Titan Giant Ape's face showed a hint of suspicion. With its hundred-thousand-year lifespan, it had recognized the value of Lovesick Heartbreak Red at a glance. Yet the deal Su Yuntao had proposed required only two Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts to fill his fourth and fifth Soul Rings.
Titan Giant Ape, feeling like it had struck a bargain, didn't believe him at all.
"Human, what trick are you playing?" Titan Giant Ape asked.
Su Yuntao said coolly, "Titan Giant Ape, I've already told you. I only need you to help me hunt two Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts to fill my fourth and fifth Soul Rings."
"That's all you need?"
Su Yuntao nodded. "That's right. I know Lovesick Heartbreak Red is worth as much as a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, but even after your big brother strengthened me, my physical constitution is still nowhere near strong enough to absorb a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring."
"So all you need to do is find two Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts best suited to me."
At this, Titan Giant Ape grabbed Su Yuntao in its huge hand and once again carried him deeper into the Star Dou Great Forest.
After settling Xiao Wu in, Titan Giant Ape didn't immediately go looking for Soul Beasts. Instead, it ran a series of tests on Su Yuntao's body.
"Human, your innate foundation is too weak. Hurry and merge with my big brother's Soul Bone. Once you do, your physical constitution will improve further, and you'll be able to absorb better Soul Rings."
Su Yuntao nodded gravely. Although Sky Azure Bull Python had sacrificed itself for him, his foundation was too weak, so the strengthening of his body from a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring and Soul Bone was bound to fall short of its full potential.
He still had a long way to go before he could fully draw out the power of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring and Soul Bone.
The attribute boosts provided by a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring and Soul Bone surpassed those from all nine Soul Rings and every Soul Bone combined for most Titled Douluo alive today.
Like Soul Bones, Soul Rings subtly improved a Soul Master's physical constitution after being absorbed.
Physical constitution could be divided into two kinds. The first was external, such as strength, defense, and speed. The second was internal: the body's ability to withstand strain. The two had to complement each other. Otherwise, the consequences would be dire.
For example, if your defense was strong but your internal organs were weak, you might take a hit and appear completely unharmed, while in truth you were already on the brink of death.
After Su Yuntao absorbed the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring, Sky Azure Bull Python's Soul Ring first strengthened his internal organs to the utmost through its sacrifice, allowing him to withstand enormous external attribute boosts. Even so, he couldn't handle a complete increase in Sky Azure Bull Python's overbearing attributes. But because of the sacrifice, the attribute boosts provided by the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring were automatically weakened, bringing Su Yuntao's body into a healthy balance.
If he continued to cultivate and strengthen his foundation, the full potential of the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring would be unleashed.
Without a sacrifice, the Soul Ring's absorption process would first provide attribute boosts. If the Soul Master could withstand them, the absorption would succeed. Afterward, the Soul Ring would subtly improve the body's internal constitution.
If the Soul Master couldn't withstand them, the absorption would fail, and the body would collapse under the excessive strain. At best, the Soul Master would cough up blood and suffer severe injuries; at worst, their life would be extinguished.
When a two-ring Soul Master absorbed a Thousand-Year Soul Ring, their body's capacity was pushed to its limit. Although their strength, defense, and speed seemed to have increased greatly, their body's internal balance was also at its limit.
But as time passed and the Soul Ring was gradually digested, it slowly strengthened the Soul Master's internal constitution. Combined with the Soul Master's own training, by the time they reached level forty, they would have fully digested their Thousand-Year Soul Ring, and their Soul Power and body would have grown stronger still. That was why their fourth Soul Ring could come from a Soul Beast nearly five thousand years old.
If a Soul Master's previous Soul Ring was of poor quality, it naturally wouldn't do much to strengthen their internal constitution. As a result, the next Soul Ring they could withstand would have a lower age limit. That was why one misstep in cultivation led to another, each worse than the last.
If the first Soul Ring was white and the second was yellow but not very old, then the third Soul Ring couldn't be a Thousand-Year Soul Ring. If the third Soul Ring couldn't be a purple Thousand-Year Soul Ring, then the fourth couldn't reach five thousand years. If the fourth couldn't reach five thousand years, then absorbing a black Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring as the fifth would naturally fail too.
Take a Six-Ring Soul Emperor, for example: one white, two yellow, two purple, and one black, versus two yellow, two purple, and two black. At first glance, the second arrangement had only one extra Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring, but in reality, the attribute boosts it gave the Soul Master were several times greater than those of the first. In other words, a Soul Emperor with the second arrangement could completely crush one with the first, thanks to their overwhelming advantage in every attribute!
Su Yuntao took out the Sky Azure Bull Python Left Arm Bone. It seemed as if something were calling to it. The bone burst into dazzling blue light, then flew into Su Yuntao's left arm on its own.
As the Hundred-Thousand-Year Sky Azure Bull Python Left Arm Bone merged with him, Su Yuntao felt an extraordinary comfort throughout his body. He was filled with strength, especially in his left arm.
Su Yuntao walked up to a boulder, clenched his left fist, and struck with all his might. In an instant, the boulder shattered.
Sky Azure Bull Python's sacrifice had not only improved Su Yuntao's physical constitution, but also granted him four immensely powerful Hundred Thousand Year Soul Skills.
The two Soul Skills from the Soul Ring were Thunder Possession and Nirvana Thunder.
Once Thunder Possession was activated, Su Yuntao's body would be covered in domineering lightning. In battle, this power would produce unparalleled effects.
Nirvana Thunder was an immensely powerful area-of-effect attack Soul Skill. Once the thunder roared, not a blade of grass would remain within a hundred meters. As Su Yuntao's Soul Power increased, Nirvana Thunder's power would continue to grow.
The two Soul Skills from the Soul Bone were Thunder Strike and Body Transformation into Thunder.
Thunder Strike united body and spirit to focus an attack on a single point, making it an incredibly fearsome single-target attack Soul Skill. Body Transformation into Thunder, as the name suggested, would briefly turn Su Yuntao into thunder, leaving him temporarily Invincible.
Four Hundred Thousand Year Soul Skills that could attack or defend, strike one target or many, and unleash explosive force or sustain it. They were simply perfect!
"Human, even after merging with my big brother's Soul Bone, your body can only withstand a Soul Ring of around thirty thousand years. You have to keep training if you want my big brother's Soul Ring and Soul Bone to display their full power!"
"Titan Giant Ape, I think my attributes are already at their limit, and the strain on my body has reached its maximum balance. Won't adding another Soul Ring cause problems?"
Titan Giant Ape sneered. "Human, so you're not confident after all."
Su Yuntao smiled. "I'm confident. But when it comes to this sort of thing, you've lived through endless ages and have a hundred thousand years of cultivation. Your opinion carries more weight."
"Human, life is the greatest miracle in the world. When my big brother sacrificed himself for you, his Soul Ring and Soul Bone not only did everything they could to strengthen your physical constitution, but also automatically adjusted their attribute boosts to suit your body."
"Just add the Soul Ring. Don't worry about the attributes being too strong and your body collapsing!"