Golden Spirit Cypress

Time passed quickly, and Yang Xiong soon turned eleven. Although his Rasengan training had made some progress, his Soul Power and mental strength as a Soul Master were simply too low, and he still could not make the balloon burst.

However, through practicing Heart Separation Control over the past few years, Yang Xiong had reached the realm of the Four Aperture Constant Heart. He could now burst a water-filled balloon with Soul Power using one hand, but he was still some distance away from bursting a rubber ball with Soul Power.

Still, Yang Xiong believed that as long as he worked hard, once he reached the Soul Grandmaster realm, he would definitely be able to complete the next stage of Rasengan development. There might even be other surprises.

After several years of grueling training, Yang Xiong's Soul Power finally reached level twenty. He was not especially outstanding in Class One, but he ranked in the upper-middle range at least, keeping pace with the cultivation progress of the other Martial Soul Masters.

In particular, after years of physical training, Yang Xiong's body had become exceptionally strong. He was no longer as frail as a six-year-old child. He had even reached a height of 1.6 meters, and his physique was no weaker than that of some Beast Martial Soul Masters.

By comparison, Yang Xiong's strength and speed had also increased tremendously. Thanks especially to his long-term weighted running, his basic speed and strength had already far surpassed those of his peers. Even compared to Beast Martial Soul Masters of the same level, he did not lag behind in either strength or speed.

That day, Yang Xiong once again found Class Teacher Lin Gong and told him that he had reached level twenty and wished to obtain his Second Soul Ring.

Lin Gong looked at Yang Xiong in surprise. "Yang Xiong, your Soul Power has improved quite well. I didn't expect you to reach level twenty so quickly. You're the sixth person in the class to do so. Have you given any thought to your Second Soul Ring? Are you planning to choose a Defense System Soul Beast again?"

Lin Gong once more took out that book on Soul Beasts from within the sect. It contained quite a few Soul Beasts around five to six hundred years old, including many powerful Defense System Soul Beasts.

Yang Xiong did not even look at the book. "Teacher Lin, I don't want any of the Soul Beasts listed here. I want that Golden Spirit Cypress in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Soul Beast Forest."

Yang Xiong had actually decided on his Second Soul Ring long ago. In particular, he had used the token Ning Fengzhi had given him to investigate the Soul Beasts in the sect's Soul Beast Forest.

The Soul Rings recorded in Lin Gong's book were suitable for students to absorb, all under seven hundred years old. Yang Xiong had no interest in any of those Soul Beasts.

Lin Gong's expression changed sharply. "Are you crazy? Do you know what kind of Soul Beast that Golden Spirit Cypress is? Do you know its exact age?"

"That Golden Spirit Cypress has been raised in our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect for many years. It is now nine hundred and eighty years old. That is far too old for a Soul Master's Second Soul Ring, yet it has not reached a thousand years, so no one would choose it for a Third Soul Ring either. That is why it has been kept there all this time."

"Quite a few people in the sect are waiting for that Golden Spirit Cypress to reach a thousand years. When that happens, it will definitely be an exceptional Third Soul Ring."

Yang Xiong grumbled to himself. It would take at least another twenty years for that Golden Spirit Cypress to reach a thousand years. Who knew who would benefit from it by then?

Yang Xiong had considered this Golden Spirit Cypress for a long time. Since he wanted to pursue a combination of every attribute, a Power Type Soul Beast with the Wood Attribute was the hardest to find. There might not even be many in the Star Dou Great Forest.

Gold represented Ultimate Strength and vitality. The Golden Spirit Cypress was entirely golden, with lush branches and leaves—even its leaves were gold. It was an exceptional Plant Spirit Beast. If not for its awkward age, it probably would not have fallen to him.

Moreover, compared to animal-type Soul Beasts, Plant Spirit Beasts had obvious characteristics. Their trunks, branches, leaves, height, and even patterns could reveal their specific age. This was one of the reasons the sect knew the Golden Spirit Cypress's age so precisely.

To put it bluntly, even if the Golden Spirit Cypress stood there and let Yang Xiong attack it, he might not be able to kill it. Its vitality and regenerative power were simply too tenacious, and its branches were too powerful. Its strength even far exceeded that of ordinary thousand-year Soul Beasts. That was one reason it had been able to thrive in the Soul Beast Forest all this time.

Yang Xiong had even read records stating that the Golden Spirit Cypress seemed to possess the bloodline of a Golden Tree. He had no idea how it had come to grow in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Soul Beast Forest.

Seeing Yang Xiong's determined expression, Lin Gong remained silent for a long time before speaking. "Leaving aside the age issue, have you thought about what path you will take as a Soul Master in the future? The Golden Spirit Cypress is indeed an excellent Soul Beast, even one of the finest among Plant Spirit Beasts."

"But your Martial Soul is your own body, and your First Soul Ring came from an animal-type Soul Beast. Although I don't know what Soul Skill you gained, it should be related to defense. Since you have already decided to follow the Defense System path, why do you want to absorb a Plant Martial Soul? Soul Masters usually absorb Soul Rings corresponding to their Martial Soul's system. Although your Martial Soul is special, it should count as a Beast Martial Soul. Since you have already absorbed an animal-type Soul Ring, aren't you afraid that absorbing a Plant Spirit Beast might cause problems?"

Yang Xiong said, "Teacher Lin, my Body Martial Soul is neither a Beast Martial Soul nor a Tool Martial Soul, much less a Plant Martial Soul. Its greatest advantage is that it can absorb all Soul Rings. And I believe the Golden Spirit Cypress suits me perfectly. This is the result of much thought and analysis."

Lin Gong sighed. "Very well. You possess a great deal of Soul Master knowledge, perhaps no less than some teachers. Since you have your own cultivation plan, I cannot stop you. Three days from now, we will go to the Soul Beast Forest. Remember, your parents must come as well."

Only then did Yang Xiong leave happily.

Lin Gong could not help shaking his head as he watched Yang Xiong leave. From a teaching standpoint, he greatly liked this child, who ranked first in both grades, and he also knew how hard the boy cultivated.

Unfortunately, the child was far too troublesome. Every Soul Ring he chose left people baffled, though his eye for them was truly good.

For his First Soul Ring, he had recognized the exceptional Soul Beast, the Dark Tortoise, at a glance. And although the Golden Spirit Cypress's age was somewhat awkward this time, it was definitely the Soul Beast with the highest bloodline level in the entire Soul Beast Forest, far surpassing even some high-grade thousand-year Soul Beasts.

However, Lin Gong said nothing more. The Sect Master seemed to value Yang Xiong greatly. Not only had he allowed him free access to the library, he had even given him a Sect Master's token. Not a single other student in the entire sect received such treatment.

After reporting the matter, Lin Gong did not think further about it. However, he still planned to personally accompany Yang Xiong to obtain his Soul Ring this time.

Three days later, Yang Xiong, Yang Lin, Sun Yu, and Lin Gong set out in a grand procession for the sect's Soul Beast Forest.

Should the protagonist get another External Soul Bone—an External Soul Bone for the heart that could provide him with an endless supply of vitality?

Once he became a Soul Grandmaster, he would completely master the Rasengan.