Itachi stood silently under the swaying canopy, watching as Xīrán fell to her knees. Her body trembled from exhaustion. Sweat clung to her forehead, and she gripped her chest with unsteady fingers. Her breathing was shallow and rapid, and her legs barely held her upright.
Hovering above the corpse of the Elm Viper Tree was a soul ring, a deep purple, the color of a thousand-year ring, vibrating faintly in the air. A soft spiritual pressure rippled outward from it.
Without speaking, Itachi stepped forward. From his sleeve, he removed a golden talisman and slammed it into the earth. A dome-shaped barrier formed instantly, covering Xīrán and the fallen soul beast within a translucent golden sphere.
Xīrán remained unaware of her surroundings, lost in the aftermath of adrenaline and fatigue. Only when she heard a calm voice behind her did she snap back to awareness.
Itachi extended a small jade bottle toward her. "Take this healing pill. Restore yourself first. The ring will not wait forever."
His tone was flat, but not unkind. The ring hovering in front of her pulsed gently, as though responding to his words.
Without hesitation, she took the bottle and opened it. Inside was a single pill that emitted a soft herbal fragrance. She placed it in her mouth, and warmth surged through her body. Her muscles relaxed, the pain in her limbs faded, and her soul power quickly recovered. Within moments, she was steady again.
Standing up slowly, she walked toward the soul ring. It floated between her hands as if weightless, emitting a gentle pressure. She raised her head.
"Will you stay?" she asked softly, not yet beginning the absorption.
Itachi turned away slightly and replied without looking back. "Just a stroll. You are safe inside the barrier. Nothing short of a god could break through it."
He paused, then added in the same calm voice, "Focus. I will teach you how to absorb it."
He gave her concise instructions, pointing out the importance of stabilizing her breathing and guiding the ring into the core of her martial soul. She listened carefully, nodding.
Once he finished, Itachi vanished into the forest without another word.
Yet Xīrán did not feel fear.
This was the organisation she had chosen, Black Lotus. She trusted it. She trusted her master. Her surroundings faded as she sat cross-legged and guided the soul ring toward her lotus martial soul. The black lotus floated above her head. Its thorns shimmered, and the twelve emerald swords slowly rotated in sync. The soul ring began to descend.
Outside the barrier, the forest rustled gently. Moments later, two elderly figures arrived, accompanied by a young girl in noble robes—green and white, with bright eyes and an expression of curiosity and pride.
Sword Douluo Chen Xin stopped first. He narrowed his eyes as they landed on the girl inside the golden dome.
"Grandpa Sword, what's wrong?" asked the girl beside him, her tone both curious and slightly annoyed. "Why are you staring like that?"
Before he could speak, the other elder, Bone Douluo Gu Rong, stepped forward. "Look at her martial soul," he said quietly.
Ning Rongrong did, and saw the black lotus in the air. Twelve green swords circled around the girl as she sat in cultivation. The aura around her was both sharp and elegant.
"And that ring… it's purple," she said, now more confused.
"That is a thousand-year soul ring," Gu Rong explained. "Normally, for a first ring, the body can only withstand up to four hundred years. Beyond that, the risk of death increases drastically."
Her eyes widened. "Then… she's going to explode?"
Chen Xin shook his head. "No. Look carefully. She's absorbing it without pain."
Ning Rongrong watched again. Xīrán's face was calm. Her breath steady. The lotus did not tremble.
"That's impossible," she whispered.
Gu Rong folded his arms. "It's not impossible, but it means one thing: her body and soul are stronger than any ordinary soul master her age."
Chen Xin looked on quietly, a rare spark in his usually stoic expression. "My Seven Kill Sword… it trembled just now when I saw her martial soul. That has never happened before."
Gu Rong turned his head. "Then her martial soul might be… stronger than you?"
He didn't reply.
Meanwhile, Ning Rongrong tried to approach. Her hand touched the barrier, but it didn't budge. She pressed harder. It didn't move. No matter how she tried, she couldn't open it.
She turned back. "Grandpa, I can't get in."
