The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan really didn't dare cause trouble. The three of them smoothly arrived at Dugu Mansion in Heaven Dou City by carriage.
Dugu Bo had already prepared all the supplies in advance. That very night, the four of them quietly slipped out of the mansion, leaving the city on foot. Partway, they switched to another carriage in a town and continued their journey.
Inside the carriage, Yang Yunhai examined the bones and body strength of the two girls to determine how many years of soul rings they could safely absorb.
'Promising?' Dugu Bo raised his brows, glancing at Dugu Yan who had just lowered her head and pulled her hand back. He quickly asked: "Xiao Hai, how is it?"
"Zhuqing should be fine around 3,000 years. As for Sister Yan, anything under 10,000 years shouldn't be a problem." Yang Yunhai replied.
'No wonder. With an immortal herb tied to dragon lineage, plus that 30,000 year arm bone, her body's strength really is beyond normal.' He had to admit, Dugu Yan's physical strength was higher than expected. The only pity was her spiritual power hadn't caught up.
"That high?" Dugu Yan was shocked. This result was far beyond what she imagined.
"It is a bit high," Dugu Bo admitted with a pleased smile. Still, thinking of his granddaughter's Nine-Grade Dragon Ganoderma and 30,000 year soul bone, it made sense. He nodded slightly, turning back to Yang Yunhai.
"Xiao Hai, have you and Zhuqing decided what type of soul ring her third one should be?"
"Yes." Yang Yunhai nodded. "Zhuqing's speed and technique are already strong. What she lacks is raw power. Her strikes don't hit hard enough to bring out the full piercing potential of her martial soul. Sharp claws still need strength to truly puncture — like even the sharpest nail needs a hammer to drive through hard wood."
"So, for her third soul ring, I'm planning for Zhuqing to hunt a soul beast that emphasizes strength while still keeping speed."
"Strength can sometimes translate into speed. For example, the Ferocious Claw Beast. Its speed is on par with top agility-type beasts, but that comes from its terrifying limb power. Similar cases are the Scythe Dragon and Black-Scaled Horned Wolf."
"That makes sense." Dugu Bo nodded. "Those types rely heavily on forelimb power and sharp claws. Especially the Ferocious Claw Beast with dragon bloodline — its attacks match Zhuqing's feline martial soul very well."
"But these types are rare." He paused, then said: "Let's first help Yan'er hunt the Medusa. At least I know roughly where one is. If we come across something suitable for Zhuqing along the way, perfect. If not, once we're done with Medusa, we can take another route and search slowly. That way we save time."
"That works." Yang Yunhai agreed.
Since Dugu Yan's ring age target was higher, they'd need to go deeper into the forest anyway.
"Then it's settled." Dugu Bo smiled. "Go cultivate for now. I'll call you when we arrive."
"Alright." The three nodded and sat to meditate.
Two days later, they reached Sunset Forest. Under Dugu Bo's lead, they advanced into the depths.
With a Titled Douluo guiding and Yang Yunhai's Blue Silver Grass sensing ability aiding in exploration, the four traveled smoothly.
Along the way they encountered many thousand-year beasts, but none suitable for Zhuqing. With someone like Dugu Bo backing them, Yang Yunhai naturally wanted everything to be perfect. If it wasn't right, they simply bypassed it and kept going.
Several days later, they finally reached the Medusa's territory — a canyon mouth filled with jagged rocks and dotted with caves.
Looking around, many stones resembled beast shapes, or skeletal remains, though all were small.
"Medusas like to store food. They petrify prey but don't eat right away, instead dragging it back to their nest first." Dugu Bo explained. "What you see here are weak beasts completely turned to stone. Stronger ones, with abundant energy, can resist the petrification and eventually revert back, so they don't become stone permanently."
"It's just like my head soul bone skill. Use it on an ordinary person and they'll turn to stone forever. But against a strong soul master, it only works briefly — and the stronger they are, the shorter the time."
"I see." Yang Yunhai nodded in understanding.
"This particular Medusa should be over 9,000 years old. Among those known, it's the most suitable for Yan'er." Dugu Bo strode forward. "Wait here. I'll drag it out of its nest."
"Alright." The three nodded, watching him disappear into the canyon.
There was no intense battle — only the sound of heavy impacts. Soon, Dugu Bo casually dragged out a massive dark-purple serpent. Its triangular head and stony-scaled back gave it a grim look.
'Hmph, I thought it might be a snake-tailed woman.' Yang Yunhai was a bit disappointed.
With a thud, Dugu Bo threw the Medusa before them. Its body was limp, eyes and mouth bleeding bright red. Clearly, it had been heavily poisoned — no doubt subdued in its cave before it could fight back.
"Yan'er, hurry. Any longer and it'll be dead for real." Dugu Bo urged.
"Yes." Dugu Yan quickly drew a dagger, stepped forward, and plunged it into the serpent's eye.
Its body twitched, then fell still. A purple soul ring rose into the air.
Dugu Yan moved to an open space, sat down, and began absorbing.
Her body trembled and spasmed, her brows furrowed tight. Luckily, it only lasted a while before she stabilized.
Dugu Bo finally exhaled in relief, smiling. "Xiao Hai, Zhuqing, go cultivate aside. Yan'er's stable now. I'll watch her."
"Alright." Yang Yunhai nodded, leading Zhuqing to a nearby spot. They spread a carpet and sat to train.
Dugu Bo looked at Yang Yunhai, then at his granddaughter, eyes flashing thoughtfully.
'No doubt — Xiao Hai was able to measure Yan'er's soul ring limit so precisely because of his past experiences, especially in the Great Spirit Arena against Soul Ancestors. One binding with vines, and he could tell the physical endurance of his opponent. From there, he summarized and matched body strength to ring years.'
'Still, it must only apply to physical endurance, and probably only up to the Soul Ancestor realm. Spiritual shock only comes with 10,000 year beasts, and Xiao Hai hasn't absorbed one himself. Without reference, he has no baseline. In other words, his theory for surpassing ring age is only solid up to the fourth ring.'
'Which means, if Yan'er wants to benefit long-term, she has to stay close to him. And it must be absolute trust.'
He thought back to when Yan'er hadn't broken up with Yu Tianheng. Back then, would Xiao Hai have ever let her join him in training? Of course not. That would expose his lightning attribute and his secret thunder training. Nor would he have revealed his theory or tested her limits, much less guided her soul ring path.
'One careless word, and if Yan'er told Yu Tianheng? That would've been catastrophic for Xiao Hai.'
'Same applies in the future. If Yan'er falls for another man, will Xiao Hai still trust her this deeply? Still help her without holding back? Of course not. Without children maybe it holds. But with a child, what mother wouldn't want the best for her own? At that point, even I would no longer be trusted completely.'
'They might stay on friendly terms, but this kind of honesty? Impossible.'
'So there's only one path left…' His gaze shifted once more onto his granddaughter.
"Hmm… four months until New Year. The timing should be about right." Dugu Bo muttered as he walked back toward the clearing.
(End of Chapter)
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