After thinking for a while, Jiang Yue finally made his decision. His gaze toward Sky Dream Ice Silkworm became incomparably serious, and his tone was exceptionally solemn.
"Tian Meng, I don't need another Martial Soul. I already have Twin Martial Souls, so I'll need plenty of Soul Rings in the future. If I gain another Martial Soul, leaving aside how much my physical strength would need to improve to add a full set of Soul Rings to it, Soul Rings alone would be a huge problem. Unless I went searching in the ocean, there simply aren't enough high-quality Soul Beasts on the entire continent for me to hunt."
"You might not believe me, but please trust me. These two Martial Souls of mine are the best possible combination. Even taken separately, either one could dominate an era in this age."
"Not to mention that both Martial Souls are gathered within one person. Once I become a Titled Douluo, I dare guarantee that even if I faced Di Tian going all out, I could trap him for three days and three nights!"
"Taking everything into account, I think gaining another Martial Soul would not only bring no benefit to my growth, it would even seriously slow down my progress."
Hearing Jiang Yue's supremely confident words, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm did not really take them to heart. Mainly because Jiang Yue was simply too young, and Sky Dream Ice Silkworm instinctively felt that he did not know the immensity of heaven and earth.
Still, in Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's eyes, it was already quite remarkable that Jiang Yue knew of Di Tian's existence at such an age, could clearly plan his future, and had not been tempted by the prospect of gaining another Martial Soul.
Moreover, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had long since decided on the form and first Soul Ring of that Blank Ice Martial Soul.
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm did not quite believe there was any Martial Soul in this world stronger than the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion. Neither the Bright Holy Dragon nor the Dark Holy Dragon possessed an ultimate attribute, but the Ice Jade Scorpion did. Ice Empress was even the emperor among Ice Jade Scorpions, far stronger than ordinary Ice Jade Scorpions.
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had only just met Jiang Yue, and since it could not learn about his character by reading his memories, it naturally could not lay everything out before him right now.
It wanted Ice Empress to become the first Soul Ring of the Blank Ice Martial Soul. Beyond the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion's immense strength, the greater reason was that it liked Ice Empress and wanted to ascend to the God Realm with her and attain immortality.
But Jiang Yue's words made some sense. Jiang Yue already had two Martial Souls, and another one would only slow his cultivation. Unless his second Martial Soul, which he had not yet cultivated, was replaced, creating three Martial Souls—especially a third one that could absorb Soul Rings—would leave no one certain whether Jiang Yue's body could withstand twenty-seven Soul Rings in the future.
If the other two Martial Souls absorbed nothing but hundred-thousand-year Soul Rings, along with the nine Soul Rings on his first Martial Soul, whose age limits could not possibly be low, there was no need to think further. Without the aid of a god, his body would absolutely burst apart.
As for adding the Ice Attribute to Unfeeling Sword? Wouldn't that be completely redundant? Unfeeling Sword only needed attack power. Why would it need that insignificant Ice Attribute? Compared to the Ice Attribute, it would be better to try adding the Spatial Attribute. That might even enhance the might of Emotion Shakes Heaven.
Not to mention that reckless experimentation might cause problems in the connection between Passionate Sword and Unfeeling Sword.
That would be far more loss than gain. So long as there was even the slightest possibility of risk to Passionate Sword and Unfeeling Sword, Jiang Yue would not do it. Emotion Shakes Heaven was his most important life-saving method.
The value of Emotion Shakes Heaven was not something a Blank Ice Martial Soul, Ice Empress, or Snow Empress could compare to.
Jiang Yue would rather cripple that Blank Ice Martial Soul entirely than do anything to Unfeeling Sword. Unfeeling Sword and Passionate Sword were the foundation of his life in this world. Nothing could go wrong with them.
If Sky Dream Ice Silkworm were the one making the decision, it would certainly want to replace Unfeeling Sword with Ice Empress's Martial Soul. After all, it did not know how strong Unfeeling Sword was, but it knew the power of Ice Empress's Ultimate Ice.
But judging from Jiang Yue's attitude, there was clearly no way he would replace Unfeeling Sword with Ice Empress's Martial Soul. That put Sky Dream Ice Silkworm in a difficult position.
