Today, Zhu Changhe would take Zhu Ziyang to hunt his first soul ring. The trip would last at least seven days, so when Zhu Ziyang returned home, his parents were already busy preparing provisions and luggage.
"Yangyang, you're back. Go eat breakfast—once you're done, you two can head out," Liang Ying instructed upon seeing him.
"Okay, got it," Zhu Ziyang nodded and went to eat.
At 9 a.m., Zhu Ziyang and his father set off, under the hopeful gaze of his mother.
Their destination was Tianhui Canyon, located to the west of Anyang City. It was a well-known soul beast gathering ground—not as famous as the great forests or mountain ranges across the continent, but one of the top soul beast zones near Anyang City. Soul masters from surrounding cities preferred it for ring hunting due to its rich concentration of soul beasts. Most of the beasts there were century-level, some were at the thousand-year level, and very few were ten-thousand-year beasts.
Moreover, the canyon was home to various species with light attributes, making it a perfect spot for Zhu Ziyang to find a suitable soul ring.
The canyon was about 200 kilometers away. At their current pace, it would take them three days to arrive.
As father and son traveled, they chatted while walking, slowly closing the distance to Tianhui Canyon.
"Yangyang, have you decided what kind of soul beast you want for your first ring?"
"My first choice is the Blazing Mantis. If that's not available, Radiant Wolf, White-Shadow Sparrow, or the Brilliant Iron-Armored Beast are all acceptable."
"Huh? Why those?" Zhu Changhe looked at his son in surprise.
"Because they all have the light attribute, of course!" Zhu Ziyang replied naturally. "Their soul rings will enhance the Radiant Scythe's light powers. Obviously, they're top picks."
"Well… that does make sense." Zhu Changhe nodded, though he didn't fully understand the principle. Still, his intuition told him his son's reasoning was sound. A bit guilty, he added, "It's just a shame I'm not strong enough. Otherwise, I'd find you a top-tier light-attribute beast."
"It's okay, Dad," Zhu Ziyang said sincerely. "These beasts are good enough."
And he meant it.
In essence, absorbing a soul ring meant refining the beast's bloodline and integrating its essence to enhance one's own. This concept, though simple, was known only to a select few in the soul master world.
This was the danger of knowledge monopolization.
If Zhu Ziyang didn't have access to the Super Library, he might've followed the standard path of an ordinary soul master: choosing rings based on profession type, not on martial soul evolution.
He might've realized his mistake later, but by then, much of his talent would have been wasted. His martial soul would stagnate, and he himself would fade into obscurity.
He was truly grateful.
In today's soul master world, commoners, limited by lack of knowledge and strength, typically chose soul rings based on role specialization: offense-type soul masters picked strong, high-attack beasts; agility-types picked fast, lightweight ones; defense-types went for tough, sturdy beasts.
This method might yield decent soul skills, but did little to strengthen the martial soul itself. The enhancement was minimal at best, and if too many incompatible bloodlines were absorbed, it could even damage one's own. No matter how talented the soul master, this path often led to mediocrity—or failure.
Zhu Changhe was an example: his first ring came from a Scythe Bone Fiend, his second from an Iron Thread Mantis. Not one with a light attribute. His Dusklight Scythe's faint light element was completely wasted!
In contrast, soul masters from noble families or great powers prioritized martial soul evolution. They understood their soul and bloodline deeply and chose soul beasts with precision.
Take the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon line—they selected dragon-type or lightning-element beasts exclusively, or better yet, lightning-element dragons.
This method vastly enhanced martial soul potential, allowing it to evolve toward a higher quality. The soul master's bloodline would strengthen too, raising their life level. As their power grew, their martial soul could even evolve into a top-tier or super-tier soul.
Two soul ring selection strategies—one led to mediocrity, the other to greatness. This was the terrifying result of a knowledge monopoly.
Zhu Ziyang truly felt fortunate.
By the time they reached Tianhui Canyon, it was already the evening of the third day. They camped outside the canyon and planned to begin their search the next morning.
That night, Zhu Changhe sat beside the fire, keeping watch while Zhu Ziyang rested in the tent.
He stared into the flames, his thoughts lingering on the things his son had said during their journey. A smile crept onto his face.
He felt truly blessed. His son was not only talented, but intelligent and decisive. He could see a bright future for the Zhu family.
Later that night, Zhu Ziyang came out of the tent and took over the watch, convincing his father to rest by saying he'd need him to be in top shape tomorrow.
Zhu Ziyang sat where his father had been, added wood to the fading fire, and fell deep into thought.
He had long since planned his soul ring path.
When did it begin?
Probably the moment he read "On the Impact of Soul Ring Quality on a Soul Master's Growth." As someone likely to have a "normal" martial soul (since both his parents did), the book fascinated him. He understood better than anyone how vital martial soul quality was to becoming a great soul master—none of the legendary figures he read about had ordinary souls.
How could he accept a mediocre life?
But with a 95% chance of having an average soul, mutation seemed to be his only hope.
Still, he knew that a lizard-scythe martial soul couldn't just magically mutate into something like the Scythe of Death Frost Dragon overnight.
That's why, after reading that book eight or nine times—along with many related theories—he began designing evolution paths for both his Dusklight Scythe and Snow Dragon Lizard souls.
According to theories like bloodline evolution and soul ring quality theory, cultivation was essentially a process of life evolution: progressing from lower to higher forms of existence.
To be specific, a soul master strengthens their martial soul through soul rings, refines the soul beast's essence to evolve their own bloodline, and ascends in life rank.
For example, with the Radiant Scythe, if he continually absorbs light-attribute rings, using the elemental essence within them to enhance its light power, the soul will gradually evolve—eventually reaching top-tier or even super-tier.
Zhu Ziyang's eyes grew firm.
A long-handled, pure white scythe appeared in his hands—about 1.5 meters long, sharp-bladed, radiating warm light. It was his Radiant Scythe, and despite the chill of the night, its aura felt comforting.
But in that light… a faint gray energy stirred.
That gray aura, subtle and unreal, coiled around the scythe and faded into the light-colored skull at the blade's tip.
Zhu Ziyang's eyes narrowed in thought.
His Radiant Scythe not only had a stronger light element than the Dusklight Scythe—it also carried a faint death attribute.
A martial soul with both light and death?
He had never seen or read of such a thing in any book.
He could only hope that this faint death energy wouldn't cause problems.
With that thought, he withdrew his soul.
Hope and nervous anticipation swirled in his heart.