Douluo: Starting Out by Rebuking the Grandmaster

This reference was most likely Hu Liena.

By the time of the Soul Master Tournament, Hu Liena was already a Soul King. Though Lu Yu did not know her exact age, she definitely had not exceeded the tournament's age limit.

Assume she had been exactly twenty-five.

Spirit Hall had a record: the youngest person to reach level forty had been sixteen. The record holder had either been Qian Renxue or Hu Liena.

Of course, it was also possible that someone before them had cultivated even faster.

But since this was about taking the Pope as a master, Yue Guan had most likely set this goal with the Pope's disciple, Hu Liena, as the benchmark.

Tsk tsk... worthy of the Martial Soul Hall Golden Generation.

"Alright, no problem!"

Lu Yu only thought about it briefly before agreeing without hesitation.

Though it would be difficult, he was not even seven yet, and his Soul Power Level was already level thirteen, nearly level fourteen. Reaching level thirty by the age of twelve might not be impossible.

Besides, they had one major advantage.

That was the Soul Ring limit they could endure.

His Second Soul Ring would start at a thousand years at the very least. A thousand-year Soul Ring should be able to raise his Soul Power by at least three levels, right?

That brought him another step closer to the goal.

"Good!" Yue Guan said approvingly. "Then it's settled."

He had not set this goal because he believed Lu Yu and Lu Fei could accomplish it. After all, their talent was right there for all to see.

He had only made it to make them give up.

If they failed to meet the goal, they naturally would not have the nerve to bring it up again.

On the other hand, without such a goal, these two little brats might keep coming up with new ways to try to take the Pope as their master.

That would not be good.

Being annoying was one thing. What if they accidentally enraged the Pope?

That would be a serious problem.

As for whether the Pope would punish him for acting rashly in this matter?

That was impossible.

If they really could achieve this goal, then their potential would be rather outrageous. After all, their Innate Soul Power was only level five.

Surely, the Pope would not refuse them then.

Are You Asking Me to Become a Thief Like You?

"Oh, right, there's one more thing."

Lu Yu suddenly remembered Dugu Bo. He would not be going to Spirit City for the time being. He was afraid that if he took the items first and mentioned it afterward, Yue Guan would think he was freeloading off him.

Yue Guan asked, "What is it?"

Lu Yu explained, "I still have some matters to deal with, so I won't be going to Spirit City for now. If I do go, it will most likely be after I reach level thirty."

He did not know whether the system would give him anything related to medicine, so it was difficult to estimate the timing. He could only give a rough estimate.

If he still had not obtained anything medical by level thirty, then he would probably have no choice but to use Spirit Hall's power to plan for the immortal herbs.

"After level thirty?"

Yue Guan smiled faintly. "No problem."

Yue Guan assumed Lu Yu was simply acting like a child and wanted to prove himself.

If he could reach level thirty by the age of twelve, he could go to Spirit City and take a master then. If not, he would have no choice but to go back obediently and accept the arrangements.

As for freeloading...

That was impossible. The consequences of freeloading off Spirit Hall were not something a little brat could bear.

If Lu Yu truly dared to do that, Yue Guan would naturally teach him a lesson. If Spirit Hall wanted someone dead, no one could stop them.

He still had that much confidence.

Yue Guan asked, "Any other questions?"

Lu Yu hesitated.

He wondered whether he should report Tang San.

But after thinking it over, he decided against it.

Many people knew he had come to Spirit Hall. If Tang San ran into trouble right after Lu Yu arrived, Tang Hao could easily trace it back to him.

His little body could not withstand Tang Hao's torment.

"Nothing else." In the end, Lu Yu shook his head.

Yue Guan nodded and took out two rings. "These are the Storage Rings you wanted. They each have twenty cubic meters of space. It isn't much, but make do with them."

"Thank you." Lu Yu accepted them with thanks, then handed one to Lu Fei.

Under Yue Guan's guidance, the two quickly learned how to use the Storage Rings.

Lu Fei was thrilled to have a Storage Ring. He had long been envious of Tang San's Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges, and now he finally had one of his own.

Yue Guan then gave them a large pile of Gold Soul Coins.

The exact amount was unclear, but it was definitely no less than ten thousand.

"This is my token. If anything happens in the future, you may seek help from the nearest Spirit Hall. No one will dare refuse you." Finally, Yue Guan took out his Elder Token.

Lu Yu could not help but freeze.

