Douluo's Spiritual Pearl and Divine Sword

In the early hours of dawn, Osler and Yufeng had already absorbed their respective soul rings. Now, only Gu Ran remained without a suitable soul beast to complete his hunt.

Power-type soul beasts weren't exactly rare, but in this small Soul Hunting Forest, finding one of the appropriate age range was proving difficult. Earlier, they had encountered a Giant Demon Ape but its cultivation age was around four thousand years—far beyond what Gu Ran could absorb. After all not everyone had Tianlin's monstrous ability to absorb soul rings well above their limits.

"We need to speed things up" Qin Ming urged a trace of concern in his voice "If we stay too long in this forest, we'll miss the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's title-conferring ceremony and it may not matter much to the rest of us, but Tianlin and Gu Ran must be present."

Gu Ran scratched his head sheepishly"If it's really that urgent, we can head back now, and I'll return later to find my soul beast. The ceremony is more important."

Tianlin sighed softly a hint of reluctance in his tone. "If we have no other choice then we'll do just that."

At that moment Ye Lingling stepped forward and her calm voice cutting through the group's decisions "I have an idea. But it's a little dangerous."

Everyone turned to her with curiosity. Among them Ye Lingling was the most well-Academic possessing extensive theoretical knowledge. Even Qin Ming and Zhou Yan, who specialized in practical combat couldn't match her in that regard.

"What's your plan?" Tianlin asked his interest piqued.

"The Dark Night Demons we killed earlier are humanoid soul beasts" Ye Lingling explained "Some powerful soul beasts, especially carnivorous ones, are attracted to the scent of humanoid flesh."

A spark of understanding flashed in Tianlin's eyes "That's an excellent idea. Although it might lure stronger soul beasts, this is still just the Soul Hunting Forest not the Star Dou Great Forest and even if we encounter a formidable opponent it shouldn't be too dangerous with Teacher Qin here."

Osler and Yufeng exchanged confused glances, unable to follow the conversation "What are those two talking about?" Osler muttered.

Without any intention of keeping secrets, Ye Lingling clarified "Roast the bodies of the two Dark Night Demons we killed earlier Their scent will attract the soul beasts we need."

Osler's eyes widened, and he swallowed hard. The realization hit him—Ye Lingling intended to use the corpses as bait.

"This girl's terrifying" he whispered to Yufeng "She's even more ruthless than Dugu Yan. I'll never dare to owe her money again."

Yufeng chuckled giving Osler a reassuring pat on the shoulder "Better pay her back soon, Osler. Otherwise, you might be the next one on the spit."

Ignoring their banter Qin Ming approached the corpses and summoned his Fiery Wolf spirit. The wolf's flames ignited the bodies roasting them to a perfect golden brown in a matter of moments.

A rich meaty aroma spread through the forest, carried by Yufeng's Wind Chime Bird spirit which generated a breeze to disperse the scent far and wide.

It didn't take long before the sound of heavy footsteps echoed from deep within the forest. And from the noise, it was clear that more than one creature had been drawn in—at least three soul beasts were approaching.

"Everyone be ready!" Qin Ming commanded stepping protectively in front of the group.

Suddenly a thick mist began to roll in from the forest, obscuring their view.

"The wind comes from the tiger, and the clouds come from the dragon" Tianlin murmured, his Golden Flame Eyes activating to pierce through the fog "It's a dragon-type soul beast."

Through his enhanced vision, Tianlin spotted the towering figure of a Death dragon emerging from the mist. Unlike other dragon species, this one exuded a chilling aura of darkness and death and rather than raw dominance.

"A Death Dragon?" Tianlin was shocked. "What's a beast like that doing in a place like this? It's far more dangerous than your average dragon-type soul beast."

Ye Lingling,ever the encyclopedia of soul beast knowledge quickly offered an explanation "The Death Dragon possesses three unique attributes—strength, darkness, and death. Apart from the legendary Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, few soul beasts share such a terrifying combination."

The footsteps grew louder and each heavy thud shaking the ground. Finally, the Death Dragon broke through the mist, its massive form towering nearly twenty meters tall. It opened its jaws and let out a deafening roar sending chills down everyone's spines.

Ye Lingling shook her head decisively "No. This one is too dangerous. It's cultivated more than two thousand years and it's beyond Gu Ran's absorption limit, and its special abilities make it even stronger than some ten-thousand-year soul beasts. There's no point in fighting it We should retreat."

"Wait!" Gu Ran's voice rang out firm with determination "Teacher Qin Ming, Boss Tianlin, please help me defeat it. I want to absorb its soul ring."

"What?!" Qin Ming was taken aback "Gu Ran, are you out of your mind? Didn't you hear what Lingling just said? This soul beast is too dangerous for you to handle. I can't allow it!"

Gu Ran clenched his fists "I know it's risky, but this soul beast is perfect for me. Its attributes of strength, darkness, and death are a perfect match for my Skeleton Warhorse. I can't pass up this chance! Besides…" He lowered his voice "I've always been the weakest in the Emperor Team. I can't keep relying on Boss Tianlin so if I don't take this step, I'll never catch up to the rest of you."

Ye Lingling's expression softened as she listened. For the first time she saw a different side of Gu Ran—one that was willing to push his limits to grow stronger.

Tianlin who had been silent finally spoke "Prepare for battle. Gu Ran, conserve your strength. You'll need it to absorb the soul ring afterward."

"Tianlin!" Qin Ming called out in surprise "Are you seriously supporting this idea?"

Without turning back Tianlin replied "Yes. Gu Ran is right. He won't grow stronger by staying in my shadow And he's not the same as before—after taking the Iron-Armored Peony his physique is far superior to that of an ordinary Soul Grand Master so i believe he can handle it."

Qin Ming sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair "Fine If that's the case, I'll go along with this madness." He stepped forward his Fiery Wolf spirit flaring up once more "Xiaoyan, protect the others. Fiery Wolf, possess!"

A fierce smile spread across his face "Let's show this Death Dragon what happens when it faces a pack of monsters!"