However, Jiang Yue's talent had still exceeded Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's expectations. Unless it came to the very end, it could not possibly give up a genius like Jiang Yue, someone born with Twin Martial Souls and a Thousand-Year second Soul Ring, to choose another host.
Therefore, it decided to follow Jiang Yue's wishes. If Jiang Yue's second Martial Soul truly possessed great strength and sufficient combat power, then even if the Blank Ice Martial Soul became nourishment for that Martial Soul, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm could accept it.
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm definitely liked Ice Empress. This was affection that had crossed species, and Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was even the one at the bottom of the food chain, the one being eaten. Could feelings for a natural predator possibly be fake?
But if one really examined it, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's feelings for Ice Empress had not reached an especially profound level. Compared with obtaining Ice Empress, it cared more about whether its plan to become a god would succeed and whether it could achieve true immortality.
For the sake of its own immortality, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm would even be willing to kill Ice Empress. At most, it would say a few more words of apology to her in its heart afterward.
"Forget it. We can discuss the Martial Soul matter later. The issue now is that although I've already fused with you, and my spiritual origin has entered your Sea of Spirit, your body still can't bear all of my power. My spiritual origin and everything else are sealed away and will need to be gradually unsealed as your Soul Power Level and physical strength increase."
"Also, you had already absorbed your second Soul Ring when I fused with you. Your primary Martial Soul—that mental-attribute sword Martial Soul—doesn't have any vacant Soul Ring slots at all. Cultivate to level thirty as soon as possible. Then I can fully fuse with you and become your third Soul Ring."
"A Million-Year third ring can provide you with four Soul Skills at once. Excited?"
"A Million-Year third ring? I think you should wait, Tian Meng. Putting a Million-Year Soul Ring in the third slot would be far too wasteful. Besides, you just said you don't have much attack power. Although my primary Martial Soul, Passionate Sword, follows the control system, how could a sword Martial Soul lack attack power entirely?"
"You have the mental attribute but no attack power, so you're not suitable as my third Soul Ring. It would also be too wasteful. Waiting until the seventh ring, when it serves as my Martial Soul Avatar, would be most appropriate."
"Seventh ring? Martial Soul Avatar? Oh! I understand. You want me to become your seventh Soul Ring and give you the strongest Martial Soul Avatar in history?! Not a bad idea."
Having lived for a million years, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm might have spent most of its time eating Ice Marrow and sleeping, but it had ultimately encountered quite a few high-level Soul Masters and understood human cultivation. Naturally, it knew that a Soul Master's seventh ring was an extraordinarily important Soul Ring slot.
A Soul Master's seventh ring was exceptionally special. No matter what Soul Beast's Soul Ring a Soul Master absorbed, there was only one skill they could obtain: the Martial Soul Avatar.
Only after gaining a Martial Soul Avatar could a Martial Soul's true power be completely unleashed. Soul Masters with Martial Soul Avatars and those without them were practically people from two entirely different worlds. Only Soul Masters who possessed Martial Soul Avatars had truly entered the ranks of high-level Soul Masters.
There was only one factor that could affect the power of a seventh Soul Ring: its age limit. There could not possibly be a Soul Beast in this world with a higher cultivation than Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's million years.
Even if there were, it was not something an ordinary Soul Master could absorb at the seventh ring. There had yet to be a precedent of successfully absorbing a Ferocious Beast Soul Ring, much less one beyond a million years.
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was not only a Million-Year Soul Beast, but also possessed the mental attribute. It could be said that Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was Jiang Yue's most suitable seventh Soul Ring and would certainly grant Passionate Sword an unprecedentedly powerful Martial Soul Avatar.
Having understood Jiang Yue's thoughts, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm could not stop nodding. Even before the temptation of a Million-Year Soul Ring, Jiang Yue had remained clear-headed and made the choice best suited to himself. As expected of the host chosen by Sky Dream Ice Silkworm.
"Fine, you have a point. Then I'll wait until your seventh ring before fully fusing with you. Don't worry, my Soul Ring definitely won't disappoint you. Your Martial Soul Avatar will be unprecedentedly powerful. Even those legendary people who became gods could not possibly compare to you."
