On the third day in the Soul Beast Forest,
A-Jie still hadn't found anything.
Oscar and A-Jie's situations were completely different, which actually showed who had better luck.
Some people were "unlucky" and couldn't find a soul ring in three days, while others were "lucky" and could get a soul ring directly.
"Should I give up?" A-Jie himself had lost confidence.
"Take it slow, you can't rush things." Yuan Ling'er said calmly, slapping A-Jie on the back. "Nobody's in a hurry. Do you want to go back to school?"
Thinking about the boring classes, the chubby A-Jie quickly nodded vigorously: "No rush, no rush, I'm not in a hurry."
"Read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles. The result of studying books to death is that you're easily tricked."
Yuan Xunlu said in a leisurely tone. He wasn't in a hurry,
after all, he had asked for leave from the Barak Intermediate Soul Master Academy and could rest for a long time.
Moreover, he planned to resign as soon as he got back.
"Actually, if possible, I really want to send you to the Star Luo Empire's army to experience it," Yuan Xunlu sighed.
"The Star Luo army?!"
A-Jie was stunned. He only didn't want to go to school and had agreed to 'travel ten thousand miles,' there was no need to send him to the Star Luo Empire's army.
Yuan Xunlu put his hands behind his back, knocked out a monkey spirit beast that was chattering in a tree with a burst of soul power, and continued:
"A good army is for training people, of course it's elite, not for you to learn a bandit-like attitude.
And the Star Luo Empire's military strength and the quality of its soldiers have always been stronger than the Heaven Dou Empire's.
In the nearly two thousand years of history, the Star Luo Empire and the Heaven Dou Empire have had constant conflicts, large and small. The two empires have fought three large-scale wars involving the strength of their entire nations.
Although the Spirit Hall mediated each of them,
the Heaven Dou Empire only won one of the three large-scale wars."
"I know! It's the story called 'The War of the Empress'!"
A-Jie remembered. He was interested in history, so he did well in the course "Basic History of the Continent."
"Hey! The War Empress has broken through the Star Luo Netherworld three times!" Oscar exclaimed excitedly, his historical knowledge mostly gleaned from storytellers in teahouses.
A-Jie nodded, clenching his small hand and gesturing wildly: "Back then, there were two factions vying for the rightful throne in the Heaven Dou Empire: one was the War Empress's lineage, and the other was what's now called the 'False Emperor' lineage. Taking
advantage of the internal strife in Heaven Dou, the Star Luo Empire invaded again.
Since there were two legitimate factions, local nobles were busy choosing sides, and the city lords directly under the royal family didn't know which faction to consult.
Rather than being labeled traitors for consulting the wrong faction, they simply pretended to be mute.
So, after the Star Luo Empire conquered twelve cities in succession, many places surrendered without a fight. For a time, the southern part of the Heaven Dou Empire, including most of its vassal states, flew the Star Luo Empire's flag,
and then…"
Oscar really thought A-Jie was a storyteller. Seeing A-Jie stop, he quickly asked, "What happened?"
"Then they encountered the young and ambitious War Queen.
Historical records state that after the War Queen led her first army from the Grand Duchy, she went straight to the battlefield against the Star Luo Empire.
This new army defeated the invading army of the Star Luo Empire's Duke of Youming and recovered a lot of lost territory. Those who had surrendered at the mere sight of them surrendered again."
Yuan Ling'er suddenly spoke up at this moment: "It's not necessarily a new army; it was probably the elite force of the Grand Duchy at that time.
Don't you think
a new army that has never even been on the battlefield can defeat the Duke of Youming's battle-hardened army?"
A-Jie stroked his chin: "That's true."
Oscar exclaimed carelessly: "Storytellers say that new recruits become veterans by going to the battlefield.
Half of a thousand die, and the five hundred survivors form the backbone of the army.
Then they recruit new recruits, and the old lead the new,
and they become a fighting army."
"It's not as simple as you say! Half die? If half the army died, it would have collapsed long ago!"
"I'm talking about elite! Elite!"
The boys were full of enthusiasm for military matters, arguing heatedly, even the monkeys nearby joined in.
"Chirp chirp chirp—mmm~"
Yuan Xunlu caught a monkey and placed it in front of A-Jie. "A-Jie, this is a nearly four-hundred-year-old golden-armored monkey. Its innate talent is extremely high defense. You're lucky, your spirit ring is settled."
Yuan Xunlu hadn't expected that a group of monkeys would come to listen in while A-Jie and Oscar were arguing!
He caught the monkey king in one go, and it turned out to be quite suitable as A-Jie's spirit ring.
A-Jie looked at the golden-armored monkey being handled by Yuan Xunlu and swallowed hard.
The golden-armored monkey is a spirit beast known for its defense.
