A black mist, formed by black particles, instantly surged from within Lu Jingming, quickly enveloping his entire body. The black mist spread wantonly, and wherever it reached, the surrounding flowers, trees, rocks, and soil began to decompose under its influence, as if all things in the world became incredibly fragile before this power.
Feeling this sudden surge of powerful energy, Xingyun Douluo, who had been like a shadow guarding Xu Jiujiu, instantly grew solemn. Out of an instinctive vigilance for the princess's safety, she instinctively flashed and stood in front of Xu Jiujiu, her expression serious as she deep-voiced, "Your Royal Highness, be careful! Do not touch that black mist!"
Though a hint of surprise flickered in Xu Jiujiu's eyes, her demeanor remained very composed, without the slightest panic. She gently shook her head and said calmly, "Grandma Manyi, it's alright." Indeed, the seemingly aggressive black mist only spread a few meters before it seemed to be constrained by some force, stopping its further diffusion. Subsequently, the black mist, as if pulled by an invisible large hand, slowly converged towards the center.
As the black mist gradually dissipated, Lu Jingming's figure once again became clearly visible. At this moment, Lu Jingming was an entirely new person. With white hair and red eyes, his height had increased slightly, and he carried a cold and stern aura. In his hand, he held a pitch-black long spear, much taller than himself. Black light mist swirled around the spear's shaft, reflecting a dazzling purple soul ring that shone with magnificent light, appearing exceptionally striking.
Watching this scene unfold, Xu Jiujiu's gaze blurred for a moment. Though the youth was still young, his delicate features and unique aura already exuded the charm of a beautiful young man. It was not hard to imagine what a world-shattering, captivating figure he would become when he grew up. Of course, all of this presumed that the youth wouldn't grow crooked, like a certain Conqueror King who was once a stunningly beautiful young man but eventually became a big burly man with a full beard.
Successfully absorbing his first soul ring and smoothly acquiring his first soul skill, Lu Jingming's face showed satisfaction. He gently raised his hand, putting away Black Abyss. It had to be said, the Ashen Brilliant Phoenix truly lived up to its reputation as a powerful soul beast with destructive attributes; the soul skill it granted him was extremely satisfying.
For Lu Jingming, at only six years old, absorbing a thousand-year soul ring for his first soul ring indeed placed a great burden on his body. However, during the process of absorbing the soul ring, the "White Flower" martial soul played a crucial role. Whenever his meridians were torn by the violent soul force impact, the creation power released by the "White Flower" martial soul immediately followed, promptly repairing his damaged body. If not for the powerful and effective creation power of the "White Flower" martial soul, absorbing a thousand-year level soul ring for his first would have indeed posed a considerable danger to the young Lu Jingming.
Although the process of absorbing the soul ring was somewhat perilous, everything was within Lu Jingming's expectations. After all, Herta knew his physical condition perfectly. Since Herta determined that he could absorb a thousand-year soul ring, there would definitely be no problem. In Lu Jingming's heart, he not only regarded these summoned companions as his closest family but also gave them unconditional and absolute trust. If he couldn't even trust them, wouldn't this life be too sorrowful?
When Lu Jingming slowly opened his eyes, he saw the princess, with her azure eyes wide open, staring intently at him. He couldn't help but be slightly stunned and asked in surprise, "Your Royal Highness, why are you...!" He was somewhat confused, wondering why Xu Jiujiu was still here.
Xu Jiujiu gracefully stood up, reaching down to gently pat her magnificent golden dress, her movements elegant and natural. A charming smile played on her face as she said, "I was just a little curious. After all, you've set a precedent for the entire Douluo Continent. You don't mind, do you?"
Lu Jingming quickly shook his head and humbly said, "Your Royal Highness flatters me. The Douluo Continent is vast and full of hidden talents, with countless geniuses emerging one after another. I merely happened to have a relatively good physical constitution, which allowed me to barely absorb a thousand-year soul ring. Before those true powerhouses, this is truly nothing."
Upon hearing this, Xu Jiujiu couldn't help but roll her eyes playfully and beautifully. She feigned anger and said, "You little rascal, at such a young age, why do you have no youthful arrogance at all?"
Lu Jingming merely chuckled, offering no further explanation. In truth, how could he not be arrogant? As a transmigrator familiar with the plot and possessing a powerful golden finger, an innate arrogance resided within him. However, Lu Jingming's personality in his previous life was more composed and reserved, so his arrogance was never easily expressed outwardly. Moreover, in his opinion, while absorbing a thousand-year soul ring as the first was rare, it was truly nothing worth boasting about excessively. After all, the Son of Fortune in this world had a million-year first soul ring; now that was truly something astonishing.
"Your Royal Highness, I presume you came to the Star Dou Great Forest to acquire a soul ring as well? Will this not delay your time?" Lu Jingming, not wanting to dwell on the previous topic, naturally shifted the conversation.
Xu Jiujiu didn't mind, still smiling as she said, "I'm not like a little monster like you, with a thousand-year first soul ring. I only need a thousand-year third soul ring. For my situation, it's not hard to find and won't take much time. You're not trying to find an excuse to make me leave, are you?"
"How could I? As a citizen of the Empire, how dare I show any disrespect to Your Royal Highness!" Lu Jingming quickly shook his head repeatedly, his attitude very sincere.
"You little rascal, you're respectful to me on the surface, but in your heart, you don't really take me, the princess, seriously, do you?" Xu Jiujiu suddenly narrowed her eyes, her tone carrying a hint of teasing. As a princess, she had received too much flattery and compliments in her daily life, so she keenly sensed that Lu Jingming's respect for her was mostly superficial, not from the heart.
Lu Jingming was rendered silent by Xu Jiujiu's blunt words, secretly amazed. He never expected this Princess Jiujiu's intuition to be so sharp; he had clearly tried very hard to disguise himself.
"Never mind, I won't bother with you. I'm a few years older than you, so from now on, you don't need to call me 'Your Royal Highness' anymore. Just call me 'Sister'," Xu Jiujiu's eyes flashed with a hint of slyness.
Hearing this, Lu Jingming was a little surprised, he didn't expect the Princess to be so close.