Starting point
Chen Feng wasn't paying attention to Gu Yue Ling and Xiao Wu's conversation; he was focused on Ning Rongrong's Soul Ring Experiment.
In his heart, he had basically concluded that Gu Yue Ling was the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, the Imperial Auspicious Beast.
The Martial Soul and name could be coincidental, the characteristic of great strength could also be coincidental, and claiming to be lucky could also be a coincidence.
However, with so many coincidences combined, it's unlikely to be a coincidence at all.
Furthermore, Gu Yue Ling can make the Great Steel Snake submit to her. Even if this can be explained by the effect of the Earth Dragon Golden Melon, after combining all the clues, the conclusion that Gu Yue Ling is Three-Eyed Golden Lion in human form is basically confirmed.
With that, it was only a matter of time before Gu Yue Ling discovered Xiao Wu's identity as Soul Beast Transformation into Human.
However, whether or not it is discovered will not have much impact, so the priority at present is to verify the feasibility of the Soul Ring Condensation Method.
Although Chen Feng succeeded once, a single example is insufficient. Only when the Soul Ring Condensation Method is successful on a second or even more people can it truly possess universality and cease to be a mere accidental phenomenon occurring to a lucky individual.
Absorbing Soul Ring takes time, and Ning Rongrong's condition remained stable during this period. Seeing this, the others felt at ease and began to cultivate. Only Chen Feng, Tang San, Gu Yue Ling, and the four teachers stayed to watch over Ning Rongrong.
Gu Yue Ling was there to observe this so-called Soul Ring Condensation Method, while the others were there to prevent Ning Rongrong from getting into trouble and also to serve as a warning.
After all, they are currently in the lair of Soul Beast, so necessary precautions are still necessary.
However, the surrounding Onix remained silent, each finding a place in their caves to coil up, occasionally glancing at the strange humans brought by their leader.
Meanwhile, the Great Steel Snake, as the leader, lay quietly near Gu Yue Ling and Xiao Wu, seemingly dozing or perhaps guarding them.
Time was lost in the cave; after an unknown amount of time, Ning Rongrong finally opened her eyes.
She held the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda in her hands, and three Soul Ring— two yellow and one purple—rose from beneath her feet, pulsating slowly around her, filling her face with joy.
"Xiao Feng, I did it!" Ning Rongrong said with a smile to Chen Feng as she withdrew her Martial Soul.
"Very good," Chen Feng said, giving a thumbs up.
Hearing the commotion, everyone else stopped cultivating, but Bai Chenxiang remained immersed in her practice.
"This is all thanks to you." Ning Rongrong reached out and hugged Chen Feng's arm.
"Ahem, um, Ning Rongrong, what kind of Soul Skill did you acquire?" the Grandmaster asked with a light cough.
"It's a defense boost; the effect is to increase defense by forty percent," Ning Rongrong replied.
The effects of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's Soul Skill are actually fixed, while the quality of the Soul Beast mainly affects the Soul Power required to use the Soul Skill.
As a special individual within the Great Rock Snake Tribe, the Thousand-Year Great Steel Snake's quality is undoubtedly excellent, making it a very suitable Soul Beast for Ning Rongrong at this stage.
Flender glanced at the unscathed, Thousand-Year Great Steel Snake beside him and sighed:
"I was skeptical of this so-called Soul Ring Condensation Method before, but now that I've seen it with my own eyes, it truly feels like a miraculous skill."
The Grandmaster nodded. "That's right. I used to worry that one day, the Soul Beast race would be wiped out by Soul Master, but now that worry has been resolved by the Soul Ring Condensation Method."
"Should we promote this method within the Academy?" Liu Erlong asked.
The Grandmaster pondered for a moment, then looked at Chen Feng and said, "I think we should be more cautious about this. What do you think, Xiao Feng?"
Chen Feng nodded. "That's what I think too. The spread of this Soul Ring Condensation Method has a huge impact, so we can't do it rashly, otherwise it will definitely cause a lot of trouble."
"Furthermore, now that this Soul Ring Condensation Method has been verified, I plan to formally name it the 'Ring Expansion Method,' while the traditional method of obtaining Soul Ring will be called the Hunting Ring Method.'"
"The Ring Expansion Method and the Hunting Ring Method. Hmm, very apt." The Grandmaster nodded in agreement.
