Li Mansion.
After falling unconscious through the incarnation of the Azure Scaled Serpent Emperor, Li Chang'an's main body slowly opened his eyes. He couldn't help but rub his temples—splitting his consciousness to control two bodies at once was truly exhausting.
He wondered, "Will this get easier once my cultivation grows stronger?"
Thinking so, he summoned his sword Martial Soul once more. His fingers gently brushed along the blade as though caressing a beauty's skin, his movements careful and reverent, as if afraid that even the slightest force would shatter it.
After all, his future wealth, power, and survival in this world—all depended on this sword.
"This sword shall be called… the Azure Scale Sword."
He gave his Martial Soul a name. Then, he began carefully examining its traits and abilities.
After a thorough study, Li Chang'an found that in its normal state, the Martial Soul existed primarily as a sword. However, when needed, it could transform into a serpent form. The difference was—it couldn't merge with his body like a Beast Martial Soul could. Instead, he could control it independently, just as one would control a spirit beast.
But this was already a great advantage. In fact, being unable to merge wasn't necessarily a bad thing. After all, wasn't Dugu Bo's body constantly corroded by his Martial Soul's inherent poison due to such fusion?
Not being able to merge saved him from such torment.
At most, he lost out on the physical enhancements that came with Martial Soul Possession—but compared to the risk of poisoning himself, that was a small price to pay.
The next day.
An emissary from the Emperor arrived at the Li Mansion.
He was a handsome middle-aged man—and a Soul Saint-level soul master. His mission was to escort Li Chang'an to the Soul Beast Forest to hunt his first spirit beast and obtain his first soul ring.
Though the Emperor was interested in drawing Li Chang'an to his side due to his innate full spirit power, the Emperor also knew that a mutated Martial Soul always carried uncertainty. The Azure Scale Sword had never appeared before—no one knew if it was powerful or defective.
If the Emperor were to shower him with rewards now, only to find out later that he was mediocre—wouldn't that be embarrassing?
So, to avoid wasting imperial favor, the Emperor first sent this Soul Saint to accompany him. The Emperor would judge Li Chang'an's future based on the strength of his first soul skill—determining whether he was worth recruiting, and to what extent.
All depended on the performance of his first soul ring.
If Li Chang'an's first soul skill turned out to be exceptional, with great potential, the rewards would be lavish. If not—then the Emperor might merely show polite acknowledgment.
The Hunting Soul Forest.
It was a special area of land enclosed by the Heaven Dou Empire, where spirit beasts were bred and raised for training and hunting. It was far less dangerous than the wild Soul Beast Forests, but also less diverse in species and generally contained beasts of lower age.
Still, for Li Chang'an's first soul ring, the Hunting Soul Forest was more than enough.
There was no need to risk venturing into the perilous wild forests, where even Soul Saints could face mortal danger.
The middle-aged Soul Saint led Li Chang'an to the entrance of the forest. The guards recognized him immediately—without even checking for permits, they opened the gates with respect.
Such were the privileges of rank.
"As you've described," the Soul Saint said leisurely as they walked through the forest, "your Sword Martial Soul has a natural poison attribute, along with the sharpness typical of tool-type Martial Souls. That means your ideal soul beast should either possess poison or armor-piercing traits… or both."
He turned to Li Chang'an with a faint smile. "Would you prefer one that focuses on poison, or one that enhances your sword's sharpness?"
Li Chang'an paused for a moment, then asked seriously, "Can I have both? A beast that has poison and sharpness?"
The Soul Saint blinked, then chuckled. "Normally, trying to blend multiple attributes in a first soul ring can weaken the soul skill's power. But… considering your Martial Soul's special nature, it might just work. Perhaps you could indeed have both."
He wasn't too concerned. The first soul ring was merely a stepping stone—later in life, it would be replaced or overshadowed anyway. As long as the soul ring wasn't above the safe age limit and its attributes matched the Martial Soul, it was acceptable.
The Soul Saint was clearly familiar with this forest. Following Li Chang'an's preferences, he soon brought him to a dense bamboo grove.
