Determining the Direction of My First Soul Ring: Titan Giant Ape, Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear!

Yang Jian could find no reason to refuse. "Then I'll have to trouble you, Senior Sister."

Hu Liena nodded in satisfaction, turned, and led the way.

The two walked one behind the other along the bluestone path.

"By the way, what's your name, and what martial souls did you awaken?" Hu Liena asked as they walked. "I still don't know."

Yang Jian did not hide anything. "My name is Yang Jian. I have twin martial souls. My first martial soul is called the Three-Point Double-Edged Saber, and my second is called the Howling Celestial Dog. I have innate full soul power."

The moment he finished speaking, Hu Liena suddenly stopped.

She whipped her head around, her chestnut eyes wide and round, her mouth slightly agape, her face full of disbelief.

"Twin martial souls?!"

Even Hu Liena's voice had changed pitch.

She had grown up in Spirit Hall and seen countless geniuses, but across the entire continent, the only known person with twin martial souls was His Holiness the Pope.

"And innate full soul power too?"

Hu Liena took a deep breath and tried to calm herself.

Her own innate soul power had been level nine and a half, which was already considered among the best of Spirit Hall's Golden Generation.

But innate full soul power was a whole different level.

"No wonder Teacher accepted you."

Hu Liena murmured to herself, but then frowned.

With such talent, why was he only a registered disciple?

If Teacher encountered a genius of this caliber, shouldn't he have accepted him directly as a personal disciple?

Though puzzled, she did not ask aloud. Instead, she changed the subject. "Where is your family from? What martial souls do your parents have? Did your martial souls mutate?"

Yang Jian shook his head. "I'm the son of a fisherman from Yellow Fish Village. My parents are both ordinary people. My father's martial soul is a fish spear, and my mother's is a mongrel dog. As for mutation... perhaps."

Hu Liena nodded thoughtfully.

The chance of a fish spear and a mongrel dog mutating into top-tier martial souls was so small it could be ignored, but since Yang Jian was unwilling to elaborate, it would not be proper for her to press him.

"We're here."

As they spoke, a grand three-story building appeared before them.

A plaque hung above the main entrance, bearing the three bold characters: Book Repository. The strokes were vigorous, and the presence imposing.

Hu Liena stopped. "This is Spirit Hall's library, also known as the Book Repository. It contains an enormous collection of books on soul master theory and cultivation insights. Whatever you want to read, just go in and look for it."

"Thank you, Senior Sister," Yang Jian said sincerely.

Hu Liena waved a hand, the corners of her lips lifting. "No need to thank me. If there's anything you don't understand in the future, you can come ask me. Cultivate well, and don't disappoint Teacher's expectations."

Yang Jian gave an acknowledging sound and said no more as he stepped into the Book Repository.

A faint scent of paper greeted him. Rows of tall bookshelves stood in neat formation, filled with books of every kind.

Since the Book Repository was located within Spirit Hall and heavily secured, there was no need to worry about anyone coming to steal books. Thus, there was no one guarding it.

Yang Jian drew a deep breath, a glimmer flashing through his eyes.

From now on, he had to gain a systematic understanding of this world and fill the gaps in his knowledge.

Yang Jian headed straight for the nearest shelf, picked up a book, and began reading.

Seeing this, Hu Liena stood at the entrance, lost in thought. She was still deeply puzzled that, despite Yang Jian's twin martial souls and innate full soul power, Teacher had accepted him only as a registered disciple.

The Book Repository was silent, broken only by the occasional rustle of turning pages.

Yang Jian sat by a window, holding a thick volume of Soul Beast Compendium: Rare Edition in his hands and reading it with complete focus.

His gaze swept across page after page of soul beast illustrations. Whenever he saw a soul beast that met his expectations, he would pause to carefully study its habits, habitat, and the abilities its soul ring could grant.

Hu Liena leaned against a nearby bookshelf, absentmindedly playing with the tip of her hair.

She had originally wanted to chat with this new junior disciple a little more and learn about this twin martial soul genius. Yet the moment he entered the Book Repository, he seemed possessed, picking up a book and reading it without even sparing her half a glance.

"What a bookworm."

Hu Liena curled her lips, but she was not angry.

After standing around for a while, she grew bored and prepared to leave.

"Yang Jian," she called softly.

"Hm?" Yang Jian did not even raise his head, his eyes still on the page.

"I'm leaving first. Take your time reading." Hu Liena reached the entrance, then seemed to recall something and turned back to remind him, "Oh, right. I live in the small courtyard not far from yours. If anything comes up, you can come find me."

"Alright. Thank you, Senior Sister."

Only then did Yang Jian look up and nod at her in farewell.

Seeing him like this, Hu Liena could not help rolling her eyes before turning and leaving the Book Repository.

Time slipped away silently amid the sound of turning pages.

The light outside the window gradually faded from bright to dusky, then was completely swallowed by the night.

The soul guide lamps inside the Book Repository lit up automatically, casting a soft glow and throwing Yang Jian's shadow diagonally across the floor.

Yang Jian closed the Soul Beast Compendium in his hands, rubbed his aching eyes, and let out a long breath.

"I've more or less found a direction."

Leaning back in his chair, he rapidly sorted through the knowledge he had accumulated during this time.

His second martial soul, the Howling Celestial Dog, could cultivate on its own by absorbing the essence of the sun and moon, even condensing soul rings that could grow. That meant he did not need to worry about the Howling Celestial Dog for the time being and could focus entirely on cultivating his first martial soul.

The Three-Point Double-Edged Saber was a weapon martial soul. It was extraordinarily heavy by nature, and its sharpness far surpassed that of ordinary weapon martial souls.

Given these traits, its development naturally needed to focus on strength and attack.

There were quite a few soul beasts that met those requirements, but Yang Jian was not content to merely make do.

He had narrowed it down to two soul beasts in the compendium.

The Titan Giant Ape and the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear.

Both were among the finest of soul beasts when it came to strength and attack.

A Titan Giant Ape could reach a cultivation of over ten thousand years upon reaching maturity and possessed the innate ability to control gravity.

Paired with the Three-Point Double-Edged Saber's weight advantage, that ability was simply a perfect match.

Just imagine it: as a saber descended, gravity suddenly increased severalfold. The opponent would not even be able to dodge and could only take the force of that thousand-pound blade head-on...

Yang Jian felt excited just thinking about it.

As for the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, there was even less need to explain. It was the ultimate embodiment of strength and attack. Its bear paws could rip through the defenses of soul beasts at the same level, and its pure offensive power even surpassed that of the Titan Giant Ape.

But the best choice was often the hardest to attain.

Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear clans mostly lived in the core regions of the Soul Beast Forest, under the protection of Bear Lord, whose cultivation exceeded four hundred thousand years. Trying to hunt a soul ring under his watch was no easier than snatching something from a Title Douluo.

"The Titan Giant Ape is the safer option."

Yang Jian muttered, having already made up his mind.

Though the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear was more tempting, he was not the type to blindly pursue the strongest option. Acting within one's means was the proper way.

Besides, the Titan Giant Ape's gravity-control talent was equally outstanding and might be even more compatible with the Three-Point Double-Edged Saber.

Of course, if he encountered a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear that met his requirements, he certainly would not let it go.