Today, in the dorms of Anyang Primary Soul Master Academy, Jiang Nannan looked at Zhu Ziyang with a worried expression and asked, "Brother, are you really not going to wait for Uncle Dahe and the others to return?"
"Mhm." Zhu Ziyang nodded, reaching out to gently pat her silky hair. He said reassuringly, "Don't worry. I never do anything I'm not confident about. Be good and wait for me at the academy. If the teachers ask about me, just say I went to hunt a soul ring with my parents."
"Alright then..." Jiang Nannan knew she couldn't stop him, so she could only gaze at him with concern and remind him, "Then you have to promise me you'll come back safely."
"I promise!" Zhu Ziyang smiled and walked out of the dorm, leaving the academy without looking back.
He was heading out alone to hunt for a soul ring.
At the age of eight years and four months, Zhu Ziyang had reached the twentieth level of soul power. In just twenty-eight months, he had advanced ten full levels—from level 10 to level 20. Such progress would earn him a place among the greatest geniuses in history.
More importantly, he had now become the youngest known Soul Grandmaster on the continent in nearly ten thousand years.
Zhu Ziyang was proud of himself.
So why did he choose to go alone?
Two reasons.
First, Zhu Changhe and the others were currently not in Anyang City. A week ago, Zhu Changhe had broken through to level 30 and reached the threshold of becoming a Soul Elder. At this time, he, Liang Ying, Hong Zhen, and another Soul Elder from Anyang were likely out searching for a suitable soul ring. Following Zhu Ziyang's advice, Zhu Changhe intended to choose a light-attribute soul beast of a thousand years for his third soul ring. That's why he had asked for the help of Hong Zhen and a trusted Soul Elder friend.
Zhu Ziyang estimated that they wouldn't return for at least a month. He didn't want to wait that long.
Second, his personal ambition.
He planned to absorb a thousand-year soul ring as his second soul ring.
Thanks to the Great Light Mantra, Zhu Ziyang's physique far surpassed that of other soul masters at his level. According to his own tests, his body could withstand a soul ring of up to 1,500 years.
If he were with his father and the others, they definitely wouldn't allow him to absorb a thousand-year soul ring. Since they didn't know about the Great Light Mantra, they couldn't understand the extent of his strength—and naturally, they would never let him take such a risk.
Zhu Ziyang also didn't want to go through the hassle of explaining it.
Rather than waste time, he preferred to handle it himself. He was confident in his strength. Any soul beast below two thousand years was no threat to him.
And so, Zhu Ziyang embarked on a solo journey to obtain a thousand-year soul ring.
Traveling day and night, he reached his destination—the Tianhui Grand Canyon—in just two days.
According to his plan, his second soul ring had to be light-attribute. Perhaps because of the Great Light Mantra, Zhu Ziyang could clearly sense his own affinity with the element of light—something no other elemental-type soul master could do.
When his Radiant Scythe martial soul had first awakened, his light element affinity was around 35. It had since increased to approximately 45. After absorbing a second soul ring with a light attribute, Zhu Ziyang estimated that it would rise to around 50–60, which was already the ceiling for high-grade martial souls.
This rate of improvement had far exceeded the theoretical expectations of the Elemental Theory. If any scholars of the elemental school learned about it, they would begin to question everything they believed.
That alone demonstrated the power of the Great Light Mantra.
Zhu Ziyang's ice element affinity was around 40, which proved that the Frost Tyrant Dragon martial soul he'd previously encountered was even stronger than his original Radiant Scythe.
As for element affinity, it's one of the key pillars in soul master theory and the foundation of Elemental Theory.
In the current soul master world, it's believed that elemental affinity is one of the core indicators of martial soul quality. A martial soul with elemental properties can increase its affinity by absorbing corresponding elemental soul rings.
Elemental affinity refers to the percentage of the surrounding elemental energy that a soul master can manipulate. For example, in a one-cubic-meter area around a soul master, if there are one hundred fire elements, then the more elements the soul master can use, the higher the affinity.
Normally, people have zero affinity to all elements. Martial souls with less than 10% affinity are called weak-attribute martial souls—like the Dimlight Scythe, which would be considered a weak light-attribute martial soul.
Those with 10–90% affinity fall into the category of traditional elemental martial souls. This includes the majority of the soul master world—ordinary, high-grade, and even top-tier martial souls.
As for those above 90%—these are known as Ultimate Martial Souls. They are incredibly rare. In the eight thousand years since the founding of Elemental Theory, only three soul masters have been confirmed to possess them.
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Tianhui Grand Canyon.
"Sigh, this is really hard... Now I get why Dad and the others haven't come back even after a week." In the forest, Zhu Ziyang complained.
He had already been in the Tianhui Grand Canyon for two days and had yet to find a suitable soul beast.
What Zhu Ziyang wanted was a soul beast known as the Blazing Light Mantis—a high-grade beast with both light and metal attributes. He had originally intended to choose it for his first soul ring. Based on his calculations, the Blazing Light Mantis's soul ring would likely grant him a powerful augmentation-type soul skill.
He had already searched most of the areas where these mantises were known to appear, but all the ones he'd found were below a thousand years—the strongest barely reaching eight hundred. It was disappointing.
"Wait... what's that smell? It's so fragrant..." While complaining, Zhu Ziyang suddenly caught a faint floral scent—like osmanthus—that instantly refreshed his tired mind.
A treasure!
He immediately realized what it was and followed the scent without hesitation. After walking about four or five hundred meters, the fragrance grew increasingly strong. In most cases, this indicated that a rare medicinal herb had matured.
He spotted a dense patch of shrubs taller than himself, and the scent was coming from within.
"This must be it!" Zhu Ziyang narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint flashing within. With a stretch of his right hand, the Radiant Scythe appeared silently. A pale yellow soul ring hovered above the handle, its faint golden markings just beginning to take form.
Lifting his scythe, he carefully parted the bushes and stepped inside. The underbrush was thick—he walked three or four meters and still saw no clearing. However, the fragrance was almost overwhelming now.
"Shk!" As Zhu Ziyang pushed aside another shrub, a massive mantis with bronze limbs etched in golden lines leaped out, slashing its saw-like forearms toward him. But Zhu Ziyang was ready. His Radiant Scythe pierced forward instantly, intercepting the attack.
When he got a good look at the mantis, not only was he not angry at the ambush, but his face lit up with delight.
It was the thousand-year Blazing Light Mantis he'd been searching for!
Truly, what you seek the hardest often comes when you least expect it!
Even more surprising, behind the mantis stood a one-meter-tall tree, bearing a yellow, apple-sized fruit. The osmanthus-like fragrance emanated from it. At the tree's base lay several mutilated mantis corpses.
It was a Brightsun Fruit—a rare medicinal herb that increased soul power and physical strength, especially beneficial to those with a light attribute.
Zhu Ziyang finally understood why he hadn't found any other thousand-year Blazing Light Mantises in the area. They had all died fighting for this fruit.
Which meant this mantis before him was the final victor.
Looking at the creature now standing protectively before the Brightsun Fruit tree, glaring at him with equal parts caution and aggression, Zhu Ziyang's expression turned rather amused.
'So... am I the opportunistic third party here?'
(End of Chapter)
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