Chapter 28: The Fourth Soul Ring
"Even if he wants to make a move against us, with your two grandfathers here, he won't be able to do anything."
Thinking of the two guardians of the sect, Ning Fengzhi showed a confident smile.
Ning Bei watched this and couldn't help but think to himself.
"Xue Qinghe certainly wouldn't be able to do anything, but Qian Renxue can. After all, she has a formidable grandfather to protect her."
He hadn't decided yet whether to cooperate with Qian Renxue, and for now, he didn't want to share this information with Ning Fengzhi and the others, to avoid disrupting the storyline of the Heaven Dou Empire. If he did, he would lose the advantage of being a foreseer.
After that, Ning Bei returned to his regular life. He teased Rongrong at the sect, played with Dugu Yan at school, and focused on cultivation at night.
Several times, Dugu Bo came to the academy to visit his granddaughter. Seeing the intimate actions between the two, he nearly couldn't resist making a move. But then he remembered that he had tacitly accepted Ning Bei as his grandson-in-law and swallowed his anger.
He sternly warned Ning Bei not to act recklessly until he came of age, as he didn't want to be a great-grandfather too soon.
Ning Bei couldn't help but roll his eyes. It was usually Yan Zi who was acting recklessly. Her bold and passionate nature allowed him to experience the passive pleasure of being pursued.
But thinking that, after all, she was already his, letting her nag a little was perfectly normal, so he nodded and promised not to act recklessly.
Half a year passed, and with the help of the Awakening Pill, Ning Bei's spirit power reached the 40th-level bottleneck. He just needed a soul ring to break through to the Soul Sovereign realm.
The school also welcomed another holiday.
Upon returning to the sect, Ning Bei shared the news of his breakthrough with everyone.
At just 10 years old, reaching the Soul Sovereign level made Ning Fengzhi and the others incredibly happy. They decided to take Ning Bei to obtain his soul ring in a few days.
Back home, Ning Bei saw Ning Rongrong playing with Ah Bao in the yard and smiled to himself.
After half a year of nurturing, the Dark Gold Fearsome Claw Bear had reached 1500 years of cultivation. Saying it was comparable to a ten-thousand-year soul beast might be a bit of an exaggeration, but it could easily defeat any soul beast under ten thousand years.
"Brother, come play with me."
Riding Ah Bao, Ning Rongrong waved her small hand when she saw Ning Bei coming in.
"You little girl, always thinking about playing. Did you study your characters properly today?"
Hearing Ning Bei's scolding, the little girl instantly furrowed her brow in displeasure.
"I'm very smart. I already knew all the characters Mom taught me today."
Ning Bei smiled and scratched Rongrong's nose, praising her with a smile.
"Is that so? Then our Rongrong is really impressive. How about a reward? Would you like a little butterfly?"
He summoned a ten-year-old Camouflage Butterfly from the Dan Tower and placed it in her hand.
This kind of soul beast was non-aggressive and was used for planting seeds for plant-type soul beasts, or as decorations for nobles.
Ning Rongrong looked at the butterfly in her hand and beamed with joy.
"Wow, it's so beautiful! Thank you, Brother! I want to awaken a soul like yours. I'll keep Ah Bao and butterflies too!"
Hearing her innocent words, Ning Bei couldn't help but smile. Where did this second Dan Tower come from? Though the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Tower was much more colorful and beautiful, the little girl would surely like it.
On the third day, Ning Bei was about to set off to obtain his fourth soul ring. This time, it would be Gu Rong who would take him. Before leaving the sect, Gu Rong used his soul pressure to test Ning Bei's physical strength.
Since Ning Bei planned to absorb a ten-thousand-year soul ring, if anyone found out, the blame would be shifted to Whale Gel. After all, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School had been storing massive amounts of Whale Gel, and it was now in such short supply that it was hard to find in the market.
This secret would eventually be discovered, and Ning Bei no longer saw the need to suppress the age of his soul rings.
Once the test was completed, Gu Rong gave him an evaluation of a high-level Soul King. Ning Fengzhi and the others nodded in agreement, allowing Ning Bei to absorb the ten-thousand-year soul ring. With the Protective Pulse Pill, the already small risk was further reduced.
