In the Star Dou Forest.
Rows of towering trees appeared in their sight, their lush green branches emitting a fresh, life-filled aura. Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan walked with Yang Zhenzhen through this ancient, pristine forest.
It was Yang Zhenzhen's first time in the Star Dou Forest, and she was full of curiosity and questions about this legendary soul beast gathering place, which had given birth to countless tales of heroes. Her big eyes sparkled with energy as she looked around. Despite the dangerous nature of their task, the joy was evident in her voice.
"Nannan Jie, this place feels so refreshing!" Yang Zhenzhen inhaled deeply, then happily exclaimed.
"Right? I feel the same," Jiang Nannan smiled brightly, agreeing with Yang Zhenzhen.
"Zhenzhen, have you thought about which kind of soul beast you want for your third soul ring?" Zhu Ziyang asked, glancing at the two girls as he smiled. He couldn't help but feel a little proud at how lively they were.
"Of course!" Yang Zhenzhen replied without hesitation, "My first and second soul skills are enhancement-type skills, so I want an offensive soul skill for my third. I've already looked it up, and I think a Thunderbolt Eagle would be perfect."
Yang Zhenzhen's first and second soul rings were both obtained with the help of Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan. The first ring came from a two-hundred-year-old Electric Flying Squirrel, which gave her the soul skill "Electric Storage" to enhance her lightning element attacks. The second ring was from a seven-hundred-year-old Thunder Demon Wolf, granting her the soul skill "Thunder Demon Body" to boost her strength and attack power.
Now, the girl was hoping to acquire an offensive soul skill. This was expected by Zhu Ziyang, but what surprised him was that she knew about the Thunderbolt Eagle, a powerful soul beast, and had already decided it would be her third soul ring.
"Impressive," Zhu Ziyang remarked with a raised brow, "Do you know what a Thunderbolt Eagle is?"
"Of course," Yang Zhenzhen nodded, answering seriously, "The Thunderbolt Eagle is a top-tier lightning attribute flying soul beast. It contains explosive thunder, and it's said to come from the divine thunder above the Nine Heavens. It can easily destroy any soul beast of the same rank, which is why it's called the Thunderbolt Eagle. I believe its soul ring will give me a very powerful attack skill."
"The Thunderbolt Eagle's energy is extremely explosive," Zhu Ziyang said, his tone becoming more cautious. "Its soul ring is not easy to absorb. Are you confident in your ability?"
"I believe in myself. I can definitely do it!" Yang Zhenzhen replied with firm conviction, her eyes sparkling with determination.
"Alright then," Zhu Ziyang smiled. "The Star Dou Forest is one of the places where Thunderbolt Eagles can be found. Let's go capture one for you."
"Thank you so much, Ziyang Ge!" Yang Zhenzhen cheered excitedly, jumping in the air.
With their target in mind, the trio immediately set off. They abandoned their leisurely pace and became more cautious and focused.
They avoided the outer zones and mixed regions of the forest, heading directly for the core area. Thunderbolt Eagles, being top-tier soul beasts, wouldn't be found in the peripheral zones, so they entered the core zone to search.
After three or four days of searching through the dense forest, they finally found a suitable Thunderbolt Eagle on a tall thunderstrike tree. Zhu Ziyang personally made the move. Before the eagle's parents, two ten-thousand-year-old Thunderbolt Eagles, could react, he swiftly captured the young Thunderbolt Eagle. By the time the two elder eagles recovered and unleashed terrifying lightning strikes, Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan had already taken Yang Zhenzhen a thousand meters away, far beyond the eagles' reach.
"Zhenzhen, here it is." Zhu Ziyang tossed the young Thunderbolt Eagle, which had an approximate cultivation level of 1300 years, in front of Yang Zhenzhen.
"Mm!" Yang Zhenzhen nodded and, with her glowing green eyes locked on the elegant Thunderbolt Eagle, a kitchen knife appeared in her hand—the same kitchen knife she had used to kill two soul beasts before. Now, it would help her take her third.
With a swift motion, Yang Zhenzhen's knife struck. The Thunderbolt Eagle, which had been knocked unconscious during the capture, gave a low groan and fell silent. A faint purple soul ring emerged from its body, floating toward Yang Zhenzhen.
