Chapter 176: The Seventh Ring—One Hundred Thousand Years
Outside, by the shores of the Lake of Life.
Jiang Bai sat cross-legged beside the lake, his consciousness immersed within the tower.
A moment later, he opened his eyes, the corners of his lips curving upward ever so slightly.
He gave a wave with his right hand.
A beam of golden light shot forth from the tower, landing upon the ground.
The Golden-Feathered Rift Eagle.
At this moment, it appeared vibrant and full of spirit—bearing absolutely no resemblance to past state, near-death state it had been in just days prior.
Its wingspan now exceeded twenty meters, its entire body cloaked in resplendent golden feathers. Each individual feather was as sharp as a honed blade, gleaming with a metallic luster under the sunlight.
Its eyes were as sharp as lightning bolts, its beak curved like a hook, and its talons resembled steel grappling hooks; the entire creature exuded the unique, formidable pressure characteristic of a 100,000-year Soul Beast.
Having broken through the 100,000-year threshold, it had undergone a subtle yet significant evolution in its inherent quality.
Gazing at the eagle, Jiang Bai spoke: "Very well. The one to whom you shall offer your sacrifice is her."
He pointed toward Jiang Li’er, who had already seated herself cross-legged nearby. "Begin."
The Golden-Feathered Rift Eagle cast a glance at Jiang Li’er; within those piercing, eagle-like eyes, a flicker of complex emotion briefly surfaced.
Yet, just as quickly, that complexity dissolved into a profound tranquility.
It gave a nod.
Then, it spread its wings wide.
Golden light surged forth from within its body with frenzied intensity!
The radiance grew ever more brilliant, ever more dazzling, until finally coalescing into a towering pillar of golden light that stretched from earth to sky, completely enveloping Jiang Li’er within its glow!
The Sacrifice had begun!
Within that radiant light, the Golden-Feathered Rift Eagle’s physical form began to gradually fade away.
Starting from the tips of its wings, its body dissolved into countless specks of golden light—resembling golden snowflakes—that drifted gently downward.
As these specks of light settled upon the ground, they merged into the soil and vanished from sight.
In the Golden-Feathered Rift Eagle’s eyes, there was neither pain nor reluctance—only a sense of serene release.
One hundred thousand years...
It was enough.
Its form grew ever fainter, ever more translucent.
In the end, nothing remained but a fist-sized orb of golden light, suspended motionless in mid-air.
And simultaneously, a blood-red Soul Ring slowly began to rise!
The ring glowed a deep, vivid crimson—the color of fresh blood—its edges faintly shimmering with a golden halo, radiating the terrifying, oppressive aura unique to a 100,000-year Soul Beast! The Soul Ring slowly descended, settling upon Jiang Li’er.
Jiang Li’er closed her eyes, absorbing it with every ounce of her strength.
Golden light swirled and flowed around her body.
Time passed, minute by minute.
...
One hour later.
Jiang Li’er opened her eyes.
Within those crimson-red pupils, a dazzling radiance now shimmered.
She stood up, clenched her fists, and felt the surging, majestic Soul Power within her; her face was alight with irrepressible joy:
"Jiang Bai! I’ve reached Level 77!"
Her voice was brimming with excitement and triumph.
Jiang Bai smiled and walked over to her. "Congratulations, congratulations."
Jiang Li’er tilted her chin up proudly, tightened her fists, and threw a few punches at the empty air.
The wind howled around her fists, and the very air seemed to crackle!
"Little Bai," she turned around and looked at Jiang Bai with a provocative gaze, her crimson eyes burning with the desire for battle.
"Do you dare to have a Soul Duel with me tonight? I feel terrifyingly strong right now!"
Tonight, she was going to tear up the battlefield!
She was going to exhaust Jiang Bai to death!
Every time they had fought before, she had lost—it must have been because the gap in their cultivation levels was too vast, and because Jiang Bai’s physical constitution was superior to hers.
Now that she had reached Level 77, the gap between her and Jiang Bai—who was at Level 91—had narrowed significantly!
Moreover, having absorbed a 100,000-year Soul Ring, her physical attributes had also received a massive boost!
Jiang Li’er was brimming with confidence.
She felt absolutely certain that, as she was now, she could definitely wear Jiang Bai down until he collapsed!
Watching her look of utter self-assurance, Jiang Bai’s lips curled into a faint smile. "Alright then."
His voice held a hint of indulgence, mixed with a touch of playful mischief: "Just make sure you don’t beg for mercy when the time comes."
Jiang Li’er gave a light snort. "Beg for mercy? The words ’beg for mercy’ simply do not exist in Jiang Li’er’s dictionary!"
She pointed toward the golden orb of light lying on the ground. "By the way, what do you plan to do with that Soul Bone?"
It was a Soul Bone of pure gold, shaped like a pair of wings, and it shimmered with a faint metallic luster.
It was the Soul Bone of the Golden-Feathered Rift Eagle—an external Soul Bone known as the Golden Wings. Jiang Bai glanced at it: "It’s your possession; you decide what to do with it."
Jiang Li’er picked up the Soul Bone and stowed it away in her storage Soul Tool.
"I’ll hold onto it for now. I already have a plan for all my Soul Bones."
She turned to look at Jiang Bai, her beautiful eyes brimming with excitement and anticipation.
