Du Busi: This Old Man Chooses to Trust My Disciple!

And at that moment...

Faced with Long Aotian's incredulous amazement, Liu Yuan merely withdrew his aura, bowed slightly, and spoke with the calmness of an ancient well:

"Senior Brother, you flatter me. It was only the result of long accumulation, coupled with single-minded focus during seclusion, that I was fortunate enough to cross this threshold."

"You brat, you really are modest." Long Aotian gave a bitter smile.

Back when he had broken through to Level 30, even with countless resources piled upon him, it had still taken quite some time.

Yet this junior brother before him had done it as naturally as eating and drinking.

However, Du Busi, seated above them, had no time to listen to such pleasantries.

His broad body abruptly leaned forward, his eyes gleaming green as he rapidly slapped the armrest.

"Enough. Save the modesty for later! Now that you have firmly reached Level 30, obtaining your Third Soul Ring is the sect's top priority."

Du Busi rubbed his hands together, a trace of brisk impatience showing between his brows.

"This old man has been combing through the sect's secret records these past few days, looking over several excellent choices for you."

"Among them is a ten-thousand-year Phantom Demon Fox. Its spiritual attacks are elusive and unpredictable, making it highly compatible with your Double Pupil..."

"Master, regarding my Third Soul Ring, this disciple boldly has an idea of his own."

However, Liu Yuan raised his head and met Du Busi's gaze.

His tone was light, yet it carried an unquestionable resolve.

The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the hall slightly stiffened.

The two gaunt elders with profound auras exchanged surprised glances.

Long Aotian, Chen Lü, and Wang Yanfeng all showed strange expressions as well.

After all, in the world of soul masters, low-level soul masters usually had to follow the advice of their elders and teachers when selecting Soul Rings. Not to mention that the person before him was Du Busi, one of the world's foremost Body Douluos.

Du Busi was stunned for a moment before bursting into hearty laughter and waving a large hand.

"Oh? You're not that old, but you certainly have plenty of your own opinions."

"Fine, then let this old man hear it. What sort of treasure have you chosen for yourself?"

Liu Yuan took a deep breath, swept his gaze over everyone present, and spoke solemnly. "This disciple has carefully analyzed my own combat system."

"At present, my long-range attack is Laser Eye, with ultimate penetration and unstoppable force."

"My recovery ability is Undying Body. So long as my spiritual power does not run dry, I can remain undefeated."

"However, during my spar with Senior Brother Long and when facing that Five-Ring Evil Soul Master, I discovered a fatal weakness."

Liu Yuan paused, his tone turning sharp. "That is my lack of close-combat explosive power and instant mobility."

"Once a powerful enemy gets close, or I am surrounded, I can only endure their attacks head-on."

"Therefore, for my Third Soul Skill, I need an ability that can thoroughly strengthen my body or grant me ultimate close-combat explosive power and speed."

"After researching these past few days, I have already chosen my target—"

"The Ice Qilin of the Extreme North Core Region!"

"What?!"

Chen Lü cried out in shock, while Wang Yanfeng's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

An elder at the side of the hall frowned deeply and could not help advising, "Liu Yuan, isn't this inappropriate?"

"Your Martial Soul is the Double Pupil, fundamentally an eye-type Body Martial Soul."

"By conventional reasoning, you should develop toward spiritual power, illusions, or enhanced vision."

"Choosing an Ice Qilin, known for its physical body and ice attribute, isn't that completely going in the wrong direction?"

Long Aotian opened his mouth, wanting to offer a few words of advice. Yet when he saw Liu Yuan's serious expression, he ultimately could not bring himself to speak.

Du Busi said nothing. He sat back down in his elevated seat, clasped his hands beneath his chin, and fell into deep thought.

In truth, according to his original plans, he would have absolutely rejected Liu Yuan's proposal.

As the Body Sect Master, he understood the balance of Martial Soul systems better than anyone.

A spiritual-type Martial Soul paired with spiritual-type Soul Rings—that was the proper path.

Liu Yuan's current line of thought was, in the eyes of the traditional soul master world, simply unconventional to the extreme.

Yet Du Busi thought carefully again, recalling the performance of Liu Yuan's first two Soul Skills.

"Unconventional?"

"Which of this kid's first two Soul Skills followed the usual path?"

As an eye-type Martial Soul, his first skill had been an utterly unreasonable destructive Laser Eye.

His second skill had been even more outrageous, directly crossing into the territory of plant-type or high-level recovery soul beasts to gain Limb Regeneration.

Before this, Du Busi would never have imagined such things even if he racked his brains.

Yet the facts had proven that both Soul Skills were terrifyingly effective, even allowing Liu Yuan to achieve the heaven-defying feat of injuring opponents three Soul Ring realms above him.

"Since he chose correctly the first two times, why can't this old man trust him one more time?"

Du Busi's gaze gradually deepened.

He looked at Liu Yuan as if he were looking at a monster breaking through convention.

Liu Yuan's talent could no longer be judged by ordinary logic. Since he could forge a path to power unseen by those before him, then their so-called conventional advice might instead become shackles binding him.

Rather than forcing him down that steady spiritual-type path, it would be better to let go and allow him to gamble on an ultimate future.

After all, their choices were not necessarily guaranteed to see farther than Liu Yuan himself could.

The hall remained silent for a long time. Finally, Du Busi let out a long breath of turbid air and suddenly slammed his hand onto the table as he rose.

"Good! This old man will take you on a trip to the Extreme North!"

"Sect Master! This is unreasonable!" An elder anxiously stood up.

"The Extreme North Core Region is fraught with danger. Leaving aside how difficult the Ice Qilin is to find, even if we find one, having an eye-type Martial Soul fuse with its Soul Ring is simply too risky. What if conflicting attributes damage his Martial Soul..."

"Enough." Du Busi raised a hand to stop the elder's persuasion, his bright gaze fixed on Liu Yuan.

"The reason this old man chooses to trust him is because his first two Soul Skills have already proven to me that his understanding of his own Martial Soul far exceeds our imagination."

"Since he dares to gamble, this old man dares to believe in him!"

The elder opened his mouth, but seeing that Du Busi had already made up his mind, he could only sigh helplessly and return to his seat.

Du Busi turned to Long Aotian and the other two, waving his hand. "Aotian, take Chen Lü and Wang Yanfeng back to rest. Cultivate properly."

"As for Liu Yuan obtaining his Soul Ring, this old man will handle it personally."

"Yes, Master." Long Aotian and the other two gave Liu Yuan looks that said take care, then withdrew from the hall.

At that moment, only Du Busi and Liu Yuan, master and disciple, remained in the hall.

Du Busi leaped down from the platform and walked before Liu Yuan, his expression carrying both dominance and fierce protectiveness. "Kid, are you ready? The Extreme North Core Region is no joke. Even the air you breathe can freeze there."

"But don't worry. Since this old man promised you, even if I have to turn the entire Extreme North upside down, I will catch that Qilin and bring it before you!"

Liu Yuan gave Du Busi a deep bow, warmth flowing through his heart.

He knew that this was not merely a soul beast hunt. It was also his master's gamble on him.

"This disciple is fully prepared. Thank you, Master, for granting my wish!"

"Haha, let's go! Master and disciple, let's go witness the sights of the Extreme North!"

The jade-green light around Du Busi suddenly surged, and the terrifying pressure of a Level 98 Super Douluo flashed past in an instant.

Then he stretched out a large hand and grabbed Liu Yuan by the shoulder. The two transformed into a streak of green light that tore through the sky, shooting out of the Sect Master Hall and racing toward the distant frozen lands of the north.