It was a blood-red soul ring.
A blood-red, 100,000-year soul ring.
This is the ultimate treasure that every soul master dreams of.
A 100,000-year soul ring can cause a soul master's strength to leap forward.
Even for those who have reached the level of Super Douluo or Ultimate Douluo, a 100,000-year soul ring represents a profound foundation.
In many ways, this foundation also impacts combat power.
Seeing this blood-red soul ring, Zhang Lexuan didn't hesitate any longer. She sat cross-legged, summoned her martial soul, and the blood-red ring floated above her head.
Then, a vast and overwhelming power began to pour in.
Zhang Lexuan focused all her attention and began absorbing the soul ring.
...
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
In the sky, two gigantic creatures clashed wildly.
Within a hundred-mile radius, everything was shrouded in their oppressive aura.
Such a fierce battle caused many soul beasts in the Star Dou Forest to tremble in fear.
Only the stronger clans remained unaffected.
"Bang!"
Another collision occurred, and a giant shadow was knocked back several hundred meters.
It was a strange-looking beast with a pair of horns on its head—
The Godly Taotie Bull.
"Bear Lord, do you intend to kill me?"
The Godly Taotie Bull spoke in human language, his eyes filled with seriousness.
The Bear Lord's strength was greater than he had imagined.
Even with his power as a 98th-level Super Douluo, he was being overpowered by the Bear Lord.
This super fierce beast had maxed out speed, defense, and attack.
It had no weaknesses at all.
The relentless attacks were giving Xuan Zi a massive headache.
Throughout the fight, he had been under immense pressure.
"Do you think I'm just playing around?
When I say I'll kill you, I mean it!"
The Bear Lord was a simple-minded brute. Once he decided to kill Xuan Zi, he would stop at nothing.
The Bear Lord was the second most powerful combatant in the Star Dou Forest.
In terms of overall combat power, it might not surpass a true Ultimate Douluo like Mu En, but it was certainly on par with or even stronger than Body Sect Master, Du Busi.
Once the Bear Lord got serious, Xuan Zi was no match; he was practically being beaten to the point of begging for his life.
"Bear Lord, aren't you afraid that Shrek Academy will hunt you down?" Xuan Zi threatened.
"What the hell is Shrek Academy?"
"Fight me to the death?
Fine, bring it on! If they don't come, it means Shrek Academy has no guts."
Threatening the Bear Lord? That was never going to work.
The Bear Lord was bold enough to bare his claws even at Di Tian.
If you didn't subdue him, he wouldn't care about you at all.
And Xuan Zi? He wasn't even a match for the Bear Lord.
His words only enraged the Bear Lord further.
Suddenly, the fierce light in the Bear Lord's amber eyes flared.
He rushed forward and hammered the Godly Taotie Bull relentlessly.
At first, Xuan Zi still tried to tough talk, but after taking a few hits, his tone softened.
"Bear Lord, it's just a small conflict. Is it necessary to go all out against me?"
"It's just a misunderstanding."
Xuan Zi said this while trying to fend off the Bear Lord's attacks.
The Bear Lord scoffed, "You're the Taotie Douluo, right?"
"Yes, I am Xuan Zi, an elder of Shrek Academy's Sea God Pavilion."
Xuan Zi accidentally revealed his identity, hoping to intimidate the Bear Lord.
But the Bear Lord wasn't fazed and grinned.
"Since you're the Taotie Douluo, there's no misunderstanding."
He was beating him simply because he was the Taotie Douluo.
Daring to call the Bear Lord stupid? The Bear Lord would kill him for that.
"Damn it!"
Facing a brute like the Bear Lord, who was impervious to threats and overwhelmingly strong, Xuan Zi was at a loss.
He could only try to hold his ground.
But as the Bear Lord's attacks became more fluid, Xuan Zi found himself increasingly at a disadvantage.
"This won't work. I can't keep tangling with this stupid bear. If I wait until the other fierce beasts arrive, I won't be able to escape."
Xuan Zi's mind raced, trying to figure out how to retreat.
But the Bear Lord had no intention of letting him go.
The Bear Lord grabbed one of the Godly Taotie Bull's horns, trying to pin it down.