Taking Ning Bei with him, the two arrived at the Star Dou Forest in less than half a day, where they began searching for a suitable ten-thousand-year soul beast.
Ten-thousand-year soul beasts were much rarer than thousand-year ones, so they were prepared for a long search.
However, their luck was incredibly good. The next morning, by the side of a river in a forest, they encountered a ten-thousand-year Light-Refraction Unicorn Beetle, a defensive-type insect soul beast.
After the initial excitement, Gu Rong skillfully knocked the beetle unconscious and tossed it in front of Ning Bei. Though this soul beast was known for its defense and strength, it was no match for a Title Douluo.
But Ning Bei, holding a dagger, stared at the beetle for a long time, unsure of where to strike. The beetle was covered in armor, with no visible eyes.
Gu Yong, watching Ning Bei's actions, laughed and said:
"This unicorn beetle is different from regular soul beasts. Its weak point is at the back."
Hearing Gu Yong's words, Ning Bei froze, then turned around to approach the beetle's rear. Looking at the beetle's vulnerable spot, he felt a sense of disgust.
Having gone through three soul beast hunts, Ning Bei once again had to mentally prepare himself before making the kill.
After a while, Ning Bei picked up the dagger, closed his eyes, and stabbed it into the small hole behind the beetle.
A few seconds later, a dark soul ring floated up from its body.
Ning Bei silently apologized, realizing that its death wasn't very dignified.
Amid Gu Yong's laughter, Ning Bei took the prepared Protective Pulse Pill, summoned the Dan Tower, and began to sit cross-legged to absorb the soul ring.
The absorption of this soul ring was surprisingly smooth. Ning Bei's physical strength was truly top-notch, and with the spiritual power enhanced by the Longing Waters, he was able to withstand the soul shock of the ten-thousand-year soul beast with ease.
Several hours later, Ning Bei opened his eyes. Without needing to look around, he could tell what was happening. He looked over at Gu Yong, who was still entangled with soul beasts.
"Grandpa Gu, I'm done. Let's go."
Gu Rong quickly turned around and, with Ning Bei in tow, swiftly fled the Star Dou Forest. After losing their target, the massive wave of beasts began to roar in place. Most of them were powerful ten-thousand-year soul beasts.
Back in the familiar valley, after being set down, Ning Bei skillfully stretched his neck, now used to it.
Gu Yong, still with lingering fear, patted his chest.
"Bei'er, this is getting bigger and bigger. Next time, I might have to bring Old Sword Master with us. I can't fight so many soul beasts and protect you at the same time."
Ning Bei nodded.
"Grandpa Gu, next time, I'll bring some soul beasts to guard me while we absorb the soul ring."
"Hmm, that's a good idea. With soul beasts protecting you, we can focus on dealing with the wild soul beasts."
Gu Rong nodded in agreement, then asked about Ning Bei's fourth soul skill.
"Bei'er, let me see what kind of pills your fourth soul skill produces."
Upon hearing this, Ning Bei smiled proudly and summoned the Dan Tower. Four soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple, and black—appeared on the tower, with the black ten-thousand-year soul ring glowing brightly.
Several pills appeared in his hand.
Gu Rong looked at them with eager curiosity.
"Quick, tell me what they do."
"This three-flower pill is called the Three-Pattern Qingling Pill. It increases the soul power of Soul Respect-level soul masters by three levels. If a Soul Sovereign eats it, it increases their soul power by two levels. But each person can only take one in their lifetime."
"What? There's a pill that directly increases soul power?"
After hearing Ning Bei's explanation, Gu Yong's eyes widened. The effects were becoming more and more outrageous. In the past, pills only accelerated cultivation, but now they could directly level up a person.
Thinking of the Three-Pattern Qingling Pill's effects, Gu Rong looked at another purple pill.
"This one enhances cultivation, so what's the effect of this purple pill?"
Ning Bei smiled mysteriously, then explained:
"Grandpa Gu, these two pills—one enhances cultivation, and the other also enhances cultivation."
"..."
(END CHAPTER)
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