A Soul Master Staked Out by a Titled Douluo

Nuoding City.

In a narrow alley.

A man in a tattered cloak leaned against the wall, his gaze fixed on the entrance of the Spirit Hall branch.

"Kid, I refuse to believe you'll stay inside forever."

His fists clenched tightly. There was a faint resemblance between his features and Tang San's.

He was Tang Hao.

He had seen Tang San of Notting Academy having his cheek slashed by Li Zha from the shadows.

He had been waiting for Li Zha to leave the city so he could teach him a harsh lesson.

That was right. A Titled Douluo was staking out a Soul Master who did not even have his first soul ring.

It was obvious who Tang San had inherited his vengeful nature from.

Yet he had waited from noon yesterday until evening today.

Li Zha never came out.

Ever since entering the Spirit Hall branch, Li Zha had not even gone near its gates.

Meanwhile, inside the Spirit Hall branch.

Su Yuntao's dormitory had been completely transformed.

Books borrowed from Notting Academy were piled beside the bed, beneath the table, and in the corners of the room.

Li Zha sat cross-legged on the floor, holding a copy of Illustrated Guide to Fire-Attribute Soul Beasts.

"Crimson Flame Ironclad Bear. Exceptional strength, with flames clinging to its claws. Its soul skills lean toward explosive power."

"But the highest recorded age is only thirteen hundred years..."

Li Zha shook his head and casually set the book aside.

"Still too low."

If those words got out, the teachers at Notting Academy would surround him on the spot.

Thirteen hundred years!

And that was still too low?!

For an ordinary Soul Master's first soul ring, reaching three hundred years was already quite good!

Anything over four hundred years was even considered the ideal configuration by many academies.

And four hundred and thirty-two years had been called the absorption limit for a first soul ring by some flathead!

That meant that beyond 432 years, a Soul Master would be unable to withstand the soul ring's power and would explode to death.

Yet Li Zha did not take that number to heart at all.

Every Soul Master's martial soul, physique, and mental endurance differed.

Applying one fixed number to all Soul Masters was unreasonable from the start.

Besides, the body's limit could be raised through external means.

Whale glue was one such method.

Whale glue of sufficiently high quality, aside from its aphrodisiac effects,

could also strengthen the body and improve a Soul Master's ability to withstand soul ring absorption.

Li Zha had not consumed whale glue yet.

But ever since his martial soul awakened, his Undying Lotus Root had continuously nourished his flesh, bones, and meridians.

That nourishment never stopped.

Even while he slept, his body was constantly growing stronger.

That was why Tang San's poisoned needles had been so easily neutralized a few days ago.

Once the poison entered his body, it had not even had the chance to spread before the Undying Lotus Root's power dispersed it.

Li Zha picked up another book.

"Golden-Flame Sky-Rending Mantis. Dual fire and metal attributes. Its attacks are concentrated in its forelimbs. Its general direction is likely enhancing the sharpness of weapon martial souls..."

"Its maximum age exceeds twenty thousand years."

After reading through the records, he hesitated briefly before shaking his head again.

"Not worth keeping, but a pity to discard."

"Twenty thousand years would absolutely be enough to meet my goal for the first soul ring,

but sharpness is better suited for sword-type weapon martial souls, not the best choice for a spear."

"Wasting my first soul ring on sharpness would be inappropriate."

Weight, attack power, and fire enhancement.

Soul beasts in those three directions were his top choices at present.

The Flaming-tipped Spear already had an initial weight of one thousand five hundred and thirty jin.

If his first soul ring could strengthen its weight further!

And adding a soul ring would itself cause significant changes to a weapon martial soul's weight!

By then, the Flaming-tipped Spear's frontal destructive power would definitely increase by a huge margin!

Attack enhancement was also straightforward—a versatile attribute that was never a bad choice.

As for fire enhancement, it could further bring out the Flaming-tipped Spear's naturally strong affinity with the fire attribute.

Ideally, it would satisfy two of those requirements at once.

If it possessed all three, that would be even better.

But expecting a single soul ring to fulfill all three requirements.

Even Li Zha had never entertained such a thought.

As for the soul beast's age, Li Zha had long since formed his own plan.

Ten thousand years.

His first soul ring had to be ten thousand years.

When a Soul Master absorbed a ten-thousand-year soul ring, aside from the impact of soul power, they also had to endure the lingering mental shock left behind after the soul beast's death.

Low-level Soul Masters found that difficult to withstand.

Li Zha did not think he could succeed casually, either.

But he had two trump cards.

The Undying Lotus Root could rebuild his body.

And his mental power was undoubtedly far beyond that of others his age.

More importantly, according to the Body Sect's inheritance, body martial souls could undergo a second awakening.

They were classified into Iron, Bronze, Silver, and Gold awakenings.

There was also the legendary Diamond awakening.

