Chapter Thirteen: The Second Soul Ring

The events of today were so extraordinary that both Chen Shijie and Chen Tianyun wished to keep them secret. Although Chen Ming reassured them several times that it wouldn’t be necessary, the two still swore a solemn oath, beginning with “By the Angel God above” and pledging their Martial Souls as the price.

In this world, such matters were of immense importance. If Chen Shijie and Chen Tianyun casually revealed what had transpired, even if the Angel God did not impose divine punishment, their Martial Souls would suffer consequences — at best, a regression in their soul power; at worst, the complete loss of their Martial Souls.

The cave, however, was not a suitable place for conversation. After ensuring no further complications, Chen Shijie led Chen Ming and Chen Tianyun through the underground passage back to the Chen family’s secret chamber beneath their estate.

The cave nurturing the Jade Phosphorescent Seven-Perfection Flower lay deep within the Bi Luo Gorge. The Chen family had, over centuries, integrated themselves into the soul beast ecosystem, occupying a niche by masquerading as a group of soul beasts. This ruse maintained the area’s secrecy. Being deep underground and located at the core of the gorge, with countless millennia-old soul beasts guarding the outer regions, no outsider had ever discovered it.

The secret passage was long and winding, even a soul master’s pace required half a day to traverse it. Once lost inside, finding the way out was nearly impossible. Only a select few within the Chen family knew the entire layout.

Upon returning home, Chen Ming was permitted by Chen Shijie to roam freely within Bi Luo City for a month, accompanied by Chen Tianyun. Should he wish to leave Bi Luo City for other cities during this period, both Chen Ming and Chen Tianyun were required to travel together.

Chen Ming agreed but after only a few days of wandering the city, the pent-up energy within him subsided. Merely half a month passed before he returned voluntarily to the Chen family residence to resume his cultivation.

The truth was, there was simply nothing truly enjoyable.

Entertainment in Douluo Continent was rudimentary and limited. Due to his previous life’s values, Chen Ming was reluctant to visit certain places considered inappropriate.

Bi Luo City was surrounded by harsh mountains and treacherous waters. The largest marketplace was owned by the Chen family, a place Chen Ming had frequented countless times. The finest trading venue belonged to the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect, but it held nothing of particular interest. After a brief stroll, Chen Ming felt he was wasting his time and would rather return home to consume whale glue and cultivate.

Because of his Martial Soul’s evolution and the acquisition of the soul ring from the Jade Phosphorescent Seven-Perfection Flower, a top-tier soul beast, Chen Ming’s talent advanced significantly, partially compensating for his previous shortcomings. Generally, soul masters cultivate fastest before reaching level ten, with progress slowing thereafter. Yet, under various enhancements, Chen Ming’s cultivation speed doubled, or more.

In just two years, Chen Ming rose from absorbing the soul ring’s twelfth-level soul power to achieving twentieth-level soul power—an eight-level increase—making him a quasi-Da Soul Master.

During this time, he strengthened his body through training and the judicious use of whale glue, enabling him to bear soul rings of longer years. His Martial Soul also advanced to thirteen segments before acquiring the second soul ring, improving in quality.

According to Douluo Continent standards, an eleven-year-old quasi-Da Soul Master was quite exceptional. Yet Chen Ming remained unsatisfied, knowing his level was comparable to Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing of the original Shrek Seven Devils, far behind Tang San, who possessed innate Xuanyuan功 (Mysterious Heaven Skill).

To Chen Ming, the greatest achievement over these two years was not the increase in soul power, but the discovery of his “golden finger.”

Through repeated meditation and exploration of his soul rings, Chen Ming realized his golden finger was a unique manifestation of a spiritual trait not native to Douluo Continent. This trait could not yet be applied directly in combat but manifested in other ways.

For instance, when absorbing soul rings, Chen Ming could actively select the soul ring’s skills and manifestations, tapping into deeper layers of the law embedded within the soul ring. Once a soul ring was fixed, he could expend spiritual and soul power to gradually extend its years and, to some extent, alter the soul skills within it.

Similar to Huo Yuhao of ten thousand years hence, this enhancement did not boost his foundational attributes but improved the power of the laws carried by the soul ring. For example, absorbing a hundred-year soul ring only granted the basic attribute enhancement of a hundred years; even if the soul ring was later elevated to a hundred thousand years, it would not affect his physical attributes.

After two years, Chen Ming had only managed to develop his golden finger to this degree. For deeper exploration, he believed he would need to reach a much higher level, gradually unearthing its secrets.

In truth, if he had not spent time developing this ability and experimenting with extending his soul ring’s years, Chen Ming might have reached level twenty in half a year less. Still, the development of his golden finger was clearly more important than mere cultivation speed.

As for the origin of his second soul ring — that had been determined the moment he awakened his Martial Soul.

“A thousand-year Jade Emerald Scorpion, with nine tail segments… an incredible talent. If it survives, becoming the Scorpion King is no problem; perhaps even Scorpion Emperor is possible?”

Looking at the jade emerald scorpion before him, which had been prepared for who knew how long, Chen Ming spoke with some emotion but without any pity. His gaze bore no killing intent.

Killing a bug invading one’s life might require a moment of resolve, but killing a chicken or duck awaiting slaughter was hardly worth stirring up hostility. Before awakening his Martial Soul, Chen Ming had killed countless scorpions while simulating cultivation in the scorpion cave; killing one more now was inconsequential.

The jade emerald scorpion’s body was pierced by wooden stakes, its tail segments tightly bound. Facing Chen Ming and the others, it showed none of the spirit beast’s usual vigor or reaction.

This gifted jade emerald scorpion had been discovered by the Chen family ancestor decades ago and brought home.

Back then, it had only a century of cultivation but was born with seven tail segments. Upon capture, the Chen family drove special wooden stakes through its body, submerged it in a deep underground pool, and soaked it in a concoction of various medicinal herbs and poisons, stimulating its growth through diverse methods.

Maintaining this concoction annually cost thousands of gold soul coins, and some of the soul beasts used as ingredients had to be personally hunted by the Chen family within Bi Luo Gorge. The cost alone amounted to hundreds of thousands of gold soul coins over the years—a tremendous investment.