First Soul Core

As the yellow ring's energy flowed into Ru Jen's body, he felt a familiar sensation that he had experienced countless times before – the absorption of a soul ring.

A disturbing aura appeared in Ru Jen's spirit world as the energy from the ring began to wane. It was the remaining resentment of the Silver Moon Dragon, a powerful force that threatened to overwhelm him. However, Ru Jen's mental fortitude was stronger than that of the dragon, and he quickly countered and destroyed the residual malice.

Although the process seemed quick, it took Ru Jen a whole hour to complete.

As he opened his eyes and got up, both Yu Qi and Yu Yi approached him, eager to know what abilities he had gained.

"Xiao Shen, what abilities did the soul ring give you?" they asked.

Ru Jen smiled and said, "I got the ability called Moon's Eye from the 500-year-old Silver Moon Dragon. It allows me to create 'grand illusions' and confuse my opponents."

"But I can't use it on anyone who's 10 ranks higher than me," he added.

Both Yu Yi and Yu Qi were surprised to hear that Ru Jen had obtained such a rare and valuable illusion skill. However, they were disappointed that he hadn't awakened an ability related to his physical prowess, given their shared heritage in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, which valued physical prowess over mental prowess.

"It appears that your first soul ring gave you a pretty good ability. Let's head home and tell your mother the news," Yu Yi said, nodding at Yu Qi.

"Agreed," Yu Qi added.

As they started to walk, Yu Qi took out a bag and handed it to Ru Jen.

"Nephew Jen, your father and I found these Soul Empowering Fruits while you were absorbing the soul ring. There are 16 of them – consider it a gift from us!"

Ru Jen quickly recalled that Soul Empowering Fruits were a rare tonic used to restore a soul master's soul energy, as they contained a large amount of soul energy.

"Thank you, Uncle Qi. I won't forget this favor!" Ru Jen said, examining the fruits with appreciation.

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Ru Jen, who had just gotten his first soul ring, returned to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan with his dad, Yu Yi, and Yu Qi. After returning to the clan, Yu Qi went back to the clan office, while Yu Yi and Ru Jen headed home. After returning home, Yu Yi went to tell Yu Xuzi about their successful soul ring hunt, while Ru Jen was sent to his room to rest by his parents.

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-5 days Later-

Five days had passed naturally, during which several important events unfolded.

Firstly, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan sent one of their elders to examine Ru Jen's body for any hidden injuries after the absorption of the soul ring. Upon finding no injuries, the elder left.

Secondly, Ru Jen was informed of an upcoming inner clan competition that would take place in six months. He was advised to prepare for the competition, as it would determine the resources allotted to the clan's geniuses.

Finally, the clan "gifted" Ru Jen with some valuable heaven and earth treasure, which he considered more of an investment in his future.

Ru Jen let out a sigh upon hearing the news. To him, the inner clan competition was of utmost importance, as it would determine the amount of resources and attention he would receive in the future. While an ordinary member of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan would strive to win this competition, Ru Jen found himself in a dilemma. He needed a significant amount of resources to quickly enhance his strength, but he also didn't want to draw too much attention to himself.

After careful consideration, he decided to aim for a rank within the top six. This way, he could avoid disappointing the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan elders, while also having the excuse of a non-fighting-related first soul ring if asked why he lost. However, reaching the top six would not be an easy feat. The sons and disciples of high-ranking clan members would undoubtedly receive a large amount of Heaven and Earth treasures, enabling them to reach ranks 15 to 18 in just six months.

Although Ru Jen had received a few Heaven and Earth treasures from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, they were merely drops in the bucket compared to what he truly needed. He knew that the only viable option left was to use the Nine Glazed Heavenly Core Technique and form his very own first soul core. However, he needed to make careful preparations, which he estimated would take at least one month to complete.

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-1 month Later-

On a dark and eerie night, the young child Ru Jen sat cross-legged amidst a vast, ominous array that seemed to be conjured from the abyss itself. The silver light of the moon illuminated the scene, casting an otherworldly glow upon the boy's determined yet lonely face. He had completed all the necessary preparations for the formation of his soul core with the help of the Nine Glazed Heavenly Core Technique, and he had arrived at his usual hiding spot.

With a steady hand, Ru Jen began to pour a tremendous amount of soul energy into the black and red array, causing it to come alive with a mysterious and powerful energy. The array glowed with an ominous aura, and soon a massive amount of black-colored soul energy began to gather inside of it. Ru Jen then retrieved a piece of paper on which strange inscriptions were written and dropped a drop of his blood on it, forming a protective barrier inside the array that prevented the gathered soul power from escaping.

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Ru Jen opened his eyes and brought out 16 fruits from his bag. He ate one in a single bite; this fruit was a Soul Empowering Fruit, a Heaven and Earth treasure that he had obtained through Yu Qi during their journey to find a soul ring. Soon, all the soul energy from the fruit began to transfer to Ru Jen's body, making him reach his peak again.

Ru Jen looked up and started to absorb the black-colored soul power from the surroundings. He began to use the soul power gained from eating the Soul Empowering Fruit to compress all the black-colored soul power into a ball about 25 cm in size. He used his spiritual power to make the glowing dark ball spin, and soon the ball began to glow while it spun faster and faster each second. Ru Jen began to feel terrible pain, but even in that pain, he didn't give up and continued to compress the black-colored soul power into a glowing dark ball while his own soul power was also decreasing at an alarming rate.

Then, Ru Jen took another Soul Empowering Fruit and ate it to restore his soul power. He again continued the same process of compressing and spinning.

He repeated this process several times, gradually reducing the size of the glowing black ball from 25 cm to 5 cm and the number of Soul Empowering Fruits from 16 to 4.

The glowing black ball was, in fact, a soul core with the darkness attribute. Using the remaining soul power, Ru Jen carefully directed the soul core towards one of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, which he had opened through practicing Yin Body Training for three years.

With the soul core now in his Yin linking Vessel, one of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, Ru Jen consumed the remaining 4 Soul Empowering fruits in one gulp, channeling all the soul energy from the fruits into the soul core and increasing its speed of rotation.

As the soul core spun faster and faster, Ru Jen divided his soul energy into two parts, using one part to empower the soul core and the other to form a seal in his Yin linking vessel, effectively locking the soul core in place.

With the soul core now anchored, nine illusory chains appeared and wrapped around the spinning core, keeping it in position. Despite the physical toll this process took on his body, Ru Jen persevered until he finally achieved his goal.

At that moment, the soul core burst forth with an incredible amount of energy that rushed into Ru Jen's body, strengthening his physique and elevating his spirit rank from 10 to 14. Additionally, it raised his spiritual rank from early Spirit Connection to peak Spirit Connection and enhanced his affinity towards darkness, given the soul core's attributes.

Knowing that the soul core had brought about significant changes to his martial soul, Ru Jen resolved to explore its capabilities. However, he first needed to rest and allow his body to recover from the intense process of forming the soul core.

As he made his way home, Ru Jen could feel the soul core's power flowing through him like a dark river, connecting him to the darkness in a way he had never experienced before. He realized that this was just the beginning of his journey, and he was excited to see where it would lead him.