After undergoing rigorous training, Chen Ming was finally ready to take a significant step on his path as a soul master: absorbing the first soul ring of his life.
Thanks to intensive training, various medicinal aids, and a small portion of whale glue, Chen Ming's physique was far ahead of his peers. He didn't look like a nine-year-old child but rather resembled a 14- or 15-year-old teenager.
Inside a vast and dark cave, clusters of emerald-green vines sprawled and grew, unconsciously emitting faint toxic fumes.
The toxicity of this gas was extremely corrosive. Ordinary people wouldn't last a few minutes in this environment before their bodies began to dissolve. Even low-level soul masters would die in agony. Yet, Chen Ming and his two companions stood calmly in the center of the cave, staring expressionlessly at the vines.
The EJade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes was cultivated and nurtured by the Chen family. Long before these plants matured, they had prepared the necessary antidotes. Additionally, the influence of the Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes had caused the Chen family's Emerald Scorpion martial soul to mutate. For this reason, the poisonous fumes that were fatal to others had limited effects on the Chen family.
Of course, limited effects didn't mean no effect. Staying in this cave for less than a day wouldn't cause any harm, and damages from a stay under three days could be remedied. But in case of an accident or loss of soul power, even a Chen family member could only survive for about half a day at most.
Over the centuries, dozens of Chen family members have died in this cave for various reasons. If the family didn't already have so few soul masters, the death toll might easily have reached three figures.
In general, plants rarely became soul beasts. Their transformation largely depended on quantity. Some plants might live for hundreds of years without becoming soul beasts, while others could transform in just a decade. The criteria remain mysterious and unexplained.
For example, some snow lotuses might become soul beasts after centuries or millennia on ordinary snow-capped mountains. Yet, even the most exceptional snow lotuses in the extreme north might remain no more than natural treasures for 100,000 years, only to be consumed by other soul beasts in the end.
Typically, a single plant-type soul beast represents numerous untransformed counterparts. Even among common plant-type soul beasts, the likelihood of becoming a soul beast is merely higher, not guaranteed.
The Silver Dragon King, who fell on the Douluo Continent tens of thousands of years ago, left behind scattered energy that formed the Lake of Life, eventually giving rise to the Star Dou Forest. Yet, after all these years, the trees near the Lake of Life have not become soul beasts despite being nourished by it.
The Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes typically takes 10,000 years to have a chance at becoming a soul beast. However, the flowers in this cave were not ordinary. They thrived in an environment uniquely suited to poisonous plants and benefited from the Chen family's deliberate intervention, resulting in their current state.
The cave contained nearly a hundred Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes of varying sizes. Yet, fewer than ten of them could be considered soul beasts, while the rest were merely soul power-infused plants, still far from becoming true soul beasts.
The Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes was predominantly dark green, with a large flower bud and several vines extending from its base. These vines served both as a means of nutrient absorption and as a form of attack.
Most of the flowers cultivated by the Chen family hadn't fully bloomed due to their age. They usually kept their buds tightly shut, camouflaging themselves as dark green rocks, with only their vines serving as visible markers.
Although the flowers were undoubtedly of high quality, they generally preferred to conceal themselves. Only when their age or quantity reached a point where they felt secure would they remain openly in bloom. This was because releasing poison consumed significant energy, potentially delaying their growth or causing accidents if their condition deteriorated.
Chen Ming gazed resolutely at the Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes before him. His soul power subtly surged as his breaths synchronized with the plant. With each inhale and exhale, the massive flower bud trembled slightly, responding to his presence.
"Xiao Ming, have you truly decided? Although we've asked you this many times, I must ask again here: are you certain you want to absorb the soul ring of the Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes?"
"Your body and meridians are roughly equivalent to those of an average Grand Soul Master and even slightly stronger. Theoretically, you could absorb an 800-year soul ring."
"Even some Soul Elders don't have a third ring of that age."
"If you're sure, I'll immediately find you a top-tier 100-year soul beast. After absorbing its soul ring, your strength will far surpass that of an average one-ring soul master. You could even absorb a 1,000-year soul ring as your second!"
"Have you thought this through? Do you truly want to absorb the Five-Hundred-Year Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes as your first spirit ring?"
