Douluo: Emerald Poison Emperor

"Soul Masters should revere death, but they should not fear it."

Chen Ming shook his head, unwilling to explain further.

In truth, throughout these years of cultivation, Chen Ming vaguely felt as if he indeed possessed some kind of special cheat ability. However, this ability seemed far too abstract—so much so that even now, he couldn't figure out what it truly was. He only knew it appeared to be some kind of spiritual trait. As a result, over the years, he had paid particular attention to anything related to spirituality.

The Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes was something he had noticed at first glance. Back then, this plant wasn't even a soul beast; it was merely a plant with a faint soul power fluctuation. During his cultivation breaks, Chen Ming watered its roots with his blood and nourished it bit by bit with his soul power. Only a few months ago had it transformed into a soul beast, its age roughly around 500 years.

Because of the soul power he infused and the blood he used to nurture it, Chen Ming could sense that this plant bore some sort of imprint from him. Though he didn't know exactly what this imprint could do, he was certain it wouldn't cause any negative effects.

Chen Ming firmly believed he could absorb its soul ring.

Seeing that persuasion was futile, Chen Shijie and Chen Tianyun stopped speaking. They clenched their fists, their bodies trembling slightly, their eyes filled with a mix of pleading and desperation as they silently begged Chen Ming to reconsider.

Chen Ming didn't have a weapon capable of dealing with the Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes. Even with his martial soul possessed, he couldn't inflict fatal damage on it.

Moreover, all of this relied on the assumption that Chen Ming's actions wouldn't provoke a chain reaction among this Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes and others within the cave.

The Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes's roots were extensive; even if the leaves were destroyed, they wouldn't die completely. It wasn't something ordinary Soul Masters could easily handle.

At that moment, Chen Ming closed his eyes and summoned his martial soul, seemingly sensing something. His mental strength and soul power fused, transmitting a certain quality into the Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes.

A surge of power emanated from the flower, resonating with Chen Ming's martial soul and bloodline. Within mere moments, the Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes rapidly bloomed, and the originally calm soul power within it ignited completely in an instant.

Sacrifice!

This unique ability, typically initiated only by 100,000-year soul beasts, was forcibly triggered in a way even Chen Ming couldn't comprehend.

The Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes began to devour its surrounding kind. The soul-beast-grade Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes could barely resist their instincts, but those that hadn't yet become soul beasts could only obediently transfer all the energy they had accumulated to it.

If this energy were absorbed as a foundation, the Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes's age could surpass 1,000 years in a short time. However, none of this energy was preserved; instead, it burned completely in an instant.

The flower bloomed, its vitality and soul power surging. A vivid green beam of soul power connected Chen Ming and the Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes, visible to the naked eye.

As Chen Shijie and Chen Tianyun watched in utter shock, unable to think, the Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes reached its ultimate bloom, producing an illusory eighth petal that shouldn't have existed.

Then, in an instant, the massive plant withered as though all its life force had been drained, turning to ashes. The soul power within the flower condensed into a single mass and surged into Chen Ming's body. Instinctively, Chen Ming sat cross-legged in meditation, and a deep yellow soul ring emerged around him.

"Sacrifice? Isn't that only..."

Chen Shijie's jaw dropped as he barely managed to utter a few words. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't think of how to continue.

Sacrifice was said to be a unique ability possessed only by 100,000-year soul beasts, and it could only occur when such a beast willingly offered its entire being to someone.

Such an event on the Douluo Continent was akin to a myth, rarer even than the Angel God descending in divine manifestation. If not for the long-standing reverence for unchanging ancestral laws on the continent, the concept of sacrifice, which no one had ever witnessed, would have long been dismissed as a mere rumor and erased from books.

But what had they witnessed today?

A century-old plant-based soul beast performing a sacrifice for a Soul Master who hadn't even absorbed their first soul ring?

This wasn't just unbelievable—it was utterly beyond description.

This was hundreds, thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands of times more absurd than the Angel God descending to bestow a soul ring!

At this moment, however, Chen Ming had no time to concern himself with the thoughts of the two onlookers. Under the sacrifice of the Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes, he had entered a state of deep meditation, something most Soul Masters could only dream of experiencing.

If Chen Ming had previously been bound by an unseen lock, the appearance of this soul ring felt like it had shattered one of those restraints.

In his heart, a realization emerged.

Soul Masters and soul rings were intrinsic to the laws of the Douluo Continent. Every breakthrough a Soul Master made was essentially a transformation facilitated through a soul ring, acting as a medium to connect with the world's laws.

A martial soul was a manifestation of the world's essence—a form of Dao in the Douluo world—while soul rings were derivatives of this Dao.

Both were inherently flawed, but their combination was what allowed for true perfection and the genuine derivation of power from the world itself.

Using the soul ring as a medium, Chen Ming's consciousness ascended into a profound and mysterious state. He sensed that he could actively grasp something from this connection.

Before him, images began to unfold like scrolls, revealing the laws hidden within the Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes, the essence imprinted upon the origin of its species.

Different Soul Masters with different martial souls would perceive different things, and no two individuals would experience the same. But to be precise, from beginning to end, only Chen Ming had ever been able to perceive such abstract concepts in this way.

"Poison Arrow Technique... Poison Light Technique... Venomous Bind... Toxic Shot... Venom Reinforcement... Poisonous Claw..."

"These... these are not enough. These are merely variations of soul power, not the essence..."

While other Soul Masters could only randomly obtain a single soul skill compatible with them after absorbing a soul ring, Chen Ming was now able to unlock all the potential abilities of the Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes. He browsed through them one by one, making modifications to better align them with his intent.

Skills like binding or growth, which didn't suit his martial soul, were quickly disregarded. Instead, Chen Ming focused his attention on more essential aspects.

Soul ring abilities functioned like spell slots or skill slots—they could be used, but most Soul Masters never understood how they worked, let alone approached the essence of their soul rings.

Some straightforward abilities, like injecting power into a fireball or flame thread, shared the same fundamental principles. Yet most Soul Masters couldn't alter or refine these skills in any way. Simple techniques like these could theoretically be learned through post-training without wasting a precious soul ring slot.

Chen Ming delved into the essence of the Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes's soul ring, exploring its true nature. Eventually, overlapping images solidified before him, presenting a soul skill theoretically only available to Soul Masters whose martial souls were of the same species as the Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes.

"Poison Cloud Technique..."