Twelve days later.
The outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.
A young boy was wielding a silver spear, locked in battle with a large bear covered in thick gray fur, as if it were wearing a suit of armor.
This boy was Yun Ming, who had come out with his grandfather, Yang Wudi, to obtain his first soul ring.
Nearly two weeks had passed since they arrived at the Star Dou Great Forest, and Yun Ming still hadn't found a suitable soul ring. However, this was quite normal when hunting for rings, especially since Yun Ming was specifically looking for a Space Element one. They had found an Ethereal Python during this time, but its age was over a thousand years, making it completely unusable.
Today, the grandfather and grandson had only just begun their search when they ran into this Ironclad Bear.
Yun Ming thrust his silver spear forward without any flashy movements. This plain, unadorned strike landed directly on the right claw that the Ironclad Bear had swiped out.
"Clang!"
The long spear collided with the right claw, producing a crisp, clear sound. At that moment, Yun Ming felt as if he had struck a steel plate, and the Ironclad Bear didn't budge an inch.
However, the Ironclad Bear didn't feel as calm as it appeared. The moment the spear and claw collided, the bear's mind fell into chaos! It felt as if the spear wasn't piercing its proud, hard armor, but its very soul. At that moment, the Ironclad Bear felt that this strike was irresistible and shouldn't be resisted—much like facing a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear: when the sovereign commands a subject to die, the subject must comply!
Immediately, blood flowed from the seven orifices of the Ironclad Bear as it slowly collapsed to the ground, falling into a dead faint. Seeing that the Ironclad Bear was incapacitated, Yun Ming let out a long, heavy breath. Beside him, Yang Wudi nodded in satisfaction. Although he had seen Yun Ming defeat hundred-year soul beasts over five hundred years old more than once in the past few days, every time he witnessed it, Yang Wudi felt a sense of shock and couldn't help but exclaim.
"My grandson, Yun Ming, possesses the potential of a Heaven-Reaching Douluo!"
Hearing his grandfather's exclamation, Yun Ming suddenly felt as if something had been added to his body, leaving him feeling uneasy, but he quickly returned to a strange state of calm. After all, in his previous life, Yun Ming was a top-tier powerhouse among the level 99 Heaven-Reaching Douluo; he could handle such a small "flag" of praise.
Yang Wudi glanced at the blood-covered face of the Ironclad Bear and clicked his tongue in wonder.
"Ming Er, your 'Absolute Dominance' is definitely worthy of being called the world's premier unique skill!"
'Absolute Dominance' was the name Yang Wudi had given to the meditation method Yun Ming had "self-created." It was simple and direct, yet it pointed straight to the core of the method. As for the spear strike Yun Ming had just used, it was a combat application of 'Absolute Dominance' he had discovered over the past few days. 'Absolute Dominance' had no specific moves; every strike could embody absolute dominance, injuring not just the body, but the spirit as well.
Hearing his grandfather's praise, Yun Ming feigned modesty and said, "Grandfather, you flatter me. It's just average, really!"
Watching Yun Ming's "humble words but arrogant expression," Yang Wudi smiled. Only at times like these could he see the childish side of Yun Ming. He didn't expose him and continued, "The paws of this Ironclad Bear have an excellent texture. They are not only succulent and chewy but also rich in nutrients. They are the cream of the crop among bear paws. We grandfather and grandson are in for a treat."
Hearing Yang Wudi's assessment of the Ironclad Bear paw, Yun Ming's eyes lit up with anticipation. It wasn't that he cared much for gluttony, but since he started practicing 'Absolute Dominance' a few days ago, he had discovered a drawback—or perhaps a prerequisite—of this method: it consumed a massive amount of Spiritual Power and blood energy, requiring resources to replenish the loss. The most practical way to replenish blood energy was to eat highly nourishing food. Judging by the fact that Yun Ming had been eating one small-to-medium hundred-year soul beast every day, the consumption was quite significant.
One hour later.
Yun Ming looked at the bear paw in the campfire, charred on the outside and tender on the inside, fragrant and golden in color, and swallowed his saliva. The color and aroma were incredibly tempting; it was truly a top-tier bear paw. Seeing that it was almost ready, Yun Ming was just about to reach for it when, suddenly! A black shadow shot out from the forest like a bullet, aiming straight for the bear paw!
