The next day arrived, and the four continued on their way, heading deeper into the Great Star Dou Forest to find a suitable third soul ring for Tang Ya.
While passing through a dense stretch of forest, Gu Xingyue suddenly stopped. His gaze fell on a slender green plant nearby, emerald from top to bottom, its joints clearly defined and glowing with a gentle luster in the morning light.
He murmured instinctively, "Could that be... Lone Bamboo?"
Bei Bei and Tang Ya turned at his voice and followed his gaze.
Bei Bei nodded, sounding somewhat surprised. "Good eye. It is Lone Bamboo. And look at the markings on its joints-their deep color means it's at least a thousand years old. A very rare thousand-year Lone Bamboo."
Huo Yutong blinked, a little puzzled. "Isn't Lone Bamboo pretty common?"
"Lone Bamboo is indeed a plant martial soul you can find everywhere. Its innate potential is only a tiny bit higher than Bluesilver Grass."
Bei Bei picked up the thread, pausing before continuing with a touch of feeling. "That's why it's extremely difficult for a stalk of Lone Bamboo to cultivate for a thousand years. It has to survive countless natural enemies and harsh environments, enduring year after year to reach that age. In a sense, it deserves more respect than soul beasts born powerful."
The moment the words left her mouth, she froze, as though realizing something, and quickly glanced at Tang Ya.
Tang Ya's martial soul was none other than Bluesilver Grass.
Seeing that his expression remained unchanged, Bei Bei secretly breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly added, "Of course, a weak martial soul doesn't mean you can't achieve great things in the future. Bluesilver Grass has the ability to keep growing without end, and Lone Bamboo is famous for its resilience.
"Doesn't this Lone Bamboo reaching a thousand years of cultivation prove its hard work and indomitable spirit? A certain Grandmaster once said there are no useless martial souls, only useless soul masters."
Gu Xingyue listened without showing anything on his face, but inwardly shook his head.
Human determination can conquer heaven.
It certainly sounds inspiring, but on the Douluo Continent, bloodline and talent practically determine ninety-nine percent of your ceiling.
Sometimes, no amount of effort can bridge that inborn gap. Of course, if you've got cheats, you can treat everything above as so much hot air.
Right now, Tang Ya's only chance to defy heaven and change his fate is to pursue further studies in the Holy Spirit Church, pad his résumé with a stint as the Holy Spirit Church Saint, then make it safely ashore.
Other than that, Gu Xingyue really couldn't think of how to make anything of a Bluesilver Grass martial soul so hopelessly trapped at rock bottom.
And that line-"There are no useless martial souls, only useless soul masters"... probably only a sword "grandmaster" like Ji Juechen, who devoted his whole life to the sword and remained faithful to it, has the right to say that.
In short, Bei Bei's speech was probably just a reassuring pill for Tang Ya.
Taking it seriously would be no different from believing in the Grandmaster's "world-shaking wisdom."
Tang Ya spoke then, his tone quite calm. "Lone Bamboo may suit Bluesilver Grass, but I've already decided on my direction. Snake-type or spider-type soul beasts. Those will most directly make up for Bluesilver Grass's lack of attack power. That was also the first Sea God's setup back then."
Bei Bei raised no objections, and Gu Xingyue naturally would not stick his nose in either.
What soul ring someone else chose had nothing to do with him. Nor did he have a penchant for playing teacher, knowing a little about everything but mastering nothing, yet insisting on giving misguided advice.
The four continued onward.
After walking for roughly another hour, Gu Xingyue suddenly stopped as they passed through some low bushes.
Through his perception, which came from the power of nature, the spirits of the surrounding vegetation constantly reported to him.
His expression sharpened. Almost without thinking, his body moved first.
He stepped back, putting Bei Bei in front of him as a shield.
His right hand suddenly grabbed Huo Yutong's arm, pulling her behind him as well.
"What's wrong?" Caught off guard by his movement, Bei Bei froze for a moment.
Gu Xingyue's expression darkened as he scanned the dense forest ahead, his words brief and decisive. "A soul beast is coming. Stay ready for battle!"
Bei Bei instinctively looked around. The forest was as quiet as ever, wind brushing the treetops and faint birdsong sounding in the distance. Nothing seemed out of place.
But after glancing at Gu Xingyue and seeing that his expression did not seem feigned, she immediately completed her martial soul possession.
Blue-violet lightning exploded from her body, and her left hand abruptly swelled and transformed into a powerful dragon claw.
Blue scales covered her arm, arcs of electricity leaping through the gaps between them.
