Silver Chariot Versus the Fierce Toad

Time flew by. At seven and a half, Jodio reached level 20 with remarkable ease. He entered the ranks of Soul Grandmasters a full five levels ahead of both Ma Hongjun and Oscar. The two boys were envious and delighted in equal measure. They envied Jodio his ten Gold Soul Coins, but those same coins made them happy: they were enough to improve life for all three of them.

A year of training had turned both boys into devoted followers of Jodio. His charisma, strength, and knowledge had won over the two seven-year-olds completely. Besides, who could say no when Boss Jodio treated them to a meal after leveling up? Didn't like the food? Throw him out and give him a hundred skewers of extra-spicy meat!

"That's too fast. I thought you wouldn't reach level 20 until you were around nine," Flender said, checking Jodio's Soul Power in disbelief. Level 20 at seven and a half? Was that even human? The boy was practically superhuman.

Generally, someone with innate talent around levels one to three was lucky to scrape their way to level 30 in a lifetime. Those around four to six usually stalled at Soul King, while those at seven or eight had a good chance of reaching Soul Sage or Soul Douluo. Level nine was generally the minimum for a shot at Titled Douluo. At level ten, becoming a Douluo was almost assured as long as they kept training. But how high could such a person climb by seven and a half? Most observations put them at level 14 or 15.

Yes, gaining five levels in a year and a half was already impressive. Factoring in how each successive level grew harder, such a person might approach level 30 around age eleven. With even better talent and opportunities, perhaps they could reach level 35. But that would make them a genius beyond imagining, the cream of the cream of the crop.

"Boss, could you stab me too? Maybe I'll awaken a Stand!" Ma Hongjun chimed in from the side.

"What would you awaken? Chicken-Peddler Red?" Jodio smiled and raised a hand to cut off the boy's joking. The Stand Arrow could only be used on Jodio himself; it wasn't a real arrow. If it were, the whole world would probably already be fighting over him.

Jodio wasn't worried in the slightest about his future growth. By his estimate, when Dai Mubai arrived in a year and a half, he'd be at least level 31—more than enough to keep the boy in line and remain the boss. What a joke. Let someone else stand above him? Only over his dead body.

An incredible power lay hidden within the human body. With repeated training, its potential was limitless. Jodio called this power spiritual strength. It was the strength of the soul, one of three key factors alongside Soul Power and bloodline, and the quality of one's martial soul. Calling the quality of Jodio's martial soul god-tier wouldn't be an exaggeration. His Soul Power and bloodline were weaker, but not disastrously so; they still rated at least a five. As for his spiritual strength, it couldn't get much higher. At level 20, he estimated it was around 340.

That meant his three attributes formed at least an obtuse triangle—more importantly, they could form a triangle. Based on Jodio's research with Huo Yuhao and his extensive experience reading Douluo fanfiction, anyone whose three attributes formed a triangle could cultivate normally. The more stable the triangle, the better their cultivation. Did anyone have top-tier innate attributes that formed a large isosceles triangle? They did. But it wasn't Dai Mubai, the God King Tang, or Oscar.

"We'll hunt a soul beast tomorrow. Pack what you need today and skip training for now. Save your strength. I'll take you there myself," Flender said after some thought.

"Then I'll get back to training those two, Teacher." Jodio waved casually and hauled the boys off to train again. His plan was to get both of them past level 31 before Tang San arrived. They absolutely couldn't fall behind Tang San. Come on, without Jodio they'd reached levels 29 and 28. If they still ended up at 29 and 28 after he came along, what was the point of his being here? They had to reach at least level 32! No, level 33. They needed to be at least level 33.

"That kid." Flender shook his head helplessly. Jodio was so gifted and quick-witted that his teachers had little to teach him. What they could teach him was mostly history and the various factions. Historical matters were about the only things Jodio sometimes struggled to understand. Everything else clicked after one lesson; he was hardly ever confused or troubled.

As a result, Jodio handled most of his studies and training on his own. Flender didn't even need to check on him each day; his trust in the boy was absolute. Since Jodio had begun putting the other two through six-attribute training, Flender barely needed to keep an eye on them either. He could spend all day in his antique shop. Jodio was simply that dependable. He was a monster among men, an extraordinary talent. He fit Shrek's standards so well it was almost ridiculous.

"Six-attribute training means developing strength, speed, attack range, the duration of soul skills, martial-soul precision, and spiritual strength in place of growth potential. Together, those make up the whole of a person's abilities. They say that if you train all six to perfection, you might even strengthen your martial soul and raise its quality."

Recalling those words of Jodio's, Flender couldn't help thinking of the Grandmaster. He'd once brought up the Grandmaster while chatting with Jodio, but the boy had seemed utterly indifferent, as though the Grandmaster's theories held no interest for him. Well, perhaps that made sense. Little Jodio must have grown up surrounded by books, so he didn't care much for those theories. Still, Flender thought they were good. At the very least, they offered a logical explanation, didn't they?