"By the way, do you want me to use my origin now to raise the age limits of your first two Soul Rings? You've already absorbed a Thousand-Year Soul Ring and become a Soul Grandmaster. You should be level twenty-two. With this cultivation and the nourishment from your Soul Rings, your second Soul Ring has not reached the limit of what you can absorb. Your current physical strength, together with the medicinal power still unabsorbed in your body, should be enough to raise your first Soul Ring to the Thousand-Year level."
"What do you think? Want to give it a try? A Thousand-Year first ring—there probably hasn't been anyone in the entire human world who has done that. Aren't you tempted?"
"It would be a lie to say I'm not tempted, but I want to ask something first. Tian Meng, do you have a way to change my Soul Ring colors? It has to be convincing enough that even a Super Douluo can't see through it."
A Thousand-Year second ring was not something the Soul Master clans of the current Unrivaled Tang Sect era could achieve, even if they truly wanted to cultivate such a genius.
But a Thousand-Year first ring was out of the question. It was no longer merely conspicuous; it was heaven-defying. At present, no one had ever achieved a Thousand-Year first ring. Such a thing would likely only become possible after Soul Spirits and Spirit Ascension Platforms appeared in the era of Douluo Three.
A Thousand-Year first ring was indeed impressive, but it would also bring Jiang Yue considerable trouble. If he wanted to conceal his true Soul Ring colors, the Simulation Soul Skill of the Ice Silkworm Clan would be an excellent choice.
As the unshakable ancestral patriarch of the Ice Silkworm Clan, if Sky Dream Ice Silkworm did not know its signature Simulation Soul Skill, that would be the real problem. If it could use Simulation and allow Jiang Yue to conceal the Soul Rings whose age limits had been raised without fully fusing with him, Jiang Yue would definitely agree to its proposal at once.
The question was whether Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, in its current state, could grant Jiang Yue the Simulation Soul Skill. After all, the two of them had not completely fused yet.
"That's a little difficult. If I stayed awake the whole time, perhaps I could do it. But I expended a great deal during our fusion and will definitely need to stabilize my power through sleep. Right, my Silkworm Shedding!"
"My Silkworm Shedding is good stuff. It contains my Mental Power. As long as I design it beforehand, wearing it on you will help conceal your Soul Ring colors. Forget Super Douluos—even a Limit Douluo, or Di Tian himself, would not discover anything wrong. And my Silkworm Shedding has excellent defensive power as well. At critical moments, it can help you resist attacks. The aura it releases can also constantly nourish your Mental Power."
"Alright, if there are no more problems, I'll begin helping you raise your Soul Ring age limits now. Once it's over, I'll fall into slumber. When you're strong enough, I'll naturally awaken, and then we can discuss our subsequent plans."
As Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's voice fell, Jiang Yue's consciousness left the Sea of Spirit and returned to his body. He was still standing beside the Maple Leaf City Lord as before, but the Maple Leaf City Lord had not shown the slightest sign of recovering. He stood there blankly, like a statue.
Under Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's urging, Jiang Yue immediately sat cross-legged. Passionate Sword lay horizontally across his knees, while one yellow and one purple Soul Ring floated behind him, pulsing slowly.
As the Soul Rings appeared, the red Joy Sword also emerged behind Jiang Yue. Besides Joy Sword, a small sword identical in size and form to it, only dark cyan in color, slowly condensed and floated behind Jiang Yue alongside Joy Sword.
A rough man sees injustice and grinds the ancient blade within his chest—Wrath of the Seven Emotions, form the sword!
Since the protagonist was not Anger Sword right now, Jiang Yue did not linger on the newly formed small sword. He immediately began circulating the Soul Power within his body as Sky Dream Ice Silkworm instructed.
Very quickly, under Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's guidance, a power that was initially somewhat icy but left only warmth wherever it passed began fusing with the Soul Power in Jiang Yue's body. It flowed with his Soul Power through every meridian and every cell in his body.
As if sensing the purpose of this power, the two Soul Rings behind Jiang Yue seemed to come alive at that moment. He could even feel emotional fluctuations representing joy from both Soul Rings.
