In the blink of an eye, two days had passed.
Outside Shrek City.
An unremarkable carriage traveled along the main road. Its body was plain, with no unnecessary decorations, and the two horses pulling it were ordinary breeds. It looked no different from the usual carriages used by people in the city.
Jiang Ci'an sat inside the carriage and reached up to lift the curtain, glancing outside.
Three figures followed the carriage. At their head was naturally Elder Xiao.
He had changed into a neat, dark outfit today. His graying hair was tied behind his head, and he held his back ramrod straight. He looked much more alert than usual.
Most of his kindly old-man demeanor had faded, replaced by the composure of a high-ranking Soul Master.
The other two were trusted retainers he had brought from the Xiao Clan, a man and a woman around forty years old. Both were Soul Kings, and they had served by Xiao Shan's side for over twenty years, remaining utterly loyal.
Their destination was the Star Dou Great Forest.
More precisely, its outer reaches.
After all, they were only hunting First Soul Rings for him and Xiao Xiao, and the rings would be no more than five hundred years old. There was no need to venture too deep; the outer reaches would be more than enough.
Even so, Elder Xiao remained cautious for the sake of these two talented juniors.
Elder Xiao, a Soul Douluo, was personally leading the way and would stay by their side to protect them. The two Soul Kings would search for Soul Beasts, clear the way, and guard their rear.
In the outer reaches, such an arrangement might not guarantee absolute safety, but it was certainly as prudent as could be.
Jiang Ci'an drew back from the window and lowered the curtain.
The light inside the carriage softened a little.
Xiao Xiao sat beside him, wearing a pale blue-green short jacket and dark trousers, with a pair of little leather boots on her feet. Her long, dark green hair was tied in a ponytail, lending her a bit more of a valiant air than usual.
When Jiang Ci'an lowered the curtain, Xiao Xiao tilted her head slightly. Her eyes flickered, then she asked softly,
"Ci'an, how do you think I should choose my First Soul Ring?"
Jiang Ci'an paused at that, then asked in return, "Didn't Grandpa Xiao give you plenty of options?"
Xiao Xiao nodded obediently. Without making a show of it, she shifted closer, snuggling softly against Jiang Ci'an's side before speaking in a low voice:
"Grandpa suggested I cultivate the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron first. The Soul-Suppressing Cauldron is the Xiao Clan's ancestral Martial Soul, after all, and its Soul Ring Configuration has a clear path. Even though my Martial Soul has mutated, I can still use it as a reference.
"But as for the specific effects of my Soul Skills, I still have to decide for myself."
Jiang Ci'an understood.
The Xiao Clan's ancestral Martial Soul, the Soul-Suppressing Cauldron, had originally followed a support-oriented path. Suppression, sealing, and control were all powerful support abilities.
But then a genius had appeared among the Xiao Clan's ancestors. On a sudden whim, he had added weight to the Soul-Suppressing Cauldron and started smashing people with it...
And after that, there was no turning back.
From then on, the Xiao Clan's cultivation of the Soul-Suppressing Cauldron had branched out from its purely support-oriented path.
Xiao Xiao's Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron was a mutated version of the Soul-Suppressing Cauldron. It split into three cauldrons, each linked to the others. Whether she chose an offensive or support-oriented path, the results would only be better.
The reason Jiang Ci'an said the effects of her Soul Skills were up to Xiao Xiao was that the Soul Skills Soul Masters gained from Soul Rings weren't completely random.
This wasn't common knowledge throughout the Soul Master World, but any family or sect with a little history knew about it.
Jiang Ci'an called it "the selective expression of Soul Rings."
Put simply, the specific effects of the Soul Skills a Soul Master gained by absorbing a Soul Ring depended on three factors.
First, the Soul Beast's own skill set.
Second, the Soul Master's Martial Soul.
Third, the Soul Master's personal wishes and ideas regarding the Soul Skill.
First of all, when absorbing a Soul Ring, the Soul Master's own wishes exerted the first influence.
In other words, from among the many Soul Beast skills contained in the Soul Ring, they selected a general direction that suited their needs.
For example, if a Soul Master wanted a defensive Soul Skill, this first influence would select defensive skills from the Soul Ring's repertoire as candidates.
Then, the Soul Master's Martial Soul exerted the second influence.
The Martial Soul modified and reshaped the selected Soul Skill, preserving its general effect while making it better suit the Martial Soul's characteristics and style.
Together, these two factors determined the Soul Skill the Soul Master ultimately obtained.
For example, there were some of that Grandmaster's rather indescribable, strange Soul Skills from ten thousand years ago, and the Star Luo Dai Family's unchanged first three Soul Ring configurations.
These were among the most classic examples of "the selective expression of Soul Rings."
If Xiao Xiao's Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron followed its established path, it would lean toward offense and defense.
By the Xiao Clan's traditions, her first three Soul Rings would most likely focus on increasing the cauldrons' suppressive or shockwave power.
It wasn't a bad path, nor was it especially outstanding, but it was clear. If she continued along it step by step, there shouldn't be any problems.
However...
Jiang Ci'an thought it over. He did have one idea that might work.
"Maybe you could try adding weight?"
Xiao Xiao blinked, puzzled. "Add... weight?"
"That's right. Add weight."
Jiang Ci'an nodded and looked at Xiao Xiao seriously. "It'll make it easier to strengthen your physique."
He wasn't just saying this at random.
With Twin Martial Souls, the conflict between the two Martial Souls would inevitably become a problem later on.
The powers of the two Martial Souls would clash inside the body. At best, Soul Power would run amok; at worst, the body would explode. This was a hurdle no Twin Martial Soul Master could avoid.
Of all the known ways to solve this problem, the most direct—and the easiest to start laying the groundwork for right now—was to strengthen one's physique.
With a strong enough physique, one could suppress the conflict between the Martial Souls and avoid having one's meridians torn apart by the clash of two internal forces someday.
And as long as one's physique was strong enough, one could also gradually try to balance the two Martial Souls and solve the problem of Twin Martial Souls once and for all.
But a strong physique couldn't be built in a day.
The earlier one started laying the foundation, the better the results.
According to the records, that genius ancestor of the Xiao Clan had done just that. He trained every day with the cauldron on his shoulders, building an exceptionally strong physique. He could even absorb Soul Rings beyond the usual limit to a certain degree, and his strength was formidable among his peers.
That proved this path had real promise.
Xiao Xiao listened, but didn't ask any more questions.
They had known each other since childhood, and had lived together from the age of two until now. The trust between them was firmer than anything else.
She believed Jiang Ci'an had her best interests at heart. There was no need to question him.
She nodded naturally, committing the idea to memory.
After a pause, Xiao Xiao asked again, "Then... Ci'an, how are you planning to choose your First Soul Ring?"
Jiang Ci'an paused. His gaze dipped slightly, as if he were seriously considering the question.
"That..." he murmured. "I haven't quite figured it out yet."
After all, his Martial Soul was hard to make sense of.
Based on "the selective expression of Soul Rings," who knew what his Martial Soul would turn the Soul Skill into...
He already had Perspective. How far off could the other strange abilities be?
Before you continue