Soul Ring Selection

Old Man Gu took a deep breath.

He suppressed his excitement, but the warning in his eyes grew even stronger.

"Letting an 'outsider' who only half understands like Old Man Xu take you hunting Soul Rings? This is utter nonsense!"

"What if he finds you a soul beast whose attribute clashes with 'Chaos'? Then for the rest of your life, your Heavenly Eye Martial Soul will be half ruined!"

"And my three years of painstaking effort will have all been for nothing!"

At last, he practically barked an order at Long Zhanye, his voice stern and severe. "Kid! Remember what I'm telling you!"

"I'll figure out your Soul Rings myself!!!"

"Don't be fooled by the fact that I'm nothing but a bag of old bones now. Dealing with a few Ten-Thousand Year soul beasts missing an eye will still be easy enough!"

"As for anyone else, whoever they are, even Old Man Xu."

"Or any other elder in the sect. As long as they offer to help you hunt Soul Rings, you reject them all for me!"

"Did you hear me?! Reject every last one of them!!!"

Seeing Old Man Gu's agitated, trembling white hair, the doubts in Long Zhanye's heart gradually faded.

After living alongside him day and night for three years, Long Zhanye had long since seen through this eccentric, mad old man.

Though his tongue was sharp and he was always flaring his beard and glaring, he had never meant Long Zhanye harm. On the contrary, he had poured unimaginable effort into treating him.

Moreover, this old man seemed to possess an obsession with, and sense of responsibility toward, Long Zhanye's Heavenly Eye Martial Soul that far exceeded anyone else's.

Long Zhanye did not hesitate. Meeting Old Man Gu's piercing stare, he nodded.

He answered in a low voice, "Rest assured, Elder Gu. I'll remember."

"My Soul Rings will be entirely arranged by Elder Gu. I'll refuse everyone else."

Only after hearing Long Zhanye's promise did Old Man Gu's tense expression ease slightly.

He snorted and resumed his lazy appearance, waving a hand. "Good, as long as you remember!"

"Get back and keep nurturing your heart meridians. Stop being an eyesore here! Once I find a suitable target, I'll naturally inform you!"

Afterward, Long Zhanye politely declined Elder Xu's offer.

He said calmly, "Elder Xu, I understand your goodwill. But..."

"Elder Gu said he can find the most compatible Soul Ring for my Heavenly Eye Martial Soul. I would still like to follow his arrangements in this matter."

Upon hearing that it was the intention of that "Mad Old Man," the words Elder Xu had wanted to use to persuade him immediately caught in his throat.

A complicated expression flashed across his face. In the end, he merely sighed and patted Long Zhanye on the shoulder. "Very well..."

"That old madman may act strangely and have a foul temper, but when it comes to understanding soul beasts and medicinal principles, even everyone in the entire Body Sect combined might not match him."

"Since he said so, he must have his reasons. Just... be careful in all things. That old fellow is a real handful himself."

A few days later.

Taking advantage of one of his rare lucid periods, while his mind was still clear and his spirits were decent.

Old Man Gu set out for the Star Dou Great Forest with his disciple Zhua Yun and the eagerly expectant Long Zhanye.

This journey gave Long Zhanye more opportunities to observe Old Man Gu from up close.

Yet those observations filled his heart with intense unease and confusion.

He clearly remembered.

When he had first met this mysterious old man in the underground chamber three years ago.

The restrained Soul Power fluctuations emanating from him had definitely been above the level of a Soul Saint, perhaps even stronger.

Yet now, Old Man Gu, walking ahead of them, possessed an aura so weak it was pitiful, barely maintained at the level of a Soul Emperor.

And it was extremely unstable, rising and falling like a dying candle in the wind.

Did I sense it wrong back then? Or did he use some method to conceal it?

Long Zhanye was filled with uncertainty, his gaze unconsciously settling on Old Man Gu's back.

Over the past three years, Old Man Gu's appearance seemed to have aged another twenty years in that short span.

