Five-Hundred-Year Mighty Vajra! The Physical Strength of a Two-Ring Great Soul Master!

Notting City, Soul Hunting Forest.

Led by Deacon Fanolan, the two entered the forest without obstruction.

Although this was a fenced-in area jointly patrolled by the Heaven Dou Empire and Spirit Hall,

and was considered a relatively safe small forest for soul beasts, it had ultimately been carved out of a primeval forest. What lay within was, in truth, a genuine primeval forest.

No one dared guarantee that no powerful soul beast would slip in through some overlooked gap.

Such incidents had happened often over the years.

Even the patrols could not learn of them immediately.

So the moment they entered, Fanolan told Li Long to stay close to him and not stray more than a meter away.

Of course, that was merely a precaution. Their luck could not possibly be that bad.

Fanolan released a faint trace of the soul power fluctuations of a four-ring Soul Ancestor, causing the ten-year and hundred-year soul beasts lurking in the shadows with ill intentions toward them to keep their distance.

After all, a four-ring Soul Ancestor was comparable to a high-level soul beast.

"Little Long, have you given any thought to the path you want to take in the future?"

Fanolan asked with a smile.

Li Long gave the answer he had prepared long ago. "I plan to focus on the strength-enhancement path for soul masters, stacking the power of my iron staff to the greatest extent possible and striving to break through ten thousand techniques with a single force."

"That certainly suits your iron staff martial soul, but it will leave you lacking in defense and speed. When facing agility-attack soul masters, if you cannot hit them, no matter how great your strength is, it will be useless."

"I recommend that your first two soul rings provide defense and speed first. After that, you can focus on strength without being too passive."

Fanolan frowned, considered it for a moment, and offered his advice.

Li Long thought for a moment, then nodded. "My plan is to seek soul beasts for my early soul rings that primarily cultivate strength, with speed or defense as a secondary trait."

He was not acting recklessly. This was a conclusion he had reached after analyzing himself and his future.

"Good. Then do you have a target for your first soul ring?" Fanolan asked.

Li Long said, "My target is a Mighty Vajra. I want one over a hundred years old, and I will pursue the highest possible age. That way, my foundation will be better, and the road I take in the future will be farther and higher."

"Mighty Vajra? It truly is an excellent soul beast. It possesses immense strength, and its own defensive power is especially formidable."

"As for one over a hundred years old, I recall that the patrols brought several into Soul Hunting Forest not long ago. I just do not know whether they have all been hunted already. If they have, we can only choose another one."

Fanolan nodded.

With a target in mind, the two set off quickly.

The journey was peaceful, and they encountered no soul beast attacks.

Before long, they entered a valley.

Fanolan restrained his soul power fluctuations, worried that they would frighten away the hundred-year soul beasts.

Not long after, they spotted a golden ape not far ahead.

It smashed a huge, thick boulder with a single punch. The boulder crumbled apart like rotten tofu, unable to withstand even one blow.

Its terrifying strength was obvious.

Not even the slightest injury remained on its fist, which also showed how impressive its defense was.

"This Mighty Vajra is around five hundred years old. What a pity. Let us look for the next one."

"In the soul master world, the universally acknowledged absorption limit for a one-ring soul master is four hundred and twenty-three years."

"This thing exceeds that by far too much. A child's body simply cannot withstand it. Forcefully absorbing it would cause the body to explode and result in death."

After observing it for a while, Fanolan revealed a regretful expression.

Longing appeared in Li Long's eyes as he said, "Grandpa Fanolan, the books say that when absorbing soul rings from soul beasts below ten thousand years, a soul master only needs to endure the impact of soul power. Theoretically, does that mean that as long as a soul master's body is strong enough, they can break through this universally accepted age limit and absorb a higher-level soul ring?"

Over the years, he had continuously tempered his body and consumed quite a bit of small hundred-year whale glue. His physique had long since become very powerful.

He was confident that he could absorb a five-hundred-year soul ring.

If he succeeded, his foundation would improve even further.

More importantly, absorbing a higher-year soul ring would provide a greater boost to his soul power level. He could save himself years of arduous cultivation and come closer to becoming a level-twenty Great Soul Master.

"Theoretically, that is correct."

"You do not intend to absorb this five-hundred-year soul ring, do you?"

"This is not something to fool around with. How could a child's body possibly be trained to withstand the impact of five hundred years of soul power?"

Fanolan looked at Li Long strangely.

"Yes, I want to absorb it."

"I think I can do it. Grandpa Fanolan, you can examine the strength of my body."

Li Long spoke.

The soul masters of this world focused on cultivating soul power and neglected physical cultivation, which was why most people could only absorb relatively low-year soul rings.

That was how this four-hundred-and-twenty-three-year limit had come about.

If he broke the record, could he raise that limit higher?

"Fine, then let us examine it."

Fanolan was also curious. How strong could the body of a nine-and-a-half-year-old child possibly be?

He reached out, grabbed Li Long's arm, and sent a thread of soul power into it to inspect him.

Before long, he was utterly stunned.

Li Long's physical strength had actually already reached the level of a two-ring Great Soul Master.

"Your physical strength has reached that of a two-ring Great Soul Master. How is that possible? Just how did you cultivate?" Fanolan asked in shock.

"For the past few years, I have been diligently tempering my body," Li Long said.

He did not mention the whale glue.

That was because he had secretly purchased it while concealing his identity.

Once the true use of whale glue was exposed, its price would soar, and it would no longer be something he could afford.

As long as he kept quiet, he would be able to purchase higher-year whale glue at the lowest possible price in the future.

For example, thousand-year whale glue and ten-thousand-year whale glue.

Once he had established himself, he could reveal it. At that time, he could also exchange this information with Spirit Hall for a better future.

In short, everything was proceeding according to his plan. There was no need to rush.

"I see. Still, few people your age could accomplish what you have through years of training. With such relentless practice day after day, it is only natural that you have achieved this much."

"Since that is the case, I will indulge you and go mad with you once."

"If you truly succeed in absorbing it, with a five-hundred-year first soul ring, I will report your situation. You will certainly receive considerable attention and gain more cultivation resources, which will also benefit your future."

"However, if you fail, your body may very well explode and you will die."

"Of course, I can interrupt the process midway, but you will suffer backlash and damage your foundation. You will need to return and recuperate for more than three months before you can absorb another soul ring."

Fanolan said.

"Fine. I am willing to take the gamble."

Li Long showed no fear.

"Very good. Then the hunt begins. Stay here and do not move."

"I will deal with it quickly."

After Fanolan spoke, killing intent flashed in his eyes. The next moment, four perfectly standard soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple—rose from beneath his feet. A sharp golden longsword appeared in his hand as he charged toward the Mighty Vajra!