Douluo: Emerald Poison Emperor

The Level 3 Soul Guidance Ray Gun is designed for use by Level 3 Soul Elders. While Soul Grandmasters can barely use it, their soul power isn't sufficient to fire it too many times.

After firing six or seven shots, Ning Rongrong began to show signs of insufficient soul power. However, in her excited state, she didn't care about her dwindling soul power and continued shooting at the target.

By the eighth or ninth shot, her body visibly trembled from the excessive soul power consumption. Even though Little Wu and the old Soul Saint tried to persuade her to stop, Ning Rongrong held on and managed to fire the tenth shot before finally putting down the Soul Guidance Gun.

It wasn't because she had had enough fun; it was because her soul power was completely drained. If Little Wu hadn't supported her, she would've collapsed onto the ground and fallen asleep on the spot.

To be honest, if it wasn't for the fact that this Level 3 Soul Guidance Ray Gun was a top-tier product—professionally adjusted for both consumption and conversion efficiency—Ning Rongrong would've been completely drained by the sixth shot. After all, the Soul Guidance Ray Gun is calibrated for Soul Elders with three soul rings.

Yet, even in such a state where she needed help just to stand, Ning Rongrong still clutched the Soul Guidance Gun tightly in her arms like a child, glaring at everyone as if they were trying to steal her precious treasure.

Watching Ning Rongrong like this, Chen Ming smiled, walked over, and placed a hand on her shoulder, gently channeling his soul power into her body.

Although Chen Ming had restrained the unusual aspects of his soul power that no ordinary Soul Master should possess, the high-quality soul power still quickly nourished Ning Rongrong's weakened body and dried-up meridians. The unprecedented comfort even caused Ning Rongrong to let out a soft, involuntary sound.

Sensing that something was off, Little Wu immediately covered Ning Rongrong's mouth, snapping her back to her senses. Otherwise, Ning Rongrong might've died of embarrassment on the spot.

A short while later, Ning Rongrong, her condition significantly improved, blushed deeply as she stepped out of Little Wu's embrace, her gaze toward Chen Ming tinged with shyness.

When Ning Rongrong looked toward the old Soul Sage, she saw him crouched on the ground, carefully examining the target while occasionally touching it and jotting down notes in a notebook. His demeanor didn't resemble someone studying an ordinary target but rather a soul beast researcher analyzing a rare specimen.

His focused expression made it seem like he could study it until the end of time.

But honestly, was there a need to take notes? And even if there was, as a Soul Sage, he wouldn't need to fuss over it like a novice Soul Master.

This was simply a case of an old hand playing it safe, avoiding entangling himself in matters he didn't dare meddle with. Even though he knew he wouldn't be silenced over such a trivial matter, his age had made him cautious, unwilling to invite trouble upon himself.

"I'm just an ordinary Soul Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. Whatever decisions the clan leader makes, I'll support them with both hands. Who the eldest young lady likes has nothing to do with me. Whatever the clan leader says, I'll do. Don't ask me about anything else—if you do, I'll just say I don't know."

Seeing the old Soul Sage's attitude, Ning Rongrong let out a sigh of relief.

Even though she knew she was just fooling herself, it was still better than dying of embarrassment outright, wasn't it?

"Rongrong, I also gave you a Level 3 Soul Guidance Shield earlier. You've only been using the Ray Gun so far—you haven't tested the shield yet."

Reminded by Chen Ming, Ning Rongrong suddenly remembered the shield Soul Guidance Device in her possession. She quickly retrieved the pendant-shaped device from her storage Soul Tool.

The shield Soul Guidance Device was shaped like a four-sided pyramid, entirely golden, with a strange-looking eye engraved on its surface. The cord was attached not to the pyramid's tip but to its base, so when worn, it hung from the neck like a weight.

Ning Rongrong weighed it in her hand, finding that while it wasn't particularly heavy, it wasn't exactly light either. Thinking about wearing it around her neck for long periods made her feel like her neck might start to ache. However, she didn't consider it a major flaw.

"Brother Chen, how do I use this Soul Guidance Device?" Ning Rongrong subtly changed her way of addressing Chen Ming, sounding more intimate. She leaned closer to Chen Ming, placing the pendant in his hand and curiously asking him.

"This is an automatic-trigger protective shield. When worn close to the body, it can generate a shield automatically before you're attacked. That said since there are so many types of attacks, this Soul Guidance Shield might misjudge or fail to react to certain special attacks. It's also ineffective against unusual attacks like mental assaults."

"The shield's defensive range is limited to common soul skills, melee attacks, ranged attacks, and physical or elemental damage."

This was a common drawback of automatic-trigger Soul Guidance Devices—they were prone to misjudging or failing at critical moments against specialized soul skills. Even so, it provided decent protection, especially against standard attacks.

"The shield Soul Guidance Device consumes a lot of power, so you won't be able to activate it right now, Rongrong. How about this: I'll stand over there, and you and Xiao Wu can attack me with soul skills and the Ray Gun. I'll demonstrate the shield's defensive capabilities."

After saying this, Chen Ming put on the pendant and walked to where the target had been, gesturing at Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu.

"Brother Chen Ming, are you sure this is okay?" Little Wu asked Chen Ming worriedly.

Her martial soul was the top-tier Red Dragon, and due to its unique nature, she was permanently in a partially dragonified state. While her martial soul wasn't quite a super martial soul, it was only a hair's breadth away from being one.

With her current Soul Elder cultivation, her soul skills were already comparable in power to those of a Soul Ancestor. She was genuinely afraid of hurting Chen Ming.

"No problem, just give it your all."

"All right, here I go." Little Wu exchanged glances with Ning Rongrong, then summoned her martial soul. A fiery aura erupted around her as two yellow and one purple soul rings appeared.

"Third Soul Skill: Dragon Flame!"

"Fire!" Ning Rongrong couldn't call out a skill name, but following the unspoken rules of the Douluo Continent, she shouted before pulling the trigger again.

Two red beams of light shot toward Chen Ming, who showed no signs of preparing to defend himself. Just as the beams were about to hit him, the pendant-like Soul Guidance Shield automatically activated, drawing on Chen Ming's soul power to form a deep yellow shield tinged with faint gold.

The shield's attributes combined the defensive strengths of earth and a hint of metal, making its defensive power quite formidable. Even when simultaneously hit by a Soul Guidance Ray of the same level and a top-tier Soul Elder's third soul skill, the deep yellow shield merely trembled slightly before neutralizing the attacks.

Thanks to the shield's intrinsic properties, it continued to absorb Chen Ming's soul power, maintaining its presence around him. Once the attacks were completely neutralized, the shield returned to its original state.