That year.
The two of them had continued taking Whale Rubber, but unfortunately, its low age meant the improvement was negligible.
For three hundred and sixty days, Han Yu never stopped. Every day, the moment he opened his eyes, he would cultivate, practice his swordsmanship, and study, working nonstop like a tireless machine.
At the same time, he used Evil-Warding Divine Thunder to raise the Thunder Tiger Skull's age to five thousand years.
His Soul Power had risen smoothly from level fourteen to level twenty. He was about to gain two more Thousand-Year Soul Rings and advance to the Soul Grandmaster realm.
A Soul Grandmaster at just seven years old was unprecedented in the history of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Even the two who had become gods ten thousand years ago probably hadn't been much stronger than Han Yu at that age.
Ning Fengzhi had even specially drawn up a position for a Holy Son. Once Han Yu's strength improved a little more, he would officially appoint him. The Holy Son's authority and benefits would rank below the sect master's, but above those of the elders and the young mistress. Put simply, everyone in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect except Ning Fengzhi himself would have to follow Han Yu's wishes.
Ning Rongrong was envious of Han Yu's terrifying cultivation speed. For the past year, she had spent nearly every day by his side, except when she was asleep, cultivating and studying with him. Yet the gap between them had only grown wider. She was four levels behind Han Yu in Soul Power.
It wasn't that she hadn't worked hard. Han Yu was simply a tireless striver with excellent talent, while her Innate Soul Power was only level nine.
As for Han Yu, the reason his Innate Soul Power wasn't full was that a Martial Soul below the divine level could only reach a maximum of level ten. That didn't mean his cultivation talent was the sort that came with Innate Full Soul Power.
There was another reason, too.
Han Yu's Martial Soul had risen in rank. Under the nourishment of his Second Martial Soul, the Mystic Array Disk, his Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords could now split off two sword images, each possessing thirty percent of the original's strength.
Both his Soul Skills and cultivation speed had improved slightly.
As a result, Ning Rongrong seemed to sense a crisis. She didn't even go along when Han Yu hunted for Soul Rings this time. Instead, she steeled herself and focused on cultivation, even taking the initiative to pester Ning Fengzhi to teach her the secret technique of multitasking.
The next day, at the edge of Star Dou Forest's core region.
Accompanied by Chen Xin and Gu Rong, Han Yu hunted for the Second Soul Rings for his two Martial Souls.
The two Titled Douluo walked slowly, one in front and one behind.
Drawing on their experience from last time, Gu Rong had gone out of his way to gather and consult ancient Array Canons, listing several Soul Beasts as the primary targets for this hunt.
Before long, the three arrived at an area of rolling yellow earth.
A Soul Beast covered in bluish-gray scales lay before a mound, digging a hole. It had thick limbs, tiny slit-like eyes, and a pointed head crowned by a spiraling horn. From time to time, it stuck out its long, slender tongue to lick its claws, then scooped up several Thousand-Jun Ant Soul Beasts and flicked them into its mouth.
"The Void Quake-Mountain Tapir has terrible eyesight. It relies on sensing vibrations in space to catch its prey." Gu Rong narrowed his eyes. "It attacks by releasing shock waves from its horn. When it curls up, its body becomes a gigantic source of vibrations, and it can smash its enemies into pulp by ramming them."
Gu Rong's gaze fell on the horn, and he nodded.
"This Soul Beast is around eighteen hundred years old, no more than two thousand. That's the age most Soul Masters choose for their Third Soul Ring.
"How is Han Yu's physical condition now?" Gu Rong turned to look at Chen Xin, asking curiously.
He had spent the past year teaching Han Yu to master spatial techniques, but knew nothing about his physical strength. He could only estimate that it was far greater than that of an ordinary Soul Master.
"Teacher, I can handle it." Han Yu clenched his fist, brimming with confidence.
He couldn't quite remember the limit for Soul Rings, but he already had a Hundred-Year Soul Ring and a Thousand-Year Soul Ring. Even if he worked it out with simple addition and subtraction, he should be able to absorb it.
