When the sand and dust finally settled and Lin Xia clearly saw the scene before him, his pupils contracted sharply, and an indescribable shock surged through his heart!
In the center of the area where the sandstorm had just raged, more than a dozen massive yellow-furred rats lay sprawled across the ground.
Even the smallest of them was three to four meters long. Their yellow-brown fur was covered by a hard keratinized layer, their limbs thick and powerful, claws razor-sharp—these were Hundred-Year Yellow Sandstorm Rats.
At this moment, all of them had their eyes rolled back, blood spilling from their mouths and noses. Some had twisted, deformed limbs, clearly having been instantly knocked unconscious or severely injured by overwhelming force, completely losing consciousness.
The sandy ground was littered with traces of battle and scattered bloodstains.
And standing before this unconscious rat pack was Lou Gao, towering like an iron pagoda. With one hand, he casually held the scruff of the neck of an even larger Yellow Sandstorm Rats whose aura was clearly far stronger!
These two giant rats were both over five meters long, their fur glossy and their muscles knotted. Especially the one on the right—there was a faint silver pattern on its forehead. Though it too had passed out, the energy fluctuations radiating from its body far surpassed those of the Hundred-Year rats nearby.
A bold, triumphant smile rested on Lou Gao's face, his aura steady and composed, as if the brief yet intense battle earlier had been nothing more than a warm-up.
He casually tossed the two unconscious giant rats onto the sand like sacks of grain—thud, thud—kicking up clouds of dust. Then he called out loudly toward where Lin Xia was hiding.
"All right, Xia! Come over here! The target's secured!"
Lin Xia took a deep breath of the hot, dust-filled air, suppressing the shock in his heart, and immediately ran over with Larvitar.
Larvitar stared at the massive rats scattered across the ground, its crimson eyes flickering with curiosity and a hint of instinctive caution.
Lou Gao pointed at the two unconscious Thousand-Year Yellow Sandstorm Rats on the ground, his voice steady and firm.
"The one on the left—judging by its size and aura—has about twelve hundred years of cultivation. As for the one on the right…"
Lou Gao nudged the rat with the silver marking on its forehead using the tip of his boot.
"Larger body, fiercer aura, and a wind pattern on its forehead. It should be around fourteen hundred years. That one's the leader of this group."
Lin Xia's gaze instantly locked onto the fourteen-hundred-year Yellow Sandstorm Rat leader.
His heart began pounding rapidly with excitement, scenes of the vision-blocking sandstorm filled with powerful wind and sand energy replaying again and again in his mind.
Whether he could obtain the long-coveted trait that could command sand and dust—success or failure would be decided in this single moment!
"Thank you, Teacher!"
Lin Xia's voice carried gratitude and resolve. There was no hesitation, no further questions.
Lou Gao had already paved the way for him. What remained was for Lin Xia to seize it himself.
He walked up to the massive Yellow Sandstorm Rat, his gaze firm.
Without using any weapon, he brought his five fingers together into a hand blade. His arm muscles tensed instantly, and beneath his skin, faint traces of purple lightning and metallic sheen flickered past.
His right arm, gathering all his strength, swung down like the sharpest battle axe, cutting through the air as it struck viciously toward the rat's vulnerable neck!
Crack!
A teeth-grinding sound of breaking bone rang out.
The tremendous force instantly destroyed the cervical vertebrae. The fourteen-hundred-year Yellow Sandstorm Rat's body twitched violently once before falling completely still.
In the next instant, a deep and brilliant purple ring of light—like the purest amethyst crystal—slowly rose from the rat king's corpse.
This was the manifestation of a Thousand-Year Soul Ring!
Watching Lin Xia kill the soul beast and draw out the soul ring with such decisiveness, a complex look flashed through Lou Gao's eyes—both relief and concern.
A Thousand-Year Soul Ring, especially as a first soul ring, was an almost certain brush with death!
Yet Lou Gao did not intervene. Instead, he efficiently began dealing with the aftermath.
Like a human crane, he grabbed the unconscious Hundred-Year Yellow Sandstorm Rats one by one and strode far away, hurling them more than a hundred meters off to ensure they wouldn't interfere with Lin Xia's soul ring absorption even if they awoke.
Only after finishing did Lou Gao return to Lin Xia's side. Like a silent mountain, he sat cross-legged, his sharp gaze sweeping the surroundings as vast soul power subtly radiated outward, forming an invisible barrier of vigilance that firmly protected Lin Xia at its center.
Feeling his teacher's silent yet incomparably solid protection, a warm current flowed through Lin Xia's heart.
With resolve set, he nodded solemnly toward Lou Gao, then sat cross-legged on the scorching sand, assuming the five-hearts-facing-heaven cultivation posture.
Just as Lin Xia calmed his mind, circulated his soul power, and prepared to guide the purple soul ring floating before him—
An unexpected change occurred!
"Lar!"
Larvitar, which had been quietly staying beside him, seemed drawn by the immense energy and strange sand-laden aura contained within the purple soul ring, letting out a low cry filled with longing.
With a push of its short legs, it actually took the initiative to crawl to the front of Lin Xia's crossed legs, positioning itself directly opposite the Soul Ring. Then, imitating Lin Xia, it straightened its small body as much as it could, its crimson eyes fixed unblinkingly on that circle of violet light.
The instant Lin Xia's Soul Power extended outward like invisible threads and officially made contact with the Soul Ring, beginning to draw it in—
Buzz!
The deep purple Soul Ring seemed to be completely activated!
It trembled violently, releasing an even more intense and dazzling radiance, instantly enveloping both Lin Xia and Larvitar within it!
An indescribably vast, pure, and wildly turbulent torrent of Soul Power—laden with the aura of raging sandstorms—burst forth like a breached dam, surging violently along Lin Xia's Soul Power guidance and crashing into his body!
The sheer force and ferocity of this power far exceeded anything Lin Xia had imagined!
His body shuddered violently as he let out a muffled groan.
The rampant Soul Power was like countless tiny wind blades rampaging through his meridians, bringing tearing pain.
Larvitar suffered the same ordeal.
Watching this, Lou Gao grew extremely anxious.
Fortunately, after letting out a single muffled groan, neither Lin Xia nor Larvitar showed any further reaction.
Time passed silently amid resistance and fusion.
The blazing desert sun gradually tilted westward, dyeing the endless sea of dunes in hues of gold and crimson.
Finally—
The purple glow of the Soul Ring surrounding Lin Xia and Larvitar suddenly contracted inward, like a weary bird returning to its nest, completely merging into Lin Xia's body and vanishing without a trace.
Lin Xia's tightly shut eyes snapped open!
At the same moment, Larvitar in front of him also flung its crimson eyes wide open, letting out a powerful, force-filled roar.
"Larrr-vitar!"
"Xiao Xia!"
Lou Gao rushed forward in a single stride, his voice trembling with barely suppressed tension and anticipation, nearly cracking.
"How is it?! Did it—did it succeed?! How does your body feel? Any discomfort anywhere? The Soul Ring—did you obtain the Soul Skill you wanted?!"
Seeing Lou Gao looking even more nervous than himself, Lin Xia broke into a brilliant smile, relief clearly written across his face.
He stood up, stretched his limbs, and a series of crisp crackling sounds echoed from his joints, as if explosive power were coiled within his body. He looked at Lou Gao and nodded firmly, his tone confident and tinged with excitement.
"Teacher, it succeeded! And it feels… better than ever before!"
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