Douluo: Starting Out by Rebuking Grandmaster

Chapter 38: Two Years Later

Two years later, Soul Hunting Forest.

In the dense jungle, the corpse of a Soul Beast that had suffered some unknown torture in life lay quietly on the grass.

Not a single part of the Soul Beast's body remained intact, making even its species difficult to identify.

Only the bloodstained scent hanging in the air proved that it had died not long ago.

In the thick canopy of a large tree not far from the Soul Beast's corpse, two children crouched among the leaves, their sharp eyes fixed on the body.

Those two children were none other than Lu Yu and Lu Fei.

Two years had passed, and both of them had reached Level 20. Lu Fei had even obtained his Second Soul Ring three days ago, officially becoming a Soul Grandmaster.

As for Lu Yu, he was still waiting for his Soul Ring to come knocking.

That was right.

That Soul Beast corpse was their handiwork.

Two days ago, Lu Yu and Lu Fei had learned from others that Lu Yu's target Soul Beast had appeared nearby. Yet after searching for two whole days, they still had not found it.

So...

Lu Yu came up with the idea of waiting for the hare by the stump.

But simply sitting around and waiting would obviously never bring the target to them. So Lu Yu killed one of its favorite foods, then deliberately subjected it to Lingchi so that the scent of blood would spread farther.

All that remained was to wait quietly.

They had waited an entire day. The sky was already nearing darkness, yet the other party still had not appeared, leaving Lu Yu secretly anxious.

Their target was a Phantom Beast.

Phantom Beasts were already incredibly fast. They could also create two Shadow Clones that were nearly impossible to distinguish from the real thing. Once night fell, hunting one would become extremely difficult.

"Brother Yu, could that thing have just passed by? Why hasn't it come yet?" Lu Fei was growing anxious after failing to see any sign of the Phantom Beast.

Lu Yu frowned slightly, glanced at the sky, and said calmly, "Don't worry. Let's wait a little longer. If it still doesn't come, we'll figure something out then."

The Soul Hunting Forest was not bad, but Thousand-Year Soul Beasts were scarce to begin with. Finding one that met their requirements was even harder.

They had been in the Soul Hunting Forest for nearly half a month. Finding a Soul Beast for Lu Fei alone had taken over ten days. If they still could not find one, Lu Yu would have to consider changing locations.

Besides, once they returned this time, he planned to apply to graduate from the academy and head to Heaven Dou City.

He had originally wanted to leave two years ago, but Xiao Chenyu and the others had been far too useless. It had taken them a full half year just to barely grasp the basics of movement techniques and swordsmanship.

Then Lu Yu thought about it and realized that going out at only Level 10-something did not seem very safe.

So he decided to wait until they reached Level 20.

But what he had not expected was that this wait would last another year and a half.

Back then, he had nearly caught up to Tang San. But later on, the gap in their talent became apparent. Not only had he failed to overtake him, he had been left behind once again.

Tang San had reached Level 20 as early as half a year ago.

However, his Second Soul Ring had not been particularly good. It had only raised him to Level 21. Half a year later, he was merely Level 23.

It was not that Tang San had not wanted something better. Lu Yu's example was right there before him, but Grandmaster was simply too useless.

Even after asking the principal of Notting Academy for help, they still had not been able to find Tang San a high-quality Soul Ring. As for its age, that was even less worth mentioning.

So Lu Yu was not worried at all.

Before this Soul Beast hunt, Lu Yu had someone test them. Their physiques were no weaker than those of Soul Elders, so their absorption limits could be raised to the level of a Third Soul Ring.

And that was indeed the case.

Three days ago, Lu Fei had experienced some pressure while absorbing that 1,700-year Soul Ring, but only a little.

Nothing unexpected had happened.

And that 1,700-year Soul Ring had once again given Lu Fei three levels of Soul Power, allowing him to catch up to Tang San and reach Level 23.

So what if your talent is high?

One Soul Ring was all it took for him to catch up.

However, at their current cultivation speed, reaching Level 30 before the age of twelve was almost impossible.

After all, cultivation only became slower after Level 20.

Lu Yu was helpless about that as well.

Although they could catch up by absorbing Soul Rings beyond their limits, their talents were still somewhat lacking. Completing Yue Guan's objective and becoming Bibi Dong's disciples...

That would be difficult.

The system had not reacted on Dugu Bo's side either. Otherwise, with immortal herbs to raise their Soul Power by a few levels and improve their talent and potential, that goal would be easy.

As for the new mission after joining Spirit Hall...

[Mission: Advance to Soul Grandmaster]

[Mission Details: Break through Soul Power Level 20 and obtain a Second Soul Ring to become a Soul Grandmaster. The Second Soul Ring must be no less than a thousand years old.]

[Mission Reward: Nine Absolutes Sword Technique—Hundred-Step Sky-Piercing Stab]

Having tasted the benefits of the first move of the Nine Absolutes Sword Technique, Lu Yu naturally knew that the second move would not be simple either. It was good, but it had come at the wrong time.

