Xuanming Turtle

"Three thousand years?"

Jin Ying's brow visibly furrowed.

He turned to stare at Yu Chen, his tone stern. "Yu Chen, you mustn't reach beyond your grasp in cultivation. An ordinary Soul Master's third soul ring is around a thousand years old, no more than fifteen hundred at most."

"Once you exceed that limit, the soul ring's energy will backlash against your body. At best, your meridians will be damaged. At worst, your body will explode and you'll die!"

As he spoke, he glanced at Ming Dashan.

These were things any Junior Academy should teach.

For Yu Chen to say something like that, Ming Dashan seemed rather unfit to be a principal.

"Committee Member Jin Ying, you said yourself that those are the limits for ordinary Soul Masters."

Yu Chen met his gaze and spoke calmly.

"My martial soul is a little special. It can surpass those limits!"

As his words fell, Yu Chen's soul power surged. Silvery-white light shone from his right palm, and Xiao Bai Dragon zipped onto his shoulder.

At the same time, two soul rings rose from beneath his feet, slowly revolving.

The first was yellow.

The second soul ring was yellow as well.

However, as Yu Chen gathered his soul power, the second soul ring began to change color.

Threads of purple seeped from within the soul ring, like ink dripping into clear water, slowly bleeding outward and spreading.

Before long.

His second soul ring had turned entirely bright purple.

"What?!"

Jin Ying's eyes went wide.

He stared at that purple soul ring for several seconds, then rubbed his eyes to make sure they weren't playing tricks on him.

"A thousand-year second ring!"

"Yu Chen, your second soul ring is a thousand-year ring!"

Jin Ying spoke in astonishment.

The other teachers looked just as stunned.

Even Ming Dashan couldn't help letting out a faint sigh upon seeing Yu Chen's thousand-year second ring again.

As everyone knew, the upper limit for a second soul ring was eight hundred years.

Eight hundred and a thousand were only two hundred years apart, yet they were worlds apart.

The enhancement a thousand-year soul ring gave a Soul Master's body was revolutionary.

A Soul Elder with a thousand-year soul ring could handle being attacked by five Soul Grandmasters at once with ease.

Yet Yu Chen's second soul ring was already purple!

This completely overturned everything they knew.

"Ahem."

Ming Dashan cleared his throat, bringing everyone back to their senses.

"Principal Ming, what's going on?"

Jin Ying turned to Ming Dashan and cupped his hands slightly. "Did you help Yu Chen hunt down his second soul ring? How exactly did he absorb a thousand-year soul ring?"

His attitude was extremely respectful.

If others could absorb a thousand-year second ring as Yu Chen had, the entire continent's cultivation landscape would change!

"You're too kind, Committee Member Jin Ying. I did indeed hunt down Yu Chen's second soul ring, but its thousand-year level was merely a coincidence."

Ming Dashan began speaking slowly.

"Oh? I'd like to hear the details."

Jin Ying spoke earnestly.

The other teachers all gathered around, their eyes brimming with curiosity.

Ming Dashan explained, "Yu Chen's second soul ring originally came from a Rock-Earth Dragon Turtle over eight hundred years old. As luck would have it, this soul beast had eaten an ashen mushroom while it was alive, and its energy remained stored inside its body, undigested."

"Through a fortunate coincidence, both sources of energy merged into Yu Chen's body, creating this thousand-year soul ring."

He paused, then continued:

"This state is only temporary. It cannot last. But there is no question that Yu Chen's second soul ring can unleash power at the thousand-year level."

"I see!"

A gleam of insight flashed through Jin Ying's eyes.

"Doesn't that mean feeding a soul beast certain treasures before hunting it could yield a soul ring beyond the usual limits?"

His voice was filled with excitement.

However, Ming Dashan shook his head.

"Yu Chen's martial soul is a detached martial soul. Part of those two sources of power is stored in his body, while the rest is stored inside Xiao Bai Dragon. That is why Yu Chen suffers no energy backlash."

"If anyone else tried it..."

At this point, Ming Dashan deliberately glanced at Jin Ying.

"They would certainly die!"

Yu Chen and Ming Dashan had worked out this explanation long ago.

Seven parts truth, three parts falsehood.

It sounded rather far-fetched, but the proof stood right before their eyes.

Moreover, the only living people on the entire continent with detached martial souls were Yu Chen and Yu Xiaogang. No one else was even qualified to test it.

"Hmm..."

Jin Ying looked at Yu Chen's thousand-year soul ring and pondered for quite some time.

"Ah! Such a fortunate opportunity is truly rare."

He let out a heavy sigh.

He had thought he'd discovered a tremendous opportunity, only to find he could do nothing but look on.

At that moment, he almost wished his own martial soul could take a detached form.

However, the thought lingered in his mind for only a moment before vanishing completely.

He was a local too, and had lived in Heaven Dou City for over fifty years.

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect had once had someone with a detached martial soul: Yu Xiaogang.

That man's innate soul power was insufficient, and his martial soul couldn't even match an ordinary Soul Master's in combat. Later, he had devoted himself to researching theory.

When Yu Xiaogang published the Ten Theories of Martial Souls, Jin Ying had mocked him mercilessly.

"So this is where the true strength of a detached martial soul lies!"

Jin Ying sighed with emotion.

Yu Chen's detached martial soul could share the burden of a soul ring, allowing him to absorb older soul rings and break past his limits.

For his second soul ring, he could absorb a thousand-year ring.

