The First Soul Ring's Age

The next morning, in Qian Yu's room.

Qian Yu woke from his slumber, feeling a heavy, stifling pressure on his chest.

Qian Yu didn't even need to think to know that it was that girl, Qian Renxue, sneaking into his bed again.

Resigned, Qian Yu pushed Qian Renxue aside as usual, tucked her in, and began his daily fixed training: 100 laps of weighted running, 500 push-ups, and 500 pull-ups.

Time flies like an arrow, passing in the blink of an eye.

Fifteen days flashed by in an instant. During these fifteen days, besides his diligent training, he had also been constantly scouring the archives of the Worship Hall, searching for any information regarding giant hammers. Eventually, Qian Yu confirmed that it was the Clear Sky Hammer, unique to the disciples of the Clear Sky Sect.

"Clear Sky Sect!!!" Qian Yu finally confirmed his general target. He desperately wanted to go and slaughter the Clear Sky Sect right now, but he was still too insignificant. With no other choice, he could only endure.

As for any news regarding his younger brother and sister, there was absolutely none, which only made him train and study even more fervently.

On the other side, after fifteen days of cultivation, Jin Guang's soul power had reached level 10. Even more miraculously, the bandages on his body had long since vanished without a trace, which served as a testament to the power of Jin Guang's Golden Crocodile King martial soul.

Qian Daoliu summoned Qian Yu, Qian Renxue, and Jin Guang to prepare to help them obtain their first soul rings.

Golden Crocodile Douluo had originally intended to lead the team, but was politely declined by Qian Daoliu.

Inside the Star Dou Great Forest.

Qian Daoliu led Qian Yu, Qian Renxue, and the others into the Star Dou Great Forest.

They entered the outer perimeter of the forest.

Qian Daoliu intended to test the three of them.

He asked the trio, "Xiao Yu, Xiao Xue, Jin Guang, do you know what the maximum limit for a soul master's first soul ring is?"

"I know this one!" Jin Guang raised his hand, eager to answer first.

Beside him, Qian Renxue looked at the competitive Jin Guang with a look of disdain on her face.

Qian Yu, however, remained calm, quietly waiting for Jin Guang's answer.

Qian Daoliu took in everyone's reactions.

Jin Guang had idolized Qian Daoliu since he was a child and had long wanted to show off. Seeing his idol pose a question, he immediately raised his hand.

I remember Grandpa talking about this, Jin Guang thought with a silly grin.

"Hmm?" Qian Daoliu was quite surprised by Jin Guang's eagerness. In his impression, this child had been lazy and idle since he was young, a typical third-generation soul master.

He found it hard to believe that Jin Guang could answer such a theoretical question about soul masters.

"It's four hundred... four hundred and what was it again?" Perhaps due to nervousness, the answer on the tip of Jin Guang's tongue didn't fully come out.

"As expected," Qian Daoliu sighed silently to himself.

The child is clever enough, but he just refuses to be down-to-earth and work hard. I'll have to have the Second Elder properly train this brat of his later.

Qian Daoliu turned to look at Qian Renxue: "Xiao Xue, you tell us." Qian Daoliu tossed the question to her.

Qian Renxue spoke unhurriedly: "According to the records of the Worship Hall, the current highest limit for a soul master's first soul ring is 423 years, and the highest limit for a second soul ring is 764 years."

Hearing Qian Renxue's answer, Jin Guang nodded like a chicken pecking at rice: "Right, right, right. That's exactly what my grandfather said."

"Not bad." Hearing Qian Renxue's answer, Qian Daoliu stroked his beard, very satisfied.

"Xiao Yu, do you have anything to add?" Qian Daoliu continued, asking Qian Yu.

Hmm? The Worship Hall already had records of this. So that bastard Yu Xiaogang's Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls theory really is just plagiarized from the Martial Soul Hall's library? At the very least, this maximum soul ring limit is knowledge the Martial Soul Hall already possessed. Qian Yu made a mental note, his existing contempt for Yu Xiaogang deepening even further.

Qian Yu pulled his thoughts back. Since this was the first time Qian Daoliu had formally asked him a question, Qian Yu answered very seriously: "Grandfather, I believe that the maximum limit for a soul master is not set in stone. With the evolution of a soul master's martial soul generation after generation, coupled with factors like medicine and physical training, this maximum limit should only serve as a reference."

"You're talking nonsense." When he heard Qian Renxue's answer, Jin Guang had been fawningly in agreement, but now, faced with Qian Yu's answer, he began to nitpick.

"The lessons learned from the experience of our ancestors over so many years—how can a mere brat like you challenge them?" Jin Guang brought up the theories of the sages, wanting to suppress Qian Yu on this issue and win Qian Daoliu's favor.

To everyone's surprise, Qian Daoliu ignored him and instead looked at Qian Yu with great interest: "Xiao Yu, explain in detail." Qian Daoliu prompted him with a relaxed tone.

