Those Who Break Their Limits Must Have Something Extraordinary

Dean Lin was dumbstruck after hearing Li Mingzhu's answer.

"Mingzhu," he said earnestly, "whether it provides an enhancement doesn't matter. Those effects weaken as your level rises later on anyway. But that Piercing Thrust effect is something else. It works wonders against defensive soul masters. You're destined to become their nightmare!"

Li Mingzhu curled his lip. If Dean Lin knew about my ability to ignore defenses, would he be scared out of his wits?

"Mingzhu, I don't mind admitting something embarrassing. At first, I thought your martial soul was a trash martial soul too."

"But now, it seems I was the one who failed to recognize its worth."

"Your soul skill is enough to prove that your martial soul is extraordinary. Its potential is at least on par with a high-rank martial soul.

You should know that the strength of a soul master's soul skills depends on the strength of their own martial soul, the bloodline strength and age of the soul beast they hunt, and how compatible that soul beast is with their martial soul.

Take a worthless soul beast like blue silver grass. If it manages to grow for a thousand years, or even ten thousand, there must be something extraordinary about it. In that case, a soul master with a relatively weak plant martial soul can take the risk of absorbing it."

"Remember, those who break their limits must have something extraordinary about them!

You must seize those opportunities and turn what makes them extraordinary into nourishment for your own growth."

"Many years ago, I had a friend whose martial soul was the orchid moon flower, which had healing abilities. Her martial soul's strength was average-weak, even. Back then, when two other friends and I helped her hunt for a soul ring, we happened upon a stalk of blue silver grass that was over fifteen hundred years old.

As you know, commoner soul masters like us have no clans and no protectors. Obtaining a high-quality soul ring is fraught with difficulties.

That's why many commoner soul masters settle for a soul ring as long as its age meets the requirement. Soul hunting is dangerous, and that stalk of blue silver grass happened to meet the standard for a third soul ring, so my friend chose it."

"Dean Lin, what happened next?" Li Mingzhu's appetite for gossip suddenly flared.

Seeing Li Mingzhu listening so attentively, Dean Lin felt deeply gratified.

Then he said seriously, "The soul skill's effects were unexpectedly good. The healing effects of her first two soul skills had only been run-of-the-mill!

But her third soul skill was incredibly powerful, with two effects.

First, it could continuously heal a soul master, even regrow a severed arm. When she was hunting for her fourth soul ring, a soul beast bit off one of her arms and swallowed it. But when I saw her again, it had grown back. It turned out that she had spent thirteen years completing the regeneration.

Second, to put it simply, it could reattach a severed arm.

Of course, all of these came with conditions. For regeneration, for instance, the patient's soul power had to be lower than hers, and it took a long time. Reattaching a severed arm had to be done within half an hour."

Then Dean Lin sighed with feeling. "After absorbing that soul ring, she discovered that even her soul power cultivation had become faster. She's a Soul King now.

But she isn't all that happy about it. After all, her ten-thousand-year fifth soul ring isn't even as useful as her third."

Li Mingzhu asked in astonishment, "Dean Lin, was it really that incredible?"

Dean Lin rolled his eyes at Li Mingzhu. "Do you think I'm joking? She's working at the Plant Academy right now.

Who would have guessed you were a grandmaster of martial soul theory?"

Li Mingzhu was somewhat shocked. Although Dean Lin's theory wasn't entirely correct, he couldn't point to any particular problem with it.

Looking at the stunned Li Mingzhu, Dean Lin was delighted that his theory had astounded someone.

"You remember Yu Xiaogang, don't you?"

Li Mingzhu froze for a moment. How did Yu Xiaogang get dragged into this?

"I do! Why?"

"Martial soul theory was what first brought Yu Xiaogang and me together. You'd better not blindly believe his theories.

How could every soul master have the same maximum age limit for absorbing soul rings?

Take the claim that my first soul ring's limit is four hundred and twenty-three years. Think about it: could a blue silver grass martial soul and a dragon martial soul improve someone's physique by the same amount?

I wanted to refine my own theory too, but soul beasts that have broken their limits aren't easy to find!

In the end, nothing came of it. Later, when Yu Xiaogang came to Nuoding Academy, I originally wanted to discuss martial soul theory with him.

But he looked down on me completely. He even said that whether blue silver grass was a thousand or ten thousand years old, it couldn't change its worthless nature, and that my theory was fundamentally wrong.

Could blue silver grass that had grown for a thousand or ten thousand years still be ordinary blue silver grass?"

Seeing the bitterness written all over Dean Lin's face, Li Mingzhu didn't know what to say.

"By the way, Mingzhu, how did you hunt for your soul ring?"

Dean Lin was puzzled. Li Mingzhu came from an ordinary commoner family, so how had he found someone to help him hunt a soul beast?

Li Mingzhu had prepared his explanation long ago. "Dean Lin, I hired someone with the gold soul coins you gave me."

Dean Lin didn't suspect anything. After all, he had given Li Mingzhu a full four thousand gold soul coins.

"Mingzhu, now that you've absorbed your soul ring, what level are you at?"

Li Mingzhu gave the explanation he had already prepared. "Dean, my soul ring came from a four-hundred-year-old Netherclaw Beast. After absorbing it, my soul power reached the peak of level eleven. I'm only a step away from level twelve."

"Good, good, good!

It looks like Nuoding Academy is going to produce a genius!"

Dean Lin was in excellent spirits. Li Mingzhu was already almost level twelve-what heights might he reach in the future?

The more Dean Lin looked at Li Mingzhu, the more convinced he became that the boy would accomplish great things. It was time to increase his investment.

"Mingzhu, considering your talent, I've decided to give you a hundred gold soul coins every month.

Once you graduate from Nuoding Academy, I'll also recommend you to an intermediate academy. Students who perform outstandingly after graduating from that academy can go on to study at Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

With your talent, getting into Heaven Dou Royal Academy will be all but guaranteed."

Li Mingzhu didn't care whether Dean Lin recommended him to an intermediate academy, but he was definitely going to Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Heaven Dou Royal Academy had an extensive collection of soul beast reference books that would help with his future soul hunting, and its benefits and cultivation facilities were among the very best. They were far better than running with weights at Shrek Academy!

Most importantly, it concerned his plans for the immortal herbs!

Li Mingzhu asked uncertainly, "Dean, doesn't Heaven Dou Royal Academy only admit nobles?"

"Mingzhu, you don't need to worry about that. Normal admission does require noble status,

but you're a genius. The nobles of the Heaven Dou Empire are wicked, not stupid. Why would they turn away a genius?

Besides, Heaven Dou Royal Academy places great importance on talented students. The Heaven Dou Empire hasn't produced many geniuses in recent years. At the latest Continental Soul Master Tournament, Heaven Dou Royal Academy was crushed by Elephant Armor Academy. They didn't even make the final four.

Xue Ye was furious about it. After all, an imperial academy couldn't even match an academy backed by a sect.

Mingzhu, although Heaven Dou Royal Academy has plenty of spoiled brats, it also has all kinds of Mimicry Cultivation Environments, ample soul beast meat in its dining hall, and guarantees regarding the ages of the soul beasts you'll hunt in the future.

The academy will help hunt for soul rings and ensure its students achieve the best possible soul ring configuration.

You should know that thousand-year soul beasts and ten-thousand-year soul beasts are completely different. If you want a ten-thousand-year fifth soul ring, you must have the support of a powerful organization.

Of course, if you don't want to go there, I have other recommendations, such as Blue Sunshine Academy."

After hearing this, Li Mingzhu asked in confusion, "Dean Lin, wouldn't Blue Tyrant Academy work?"