Choice

Hearing that Xiao Linyi had already made up his mind, the others all looked intrigued.

Ouyang Xi said, "Let's hear it."

"My Martial Soul is a tree. Though a tree can roughly be divided into three parts—the roots, trunk, and crown—the roots are actually the most important and fundamental part. The First Soul Ring is when one lays the foundation, so for my First Soul Ring, I hope to strengthen the Golden Tree's roots."

The adults exchanged glances, surprise and satisfaction flashing through their eyes. For a six-year-old child to think this far ahead was already exceptional.

Mu En continued testing him. "Do you have a Soul Beast in mind?"

"As for Soul Beasts... I've only seen a few in illustrated guides, so I don't know much about them. But I did find one that fits my idea rather well."

"Oh? What is it?"

"Blue Silver Grass."

"?!!"

The moment those three words left his mouth, it was like a thunderclap on level ground, leaving the three adults' minds buzzing.

Ouyang Xi said anxiously, "Linyi! What are you thinking? A Golden Tree with a Demigod-level Martial Soul, and you want to choose Blue Silver Grass?!"

Lin Qingxuan gently tugged his wife back. "All right. Xiao Yi is clever; he must have his reasons. Let's hear him out first."

Mu En also put on a serious expression beside them, wanting to know the reason behind his disciple's unexpected choice.

Xiao Linyi said, "Though Blue Silver Grass is considered the weakest Soul Beast, there are exceptions among its kind. The evolved Blue Silver King and Blue Silver Emperor both have commendable qualities, comparable to Top-Tier Soul Beasts."

"We know that. The Sea God of ten thousand years ago became a god through a Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul. But do you know how rare Blue Silver Grass bloodlines capable of evolution are?"

Faced with his mother's question, Xiao Linyi remained calm.

"That's right. Advanced Blue Silver Grass bloodlines are indeed incredibly rare, but I'm not looking for those. Ordinary Blue Silver Grass will be enough."

"It's true that individual Blue Silver Grass is weak, but it also has one widespread advantage."

"What is it?"

A glint of wisdom flashed through Xiao Linyi's eyes as he said confidently, "Tenacious vitality. No matter where Blue Silver Grass seeds are scattered, Blue Silver Grass can grow."

"But that has nothing to do with your Golden Tree. Your Life Attribute is already an Extreme Attribute. No matter how tenacious Blue Silver Grass's vitality is, it won't be of much use to your Golden Tree."

"Mom, have you ever thought about why Blue Silver Grass has such tenacious vitality?"

"How would anyone know? Even Soul Masters with Blue Silver Grass Martial Souls wouldn't choose Blue Silver Grass for their Soul Rings. Who would study that?"

Ouyang Xi still did not approve, but Lin Qingxuan and Mu En seemed to have thought of something, and their eyes brightened slightly.

"I observed it before. The reason Blue Silver Grass can display such tenacious vitality anywhere is because of its developed root system. With those developed roots, Blue Silver Grass can draw enough nutrients even in all kinds of harsh conditions, ensuring the growth of the main plant. That advantage is exactly what my Golden Tree needs."

Clap clap clap. Mu En applauded and praised, "Wonderful!"

Xiao Linyi smiled shyly.

Mu En continued, "Xiao Yi, your analysis is very sound. But I'm curious—since you didn't know what your Martial Soul would be beforehand, why did you think to observe Blue Silver Grass?"

Xiao Linyi scratched his head. "It wasn't really that I wanted to observe it. When I was reading the Soul Beast guide, I was interested in many Soul Beasts, but I couldn't see any of them. Only Blue Silver Grass was everywhere, so it was the only one I could observe. I didn't expect it to actually come in handy."

"Hahaha!" Mu En laughed heartily. "Good. People with great talent do not necessarily have good luck. Xiao Yi, with fortune like yours, I'm growing more and more eager to see your future."

Though they had been talking the entire time, their pace had not slowed in the slightest. By now, the Star Dou Great Forest was close at hand.

Mu En stopped. "Let's rest here for a while first."

The others all agreed.

