Chapter 69: Obtaining the Third Soul Ring
The purple mental beam slammed against the telepathic shield, sending ripples of blue light flickering across its surface. Waves of oppressive mental energy radiated outward, crashing against Lin Bai's defenses in a relentless battle of will.
"Xiaotian, hold the shield," Lin Bai commanded.
Without hesitation, he passed control of the telepathic barrier to Ying Tian while focusing his mind on the next phase. Even as he maintained his telekinesis, Lin Bai prepared to launch the Ruyi Qiankun Spear.
The three-eyed demon ape moved swiftly, evading both the incoming spear and the dragon's breath. But no matter how fast it was, it could never outpace Lin Bai's thoughts.
Ying Tian's telekinetic strength was slightly beneath Lin Bai's, but with both of them combining their power, they held steady against the mental assault of a ten-thousand-year soul beast.
From a distance, Flender observed the situation carefully. Seeing Lin Bai holding firm, he let out a quiet breath and returned his attention to guarding Tang San's breakthrough.
Lin Bai's spear gathered strength, radiating sharp golden light. The three-eyed demon ape's pupils constricted. Prolonged exertion had clearly begun to wear on the beast. Recognizing the danger, it abruptly stopped its psychic assault and flung a nearby thousand-year-old soul beast into the spear's path.
But ultimate gold wasn't so easily stopped.
The Ruyi Qiankun Spear pierced clean through the unfortunate beast without losing momentum, hurtling toward the ape.
Lin Bai didn't hesitate. Activating his first and second soul rings in succession, he coated the spear in a cyan glow. Its sharp aura seemed to tear through space itself. Though the effects of the mad soul skill gnawed at his clarity, Lin Bai forcibly suppressed them, stabilizing his mind with sheer willpower.
The three-eyed demon ape roared, its mental fluctuations surging again. Its three eyes gleamed dangerously, warping the air itself with psychic pressure.
It's capable of limited telekinesis too.
Lin Bai noted it in the back of his mind. He manipulated the Ruyi Qiankun Spear from multiple angles, boxing the beast in and cutting off its routes of escape.
Had it been a weaker creature, Lin Bai might have overwhelmed it directly with telekinesis. But as a ten-thousand-year soul beast with powerful spiritual abilities, it wasn't something he could overpower through brute force alone. Defense came first.
Sensing the mounting threat, the three-eyed demon ape bristled. It grabbed the corpses of fallen soul beasts nearby and hurled them to intercept the spear's path.
The ape's raw strength was undeniable. Lin Bai, forced to split his focus between maintaining the barrier and controlling the spear, found himself gradually pressed.
The Ruyi Qiankun Spear's trajectory wavered, burying itself into the earth. The ape didn't waste the opening—it crouched low, then sprang behind a towering tree. Its third eye flashed, and a burst of purple light surged forth.
The world shuddered.
The surrounding soul beasts howled, their perceptions thrown into chaos. Space itself seemed to twist and shatter under the pressure of the psychic wave.
Mental interference.
Lin Bai's expression darkened. This wasn't a simple mental assault—this was perception disruption. Chaotic psychic waves scrambled his senses, making it near-impossible to mount a direct counter.
His vision blurred, and dizziness swept over him.
The three-eyed demon ape lunged from behind the cover, its muscled legs propelling it toward Ying Tian.
And then—
Lin Bai smirked. "I lied."
The ape's eyes widened in alarm. It roared furiously, but before it could react—
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Golden light surged forth. The Ruyi Qiankun Spear shot from three different angles, piercing through the beast's limbs and nailing it to the ground. The ape's bloodshot eyes turned feral as it entered a berserk state, but Lin Bai had already severed its key meridians, targeting the acupoints precisely.
No matter how it struggled, it couldn't break free.
Lin Bai's telekinesis manipulated a set of steel needles from his storage ring. With a mere thought, the needles flew forward, embedding themselves into the exact points where the spear had struck.
As he withdrew his martial spirit, Ying Tian dove down. His dragon claws gripped the pinned ape, lifting it effortlessly into the air.
Lin Bai produced the Mountain God Seal. Under Ying Tian's reluctant gaze, he activated it, sealing the three-eyed demon ape inside. He would release it only after he advanced to level 30.
Without his mount beneath him, Lin Bai felt his energy consumption spike, but he had no intention of revealing his full strength yet. He leapt into the trees, observing as Zhao Wuji and Flender unleashed their full power against the remaining ten-thousand-year soul beasts.
From a safe distance, Ma Hongjun and the others watched the battle unfold in shock.
Ma Hongjun whispered, "Lin Bai… you sealed the three-eyed demon ape to use it as your future soul ring?"
"Obviously," Lin Bai replied casually.
Dai Mubai, who had always considered himself a powerhouse, felt another blow to his pride. No matter how he measured it, Lin Bai's strength eclipsed his own.
"Wait—you're planning to absorb a ten-thousand-year soul ring for your third ring?" Dai Mubai's voice was sharp. "It'll be years before you hit level 40. Even if you catch a soul beast, it might starve itself before you can absorb its ring."
Lin Bai chuckled, leaning against the trunk of a tree. "Who said I'd wait until level 40? The moment I break through to 30, I'll absorb the three-eyed demon ape's ring. If I didn't intend to do that, I wouldn't have gone through all this trouble."
A sharp breath escaped the group.
"The third ring at ten thousand years!?"
Oscar nearly cried out before catching himself, casting a wary glance at the surrounding soul beasts. Lowering his voice, he said, "Is that even possible? Normal soul masters need to reach level 50 before they can withstand a ten-thousand-year ring."
Dai Mubai shook his head slowly. "Lin Bai isn't normal. Don't forget—he fused a thousand-year ring as his second soul ring without a problem. His body's special. His profession involves dragons; his physique can handle it. He even resisted the ape's mental assault."
Though he had once been skeptical, even Dai Mubai was beginning to believe it. Witnessing it firsthand left no room for doubt.
His competitive spirit ignited. When I reach my fourth ring, I'll try for a ten-thousand-year ring too. I can't fall too far behind.
Oscar added, "Tang San's about to finish breaking through. If he fuses a five- or six-thousand-year soul ring for his third, maybe for his fourth, he could try for ten thousand too."
There was a trace of envy in his voice. Though his own path as an auxiliary-type soul master limited him, the possibility of stronger soul rings tempted him all the same.
"Wait," Ma Hongjun muttered, drawing everyone's attention. "What if, in the future, soul masters prioritize training in the adventurer profession first? Wouldn't that let them absorb thousand-year rings for their first soul ring? Some might even attempt a ten-thousand-year ring from the start."
A heavy silence settled over the group.
It sounded absurd—yet possible.
And if it were… the world of soul masters might never be the same again.
*********
If you want to read more there's 15, 30, 50 chapters there of my written fanfictions and translated works in my Pat.Reon.
Here is the link:
https://patreon.com/LordFisherman?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink
And if you can't find it just type my name: patreon.com/LordFisherman