About four months after entering the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, Yang Xiong's soul power became increasingly refined. That afternoon, he suddenly felt as though something had pierced through his entire body, bringing an overwhelming sense of comfort. Only then did Yang Xiong breathe a sigh of relief.
"I've finally reached Rank Thirty, just as I predicted."
Indeed, he had reached Rank Thirty. Less than two weeks after arriving at the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, Yang Xiong had already reached Rank Twenty-Nine. After another three and a half months of cultivation, he finally broke through to Rank Thirty.
At this pace, using the Yin-Yang Meditation Method, he could increase his rank by around four levels per year, which was already comparable to the progress of those born with innate full soul power.
About half a month ago, Ning Rongrong had already reached Rank Thirty in advance, becoming the fifth person among the Shrek Eight to reach the Soul Elder level.
Originally, Flender planned to arrange for everyone to help Ning Rongrong hunt for a soul ring, as usual. However, Ning Rongrong politely declined, her soul ring would be arranged by her clan.
After careful consideration, Yang Xiong finally decided to give Ning Rongrong the Man-Faced Demon Spider as her third soul ring.
Normally, the third soul ring for a soul master is around 1,700 years in age, but this Man-Faced Demon Spider was over 2,000 years old and should have been impossible to absorb.
However, after repeatedly confirming with her, Yang Xiong learned that Ning Rongrong had consumed a significant amount of whale glue, including the thousand-year variant. After being verified by Bone Douluo, it was confirmed that Ning Rongrong's body was indeed far stronger than average.
Normally, thousand-year whale glue allows the absorption of a soul ring 500 years older than usual. Ning Rongrong had consumed quite a lot, so absorbing the Man-Faced Demon Spider's ring should be manageable.
In particular, for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's third soul ring, soul beasts with high spirit power were usually chosen. The Man-Faced Demon Spider, a predator in the forest, was highly suitable.
At this moment, inside Ning Rongrong's small villa, four people were present: Ning Fengzhi, Bone Douluo, Yang Xiong, and Ning Rongrong. Yang Xiong retrieved the barely-living Man-Faced Demon Spider from a soul tool capable of storing living creatures.
Spider-type soul beasts were indeed incredibly tenacious, despite being captured months ago, it was still clinging to life. One of its eyes gleamed with vicious hatred, clearly full of resentment toward Yang Xiong, who had tormented it.
Bone Douluo looked at Yang Xiong with fury. "Yang Xiong, you're being reckless! This Man-Faced Demon Spider may be good, but it's over 2,000 years old! How could an auxiliary-type soul master like Rongrong possibly handle it?"
Yang Xiong immediately hid behind Ning Rongrong, looking at Bone Douluo with a trace of fear. "Elder Bone, you're well aware of the effects of whale glue on the body. Rongrong will have no problem absorbing this ring. Plus, I've been torturing this spider for a long time, it might even yield unexpected benefits."
Lately, Yang Xiong had truly grown wary of Sword and Bone Douluo. Whenever he saw them, he behaved like a scared quail.
For some strange reason, the two of them had taken to frequently visiting the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy. Under the pretense of giving Yang Xiong one-on-one combat training, they regularly beat him to a pulp without using spirit power, warning him not to tell Ning Rongrong. Otherwise, they'd make his life in the sect unbearable.
As a result, Yang Xiong often showed up in the group with a bruised and swollen face, yet dared not complain to anyone about these two powerhouses.
That said, fighting against Title Douluo did greatly improve his combat experience. His evasion and survival skills increased significantly, and his endurance had strengthened as well.
Before Bone Douluo could say more, Ning Rongrong spoke up first: "Father, didn't we already confirm it? Thousand-year whale glue should allow absorption of soul rings about 500 years older. I've taken plenty of it, I should be fine. Besides, I trust Xiao Xiong wouldn't harm me."
Ning Fengzhi sighed. "Rongrong, our whale glue testing results were indeed good. But absorbing a ring above your level is extremely painful. And keep in mind, they are all battle soul masters. You're an auxiliary soul master."
Ning Rongrong smiled: "Father, you're underestimating me. I've been training hard lately, and my physical strength has improved a lot."
Seeing her like this, Ning Fengzhi couldn't help but feel a little emotional. Still, he looked quite pleased. Compared to before she joined Shrek, Ning Rongrong had shed some of her immaturity and gained a sharp, heroic air.
Bone Douluo, unable to vent his frustration, instead glared fiercely at Yang Xiong. "This is your doing! If anything happens to Rongrong, I'll hang you at the gates of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy!"
Yang Xiong was helpless. "Elder Bone, this soul ring was approved by all of you. How is this my fault again?"
Seeing Bone Douluo's expression, Ning Fengzhi couldn't help but rub his forehead and chuckle bitterly. He had been aware of Sword and Bone Douluo's antics lately. Unfortunately, there wasn't much he could do. Both of them were using Rongrong as an excuse to take out their frustration, he himself also took the opportunity to vent a little. After all, Yang Xiong really had stolen his beautiful daughter.