Though Ouyang Xi had been convinced by her son, she was still somewhat worried. "Blue Silver Grass may be spread across the continent, but because it is so weak, very few can actually become Soul Beasts. I don't know whether we'll be able to find one of a suitable age this trip..."

Hearing this, Xiao Linyi suddenly thought of something. "Mom, the books say that the age of a First Soul Ring cannot exceed four hundred years. Why is that?"

Ouyang Xi was rather pleased. Her son had been intelligent since childhood, and he rarely asked questions that she could answer. Now that she had finally come across such an easy question, she had to perform well in front of her precious child and establish her status as his mother.

Clearing her throat, Ouyang Xi explained, "Because a Soul Master's body cannot withstand it. When a Soul Master absorbs a Soul Ring, they suffer pressure from the Soul Ring's energy and the resentment left behind by the dead Soul Beast. If those exceed what the Soul Master's body and spirit can bear, the Soul Master absorbing the Soul Ring risks death. Even in the best-case scenario, they would still be seriously injured."

Ouyang Xi's expression turned solemn as she warned her son that a Soul Master's path of growth was full of thorns. Even Soul Rings, which helped Soul Masters break through their limits, could prove dangerous if one was careless.

"I see..."

Rather than showing fear or taking the warning to heart as Ouyang Xi had expected, Xiao Linyi fell into thought. "So the actual age limit of a Soul Master's Soul Ring is determined by their body and spirit. Then this four-hundred-year limit isn't entirely accurate, is it?"

Lin Qingxuan picked up the conversation. "That's not quite right either. This limit was calculated and summarized by a master from Shrek Academy ten thousand years ago. It has been tested over ten thousand years and proven trustworthy."

Xiao Linyi nodded to show that he understood.

"But it doesn't actually suit everyone completely, right? Dad, what are the limits of my body and spirit?"

"Wouldn't it be terrible if I chose a Soul Beast that my body couldn't withstand?"

As Lin Qingxuan raised a hand and placed it against Xiao Linyi's body to sense his son's Body Strength, he smiled and reassured him, "No. With your talent, even a Soul Beast at the four-hundred-year limit, you could—"

Before he could finish, Lin Qingxuan suddenly gave a soft cry of surprise. Ouyang Xi looked at her husband curiously. "Brother Xuan, what's wrong?"

"Xiao Yi's Body Strength is a little strange."

"How is it strange?"

"It's too high."

"Isn't high Body Strength a good thing?"

"That was absurdly high. I feel Xiao Yi's Body Strength is now enough to absorb a thousand-year Soul Ring—perhaps even one beyond one or two thousand years!" Lin Qingxuan shook his head, his expression grave as he turned to Mu En. "Elder Mu, I'll have to trouble you to take a look."

Hearing Lin Qingxuan's words, Mu En's expression turned solemn as well. Some major sects did have their favored disciples consume various Heavenly Treasures from childhood, supplemented by medicinal baths to strengthen their bodies, but there had never been a case of someone absorbing a thousand-year Soul Ring as their First Soul Ring.

Mu En raised a hand and placed it on Xiao Linyi's wrist, sensing carefully as a glint flashed through his eyes.

"Elder Mu, how is it?"

"It truly is at the thousand-year level. Given Xiao Linyi's current Body Strength, he could absorb a Soul Ring with an age of up to five thousand years."

Lin Qingxuan and Ouyang Xi both sucked in a sharp breath, while even Mu En could not conceal the shock in his eyes.

Lin Qingxuan asked, "Could it have been the opportunity he received from the Golden Ancient Tree on Sea God Island?"

Mu En nodded. "It should be. No wonder it lasted for an entire month. It seems the Golden Ancient Tree was slowly increasing Xiao Yi's Body Strength."

While the adults were still marveling, Xiao Linyi felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Mom said before that Blue Silver Grass Soul Beasts are very rare. Now that the Soul Beast age I can absorb has risen to a thousand years, won't they be even harder to find..."

The moment he said that, everyone fell silent.

Because it was true. None of them were weak among Soul Masters, yet they had rarely heard of Blue Silver Grass that were more than a thousand years old.

For a moment, no one knew how to comfort him, so they could only resume their journey.

A short while later, they arrived at the Star Dou Great Forest...