Chapter 11: Sword Edge
After activating his Spirit Avatar, Meng Shenji—an experienced Soul Douluo—barely needed to lift a finger to deal with a soul beast under a thousand years old. Without using a single soul skill, he relied solely on his overwhelming spiritual pressure.
A moment later, his soul force surged like a tidal wave. With a simple clench of his hand from afar—
Crack! Creak!
A chorus of sickening crunches echoed through the forest as the two-meter-tall Golden Mantis was forcefully compressed by invisible pressure. Its metallic exoskeleton groaned under the strain before finally caving in, its once-fearsome form reduced by nearly half. Though still breathing, it lay motionless, broken and barely alive.
This was the power of a Soul Douluo.
Li Chang'an watched the display with wide eyes, awe and admiration written plainly on his face. It wasn't entirely an act—he was genuinely impressed. No flashy moves, no drawn-out battle. Just pure, overwhelming might. The reaction clearly pleased Meng Shenji, who stroked his beard with an air of modest pride.
"This soul beast's age is just right," Meng Shenji said with a satisfied nod. "Its innate traits align perfectly with your martial soul. Go on—finish it."
"Yes, sir."
Li Chang'an stepped forward, summoning his Green Scale Sword with a flash of green light. The sword, smooth as jade and humming faintly with energy, settled into his hand like an extension of his own arm. Taking a breath, he raised the blade and plunged it down into the Mantis's vitals with all his strength.
Clang!
The resistance was tremendous. The Mantis's armor, even in its crushed state, was still tough enough to challenge the sword's edge. Li Chang'an gritted his teeth, pushing more soul power into the blade. A faint green glow pulsed along the sword's length.
Chih!
With a sharp hiss, the blade finally pierced through, ending the beast's suffering. As its body slumped completely still, a soft yellow ring of light rose from its corpse and hovered in the air like a glowing halo.
Li Chang'an let out a quiet breath, then withdrew his blade, sat cross-legged on the forest floor, and placed the sword across his lap. Channeling his soul power, he reached out to draw the ring into his body, beginning the absorption process.
Meng Shenji stood nearby, watching silently but attentively. While he was confident there wouldn't be any issues—this was a standard spirit ring absorption—he couldn't help but feel a flicker of concern. The boy before him wasn't just talented; he represented a rare seedling for the future of the empire. Nothing could be allowed to go wrong.
Thankfully, the process went smoothly from start to finish.
Li Chang'an could feel it the moment the soul ring entered his body. A warm, surging energy spread through his limbs, fusing with his martial soul, strengthening its foundation and subtly altering its nature. It wasn't just a boost to his combat ability—this soul ring was enhancing his very potential.
The Golden Mantis had been an excellent match.
About two hours later, Li Chang'an opened his eyes. Two soul rings now circled around him: the first close to 500 years, the second nearly 800. It was a textbook-perfect configuration for a young spirit master, both in quality and compatibility.
"Chang'an, how do you feel?" Meng Shenji quickly stepped forward, his eyes filled with concern.
"I'm fine, Grandpa Meng," Li Chang'an said with a smile. "Better than fine, actually. My soul power just advanced to level 22."
Meng Shenji blinked. "Already level 22?"
His expression shifted to one of genuine admiration. Typically, a soul master could only rise one level after attaching a soul ring, especially one around 800 years. Reaching level 21 would be expected. But level 22?
That meant Li Chang'an had already stockpiled a significant reserve of soul power through cultivation alone. It was only thanks to this deep foundation that he'd been able to leap an extra level after absorbing the ring.
"Impressive," Meng Shenji murmured. "You've been cultivating diligently these past months, haven't you?"
Li Chang'an just smiled in response.
"What about the new ability?" Meng Shenji asked eagerly. "What's your second soul skill?"
"It's called Sword Edge," Li Chang'an replied. Standing up, he raised the Green Scale Sword again. As the second spirit ring lit up, a faint golden glow coated the jade-green blade.
He stepped over to the Mantis's severed leg and slashed down.
Chih!
Clean as cutting tofu. The thick limb that had once resisted his full strength now fell into two neat halves, the cut smooth and effortless.
"After activating Sword Edge, the sharpness of my weapon spirit increases dramatically," he explained. "Not just the sword itself—even the sword energy I project benefits from the enhancement."
To demonstrate, he slashed in the air again. A blade of cyan energy, tinged with gold, flew forward and sliced cleanly through a large moss-covered stone several meters away. The stone split apart with a deep crack, its halves falling to the ground with a heavy thud.
Previously, his sword energy could barely scratch that stone.
Now, it cut straight through.
Meng Shenji's eyes lit up. "Excellent... this ability has incredible offensive value. It's not inferior to the Seven Kill Sword's techniques at all."
To say this was high praise would be an understatement. The Seven Kill Sword was recognized as one of the top-tier sword martial souls in the entire continent. For Li Chang'an's second soul ability to be compared favorably meant his potential was extraordinary.
The Heaven Dou Empire had indeed picked up a rare treasure.
With the soul ring successfully absorbed, the hunt was complete.
The journey back was uneventful, and before long, Li Chang'an was once again back in his small courtyard dormitory.
Standing before the full-length mirror, he examined his reflection carefully.
He was taller now—noticeably so. The childish roundness of his face had begun to fade, replaced by sharper, more defined features. He didn't look like a six-year-old anymore. If someone unfamiliar saw him on the street, they might mistake him for a teenager of seventeen or eighteen.
It wasn't uncommon.
Soul ring energy could greatly influence physical development, especially in younger spirit masters. The stronger and more compatible the ring, the greater the impact on the body's growth. It was a well-known phenomenon in the spirit master world.
But this change wasn't something to worry about.
Though the body matured faster, it didn't cause premature aging. Once a spirit master's appearance reached its physical peak—usually around the equivalent of twenty years old—further ring absorption would no longer alter their looks. Only natural aging would affect them from that point onward.
In fact, powerful spirit masters could even slow or halt the aging process altogether, maintaining their youthful appearances for decades.
So no, Li Chang'an wouldn't suddenly turn into a middle-aged man after absorbing his third ring. That was simply impossible.
If that were the case, who in their right mind would dare to become a spirit master?
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