"I'll give an example. Xiao Xue's martial soul is the Six-Winged Angel, and her innate soul power is level 20. This means her physical constitution is already that of a level 20 Soul Grand Master. Theoretically, Xiao Xue's first soul ring could reach the limit of a second soul ring, which is 764 years." Facing Jin Guang's provocation, Qian Yu cited his reasoning unhurriedly. "Adding the physical reinforcement provided by the Six-Winged Angel martial soul, I believe Xiao Xue's first soul ring could exceed 764 years, and after the first soul ring strengthens her body, she could then obtain a thousand-year soul ring for her second."

"Wow, Brother Qian Yu, is what you said true?" Hearing that her second soul ring could reach a thousand years, Qian Renxue was overjoyed.

"Hmm, not bad. The example Xiao Yu gave is very appropriate," Qian Daoliu praised Qian Yu with great approval.

"Hmph. A waste who only knows theory," Jin Guang muttered, then stopped talking, though his chubby body kept trying to nudge up against Qian Renxue.

"Alright, theory is just a reference. My advice to you is: Jin Guang, Xiao Yu, your first soul rings should be between 300 and 400 years."

"As for Xiao Xue, you can choose a first soul ring between 600 and 700 years, and for your second, you can attempt one around 1,000 years." Qian Daoliu taught through his guidance.

Afterward, Qian Daoliu withdrew his Limit Douluo aura and gave the order.

"From here on, it's up to you to obtain your first soul rings. The geniuses of the Worship Hall cannot be flowers in a greenhouse." Qian Daoliu's voice was not loud, but his tone was full of majesty. With a flash, he vanished before their eyes.

The three of them were shaken to their cores.

Hearing that he could team up with Qian Renxue to hunt soul beasts, Jin Guang was so happy he could fly.

His Golden Crocodile King martial soul was raring to go.

"Get lost, you fat pig," Qian Renxue snapped in a sudden rage.

Unlike Jin Guang and Qian Renxue, Qian Yu understood the underlying meaning in Qian Daoliu's words.

He proposed to Qian Renxue and Jin Guang, "Xiaoxue, Jin Guang, century-level soul beasts are incredibly powerful. We need to form a team and coordinate with each other to have any chance of completing the mission."

"Hmm, not bad." Qian Daoliu could not help but nod secretly toward Qian Yu.

"Hmph." Jin Guang was no fool; upon hearing Qian Yu's suggestion, he knew it would be impossible to hunt a century-level soul beast on his own, so he had no choice but to begrudgingly agree.

"Sure, I propose that Brother Qian Yu be the team leader." Qian Renxue was bright and quick-witted, understanding the situation immediately, and naturally stood on Qian Yu's side.

"On what grounds?" Jin Guang protested, unconvinced.

"On the grounds that both of our Innate Soul Power levels are higher than yours." Qian Renxue stuck her tongue out at Jin Guang.

"Hmph." Jin Guang was stung by Qian Renxue hitting his sore spot.

After all, he was the one whose Innate Soul Power was half a level lower than theirs.

"Alright, since no one has any objections, as teammates, let's exchange information about our martial soul characteristics." Seeing that the timing was right, Qian Yu immediately proposed.

"Brother Qian Yu, I'll go first. My martial soul is the Six-Winged Angel, specializing in melee combat and flight. My Soul Power Level is at the Soul Grand Master rank." Qian Renxue was the first to introduce herself.

"Hmm, my martial soul is the Desert Eagle, a power-attack system tool martial soul, specializing in mid-to-long-range combat." Seeing Qian Renxue being so cooperative, Qian Yu immediately introduced his own martial soul's characteristics. Fearing they might not understand, he added, "You can think of my martial soul as a type of hidden weapon."

"Hmph, just because you say it's for mid-to-long-range combat doesn't make it so. To me, that thing looks like a fire poker." Jin Guang clamored defiantly.

"Bang." Without explaining, Qian Yu summoned his martial soul into his hand and fired a shot, the bullet grazing Jin Guang's ear before flying straight into a large tree in the distance.

The bullet pierced through a dozen trees in succession before finally coming to a stop inside a tree a hundred meters away.

Jin Guang, as if startled out of his wits, covered his ears and let out a loud "Ah!"

"You, you..." Jin Guang stammered, retreating in fear while still clutching his ears.

"What a powerful martial soul." As a 99th-rank Limit Douluo, Qian Daoliu felt the immense power of Qian Yu's martial soul and could not help but marvel.

"Wow, Brother Qian Yu, your martial soul is amazing! The speed is just too fast." Qian Renxue was happy for Qian Yu and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"I am Jin Guang. My martial soul is the Golden Crocodile King, a beast martial soul of the power-attack system with dual earth and metal attributes. My physical body is formidable, and I specialize in strength and defense." Having felt the ferocity of Qian Yu's martial soul, Jin Guang regained his composure and introduced himself with a livid expression.

Just as Jin Guang tried to move closer to Qian Renxue, a terrifying roar erupted: "Awoo!"

"Not good, something is happening." Qian Yu didn't have time to let everyone get accustomed to each other. As the elite younger generation of the Worship Hall, all three immediately shifted into a combat formation.