Yin-Yang Wheel Flower

Beside them, Kong Deming could not help nodding, a hint of approval in his eyes.

Her very first Soul Skill could boost her own attributes by a full hundred percent. That alone made it an excellent skill. After absorbing the Soul Ring, Ye Guyi's Soul Power Level had also risen directly to Level 13. She had absorbed all its energy, proof of how well the ring suited her Martial Soul.

"Let's go. We'll keep looking for a suitable Soul Ring for you."

Kong Deming's gaze lingered briefly on Ye Guyi before he spoke softly and spread out his mental power once more.

The Soul Beasts Xu Tiance needed were much like those Ye Guyi needed: beasts with a light attribute. The difference was that Xu Tiance's Martial Soul possessed Ultimate Light, while Ye Guyi's Martial Soul... seemed to fall a little short of it.

The sacred attribute of the Holy Angel Martial Soul, however, had reached the level of an Ultimate Attribute.

As Kong Deming used his mental power to search for nearby Soul Beasts, he said, "You two are both studying at the Offering Hall, and I expect the same of you both. You don't have to spend your time making Soul Tools, but you must master their use and become Practical-Control Soul Engineers."

"Once we return from the Star Dou Great Forest, I'll teach you about Soul Tools."

Seeing Xu Tiance and Ye Guyi both nod earnestly, Kong Deming sighed inwardly.

He, too, possessed Twin Martial Souls. The world knew him as the Silver Moon Douluo and knew of his Silver Moon Martial Soul, but few knew he had another Martial Soul of equally impressive quality.

Had he devoted himself to cultivation instead of dividing his attention with Soul Tool research, his talent might not have made him a Limit Douluo by now, but it would likely have made him a Level 98 Titled Douluo.

Of course, Kong Deming felt no real regret. His Soul Tool research had taken him to the pinnacle of the field, and no one in the world was closer to becoming a Level 10 Soul Engineer. Even so, he sometimes wondered what he might have achieved if he had remained only a Practical-Control Soul Engineer.

Xu Tiance's arrival had shown him another possible version of himself. Through Xu Tiance, he might see what he could have achieved had he followed the path of a Soul Master.

That was why Kong Deming had poured so much effort into Xu Tiance.

At the thought, a faint smile touched Kong Deming's lips.

The next instant, surprise crossed his face. In his mental perception, a most unusual flower had appeared a short distance ahead, swaying though there was no wind.

That flower... was actually a Soul Beast with eight hundred years of cultivation?

Xu Tiance soon saw it too. The plant bore two utterly different colors: the petals on its left were red-gold, while those on its right were silvery white. More wondrous still, the canopy happened to leave the space above it open. A shaft of warm sunlight fell directly upon its petals.

Xu Tiance could clearly see that the sunlight touched only the red-gold petals on the left. The silvery-white petals on the right had curled slightly inward, untouched by the sun.

"Is that really a Yin-Yang Wheel Flower?"

Ye Yulin gave a soft exclamation, astonishment in his eyes. "The Yin-Yang Wheel Flower opens and closes with the rising sun and setting moon. It draws on the power of their alternation to strengthen itself and increase its cultivation. It isn't aggressive, but if another Soul Beast sets its sights on it, it can threaten that beast with the solar and lunar energy it has stored."

"There's a similar plant-type Soul Beast in the Soul Beast habitat of our Sun Moon Empire, called the Sun Moon Tree. The difference is that the Sun Moon Tree is even rarer and also possesses a Mental Attribute."

As Xu Tiance listened to Ye Yulin, a thoughtful look gradually entered his eyes.

It sounds like both this Yin-Yang Wheel Flower and the Sun Moon Tree in the Sun Moon Empire would make excellent Soul Rings for me.

The Yin-Yang Wheel Flower was not a light-attribute Soul Beast of the sort they had expected to find before setting out. Yet its ability to absorb the essence of the sun and moon made it an even better match for his Martial Soul.

"This Yin-Yang Wheel Flower would make a good First Soul Ring for you. Both its age and its species suit your Martial Soul. And because it strengthens itself through the alternation of sun and moon, there's a good chance it will grant you a boosting Soul Skill."

Kong Deming had reached the same conclusion.

Xu Tiance nodded, his gaze fixed on the flower swaying without a breath of wind.

Without needing another word from Kong Deming, Ye Yulin stepped forward. The aura of a Titled Douluo burst from him and bore down on the Yin-Yang Wheel Flower.

Once he was certain it could not resist, Ye Yulin signaled Xu Tiance forward with a glance.

Xu Tiance took a short Soul Tool blade from his Storage Soul Tool Ring and walked slowly up to the Yin-Yang Wheel Flower.

Kong Deming spoke at just the right moment. "Its weak point is the center of the flower. Just stab the stamen."

Xu Tiance struck without hesitation, driving the blade precisely into its stamen. A moment later, the Yin-Yang Wheel Flower died, and a deep yellow Soul Ring rose slowly from its roots.

Xu Tiance sat cross-legged and closed his eyes, drawing the Soul Ring slowly onto himself.

Energy surged through his limbs and bones, though it was not particularly violent. The century-old Whale Rubber had improved his physique only slightly, but the rapid division of his Primordial Cells had made his body much stronger.

The eight-hundred-year Soul Ring far exceeded the age recommended for an optimal set of Soul Rings, yet Xu Tiance felt little pain as he absorbed it. Instead, he found the warm current of energy washing through him remarkably comfortable.

Every cell in his body seemed to sigh with pleasure.

Kong Deming's eyes narrowed slightly, and the worry weighing on him finally eased.

From what he could sense, Xu Tiance's absorption of the Soul Ring was proceeding without mishap, and his aura had grown much more refined. The only question was whether the Soul Beast would grant him a boosting Soul Skill, as Kong Deming had hoped.