She grew half a head taller, fine blue scales faintly emerging along the sides of her neck.
Her pupils narrowed into vertical slits, radiating the chilling pressure of a dragon.
Yellow, yellow, purple.
Three soul rings rose from beneath her feet, pulsing slowly in the optimal configuration.
Huo Yutong released her martial soul at the same time.
A soft fluorescence lit her eyes, and her vision instantly became crystal clear. Then a white soul ring slowly appeared beside her.
Bei Bei glanced over, and her pupils abruptly contracted.
A ten-year soul ring?
She almost thought she had seen wrong, but that pure, unblemished white was unmistakably the most basic ten-year soul ring.
Her heart sank. Huo Yutong's talent was already mediocre. If she had absorbed a ten-year soul ring on top of that, she might never even break through to become a Grand Soul Master.
But this was clearly not the time to pursue the matter.
After spending these past few days together, she simply could not believe Gu Xingyue would let Huo Yutong casually absorb a ten-year soul ring. He was not that kind of person.
Just then, Huo Yutong spoke. "Sister Bei Bei, Brother Tang Ya, don't resist!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Bei Bei and Tang Ya simultaneously felt a strand of spiritual power enter their seas of consciousness, like an invisible hand gently opening the doors of their awareness.
Immediately afterward, their viewpoint shot upward, as though they were looking down at the earth from the clouds.
The terrain, vegetation, air currents, and even the trembling of every leaf within several hundred meters flooded into their minds in the finest detail.
The impact of that all-encompassing perception left both their minds momentarily blank.
When she recovered, Bei Bei had only one thought left: Is this a soul skill a ten-year soul ring should have?
This is just too...
Terrifying beyond belief. Terrifying beyond belief!
Tang Ya also sucked in a cold breath, clenching his fists, his eyes filled with shock.
The atmosphere in the forest abruptly grew taut.
Before long, a thick, long figure shot out from deep within the bushes. The rustle of scales scraping the ground approached from afar, and a rank wind struck their faces.
Under Spiritual Detection Sharing, the soul beast had practically nowhere to hide.
Like someone naked beneath everyone's eyes, every step of its path was clearly visible.
A thousand-year Mandala Snake.
Bei Bei moved first.
Two curved dragon horns sprouted from her forehead, and lightning surged around her. Blue-violet electric snakes coiled around her entire body, giving off a piercing hum.
She stamped down, cracking the ground, and shot forward like lightning, her dragon claw raised high.
Watching her, a trace of understanding flashed through Gu Xingyue's eyes-this was the Dragon Transformation Secret Technique.
At the same time, he summoned his martial soul as well.
Countless lightning patterns spread from his palm across his entire body. Purple arcs condensed around him into a nearly tangible halo, as though the god of thunder had descended into the world.
The free-floating lightning elements in the air gathered toward him as one, as if answering their sovereign's summons.
Bei Bei abruptly felt her chest tighten. This was not bloodline suppression, but suppression originating from the elemental source itself.
Although her Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon leaned toward the light attribute, it was still lightning at its core. And anything lightning would be naturally suppressed by Gu Xingyue's ultimate lightning attribute-the absolute pressure of a supreme sovereign over his subjects.
But in the blink of an eye, that suppression was reversed.
Gu Xingyue raised his hand, sending a bolt of pure lightning through the air into Bei Bei's body.
Her entire body instantly seemed to ignite. Her blood surged, her soul power soared, and the blue-violet arcs gradually took on a dazzling bright gold-a quality of lightning that approached the ultimate.
At that moment, her lightning attribute was forcibly raised to the very threshold of Ultimate Lightning.
Although it lasted only three short seconds, that was enough for Bei Bei.
A brilliant gleam blazed in Bei Bei's eyes. Her dragon claw, wrapped in raging lightning, smashed straight down at the Mandala Snake without hesitation.
Boom-
With an explosive crash, lightning swallowed their entire field of vision.
The thousand-year Mandala Snake did not even have time to let out a final hiss before that strike utterly crushed it, its charred body slamming heavily into the ground.
It had not lasted even a second. The Mandala Snake had been insta-killed the moment it showed its head.
Mandala Snake: Sorry I couldn't keep Lord Ultimate Lightning entertained!
Bei Bei withdrew her martial soul and looked down at her dragon claw, murmuring in disbelief, "Was that for real?!"
Gu Xingyue lowered his hand and merely smiled. "What else? Did you want to fight it for three hundred rounds?"
Before you continue