Douluo: Martial Soul Iron-Eating Beast, Never a Slave — Section 8

This had not happened in a century, yet in less than twenty years, Zhao Mu had already broken the record.

"I have considered a target for Zhao Mu's second soul ring, but I don't have it with me right now. It's deep in the mountains," Second Grandfather said.

"Deep in the mountains is a bamboo grove. Bamboo shoots grow there, and among them is one particularly special shoot called the Mountain-Back Iron-Armored Bamboo!"

The moment Zhao Mu heard the name, he knew what kind of trait Second Grandfather intended for his second soul ring.

Defense!

"The Mountain-Back Iron-Armored Bamboo grows along a mountain vein, nourished by the essence of mountains, rivers, plants, and trees. It only grows one centimeter every hundred years. Its texture is incredibly hard, comparable to divine iron among Mystic Iron. To the blacksmiths of the Blacksmith Association, it is a prized treasure, a peerless material that rarely appears in the world."

"If Mu'er's martial soul, Heibai, can consume this Mountain-Back Iron-Armored Bamboo, there is a high chance it will inherit its hardness. That would greatly improve Mu'er's defense and help him protect himself."

Zhao Mu and Heibai listened from the side.

In Zhao Mu's eyes, adding a defensive trait to his second soul ring was not bad either.

His own safety was the highest priority. Besides, there would be plenty of chances later to obtain soul rings that boosted attack power.

At the very least, there were quite a few targets in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well he had in mind.

Heibai likewise looked at Second Grandfather with shining eyes, feeling that the old man was becoming more and more pleasing to the eye.

He seemed to have mentioned something delicious just now...

"However..." Second Grandfather had not finished speaking.

Hearing that, Zhao Mu also looked toward Second Grandfather. The thing he feared most was a sudden turn. Could there be some difficulty with the Mountain-Back Iron-Armored Bamboo?

Second Grandfather said, "Just as I said before, the Mountain-Back Iron-Armored Bamboo is incomparably hard. Ordinary attacks cannot damage it at all. Only the forging techniques of certain master blacksmiths can affect it in the slightest. So does Mu'er's soul beast have the teeth for it? Can he bite through it? That is the question!"

Awoo, awoo, awoo~

Heibai raised both arms and decisively declared that he was still young and had excellent teeth. Though he liked soft food, hard food was fine too. He did not care whether it was hot or cold. In short, he had to eat the delicious thing the old man had mentioned.

"Fine, then we'll give it a try. If it doesn't work, we'll consider something else," Second Grandfather agreed.

Then the three men and one beast followed the small path behind Second Grandfather's courtyard toward the depths of the mountains.

After walking seven or eight li, they finally reached the bamboo grove Second Grandfather had mentioned.

This bamboo grove was not filled with Thunder-Striking Bamboo, but ordinary bamboo, lush and emerald green.

There were also some bamboo shoots poking out of the ground.

After entering the grove, Zhao Mu and the others headed directly for the place where Second Grandfather had previously discovered the Mountain-Back Iron-Armored Bamboo.

Heibai, on the other hand, let his gaze wander after entering the grove, looking left and right. The glistening drool at the corner of his mouth betrayed his thoughts.

This bamboo looked so crisp and tender!

These bamboo shoots looked so fresh and juicy!

Just as Heibai wanted to move closer, Zhao Mu grabbed him by the back of the neck again and lifted him up.

Zhao Mu was already afraid that Heibai might sneak bites of the Thunder-Striking Bamboo he normally fed him and somehow give him a ten-year or hundred-year Thunder-Striking Bamboo soul ring.

If Heibai secretly ate ordinary bamboo and bamboo shoots here and made them into his second soul ring, Zhao Mu would suffer a huge loss.

To be safe, Zhao Mu did not put Heibai down this time. After all, a second soul ring was no small matter.

Led by Second Grandfather, Zhao Mu and Heibai finally arrived in the depths of the bamboo grove.

Following Second Grandfather's gaze, both of them noticed a special bamboo shoot over thirty centimeters tall, dark golden from top to bottom.

Amid the vibrant green bamboo grove, that bamboo shoot was undoubtedly far more conspicuous than the rest.

"Over thirty centimeters tall... Based on what Second Grandfather said before, this Mountain-Back Iron-Armored Bamboo must be over three thousand years old..."

Awoo, awoo, awoo~

Heibai, still hanging from Zhao Mu's hand, started howling as well.

Over three thousand years old?! Wasn't that way too old? Would it have gone bad? Could it still be eaten?

"This is the Mountain-Back Iron-Armored Bamboo. Even I cannot cut it apart and take it away. Does your martial soul, Heibai, really have the teeth to eat this Mountain-Back Iron-Armored Bamboo?"

"This Mountain-Back Iron-Armored Bamboo has absorbed the essence of mountains, rivers, plants, and trees for three thousand years. It is brimming with energy and is an exceptionally rare treasure," Second Grandfather explained from the side.

As he spoke, he saw Zhao Mu looking around aimlessly and could not help saying, "Why are you looking around instead of quickly having your martial soul try eating the Mountain-Back Iron-Armored Bamboo?"

Zhao Mu voiced his inner thoughts. "Second Grandfather, are we just eating it directly? Don't books always say that powerful soul beasts are usually guarding the finest heavenly treasures?"

Second Grandfather rolled his eyes at Zhao Mu and urged, "Where did you read that? Read fewer of those unreliable novels from now on! There are no soul beasts guarding this Mountain-Back Iron-Armored Bamboo. Hurry up and let your soul beast, Heibai, see whether he can chew through it. If he can't, we'll think of something else."

Zhao Mu could only smile awkwardly before tossing Heibai over.