He would rather receive some medical knowledge first and temporarily give up on the second move.

Unfortunately, he had no choice.

"Brother Yu, it's here..." Just as Lu Yu drifted off in thought, Lu Fei suddenly nudged him and whispered a reminder.

Lu Yu immediately came back to his senses and focused his gaze ahead.

Sure enough.

A Soul Beast that looked neither like a leopard nor a tiger was warily examining the Soul Beast corpse from the distant forest.

That was Lu Yu's target, the Phantom Beast.

Phantom Beasts already excelled in speed, and with their two Shadow Clones, they were exceptionally difficult to guard against. In darkness, they could not be called invincible, but if one was determined to flee, no one could stop it unless the difference in strength was enormous.

Even as excitement surged within him, Lu Yu's brows tightened when he saw its tail.

That tail was at least two meters long, wasn't it?

Other than being black, Phantom Beasts had no distinctive traits. The only way to determine their age was through their tails.

Once a Phantom Beast reached adulthood, it became a Thousand-Year Soul Beast. For every additional thousand years of strength, its tail grew another meter.

In other words, this Phantom Beast had already reached two thousand years. Even if his estimate was off, it had to be at least eighteen or nineteen hundred years old.

That already exceeded Lu Yu's requirements.

And by a full two or three hundred years.

Do not underestimate those two or three hundred years. One mistake could cost someone their life.

"Brother Yu, what do we do?" Lu Fei had clearly noticed the problem as well and looked to Lu Yu for an answer.

Suitable Soul Beasts were not easy to find. If they gave up this one, they would likely have no choice but to return and search elsewhere.

But if they did not give up...

Its age exceeded the limit by too much. Forcing the absorption could cause problems.

Lu Yu did not answer. He simply stared fixedly at the Phantom Beast, his mind racing as he calculated the feasibility.

According to last month's tests, their physiques were definitely stronger than those of ordinary Level 30 Soul Elders, roughly comparable to Level 31 or 32.

And Soul Elders at Level 31 or 32 had already been tempered by their Third Soul Rings, so they were certainly not comparable to Level 30 Soul Elders without Soul Rings.

Chapter 39: Second Soul Ring (1)

Combined with Lu Fei's situation when he absorbed his Soul Ring, 1,700 years was indeed not their true limit.

But the gap was no longer large.

A difference of three hundred years...

They might be able to endure it.

There was another crucial factor: Soul Shock.

Thousand-Year Soul Beasts were not comparable to Hundred-Year Soul Beasts. The Soul Shock of Hundred-Year Soul Beasts could almost be ignored, but Thousand-Year Soul Beasts posed a considerable threat.

The most troublesome part was that mental strength could not be tested, so they had no idea what their current mental strength was like.

Lu Yu could not use that as a reference either.

The strength of a Soul Shock was related to the type of Soul Beast and the way it died. Lu Fei's Soul Beast had already been among the weakest of its kind, and it had been killed instantly.

So the intensity of its Soul Shock had not been high.

But the Phantom Beast was different.

Phantom Beasts were Soul Beasts with fairly outstanding overall strength. Combined with their speed and Shadow Clone advantages, killing one instantly...

Would be difficult.

If Lu Yu chose to take it, he would be gambling.

And the stake was his life.

Should he gamble?

There were risks, but the benefits were undeniable as well.

A two-thousand-year Second Soul Ring would most likely give him four levels of Soul Power and a very good soul skill.

Do not underestimate the difference of one level of Soul Power. At their current cultivation speed, it could save him at least a year.

The temptation was immense.

Just as Lu Yu struggled with the decision, Lu Fei nudged him again.

But this time, he did not speak.

Because the Phantom Beast had come closer. Even a quiet whisper could alert it.

Watching the Soul Beast approach the corpse, stopping every three steps, Lu Yu's eyes gradually turned resolute.

He would gamble!

Damn it, as a transmigrator, he could not rely solely on the system.

The system was only an aid. How far he could ultimately go would still depend on himself. If he did not dare take even a little risk, then what the hell was he cultivating for?

Lu Yu immediately turned around and gave Lu Fei several hand signals.

Their tacit understanding allowed Lu Fei to instantly grasp Lu Yu's meaning. He immediately prepared to strike at any moment.

He had not thought as deeply as Lu Yu.

Because his admiration for Lu Yu was blind. In his eyes, there was nothing Brother Yu could not handle.

It was only three hundred years.

No big deal.

If Brother Yu said it was possible, then it was definitely possible.

He only needed to do whatever Lu Yu told him to do.

The Phantom Beast drew closer step by step.

Even after reaching the Soul Beast corpse, it did not immediately begin eating. Instead, it continued vigilantly scanning its surroundings.

A Thousand-Year Soul Beast already possessed a certain degree of intelligence. Though not particularly high, its instincts told it that something seemed wrong here.

But with its intelligence, it could not figure out exactly what the problem was. Besides, this was its favorite food.

So...

In the end.