"But what kind of trouble will the spread of the Ring Expansion Method cause?" Xiao Wu asked, puzzled.
At this moment, she really wanted the Ring Expansion Method to immediately replace the Hunting Ring Method, so that the damage to the Soul Beast would definitely be much less.
Chen Feng understood Xiao Wu's thoughts, and he explained:
"Firstly, within the Soul Master community, a considerable number of individuals and forces profit from hunting Soul Beast. The spread of the Ring Expansion Method will first and foremost damage their interests. Harming someone's livelihood is like killing their parents; the reaction of these individuals and forces is predictable."
As he spoke, his gaze swept across the faces of the other people.
Among those present were the Star Luo Imperial Family and the Zhu Family, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and the Dragon Serpent Family to which Meng Yiran belonged.
As the wealthiest sect, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect reaps extremely high profits from treasure appraisal, making the meager gains from Soul Hunting seem beneath their notice.
The same logic applies to the Star Luo Imperial Family, the Zhu Family, and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. For them, it's better to let their family disciples cultivate a little longer than to spend time Soul Hunting to make money.
The Dragon Serpent Family is said to be one of the shareholders of the Beast Academy and also controls a portion of the assets of the local Great Soul Arena. They do not need to profit from Soul Hunting.
In other words, the Ring Expansion Method will not affect the interests of the factions to which these people in the cave belong, so Chen Feng does not need to worry about being betrayed by his teammates at this stage.
As for what happens in the future, we'll talk about that later. At least for now, the group is still pure.
The Grandmaster agreed with Chen Feng's words, "That's right. Hunting Soul Beast and selling their materials has become a business. Although the profits aren't huge, and the truly powerful forces don't really care, there are quite a few people involved in this business. That's why I think we need to be cautious."
Xiao Wu pursed her lips and remained silent, but Gu Yue Ling noticed her sullen mood.
"Secondly, there's the issue of the Soul Beast. We still don't have a stable way to communicate with Soul Beast," Chen Feng continued.
"Really? I feel like we communicated quite well with the Soul Beast both that time in the Star Dou Great Forest and this time," Ma Hongjun said with some doubt.
"Is it because we encountered special individuals both times?" Oscar looked at the young Great Steel Snake. "This one was probably just very lucky; there's little chance it will become common."
Chen Feng nodded. "Yes, if we want to truly spread the Ring Expansion Method, we must have a means to reliably communicate with Soul Beast. We can't rely on good luck every time. Even if we have good luck every time, others won't, and then spreading the Ring Expansion Method would be meaningless, because ordinary people simply can't use it."
"It seems there's still a long way to go," Tang San sighed.
He deeply empathized with Xiao Wu's low spirits because he possessed half of Soul Beast Bloodline.
His mother died because of the Hunting Ring Method, so he also wanted to change all of that.
However, after listening to Chen Feng's words, Tang San understood that this matter could not be rushed and that Chen Feng needed to plan it carefully.
The reason Tang San didn't try to plan it himself was because he simply didn't know anything about things like the New Order; he was completely clueless.
Fortunately, Chen Feng understood this, so Tang San believed that he only needed to follow instructions.
"Why replace the Hunting Ring Method with the Ring Expansion Method? It's both laborious and yields little benefit, and the Soul Beast that survive as a result may not even thank you." A clear, cold voice rang out at this moment.
The Grandmaster paused for a moment, then said:
"Because if the Hunting Ring Method continues to be used, one day the Soul Beast will be wiped out, and then the Soul Master will also perish."
"So it was for the future of the Soul Master profession," Gu Yue Ling said calmly.
"That's not all," Chen Feng said at this moment.
"Oh? What else?" Gu Yue Ling raised her delicate eyebrows.
"The Hunting Ring Method turns the relationship between humans and Soul Beast into a zero-sum game, meaning that if one side wants to gain something, the other side must suffer a loss. I believe this kind of relationship is unhealthy."
"So what do you consider to be healthy?"
"Peaceful coexistence, mutual benefit and win-win results, and common development," Chen Feng said with a smile. "Humans and Soul Beast are both beings born from Douluo Star. Rather than killing each other to the point of rivers of blood, it would be better to learn from each other's strengths to solve the predicaments faced by our respective races."
"It's a beautiful fantasy; you can't eliminate all the strife in the world," Gu Yue Ling said.
