Chapter 31

At the same time, the martial soul switched, and the second martial soul's Writing Wheel Eye opened.

The Iron Claw Raccoon, already slow to react, moved even more slowly in Dai Xiyu's sight.

Taking this opportunity, Dai Xiyu leapt onto the big tree and unleashed a tiger punch!

Roar!!

This strong and powerful punch forcefully struck the Iron Claw Raccoon's waist, blasting it off the tree trunk.

It traced a parabolic arc, finally striking another big tree in the distance, emitting a dull thud.

Amidst the dull thud, the sound of breaking bones could still be heard.

Dai Xiyu leapt up and landed back on the ground, his gaze toward where the Iron Claw Raccoon fell.

At this moment, the Iron Claw Raccoon lay motionless on the ground.

Only its still rising and falling belly proved it was still alive, not dead.

Dai Xiyu immediately said to Zhu Zhuqing: "It still has breath, hurry!"

When a soul beast dies, the soul ring that appears can only be absorbed by the soul master who killed it.

Others cannot seize or use it.

Therefore, Dai Xiyu did not strike the Iron Claw Raccoon's head or heart, but hit its waist.

Zhu Zhuqing had already released her martial soul, nimbly leaping through the forest, and in a few bounds reached beside the fallen Iron Claw Raccoon.

She drew a dagger from her waist, and with a swift motion, stabbed it directly into the Iron Claw Raccoon's neck.

Blood spurted, the Iron Claw Raccoon's body began to thrash wildly, and Zhu Zhuqing quickly retreated.

After a while, the Iron Claw Raccoon's movements grew slower and slower, until it finally lost all signs of life.

Circles of yellow light halo emanated from the Iron Claw Raccoon's corpse, forming a yellow halo above it.

Dai Xiyu also walked over and said to Zhu Zhuqing: "Absorb it now; I will stand guard for you."

Zhu Zhuqing nodded, said nothing more, immediately sat down, and began using soul power to draw the soul ring floating in midair.

Meanwhile, Dai Xiyu walked to the side and leaned against a thick big tree.

The second martial soul opened, and the Writing Wheel Eye carefully scanned the surroundings.

Here, still on the outskirts of the Starlight Forest, the surviving soul beasts are all around five hundred years old, and thousand-year soul beasts are hardly seen.

However, even if encountering a thousand-year soul beast, Dai Xiyu's current strength would handle it without pressure.

At this moment, as Zhu Zhuqing absorbed the soul ring, her brows remained slightly furrowed.

It can be seen that the absorption pressure is not small, but it will not cause any major problems.

Actually, the soul rings exchanged in the system are much easier to absorb than those obtained by hunting soul beasts.

However, Dai Xiyu cannot explain the source of the system's soul rings, and the existence of the system must not be leaked.

This has nothing to do with trust or lack thereof.

Only a secret known solely to oneself counts as a true secret.

Although I reached rank thirty-six at nine years old, making me outstanding among peers.

But for the entire Douluo Continent, and even the divine realm, it is still not strong enough.

Only when truly invincible can one act without restraint; for now, it's best to stay low-key.

Absorbing the soul rings produced by hunting soul beasts takes a long time, and is not as simple as Dai Xiyu absorbing system soul rings.

Until the sun slanted westward, nearing dinner time, did Zhu Zhuqing's soul power fluctuations gradually subside.

After a while, her icy eyes finally slowly opened.

Upon opening her eyes, Zhu Zhuqing immediately looked toward Dai Xiyu's position.

Seeing Dai Xiyu still leaning on the book, gazing at her, Zhu Zhuqing then smiled.

Seeing Zhu Zhuqing awaken, Dai Xiyu stepped forward a few paces, smiling and asking: "Did it succeed? What is your first soul skill?"

Zhu Zhuqing nodded and directly released her martial soul.

The phantom of the Netherworld Spirit Cat appeared, and beneath her feet, which were originally empty, a yellow soul ring also appeared.

A clear, cold voice then sounded:

"This first soul skill, just like my father's, is called Netherworld Sting."

"Upon release, it will grow sharp Netherworld cat claws, and my speed will also double."

Dai Xiyu nodded and said: "Just as expected."

Soul masters with the Netherworld Spirit Cat martial soul basically choose the same soul beasts for their first two soul rings.

In this lineage, countless predecessor soul masters already possess the first soul skill Netherworld Sting.

Even the hammer-training platform was custom-made for this soul skill.

Dai Xiyu glanced at the sky and continued:

"Let's go; it's time to head back. We'll study the martial soul fusion technique thoroughly later, aiming to achieve something before the Grand Soul Duel."

Zhu Zhuqing's joyful expression subsided, and she nodded seriously.

The Noble Grand Soul Duel will begin in three days.

And Dai Weis will also return to Star Luo City the day before the Grand Soul Duel.

Whether we can defeat Dai Weis on the Soul Duel Platform depends on these few days.

After leaving the forest, the two rode a carriage all the way back to the imperial palace.

After reporting to the Star Luo Emperor, they nonstop returned to the Duke's Mansion.

In the Duke's Mansion library, many books on martial soul fusion are stored, summarizing the experience of predecessors over hundreds of years.

The two researched until late at night, then returned to the bedroom to begin their customary dual cultivation.

The next morning, they again requested leave, carrying dozens of thick books, and once more headed to the Starlight Forest.

According to those several dozen books and study notes, the cultivation of martial soul fusion actually encounters no obstacles.

To achieve martial soul fusion, one needs not only compatibility of the martial souls, but also tacit understanding between the two people.

Furthermore, there must be no estrangement between them; the closer the relationship, the greater the chance of success.

In this regard, Hu Liena and Xie Yue, who are blood-related siblings, have a great advantage.

As for Dai Xiyu and Zhu Zhuqing, although they have no blood relation and are not actually husband and wife,

but these days of dual cultivation have made their intimacy extraordinary.

For Dai Xiyu, Zhu Zhuqing trusts him almost completely, with no trace of estrangement.

Therefore, the martial soul fusion proceeds very smoothly.

The sun slants westward, dyeing the whole forest a golden hue.

Dai Xiyu and Zhu Zhuqing stand opposite each other, and their martial souls are released simultaneously.

Before this, they had each tried at least thirty times, yet never succeeded in executing it.

However, Dai Xiyu and Zhu Zhuqing also suffered no mishaps.

Martial soul fusion is inherently not easy; hardly anyone has heard of someone succeeding in cultivating it within a day.

As for Dai Xiyu and Zhu Zhuqing, their martial souls had already produced a strong resonance by noon.

Thus, their progress can be considered lightning-fast, far surpassing that of Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhu Yun by an unknown multiple.

Gazing at Zhu Zhuqing before him, Dai Xiyu drew a deep breath and said, "Come on, Zhu Qing, let's try one last time today."

Zhu Zhuqing nodded solemnly.

Seeing this, Dai Xiyu let out a tiger's roar, and his whole person seemed to swell by a notch.

The White Tiger phantom completely enveloped his body, and thread after thread of qi mechanism stirred Zhu Zhuqing's martial soul.

(End of chapter)