Chen Shijie reached out and gently patted Chen Ming's head, speaking to him earnestly with a look of deep concern in his eyes. Beside him, Chen Tianyun opened his mouth as if to say something but ultimately stayed silent.
Absorbing a soul ring with a lifespan equivalent to what others would use for their second soul ring was unthinkable for an ordinary soul master. No one knew who first set this precedent, but for centuries, even millennia, it had been an unshakable truth in the soul master world. Therefore, neither Chen Shijie nor Chen Tianyun truly believed Chen Ming could absorb a soul ring of seven or eight hundred years as his first.
If Chen Ming had brought up this idea on his own, they certainly wouldn't have allowed it.
But… it all depended on the circumstances.
Forcibly absorbing a soul ring beyond one's limit—but less than a thousand years—was something Chen Shijie could still intervene in and interrupt if necessary. Even if it came at a great cost, leaving him unable to increase his soul power or absorb soul rings for several years, he could at least save Chen Ming's life and allow him to continue as a soul master.
However, the Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes was far too dangerous. Place an ordinary thousand-year soul beast beside this plant, and in moments, that spirit beast would dissolve into a pool of viscous liquid. It's venom and soul power far surpassed that of typical hundred-year soul rings—so much so that some thousand-year soul rings paled in comparison to the five-hundred-year Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes.
Once the absorption process began, there would be no turning back, no hesitation. Success or instant death. Even if a Titled Douluo were present, they'd need the assistance of at least a healing-type Soul Sage to keep Chen Ming alive. And even under the best circumstances, Chen Ming might lose his ability to become a soul master forever. Worse, he might spend the rest of his life bedridden, barely clinging to life for a few years.
If he failed now, there wouldn't even be a body left behind—just a puddle of liquid.
To Chen Shijie and Chen Tianyun, it seemed that Chen Ming was actively courting death.
They had witnessed Chen Ming's talent over the years. He indeed possessed the potential to reach the level of a Soul Sage or even a Soul Douluo. If he followed a steady path of cultivation, there was no reason he couldn't eventually solve their family's problems and restore their glory. There was simply no need to take such a reckless gamble by attempting to absorb the soul ring of the Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes.
"I've already made my decision…"
Chen Ming could sense their concern but still shook his head firmly and said resolutely.
He extended his hand to touch the venomous vine in front of him. The moment his hand made contact, the previously lifeless Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes seemed to react as though provoked. It began to writhe, and its previously closed flower petals slightly opened, releasing an even denser toxic mist.
"When I first came here to cultivate, this Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes caught my eye the moment I saw it. Back then, it wasn't even a soul beast. I nurtured it with my soul power and blood for two and a half years. Over time, I've felt that a unique connection has formed between us."
"When I place my hand on it, I feel as though I've grown an extra limb, a new organ connected to my very flesh…"
Chen Ming shook his head as he spoke.
"It's difficult to explain, and I don't fully understand the principles behind it. But this is the truth. If it were any other Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes, I wouldn't be confident in successfully absorbing its soul ring. But with this one—I'm certain I can do it."
"It won't reject me."
As Chen Ming spoke, the vine in front of him wiggled slightly, as if responding to something—or perhaps expressing dissatisfaction. However, to the two men beside him, the movement was meaningless.
"Plant-type soul beasts only develop sentience after ten thousand years, and true intelligence after a hundred thousand years. This is merely a five-hundred-year-old Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes. It became a soul beast only due to the right timing and conditions. How could it possibly have sentience? Xiao Ming, you need to think this through…"
At this point, Chen Tianyun, who had been silent, could no longer suppress his emotions. He grabbed Chen Ming's sleeve, his voice full of desperation.
Chen Ming's father, Chen Tianfeng, had been blessed with a son late in life. He cherished Chen Ming dearly, but both he and his wife had tragically passed away in an accident while hunting soul rings.
Chen Shijie had taken on the role of the family's pillar, while Chen Tianyun personally raised Chen Ming. From teaching him to speak to witnessing his martial soul awakening, Chen Tianyun had always treated him like his own flesh and blood.
To Chen Tianyun, Chen Ming was no less than a son—far more important to him than his unborn children.
In his eyes, even though Chen Ming's talent was extraordinary, the odds of success were only one in ten, while the chances of death were nine in ten. That was a gamble he could not accept.