The carriage rattled as it transitioned from the paved roads of Xian City to the uneven dirt paths leading toward the outskirts. Zhao Chen remained silent, his eyes closed in a meditative trance that was only half-true. In reality, his mind was fully immersed in the blue-hued interface of the Apex Assistance System.
"System, use the Spirit Beast Database," Zhao Chen commanded internally. "Filter for wood and poison-type beasts suitable for a first soul ring in the outer perimeter of the Dark Forest."
A list of potential targets scrolled across his vision:
Green-Spotted Adder (100-150 years): High poison affinity, low physical defense.
Thorny Bark Baboon (200-300 years): High defense, enhances vine toughness.
Wood-Spirit Spider (350-420 years): Rare. Provides binding skills and sensory enhancement.
"The Wood-Spirit Spider matches the system's previous simulation for the 'Paralytic Thorns' skill," Zhao Chen noted, recalling the 400-year-old Poison Ivy simulation.
Across from him, Captain Yan was cleaning his broadsword with a whetstone, the metallic shing-shing sound rhythmic and steady. The man seemed relaxed, but Zhao Chen noticed his ears twitching at every rustle of the wind—the mark of a veteran Soul Grandmaster.
"Young Master," Captain Yan spoke without looking up. "You're unusually calm for a kid about to face his first Spirit Beast. Most noble sons are either shaking in their boots or bragging about how they'll slay a thousand-year beast."
Zhao Chen opened his eyes, the glow of the system fading into his pupils. "Excitement won't help me deliver the final strike, Captain. Only a clear mind will."
Captain Yan let out a low whistle. "Spoken like a true cultivator. Your father said you were a merchant's son, but you have the temperament of a sect disciple."
Two hours later, the carriage came to a halt. The air here was different—thick with the scent of damp earth, decaying leaves, and a faint, buzzing undercurrent of spiritual energy. The Dark Forest loomed before them, its ancient trees so tall they seemed to swallow the afternoon sun.
"We walk from here," Captain Yan stated, jumping down from the carriage. "The scent of horses attracts predators we don't need to waste energy on."
As they stepped into the tree line, Zhao Chen felt a sudden chill. Instinctively, he summoned his first Martial Spirit. A bundle of Thorny Crawling Vines materialized around his right arm, their small thorns glinting in the dim light.
Zhao Chen stiffened. He hadn't seen anything yet, but the system's detection was absolute.
"Captain, something is watching us from the thicket on the right," Zhao Chen whispered, pointing slightly with his vine-wrapped hand.
Captain Yan paused, his eyes narrowing. He sniffed the air and then looked at Zhao Chen with a surprised glint. "Sharp senses, kid. I didn't pick that up until just now."
With a low grunt, Captain Yan released his aura. A faint golden light shimmered around him as the phantom of a massive Iron-Claw Bear appeared behind his back. He didn't fully manifest it, but the sheer pressure caused the bushes 50 meters away to rustle violently as the feline beast fled in terror.
"A mere kitten," Yan laughed, though he looked at Zhao Chen with newfound respect. "How did you spot it? Your vine spirit isn't known for sensory range."
"I just felt a change in the spiritual fluctuations," Zhao Chen lied smoothly, his mind already focused on a deeper vibration he felt within his soul.
Deep inside his spiritual sea, the Nine-Headed Hydra stirred. Its single active 'Poison' head hissed, reacting to something deeper in the woods. It wasn't fear—it was hunger.
"System," Zhao Chen thought, his heart racing. "Is there something compatible with the Hydra nearby?"
[Ding! There is an 800-year-old Abyssal Pit Viper ahead in the Misty Hollow area, its soul ring suitable for the Nine-Headed Hydra Martial Spirit.]
Zhao Chen licked his lips. An 800-year soul ring for a first ring was suicide for anyone else. But he didn't just have a system; he had a God-Tier Martial Spirit.
"Captain Yan," Zhao Chen said, his voice steady. "Let's head toward the Misty Hollow. I have a feeling the spirit beast I need is waiting there."
