Thoughts on the Second Soul Ring

Just then, the office door was pushed open from outside. Jing Hongchen's rotund figure walked in. He first looked approvingly at his grandson and granddaughter, and after confirming that both were in good condition, a faint smile appeared on his plump face.

"Not bad, not bad. Looks like Old Mushroom's skills have improved again." Jing Hongchen chuckled, then turned his gaze to Ye Chenxing. "Chenxing, how do you feel? Was that Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue to your liking?"

Ye Chenxing rose to his feet and respectfully cupped his fists. "Thank you for your generous gift, Hall Master. The effects of the whale glue are indeed astonishing. This student has benefited greatly."

Jing Hongchen waved a hand and walked behind his desk to sit down. His shrewd little eyes sized Ye Chenxing up before he suddenly asked, "Chenxing, you're already a Rank 20 Great Spirit Master. The Empire's experience with the Sun Martial Soul probably can't be directly applied to your unprecedented Dual-Ultimate Martial Soul. Do you have any thoughts about your second soul ring?"

Here it comes.

Ye Chenxing thought to himself, though his expression remained calm. He lowered his eyes slightly, seemingly deep in thought. After a moment, he raised his head and looked at Jing Hongchen with clear eyes before speaking slowly.

"Hall Master, these past few days, I've read some books about soul beasts and soul rings. I do have a few thoughts."

"Oh? Let's hear them." Jing Hongchen leaned forward slightly, his eyes filled with anticipation.

Ye Chenxing organized his thoughts and spoke clearly. "My martial soul possesses both Ultimate Fire and Ultimate Light. In theory, the best choice would naturally be a soul beast that possesses both attributes. The problem is that such soul beasts are simply too rare."

Jing Hongchen nodded slightly, signaling for him to continue.

"If I settle for something less and choose a soul beast with a single attribute—pure fire or pure light, for instance—then another problem arises." Ye Chenxing paused. "Ultimate Fire and Ultimate Light exist in a delicate balance within my martial soul. If my second soul ring only strengthens one of those attributes, it may disrupt that balance and suppress the growth of the other. It might not be apparent in the short term, but over time, I'm afraid it could become a hidden danger."

Upon hearing this, Jing Hongchen's brows furrowed slightly as he fell into thought.

Seeing this, Ye Chenxing presented his true idea at the right moment. "So my thinking is this—since the path of elemental attributes doesn't work for now, why not take another route? At its core, a soul master relies on only two things: spiritual power and the body. Physical strength can be enhanced by absorbing soul rings and consuming heavenly treasures, but there are extremely limited ways to improve spiritual power. My spiritual power is decent at the moment, but no one would complain about having a stronger foundation. Therefore, I want to... directly choose a spiritual-type soul beast for my second soul ring."

He paused, then added, "At its root, the Sun Martial Soul is a tool martial soul. It doesn't have the strict requirements for soul ring attributes that beast martial souls do. Even if I absorb a non-elemental soul ring, at most I simply won't gain elemental enhancement. It won't cause any fundamental drawbacks. But stronger spiritual power is a foundation that will never become obsolete, no matter when."

After he finished speaking, the office fell briefly silent.

Jing Hongchen's shrewd little eyes grew brighter and brighter, while the flesh on his face trembled slightly with excitement. Suddenly, he slapped the desk and burst into laughter.

"Good! What an excellent 'spiritual power and the body are both the foundation of one's standing'! Chenxing, Chenxing, I've lived to this age and taught no fewer than eighty or a hundred geniuses, but someone like you, who can come up with such insights merely by reading a few books—I've truly never seen one before!"

The more he spoke, the more excited he became. He rose to his feet and paced back and forth through the office. "A Dual-Ultimate Martial Soul is already unprecedented, and your thinking is completely correct! Rather than fixating on elemental attributes, it's better to first build a solid foundation! Once your spiritual power is strong, no matter which direction you develop in later, you'll get twice the result with half the effort!"

After saying that, Jing Hongchen abruptly turned to the Hongchen siblings. His tone carried a hint of frustrated disappointment. "Xiao, Meng, the two of you need to learn from Chenxing! Look at him. It's only been a few days, and he's already developed such insight just by reading some books! Especially you, Xiao. All you do is bury yourself in soul tools all day. How many theory books have you actually read?"

Meng Hongchen did not mind at all. Instead, she cupped her cheeks with both hands, her blue eyes curving into crescents as she smiled at Ye Chenxing. "Grandpa's right. Chenxing is amazing!"

Several dark lines seemed to appear across Xiao Hongchen's forehead, and the corner of his mouth twitched. He had a thousand polite words he wanted to say.

School had not even officially started yet, so why was there already a "someone else's child"?!

"No time to waste!" Jing Hongchen slapped his thigh and made a prompt decision. "We'll leave this afternoon! I'll personally take you to Jingyang Mountain Range!"

Xiao Hongchen was stunned. "We're going too?"

"Of course!" Jing Hongchen glared at him. "What's the point of staying cooped up in the academy all day? This is a good chance for you siblings to gain some real combat experience. The soul beasts in Jingyang Mountain Range are far stronger than those practice partners at the academy."

Ye Chenxing immediately understood upon hearing that.

It seemed Jing Hongchen had already begun preparing for the future Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament.

In the original story, the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament was held before the Hongchen siblings turned fifteen. They were nearly twelve now, which meant that just last year, the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy had once again lost to Shrek.

As the academy's headmaster, being defeated by Shrek time and again in international competitions was naturally a thorn in Jing Hongchen's heart.

Although the Hongchen siblings were exceptionally talented, they likely still lacked genuine combat experience. This soul beast hunt would help him find a suitable second soul ring, while also letting the siblings experience the atmosphere of real battle in advance and cultivate some coordination among the three of them.

Killing two birds with one stone.

"If there's no suitable prey in Jingyang Mountain Range, I'll take you to Evil Demon Forest." Jing Hongchen waved his hand grandly. "And if that still doesn't work, I'll accompany you to Star Dou Great Forest! In any case, we must find the most suitable soul ring for Chenxing!"

"Alright, you three should go back and prepare. Gather at the academy gates after lunch." Jing Hongchen waved a hand, signaling that they could leave.

Just as Ye Chenxing turned to head out, Jing Hongchen seemed to remember something and suddenly called out to him.

"Chenxing, wait a moment."

Ye Chenxing stopped and turned around. Jing Hongchen took an exquisite palm-sized metal box from a drawer in his desk, walked over, and solemnly handed it to him.

"This is a small token from me. Keep it safe."