"You found it?" Chang Gong Ao smiled slightly.
"Xiao Hai, I must say, your luck is quite something! The last time I saw this Sky Blue Vine, judging by the thickness of its root, its cultivation hadn't yet reached 500 years, but it wasn't far off."
"And in terms of toughness, I can guarantee, it's definitely no weaker than an average soul beast with over 500 years of cultivation."
"That's because this particular Sky Blue Vine grew in an exceptionally ideal environment," he shook his head, sighing with admiration.
"Its location was right beside a small path near a water source. Coincidentally, that path was one of the main routes for soul beasts in the area to reach the water."
"Because of that, ever since this Sky Blue Vine developed the instinct to attack on its own, it has ambushed and dragged many low-year soul beasts to its roots to absorb the nutrients from their decaying corpses. This has resulted in a body toughness and strength far exceeding that of others at a similar cultivation level."
"I wonder which soul master scattered the seed there when the empire transported soul beasts into the forest."
"Still, it was quite the perfect spot."
Environment makes all the difference.
Yang Yunhai nodded slightly. "Uncle Ao, then I'll choose this one."
"Alright. It's getting late. Stay here for the night, I'll take you there early tomorrow morning," Chang Gong Ao said with a smile.
"Mhm." Yang Yunhai nodded repeatedly, then lowered his head to continue reading the records.
Ghost Vine, Sacred Wood, Solitary Bamboo, Iron Thread Vine, Eye-devouring Core… His fingers subconsciously moved faster over the page.
After a moment, his fingers paused. He looked up at Chang Gong Ao and asked, "Uncle Ao, do you think I could absorb a thousand-year soul ring as my second one?"
"Absolutely not!" Chang Gong Ao shook his head immediately. "A thousand-year soul beast is completely different from a hundred-year one. Besides"
He stopped mid-sentence, his expression turning serious. "Even if you could absorb it, I wouldn't recommend it."
"Why not?" Yang Yunhai asked reflexively.
"Because in the end, we're just ordinary soul masters without power or influence," Chang Gong Ao sighed, meeting Yang Yunhai's eyes. "Xiao Hai, have you thought about it?"
"What does it mean for a commoner soul master without any background to have a purple second soul ring?"
Yang Yunhai fell silent, then sighed. "It means I'd completely lose my freedom."
"And you could even be in danger of losing your life," Chang Gong Ao added. "Didn't you say you wanted to go to Heaven Dou City and participate in the Continental Soul Master Tournament? With your talent—and I'm not trying to discourage you, joining the elite team from Spirit Hall is basically out of the question. From what I know, every member of that team has spirit power over level 45. The selection process is extremely strict."
"So your only option is to enroll in another academy temporarily. But once you're asked to reveal your soul rings…"
"Those noble families would do everything they could to take me away," Yang Yunhai replied. "And since I've already joined Spirit Hall, whether or not I reveal the theory of higher-level soul ring absorption, I'd probably be silenced permanently."
If I talk, they'll kill me and destroy the evidence.
If I don't, they'll still do the same and say it had nothing to do with them. "We didn't kidnap anyone. Feel free to search."
Either way, they'd wash their hands of the matter.
"Afterward, Spirit Hall likely wouldn't pursue it too hard. After all, with my spirit and talent being so poor, I'm not really worth investing a lot of resources into. My only contribution is coming up with a theory on absorbing soul rings beyond one's level," Yang Yunhai continued. "Now that they have the theory, I don't hold much value anymore."
Most importantly, if his second soul ring was a thousand-year ring, then the immortal herbs would be forever out of reach.
The Sunset Forest was vast, and it was filled with ten-thousand-year soul beasts. Finding the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well alone would be impossible. And if he got there too late and Tang San arrived first, he wouldn't be able to interfere, and the plot would proceed as expected. So the best move was to enroll early in Heaven Dou Royal Academy, get close to Dugu Yan, and through her, build a connection with Dugu Bo, then have Dugu Bo take him into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well himself.
But to join Heaven Dou Royal Academy, revealing soul rings during registration was unavoidable.
Thus, if his second soul ring were a thousand-year one, it would be exposed.
Then, the local powerhouse Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan would likely be the first to make a move, he thought to himself.
A commoner soul master without any backing… who would care if he mysteriously vanished?
Spirit Hall would certainly realize this too. So if they were the first to learn about his thousand-year second soul ring, their first move would be to bring him back to Spirit City for protection.
And just like that, he'd completely lose his freedom.
But if his second soul ring was yellow, he could continue wandering freely.
As for telling Spirit Hall about the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, only a fool would do that.
They have plenty of genius children and grandchildren with titles and potential. Why would they use those herbs on an unknown, background-less soul master?
That option never crossed his mind.
If it were Qian Renxue, Hu Liena, or some top beauty who was his wife… maybe he'd consider it.
He thought silently.
After all, attaching himself to someone powerful, like a classic opportunist, wasn't entirely out of the question.
"Xiao Hai, you've really grown up," Chang Gong Ao sighed after hearing Yang Yunhai's thoughts.
Then he relaxed a bit, smiling reassuringly. "Don't overthink it. You're still some distance away from reaching level 20. Besides, even if you can't absorb a thousand-year ring, if you manage 800 or 900 years, you'll still be far ahead of your peers. From what I've seen, many children from noble families don't even reach the ideal maximum age for their soul rings."
Like Tang San, and he had innate full spirit power too, Yang Yunhai felt a bit better, and a smile appeared on his face.
"Hehe, that's true."
Seeing that his mood had improved, Chang Gong Ao smiled as well. "Alright, you must be tired after the journey. Get some rest tonight. Tomorrow, we'll head out early. The sooner you get your soul ring, the sooner you can return to your studies."
"Mhm." Yang Yunhai nodded eagerly.
Then, with Chang Gong Ao's help, he laid out bedding in the tent.
He sat cross-legged on the ground, preparing to meditate before sleeping.
"To reach level 10 in just two and a half years… there's a reason for it," Chang Gong Ao thought as he looked at the meditating Yang Yunhai, feeling comforted.
Then excitement stirred in him. If Yang Yunhai succeeded tomorrow, he would be the first witness.
And as the person helping Yang Yunhai obtain both his first and second soul rings, he was also a direct participant.
To be part of an era-defining breakthrough, who wouldn't be moved?
With that thought, he strode out of the tent, stepping into the breeze to calm his emotions.
As if remembering something, he turned and gathered his companions.
"This child came here today. From now on, none of you are to mention it to anyone. It concerns a top-secret matter of Spirit Hall. If any information about this child is leaked, I think we all know what the consequences would be."
His face was extremely serious.
"Understood." Seeing his expression, everyone nodded solemnly.
If it's top-secret Spirit Hall business, leaking it could get them all killed.
Having worked in the field for years, they knew exactly what could and couldn't, be said.
"Alright, you're dismissed." Chang Gong Ao nodded slightly.
"Yes!" They cupped their fists in unison and left.
So full of anticipation...
He glanced at the sky, then turned and walked straight back into the tent.
The next morning, just before dawn.
Two figures, one large and one small, quietly left the camp, heading into the depths of the forest.
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