A Plan for the Third Soul Ring

Although there had been a few twists and turns, Yan Shaozhe had finally found a way to resolve his disciple's Martial Soul flaw. His mood was exceptionally good.

Mu En suddenly asked, "How can you be sure your case isn't an isolated one?"

Glancing at Ma Xiaotao, Mu En continued, "In practical terms, there is still a gap between Xiaotao's talent and yours."

Ma Xiaotao looked somewhat dejected, but she knew Mu En was speaking the truth. Setting everything else aside, Lin Yi's single soul skill had completely restrained her earlier, which was enough to prove the point.

Faced with Mu En's question, Lin Yi appeared entirely confident.

"Rest assured, Master. As long as we choose a suitable Soul Beast, I can guarantee that Senior Sister Xiaotao will succeed."

"This is the conclusion I reached after finding over a hundred relevant records in the Library Pavilion and studying the Soul Ring absorption cases of nearly a thousand people."

"Any Martial Soul, as long as it possesses Soul Power, can select Soul Rings by aligning with its origin, thereby allowing the Martial Soul itself to evolve to a certain degree."

Mu En narrowed his eyes. "Any Martial Soul? That's quite a claim..."

Lin Yi straightened his chest and clasped his hands behind his back. His long hair and moon-white robes fluttered despite the lack of wind, making him look every bit the grandmaster.

Mu En looked helplessly at his young disciple and raised a hand to suppress the Soul Power Lin Yi was using to create wind. "Stop fooling around and get to the point."

"Oh..."

"There's something wrong with the way soul masters cultivate nowadays."

With that opening sentence, Lin Yi stunned everyone.

"Modern soul masters only pursue powerful soul skills. That direction is absolutely wrong."

"True cultivation should be about constantly strengthening one's own Martial Soul. In other words, continuously enhancing one's Martial Soul Origin, allowing oneself to reach greater heights and possess greater potential."

"But under the current cultivation system, the moment one's Innate Soul Power is determined at birth, a soul master's upper limit is already set. That is not what a proper cultivation system should look like."

"The choice of Soul Rings and a soul master's own understanding of their Martial Soul Origin should both become the driving force behind their advancement. Rather than choosing several powerful soul skills, those should be things soul masters create and learn for themselves."

"Obtaining soul skills through Soul Rings is, in essence, merely taking a shortcut."

Ma Xiaotao listened from the side, only half understanding, but instinctively felt that Lin Yi was right.

Mu En and Yan Shaozhe exchanged a glance. Mu En said, "Xiao Yi, using Soul Rings to raise a Martial Soul's upper limit is indeed feasible. But do you know that comprehending Martial Soul Origin is a form of cultivation that only begins at the Super Douluo realm?"

"Why does it begin so late?"

"Because when soul masters are weak, they simply cannot perceive their own origin. Only upon reaching the Super Douluo realm, when both the Martial Soul and the soul master have grown powerful enough, can one begin to comprehend Martial Soul Origin. Take your Senior Brother Yan, for example. He has remained a level ninety-five Super Douluo for decades precisely because his comprehension of Martial Soul Origin is insufficient."

Yan Shaozhe coughed awkwardly, his expression embarrassed. "Teacher, you... everyone's here. Leave your disciple some dignity."

Lin Yi understood, but he still insisted, "I still believe that Martial Soul Origin cultivation should begin as early as possible. Use Soul Rings to continuously strengthen one's Martial Soul Origin, then gain insight from it. The two complement each other."

"Super Douluo only begin comprehending it because, as one's Soul Power cultivation rises, the Martial Soul itself becomes increasingly important. To break through, they have no choice but to begin comprehending it. Then if one can begin origin cultivation early, it will undoubtedly make a soul master's path of cultivation much smoother."

Mu En smiled. "I do not deny what you've said, but the path you speak of belongs to geniuses like you."

Seeing Lin Yi about to speak again, Mu En lightly waved a hand to stop him. "Enough. Didn't you say earlier that you had decided what to choose for your Third Soul Ring? Tell us. You've delayed this Third Soul Ring long enough."

Indeed, nearly three months had passed since Lin Yi broke through to the Quasi-Soul Venerable realm.

When Ma Xiaotao learned this from her teacher, she suffered an unprecedented blow.

The gap between the two of them was simply too vast!

Ma Xiaotao withdrew into herself, and Yan Shaozhe had no idea how to comfort her. He could only let time slowly help her come to terms with it.

Sometimes, the gap between one genius and another was far, far greater than the gap between a genius and an ordinary person...

Lin Yi was helpless, but he could only honestly explain his plan.

"I plan for my Third Soul Ring to come from a powerful Lightning Attribute Soul Beast."

"What?!"

No one even knew how many times Lin Yi had shocked them today, but upon hearing that he intended to choose a Lightning Attribute, even Mu En felt his heart beat a little faster.

Ma Xiaotao had completely forgotten her earlier blow. Her delicate lips parted slightly, and her pale pink eyes widened, leaving her with an adorably stunned expression.

"Lightning Attribute?! Little Junior Brother, what are you thinking?!"

Lin Yi, however, remained calm. He raised both hands and pressed them downward. "Don't panic. Listen to me first."