His already thin, withered body had become even more gaunt, his skin like parched, cracked earth, covered in deeper and denser wrinkles.

His full head of white hair had lost its luster, becoming sparse and dry.

As he walked, his steps were unsteady and his body swayed. Where was even a trace of that faint bearing of a powerhouse from years ago?

He looked exactly like an ordinary old man whose body had been hollowed out by illness, on the verge of death.

What... happened to him? A sense of foreboding rose in Long Zhanye's heart.

Whether for public or private reasons, Long Zhanye did not want anything to happen to Old Man Gu.

Publicly, his injuries had yet to be completely cured, and his future treatment and recovery still required the guidance of this unfathomable old man.

Privately, although Old Man Gu had a strange temperament and constantly berated him over the past three years.

Long Zhanye could feel the concern hidden beneath that irascibility.

In his heart, this "Mad Old Man" had long become a special presence who was both teacher and friend, one to whom he owed a debt as heavy as a mountain.

He can't die... at least, not now. Long Zhanye silently thought, and the concern in his gaze toward Old Man Gu grew deeper and deeper.

They had not gone far before the rugged road left Old Man Gu panting, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

He stopped and tremblingly pulled a wooden cane from behind his back.

Only by leaning on it could he barely continue forward. Every step looked so difficult.

Zhua Yun, following behind, saw his teacher in such a state.

His brows furrowed tightly, his lips pressed into a straight line, while unconcealable worry and sorrow filled his eyes.

He seemed to know some inside details, yet he gritted his teeth.

He refused to say a single word. He merely followed silently at his teacher's side, ready to support him at any moment.

Old Man Gu took several breaths and seemed to recover somewhat.

Without looking back, he spoke in a hoarse voice. "You brat..."

"You had quite the nerve before. You dared to absorb a Ten-Thousand Year Soul Ring beyond your level as the Fourth Soul Ring of your First Martial Soul..."

"Mm, though reckless, it also proved that your foundation was solid and your body's endurance far surpassed that of ordinary people."

He paused and tapped his cane against the ground.

"Now, although your First Martial Soul has been crippled, your Soul Power cultivation remains. After three years of tempering by medicinal power, your physical constitution is no weaker than before."

"So, the First Soul Ring of your Heavenly Eye Martial Soul can begin directly with a Ten-Thousand Year Soul Ring!"

"There's no need to slowly transition through hundred-year and thousand-year Soul Rings, wasting time and wasting talent!"

These words exploded in Long Zhanye's mind like thunder!

He had been agonizing over and worrying whether, as a second Martial Soul starting from scratch, the Heavenly Eye would also have to begin acquiring Soul Rings from the lowest level like an ordinary Spirit Master.

If that were the case, who knew how long it would take for him to catch up to his peers, let alone take revenge on Shrek.

But Old Man Gu's words instantly awakened him!

"That's right! How did I not think of that?" Long Zhanye's eyes suddenly lit up.

A look of realization and excitement appeared on his face. "My Soul Power is at rank forty-nine, and my body's endurance is sufficient. The Heavenly Eye Martial Soul is also so special..."

"It's entirely possible for my First Soul Ring to directly absorb a Ten-Thousand Year Soul Ring! Elder Gu, you truly... woke me with a single sentence!"

Seeing Long Zhanye's interest sparked, Old Man Gu seemed to gain some spirit as well. He turned his head slightly. "Hmph, now you know my worth?"

"As for soul beasts with your 'Chaos' attribute... it's perfectly normal that you've never heard of them."

"Across the entire continent, the people who know exactly which soul beasts the Chaos Attribute refers to can probably be counted on one hand."

He coughed lightly twice before continuing, "However..."

"I've lived for so long. I can at least be considered an 'old monster,' so naturally I know more than others."

"There's no harm in telling you."

Long Zhanye immediately pricked up his ears and listened carefully.

"The Cyclops clan." Old Man Gu slowly spoke the name.

"And an extremely rare mutant variant among them—the Twin Cyclops."