Chen Xin placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't disturb her. She's at a crucial moment."
Then he looked at Gu Rong. "Can you take Rongrong to hunt for her ring? I'll stay here."
Gu Rong understood. He had known Chen Xin for decades. The man had never taken a disciple, always saying none were worthy. But now, he saw something in that girl, something he might pass his legacy to.
He gave a silent nod, then turned with Ning Rongrong and disappeared into the woods.
Chen Xin remained, his sharp gaze never leaving the dome.
Inside, Xīrán's body glowed faintly. The soul ring was now halfway absorbed.
She was unaware of the stir she had caused.
All that mattered to her was this, her first step toward becoming strong.
On the other side of the forest, Eren, still cloaked in the form of Uchiha Itachi, stepped into the heart of the Star Dou Forest. His crimson eyes, now bearing the pattern of the Mangekyō Sharingan, scanned the area calmly. Countless soul beasts moved throughout the forest, their energies weaving together into a subtle tapestry of spirit pressure, but he ignored them.
His goal was clear.
The pen had limits, it could only strengthen a soul ring up to a certain degree. The higher the base age of the ring he obtained, the less energy it would cost him to refine it into a hundred-thousand-year soul ring. So rather than picking weaker prey, he sought only the strongest soul beasts nearby.
As his vision sharpened under the influence of the Sharingan, the world shifted slightly. A deep red hue coated the forest in layers of contrast, every spirit fluctuation and soul current now visible to him.
Eren let out a breath.
"No wonder the Uchiha were so arrogant," he muttered to himself. "The power that pours through these eyes… it's oppressive, yet addicting."
Still, he did not let the temptation distract him.
He stepped forward again, pacing deeper into the woods, focused on finding a spirit ring that would suit his needs. Time was running short.
In two days, he would accompany Tang San and Xīrán to Nuoding Academy. The storyline would begin to move swiftly, and so would the interference. He already knew Tang Hao would cause complications. That much was certain.
Eren's expression darkened slightly.
"I'll let that so-called 'Grandmaster' take Tang San in, just like in the original path," he thought. "But if Tang Hao tries to meddle or interfere… I'll be waiting."
He smirked, eyes narrowing.
"Every time he tries to protect his son, I'll strike him harder. And when Tang San finally reaches the peak, when he thinks he's a god among men, then I'll step out, with the full force of Black Lotus, and break him down piece by piece."
The image of a fallen Tang San briefly played in his mind, and his smirk widened slightly.
"Oh, Tang San... I wonder just how deep your hatred will go by then."
His Sharingan spun again, pulling him back to focus.
Not long after, something drew his attention. Far ahead, half-concealed within the forest mist, stood an enormous tree. Its bark was dark and aged, and thick vines coiled around its trunk like constricting serpents. The tree stood nearly fifty meters tall, and its largest rope-like vines were broader than a man's torso.
Eren stopped. His gaze sharpened.
"A Soul Banyan Rope Tree."
He narrowed his eyes, inspecting its aura carefully. The spirit pressure it emitted was suffocating, the kind that made the air dense and heavy. His Sharingan glowed brighter as it deciphered the creature's essence, and immediately, detailed information flooded his mind.
Not just its name, but its age, its attributes, and its abilities.
This was not luck. It was the effect of a new line he had written in his notebook that morning:
[My eyes become an encyclopedia of all soul beasts. No matter their age, race, or origin, one look is all it takes to know everything about them.]
As always, the pen turned fiction into reality.
And now, the knowledge flowed naturally through him. The Soul Banyan Rope Tree was over 40,000 years old. Its vines could attack with both physical force and spiritual pressure. If its ropes bound a person, the body would be crushed while the soul was shaken apart from within.
A dangerous opponent.
Which was exactly what he needed.
"Perfect," Eren said softly. "Exactly what I was looking for."
As if sensing his intent, the Soul Banyan Rope Tree stirred. Vines uncoiled from the upper branches, and a heavy pressure descended on the forest floor. Trees nearby bent from the force. Loose leaves were crushed under an invisible weight. A low groan echoed from the massive tree's roots.