Only after everyone had calmed down did Lin Yi reveal his reasoning.

"I just said that one should begin cultivating one's origin as early as possible, and that Soul Ring enhancements should also be chosen to raise the Martial Soul's upper limit whenever possible."

"What does that have to do with choosing a Lightning Attribute Soul Ring?"

Faced with Yan Shaozhe's impatience, Lin Yi did not snap back. This senior brother had always shown genuine concern for him, and Lin Yi was not someone who failed to appreciate kindness.

"Senior Brother Yan, let me finish."

"My Golden Tree is indeed powerful, but in a sense, my Martial Soul has already reached its limit."

"No matter how many Life Attribute and Light Attribute Soul Rings I add, they will not make my Martial Soul stronger. They would only give me a few more soul skills. For me, that is unnecessary."

Giving them time to digest his words, Lin Yi paused briefly before continuing.

"Have any of you seen Lightning-struck Wood?"

"Lightning-struck Wood?"

Mu En seemed to suddenly think of something, and a few more guesses arose in his heart.

"That's right. If you've seen Lightning-struck Wood, you would know that some trees, after being tempered by Thunder, regain their vitality and may even become more vigorous than before."

"That is why I want a Lightning Attribute Soul Ring."

"Thunder may bring Destruction, but opposite Destruction lies rebirth."

"I hope that after my Golden Tree undergoes the tempering of Thunder, it can become like Lightning-struck Wood—break through the limitations of the Martial Soul itself, enter an entirely new realm, and burst forth with even greater vitality."

Without question, Lin Yi's method lay beyond the scope of ordinary soul masters. In the tens of thousands of years of Douluo Continent's history, no one had ever considered absorbing Soul Rings in such a way.

What Lin Yi said did seem somewhat feasible.

But likewise, no one had ever done this before. Everything was unknown.

And the unknown meant risk.

The wrinkles on Mu En's face seemed to deepen. "Xiao Yi, your master knows your ambitions are lofty, but you are still not strong enough. Taking such a risk with your Third Soul Ring is too dangerous."

After a pause, Mu En said, "I can agree to let you choose a Lightning Attribute Soul Ring, but only after you obtain your fifth ring."

"Teacher!" Yan Shaozhe had not expected Mu En to actually agree, even if it would only be allowed after the fifth ring.

But even after the fifth ring, the risk would still be enormous. Lin Yi was Shrek's future. How could they indulge him like this?

Mu En raised a hand to stop him, signaling that Yan Shaozhe need not say more.

Lin Yi knew this was the greatest concession Mu En could make. Yet after a long silence, meeting Mu En's somewhat expectant gaze, Lin Yi slowly shook his head.

"Why?" Mu En's voice was somewhat hoarse.

"Master, I'm not some Twin Martial Soul bearer. I only have one Golden Tree and only nine Soul Ring slots. I cannot afford to waste them!"

Sensing the resolve in Lin Yi's words, Mu En knew he could not persuade this disciple. Even if he was Lin Yi's master, even if he was the Pavilion Master of Sea God Pavilion, once Lin Yi had made up his mind, he would not change it!

Just like back then, when Lin Yi had wanted to leave because he knew Shrek Academy's Soul Tool Department was not valued. Though Lin Yi was young, he had always known what he wanted and would not be swayed by external pressure.

Mu En knew that if he forcibly made Lin Yi absorb another Soul Ring, Lin Yi would accept it—but the bond between master and disciple would end there.

For Mu En, who wanted Lin Yi to become one of Shrek's future pillars, that was absolutely unacceptable.

But if he did not do so, then he could only watch Lin Yi absorb a Lightning Attribute Soul Ring and gamble on the possibility of success.

If he lost, everything would be over. If he won, he might gain an even more outstanding disciple.

Yet Mu En knew that the answer had already become clear. If he did not allow Lin Yi to choose a Lightning Attribute, he would gain nothing. If he agreed, there was still a chance of winning the gamble. Wasn't that an easy choice?

Mu En let out a long sigh. "Have you considered how you will absorb a Lightning Attribute? Your Golden Tree has no connection whatsoever to the Lightning Attribute. The rejection between them alone could make all your previous efforts come to nothing, or even cost you your life."

Rather than being frightened by the consequences Mu En described, Lin Yi smiled. He knew that Mu En had agreed to his idea.

"Rest assured, Master. Since I came up with this plan, I have naturally considered the risks and consequences. It's just that I'll still need to trouble you."

Mu En shot his troublesome young disciple a glare and said irritably, "What do you need to trouble this old man with?"

Unbothered by Mu En's poor tone, Lin Yi knew the old man had already made a tremendous concession. He smiled ingratiatingly. "I share the same origin as the Golden Ancient Tree, so I want to absorb the Soul Ring beneath it. I'm afraid I'll have to trouble Master to bring the Lightning Attribute Soul Beast back."

"With the Golden Ancient Tree there, even if something truly goes wrong, it can ensure my safety to the greatest extent possible."

Mu En snorted. "You've certainly thought this through!"

Lin Yi continued smiling ingratiatingly. "This disciple is doing it for the academy as well. If something happens to me, that would be a loss for the entire academy..."