Yun Ming's brain hadn't reacted, but his body moved on its own. He summoned his Atlas Spear, stepped forward, and executed a Skyward Thrust in one fluid motion. The timing, angle, and force were perfect. The casual strike was natural and pleasing to the eye, directly catching the black shadow.
However, Yun Ming immediately saw a faint, eerie light flicker on the shadow. His Atlas Spear overlapped with the shadow, and he felt no sensation of physical impact, but rather a strange, eerie resistance.
"Awoo~"
The black shadow shuddered and let out a pained growl; it seemed its move had been broken by the Atlas Spear. After the shadow forcefully parried the long spear, its speed slowed slightly, but it continued to dash toward the bear paw.
Yun Ming quickly realized what had just happened and let out an exclamation.
"Space Element Voidification?!!"
Seeing the shadow about to touch the bear paw, Yang Wudi, who was beside Yun Ming, also moved. He let out a cold snort, summoned his Soul Breaking Spear, and fully unleashed the soul power pressure of a top-tier weapon spirit Soul Douluo.
"Hmph!"
Yang Wudi had seen the momentary clash between the black shadow and Yun Ming, and upon hearing Yun Ming's exclamation, he understood what kind of soul beast this was. He didn't use any flashy moves, simply unleashing his full soul power pressure to suppress the shadow.
Then, Yun Ming heard the shadow let out a roar.
"Awoo!"
The black shadow's limbs stiffened, and due to momentum, it rolled a long distance away, kicking up a cloud of dust. Only after the dust settled did Yun Ming see the shadow's appearance clearly.
It was a small leopard, but unlike typical leopards with bright fur, black spots, and a yellow base, this little leopard was pitch black all over. If one looked closely, one would find faint, strange silver patterns on its body, as if looking at the true essence of space.
"Void God Leopard?"
Yang Wudi also let out an exclamation upon seeing the little leopard. The Void God Leopard was the king of leopard-type soul beasts, holding the same status as the Titan Giant Ape of the ape race or the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear of the bear race. However, unlike those super soul beasts that were all-rounders and followed the grand orthodox path, the Void God Leopard was the extreme of the bizarre.
The Void God Leopard's strength, defense, and physical constitution were only at the average level of an advanced leopard soul beast. Only two aspects were exceptionally strong: its talent abilities, Space Rending and Voidification, especially the latter. Space Rending ensured the Void God Leopard's lethality, while Voidification not only gave it the ability of void-like existence but also improved its survival, making it impossible to hit or catch. Therefore, in the soul beast world, the Void God Leopard was also known as the "Bizarre" God Leopard!
Space Rending and Voidification made the Void God Leopard one of the kings of soul beasts. If it were more bloodthirsty by nature, it would definitely be a top-tier soul beast hunter more terrifying than the Man Faced Demon Spider.
The Void God Leopard in front of Yun Ming had only been suppressed because it had accidentally been struck by Yun Ming's Soul Breaking Spear and suffered a minor injury, combined with the special soul power pressure of Yang Wudi's Soul Breaking Spear. With these two coincidences, it had been suppressed. Otherwise, the soul power pressure of an ordinary Soul Douluo would have little effect on a Void God Leopard. It could only be said that meeting Yang Wudi and his grandson was a destined tribulation for this Void God Leopard.
Hearing his grandfather's name for the little leopard, Yun Ming's eyes lit up. Whether it was Voidification or Space Rending, both were a perfect match for the Atlas Spear!
If he could obtain the Voidification soul skill, not only would his previous plan be realized, but it would also have a life-saving effect! It could allow him to merge into space, transform between reality and void, and turn the real into the fake!
Before Yun Ming could speak to Yang Wudi, Yang Wudi noticed his interest and said directly, "This Void God Leopard is nearly six hundred years old!"
However, perhaps because Yang Wudi felt this soul ring was too perfect for Yun Ming, or perhaps because he had seen Yun Ming's extraordinary performance since his spirit awakening and trusted the super spirit Atlas Spear, he did not directly refuse.
Hearing his grandfather's judgment on the age of the Void God Leopard, the heat in Yun Ming's heart cooled slightly.
In this era, the soul master world still believed that the limit for a first soul ring was four hundred and twenty-three years. Now, whether to absorb a super soul beast nearly six hundred years old as his first ring, Yun Ming fell into deep thought.
PS: Seeking monthly tickets, seeking recommendations.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: DaoistReader