As expected, the soul ring absorption process was excruciating for Ning Rongrong. Her face turned pale, worrying both Bone Douluo and Ning Fengzhi.
When Ning Rongrong gradually calmed down and opened her eyes, her entire body seemed to lose control. Eight sharp spider legs extended from her back, each made up of multiple segments and over a meter long.
When they first appeared, her clothes were instantly torn apart. But before Yang Xiong could get a good look, Bone Douluo swiftly wrapped her in new clothes and gave Yang Xiong a fierce glare that made his scalp tingle.
Since becoming a couple, Yang Xiong and Ning Rongrong had spent a lot of time together, but their intimacy was limited to hugging and kissing, nothing too excessive. This was the first time he had seen her body.
After repeated confirmations from Bone Douluo and Ning Fengzhi, the spider legs on Ning Rongrong's back were confirmed to be the external spirit bone of the Man-Faced Demon Spider. Not only were they venomous, but also incredibly powerful, definitely a top-tier external spirit bone.
Both were overjoyed. With this, Ning Rongrong was no longer a defenseless auxiliary-type soul master, she could be considered a battle soul master.
However, they firmly instructed her not to use the external spirit bone unless absolutely necessary, the world of soul masters was still too dangerous.
Yang Xiong had originally wanted to absorb the Eight Spider Lances himself, since they were even more powerful than most people realized, especially their devouring ability.
Unfortunately, after careful inspection, Yang Xiong found that ever since his Black Tortoise Armor evolved, both his ribs and spine were fully covered. It seemed he could no longer absorb external spirit bones on his back. Moreover, such bones needed to be absorbed in conjunction with a soul ring. Yang Xiong didn't want to waste his third ring, so he ultimately decided to give it to Ning Rongrong.
After reaching Rank Thirty, Yang Xiong contacted Lin Gong to plan a trip to the Sunset Forest.
Even after arriving at the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, Lin Gong continued to protect him from the shadows. But things had been more relaxed lately. The academy was much safer than Shrek, especially since, every time Yang Xiong got beaten by Sword and Bone Douluo, Lin Gong would show up just to mock him.
Since their last trip to the Star Dou Forest, Lin Gong had no more concerns and now appeared openly in the village, though he dressed like a commoner rather than a soul master.
The two of them would often drink together and chat. When Yang Xiong was troubled, a good drink and some banter helped him relax.
Compared to the Shrek group, Yang Xiong found the teacher who had watched him grow up, Lin Gong, much more approachable, he was at least fun to be around.
As they rode a carriage from the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, Lin Gong wore a sour expression. Yang Xiong could tell he was upset.
Yang Xiong sighed, "Teacher Lin, can you stop acting like I owe you everything?"
Lin Gong snorted, "You little brat, not only did you steal the gifted Rongrong, you even dragged Qin Shuang into this mess. You stole both of my most outstanding students, I've gone easy on you by not beating you."
Yang Xiong was speechless. "That's not my fault. All of this was the sect master's decision. If you're upset, take it up with him."
Lin Gong rolled his eyes. "Always hiding behind the sect master, huh? If it weren't for Sword and Bone Douluo, do you think I'd be scared to punch Ning Fengzhi? If I didn't care about your safety, I'd have left long ago."
Yang Xiong was curious. "Teacher Lin, can't even the sect master command you?"
Lin Gong let out a cold laugh. "I repaid my debt to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan a long time ago. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have come out at all. Life was much better at home."
"And didn't I tell you? In the clan, I'm just a guest elder. The other elders can't order me around. Even Sword and Bone Douluo treat me with respect."
Yang Xiong suddenly remembered something. "Teacher Lin, what's the deal between you and Elder Long? You two seemed very familiar, but also at odds."
Lin Gong fell silent for a long time, as if recalling the past. Eventually, he spoke slowly. "Back in the day, I roamed the soul master world with Elder Long, we were close friends. But due to some disagreements, we eventually parted ways. At the time, our reputation was even greater than that of the Golden Iron Triangle. We were considered their seniors."
Hearing this, Yang Xiong's imagination ran wild. Given that both Lin Gong and Elder Long were in their seventies or eighties, they were indeed much older than Yu Xiaogang's group. Could it be that the two had some tragic backstory?
Soon, their carriage arrived at the outskirts of the Sunset Forest. Lin Gong asked, somewhat puzzled, "Xiao Xiong, what kind of soul ring are you looking for as your third? How many years?"
Yang Xiong grinned. "You're my teacher, can't you guess what I'd choose?"
Lin Gong replied, "You're always so secretive. I'd guess your third soul ring is around 3,000 years old. As for what beast… I really can't say."
"But I'm a bit confused. The Sunset Forest does have many soul beasts of that age, but none of them are top-tier. Since you didn't go to the Star Dou Forest, I suspect you already have a particular soul beast in mind."
Yang Xiong laughed. "You know me well. I saw it during my last trip to the Sunset Forest. It even chased me for a whole day, you should remember it."
Lin Gong was shocked. "That's impossible! That soul beast is extremely rare and powerful. But its attributes don't match yours at all, and its age is well over 4,000 years, maybe even higher. Don't do anything reckless."
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