Zhao Chen walked deeper into the woods, his mind racing as he weighed the risks of his ambition. While his father had provided a Soul Grandmaster for protection, the Apex Assistance System had already identified a target far beyond a standard first soul ring.
"System, use Soul Ring Simulation," Zhao Chen commanded internally as they walked. "Simulate the result of the Nine-Headed Hydra absorbing an 800-year-old Abyssal Pit Viper as its first soul ring."
[Ding! Starting Simulation...] [Simulation Result: Success Rate 85%. Skill Gained: ' Miasma of the Abyss.' Effects: A dark-purple poisonous miasma expands within 10 meter radius around the host. The miasma inflicts continuous and corrosive poison damage and paralysis to targets within the range.]
Zhao Chen's heart hammered against his ribs. An 85% success rate for an 800-year ring was unheard of in the Azure World. Most cultivators died from soul shock if they attempted even a 500-year ring at the first stage. But the Nine-Headed Hydra was a God-Tier spirit with 99/100 potential. It didn't just want the soul; it demanded it.
"Misty Hollow?" Captain Yan grunted, stopping in his tracks. He looked at Zhao Chen with a frown. "Kid, that place is thick with fog and home to some nasty critters. Your vine spirit won't be much use if we can't see five feet in front of us."
"My father hired you for your strength and experience, Captain," Zhao Chen replied, utilizing the calm he had maintained since waking up in this world. "I trust your Iron-Claw Bear to keep the perimeter clear while I find the right beast."
Yan laughed, clearly enjoying the teenager's boldness. "Fine. But if a thousand-year beast shows its face, I'm dragging you back to Xian City by your collar."
As they entered the Hollow, a thick, purple-tinted mist began to swirl around their ankles. Zhao Chen immediately activated a system function. "System, use Spirit Beast Database. Track the Abyssal Pit Viper."
"Captain, above us!" Zhao Chen shouted, his Thorny Crawling Vines surging out from his sleeves to wrap around a nearby tree trunk for leverage.
A dark shape, thick as a man's thigh and covered in shimmering black scales, dropped from the branches. It hissed, a sound like steam escaping a pipe, and its eyes glowed with a predatory yellow light.
"An Abyssal Pit Viper!" Captain Yan yelled, his eyes widening as he recognized the beast's age from the length of its fangs. "Step back, kid! This one is nearly a thousand years old! It's too much for you!"
Captain Yan let out a roar as his Iron-Claw Bear spirit fully manifested. His muscles bulged, and his hands transformed into massive, fur-covered claws. He intercepted the snake mid-air, his broadsword clashing against its iron-hard scales.
Zhao Chen watched the battle with cold, calculating eyes. This was his moment. He didn't just need to survive; he needed to deliver the final strike to claim the soul.
"System," Zhao Chen whispered, his gaze fixed on the Viper's thrashing form. "Analyze the Viper's weakness."
"Captain! Aim for the throat! Force it to use its venom!" Zhao Chen commanded, his voice ringing with an authority that made the Soul Grandmaster instinctively obey.
Captain Yan roared, his Iron-Claw Bear spirit surging with golden light as he slammed his massive paws against the Abyssal Pit Viper's coils. The beast was fast, its black scales slick with a corrosive slime that hissed as it touched the forest floor.
"Kid, stay back! Its venom can melt bone!" Yan shouted, his broadsword glowing as he hacked at the serpent's midsection.
Zhao Chen didn't retreat. Instead, he watched the rhythm of the battle through the blue lens of the System's Analysis. He saw the Viper's neck muscles constrict—the telltale sign of a venom strike.
"Now, Captain! The throat!" Zhao Chen commanded.
Captain Yan delivered a powerful upward swing, forcing the Viper to recoil and expose its pale underbelly. As the serpent opened its maw to retaliate, Zhao Chen moved. Using his Thorny Crawling Vines, he propelled himself forward, a dagger drawn from his belt.
With a precise thrust, Zhao Chen plunged the blade into the specific scale identified by the system. The Viper let out a final, gurgling hiss before its massive body collapsed, the light fading from its yellow eyes.