"Zhenzhen, you've got this!" Jiang Nannan cheered her on.
Yang Zhenzhen nodded, sitting cross-legged beside the Thunderbolt Eagle. She began to channel her soul power, and purple moth wings sprouted from her back. The wings crackled with purple arcs of lightning, looking exquisitely beautiful. The soul ring floated in the air, heading straight for her hand.
Closing her eyes, the absorption process began. Arc-like electrical discharges surrounded her body, a sign of her martial soul battling with the Thunderbolt Eagle's soul ring. Yang Zhenzhen's martial soul, the Thunder Moth, was still considerably weaker compared to the Thunderbolt Eagle, but if she succeeded in absorbing the ring, her martial soul would gain a massive boost. If she failed, Zhu Ziyang would make sure she was safe.
But, to Zhu Ziyang's surprise, the absorption process went smoothly. Occasionally, arcs of lightning flickered, but these were slowly tamed as Yang Zhenzhen's power prevailed.
"Brother!" Jiang Nannan suddenly called out in shock.
"What's wrong?" Zhu Ziyang looked over, only to see Jiang Nannan holding up a soul bone with a face full of amazement.
Zhu Ziyang was equally stunned before breaking into a hearty laugh. "This girl really is lucky!"
"Indeed!" Jiang Nannan agreed, her tone filled with admiration. "It's a torso bone, only a thousand years old, but far more precious than a thousand-year-old limb bone. This soul bone should raise Zhenzhen's strength significantly!"
"That's right, once she absorbs the soul ring, let's have her absorb this soul bone too." Zhu Ziyang smiled.
Three hours later, Yang Zhenzhen successfully absorbed the Thunderbolt Eagle's soul ring. She stood up excitedly, her slender face alight with joy, her three soul rings—two yellow, one purple—hovering behind her. Her moth wings became more vibrant with lightning arcs dancing around her.
Her eyes flashed with electric light as the purple soul ring shone brightly. In an instant, her wings turned a deep purple, and the area around her became dark. Nine bolts of purple lightning struck from the sky, landing in a five-meter radius around her, creating deep craters in the ground.
"Is this your third soul skill? Not bad!" Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan exclaimed, impressed. "A group attack, huh?"
"Hehe!" Yang Zhenzhen, full of excitement, ran over to them. "Yes! My third soul skill is called Thunderfall. It strikes nine bolts of lightning in an instant, punishing anyone within the range! The best part is, the number of strikes will increase as my strength grows!"
"Hehe, congratulations, Zhenzhen!" Jiang Nannan pinched Yang Zhenzhen's cheek affectionately. "Not only did you achieve your wish, but you've surpassed it!"
"Yes, yes!" Yang Zhenzhen nodded eagerly, clearly overjoyed.
"Here, take this," Zhu Ziyang said with a smile, handing over the Thunderbolt Eagle's torso bone. "You can absorb this now. Nannan and I will guard you."
"What?" Yang Zhenzhen froze, looking at Zhu Ziyang in disbelief.
"Don't be so shocked." Jiang Nannan laughed, explaining, "This is a torso bone from the Thunderbolt Eagle we caught for you. It's meant just for you!"
"This… this…" Yang Zhenzhen finally snapped back to reality, but she quickly refused, shaking her head. "I can't accept this, it's too precious. Ziyang Ge, you should keep it!"
"According to Shrek Academy's rules, whoever absorbs the soul ring gets the soul bone," Zhu Ziyang laughed, amused by her reaction. "Take it!"
He placed the soul bone in her hand, and Yang Zhenzhen hesitated, clutching it like it was a hot potato. She looked at Jiang Nannan for help.
"Alright!" Jiang Nannan smiled and held her hand, guiding her to accept the bone. "This soul bone is yours, no one can take it. Go on, absorb it. We'll protect you!"
With Jiang Nannan's reassurance, Yang Zhenzhen relaxed, her face lighting up with a silly grin. She sat back down, pressing the Thunderbolt Eagle's torso bone against her back and began the absorption process.
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PD: New novel Douluo Peerless: Living as an Evil Soul Master with 80 chapters available to read on Webnovel, in case you're interested."
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Here are the chapters for today (づ￣3￣)づ╭～
"Don't forget there are 40 early chapters available on Patreo
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