He had never imagined Yue Guan would go this far.

An Elder Token was a symbol of status.

And he was merely a little brat who had just joined Spirit Hall. Wasn't this treatment a little too generous?

The Grandmaster arrived at the infirmary, looking somewhat disheveled.

His beard was unkempt, his hair was messy, and his eyes were bloodshot, as though he had not slept properly for several days.

That was indeed the case. Ever since learning that Lu Yu's First Soul Ring had surpassed the limit, he had been hiding in his dormitory researching materials. Tang San had been awake for days, yet he had not come to see him even once.

After several days of tireless research, it was not as though he had gained nothing at all.

The Soul Ring limit a Soul Master could endure was related to physical constitution and mental strength, nothing more.

Yet no matter how hard he racked his brains, he could not figure out how Lu Yu had done it.

A Soul Master's physique and mental strength both grew as their Soul Power Level increased. The rate of growth might differ depending on talent.

But the gap should never be too great.

So why could Lu Yu alone be so different from ordinary people?

Could he possess some special training method?

But that should not be possible.

Wasn't he a commoner? Where would he get something so profound?

To figure this out, the Grandmaster could not help thinking of Tang San.

The two were neighbors and lived in the same dormitory. If Tang San put his mind to it, he might be able to pry out some information.

Thus, he came.

"Xiao San..."

However, the moment Tang San saw the Grandmaster, he turned his head away.

He had awakened on the second day, yet the Grandmaster had only come to visit him now. Even if the Grandmaster looked somewhat disheveled, that was no excuse.

The most detestable part was this.

His damned theories had widened the gap between Tang San and Lu Yu more and more.

He should have listened to Lu Yu from the beginning.

How had he failed to see through it and taken such trash as his master?

Oh, right, it seemed to be because of his father.

Father, you led me astray.

Seeing Tang San ignore him, the Grandmaster knew he was somewhat in the wrong. He did not say much, instead glancing at Xiao Wu beside him. "Xiao Wu, could you step outside for a moment? I have something to discuss with Tang San alone."

Xiao Wu disliked the Grandmaster, but he was Tang San's teacher after all. In the end, she still left the infirmary.

"Xiao San..."

The moment the Grandmaster opened his mouth, Tang San interrupted impatiently. "Tell me, didn't you say the limit for a First Soul Ring was 423 years?"

The Grandmaster was left speechless.

It seemed Tang San knew as well.

That made Tang San's attitude understandable.

After a moment of silence, the Grandmaster finally said, "This is exactly what I wanted to discuss with you."

Tang San said nothing. He merely watched him quietly, his gaze somewhat cold.

He wanted to see what nonsense the Grandmaster could come up with.

The Grandmaster explained, "According to my research, the Soul Ring limit one can endure is closely related to one's physique and mental strength."

"But these two traits naturally grow as every Soul Master's level rises. Since Lu Yu could exceed the normal limit for a First Soul Ring, that means he must possess some other method of improving his physique and mental strength."

Tang San immediately fell silent.

If that was the case, then everything could be explained.

Lu Yu's swordsmanship and movement techniques were already so profound. It was not impossible for him to possess cultivation methods that could enhance physique and mental strength.

The Grandmaster continued, "You are neighbors, and you live in the same dormitory. I was thinking that perhaps you could try improving your relationship with him..."

The Grandmaster was too ashamed to say the rest.

Tang San's gaze turned cold. "Are you asking me to become a thief like you?"

"I..."

Tang San's single sentence nearly made the Grandmaster cough up blood in anger.

What did he mean, asking him to become a thief?

What the hell...

But when he wanted to explain himself, he did not know where to begin.

After all, Tang San was telling the truth.

Though Tang San looked disdainful, he had actually been tempted.

There was no shame in doing whatever it took to become stronger.

But the problem was that his relationship with Lu Yu had already become extremely strained.

How could he improve it?

Moreover, Lu Yu already knew Tang San had secretly learned his swordsmanship. He must be on guard now, so the old method would no longer work.

No matter how Tang San thought about it, there seemed to be no opportunity.

"Go back. I need to rest. If you want to be a thief, go do it yourself. Don't come here and drag me into it." With that, Tang San turned his head away again.

He needed to think carefully about how he could improve his relationship with Lu Yu.

"Ah!"

The Grandmaster sighed, then turned and left.

This disciple's misunderstanding of him was only growing deeper.