Just then, Sword Douluo Chen Xin stepped forward, too excited to contain himself, his voice booming like a bell:
"Good! Excellent! Twin Martial Souls and Innate Full Soul Power! Xiaochun, your talent is beyond anything I've ever seen! There's no time to lose. Grandpa will take you to the Star Dou Forest right now to hunt down the most suitable Soul Beast and get you your First Soul Ring! With me there, I'll find you a top-grade Soul Ring!"
His words brimmed with confidence and left no room for argument.
Before he had even finished speaking, Ning Xiaochun shook his head like a rattle drum, his little face filled with fear and resistance.
"No, no, no! Absolutely not!" Ning Xiaochun said it three times, his voice rising an octave.
"Grandpa Sword, the Star Dou Forest is too dangerous! Soul Beasts are everywhere. A ten- or hundred-year one might be fine, but what if we accidentally wander into the depths and run into a thousand- or ten-thousand-year one? Or even a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast?
"Even with you there, what if the Soul Beasts go on a rampage? What if a stronger one ambushes us? What if I'm unlucky, step on a poisonous plant, and fall into a swamp? It's too dangerous! The risk is far too high!"
Sword Douluo Chen Xin was choked into silence by that string of "what ifs," his old face flushing red.
He, Chen Xin, was a Level 96 Power Attack System Titled Douluo, a master of the sword. He was only taking a child to hunt his First Soul Ring, and the boy was calling it dangerous?
"Preposterous!" Sword Douluo's mustache bristled. "With me there, what could possibly go wrong? What Soul Beast on the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest could even get near you? You child, how can you be so..."
Ning Xiaochun still shook his head. He wouldn't go, no matter what anyone said.
Sword Douluo was at a loss. How could there be a Soul Master this timid?
In the end, Ning Xiaochun proposed his own solution: Sword Douluo could catch the Soul Beasts and bring them back to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect for him to absorb.
That would be absolutely safe!
Three days later, at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's dedicated beast-taming ground in the rear hills.
It was less a beast-taming ground than a vast open-air cage, surrounded by layer upon layer of defenses.
At that moment, more than a dozen unconscious Soul Beasts lay sprawled in every direction inside the cage, ranging from a hundred to a thousand years old.
They were all different kinds, but every one of them bore clear signs of having been gently restrained by powerful Soul Power, apparently to keep them from waking up and going berserk or harming themselves.
Sword Douluo Chen Xin stood outside the cage with his arms crossed, his face darker than the bottom of a pot.
His white robes were immaculate, but the faint stench and scent of plants from the Star Dou Forest still clung to him, and a hint of frustration lingered in his eyes. It was clear that his "shopping trip" had not been a pleasant one.
Chen Xin was a swordsman whose skill had reached the divine. Countless souls had fallen beneath his Seven Kill Sword. When had he ever done anything like this?
He had ventured deep into the Star Dou Forest, not to test his sword against the fearsome ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts, but to carefully control his strength and knock out these "little things," none of which were even a thousand years old.
"Kid, I've brought you your Soul Beasts. Pick one yourself!" Sword Douluo said irritably to Ning Xiaochun, who had arrived late.
He pointed at the sleeping Soul Beasts inside the cage.
"They're all here..."
With his father, Ning Fengzhi, and Bone Douluo Gu Rong accompanying him, Ning Xiaochun cautiously approached the cage.
He peered through the sturdy Soul Guidance alloy bars, craning his neck to look inside, his little face set in a grave, meticulous scrutiny.
Ning Fengzhi watched his son's excessive caution, caught between amusement and helplessness. Bone Douluo watched with keen interest, finding the little fellow's way of thinking rather amusing.
"Hey, this 'Weakness Aura Beast' is six hundred years old? No, no, no. Its energy fluctuations are too strong. Absorbing it would definitely be risky. What if it bursts my meridians?
"A ninety-percent success rate? How is that any different from throwing my life away? I, Ning Xiaochun, never do anything with less than a hundred percent success rate... no, ten thousand percent!"
"This 'Fatigue Lizard' is four hundred years old. Its energy fluctuations are steady, and it's small. It looks like the meat would be... ahem, I mean, its Soul Power composition seems quite gentle..."
Ning Xiaochun muttered to himself, taking notes in a little booklet he'd gotten from who knew where as he examined the beasts.
Listening to his son's bizarre logic that a ninety-percent success rate was as good as suicide, Ning Fengzhi felt a vein twitch at his temple. He took a deep breath and kept reminding himself:
He's my own son. He's exceptionally gifted. He just has a slightly unusual personality...
Sword Douluo's patience had reached its limit. He could feel his Seven Kill Sword humming in its scabbard, eager to come out and give the boy a whack on the backside.
"You little brat! Have you picked one yet? You're dawdling like an old woman. Have you no sense of propriety? I didn't bring these beasts back so you could hold an appraisal!"
"Almost, almost, Grandpa Sword. Comparing the goods before you buy doesn't hurt."
Without turning around, Ning Xiaochun finally fixed his gaze on a sleeping Soul Beast about the size of a house cat. Its fur was gray-brown, and it looked utterly harmless.
"I'll take this one, a four-hundred-year-old 'Soft Sable'! The description says its innate ability is to release an aura that relaxes its prey's muscles and leaves them powerless. It's gentle, controllable, and has few aftereffects. The estimated risk of absorption is under 0.5 percent! Perfect!"
Everyone looked at the drab, unremarkable-looking Soft Sable, then at the other Soul Beasts, whose auras were stranger or whose years were greater.
For a moment, no one said a word. This kid had truly carved the word "caution" into his Soul Ring.
"Have you decided?" Ning Fengzhi asked to make sure.
"I've decided! This one! Lowest risk, moderate reward, best value for money!" Ning Xiaochun clenched his fist, his expression resolute.
Once everything was ready, they killed the Soul Beast, and a Yellow Soul Ring rose into the air.
Even then, Ning Xiaochun still didn't think it was safe enough.
He pulled one jade bottle after another from his clothes and lined them up neatly on the ground in front of him.
"This is a 'Pulse Protection Pill,' to keep the Soul Power from damaging my meridians."
"This is 'Soul Guarding Paste,' to protect my mental strength and fend off any impact from lingering Soul Beast thoughts."
"This is 'hemostatic powder'... and this is an 'antidote'..."
There were more than a dozen medicines in all, scattered across the ground. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought he was preparing to face a heavenly tribulation rather than absorb a Soul Ring.
Ning Fengzhi stared at the medicines covering the ground, his eyelid twitching. "Xiaochun, what are you..."
Ning Xiaochun looked up solemnly at his father and two grandfathers:
"Dad, Grandpa Sword, Grandpa Bone, I'm ready. Once I start absorbing it, keep a close eye on me! If my face turns pale, my breathing grows unsteady, my whole body starts convulsing, or my Soul Power shows signs of going out of control, don't hesitate—save me immediately!
"I've prepared all the medicines. Give me whatever I need! If things get dangerous, stop me right away. I don't need the Soul Ring; my life comes first!"
Ning Fengzhi: "..."
He suddenly felt that having Uncle Sword bring back Soul Beasts for his son to absorb might have been a mistake. It had only encouraged the boy's fear of death.
Bone Douluo had already turned his head away, his shoulders shaking violently.
Sword Douluo's forehead creased with veins, and he forced the words out through gritted teeth:
"...You're only absorbing a four-hundred-year Soul Ring! You're not challenging a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast! Get started!"
Before you continue