"Teacher, let me handle it!" Su Yu's gaze sharpened as he stepped forward.
Soul Power surged through his body, and several sharp wooden spikes instantly sprouted from his arm!
Before his words had faded, he snapped off a spike and flicked his wrist hard, sending it shooting toward the Blazing Wind Pig.
The Blazing Wind Pig clearly thought nothing of this unremarkable "little toothpick."
Its charge did not slow. Instead, it sped up a little, crushing the fallen leaves beneath its hooves.
Yet in the next instant, the wooden spike struck the Blazing Wind Pig squarely in the head.
At first, the spike caused no obvious damage, but after just a single breath, it began growing wildly at a speed visible to the naked eye!
Squelch-
Countless tiny spikes erupted from the base of the wooden spike, spreading inward through the Blazing Wind Pig's skull like roots and piercing through it. Blood instantly poured from its seven orifices.
The Blazing Wind Pig's charge abruptly faltered, and its massive body swayed.
The savage light in its eyes quickly faded. Then it crashed to the ground with a boom, twitched twice, and fell still.
Hu Liena watched, dumbstruck, and instinctively covered her little mouth.
Bibi Dong also looked at Su Yu in surprise.
Even some Soul Masters in their teens in level might not be able to deal with a two-hundred-year Soul Beast easily.
Yet this disciple of hers had killed it outright in a single strike!
"Xiao Yu, what was that just now?"
"Teacher, that was Wood Release: Cutting Technique!"
"Cutting Technique?"
Bibi Dong looked at the Blazing Wind Pig's corpse on the ground, deep in thought.
"Yes. Teacher, do you believe me now?" Su Yu looked up at her, his eyes full of earnestness.
"No." Bibi Dong shook her head, her tone firm. "I know how important Soul Rings are to Soul Masters. I absolutely won't let you act recklessly."
Su Yu wanted to argue, but then reconsidered. Once he had absorbed his Soul Ring, if things really were as he thought, his teacher would naturally believe him.
He pressed his lips together and said nothing more.
Seeing that he no longer insisted, Bibi Dong reached out and stroked his head, saying gently:
"Xiao Yu, a Soul Master can absorb each Soul Ring only once in their lifetime. I can't let you gamble with your future."
"All right, Teacher. I understand."
Su Yu nodded, though a trace of defiance still lingered between his brows.
"Good, as long as you understand." Bibi Dong withdrew her hand and changed the subject.
"By the way, do you know the maximum age you can handle for your First Soul Ring?"
Su Yu's eyes lit up, and he immediately said, "Teacher, by my initial estimate, I should be able to absorb a nine-hundred-year Soul Ring as my First Soul Ring!"
"If I push myself, even a Soul Ring over a thousand years old isn't out of the question!"
"Ow!" The moment he finished speaking, Bibi Dong flicked his forehead. It hurt so much that he clutched his head and looked at her with tears in his eyes!
"Teacher, you hit me again!"
Bibi Dong raised an eyebrow, looking somewhat helpless. "Still daring to lie to your teacher?"
"For ordinary Soul Masters, the age of their First Soul Ring is usually around two or three hundred years. Even the limit is only a little over four hundred and twenty years."
"Yet here you are, saying nine hundred or a thousand years right off the bat?"
"I'm really not lying to you!" Su Yu grew anxious and hurriedly said.
"Nana could definitely absorb a Soul Ring around five hundred years old as her First Soul Ring now!"
"Still being cheeky." Bibi Dong tapped his forehead lightly.
"An ordinary person's limit is indeed a little over four hundred years, but you and Nana have used medicinal herbs to temper your bodies. Your limits could increase by a few decades, reaching five hundred and some years at the absolute most. Where did nine hundred years come from?"
She paused, her tone growing more serious. "The greatest taboo in cultivation is reaching for heights beyond your grasp."
"If you forcibly absorb a Soul Ring that's too old, once it exceeds what your body can withstand, your Martial Soul could shatter at best, and at worst, you could die on the spot. Do you understand?"
Her words left Su Yu speechless, and he could only mutter quietly:
"But I really feel..."
"No buts!" Bibi Dong interrupted him.
"Once we find a suitable Soul Beast around five hundred years old, we'll settle on it. No more wild ideas."
"Teacher, I really can! If you don't believe me, check right now!"
Su Yu tilted his little face up, his eyes full of certainty, showing no intention of backing down.
"Fine. I'll make you give up on the idea right now!"
Seeing how insistent he was, Bibi Dong simply decided to verify it herself.
She walked up to Su Yu and gently placed her palm on his shoulder, slowly sending a stream of mild Soul Power into his body.
Half a minute later, Bibi Dong withdrew her palm, her face filled with surprise.
"Teacher, how was it? I wasn't lying this time, was I?" Seeing her reaction, Su Yu immediately raised his head with a hint of smugness.
Noticing Bibi Dong's unusual expression, Hu Liena hurried forward and gently tugged at her sleeve, asking quietly:
"Teacher, is something wrong with Brother Su Yu's body?"
Bibi Dong came back to her senses, raised her hand to stroke Hu Liena's head, and reassured her:
"No, don't worry."
She paused, her gaze returning to Su Yu, a trace of amazement in her voice.
"I was just a little surprised. Xiao Yu's physical fitness is actually already comparable to a Soul Elder's!"
"A Soul Elder?!"
Hu Liena covered her mouth in surprise, her large eyes going round.
Though she was young, she knew that Soul Elder was a realm Soul Masters could reach only after cultivating to Level 30.
"Teacher, does that mean Brother Su Yu can absorb a Thousand-Year Soul Ring?"
"In theory, yes, but absorbing a Thousand-Year Soul Ring as his First Soul Ring is simply too incredible!"
Compared with Bibi Dong's surprise, Su Yu seemed somewhat calmer. He had long known the maximum age of the Soul Ring he could absorb.
With his Basic Sage Body and medicinal baths made from those precious herbs, his physical fitness now far surpassed that of his peers!
Bibi Dong took a deep breath, suppressing her shock.
Su Yu's claim that he could withstand a nine-hundred-year or even a Thousand-Year Soul Ring was no empty talk.
This child's physical strength already far exceeded that of Soul Masters his age, and even surpassed that of some adult Soul Masters.
"It seems I underestimated you."
Bibi Dong looked at Su Yu, her tone carrying some gratification, along with a hint of complexity.
"Since your body can withstand it, we'll go by your limit."
"But even so, we can't be careless. We must find the most suitable Soul Beast."
Su Yu nodded vigorously, a brilliant smile spreading across his face:
"Thank you, Teacher!"
"Let's go." Bibi Dong turned and continued forward, her pace a little faster than before.
"Since your limit has increased, we'll have to go a little deeper into the forest. That's where we'll find older Soul Beasts."
After another hour of walking deeper into the forest, Bibi Dong suddenly stopped and reached out to gently hold back Su Yu and Hu Liena beside her.
"Wait." She used her spiritual power to sense the activity ahead, a sharp glint flashing through her purple eyes.
"There's a four-hundred-and-eighty-year-old Demon Charm Fox up ahead. Its spiritual power fluctuations are very strong. It would be very suitable for Nana's First Soul Ring."
At her words, nervousness and anticipation instantly appeared on Hu Liena's little face, and she tightly clutched the hem of Bibi Dong's clothes.
Before you continue