My son has the makings of a Titled Douluo

His spirits soaring, Lin Chen immediately got up, washed, straightened his clothes, and hurried out of his room to tell his parents the good news: he had broken through to rank twenty and advanced to Soul Grandmaster.

In the main hall, Lin Tianyu and Li Su were stunned by the news, their shock swiftly giving way to overwhelming joy and pride.

"Rank twenty! Little Chen, you've actually broken through to Soul Grandmaster?!"

Li Su hurried over, disbelief and pride filling her eyes. She reached out to gently probe her son's soul power. Sensing its depth, stability, and purity, far beyond that of an ordinary rank-twenty Soul Master, she could not stop praising him.

"One year of hard cultivation, and you've shot straight from rank fourteen to rank twenty! My son's talent truly stands above everyone in Nuoding!"

Lin Tianyu stood beside her, his aura steady and his eyes brimming with emotion and hope. He gazed at his son for a long while, a thousand feelings stirring in his heart.

He knew all too well how difficult every step of a Soul Master's cultivation was. Each rank's bottleneck was a heavenly chasm. Even ordinary geniuses could only gain two or three ranks in a year, yet his son had surged up six ranks, with a solid foundation and pure soul power, without the slightest trace of instability. Such talent, temperament, and cultivation speed had already surpassed countless prodigies in the world.

After a long silence, Lin Tianyu drew a deep breath and spoke with utmost solemnity, his voice full of conviction and hope:

"Good! Good! Good! Exceptional talent, a steady temperament, discipline and tenacity, and an incomparably solid foundation. My son has the makings of a Titled Douluo!"

"No, no, no! Don't say that. Aren't you setting me up for disaster?" Lin Yu waved his hands repeatedly at his father's words, inwardly grumbling.

Once their excitement and joy had subsided, the family quickly regained their composure and turned to the matter at hand.

Breaking through to rank twenty meant he would soon acquire his second soul ring. This was a crucial step on a Soul Master's cultivation path. The second soul ring's age, attribute, and quality would directly determine the ceiling of their cultivation over the coming decades, as well as their martial soul's potential.

Looking serious, Lin Chen concealed nothing and laid out his plan.

"Dad, Mom, this time I need a wood-attribute soul ring, preferably between eight hundred and nine hundred years old. The ideal choice would be a wood-element fox soul beast in that age range. It would offer the highest compatibility."

As soon as he finished speaking, the couple's joyful expressions changed drastically. Their faces grew grave, and they immediately objected.

"No! Absolutely not!"

Lin Tianyu's brows knitted tightly, his tone resolute.

"A five-hundred-year first soul ring was already a heaven-defying stroke of fortune. You were incredibly lucky to succeed! The normal limit for a second soul ring is only six hundred years, yet you're asking for eight hundred to nine hundred years, a full three hundred years or more beyond the usual limit. It's far too dangerous! One careless mistake could shatter your martial soul, sever all your meridians, destroy your cultivation, or even threaten your life!"

Li Su hurried to agree, her eyes full of worry.

"Little Chen, listen to your father. You mustn't rush recklessly ahead! Steady progress is the proper path for a Soul Master. Greed for quick gains will only force you to swallow the bitter fruit of your own actions. An eight-hundred- to nine-hundred-year soul ring is too risky. You absolutely must not attempt it!"

His parents' concerns were far from needless. They were informed judgments born of their familiarity with the Soul Master system.

The ironclad rule accepted throughout the continent was that a Soul Master could generally withstand a second soul ring no older than six hundred years. Beyond that age, their soul power would be insufficient to suppress the soul beast's berserk essence, making it all too easy for absorption to end in backlash and a ruined martial soul.

Countless geniuses had sought older soul rings out of greed, only to fall or lose their cultivation, burdened with lifelong regret.

But Lin Chen understood his own trump cards perfectly.

His extraordinary body, tempered by whale rubber, possessed resilience far beyond others of his rank. Human-Spirit Symbiosis provided a nourishing cycle, and Liuli could divert some of the incoming soul power. Combined with his maturity and control, far beyond those of his peers, his tolerance had long since exceeded what ordinary Soul Masters could imagine.

An eight-hundred- or nine-hundred-year wood-element soul ring might seem dangerous, but it was actually well within his capacity.

Lin Chen patiently reasoned with his parents, his explanation clear and every word earnest.

"Dad, Mom, I'm not recklessly chasing quick gains. I absorbed a five-hundred-year Azure Water Fox for my first soul ring, and my foundation has already been consolidated to the utmost. The purity of my soul power, the strength of my body, and my martial soul's affinity are all far beyond those of ordinary rank-twenty Soul Masters.

"My tolerance has long since broken past the constraints of ordinary Soul Masters.

"The wood attribute nurtures and harmonizes with my water-element martial soul. Water and wood share a common source, sustaining an endless cycle of life, so the risk of absorption will be greatly reduced.

