"Ah! A two-thousand-year soul ring, the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's?" Xu Xiaoyan stood stunned. She could barely handle a ten-thousand-year soul ring. Even with Gu You's assistance, she wasn't sure if she could handle it. Would it hurt? Would it explode?
"Look at you, scared like that. This soul ring is virtual. It only becomes solid once my power is infused into it. With my power mixed in, you'll absorb this soul ring without feeling anything at all," Gu You stretched his body, feeling weak all over. Was this what it felt like when life was being drained?
But Gu You didn't care much. After all, with the Seed of Life inside him, he couldn't die just from a lack of life force. When they went outside, he could always buy some rare fruits to replenish his life energy, no matter how expensive, since it was a matter of life and death.
For some reason, Gu You wasn't the same as before. He had started to fear death a bit...
"But didn't you just exhaust yourself a lot?" Xu Xiaoyan looked at Gu You's white hair, worry in her eyes.
"I don't need your sympathy. When I ask for your help in the future, just help me out," Gu You said, irritated by the look of concern. When he was weak, he didn't mind such looks, but now that he had become stronger, he really didn't like them. However, he had to admit that it was because of such looks that many had been saved. But Gu You didn't need to be saved. The only one who could save him was himself.
Xu Xiaoyan gritted her teeth.
Alright, let's do this!
What level the soul ring was didn't matter—it was just a virtual event. She wouldn't die from it, and Gu You had given her his assurance.
Xu Xiaoyan entered a meditative state, letting go of everything, her face becoming calm.
Gu You nodded. He appreciated her understanding. After all, the members of the East Sea F4 had all reached Titled Douluo or even higher levels. But that wasn't the most important thing. What Gu You needed wasn't just strength—he needed talent. He lacked the resources to grow on his own. Xu Xiaoyan was studying mechanical design. If things went as expected, she would definitely reach a level 9 profession in the future. If the plane evolved, she might even be among the first to reach level 10. As for Gu Yue's specialization, she too was an important talent. One person may be powerful, but there are still some tasks that need help from others.
As for Xie Xie... Well, if Gu You wasn't mistaken, by the 28th volume of Legend of the Dragon King, Xie Xie had reached the level of Super Douluo at level 97, while his secondary profession had only reached level 5 as a mech manufacturer.
This waste... Let's just say he's stronger than an average person. He could be useful as Gu You's cannon fodder, or rather, as his little brother.
The process of absorbing the soul ring went smoothly. Xu Xiaoyan didn't feel any pain, and her soul power reached the peak of level 31.
Yellow, Yellow, Black.
Such an odd soul ring configuration—Xie Xie had never seen anything like it before. The difference in years was too vast, and it was truly unique.
Everyone seemed to have forgotten that Tang Wulin was still being tortured by the Emperor Divine Beast, all of them curious about Xu Xiaoyan's new soul skill.
"What's your third soul skill?" they asked her.
"My third soul skill is called Starry Sky Explosion! It inherits the tearing effect of the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear. It's an offensive skill," Xu Xiaoyan said happily, feeling even more grateful to Gu You.
This was a massive improvement for Xu Xiaoyan. Her martial soul had no offensive abilities at all before, and it could only be used to fight ordinary people. But now, with this soul skill, her control-type soul became half control, half attack.
"I must remind you that this soul ring wasn't produced by a soul beast. Whether your fourth soul ring can be at the level of ten thousand years depends entirely on you," Gu You added with a smile, a final reminder.
"Mm!"
"Has the assessment not ended yet? How long has it been?" Xie Xie complained, no longer feeling the tension from before.
"Of course it's not over. We still have one more person left," Gu You waved his hand, and he stepped into a sealed space.
"What's he going to do?" Shen Yi stared at Gu You's actions in disbelief. Turning the virtual into reality? This was something she had only read about in novels, and it was her first time witnessing it. She had great expectations for this ability.
"If anything happens, force them out. I need to make a quick trip back to the Sea God Pavilion. There's something I need to discuss," Zhuo Shi stood up and left. Every time Gu You came back, he brought them shock after shock, and it seemed like this time would be no different.
"Auspicious Beast, stop!" Gu You called out, intending to end the "release the dog" scenario. Tang Wulin had been bitten nearly to the point of death. If it weren't for the powerful bloodline of the Golden Dragon King, which still lingered in his veins even under suppression and sealing, he would have long since perished.
The small three-eyed golden lion struggled free from Gu You's grasp, and upon seeing her child, the Emperor Divine Beast's red pupils grew calmer.
A burst of golden light erupted from the Emperor Divine Beast and enveloped her child, connecting with the third eye.
"You…" The Emperor Divine Beast's mind was unsettled after reading her child's memories.
"I told you I'd help," Gu You smiled knowingly as he walked toward Tang Wulin.
Tang Wulin opened his eyes. His face was barely recognizable, blood and flesh were mangled, and his body was covered in injuries. Due to the angle, the first thing he saw was the small three-eyed golden lion leaping into the Emperor Divine Beast's embrace, its body radiating a soft golden light, harmonizing with the golden glow of the Emperor Divine Beast.
"You almost destroyed them, Tang Wulin. When your mother was hurt and forced to leave, what emotions did you show? That's exactly how they feel! I won't deny that some soul beasts are evil, but I also won't deny that some innocent, gentle soul beasts feel the same way when we trample their territories, their kind. Why do you think that soul bone was meant for you?" Gu You's last words were the key. He was curious—Tang Wulin was a smart person. Why had he made such a foolish mistake?
Tang Wulin seemed to be in great pain. It took him a while to utter a few words, "I was wrong... I shouldn't have listened to him…"
Gu You fell silent for a moment. "I'll take a portion of your Golden Dragon bloodline as punishment."
Only in this way would the extraction of the Golden Dragon King's bloodline be reasonable. That way, Tang San couldn't use moral pressure to manipulate Gu You. This kind of punishment, Gu You believed, Tang San would also want for his son. After all, the Blue Silver Emperor martial soul was so much better!
There was no need to rely on the dragon blood when he was already invincible.
"No…!"
Gu You didn't give Tang Wulin a chance to explain. In an instant, he used divine power to seal off the space. Neither Shen Yi nor Cai Yue'er could detect anything happening inside.
Don't be afraid, it won't hurt...
(End of Chapter)