Upper Limit: 700 Years!

On the third day after Dai Hao and his party returned to the Duke's Mansion, Ye Tianming turned eight.

That morning, Ye Tianming finished a breathing routine he had devised in the courtyard. He was about to go inside for something to eat when the steward arrived.

"Young Master Ye, His Grace asks you to come to the study."

Ye Tianming gave a soft acknowledgment. He had a fair idea what this was about.

In the two years since entering the mansion, he had kept his Soul Power at level ten. His Innate Full Soul Power had given him a solid foundation.

Dai Hao was no fool, either. He had long been waiting for Ye Tianming to ask for his First Soul Ring. Ye Tianming had held off because he wanted to strengthen his body a little more.

Over those two years, he had also bought Whale Rubber to eat.

Now was the best time for him to absorb his First Soul Ring.

Ye Tianming did not keep Dai Hao waiting long. The study door stood ajar when he arrived, and Dai Hao was standing by the window, studying a map in his hand.

Hearing his footsteps, Dai Hao turned toward him.

"You're here?"

"Foster Father." Ye Tianming bowed before speaking.

Dai Hao slapped the map onto the desk and pointed to the chair in front of it.

"Sit."

Ye Tianming sat down. Dai Hao went straight to the point.

"Your body is strong enough now."

"Yes." Ye Tianming nodded.

"Do you know why I waited until now to call you in?"

Ye Tianming thought for a moment, then answered hesitantly.

"You were waiting for me to ask, Foster Father?"

Dai Hao gave a snort, though a hint of a smile showed on his face.

"If you'd been born into the army, that head of yours could have made you half a military strategist, at least."

Dai Hao paused. His expression turned serious.

"I've had people examine your Martial Soul several times."

"The Azure Dragon," Ye Tianming answered at once.

Dai Hao nodded.

"Yes. The Azure Dragon."

"But it isn't any dragon-type Beast Martial Soul known on the continent."

"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon has the Lightning Attribute, while the Radiant Sacred Dragon has the Light Attribute. As for your Azure Dragon... I had people search every ancient text they could find. In the end, they found only one line."

With that, Dai Hao raised two fingers.

"The Eastern Azure Dragon governs life and death, and commands an overwhelming presence."

"You can't just find some ordinary Soul Beast and absorb it for your First Soul Ring."

"It has to be dragon-type."

Ye Tianming had known that all along. His Martial Soul was the Azure Dragon. If he absorbed a ring from some rabbit or wolf, he would probably become the next Yu Xiaogang.

For dragon-type Martial Souls, purity of bloodline mattered most. The First Soul Ring set the course, and every ring after it had to build on that foundation.

"Foster Father, are you taking me to the Star Dou Great Forest?"

"Yes." Dai Hao nodded.

"When do we leave?"

Dai Hao looked at Ye Tianming and answered slowly.

"First thing the morning after tomorrow. I'll take you myself. I can handle most of the Soul Beasts around the outskirts. You only need to strike the killing blow against the one you want."

Ye Tianming rose at once and bowed.

"Thank you, Foster Father!"

Dai Hao waved a hand. Then, as if something else had occurred to him, he added,

"One more thing."

"Please, Foster Father."

Dai Hao's voice grew grave.

"I need to make the Soul Ring's age limit clear to you first."

"The limit for an ordinary child's First Soul Ring is 420 years. But you have a strong foundation, Innate Full Soul Power, and a top-tier Beast Martial Soul. Add in the Whale Rubber I gave you, and the limit I'm setting for you is..."

He paused, then slowly raised a finger.

"700 years."

"Pick any dragon-type Soul Beast under 700 years old."

Ye Tianming's pupils contracted slightly. Seven hundred years was quite far along for a Hundred-Year Soul Ring.

Most Soul Masters would thank their lucky stars if their First Soul Ring reached 420 years. Dai Hao was raising his limit straight to 700?

Interesting.

Dai Hao stared into Ye Tianming's eyes and said sternly,

"Remember, I won't let you touch anything over 700 years, no matter what you say. Your body may be tough, but your meridians are still made of flesh."

"Yes."

Dai Hao waved him away.

"Go on. We leave first thing the morning after tomorrow, so get to bed early tonight."

The sun was already high when Ye Tianming came out. Instead of returning to his own courtyard, he headed for Yunxi Courtyard.

In the courtyard, Dai Yutong was crouched beneath the osmanthus tree, drawing circles in the dirt with a twig.

She had grown a great deal in the past two years.

Her little face had filled out. She was no longer as thin as a bean sprout, as she had been when they first met.

She had shot up, too, though not as quickly as Ye Tianming. She barely reached his chest.

Only her eyes remained the same: big and bright, as though they held a river of stars.

At the sound of footsteps, Dai Yutong jerked her head up.

"Brother Tianming!"

She tossed the twig aside, trotted over, and grabbed his sleeve.

"Why are you here so early today?"

Ye Tianming glanced down at her as she tugged on him. As usual, he rubbed her little head before speaking.

"I need to tell you something."

"What is it, Brother Tianming?"

"I'm leaving the mansion first thing the morning after tomorrow."

Dai Yutong's grip on his sleeve tightened at once.

"Where are you going?"

Ye Tianming did not hide it from her. He answered casually.

"The Star Dou Great Forest. I'm going Soul Hunting for my First Soul Ring."

Dai Yutong froze. Of course she knew what hunting for a Soul Ring meant.

Soul Masters from the mansion and around the city went to the Star Dou Great Forest for Soul Rings. Some came back alive. Others never came back at all.

Two years ago, she had heard Cook Zhang say that a Soul Master from the west side of the city had gone hunting for a Soul Ring and had his ribs shattered by a single swat from a Soul Beast. He was already cold when they carried him back.

"Th-then how long will you be gone this time, Brother Tianming?"

"Five days if we're quick. Seven or eight if we're not."

Ye Tianming looked at the little girl beside him, who seemed on the verge of tears, and quickly added,

"My foster father is going with me. He'll protect me. I'll be fine."

Dai Yutong only lowered her head, her fingers crumpling his sleeve.

For a long while, she said nothing.

Ye Tianming did not rush her. He simply stood there and let her hold on to his sleeve.

At last, Dai Yutong slowly looked up. Her eyes were a little red.

"Then... then be careful, okay?"

"I will."

"If you see a powerful Soul Beast, run. Understand?"

"I do."

"Don't try to fight it head-on."

"I won't."

Dai Yutong's voice grew softer with every word.

"My mother told me the worst thing a Soul Master can do when hunting for a Soul Ring is try to show off."

"If you show off and get hurt, I... I..."

Dai Yutong could not finish.

Ye Tianming reached out and gently rubbed her little head.

Ah, it still felt as nice as ever.

"Don't worry. I'm looking forward to coming back and eating the noodles you make."

"Just remember to use a little less salt this time."

(P.S. Updating 6,000 words a day is a bit too much, and I won't be able to time it for next week's trial promotion. So I've decided to build up a backlog and resume updates on Sunday. Don't worry, though—if the trial promotion goes well, I'll release a flood of chapters and make up for every update I owe you! I already have twenty chapters saved up. Once the book reaches 50,000 words and goes on sale, I'll release a huge batch! Feel free to let the chapters pile up for now. By next Wednesday, I should have at least forty chapters ready, and then the flood will begin!)