"You misunderstand. I don't intend to eliminate all conflict; I just want to turn it into a competition that benefits both sides, so that neither side ends up in a desperate situation," Chen Feng said, shaking his head.
Gu Yue Ling quietly looked at Chen Feng, who had a smile on his face. After a while, she looked away and said:
I hope you succeed.
"I will do my best," Chen Feng said.
"I never imagined you had such a dream, Xiao Feng," Dai Mubai exclaimed in surprise.
"Since God has given me such talent, wouldn't it be a waste not to do something great?" Chen Feng said with a smile.
"I will help you," Dai Mubai said earnestly.
"Me too." Ning Rongrong followed closely behind, and the others echoed her.
Flender and the other three looked at each other and said with a smile:
"Let's include a few of us too; this sounds like a very important matter."
"Then let's all work together." Chen Feng's smile deepened considerably.
"Huh? Why isn't Xiangxiang awake yet?" Xiao Wu suddenly asked, puzzled.
Everyone looked at Bai Chenxiang upon hearing the sound, only to see that she was still in a meditative posture and had not moved since the beginning.
"I hope nothing bad has happened?" Ma Hongjun muttered.
"Shut your mouth." Xiao Wu glared at him.
"I am a phoenix, not a crow," Ma Hongjun retorted defiantly, but no one paid him any attention.
Liu Erlong came to Bai Chenxiang's side, put his hand on her shoulder to feel it, and said:
"Everything is normal; the child is still cultivating."
"Working this hard?" Xiao Wu asked, stunned.
Someone like her, who can catch up with the main group in cultivation level just by eating and playing, has never really experienced the taste of hard work.
However, after everyone else had eaten the Immortal Herb, she could no longer relax as before; she had to curl up, otherwise her Soul Power Level might not keep up.
"Since Bai Chenxiang is cultivating, let's wait for her. It'll also give us a chance to rest a bit more," Flender said.
No one objected, and they all went to find places to rest. Those who didn't want to rest started cultivating. After all, even the young girl Bai Chenxiang was so enthusiastic, and the others were also motivated.
The surrounding Onix did not disturb them; some went out to forage, some stayed in the nest to rest, and others guarded the eggs in the nest.
After some time, Bai Chenxiang finally opened her eyes and happily said:
"I've broken through! I've reached Level 30!"
"Congratulations!" Chen Feng, who had just awakened from his cultivation, was the first to offer his congratulations.
"That way, we'll all be Soul Elder very soon." Oscar also woke up.
"I am Soul Ancestor," Dai Mubai interjected somewhat abruptly.
"Oh, I know you're Soul Ancestor now, what's so great about that?" Ma Hongjun muttered.
Dai Mubai grabbed his neck and locked him up, saying with a half-smile:
"Fatty, what did you just say?"
"Uh, I mean, we all know that you're Soul Ancestor member, Boss Dai. That's really amazing." Ma Hongjun admitted defeat very quickly.
"That's more like it." Dai Mubai let him go.
"Are there any Wind Attribute Soul Beast here?" Bai Chenxiang asked curiously.
"Yes, they exist, but not in large numbers, and they generally live in high places," the Grandmaster said.
Flender nodded and said:
"When Zhao Wuji and I came here before, we did occasionally see Wind Attribute Soul Beast. Since we're going to find a flying Soul Beast for Hongjun, let's go check out that mountain we were going to before."
"Shall we set off now?" Ma Hongjun asked impatiently.
Chen Feng glanced at the Great Steel Snake and Onix lying quietly not far away and said:
"We should give them a thank-you gift before we leave, after all, they helped us."
The Grandmaster thought for a moment and said, "Both Onix and Great Steel Snake feed on rocks, and metal ores are also acceptable."
Upon hearing this, Tang San took out several pieces of Iron Essence from the Jade Snow Ice, "Will this be alright?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Onix around him immediately stood up and stared at the Iron Essence in Tang San's hand.
"Well, it seems they quite like it." Tang San took out all the Iron Essence he had stored and placed it in front of the Onix.
"These metals must be difficult to make, right?" Ning Rongrong asked.
"Luckily, I played it during my free time," Tang San said.
Ning Rongrong thought for a moment, then took out a Black Card and handed it to him, "Consider it a purchase by me."
"We don't need that many, it's just a few Gold Soul Coin." Tang San was somewhat amused and exasperated.
As soon as she finished speaking, Ning Rongrong took out a bag of Gold Soul Coin and handed it over.