Xiao Qiang in the Crosshairs

"Get a Second Martial Soul now? I'd certainly like to take you to get one right away, but you already have your third spirit ring. You don't currently have an empty spirit ring slot, so I have no way to make her your spirit ring yet."

"So I can only obtain it when I have an empty spirit ring slot? I understand."

He recalled Huo Yuhao's storyline from the original novel. Back then, Tian Meng had asked Huo Yuhao to seek out the Ice Empress when he lacked a second spirit ring.

Given Tian Meng's feelings for the Ice Empress, having an empty spirit ring slot seemed to be a requirement. However, his next spirit ring required him to reach Rank 40, and Xiao Qiang had only broken through Rank 30 half a year ago.

Snow Empress had only said that she chose Humanoid Transformation after failing to find the Ice Empress in the Extreme North. In the worst-case scenario, Huo Yuhao had just taken the Ice Empress away in the original story, and Snow Empress would begin preparing for Humanoid Transformation after failing to find her.

In the original novel, it took Huo Yuhao about a year to reach Rank 20 and travel to the Extreme North. Factoring in the time needed to fuse with the Ice Empress and persuade Snow Empress, Xiao Qiang had less than a year to break through Rank 40 and reach the Extreme North.

Reaching Rank 40 in under a year without Immortal Herbs meant a tight schedule and a daunting task. Fortunately, this could practically be the last time Xiao Qiang would need to cultivate desperately.

With the Ice Empress as his Second Martial Soul and Snow Empress as his bodyguard, along with the Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Marrow beneath Earth Dragon Gate and the Mandarin Duck Pot at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well—

Even if Xiao Qiang lay around doing nothing, he should be able to reach eight-ring Soul Douluo before turning twenty. By thirty, he could probably challenge a Limit Douluo, or perhaps already be one.

Though that estimate was a little slower than Huo Yuhao, Huo Yuhao had a whole pile of cheats and all the benefits that came with being the Son of Destiny. Compared to that king of cheats, Xiao Qiang truly had far fewer advantages available to him.

Even so, it was enough. Setting aside the fact that he could challenge a Limit Douluo before thirty, or even become one, merely reaching Titled Douluo by thirty would already make him a top-tier genius.

After all, this era had only reached Douluo II. While a Titled Douluo did not carry quite as much weight as in Douluo I, the title still meant something.

In Douluo II, as long as one could cultivate to Titled Douluo, even the weakest Titled Douluo, emperors would show them respect and might even call them brother.

The Titled Douluo whom Star Luo Empire's Princess Xu Jiujiu called Grandma Manyi was only an ordinary Titled Douluo herself, not a Super Douluo who had reached Rank 95.

With Tian Meng, Xiao Qiang no longer needed to worry much about his talent or spirit rings. What he needed to worry about most now was whether he could grow up safely.

And as a top genius of the Sun Moon Empire, the only person he needed to avoid if he wanted to grow up safely was that Dragon God Douluo Mu En, who already had one foot in the grave.

"Alright, I've modified your other two spirit rings as well. All three of your spirit rings are now at the two-thousand-year level," Tian Meng said while Xiao Qiang was thinking.

"Oh, right. Your second spirit ring skill happens to be Simulation, so just simulate your spirit rings as two yellow and one purple. That way, no one will capture you and interrogate you about your spirit rings. I'm going to sleep now. Don't wake me unless it's important."

As he spoke, Tian Meng lay down within Xiao Qiang's spiritual sea, displaying a sleep quality that inspired envy.

As Tian Meng fell asleep, Xiao Qiang slowly opened his eyes. His eyes transformed into the Two-Tomoe Sharingan, while two purple Thousand-Year Spirit Rings and one platinum-white spirit ring rose around him. They were the two spirit rings Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had modified, along with Tian Meng's own spirit ring.

Then, under Xiao Qiang's control, two of the three spirit rings turned yellow, while Tian Meng's spirit ring turned purple, displaying the so-called Optimal Spirit Ring Configuration of two yellow and one purple.

As for why it was only so-called...

As someone who had once read Douluo Continent, Xiao Qiang knew that Grandmaster's theories were notoriously unreliable.

He picked up the Flying Dagger that had fallen to the ground earlier. Although he had only secured the guaranteed minimum, Xiao Qiang was still quite satisfied with it. Since forcibly taking Huo Yuhao's Electrolux was not an option, and he had already gained plenty, Xiao Qiang planned to leave.

However, a sharp cry suddenly rang out, stopping Xiao Qiang as he prepared to depart.

"Stop right there! Who gave you permission to leave? Little Yuhao was nearly blown to death by you!"

Xiao Qiang turned toward the source of the voice. Huo Yuhao, Tang Ya, and Bei Bei were standing there, and Tang Ya was the one accusing him.

Ignoring Tang Ya's rebuke, Xiao Qiang looked at Huo Yuhao. "Looks like you're fine. That's good. I was worried the Flyer I gave you might overload and explode."

"Hey! Don't say it so lightly! If Bei Bei and I hadn't reacted quickly, Little Yuhao would have been blown to death by your Soul Tool!" Tang Ya said angrily.

Xiao Qiang wore an innocent expression. "You mean that Soul Tool exploded?"

"Obviously! Do you even know what kind of thing that Soul Tool you gave Little Yuhao was? It exploded!"

"I know. But that thing was originally intended as a final means of escape. All the Soul Power stored inside would be released in a short period of time, so the chance of it exploding was not low."

"And you still dared to let Little Yuhao use it? Bei Bei, don't stop me! I'm going to teach him a proper lesson today!"

Tang Ya released her Martial Soul, preparing to fight Xiao Qiang. In response, Xiao Qiang still looked utterly innocent.

"What's the problem? I already said that thing was for preserving one's life at the final moment. If you didn't use it, you would definitely die. If you did, you might survive."

"Facing a soul beast at least fifteen hundred years old, with only two spirit rings, Huo Yuhao would definitely have died if he stayed here. My Soul Tool at least ensured he wouldn't die at that time. Afterward..."

Xiao Qiang looked at Huo Yuhao, then at Bei Bei and Tang Ya. "From the looks of it, the outcome was still good."

"You!"

Tang Ya puffed up angrily, but Bei Bei stopped her.

"Alright, Teacher Xiaoya. Brother Li Feiyu is right. If it was a soul beast over fifteen hundred years old, Little Yuhao leaving really was the best choice."

"But I'm still upset!"

Bei Bei smiled helplessly, then raised a hand to comfort Tang Ya.

Not far from Bei Bei and Tang Ya, a Soul Douluo was observing Bei Bei from afar.

Just as Xiao Qiang had expected, although Bei Bei had merely come to help Tang Ya hunt her third spirit ring, as the great-grandson of the Sea God Pavilion Master, he had a Soul Douluo bodyguard secretly protecting him. However, the man's attention was now drawn to Xiao Qiang.

"At that age, a Three-ring Soul Master with the Optimal Spirit Ring Configuration, yet he isn't studying at Shrek. And the soul beast's corpse has disappeared as well..."

The Soul Douluo secretly protecting Bei Bei pondered for a moment, then dialed a Soul Phone.

"Father, you were looking for me?"

"Yang Peng, if I remember correctly, you haven't finished your Shrek Supervisory Team mission yet, have you?"