As the beast died, a deep purple ring of light began to coalesce above its carcass. It was far denser and darker than the standard rings Zhao Chen had read about in his memories.
"800 years..." Captain Yan gasped, staggering back as he wiped sweat from his brow. "Young Master, you can't. That ring will tear your soul apart! You're only at the tenth level of Mortal Soul Stage!".
"I know what I'm doing, Captain," Zhao Chen replied calmly, sitting cross-legged in front of the floating ring.
He reached out his spiritual sense. Ordinarily, his Thorny Crawling Vine would have trembled under such pressure. But deep within his mind, the Nine-Headed Hydra uncoiled. The 'Poison' head lunged forward, opening its ethereal maw to swallow the purple ring whole.
A wave of agonizing heat washed over Zhao Chen. He felt as if molten lead was being poured into his veins. His skin turned a faint shade of purple as the Abyssal Pit Viper's spiteful consciousness fought back.
"Merge!" Zhao Chen roared internally.
The Hydra hissed back at the Viper's ghost, its primordial aura crushing the serpent's resistance instantly. The purple ring snapped into place around the Hydra's first head, and the overflow of energy surged into Zhao Chen's dantian, shattering the barriers of his cultivation.
Zhao Chen opened his eyes. The purple mist of the Hollow seemed to part before him, and a dark, regal ring pulsed rhythmically beneath his feet.
Captain Yan stood frozen, his jaw dropped in utter disbelief. "A purple ring... as a first soul ring? This... this defies all the laws of the Azure World".
***
As the carriage remained parked at the edge of the forest, Zhao Chen and Captain Yan began their trek back through the dense foliage. The atmosphere had shifted; while the forest was still dangerous, Zhao Chen now moved with a rhythmic grace, his senses heightened by the surge in his cultivation level to the Soul Apprentice Stage.
"Young Master, I still can't wrap my head around it," Captain Yan muttered, his hand resting on the hilt of his broadsword. "A purple ring as a first soul ring... if word of this reaches the capital, the entire Tian Kingdom will be turned upside down".
"Then we shall ensure word does not reach them until I am ready, Captain," Zhao Chen replied calmly.
Low growls echoed from the shadows. Fifteen pairs of glowing red eyes emerged from the underbrush. These were common pests in the outer perimeter, but their numbers made them lethal to average cultivators.
"Standard trash," Yan spat, beginning to channel his Iron-Claw Bear aura. "Stand back, kid. I'll clear a path."
"No, Captain. This is the perfect chance to test the efficiency of the latest acquisition of soul ring," Zhao Chen said, stepping past the veteran.
Zhao Chen closed his eyes and summoned his new power. Instead of the green vines from before, a terrifying, dark purple light erupted from his feet. The 800-year Abyssal Pit Viper soul ring rose around him, pulsing with an oppressive, ancient energy.
"Miasma of the Abyss!"
A thick, dark-purple fog suddenly burst forth from Zhao Chen, expanding rapidly in a 10-meter radius. The moment the mist touched the grass, the blades of green withered and turned black.
The Shadow-Tail Wolves, mid-leap, suddenly felt as if they had jumped into a pool of thick tar. Their movements became sluggish, their lunges falling short. They began to howl in agony as the toxic mist bypassed their fur, seeping into their lungs and corroding their internal organs.
One wolf tried to retreat, but its legs gave out as the paralysis took hold. Within seconds, the once-threatening pack was reduced to a group of whimpering, shivering heaps on the forest floor, their life force being drained by the corrosive fog.
Captain Yan stood in the center of the clearing, untouched by the mist thanks to Zhao Chen's control, but his face was pale. "This... this isn't a Soul Apprentice skill. This is a slaughter."
Zhao Chen retracted the mist with a flick of his wrist. The forest went silent. "It is efficient," he noted, checking his internal status through the system.
"Let's go, Captain," Zhao Chen said, walking past the fallen wolves without a second glance. "My father is waiting for the good news".