Unlike ordinary bamboo, these stalks gleamed white like polished jade. Their leaves were sharp as blades, colored light blue with black veins running through them. A faint, refreshing fragrance filled the air.
Anyone seeing this grove would think it contained rare and precious bamboo.
In truth, these were Poisonblade Bamboos—plant-type soul beasts.
Their sword-shaped leaves were razor-sharp and venomous. They attacked by whipping their branches like whips or shooting leaves as deadly projectiles.
This particular grove contained dozens of Poisonblade Bamboos—the oldest around a thousand years, the youngest barely ten. Among them, there was exactly one that matched Li Chang'an's target: a hundred-year Poisonblade Bamboo.
"Roar!"
The Soul Saint let out a thunderous roar as his Martial Soul possessed him. His body expanded, muscles bulged, and thick brown fur sprouted all over—transforming him into a massive humanoid brown bear.
Seven soul rings glowed around him, and as the second and third rings lit up, a golden light coated his body in protective armor while his claws extended several feet, gleaming like golden blades.
With a roar, he charged into the bamboo grove.
Leaves and branches flew as he slashed and tore through the bamboo. The Poisonblade Bamboos retaliated, lashing their sharp branches and flinging razor-like leaves—but their attacks glanced harmlessly off the golden light.
Li Chang'an stayed well back, watching calmly as the Soul Saint rampaged through the grove. After a moment, the bear-like figure emerged, carrying one uprooted Poisonblade Bamboo in his arms.
Plant-type soul beasts had one major weakness: they couldn't move. Most were rooted in place, easy prey once discovered. Only high-level plant beasts—those of ten thousand years or more—could freely move.
But these Poisonblade Bamboos were too young for that.
Once uprooted, they could only thrash helplessly, firing leaf projectiles in futile rage.
Boom!
The Soul Saint threw the bamboo onto the ground. Once separated from the earth, its vitality rapidly drained—it began to wilt before their eyes.
"Now," said the Soul Saint, returning to human form and exhaling deeply, "strike its core roots and sever them. That will finish it."
This particular Poisonblade Bamboo was about four to five hundred years old—its stalks shattered, roots torn, already half-dead.
Without hesitation, Li Chang'an summoned the Azure Scale Sword. The blade, glowing like polished jade, thrust straight into the root's core.
Shh!
The blade pierced easily through the surface—and before he could push deeper, green venom spread rapidly from the wound, crawling across the root like wildfire.
Within seconds, the entire root turned black and decayed completely.
The Soul Saint's pupils shrank in shock. "Such potent venom! Even against a plant-type soul beast… this toxicity is terrifying. This child's Martial Soul is truly extraordinary!"
As the Poisonblade Bamboo withered away, a yellow soul ring slowly rose from its corpse, hovering in the air—waiting for him to absorb it.
Li Chang'an didn't rush. He turned to the Soul Saint, who reassured him, "Judging by its color, this Poisonblade Bamboo is about four hundred and some years old, certainly not over five hundred. With your innate full spirit power, it might be challenging, but you won't face any danger."
The man spoke with confidence. After all, how could anyone know the exact age of a soul ring? There was no mystical voice announcing, 'Four hundred and twenty-three years!'
In truth, as long as the first soul ring didn't exceed five hundred years, the risk was manageable. The so-called "423-year limit" that Yu Xiaogang once claimed? Complete nonsense.
After all, how could one precisely measure it? Did Yu Xiaogang have some kind of Soul Ring Scanner? Ridiculous.
After receiving the Soul Saint's assurance, Li Chang'an finally relaxed. Caution was necessary—he only had one life, and recklessness would mean death. He had no external cheat or system, so absorbing thousand-year soul rings for the first one was out of the question.
Besides, if he ever needed stronger rings later, divine assessments could help him upgrade them. There was no need to risk his life now.
Sitting cross-legged, Li Chang'an drew in a deep breath.
His soul power stirred—
The golden soul ring floated gently toward him, lowering above his head.
Then—
It slowly descended, merging into his body.
(End of Chapter)
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