"Eight hundred to nine hundred years is precisely the ideal range for me at this stage. It will maximize my potential while remaining safe and manageable. If I cling to conventional age limits, I'll only waste my talent and constrain my future ceiling."

Every word was sincere, every point sound. He carefully analyzed his own foundation, his martial soul's characteristics, and the principles of mutually nourishing attributes. His calm certainty bore no resemblance to a boy's impulsive greed for quick gains; it was a precise judgment reached after careful thought.

The couple exchanged a glance. Seeing their son so calm, determined, and confident, their worries gradually began to ease.

They knew their son possessed a temperament far beyond the ordinary and never acted rashly. Every choice he made rested on complete confidence. After much hesitation, unwilling to bury his peerless talent, they finally gritted their teeth and nodded their agreement.

"Very well! Since your mind is made up and you've thought everything through, we'll trust you this once!" Lin Tianyu said gravely. "But you absolutely must not take risks just to prove yourself! To ensure nothing goes wrong, I'll contact my longtime friend, Tieshan, right away!"

Tieshan was a rank-forty-five power-attack Battle Soul Ancestor whose martial soul was the Black-Striped Tiger. Equally capable in offense and defense, he possessed formidable combat strength and extensive wilderness hunting experience. He was one of the strongest experts around Nuoding City, as well as Lin Tianyu's most trusted close friend.

With a rank-forty-five Soul Ancestor protecting them, they could handle the vast majority of unexpected dangers within the Soul Hunting Forest and minimize the risk of accidents.

There was no time to lose. Lin Tianyu immediately went out to contact him, and within half a day, he and Tieshan had settled their travel plans.

Upon hearing that his old friend's son had broken through to Soul Grandmaster and needed protection while acquiring an older soul ring, Tieshan readily agreed. He immediately made time to join them and lend his protection.

Early the next morning, as the sky began to brighten, all their preparations were complete.

Lin Chen and his parents, accompanied by their protector, the rank-forty-five Soul Ancestor Tieshan, set out together in a carriage bound for the Soul Hunting Forest.

After a swift journey, they reached the outskirts of the Soul Hunting Forest without incident, passed through the bustling marketplace, and ventured deep into the forest.

Their objective was clear: find a Wood Element fox soul beast between eight hundred and nine hundred years old.

Water and wood nourished one another, and Wood Element soul beasts mostly dwelled deep in lush, damp forests where vegetation flourished.

The four pressed deeper into the forest, avoiding useless low-level soul beasts and focusing their search on areas with dense vegetation and abundant spiritual energy.

Powerful and seasoned, Tieshan kept watch as they advanced. He eliminated any potential threat ahead of time, keeping their journey exceptionally secure.

After several days of searching, deep within a dense forest of towering ancient trees and tangled vines, they finally found their target.

Several spirit foxes with emerald-green fur played and leaped atop a blue-gray rock among the trees. Their movements were light and nimble, rich Wood Element vitality wreathed their bodies, and the spiritual energy of leaves and branches swirled around them. These were the exceedingly rare Wood Element fox soul beasts known as Greenwood Foxes.

Greenwood Foxes were gentle and highly intelligent, with exceptionally pure wood attributes. Their compatibility with Lin Chen's White Fox martial soul was practically perfect. Water and wood would blend together and strengthen one another, making them a supreme choice for his second soul ring.

Their gazes quickly locked onto an adult Greenwood Fox in the center of the group.

Its body was sleeker and more vigorous than those of its companions, its entire form emerald-green as jade. Beneath its fur lay dense, deeply etched markings, and the Wood Element spiritual energy surrounding it was thick and condensed. After examining it closely and comparing its age markings, they finally determined its cultivation age: between eight hundred and nine hundred years!

It fell perfectly within the age range Lin Chen needed. An exceptionally old soul beast, a pure attribute, and superb compatibility—an opportunity bestowed by heaven!

"That's the one!" Lin Tianyu said gravely.

Without any unnecessary maneuvering, Tieshan stepped forward first. His soul power erupted with a roar, and his martial soul instantly possessed him.

Dark, tiger-striped soul power covered his body. His muscles abruptly tightened and swelled, and dull explosive cracks rang from the bones and tendons of his limbs. The phantom of a pitch-black Fierce Tiger solidified behind him, its savage, domineering bestial might sweeping through the entire forest. His formidable Soul Ancestor pressure pinned down the surrounding air currents, making even the nearby vegetation tremble.

Lin Tianyu and Li Su activated Martial Soul Possession in unison. Red Fox soul power enhanced their speed, and their figures became two blurs, sealing off the Greenwood Fox's escape routes to either side;

Luminous white White Fox soul power spread out in layers, forming a sturdy barrier that prevented the Greenwood Fox from fleeing or circling around for a sneak attack.

With one providing speed, one defense, and one overwhelming control of the battlefield, the three drew on years of practiced coordination to instantly form an inescapable encirclement, completely cutting off every retreat for this nine-hundred-and-ten-year-old Greenwood Fox.