Master of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches

"Young Master, although this soul beast is indeed rare, it completely contradicts the arrangements made by the Qilin Clan."

Old Wu hesitated.

After all, the Young Master was the only hope for the entire Qilin Clan to make a comeback.

Every one of his soul rings had been discussed countless times by the clan to ensure he could obtain the most suitable one.

Before setting out this time, the Clan Head had given repeated instructions that his first soul ring must be a bear-type soul beast with a powerful bloodline.

This was to ensure that the Young Master's first soul skill would definitely be one that enhanced physical strength.

The fire dragon before them clearly did not meet the clan's requirements.

"Old Wu, I have my own plans."

Ye Ruilin did not offer much explanation.

The two quickly found a suitable place to absorb the soul ring.

"Young Master..."

Old Wu wanted to persuade him again, but was immediately interrupted by Ye Ruilin.

"Old Wu, trust me."

With just that simple sentence, Old Wu silently shut his mouth.

Delivering the final blow, Ye Ruilin sat cross-legged and began to absorb the power of the soul ring.

They were on the outskirts of the forest, where there were no powerful soul beasts.

Besides, with Old Wu guarding him, he felt very secure.

Ye Ruilin focused his entire being on resisting the surging waves of scalding energy.

These energies seemed intent on burning him to ashes.

The Primordial Art within his body seemed to sense the powerful fire-attribute energy and immediately guided this violent force to circulate throughout his body, finally converging at his heart.

After several failures, he finally managed to force this scorching, violent energy to coalesce.

The intense heat radiating from his heart swept through his entire body, as if he were submerged in magma; the burning sensation of the flames was vivid and profound.

Just as he had expected, the moment the first soul ring was obtained, the Primordial Art, which had been stagnant for years, had actually broken through!

A powerful fire-attribute energy took root directly in his heart, causing the five-element balance within his body to shift.

A few days later, at the Kirin Ye Clan.

A roar erupted from Ye Ruilin's home!

"Ye Ruilin, have you lost your mind!"

"Do you know what you have done?"

"The path of advancement that the clan elders spent days planning for you, you just..."

Ye Zhentian's face was livid, and he glared at the youth in the center of the room through gritted teeth.

The heavy bluestone tables and chairs were cracked with countless fissures from the sheer force of his outburst.

Ye Ruilin gave a bitter smile.

He had anticipated this scene before returning, knowing his own planned path diverged from the clan's.

"Father, this was an extremely rare dragon-type soul beast."

Ye Ruilin tried to use the rarity of the soul beast to dampen his father's anger.

"Dragon-type soul beasts are indeed rare."

"But it is a fire dragon that controls elemental power; while its physical strength is decent, it cannot be compared to some of the powerful bear-type soul beasts."

"If you cannot possess overwhelming physical strength at the first stage, how will you compensate for your early-stage shortcomings!"

"This path is the optimal route of advancement tested by countless ancestors of our Ye Clan."

Ye Zhentian looked at his wayward son with an expression of fury and disappointment.

"I usually turn a blind eye when you mess around."

"But this is a matter of the utmost importance that concerns your entire life, and you are actually this careless!"

Ye Zhentian was so angry that his breathing became heavy.

"It's not like I couldn't find a suitable soul beast..."

Ye Ruilin still wanted to brush it off with a joke.

"Silence."

"Before you set out, all the bear-type soul beasts suitable for you were already marked."

"How could you not find one!"

"Do you even understand the heavy responsibility you carry on your shoulders?"

"Whether the Ye Family can return to the Douluo Continent rests entirely on your shoulders."

"Now, promise me that you will stop acting recklessly and honestly follow the family's arrangements to absorb your future spirit rings."

Ye Zhentian rubbed his temples, pondering how to rectify the misstep his son had taken.

"Father, as a divine beast, the Qilin is not best utilized by merely enhancing physical strength!"

Ye Ruilin could not help but speak up.

He wanted to voice his own plans.

"Shut up! This path has been tested by countless predecessors. Are you trying to say you have more foresight than those ancestors?"

Ye Zhentian's tone turned icy.

His father's stubbornness made Ye Ruilin heave a deep sigh.

It was not that the path tested by his ancestors was wrong.

But they ultimately did not understand the true uniqueness of the Qilin martial spirit.

If he followed the ancestors' arrangements, he could indeed smoothly become a peerless Titled Douluo.

If he had the right opportunity, he might even become a second-tier god.

But merely becoming a second-tier god was not what he wanted.

As a transmigrator, he clearly understood the power of the divine beast Qilin!

There are many classifications of Qilin, each corresponding to a type of Five Elements power.

Cultivating even a single type of Qilin would be far more powerful than the physical enhancement his ancestors had arranged.

Not to mention that Tang Yuge already possessed the Five Elements Qilin.

Gathering the power of the Five Elements into one body was a potential direction for his own martial spirit to evolve.

If he could perfectly master the power of the Five Elements through his first five spirit rings.

His Auspicious White Qilin would directly evolve into a Five Elements Qilin, imbued with the power of auspiciousness.

If he were to use this to differentiate the Yin and Yang of the Five Elements, he could draw out the power of the Ten Heavenly Stems, and subsequently control the power of the Twenty-Eight Mansions.

Ultimately, he could command the power of the Four Symbols!

The Four Symbols of Heaven—Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise—would lock the central palace, awakening the fifth holy beast residing in the center.

Its attribute is Earth!

The head of the Five Spirits!

The Yellow Dragon Qilin!

The Four Symbols stabilize the universe, while the Yellow Dragon governs the rise and fall of eras.

The Wuji Earth is not mere soil, but the primordial energy of space and time. By using the perfected Five Elements body of the Qilin as a vessel, one can trace the long river of the Ten Heavenly Stems and Twelve Earthly Branches, mastering the shifting of imperial power and the mandate of heaven!

The Qilin martial spirit would no longer be a divine beast martial spirit, but would become a holy beast martial spirit.

He would become the only person in the entire Douluo Continent to possess a holy beast martial spirit.

And it would be the Yellow Dragon Qilin, the head of the Five Spirits.

Yet, even this was not the end he desired.

During this process, if he were to exert a little control over the power of the Twelve Earthly Branches.

By then!

He would be the master of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, controlling every change in the world!

Taking a deep breath, he tried to persuade him once more.

"Father, listen to me..."

"The power of the Five Elements is far superior to the physical defense you speak of."

"The future of the divine beast Qilin should not be constrained to this!"

Ye Zhentian stood up instantly, staring coldly at Ye Ruilin.

"I see that I have been too indulgent with you."

"That is why you have become so lawless and disrespectful to the rules of our ancestors."

"I will ask you only this: are you willing to follow the family's arrangements and absorb the corresponding spirit rings from now on?"

After he finished speaking.

The entire room fell into silence.

Ye Ruilin's silence once again successfully infuriated Ye Zhentian.

"Fine, fine, fine!"

"Since you have such backbone."

"Then go and prove your path. From this day forward, you are no longer a member of the Ye Family."

"Everything belonging to the Ye Family has nothing to do with you."

"I would like to see how you intend to forge your own path without the support of the family."

Standing to the side, Madam Ye's face revealed a look of shock after hearing her husband's words.

She was just about to speak.

Ye Zhentian's icy gaze swept over her.

Knowing her husband all too well, Madam Ye immediately fell silent, looking at her son with a troubled expression.

Watching his furious father, Ye Ruilin stopped arguing.

Some things, in the end, are merely pale when described by words.

If he were to compromise now, he would remain unreconciled for the rest of his life!

Let time be the judge of whether he was right or wrong today.