"Once I spend the next couple of days getting accustomed to my newfound strength following my breakthrough, I’ll absorb a Soul Bone! By then, who knows—I might just break through to Rank 80!"
She counted on her fingers. "Then, I’ll absorb a 100,000-year Soul Ring. Harnessing the energy from that 100,000-year ring—which I’ll obtain through a sacrificial bond—I might even be able to reach Rank 85!"
"And then, I’ll absorb another one or two Soul Bones..."
The more she calculated, the more excited she became, until finally, she couldn’t help but let out a delighted gasp.
"Hey! I might actually hit Rank 90!"
She patted Jiang Bai on the shoulder, looking utterly smug.
"Jiang Bai~ I’m coming to catch up with you~"
She planted her hands on her hips, threw her head back, and laughed uproariously.
"Heh-heh-heh... I, Jiang Li’er, truly am a peerless prodigy, unrivaled under the heavens!"
"That so-called All-Continent Soul Master Elite Tournament—who needs teammates for that? It’s nothing more than a bunch of human toddlers playing make-believe!"
"I, Jiang Li’er, am going to take on ten of them at once!"
Watching her look so utterly carried away by her own success, Jiang Bai couldn’t help but chuckle.
He took a step forward, reached out, and scooped Jiang Li’er right up into his arms!
Jiang Li’er’s delicate body trembled; instinctively, she threw her arms around his neck, feeling both startled and flustered.
"You... what are you doing?!"
Jiang Bai looked down at her, his eyes twinkling with playful mischief.
"Little Li’er, I’ve noticed you’ve been getting a bit too big for your britches lately."
He paused for a moment. "Come here—let me give your strength a proper inspection."
"I’ll know exactly what you’re capable of once I conduct a thorough ’investigation.’"
"Let’s start our Soul Battle right now!"
Jiang Li’er’s face instantly turned beet-red as she struggled to get down.
"No! I’m not ready yet! Put me down!"
Still holding her in his arms, Jiang Bai strode purposefully toward the tent in the distance.
"Just you watch—I’m going to beat you until you beg for mercy and call me ’Daddy’!"
Mortified, Jiang Li’er buried her face in his chest, her voice muffled.
"I don’t want to~"
Yet, her arms held onto him even tighter than before. ...
Two months later.
The core zone of the Star Dou Great Forest, by the shores of the Lake of Life.
Over the course of these two months, Jiang Li’er successively absorbed a 200,000-year-old Golden Dragon Soul Bone and a 100,000-year-old Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear Soul Ring.
Her cultivation level skyrocketed as if she were riding a rocket.
She leaped directly from Rank 77 to Rank 86!
Once the absorption of the 100,000-year-old Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear Soul Ring was complete, Jiang Li’er opened her eyes; sensing the surging soul power within her body, she could not help but let out a long, resounding cry!
"Ah—!!!"
Golden soul power erupted from her body, transforming into a pillar of golden light that shot straight into the heavens!
The brilliance of that light was so intense that it even dispersed a swath of the dense mist shrouding the Lake of Life!
Standing beside Jiang Li’er, Jiang Bai watched as her aura stabilized, then nodded with satisfaction: "Rank 86. Not bad."
Jiang Li’er retracted her soul power, turned around, and threw her arms around Jiang Bai: "Jiang Bai! I’ve reached Rank 86!"
Her voice was brimming with excitement: "I now..."
"I am not far from becoming a Title Douluo!"
Jiang Bai ruffled her hair: "Yeah, almost there."
Jiang Li’er let go of him and counted on her fingers: "There is still a year and a half before the competition starts."
Her eyes sparkled: "In the next year and a half, I’ll familiarize myself with the Soul Douluo realms and absorb the remaining Soul Bones. Maybe I can break through to level 90 before the tournament starts!"
The more she thought about it, the more excited she became, and she couldn’t help but chuckle: "In the finals, my opponents will all be Soul Masters and Soul Grandmasters..."
She could almost see that scene: on the field, she unleashed her martial spirit, and nine spirit rings rose from beneath her feet...
Three blood-red, 100,000-year soul rings gleamed in the sunlight!
The opponents on the other side all stared wide-eyed, their jaws dropping to the floor!
The referee stood there, stunned, and forgot to announce the start!
The audience was deathly silent, then erupted in a deafening roar!y
"My God! Nine spirit rings! Three of them are 100,000-year spirit rings!!"
"How is this possible?! How old is she?!"
"A monster! She’s a monster!!"
"What’s the point of even competing?! Just admit defeat!!"
Jiang Li’er couldn’t help but let out a silly laugh: "Hehe...hehe"
That smile was as smug as could be, and as infuriating as could be.
Looking at her silly expression, Jiang Bai couldn’t help but reach out and flick her forehead: "What are you thinking about? You’re drooling."
Jiang Li’er snapped out of her daze and subconsciously wiped her mouth: "No way!"
She glared at Jiang Bai, but quickly couldn’t help laughing: "I was just thinking..."
She held Jiang Bai’s hand and said coquettishly, "Jiang Bai, what kind of expressions do you think those humans will have when they see my spirit ring?"
Jiang Bai thought for a moment: "They’d probably be scared to death."
Jiang Li’er chuckled: "It won’t scare you to death, but it’ll definitely be exciting!"
She clenched her fist, her eyes filled with anticipation: "I’ll be waiting for that day!"