Several days later, inside the Star Dou Great Forest
"Xiao Chen, what are your plans for the age of your first Soul Ring?"
As he led Yu Tianchen through the outer region of the Star Dou Great Forest, Yu Yuanzhen asked him.
"Of course, the higher the better, as long as it's within what my body can withstand."
"Grandpa, how many years do you think my physique can handle?"
Yu Tianchen didn't make a rash decision on his own. Instead, he asked Yu Yuanzhen in return.
By his own estimate, he'd spent years training, followed each workout with a medicinal bath, and had often taken small amounts of Whale Rubber over the past two years to strengthen his physique.
On the way here, he'd also managed to open the second and third meridians of his Great Sun Thunder Body, further improving his physical constitution.
With all those buffs stacked together,
absorbing a Soul Ring a little over a thousand years old shouldn't be much of a problem.
Of course, that was only Yu Tianchen's own estimate, and it wasn't especially accurate.
Yu Yuanzhen should have a far better idea of exactly how old a Soul Ring he could absorb.
After all, a Titled Douluo could assess a person's constitution.
"You little sly fox."
As soon as Yu Yuanzhen heard Yu Tianchen's question, he understood what the boy was up to.
He smiled and lightly tapped Yu Tianchen on the head before saying,
"Try making your own estimate first. Grandpa can help you once or twice, but I can't help you every single time, can I?"
"With your talent, Xiao Chen, you're destined to make your mark on the mainland one day."
"So you should have a clear understanding of yourself and avoid blind arrogance."
"Go on, be bold. Grandpa wants to see how you judge your current physique."
Those words made it clear that Yu Yuanzhen intended to test him.
Yu Tianchen thought for a moment, then explained his assessment of his own physique to Yu Yuanzhen.
After listening to Yu Tianchen's explanation, Yu Yuanzhen nodded in satisfaction.
"Good. With your current physical constitution, the maximum age of the Soul Ring you can withstand is just over a thousand years."
"So any Soul Beast over 950 years old would be suitable as your Soul Ring."
"There's no need to overburden yourself with your first Soul Ring. Your body is still developing. If you injure yourself in the process, you'll have gained nothing and lost everything."
Before they had even entered the Star Dou Great Forest, Yu Yuanzhen had already assessed what kind of Soul Ring Yu Tianchen's current physique could absorb.
To be honest, when he confirmed Yu Tianchen's constitution, even Yu Yuanzhen was startled.
Normally, the usual upper limit for a Soul Master's first Soul Ring was around four hundred years.
Of course, that estimate didn't come from Yu Xiaogang's plagiarized Ten Core Theories of Martial Souls.
In general, every sect had records of the average number of years' worth of Soul Rings Soul Masters at each level could withstand.
Four hundred years for a first ring was the average, not the limit. Absorbing a first Soul Ring still depended on an individual's physique and willpower.
Besides, some types of Soul Rings were easier to absorb than others.
Yu Yuanzhen knew that Yu Tianchen trained regularly and had strengthened his physique with Whale Rubber. His first Soul Ring's age limit was sure to be far beyond that of an ordinary Soul Master.
But he'd never imagined that Yu Tianchen could withstand a first Soul Ring a thousand years old!
A thousand-year first ring!
What did that mean?
In the history of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and even in the history of the entire mainland,
it would be in a league of its own!
If he could, Yu Yuanzhen naturally hoped Yu Tianchen would make history.
But absorbing a hundred-year Soul Ring and a thousand-year Soul Ring were ultimately two very different things.
Yu Yuanzhen was still a little worried that a thousand-year ring might be too much for Yu Tianchen.
So he'd settled on a compromise and named an age of 950 years.
Unless they encountered a Soul Beast that was just over a thousand years old but no more than 1,050 years old,
Yu Yuanzhen didn't plan to let Yu Tianchen risk trying for a thousand-year first ring.
"Got it, Grandpa."
Hearing Yu Yuanzhen's plans for his first Soul Ring, Yu Tianchen nodded.
The grandfather and grandson made their way through the Star Dou Great Forest at a fairly slow pace.
Yu Yuanzhen meant to teach him along the way. Whenever they encountered a different type of Soul Beast, he would stop and carefully explain it to Yu Tianchen.
For example, he taught him the strengths and weaknesses of different Soul Beasts, as well as how to determine their ages.
And so, after stopping and starting along the way,
the two arrived at their destination.
Thunder Pattern Cliff, a special area near the outer edge of the Mixed Zone in the Star Dou Great Forest.
Thunder often struck here. After years of being struck, the cliff face had been carved by natural lightning into countless strange patterns wreathed in lightning.
That was how Thunder Pattern Cliff got its name.
Because Azure Thunder Purple-Patterned Lions loved to feed on lightning, this was one of the places they frequented.
In other words, it could well be considered their territory.
As soon as they got close, Yu Tianchen spotted several dark-blue lions with a purple stripe etched across each of their bodies wandering not far away.
"Grandpa, those should be Azure Thunder Purple-Patterned Lions, right?"
Yu Tianchen pointed at the lions and asked Yu Yuanzhen.
"That's right."
Yu Yuanzhen nodded.
"Xiao Chen, can you tell how old they are?"
"They're all over a hundred years old, but no more than a hundred and fifty."
Yu Tianchen watched them for a moment before answering Yu Yuanzhen.
An Azure Thunder Purple-Patterned Lion's age could be judged by the purple markings on its body.
For every fifty years of age, half a lightning stripe appeared on an Azure Thunder Purple-Patterned Lion. It wasn't complete until the lion reached one hundred years old.
The Azure Thunder Purple-Patterned Lions in front of them had only one complete hundred-year stripe, with no half-stripe marking an additional fifty years.
So they had to be between 100 and 149 years old.
"That's right."
Yu Yuanzhen nodded.
"Groups of Soul Beasts generally have strict boundaries between their territories, usually determined by the Soul Beasts' ages."
"Most of the Azure Thunder Purple-Patterned Lions that roam around the edge of Thunder Pattern Cliff are under five hundred years old. Those over five hundred rarely come here."
"Come on. Since you can already judge the age of an Azure Thunder Purple-Patterned Lion so well, we can move faster from here."
With that, Yu Yuanzhen scooped Yu Tianchen up with one arm, circulated the Soul Power in his body, and took to the air, flying toward the depths of Thunder Pattern Cliff.
From the air, Yu Tianchen could easily make out a cliff in the distance, hazy in the mist and glowing with a faint purple light, its surface etched with fine patterns.
They had been flying only a short while when Yu Yuanzhen returned to the ground.
"Roar!"
The instant Yu Yuanzhen landed,
the Azure Thunder Purple-Patterned Lions roaming nearby spotted the two uninvited guests who had suddenly entered their territory and let out a series of roars.
"Hmph!"
Yu Yuanzhen gave a cold snort. Nine Soul Rings appeared one after another—two yellow, two purple, and five black. The Soul Power pressure of a Super Douluo instantly pinned every nearby Soul Beast to the ground, leaving them unable to move as they whimpered continuously.
"All right, Xiao Chen."
Yu Yuanzhen set Yu Tianchen down and smiled at him.
"Go see whether any of these Azure Thunder Purple-Patterned Lions would be suitable for your Soul Ring."
Before you continue