Chapter 12: Absorbing Beyond One’s Level

The sun rose and set, night fell, and six full hours had passed since Tang Xi absorbed her first soul ring.

The soul ring had not yet fully integrated into her body, yet Tang Xi’s face was as pale as paper, her lips tinged with blue and purple. Sweat trickled down her cheeks, soaking her collar.

But was it not taking too long just to absorb the first soul ring?

Tang Hao crossed his arms. Had he felt that Tang Xi was seriously injured, he would have intervened long ago.

Unexpectedly, just as this thought crossed his mind, Tang Xi, whose complexion was already grim, suddenly spat out a mouthful of black blood.

It was time to end this!

Tang Hao acted swiftly, placing his hand on Tang Xi’s shoulder, only to notice that the black blood she had just expelled shimmered with specks of green.

“Poison?”

Tang Hao frowned deeply, sensing carefully, and immediately understood.

“The toxin from the Porcupine Douluo—it hasn’t been eliminated yet?”

The Porcupine Douluo’s carefully concocted innate poison, though its creator did not intend to take her life, was designed to prevent Tang Xi from cultivating further. Previously, they destroyed her martial soul and dispersed her soul power; now, as she absorbed the soul ring, this deadly toxin surfaced again to obstruct her.

Not only was she absorbing a soul ring beyond her level, but she also had to resist this lethal poison. The suffering Tang Xi endured was likely many times greater than Tang Hao had anticipated.

He immediately intervened, channeling soul power into her body, yet the situation did not improve. Even the veins on Tang Xi’s delicate face began to darken with black, and three of her seven orifices leaked the same black blood as before.

To have the absorption interrupted halfway after enduring such pain was a waste. Although regrettable, it was insignificant compared to her life.

Tang Hao was about to stop the absorption process when Tang Xi seemed to sense it. The skin between her brows cracked open, emitting a red light and blood, while her jet-black hair gradually reverted to a beautiful silver-white.

It was the head soul bone.

Tang Hao paused.

Was she signaling him not to interfere?

Was she using all the disguising power of the head soul bone to suppress the poison? Did she have confidence or was she prepared for a desperate fight?

Tang Hao still did not fully understand the young girl’s thoughts, but he had no heart to be pleased for her.

He murmured softly, “Don’t be overconfident and mess this up.”

Blood poured straight down from the cracked skin between her brows to her chin. Tang Xi bit her molars tightly and let out a faint hum. Suddenly, a mist of blood appeared around her—

The blood mist did not fall but instead formed the shape of a bird circling Tang Xi.

The blood bird seemed to gain consciousness. It lifted its head and let out a reluctant, mournful cry to the sky, as if lamenting the bitterness of being shattered and suppressed.

In a blink, Tang Hao recognized the blood bird.

It was the Wound Soul Bird.

The appearance of the Wound Soul Bird seemed to mark the end of Tang Xi’s struggle with the soul ring. Her body trembled violently, and after a few breaths, she let out a painful scream. The blood bird circled once more, then returned before her, merging with the soul ring and her petite body.

After a few more breaths, Tang Xi slowly opened her eyes, her expression dazed and somewhat shaken.

She took several deep breaths before shifting her gaze to Tang Hao and asking, “Is it over?”

Had the pain blurred her sense of reality?

“Relax,” Tang Hao nodded slightly and asked, “How do you feel?”

Tang Xi sighed, recalling what she had just endured. Her body trembled as she said, “It was excruciating, like swallowing eight Title Douluos who fought inside me.”

She paused, a smile returning to her eyes and brows. “But I did not fail you.”

“Enough with the nonsense. The phrase you need is ‘survived a great calamity,’” Tang Hao said, crossing his legs and holding her wrist, adjusting the flow of her energy. “I always thought the toxin in you had been neutralized by your Silver Element Martial Soul. I didn’t expect it to have been lying dormant, only to emerge at your breakthrough moment and catch you off guard.”

Tang Xi clenched her fist, also pleased with her success. “I was caught off guard, but I fought back.”

“What about the next time?” Tang Hao said, wiping the black blood from the corner of her mouth. “This poison lies dormant in your bloodline and will grow alongside you. It will emerge with every breakthrough. Early on, it only obstructs your absorption of soul rings; later, once it develops consciousness, it will vie for control of your body. If you don’t find a way to eliminate it by the time you reach the Soul Douluo stage, it will become a serious problem.”

Tang Xi nonchalantly wiped away the black blood on her face. “Soul Douluo? That’s still a long way off.”

Tang Hao tapped her head again, looking at her with a ‘you’ll regret this next time’ expression, and warned, “This time, it was your martial soul protecting you. If the Wound Soul Bird hadn’t appeared at the last moment, I would have had to intervene and stop your absorption.”

“I knew my martial soul was fine,” Tang Xi said, placing her hand over her heart with a smile. “I could feel it healing here.”

With the crisis averted, Tang Hao returned to the main topic. “Alright, let’s see what soul skill you gained.”

Tang Xi tilted her head, shrugged, and smiled, repeating the phrase she said at the beginning:

“I did not fail you.”

Hmm?

Tang Hao’s eyes finally showed a trace of astonishment. He confirmed immediately, “Is it really a group control skill?”

“Perhaps it’s even more than that.”

Tang Xi stood, the first soul ring appearing at her waist. A layer of silvery-gray flickered in her warm blue eyes.

“First soul skill: Silver Marsh.”

Soul power surged from her feet into the ground, instantly enveloping the soil beneath Tang Hao’s feet. Within a five-meter radius centered on Tang Hao, the earth was quickly tainted silver, transforming into a marsh made of liquid silver elements.

Tang Hao easily leapt out of the silver marsh’s range, then looked back to see the area sinking. He casually tossed a stone in, which was immediately swallowed by the silvery swamp. It was easy to imagine how troublesome this would be for a soul master trapped within.

Tang Xi was especially pleased with her first soul skill and explained:

“For five seconds after activation, the ground becomes a liquid silver marsh, causing enemies to sink deeply. After five seconds, the liquid silver solidifies, restricting enemy movement. At the same level, non-strength type cultivators will find it hard to escape.”

Tang Hao nodded with satisfaction. “Good luck. It’s a control-type soul skill, effective for both groups and individuals. And if I’m not mistaken, this silver marsh carries its own toxin, right?”

Tang Xi sighed regretfully. “It is toxic, but it’s the venom of a swamp crocodile—non-lethal, only mildly corrosive. Such a pity.”