Second Soul Ring

Seeing that the Soul Fighting match had ended, Qian Renxue hurried over to the two of them.

Before he could even greet Little Angel, he felt a hard kick to his knee. Fortunately, his Sacred Cloth protected him, and Lin Beiya felt no pain.

But the confusion in his heart wouldn't go away. He could only stare blankly at the furious Little Angel before him.

"Hmph, so you've been going easy on me when we Soul Fight, haven't you? Do you look down on me?"

"Huh?"

He cursed her for being unreasonable in his heart, but he understood why Little Angel was angry. His mind raced, and he quickly came up with an excuse.

"Xiao Xue, I wasn't going easy on you. I only recently figured out how to get into this state. I couldn't do it before."

"Really?"

Qian Renxue eyed Lin Beiya's smiling face with some suspicion for a moment. Still, whatever the case, his explanation had noticeably improved her mood.

Watching her best friend get so thoroughly bamboozled in just a few sentences, Lei Ying covered her forehead in helpless exasperation.

But she didn't expose Lin Beiya. She only shot the guy a fierce glare.

Feeling guilty, Lin Beiya could only scratch his head with an awkward grin and give Lei Ying a grateful look.

The two had become friends through fighting. Over the next six months, Lin Beiya often Soul Fought with Lei Ying, and both of their combat abilities improved significantly.

They hadn't neglected training their vision, either. Both their Soul Power and Five Senses had steadily improved.

That night, Lin Beiya sat cross-legged in his Sacred Cloth as usual, cultivating. The bottleneck at level 19 quietly shattered, and he smoothly advanced to the level of a quasi-Soul Grandmaster.

"I can get my Second Soul Ring now. This is exciting!"

Over the past year and a half, Lin Beiya had used up the entire piece of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue to help temper his body. He could feel that his physique was far stronger than those of his peers, even surpassing Soul Masters of the same rank by several levels. This time, he was aiming for a Thousand-Year Soul Ring.

Once he'd absorbed the Thousand-Year Soul Ring, he would tell Qian Daoliu about the effects of Whale Glue.

He was sure the old man would have his granddaughter take it too once he learned of its wonders. Then Lin Beiya would get to benefit from it as well.

Full of anticipation, Lin Beiya drifted off and slept soundly until morning.

After breakfast, he met up with Qian Renxue and Lei Ying in the pavilion.

"What? You've already reached level 20? That's way too fast!"

They were both nearly eight years old. Thanks to her talent, Qian Renxue had reached level 28, but there was no denying that the gap between her and Lin Beiya was shrinking.

Lei Ying looked even more shocked than Qian Renxue. With innate Soul Power at level nine, she could already be called a genius. But compared with the two in front of her, she felt her confidence being mercilessly battered.

"What a monster."

"Exactly, exactly. Reaching level 20 so quickly—what a monster!"

Qian Renxue wholeheartedly agreed with her friend and nodded eagerly, only to be rewarded with a withering glare from Lei Ying.

"I meant both of you, not just him!"

"Huh? I... well..."

Little Angel was at a loss for words. She wanted to argue, but then remembered that her Soul Power was even higher than Lin Beiya's. Her little face flushed red.

Her adorable expression made Lin Beiya and Lei Ying chuckle.

"Bei Ya, are you planning to go get a Soul Ring? There's a huge gap between a Thousand-Year Soul Ring and a Hundred-Year Soul Ring. As your big sister, I'd advise you not to try it lightly."

"I know, Sister Yingying, but I still want to give it a try. The Sacred Cloth boosts my physical strength by ten percent."

"Ah, then I wish you luck."

Knowing she couldn't talk Lin Beiya out of it, Lei Ying didn't press the matter. Yet the worry in their eyes wouldn't go away.

It warmed Lin Beiya's heart. He had been an orphan in both his lives, and he wanted to secure a brighter future for them, too. If he wanted Qian Daoliu to believe in the effects of Whale Glue, a Thousand-Year Soul Ring was essential.

"I'm going to see the old man and find out when he'll arrange for me to go Soul Hunting."

"All right. I'll send someone to the academy to request your leave."

"Mm, thanks."

With excitement stirring in his heart, Lin Beiya made his way toward the Angel Temple.

Several months ago, he had already chosen his target for Soul Hunting. A bovine Soul Beast would be the best choice for his Second Soul Ring, and as it happened, he had found a particularly suitable one in the illustrated guide.

The Golden Armored Rock Ox—a bovine Soul Beast with golden skin all over, as if clad in armor. Who else would he pick if not you?

When he arrived before the Divine Statue, Qian Daoliu, the devout Angel believer, was still kneeling in prayer.

Sensing Lin Beiya's arrival, the old man slowly opened his eyes. He felt the fluctuations of Soul Power in the boy's body, then smiled with satisfaction.

"Oh? You've reached level 20 and need to go Soul Hunting?"

"Yes, Grand Pontiff. I just broke through last night."

Qian Daoliu nodded, then slowly let his smile fade and grew serious.

"Bei Ya, I know your physique is far stronger than that of Soul Masters at your level, but a Thousand-Year Soul Ring is still too risky. Think it through."

"I've made up my mind, Grand Pontiff. The limit of 764 years was established through generations of painstaking experimentation. So why can't I redefine that limit?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Lin Beiya stated what he truly thought. Qian Daoliu was impressed by him once again, and chose not to dissuade him further.

"Fine. I'll have someone take you Soul Hunting tomorrow. Go prepare."

"Thank you, Grand Pontiff."

Watching Lin Beiya leave, Qian Daoliu's eyes held both approval and concern. The boy had become an important person to his granddaughter, and if anything happened to him, there was no telling how heartbroken she'd be.

After thinking it over, he decided not to send just anyone to take Lin Beiya Soul Hunting this time. Instead, he summoned Falling Devil Douluo, the Seventh Elder.

"Big Brother, what is it?"

"That boy Bei Ya is going to hunt for his Second Soul Ring. You'll take him yourself this time."

"It's only a Second Soul Ring. Is that really necessary?"

Douluo Hall was full of powerful fighters. Sending a Soul Saint to accompany someone getting a Second Soul Ring would be more than enough. Falling Devil Douluo thought Qian Daoliu was using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

Understanding what Falling Devil Douluo meant, Qian Daoliu slowly shook his head.

"Seventh, you don't understand. That boy wants to attach a Thousand-Year Soul Ring as his Second Soul Ring."

"What? Is that boy trying to get himself killed?"

"No. In terms of physique alone, he really is already comparable to a Soul Elder. I'm only sending you as a precaution."

"This..."

He didn't see Lin Beiya often, only catching glimpses of him while secretly protecting Qian Renxue. Now that he'd heard the boy had the physique of a Soul Elder despite being a quasi-Soul Grandmaster, how could he not be astonished?

After a while, Falling Devil Douluo calmed himself and nodded solemnly at Qian Daoliu.

"I understand, Big Brother. Leave it to me. I won't let anything happen to the boy."

Now he understood just how terrifying the boy's talent was. Given time, he would undoubtedly become one of Qian Renxue's strongest allies. For that, Falling Devil Douluo didn't mind spending some effort to pave the way for him.

"Mm, that puts my mind at ease. And about the Soul Ring—listen to the boy's advice. His Martial Soul is special, so you can't judge it by ordinary standards."

"Understood."