Lu Yang's Plan

"I want to learn more about pharmacology and things like that." After pondering for a long while, Lu Yang finally gave that answer.

"Pharmacology? Can you tell me why you want to study something that has so little to do with Soul Masters?" Qian Renxue was quite puzzled.

Given Lu Yang's obsession with cultivation, she had thought he would take this opportunity to ask her for books on subjects related to Soul Masters, or to arrange for him to study at a Soul Master Academy.

What Qian Renxue did not know, however, was that Lu Yang had already taught himself quite a bit about pharmacology while at Nuoding Academy. He had even planned to try his own hand at it early on. But medicinal herbs were simply not something an ordinary commoner child could afford to dabble in.

Even with the Soul Master allowance provided by Spirit Hall, Lu Yang could not afford such experiments. Now, with a powerful backer like Qian Renxue supplying resources, he had a suitable opportunity to access knowledge that had previously been beyond his reach. Naturally, he had to seize it.

After all, he wanted to research these things to find a way to improve his physique as quickly as possible, and see whether he could alleviate the slow growth in Soul Power cultivation that came with an ultimate attribute after level thirty.

Of course, Lu Yang had not forgotten Dugu Yan, the greatest treasure in Heaven Dou City. But right now, he was only a six-year-old child. If he rashly went looking for Dugu Yan to get in touch with Dugu Bo, not only would he fail to achieve his goal, he might even be slapped to death by Dugu Bo.

As for using his connection with Qian Renxue, he had no intention of doing that for the time being. After all, his current value was nothing compared to the immortal herbs. If he truly laid everything bare before her, there was no guarantee that any of those herbs would end up in his hands.

Still, Lu Yang had already prepared an answer to Qian Renxue's question. "The main reason, naturally, is that when I absorbed a Soul Ring beyond my level this time, I felt that my physique was still a little lacking. Otherwise, it wouldn't have taken me so long to successfully absorb the five-thousand-year Crimson Flame Feathered Sparrow's Soul Ring."

"But after reviewing what I learned from absorbing this Soul Ring, I think my theory can be confirmed. There isn't actually a fixed age limit for absorbing Soul Rings. As long as your body can withstand the violent impact of a Soul Ring's energy, you should naturally be able to absorb an older Soul Ring."

"Heh."

Yet upon hearing Lu Yang's answer, Qian Renxue gave a soft chuckle.

"Boy, absorbing Soul Rings isn't as simple as you think! You might not know this yet, but when absorbing a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, a Soul Master suffers the Soul Shock left within the ring by the Soul Beast as it died. A sturdy body alone isn't enough to endure that," Snake Lance Douluo She Long warned.

"Huh? Is that how it works?" Lu Yang put on a surprised expression.

Of course he knew about Soul Shock, but in front of Qian Renxue and She Long, he could only pretend otherwise.

After all, Soul Shock only appeared in Soul Rings produced by Soul Beasts with over ten thousand years of cultivation. Given Lu Yang's background, there was no way he could have learned about it in advance.

Displaying his talent for cultivation before Qian Renxue could increase his value and make her think more highly of him. But if he revealed too much knowledge and insight that did not fit his background or age, he might not earn recognition and appreciation. Instead, he could draw suspicion and wariness, which was certainly not what Lu Yang wanted.

After a moment of silence, Qian Renxue said, "Since you want to learn, I'll find you a suitable teacher. But don't let it interfere with your cultivation. For a Soul Master, their own cultivation is what matters most."

Hearing Qian Renxue's words, Lu Yang rejoiced inwardly. As long as she agreed, even a teacher chosen at random would be more than he could ever have hoped to obtain on his own.

Qian Renxue and She Long escorted Lu Yang back to the small courtyard where he lived. After giving the servants there a few instructions, they left.

Only after they had gone did Lu Yang settle down and begin reviewing his gains from this Soul Hunting trip.

Overall, he was very satisfied with what he had gained. In particular, discovering that his Martial Soul could actually produce Soul Skills according to his wishes filled him with delight.

Moreover, after absorbing his second Soul Ring, Lu Yang felt that the Martial Soul power he could draw upon seemed considerably stronger than when he had only one ring. He had a feeling that after absorbing another one or two Soul Rings, The Winged Dragon of Ra might reveal its true form instead of remaining a ball of light as it was now.

So my current Martial Soul should be The Winged Dragon of Ra's sphere mode, and doesn't really count as The Winged Dragon of Ra yet? Lu Yang wondered.

Lu Yang did not dwell too deeply on that theory. To determine whether it was true, he would have to reach level thirty as quickly as possible and absorb his third Soul Ring.

At that thought, Lu Yang set the idea aside and entered Martial Soul Possession.

Unlike when he had only one ring, this time, after Lu Yang entered Martial Soul Possession, golden armor condensed from Soul Power also covered his torso and thighs.

Lu Yang could also sense that after gaining his second ring, the defensive strength of this Soul Power armor seemed to have improved considerably. Although he was unsure how it compared to a defensive Soul Master of the same level, it had undoubtedly given him a substantial boost.

Lu Yang felt that if he continued acquiring Soul Rings, this Soul Power armor should keep improving. It was somewhat like the Dou Qi armor in Battle Through the Heavens, except that in that world, abilities such as Dou Qi armor and Dou Qi wings would be replaced by higher-tier abilities in the later stages of cultivation. He wondered whether his armor formed from Soul Power would undergo changes as well.

However, after absorbing his second Soul Ring and obtaining four armor pieces, Lu Yang also noticed something else: his Soul Power consumption had increased considerably while in Martial Soul Possession.

At that rate of consumption, prolonged battles would not bode well for Lu Yang in the future.

Thus, as soon as Lu Yang discovered this issue, he began researching how to resolve it.

Maintaining Martial Soul Possession, he began trying to recover his Soul Power. Thanks to the special ability granted by The Winged Dragon of Ra, Lu Yang discovered that beneath the sunlight, his Soul Power recovered far faster than he consumed it. So, at his current stage, this did not really count as a major problem.

But he could not be certain whether he would still be able to maintain this balance once his cultivation grew stronger. He also had to consider the possibility that consumption would increase further as his cultivation rose and his Soul Power armor continued to improve.

Looks like I'll also have to research how to condense a Soul Core.

Still, when I read analyses of Douluo Continent in my previous life, I saw that Dugu Bo's Poison Pill during the Douluo I era was very likely a kind of embryonic Soul Core. If I could obtain his experience in condensing a Poison Pill, it might help me condense a Soul Core.

Looks like Dugu Bo really is a treasure. And then there are all those immortal herbs in his medicinal garden...