"Heibai, it's your turn! Time to eat!"

Having failed to land properly and hit the ground butt-first, Heibai unhappily rolled over once before climbing to his feet and walking to the Mountain-Back Iron-Armored Bamboo.

He lowered his big head and stared at the Mountain-Back Iron-Armored Bamboo with his round black eyes for a long time.

"Heibai, aren't you always the most enthusiastic when it's time to eat? Why are you dawdling this time? Hurry up and eat!" Zhao Mu urged.

Awoo, awoo, awoo~

What was the rush? It was over three thousand years old! Shouldn't he check whether it had gone bad first? What if it upset his stomach?

After inspecting it for a long time, and before Zhao Mu could urge him again, Heibai finally tilted his big head, turned sideways, and used his sharpest fangs to gnaw at the Mountain-Back Iron-Armored Bamboo.

At that moment, the gazes of all three men were fixed on Heibai as he gnawed at the Mountain-Back Iron-Armored Bamboo.

It was their first time feeling so nervous while watching Heibai eat!

The Mountain-Back Iron-Armored Bamboo was famous for its defense and was virtually indestructible. That was precisely why Second Grandfather considered it one of the suitable soul ring choices for Zhao Mu.

Yet for the same reason, because the Mountain-Back Iron-Armored Bamboo was so hard, they worried that Heibai would be unable to bite through it and that they would return disappointed.

Heibai bit down with all his strength, but it was nowhere near as smooth as his usual meals.

Even Second Grandfather secretly sighed. "If Mu'er's martial soul, Heibai, cannot gnaw through the Mountain-Back Iron-Armored Bamboo, then we can only wait until Heibai becomes stronger before coming back to use this as a soul ring..."

Though he said that, choosing the Mountain-Back Iron-Armored Bamboo as the second soul ring would naturally be best. As a second soul ring, it would give Zhao Mu a more promising future.

After failing to bite off the Mountain-Back Iron-Armored Bamboo in one bite, Heibai wiped his mouth.

If Heibai had bitten through the Mountain-Back Iron-Armored Bamboo in one bite, Zhao Mu might have doubted its supposed hardness. But now that even Heibai's teeth could not bite through it, its indestructible texture had been proven. Still, the thought of failing to obtain it inevitably left Zhao Mu feeling disappointed.

However, Heibai did not seem willing to give up. After wiping his mouth, he bit down on the Mountain-Back Iron-Armored Bamboo again.

His teeth pressed against the bamboo shoot's Mystic Iron-like body. Heibai's eyes nearly squeezed together as he put every ounce of strength into the bite.

Crack!

Damn, his teeth hadn't shattered, had they?!

After looking closely and seeing what had happened, Zhao Mu's suspended heart finally settled.

His worry turned into delight.

The thing that had shattered was not Heibai's teeth, but the Mountain-Back Iron-Armored Bamboo's Mystic Iron-like body.

Heibai's teeth had already sunk into the Mountain-Back Iron-Armored Bamboo. As he continued exerting force, he finally bit off the bamboo shoot's tip completely.

The Mountain-Back Iron-Armored Bamboo's defenses had been completely broken. Though Heibai still had some difficulty eating it, he bit off the entire bamboo shoot piece by piece, chewed, and swallowed...

At the same time, streams of heavy, mountain-like energy flowed into Zhao Mu's body, just as he had expected.

The feeling was exactly the same as when he absorbed the first soul ring from the Thunder-Striking Bamboo.

Zhao Mu did not delay any longer. He immediately sat cross-legged and began absorbing this energy, preparing to form his second soul ring.

Seeing Heibai successfully consume the Mountain-Back Iron-Armored Bamboo and Zhao Mu begin absorbing and refining the soul ring, Second Grandfather and Zhao Father both let out long breaths of relief.

Taking advantage of Zhao Mu's absorption and condensation of the soul ring, Second Grandfather suddenly asked, "Xiao San, have you ever made plans for Mu'er? Have you considered his future?"

At those words, Zhao Father looked at Second Grandfather in confusion.

"Mu'er's future?"

Second Grandfather continued, "It does not matter if we remain trapped in this mountain hollow, but Mu'er is still young, and his talent is so outstanding that even Wuji could not compare back then. Can you really bear to let him waste his talent in these mountains?"

"Second Uncle, you mean..." Zhao Father's expression gradually turned serious.

Second Grandfather remained calm. "It does not matter where old fellows like us spend the rest of our lives, but how could young people of Mu'er's generation be content to remain in these mountains? These children are still young now, but they will grow up eventually. One day, they will want to go out and see the world."

"So I want Mu'er to go ahead of them and gain some experience first. It will also prepare the way for the other Zhao Family children to leave the mountains in the future."

Although Zhao Father had already guessed Second Grandfather's intentions from the beginning, hearing him say it outright still left his feelings complicated.

"Second Uncle, but Spirit Hall..." Zhao Father was still conflicted. The reason the Zhao Family had come here to take refuge was to avoid Spirit Hall.

Second Grandfather seemed to have anticipated Zhao Father's objection and quickly replied, "In truth, with Spirit Hall's current influence across the continent, it would not be difficult for them to find our Zhao Family. The reason our Zhao Family has remained safe until now may not be because we hid well, but because Spirit Hall never intended to pursue what happened to Wuji back then."

"To put it bluntly, Spirit Hall may never have taken our Zhao Family seriously at all..."

As he spoke, Second Grandfather revealed a self-mocking smile.

"Second Uncle, perhaps you are right, and Spirit Hall does not intend to keep causing trouble for us. But Mu'er is my child. I cannot afford to gamble!" Zhao Father replied.