After the Martial Soul Possession, the Contra-level powerhouse Meng Shenji faced a mere Soul Beast of less than a thousand years old. Naturally, he didn't even need to use his Soul Skills. Simply relying on his own immense soul power, he restrained the Soul Beast from a distance.
Then, he clenched his hand lightly in the air.
Accompanied by a bone-chilling crunch, the two-meter-tall Diamond Mantis suddenly shriveled up, its entire shell crushed under the immense pressure of soul power—left barely alive, gasping its last breaths.
A Contra-level expert—truly terrifying!
Li Chang'an put on a look of awe and admiration, which greatly satisfied Meng Shenji's vanity. Stroking his long beard with a smile, he said,"This Soul Beast's age is just right, and its characteristics perfectly match your Martial Soul. Go ahead and finish it."
"Alright."
Li Chang'an nodded, summoned his Jade Scale Sword, and walked toward the dying Diamond Mantis. Lifting his sword, he aimed at its vital spot and thrust fiercely!
Shhh!
It felt like piercing through thick iron; the process was extremely difficult. Li Chang'an could clearly feel how tough the creature's exoskeleton still was—even in its weakened state, crushed nearly to death by soul power. It wasn't hard to imagine how formidable its defense must be in perfect condition.
Gritting his teeth, he channeled his soul power. The sword in his hand glowed with an emerald radiance as he pressed down hard.
Shhh!
The jade-like blade plunged deep into the Diamond Mantis's body. The ferocious-looking Soul Beast finally breathed its last. A yellow Soul Ring slowly rose from its body.
Seeing this, Li Chang'an exhaled softly, drew his sword out, then sat cross-legged on the ground with his sword resting across his knees. Guiding his soul power, he began to draw the Soul Ring into his body…
Meng Shenji watched quietly, monitoring his condition. Even though there shouldn't have been any problems—this absorption was practically guaranteed to succeed—he couldn't help but feel tense. After all, this boy was the future pillar of the Empire; nothing could be allowed to go wrong.
The absorption went extremely smoothly.
Li Chang'an could clearly feel the Soul Ring's power not only merging into his body but also strengthening his Martial Soul—enhancing his foundation and talent.
The Diamond Mantis truly was a Soul Beast perfectly suited to his Martial Soul's traits.
Two hours later, he slowly opened his eyes. Two yellow Soul Rings now surrounded him. The first was close to five hundred years old, the second nearly eight hundred—a textbook example of the best possible Soul Ring configuration recognized in the Soul Master world.
"Chang'an, you're awake! How do you feel?" Meng Shenji hurriedly asked, afraid something might be wrong.
Over the past six months, he had grown quite fond of the talented and hardworking boy, even treating him almost like a grandson.
"Grandpa Meng, I'm fine," Li Chang'an replied with a smile, shaking his head. "In fact, I feel better than ever! My Soul Power has even reached level twenty-two!"
"Level twenty-two? It seems your foundation is truly deep." Meng Shenji sighed in relief, then couldn't help but marvel.
When a Soul Master reaches the limit of a level—say level ten—without obtaining a Soul Ring, they can't break through, but their Soul Power can still accumulate. Once a Soul Ring is added, all that stored power bursts forth at once.
Normally, with a second Soul Ring of about eight hundred years, one would gain just a single level—reaching level twenty-one. But Li Chang'an reached level twenty-two, showing that his advancement wasn't just due to the Soul Ring. Meng Shenji deduced that he must have accumulated a large amount of Soul Power beforehand, which was now fully released.
This only further proved how diligently Li Chang'an trained daily—to have such a strong foundation that it allowed him to gain an extra level.
"Oh right, what's your second Soul Skill?" Meng Shenji asked curiously after his amazement settled.
"My second Soul Skill is Sword Light!"
As Li Chang'an spoke, he stood up, gripping the Jade Scale Sword. The second Soul Ring lit up, and a faint golden glow covered the jade-like blade.
With a casual swing, he slashed toward the Diamond Mantis's severed leg. Instantly, it sliced through as easily as cutting tofu.
A stark contrast to the struggle from before.
"After adding Sword Light, my Martial Soul's sharpness has greatly increased. It can cut through things far more easily now," Li Chang'an explained. Indeed, with Sword Light attached, the Jade Scale Sword sliced effortlessly, no longer hindered as before.
"And not just the sword itself—the sword energy I release also gains the enhancement of Sword Light," he continued, raising the sword and slashing again.
A streak of golden-tinged green sword energy shot out, piercing straight through a large moss-covered rock in the distance.
Before, his sword energy could only penetrate halfway. Now it easily bored through the entire rock—showing how much Sword Light amplified his attacks.
Meng Shenji nodded repeatedly. As a Contra, his insight far surpassed that of ordinary Soul Masters. He could clearly see how powerful Li Chang'an's Soul Skills were.
That kind of penetration and destructive force might not be any weaker than top-tier sword-type Martial Souls like the Seven Killing Sword.
The Heaven Dou Empire had truly gained a treasure this time.
The hunt was complete.
The journey back was uneventful.
After returning to his courtyard dormitory, Li Chang'an stood before the full-length mirror, examining himself. He realized that after absorbing his second Soul Ring, his body had grown significantly taller. Just from appearance alone, he no longer looked like a six-year-old child.
When a Soul Master absorbs a Soul Ring, the Soul Ring's energy enhances and accelerates physical growth. That's why, in the Soul Master world, one can't judge a person's true age by their appearance.
After absorbing two Soul Rings, Li Chang'an—who wasn't even seven years old yet—already looked like a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old youth. His growth was astonishing.
But there was no need to worry about premature aging.
The Soul Ring's energy only promotes growth; the exact effect varies from person to person. Once the body's development reaches maturity—around age twenty—further Soul Ring absorption no longer changes one's appearance.
At that point, the body is fully developed and stops growing, so the Soul Ring's energy no longer alters one's looks.
After that, a Soul Master's appearance only changes naturally with age, gradually aligning their outer appearance with their true age. In other words, when Li Chang'an's body matured to look around twenty, his appearance would freeze—unchanged until his real age caught up, creating a "frozen age" effect.
Of course, some higher-level Soul Masters could even deliberately control their appearance to resist aging—but that was another matter entirely.
So there was no need to fear that absorbing a few Soul Rings would turn a teenager into a middle-aged man. That was impossible.
After all, if Soul Rings made people age faster—who would dare absorb them?
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