But Xuan Zi struggled violently, using his horns to push forward.
The bear and the ox wrestled, causing the surrounding space to tremble.
The Bear Lord had to use his other paw to grab the other horn, trying to completely subdue Xuan Zi.
Xuan Zi, of course, didn't want to be captured, so he pushed back hard, almost striking the Bear Lord in a sensitive spot.
The Bear Lord flew into a rage, his eyes turning red.
No longer caring about restraining Xuan Zi, Bear Lord raised his left paw, his sharp claws extending more than ten meters.
The Bear Lord aimed his claws at the Godly Taotie Bull's head.
Xuan Zi's expression changed drastically, and he struggled to escape, but the Bear Lord held him too tightly, preventing his escape.
He could only instinctively try to dodge.
But the bear's claws were already upon him.
The sharp dark-gold claws, like blades through tofu, severed one of the Godly Taotie Bull's front legs before he could fully evade.
"Ah!!!"
The pain was excruciating, and the Godly Taotie Bull let out a heart-wrenching scream.
A terrifying power exploded from his body, and he managed to throw the Bear Lord off.
In the next moment, he turned and fled!
Xuan Zi had never been a match for the Bear Lord, and now, missing a leg, he was even less of one.
The Bear Lord was knocked back hundreds of meters. Seeing the Godly Taotie Bull turn into a yellow blur, trying to escape, he panicked.
Without thinking, he swiped its right paw.
It was the Sky Splitting Claw, the most terrifying attack of the Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear clan.
The Sky Splitting Claw was powerful enough to even wound Di Tian.
The massive claw tore through the air, aiming for the fleeing yellow blur.
Sensing the danger, the yellow blur unleashed a tremendous burst of energy to block it.
Then, with a burst of speed, the yellow blur vanished completely.
"That bastard... ran fast."
The Bear Lord cursed, clearly dissatisfied.
If the fight had continued, he was confident he could've killed Xuan Zi.
But unfortunately, Xuan Zi had escaped too quickly.
Still, Xuan Zi had lost a limb, so the Bear Lord hadn't come away empty-handed.
The Bear Lord waved his hand, and a severed limb appeared in his grasp.
Xuan Zi had fled so hastily that he hadn't even taken his severed limb with him.
The Bear Lord squeezed hard, and the entire limb was crushed into a bloody pulp, except for a glowing bone.
"This is... a soul bone?"
The Bear Lord examined it, full of disdain.
"What a useless soul bone. It's far inferior to those of my clan."
"But the young master might find it useful, so I'll keep it for him."
"Heh, next time I see him, I'll give this soul bone to the young master. He'll praise me for being capable."
"Heh heh, heh heh heh heh!"
The Bear Lord scratched his head, laughing foolishly.
After laughing for a while, as if remembering something, he scooped up the heavily injured ten-thousand-year Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear below and disappeared.
...
"Whoosh!"
In the sky, a yellow blur streaked toward the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest.
At this moment, Xuan Zi had reverted to his human form, his appearance disheveled and now drenched in blood. His right arm had been severed at the shoulder, with blood gushing from the wound as if it had been sliced off by a sharp blade. Deep gashes marked his chest and abdomen, with fresh blood pouring out.
Xuan Zi's face was pale, and pain flickered across his aged features.
"Damn that Bear Lord... it severed my arm. My soul power is dropping fast."
Xuan Zi cursed, his expression grim.
Losing an arm, especially one containing a soul bone, was a devastating blow to any soul master. Once a soul bone is absorbed, it binds to the soul master's body, and removing it is no easy task. For those below the rank of Title Douluo, removing a soul bone often leads to death. For those above Title Douluo, it's possible to survive, but the process would damage the body's essence, and their soul power would permanently decrease by one rank.
Xuan Zi's soul power was strong enough to avoid an immediate drop in rank, but it was still steadily declining. Where once he possessed the strength of a level 98 Super Douluo, he was now barely at level 96—and it would continue to fall, potentially until he was at the level of a Soul Douluo.
This was something Xuan Zi absolutely could not accept. Injuries could heal, but the loss of his power was unbearable.
At this moment, his hatred for the Bear Lord reached unimaginable heights.
