This was a giant beast that looked just like a lizard, lying motionless with countless wounds across its body. The blood flowing from it had formed a small pool.
But that wasn't what shocked Ye Han the most.
Because despite the blood pooling around it, the beast was still breathing—it wasn't completely dead yet.
Zixia said, "You finish it off and absorb its spirit ring. Don't worry, it's a hundred-year beast. You're not getting cheated!"
As someone who had read Douluo Dalu, if Ye Han didn't understand what was going on by now, he'd be a real idiot.
But how could there be a nearly-dead spirit beast lying here for no reason?
And a hundred-year one, at that?
He turned to Zixia. "You did this?"
Zixia glanced at him casually and said, "Who else?"
Ye Han secretly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. For someone as young as her to take down a hundred-year spirit beast alone—she was insanely powerful.
While praising the little girl's strength, he stepped forward and gave the beast the final blow.
A yellow spirit ring immediately floated up.
After completing this, Ye Han was stunned.
Only now did he realize—he was a spirit master???
He had no idea!
How do you even release a martial soul again?!
His face was full of confusion.
Zixia, seeing that he wasn't moving, urged, "Hurry up and absorb it! If this spirit beast hadn't been so suitable for you, I wouldn't have bothered coming back to see if you were dead."
Ye Han: "…"
Seeing him still frozen, Zixia gave him a weird look. "Don't tell me you've forgotten how to release your martial soul too?"
Ye Han spread his hands helplessly. "Not just that—I don't even remember what my martial soul is."
Zixia opened her mouth but didn't speak. After a while, she said, "Focus your mind. Calm down, and you'll naturally sense your martial soul inside you. Once you feel it, releasing or retracting it is just a thought away."
Ye Han felt uneasy—he didn't even know what kind of martial soul he had.
Still, he followed Zixia's instructions.
Focus.
After a moment, he was overjoyed—he felt the presence of his martial soul.
But in the next second, he froze again.
Because… there were two martial souls inside him.
Damn it, which one should he release?
He wasn't sure if Zixia knew he had twin martial souls. If she did, fine—but if she didn't and he revealed the wrong one, things could get messy.
The real question was—why had she brought him along in what was clearly a trial?
"Ugh…" He was torn.
Zixia's face darkened, and her already cold eyes grew colder. "You crapping yourself over there?"
"What's so hard about releasing a martial soul? It's just a dumb gourd. Get on with it!"
"Dumb gourd?"
Ye Han chuckled. Now he knew which one to release.
Shwoosh!
A green-colored martial soul appeared in his right hand.
This martial soul was called the Wine-Gourd of Essence—every time he obtained a spirit ring, it could create a gourd of spirit-infused wine.
And the wine had the unique abilities of a food-type martial soul.
He smiled again.
His other martial soul was the Seven-Kill Sword—one for offense, one for support.
And this support one could even prepare ahead of time! Imagine being in battle, everyone exhausted and injured, and then you just pull out a bottle of your pre-brewed wine, take a sip, and your soul power and wounds recover.
How would your enemies feel?
Probably utterly broken!
This was a god-tier combo!
Zixia said, "Sit and use your soul power to attract the spirit ring."
Ye Han followed her instructions and began the process of absorbing his first spirit ring.
Time passed…
And finally, he succeeded in fusing the ring—it became a part of him.
He had obtained the first soul skill of his life.
Eagerly, he used it right away: "Heaven and Earth hold the gourd—its name is Soul!"
A crimson gourd appeared in his hand.
Zixia couldn't hide her curiosity. "Well? What's the ability of your soul skill?"
Ye Han grinned: "First Soul Skill—Soul Wine. It restores half the soul power of any soul master at the same or lower level than me. For higher-level users, one less ring means one less level of restoration. Minimum restoration is one level."
He didn't even mention another perk—the wine gourds could be stored for three days.
Since both he and Zixia were first-ring soul masters right now, this meant she could regain half of her total soul power!
Zixia was so shocked she nearly jumped.
The coldness in her gaze finally faded, and a hint of joy crept in.
How could she not be happy? With Ye Han around, it was like having infinite soul power!
She could kill without restraint, no longer held back by soul power depletion.
So happy!
She walked over, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "From today onward, you're half my life. Anyone who messes with you is messing with me."
Being protected by a little loli didn't exactly thrill Ye Han.
But he also knew—having a martial soul didn't make you invincible. You needed fighting skills, technique, and swordsmanship too. Otherwise, what was the point?
For example, his Seven-Kill Sword martial soul was ranked among the top three weapon spirits.
But in his hands, it was just wild swinging—basically useless.
Clearly, he'd need to train in combat and sword techniques.
But for now, as someone with virtually zero battle strength, he really couldn't leave this "scary but protective" little girl.
So… nodding in agreement was his only option.
"Not bad, not bad," Zixia said, satisfied with his attitude.
Ye Han muttered inwardly: "Just wait, little one. Once I master combat and swordsmanship, I'm definitely spanking your butt until it pops! Let's see you act all high and mighty then."
Zixia took the wine gourd from him and downed it.
"So good!"
Her beautiful eyes lit up, and the usual coldness faded away. More importantly, the soul power she'd used up earlier in her battle with the spirit beast had fully recovered.
Was it really that good?
Ye Han couldn't help but get curious and summoned another gourd.
"Heaven and Earth hold the gourd—its name is Soul Wine!"
Another crimson gourd appeared in his hand, and he eagerly raised it to his mouth.
But the next moment, his hand felt light.
The gourd had once again been snatched by Zixia.
Ye Han was furious. This was mine! I made it! Can I not even drink it myself?!
Before he could complain, Zixia kicked him.
He rolled far, far away.
Ye Han got up and roared, "You can kill me, but don't humiliate me! You little brat, I'll—"
He froze mid-sentence.
Because Zixia now held a shimmering, razor-thin metallic thread in her hand. At the other end, a person was tightly bound.
And that thread, sharp as a blade, was slicing deep into their flesh—blood poured out.
In an instant, the person was drenched in blood—a sight that sent chills down Ye Han's spine.
(End of Chapter)