At a hundred years old, a golden-armored monkey can generate a thin layer of golden armor on its body, while a thousand-year-old golden-armored monkey will cover its entire vital points with golden armor, and a ten-thousand-year-old... he didn't know.
However, I heard that some powerful nobles use the golden armor of a ten-thousand-year-old golden-armored monkey to make inner armor for protection.
It's very suitable, but there's a small problem.
"Coco, isn't my spirit a pig? Can I absorb a monkey spirit ring?" A-Jie asked.
Yuan Ling'er retorted, "Does that mean spirit masters with the Clear Sky Hammer spirit absorb hammer spirit spirits?"
"..." A-Jie.
Yuan Xunlu, on the other hand, had the patience to explain to A-Jie, "Although the golden-armored monkey isn't a pig-type spirit beast, what you should value is its defensive power.
Generally speaking, offensive spirit masters have several spirit skills that enhance their attributes or defense, such as
the White Tiger Clan's 'White Tiger Protective Shield'."
Oscar also chimed in, "Right, right. Big Sister's words are good!
People with hammer spirits can't absorb hammer spirit spirits as spirit rings!
Your idea that spirits absorb spirit rings from different beasts is unacceptable!"
"Call me Big Sister? I'm younger than you!"
"Calling me old, calling me old,"
Yuan Ling'er was hit with another firecracker and started arguing with Oscar.
A-Jie looked at the Golden Armored Monkey, nodded, and killed it with a single strike. After the yellow, hundred-year-old spirit ring floated up, A-Jie began absorbing it.
An hour later, A-Jie had finished absorbing the spirit ring.
The spirit skill was exactly as Yuan Xunlu had guessed—a protective spirit skill that A-Jie called Golden Armor Protection.
It formed a golden armor-like shield of spirit power on the body's surface, increasing defense by 60% and attack by 2%.
"Not bad, but for your next spirit ring, you'll need to find a powerful spirit beast."
Yuan Xunlu nodded in satisfaction: "Release it and let me see your spirit."
A-Jie then released his 'Boar' spirit.
Oscar excitedly came over to see the bizarre spirit called 'Smiling Pig,' but after watching for a while,
he suddenly screamed:
"Hey!
You…
you pig, why are you wearing clothes?!"
The spirit hunt was over.
The only surprise was that A-Jie's martial soul had undergone a new change.
His 'Smiling Pig' was now dressed in a flowing robe, and
Yuan Xunlu actually saw a hint of otherworldly elegance in that smiling pig's face
. As for the mutation of A-Jie's martial soul,
Yuan Xunlu had no clue. He would have to go to the Martial Soul Hall to find out. And more likely, he would find nothing at all,
since there were countless strange martial souls on the continent, and some special martial souls were only found in secluded little villages.
Yuan Xunlu took the three children out, and
as soon as they came out
,
he saw Oscar's grandfather squatting at the entrance facing the street,
staring longingly at the gate of the Soul Beast Forest, afraid of missing anyone.
Oscar rushed over to help the old man up. "Grandpa! I've obtained a spirit ring! From today onwards, I'm a spirit master!"
Upon hearing this news, the old man's wrinkles deepened with joy. He quickly bowed to Yuan Xunlu, "Great! Great! Thank you so much, spirit master!"
Yuan Xunlu wouldn't let the old man truly bow.
He quickly helped him up, smiling broadly, "Don't call me spirit master. I've already accepted Oscar as my disciple."
"..." Oscar.
Really? So suddenly?
"After Oscar becomes my disciple, it won't be long before the Spirit Hall sends someone to renovate your old house."
"Good, good."
The old man was overjoyed. He slapped Oscar on the head, "Hurry up and become my disciple!"
Oscar knelt down with a thud, then kowtowed three times.
"Greetings, teacher!" The
old man was very happy to see Oscar kneeling, nodding with a smile.
In the old man's eyes, Oscar had knelt, and Yuan Xunlu had accepted; the master-disciple relationship was now established. Oscar, following a Soul Master, will surely have a bright future.
For the old
man, in his old age,
he had no other aspirations
but to ensure his grandson's success.
"Little Oscar," Yuan Xunlu said generously, taking out a ring-shaped storage Soul Tool for him, "A little gift."
"Thank you, teacher," Oscar chuckled, taking the Soul Tool and showing it to his grandfather.
The old man patted Oscar's head, nodding heartily.
Oscar was enjoying the harmonious relationship with his grandfather.
A-Jie stood there contemplating his mutated martial soul,
while Yuan Ling'er pulled Yuan Xunlu aside and
asked,
"Dad, are you really going to take Oscar as your disciple?"
In the Douluo Continent, a disciple refers to someone who inherits the mantle of their teacher, carrying on their legacy and philosophy—something arguably more important than a biological son.
"No, I only accept 'nominal' disciples," Yuan Xunlu emphasized the word 'nominal.'
Oscar was his disciple,
but not entirely.