The Golden Rectangle, Part One

The date was June, year 2633 of the Douluo Calendar.

Three years flew by. Jodio had never slacked off in cultivating his Soul Power, and he had reached the peak of level 30. His rate of advancement had left the academy's teachers numb. Fine. He was a genius among geniuses. They should count themselves lucky he hadn't insisted on purple Spirit Rings for his first two.

On average, he had gained ten levels every year and a half—roughly one level every two months. Jodio didn't consider that fast. If anything, it felt a little slow. To the teachers, though, he was practically divine. Just look at Oscar, who had the same talent: he was only level 26. The gap between them had gradually grown to a full four levels of Soul Power. You couldn't miss it.

Jodio thought his pace was perfectly ordinary. For one thing, he had broken through these bottlenecks once before, so doing it again was much easier. For another, the Spirit Condensation Method was no worse than Brother Tang's Mysterious Heaven Skill. It was a peerless way to seek breakthroughs from within, something Jodio had developed by drawing on thirty years of using Stands in his previous life and comparing notes with Huo Yuhao, an expert in spiritual power. If that lost out to the Mysterious Heaven Skill, Jodio might as well quit and travel to Tang San's home to wipe the whole place out.

At level 25, Jodio had gained Gold Experience's Will Rampage. It was useful—against an opponent seeing it for the first time, it worked every time. He felt it would be even better on Stone Free. In a fight, he could quietly send his hand over first, lock his opponent down, then move in. Wouldn't that be a slaughter?

That was how Giorno Giovanna had fought Bruno Bucciarati back then, so the move was clearly in keeping with the Golden Spirit. Its biggest problem on Gold Experience was its lack of range and speed. All told, Giorno Giovanna's Stand stats really did limit what Will Rampage could do.

Still, it wasn't bad. Jodio was always happy to gain something. Other Soul Masters weren't guaranteed anything at level 25, while he could reliably gain something extra halfway through a major stage. Wait. Hadn't all this stuff been split off in the first place?

"Boss, why does your Soul Power rise so fast?" the level-26 Oscar asked enviously. Teacher Shao Xin had told him that reaching level 26 at eleven already made him a genius. So why was his boss an even bigger genius?

"Idiot. The boss is the boss because he's the boss," Ma Hongjun said, looking profoundly mysterious.

"You two aren't slow either. Oscar, think you can reach level 35 before you turn fourteen?" Jodio asked, half joking and half serious.

"Who are you looking down on, Boss? Level 40!" Oscar declared proudly, hands on his hips.

"Good. If you don't reach 40, don't blame me for being ruthless." Jodio summoned Gold Experience behind him and grinned wickedly.

"Then let's make it 35. Thirty-five is good too." Oscar backed down at once. With his precious bits at stake, he'd better not make big promises. Boss Jo was an Innate Surgical Master. What if he removed them and stitched on something else...

"Hongjun, I have a feeling the way to treat your Martial Soul is close," Jodio said, turning to the somewhat dejected Ma Hongjun. Because of an innate problem with his Martial Soul, Ma Hongjun's progress had slowed in recent years. He had only just reached level 21. Jodio badly wanted to get Crazy Diamond for him this time, but he couldn't. He had felt a summons. Something was calling to him.

"Before I turn twelve at the latest, I swear on my character and my dignity that I'll cure your Martial Soul." Jodio pressed a hand to his chest as he spoke.

"Boss, this isn't really your responsibility," Ma Hongjun said with a smile. But he soon fell silent. Jodio's gaze was earnest—utterly earnest.

"Were you going to say you could just give in and sleep with women to solve the problem?" Jodio asked, slowly rising to his feet.

"Ma Hongjun, I, Jodio Joestar, consider you a friend. And I don't allow fools or losers among my friends. Since you're willing to be my friend, and I consider you one, you must keep yourself in check and wait for that day with boundless hope." Jodio rested a hand on Ma Hongjun's shoulder as he spoke.

After three years of grueling exercise and training that drained his Soul Power, Ma Hongjun was in much better shape than in the original story. He now had a build like Tiga's Strong Type: broad and powerful without looking bulky. In short, he had about the standard build of an assault-type Soul Master.

Ma Hongjun had always been grateful to Jodio. The last person to put this much care and effort into looking after him had been his mother. Aside from her, only Dean Flender came close to Older Brother Jodio. He couldn't reasonably ask anyone to solve his Martial Soul problem, especially when his progress wasn't even that slow. It was nowhere near as frightening as that level-29 weakling Boss Jo had once mentioned.

"I said I'd solve it for you, so I will. They say a gentleman's promise is worth a thousand pieces of gold. Well, mine is worth ten thousand!" Jodio declared.

"Boss sure is determined. Always has been..." Oscar sighed from the side.

"Jodio, time to go. We can't delay the Spirit Hunting."

Flender's voice cut short Ma Hongjun's thanks. Jodio rose with an easy flourish, waved, and walked out. Winning the admiration of two little followers was nothing difficult. His real crisis had always been his great enemy—the one he would kill even if he had to fight alone.

"Oh, right, Boss. We got some news through the organization. A Soul Master has a book that records information about Spirit Bones, but he's asking for 1,500 Gold Soul Coins," Oscar suddenly remembered and hurried to say.

"Fifteen hundred? He might as well rob us. Keep him there. I'll deal with him when I get back from Spirit Hunting," Jodio replied coolly.

"Hongjun, stay at the academy. Teacher Lu Qibin is receiving new students today, so help him see whether we get any. If we do, stall them until I'm back to test them. Teacher Zhao doesn't know his own strength. He might accidentally beat one to death," Jodio continued.

"You little brat! I get up early and the first thing I hear is you bad-mouthing me!" Zhao Wuji's bull-like roar came from afar. Jodio instantly summoned Stone Free, cast a thread up to Flender as he soared overhead, and made his escape. You stinking bear! Thirty years drinking winter melon, thirty years drinking watermelon. Don't look down on a poor young man! Don't look down on a poor middle-aged man! Don't look down on a poor old man!

"And don't forget to tend my Flower Field!" Jodio shouted down to Ma Hongjun as he clung to the talons of Flender's Martial Soul Avatar.

"Let's go. We'll make it quick." Flender spread his wings and carried Jodio into the distance. Zhao Wuji ground his teeth for a while, then his expression softened before turning a little forlorn.

"What's wrong, Dean Zhao?" Oscar asked, promptly offering him a little sausage to soothe his wounded heart.

"Ah, Jodio's reached level 30 in the blink of an eye. Less than ten more levels and he can graduate. I never expected it. I thought he'd spend a dozen years at the academy." Zhao Wuji smiled and shook his head.

"Boss will stick with the academy to the end. I'm sure of it," Ma Hongjun said with conviction.

"Knowing Boss, he'd never stand by and watch the academy fall on hard times."

"Damn it, you're a pair of brats too! What do you mean, 'fall on hard times'? Extra training! Run ten laps this morning before you go about your business!"

To be continued.

That's all for today. The next part probably won't be out until tomorrow or the day after. Everyone, please show some restraint and try not to bring up what's happening over there~