"I need to leave the Star Dou Forest quickly. If that Bear Lord catches up, I'm done for."
Muttering to himself, Xuan Zi used his soul power to temporarily stem the bleeding and flew forward at high speed. As he moved, he scanned the forest, searching for the remaining inner court students.
Could they all have perished?
As he flew, Xuan Zi finally spotted several red figures in the distance. He immediately descended toward them.
There, Han Ruoruo was leading Wu Ming and Hua Yao through the forest. Navigating the outer core area was proving difficult, especially with injured and exhausted members in their group.
Han Ruoruo herself was weakened, with little soul power left. However, seeing the pale and exhausted Wu Ming, along with the purely support-type Hua Yao, she had no choice but to stay alert.
"I wonder how Lexuan is doing," Han Ruoruo thought, keeping her guard up.
Just then, the sound of something cutting through the air startled her. She tensed up, only to relax slightly when she recognized the approaching figure.
"Elder Xuan!"
It was Xuan Zi.
"Elder Xuan, your arm…?"
Han Ruoruo gasped, her face turning pale as she saw Xuan Zi's severed limb.
Wu Ming and Hua Yao also froze in shock. Xuan Zi's arm was truly gone.
"I was careless," Xuan Zi said darkly.
"The Bear Lord seized the chance and severed my arm. We need to leave immediately before it tracks us down. Where are the others? Where's Lexuan?"
Xuan Zi's eyes were cold, his hatred for the Bear Lord evident.
"They... they're all dead. Senior Sister stayed behind to cover our retreat," Wu Ming said, her voice breaking. Tears welled in her eyes. Normally fierce and unyielding, the Golden Crow Holy Lady now appeared fragile.
Eight of the twelve students who had set out were already dead. Senior Sister's fate remained uncertain.
"What happened?"
Xuan Zi asked, his tone impatient.
Han Ruoruo quickly explained how they had been ambushed by Bloodmend Serpents, resulting in several deaths, with Zhang Lexuan staying behind to buy them time to escape.
Xuan Zi's face darkened further. The students had been unlucky to encounter such a deadly swarm in the mixed zone.
Damn it all!
The deaths of so many promising Shrek Academy students enraged Xuan Zi, but he didn't have time to dwell on it.
"We will have our revenge, but we need to leave now," he said firmly.
"If Lexuan hasn't rejoined you by now, she may have met a tragic end."
Xuan Zi's sorrowful expression did little to hide his growing anxiety as his soul power dipped below level 95.
"But—"
Wu Ming started to protest.
"No buts. Han Ruoruo, take these two and follow me."
Without waiting for further discussion, Xuan Zi pulled out a soul tool, used a rope to tie the three of them together, and flew into the sky, turning into streaks of light that disappeared over the horizon.
...
As the sun set, Zhang Lexuan finally completed the absorption of her soul ring. A bright moon hung behind her, casting down beams of silver light. Beneath her, eight soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, red.
Her eighth ring was a 100,000-year soul ring.
At that moment, Zhang Lexuan had become a true Soul Douluo—and not just any Soul Douluo, but one with a 100,000-year ring. She was only twenty-three years old.
The 100,000-year soul ring had instantly raised her soul power to level 83.
Twenty-three years old and already at level 83—a true prodigy.
Zhang Lexuan could feel the vast difference in her strength. The physical enhancement from the 100,000-year soul ring, combined with the power of her new soul skills, was far superior to that of any ring below 100,000 years.
She felt that if she unleashed her full power, she wouldn't be much weaker than the average Title Douluo.
And, if nothing else, she could escape any dangerous situation unscathed.
Amid her joy, however, Zhang Lexuan couldn't help but feel puzzled.
Absorbing a 100,000-year soul ring should have been far more challenging. In her estimation, it should have pushed her to the brink, forcing her to endure intense pressure and requiring a long recovery period.
Yet, the process had gone surprisingly smoothly. Aside from the overwhelming energy of the ring, she encountered no resistance from the soul beast's remnant soul. There was an odd sense of familiarity and closeness, which made the absorption process seamless.
Zhang Lexuan, well-read in ancient texts, understood what this likely signified.