The medicinal power from the Whale Rubber that had not been completely absorbed earlier also began taking effect. Jiang Yue's entire body turned red as wisps of heat constantly rose from him. Sweat soaked his clothes, which had already become somewhat ill-fitting after absorbing the Soul Rings, making them cling tightly to his skin.
The two Soul Rings pulsed slowly, their colors growing ever deeper. The second purple Soul Ring did not change much. Its color merely darkened slightly before it stopped changing and returned to its original state.
With Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's help, the first yellow Soul Ring soon turned dark yellow. Then, as if it had reached a critical point, it did not change at all for a full five minutes. Just as Jiang Yue thought it might need another chance before advancing to the Thousand-Year level, a trace of purple spread from the depths of the Soul Ring, dyeing the entire yellow ring pale purple.
Seeing the two purple Soul Rings behind him, along with Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and that gray bead in his Sea of Spirit, Jiang Yue felt that this trip to the Star Dou Forest to hunt a Soul Beast had been an absolute windfall.
He picked up the snow-white Silkworm Shedding from the ground before him, which was still releasing wisps of cold air. The moment it entered his hand, it began changing. It quickly became long and slender, looking like a lengthy ribbon for tying hair.
Looking at the drastically changed Silkworm Shedding, Jiang Yue's expression became a little strange. He was a grown man—he had no use for a hair ribbon. Did that mean he would have to try growing his hair out later?
And after growing out his hair, would he need to stick a blade of grass in his mouth and go around looking for women like some absurd sword cultivators?
Jiang Yue silently sighed. He would rather die than become like that. Fortunately, the Silkworm Shedding in his hand was long enough. After wrapping it around his wrist as an unusual bracer, Jiang Yue felt a coolness spread from his wrist, traveling along his nerves into his mind.
With every breath he took during this brief time, Jiang Yue felt threads of coolness enter his mind. Even his Sea of Spirit seemed to be nourished, and the sensation left him incomparably refreshed.
At the same time, the two purple Soul Rings behind Jiang Yue changed back into one yellow and one purple. These were the Soul Ring colors Jiang Yue had just instructed Sky Dream Ice Silkworm to set within the Silkworm Shedding.
After seeing Jiang Yue put away the Silkworm Shedding, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm peacefully fell into slumber. The Maple Leaf City Lord finally woke from his statue-like state as well.
He had no memory of what had happened during that period, nor had he noticed how much time had passed. All of his attention was fixed on the purple Soul Ring around Jiang Yue.
For a moment, the Maple Leaf City Lord was so excited that he could barely speak. He felt that he had personally participated in and witnessed the path of a future powerhouse's growth, especially when that powerhouse came from Maple Leaf City.
The Maple Leaf City Lord could already imagine just how prosperous Maple Leaf City would become for a long time after Jiang Yue grew powerful and made his name resound across the continent!
As for why he was so certain Jiang Yue would become a powerhouse renowned throughout the continent? Wasn't that purple Soul Ring proof enough?
Although the Maple Leaf City Lord was not among the continent's most elite figures, as the lord of a major city in the Heaven Dou Empire, he had met quite a few important figures on the continent. Yet he had never seen anyone with a Thousand-Year second ring.
"Not bad, not bad. A Soul Grandmaster at over seven but under eight years old! I've never even heard of talent like this. But don't become arrogant and complacent. You must cultivate diligently."
"Strive to become a Soul Elder by the time you enter Shrek Academy or another advanced Soul Master Academy!"
"Only then will you see a broader world!"
"Yes, I'll work hard."
"Mm. Child, remember this: no matter what happens in the future, you will always be Maple Leaf City's pride!"
After his excitement faded, the Maple Leaf City Lord realized this was not the place to keep talking. He picked Jiang Yue up and left the Star Dou Forest at top speed.
There was no need to worry about much on the way out. He simply had to travel at full speed. In less than two hours, the City Lord safely brought Jiang Yue out of the Star Dou Forest and headed toward Shrek City.
Maple Leaf City was still some distance from the Star Dou Forest, and the nearest major city was Shrek City. Having just finished hunting a Soul Beast and absorbed a Thousand-Year second ring, the City Lord felt that Jiang Yue needed a relatively good environment to rest properly.
Before you continue