If Jodio knew what Flender was thinking, he'd be speechless. But he didn't, so there was no discussion to be had. In Jodio's eyes, the Grandmaster might have been useful if he'd lived ten thousand years later, when martial-soul awakening was essentially monopolized. But this was ten thousand years earlier, before that monopoly had become so severe. Calling him a Grandmaster was a stretch. At most, he was a scholar.

Well, scholar was still a respectable title. It counted as praise.

"Can you hunt your soul beast yourself this time?" Flender asked. He carried Jodio through the air like a chick while searching the forest below. Hunting with just the two of them was much simpler. Flender was an agility-type soul master who could fly; once he picked Jodio up, they could make straight for the Star Dou Great Forest and arrive within an afternoon. It was incredibly convenient.

"A trial? Then I'll hunt the one I want, Teacher." Jodio looked down at the low trees and felt a wave of discomfort. He was mildly afraid of heights. After reaching level 80 and learning to imitate Dio's wall-kicking flight, he'd been fine; knowing he could fly had eased his fear. But being held by someone else, with the possibility of falling at any moment, brought the old problem right back. He felt a little sick.

"Tell me how you want to develop first." Flender intended to suggest that Jodio continue down the agility path. Silver Chariot and Stone Free both seemed geared toward agility, so a soul skill that increased Jodio's own speed would be ideal. That would give his martial souls a solid foundation for further development.

"The first three soul rings lay the foundation for a martial soul. There's a saying I agree with: the direction of your first three soul skills largely determines your future. If those skills are all of a similar type, they might even strengthen your martial soul," Jodio explained.

"But I'm different, and in another sense, I'm not. My first three soul skills really will determine my future, just not by setting my development path. Please trust me, Teacher. I'll choose the soul ring that suits me best," Jodio answered earnestly.

Flender had one good trait: once you'd convinced him of something, he wouldn't stubbornly dig in his heels the next time. Show him proof, and the old man grew even more willing to adapt. Of course, he still had his limits. But Jodio was confident he could persuade him. Very confident.

"What do you plan to hunt?" Flender asked curiously.

"Something with healing abilities. Preferably a beetle or a frog—some kind of soul beast with strong associations of healing." Flender had descended quite a bit, so Jodio felt relaxed enough to explain.

"How about that Fierce Toad?"

"What Fierce Toad?"

"Oh, shit!"

Flender suddenly dropped Jodio. Fortunately, they were only about twenty meters above the ground. Jodio reacted at once, using Stone Free to hook a nearby tree and swing up like Spider-Man. Only then did he avoid crashing straight down.

"I'll be cheering you on." Flender landed on a nearby tree and smiled.

"That damned owl. Damn it." Jodio gritted his teeth, at a loss for words. He looked down at the Fierce Toad watching him warily from the swamp. He wanted nothing to do with the ugly creature.

The Fierce Toad was a soul beast with water and poison attributes. It spent most of its life lurking in swamps and rarely ventured out. But it responded with ferocious resistance to anything that entered its territory. It would fight an intruder to the death.

Its explosive temper and poisonous body meant that most soul beasts of a similar age left it alone. Even Man Faced Demon Spiders—yes, even they—went around a Fierce Toad's territory. The creature spent all day rolling in mud, and its hide was so thick that biting through it was a chore. Injecting venom wasn't much use either. It wielded poison itself and had long since developed some resistance.

What a troublesome opponent. Stone Free, come out.

A mysterious blue humanoid figure with green goggles immediately appeared behind Jodio. Stone Free's attributes had improved somewhat now that he was level 20. At the very least, it could handle a three-hundred-year-old soul beast with ease.

With a wave of Jodio's hand, Stone Free vanished—or, more precisely, merged with him. He swung his arm and launched himself toward another tree, passing over the Fierce Toad with ease.

But immediately after swinging past, Jodio released Stone Free. He dropped onto a rock in the middle of the mud. Silver Chariot appeared in an instant. Armor off!

Silver Chariot drove its sword into the Fierce Toad's eye at blistering speed, then kicked off and leaped up, trying to escape its reach. But the Fierce Toad was fast too. Its long tongue lashed out, and its remaining eye burned with hatred. It looked ready to snatch Silver Chariot back and tear it limb from limb.

"Heh-heh~" Jodio couldn't help letting out a sly laugh. It was the laugh of someone whose plan had worked—and who was enjoying every second of it.

To be continued...

Information currently available:

Level 20 Stand: Silver Chariot

User: Jodio Joestar

Destructive power: C, speed: B+, range: C, stamina: C+, precision: C+, growth potential: B

Stand ability: At level 20, Silver Chariot gained the ability to shed its armor in addition to its basic combat capabilities, allowing it to fight with greater mobility. In this state, Silver Chariot was more vulnerable, but its speed became terrifying, and it could even produce an effect resembling shadow clones. With the increase in Soul Power, Silver Chariot's attributes had risen noticeably, though its growth potential had fallen.

(That's all for today. I'll write more quickly once the overall direction is settled.)