A level that not even anyone in the Body Sect had ever reached.

Once the second awakening occurred, it would provide a comprehensive boost to a Soul Master!

Although Li Zha did not possess the Body Sect's secret methods, he remembered the core principle of a body martial soul's second awakening.

Stimulation at the limit.

Push the body close to its limit and force out the deeper power hidden within the body martial soul.

The pressure of a ten-thousand-year soul ring absolutely met that requirement.

The risk was high.

But the reward was high enough as well.

As long as he succeeded, his first soul ring would put him far ahead of ordinary Soul Masters!

Li Zha leaned back, clasping his hands behind his head.

The books Su Yuntao had brought over were piled half a person tall.

He had read continuously for a full day and night, yet he had only gone through less than half of them.

The rest would take at least another two or three days.

"There are far more kinds of soul beasts than I expected."

He closed his eyes and rested for a moment before getting back up. "Let's keep reading."

"The right soul beast might be on the next page."

Li Zha sat upright and was just about to reach out when hurried footsteps suddenly sounded outside the dormitory.

Creak.

The door was pushed open.

Su Yuntao rushed inside, waving him over.

"Li Zha, get up, quickly! His Excellency the Ghost Douluo from Spirit Hall has arrived!"

Li Zha put down his book.

His Excellency the Ghost Douluo...

Gui Mei.

A Titled Douluo had come to fetch him personally?

Li Zha was somewhat surprised.

He had thought Spirit Hall would send a Soul Sage or perhaps a Soul Douluo.

He had not expected them to send Gui Mei directly.

It seemed that his innate full soul power, twin martial souls, and the Flaming-tipped Spear's test results had indeed caught Bibi Dong's attention.

Su Yuntao hurriedly tugged at Li Zha's sleeve.

"When you meet His Excellency the Ghost Douluo, remember to bow."

"Most Titled Douluos have strange tempers, so don't talk recklessly."

"Especially don't start cursing the moment you open your mouth like you did with Grandmaster."

Clearly, word of Li Zha insulting Yu Xiaogang had spread within a small circle over the past few days.

Li Zha looked at him with a strange expression.

"If someone doesn't mistake my Flaming-tipped Spear for a fire poker and doesn't ask me to be someone else's blood bag, why would I curse them?"

Su Yuntao opened his mouth.

Come to think of it, that was true!

"Anyway, be a little more polite."

"His Excellency the Ghost Douluo holds a very high position in Papal Hall."

"Mm."

Li Zha had barely stood up when a figure appeared outside the door.

The newcomer was wrapped completely in a black robe, revealing only a gaunt face.

He did not summon his martial soul or release any soul power.

Yet Su Yuntao immediately straightened his back.

"Greetings, Your Excellency the Ghost Douluo!"

Li Zha bowed as well. "Your Excellency the Ghost Douluo."

Gui Mei scrutinized Li Zha for several breaths.

Six years old.

His physical development far exceeded that of children his age.

The soul power within his body was abundant. He had indeed reached level ten.

And he showed no panic when facing a Titled Douluo.

That composure alone was more valuable than the description in the records.

"Release your martial soul."

Gui Mei spoke directly.

Li Zha did not hesitate. He clenched his right hand forward.

Red light gathered.

The Flaming-tipped Spear landed in his palm.

The temperature in the dormitory swiftly rose, and the airflow flipped open the pages of several books piled nearby.

Gui Mei raised his hand and grabbed the spear shaft.

Li Zha did not stop him.

The moment Gui Mei touched the spear, a scorching force surged toward his palm.

It came from the tassel of red silk on the Flaming-tipped Spear.

Such heat meant nothing to Gui Mei.

After all, Gui Mei was a genuine Titled Douluo.

But Gui Mei still frowned slightly.

Not because of the heat, but because of the weight.

It was far heavier than an ordinary weapon martial soul!

And this was before it had even been equipped with a soul ring!

This was purely the Flaming-tipped Spear's own weight!

Next, Gui Mei pointed the Flaming-tipped Spear at the floor and pressed down hard.

Bang!

The Flaming-tipped Spear did not bend. Instead, the floor shattered beneath it!

As Gui Mei continued applying force, more and more cracks spread through the floor.

Meanwhile, the Flaming-tipped Spear only bent slightly as it should under the pressure.

There was no sign of damage at all!

Su Yuntao watched the cracks in the floor spread toward him and hurriedly backed away!

Only then did Gui Mei release the spear. He gave Li Zha a meaningful look.

"The test records were accurate. It truly surpasses so-called top-tier weapon martial souls by far. It would not be an exaggeration to place it in a category of its own."

Li Zha nodded slightly. "You flatter me, Your Excellency the Ghost Douluo."

Gui Mei clasped one hand behind his back and looked at Li Zha. "Let me see your other martial soul."