Douluo Dalu 2: Rise of the Golden Dragon King

Tianyu rubbed his ears, still feeling hot after Xu Jiujiu's whisper. "I'm not scared," he weakly protested, but the girl only gave a satisfied smile before turning to face Master Li.

The Golden Radiant Deer lay weakly on the ground, its silvery fur emitting a faint glow that pulsed like a heartbeat.

"We have to move quickly, before this beast dies from its wounds," said Master Li.

Xu Jiujiu nodded seriously, all traces of playfulness gone. "I'm ready anytime."

She pulled out a knife with intricate patterns etched into the blade from a small pouch at her waist.

"A Soul Tool!" Tianyu thought with a hint of surprise. Moreover, the tool seemed to be of a fairly high level—perhaps level 3 or 4.

Xu Jiujiu gripped the soul tool tightly and infused it with her soul power. The patterns on the blade began to glow, and with precise control, she plunged the tip into the lower part of the Golden Radiant Deer's neck. Silver blood immediately flowed from the wound, and the deer struggled for a few moments before falling still.

A soul ring began to condense above the corpse, and the ring shimmered with a purple hue. Xu Jiujiu then sat cross-legged near the soul ring.

She closed her eyes and focused. The purple ring slowly drifted toward Xu Jiujiu, being drawn into her body.

Tianyu observed carefully; this was the first time he had ever seen someone else absorb a soul ring. Because his Golden Dragon King Martial Soul could generate its own soul rings, he had never needed to experience this process. But since he now had a second Martial Soul, he might need this experience in the future.

The process of absorbing a soul ring usually took a long time—at the fastest, several hours, and at the slowest, several days. In some cases, it could even take a week for higher-level rings.

But since Xu Jiujiu was only absorbing her third ring, and the soul beast was extremely compatible with her, this might be completed within a few hours.

Tianyu leaned against a nearby tree trunk, his eyes fixed on Xu Jiujiu as she became immersed in the absorption process. The air around them gradually fell silent, as if time itself was holding its breath.

The light from the purple ring slowly entered Xu Jiujiu's body, pulsing gently in sync with her breath. A faint silvery aura enveloped her, a blend of the Golden Radiant Deer's energy and her own soul power.

Master Li watched from a distance, his expression calm but alert. "While this is happening, we have to stay on guard. Other soul beasts might be drawn to the remaining energy of the Golden Radiant Deer's corpse," he said softly.

Time passed slowly. Xu Jiujiu remained motionless in meditation, sweat beginning to bead on her forehead, though her expression stayed composed.

The sun had reached its peak when Xu Jiujiu finally opened her eyes, signaling that the soul ring absorption had succeeded. Her previously tense expression now looked calm, with a glimmer of satisfaction in her gaze.

With a graceful motion, she stood and summoned her Martial Soul. "Crown of Stars!"

Above her forehead, a majestic crown of golden light appeared, as if forged from countless stars. In its center glowed a large diamond-like gem, surrounded by eighteen larger stars forming a beautiful pattern. Beneath her feet, three soul rings floated—two yellow and one purple—spinning slowly with a powerful aura.

"Tianyu," Xu Jiujiu called in a soft yet excited voice. "Let's test this new ability of mine."

Tianyu approached cautiously. "What should I do?"

"Don't worry," Xu Jiujiu said with a reassuring smile. "It won't hurt you."

"Starglory Spell!" she called out, and the purple soul ring at her feet suddenly shone brighter than the others.

Instantly, a layer of golden light enveloped Tianyu's body, transforming into a shimmering veil that felt faint but warm. Tianyu took a deep breath as he felt the foreign energy seamlessly merge with his soul power, granting him a significant boost in strength.

Unconsciously, his Martial Soul reacted. The silhouette of a giant Golden Dragon emerged behind him, releasing an aura so intense that some nearby soldiers instinctively stepped back in fear. Beneath his feet, a purple soul ring appeared—though in truth, it was only an illusion, masking the two true golden soul rings hidden by a technique he learned from Qian Renxue.

Tianyu raised his hand, and a ball of golden energy formed in his palm. With a swift motion, the ball transformed into a long golden blade that gleamed with brilliance. "Stand back!" he warned the soldiers before hurling the blade toward a distant boulder.

The golden blade shot forward with incredible speed, slicing through the air with a sharp hiss before striking the boulder. A powerful explosion followed, shattering the stone into countless fragments that scattered in all directions. The watching soldiers were stunned, some reflexively taking defensive stances before realizing the attack was controlled.

Tianyu slowly lowered his hand, the dragon aura behind him fading along with the golden blade. He could clearly feel that the strength of his soul skill had increased thanks to the buff from Starglory Spell.

But when he turned to look at Xu Jiujiu, he found her staring at him in shock.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Your… the soul ring you just showed—it was… purple?" Xu Jiujiu asked, her voice slightly trembling.

"Yes," Tianyu answered without hesitation. He could have disguised it as yellow, but he didn't want to hide his talent. He knew that in order to receive more resources and training, he needed to show that he was worth the investment. His status as Xu Jiujiu's fiancé—the imperial princess—already granted him privileges, but he didn't want to rely on that. He didn't want to be a man known only for "living off a woman."

Normally, a Spirit Master's soul ring configuration was as follows: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, and black. Elite individuals might have one or two red rings in the eighth or ninth position, but never in history had anyone had a purple soul ring as their first.

In other words, Tianyu was the only person to ever achieve it.

When Tianyu had condensed his first soul ring, it was already equivalent to a thousand-year soul ring. And now, after his second physical transformation, he was able to condense a second soul ring. If converted to standard soul rings, his first would likely be dark purple and his second would be black.