Maybe he's the grandson, and the real Duke is that old man standing next to him?"
From the main seat, Lin Rong was also observing the chubby youth with equal interest.
"He's not as fat as the novel described. Then again, he's only six—still untouched by the world, eyes full of innocence. Not that brothel-burning Phoenix yet."
"Good potential, though. With proper refinement, he'll become a peerless weapon under my command. This investment won't be in vain."
Seeing Ma Hongjun hesitant to speak, Lin Rong took the initiative:
"So? Awakening with innate soul power—feels good, doesn't it?"
"Mm-hmm!" Ma Hongjun nodded enthusiastically.
"The village elder said with soul power, I can become a Soul Master—a big shot! Then I'll get to live a good, rich life."
"And it's because of that power that Uncle treats me so well. I've eaten all kinds of things I've never even seen before!"
"The 'Uncle' you're talking about is one of the squad captains at my estate. You like him?" Lin Rong's eyes gleamed with insight.
"Yeah! He's super nice to me!" Ma Hongjun replied without hesitation.
Lin Rong was very pleased with that answer.
A six-year-old, far from home, would naturally grow attached to someone who stayed by his side day and night. And Ma Hongjun had done just that over the past two months with one of Lin Rong's guards.
"Since you like Captain Xu so much, then from now on, he'll be your bodyguard."
Since Ma Hongjun already depended on him emotionally, Lin Rong didn't mind pushing that relationship further.
"He's a Soul King. Before you grow strong, he'll protect you. And the deeper your bond with him becomes, the easier it'll be for you to develop loyalty to me."
At that moment, Lin Rong used his Life Perception to sense that the soul beasts he had prepared for Ma Hongjun had just been delivered to the courtyard.
Ma Hongjun's Fire Phoenix was a mutated Martial Spirit. The flames it produced were impure and riddled with evil fire.
The best known cure—Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower—was located in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
But that well was protected by Dugu Bo's poison array. Even though Lin Rong's Vine Dragon Domain had a "Life Dragon Soul" effect that converted poison to life force, his power was still limited—he only had one soul ring.
Dugu Bo was a Title Douluo. His poison array was not something Lin Rong could challenge at this stage.
Besides, picking and preserving those divine herbs required specialized knowledge—something that only Tang San, the Po Clan, or Chrysanthemum Douluo knew how to handle.
As for bartering the antidote for access to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well—trusting a half-righteous, half-evil old murderer with your life?
Lin Rong wasn't that naive. Being a transmigrator didn't mean you were the protagonist. There was no plot armor here. No need to go looking for death.
"Relying on others is worse than relying on myself. Claiming the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well will have to wait."
Since he couldn't get the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower anytime soon, his only option was to refine Ma Hongjun's Phoenix flame through the soul rings of phoenix-blooded soul beasts.
Two years ago, Lin Rong had instructed his steward to send people to capture soul beasts around the 400-year mark that carried Phoenix bloodlines.
Over those two years, they had caught five suitable avian soul beasts.
And surprisingly, all of them were beautiful to behold—quite the pleasing sight in the garden.
These five Phoenix-blooded soul beasts were:
Red-Tailed Kite — 412 years
Green-Feathered Finch — 415 years
White-Browed Falcon — 417 years
Five-Colored Pheasant — 421 years
Iceflame Eagle — 423 years
Of these, the Five-Colored Pheasant had the purest Phoenix bloodline and was just shy of the first ring limit, at 423 years.
After all, pheasants are wild chickens.
And Ma Hongjun's mutated Martial Spirit originally came from a domestic chicken, making the Five-Colored Pheasant the most compatible soul beast for his first ring.
Of course, the other four wouldn't go to waste. Lin Rong would have his chefs cook all four—plus the one Ma Hongjun was about to kill—into gourmet dishes for him to eat.
While this wouldn't be as potent as a soul ring, the meat, imbued with Phoenix energy, would still help refine the fire in small amounts.
Nothing would be wasted.
Lin Rong handed Ma Hongjun a blade and told him:
"Go on. That Five-Colored Pheasant has already been knocked unconscious. Kill it, absorb its soul ring, and you'll become a real Soul Master."
Ma Hongjun had an innate level-9 soul power. It had been more than two months since his Martial Spirit awakened.
About a month ago, through practicing the meditation technique taught by the guards, he had broken through to level 10. He'd been eager to get his first soul ring ever since.
He obediently took the blade and, under guidance, struck the vital spot of the Five-Colored Pheasant.
A deep yellow soul ring began to form above the pheasant's corpse. As Ma Hongjun stared at it, a profound longing welled up from within, urging him to absorb it.
"Release your Martial Spirit and draw the ring in. Then sit cross-legged, focus your mind on your spirit, and absorb its energy through meditation."
The voice echoed in his ear, and Ma Hongjun followed the instructions without hesitation.
The Five-Colored Pheasant was 421 years old.
In the original, Tang San had to spend a lot of effort absorbing a 400-year Mandala Snake, even with Xuan Tian Gong.
Ma Hongjun had no such internal skill, and the ring was 20+ years old. So naturally, the process was even harder.
Still, Lin Rong wasn't worried about ring backlash.
The Five-Colored Pheasant and the Fire Phoenix Martial Spirit were highly compatible, and after two months of diet and training, Ma Hongjun's body could withstand the impact.
The process would be painful, but it would also temper his willpower.
As he watched Ma Hongjun grimace in pain, Lin Rong thought to himself:
"Only through hardship can one become a sharpened blade. Ma Hongjun, don't let me down."