For his third, a three-thousand-year ring.

Then, when it came to his fourth soul ring, could Yu Chen absorb a ten-thousand-year ring?

Jin Ying didn't dare follow that thought any further.

They continued onward.

The woods gradually thinned, and after about an hour, a vast swamp appeared ahead.

The gray-green water stretched as far as the eye could see.

Clumps of aquatic plants grew throughout it, their leaves long and slender. A thin layer of mist floated over the surface. Occasionally, bubbles rose from below, sending out tiny rings of ripples.

"There's a group of Diamond Crocodiles over there. Their leader is about twenty-five hundred years old. How about that?"

Jin Ying pointed toward the center of the swamp.

There were roughly twenty crocodiles, basking on a protruding rock.

Although they had noticed Yu Chen and the others, they remained motionless.

"Eeya!"

Xiao Bai Dragon perched on Yu Chen's shoulder, glanced at the Diamond Crocodiles, and shook her little head.

Jin Ying froze for a moment.

"This little one can actually understand human speech? And turn down an offer?"

He couldn't help taking a few more looks at Xiao Bai Dragon.

Throughout their journey, Yu Chen had exchanged plenty of words with Xiao Bai Dragon. Jin Ying had merely assumed there was some special connection between Yu Chen and his martial soul.

He hadn't expected Xiao Bai to truly understand people.

It was simply incredible.

Not only that, Jin Ying also sensed a faint pressure emanating from Xiao Bai Dragon.

It was a form of bloodline suppression.

Even he, a Soul Saint, felt a slight chill in his heart.

Yu Chen's martial soul is probably on par with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon!

Jin Ying thought to himself.

He had once been fortunate enough to see Yu Yuanzhen up close.

That Titled Douluo had merely glanced at him, and Jin Ying had felt his entire body tremble.

"Committee Member, the Diamond Crocodiles' bloodline is a little too weak. Xiao Bai doesn't think much of them."

Yu Chen scratched his head. "Are there any soul beasts with ancient bloodlines in Sunset Forest? Dragons or subdragons, for instance?"

Jin Ying stroked his chin and looked deeper into the swamp.

"There's a large lake thirty li ahead, home to a group of Xuanming Turtles. They don't have the dragon-type bloodline you need, but they should satisfy Xiao Bai's appetite."

Yu Chen nodded. "Then let's go with a Xuanming Turtle. Sorry for the trouble, Committee Member."

Jin Ying waved casually. "No trouble. Students of our Heaven Dou Royal Academy should naturally have the best beasts hunted for their soul rings."

They followed the edge of the swamp for another hour.

Splash-

A series of splashes reached Yu Chen's ears.

After crossing a small hill, they saw a large lake ahead.

The lake water was clear, its surface calm, with an occasional ring of ripples spreading outward. Sunlight shone upon the water, its shimmering reflections glittering like scattered silver.

"Teachers, protect Yu Chen!"

Jin Ying stepped forward, placing himself in front of the group.

In a soul beast forest, the quieter a place was, the more likely danger was to appear.

Splash-

Just then, an enormous dark shape burst from the lake.

It was a Black Tortoise soul beast, its shell glossy black and over three meters across.

Its limbs were thick, its claws sharp, and a ball of water-blue energy rested in its mouth. It suddenly spat the energy toward Yu Chen and the others.

Whoosh!

Jin Ying reacted with extraordinary speed.

The instant the blue light shot out, he was already moving.

Two yellow, two purple, three black.

Seven soul rings appeared, their light intertwining and pressing even the lake's surface downward.

His martial soul was also a golden eagle.

After martial soul possession, he resembled a great eagle spreading its wings as he skimmed over the lake.

Boom-

His first soul skill lit up. His right hand clawed at the air, and a sharp beam of golden light shot from his palm.

The golden and blue lights collided, blasting a towering column of water from the lake.

Jin Ying pressed his attack, his second soul ring lighting up.

His speed suddenly surged. He rushed up to the Xuanming Turtle, and his sharp claws pierced straight through its shell.

Ooo-

The Xuanming Turtle's limbs twitched twice before it fainted outright from the pain.

Thud!

The Xuanming Turtle's body slammed heavily onto the ground.

"Yu Chen, you're truly lucky. This soul beast is exactly three thousand years old!"

As Jin Ying spoke, he clicked his tongue in amazement.

Soul beasts like the Xuanming Turtle generally lived in the center of large lakes.

Jin Ying had already prepared himself to spend three to five days on the hunt, even though he could fly.

He hadn't expected this soul beast to deliver itself straight to their doorstep.

"Thank you, Committee Member."

Having watched Jin Ying fight, Yu Chen offered his heartfelt thanks.

A Soul Saint's strength was truly terrifying.

"Hahaha, a trifling matter."

Jin Ying waved with a laugh, then grew serious again. "Yu Chen, are you certain you can absorb this three-thousand-year soul ring?"

Yu Chen stepped forward, choosing to answer through action.

Rumble-

His second soul ring lit up, and a dull tremor came from the ground.

Thrust!

Several sharp stone pillars shot up, piercing straight through the Xuanming Turtle's body.

Second Soul Skill: Earth Element, Stone Edge.

Xiao Bai Dragon circled twice in the air, then opened her mouth and swallowed the Xuanming Turtle's Thousand-Year Soul Ring whole.

In an instant, Yu Chen felt a surge of energy well up from within his body.

He hurriedly sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to meditate.