Whale Rubber, the divine thunder protecting his meridians, the Spirit Gathering Array—weren't those things every other Soul Master dreamed of having when absorbing a Soul Ring?
If he weren't following Chen Xin's teachings and playing it safe, he would even have wanted to risk trying for three thousand years.
Chen Xin didn't answer. He simply beckoned lightly toward the distant Void Quake-Mountain Tapir.
The hulking tapir struggled as it flew toward the three of them. Four small golden swords pierced its limbs, pinning it to the ground.
The crushing pressure made the Soul Beast tremble. Its horn released shock waves to probe its surroundings, while its mouth opened and closed ceaselessly, letting out pitiful whimpers.
Chen Xin remained calm and motioned for Han Yu to make his move.
Han Yu nodded, summoned his Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords, and beheaded it with one stroke.
The Void Quake-Mountain Tapir's head rolled to the side. Its body slackened, and blood flowed from its neck.
But Han Yu didn't withdraw his Martial Soul. He followed with several more sword strokes, severing the Soul Beast's limbs, then flooded them with Evil-Warding Divine Thunder.
Bang—!
Gu Rong raised a hand and released a strand of Soul Power to block the splattering drops of blood. A glimmer of understanding appeared in his eyes, and he nodded again and again.
Once bitten by a snake, one feared even a rope for ten years.
After what had happened with the Thunder Tiger, Han Yu wasn't so eager to absorb a Soul Ring anymore. He feared a similar accident might happen again. He didn't think he'd be lucky enough to get another Soul Bone that could increase a Soul Ring's age.
If he really did absorb a Soul Ring more than a thousand years old, he would regret it beyond measure.
A moment later, a pale purple Soul Ring slowly rose from the Void Quake-Mountain Tapir's corpse.
Han Yu sat cross-legged, switched to his Second Martial Soul, and drew the Soul Ring toward himself.
A vast amount of Soul Power poured into his body. Faced with the fierce and vicious divine thunder, it obediently coursed through his meridians and flowed to every part of him.
It was surprisingly easy.
When it was over, Han Yu stretched with all his might, looking as if he had just woken from a nap. His face showed nothing but contentment.
Chen Xin and Gu Rong's mouths twitched slightly at the sight.
He looked like he'd come here for a vacation.
"Teacher, I succeeded." Han Yu brushed off the dust and bowed to the two teachers.
"My Soul Skill is really interesting. Its effect is..."
"Croak!"
A frog's call cut Han Yu off. The center of the mound of yellow earth sank, and a huge black figure, its back to them, began fleeing. It flicked out a several-meter-long, slime-covered tongue, aiming straight for Han Yu's back.
"Hmph, you're asking for death." Gu Rong's eyes narrowed. He waved a hand, summoning a huge bone barrier in front of Han Yu, layer upon layer.
The space beside them began to tremble. A black void appeared and gradually widened.
Han Yu's eyebrows twitched. Watching Gu Rong's movements, his eyes lit up. His freshly acquired Second Soul Ring glowed purple, and he gently拨ed the Mystic Array Disk in his hand.
The black hole seemed to have been pressed with a fast-forward button. It completed its preset formation at a speed visible to the naked eye and stabilized in an instant.
Gu Rong whipped around to look at the purple Soul Ring glowing beneath Han Yu's feet, his face full of disbelief. He had spent decades using spatial power to travel this way and had long since mastered the technique.
Even so, it took more than ten seconds for the space to stabilize. Yet Han Yu, a kid with only level twenty Soul Power, had made that black hole form instantly. What kind of miraculous Soul Skill was this?
Gu Rong stared at Han Yu with a complicated expression, exhaled a puff of breath, and stepped into the black hole.
The next instant, several rumbles and a chilling, shrill scream came from the distance. Then everything went quiet.
Han Yu swallowed. This was the first time he had ever seen Gu Rong get angry.