Early the next morning, as the first fish-belly white appeared on the horizon, Yu Tianming brought Ye Lingling to the academy gates.
Their shadows stretched long in the morning sun across the bluestone paving, where the dew had yet to dry.
"Nervous?"
Yu Tianming turned to look at the girl beside him.
Ye Lingling had changed into a pale blue-green martial outfit today, with a sachet embroidered with begonia flowers tied at her waist and a small ornament pinned in her hair.
Ye Lingling shook her head gently, but her fingers clutching the hem of her clothes betrayed her feelings.
She was about to meet a Titled Douluo-and, more importantly, the grandfather of the boy she loved.
"My grandfather is actually very kind."
Yu Tianming smiled, suddenly reaching out to straighten the strands of hair the morning breeze had tousled. "He just looks a little stern."
The tips of Ye Lingling's ears instantly flushed scarlet. She was about to speak when the sky suddenly darkened.
Rumble-
A thunderclap tore across the sky, and a blue-violet point of light appeared on the distant horizon.
That point of light rapidly grew larger, reaching the sky above the academy in the blink of an eye.
In an instant, the savage pressure of thunder made even the ground tremble slightly, and the large trees by the academy gates began to shake.
"So powerful! It's a Titled Douluo!"
A student who had risen early to train cried out in shock.
Yu Yuanzhen descended from the sky, nine Soul Rings slowly revolving around him.
As he landed, the stone paving beneath his feet cracked inch by inch, and blue-violet snakes of lightning slithered across the ground.
Yu Yuanzhen commanded respect without showing anger. As his sharp gaze swept over her, Ye Lingling immediately felt her breath catch and grew nervous.
"Greetings, Thunder Douluo!"
The gate guards and several students who recognized Yu Yuanzhen hurriedly bowed.
Yu Tianming, however, went up to him with a smile. "Grandpa, isn't that entrance of yours a little too over the top?"
"You little brat."
Yu Yuanzhen laughed and chided him, instantly withdrawing his pressure.
He looked at Ye Lingling, a hint of amusement in his eyes, and asked gently, "Is this the little girl from the Nine Heart Begonia Clan?"
Ye Lingling hurried forward and bowed. "This junior, Ye Lingling, greets Thunder Douluo."
Yu Yuanzhen nodded in satisfaction and took out an exquisite jade box. "Lingling, take this."
Overwhelmed by the favor, Ye Lingling accepted the jade box. Opening it, she found a pendant of azure jade inside, carved with a lifelike miniature Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.
"This... is too precious..." Ye Lingling said, at a loss for what to do.
Yu Tianming leaned over for a look and smiled. "Grandpa even brought out his treasured Thunder Spirit Jade. Looks like he really likes you."
Yu Yuanzhen stroked his beard and smiled.
"Child, accept it. Consider it a gift from this old man on Tianming's behalf. No need to stand on ceremony."
His gaze was very kindly, just like that of someone looking at his granddaughter-in-law.
Her cheeks scarlet, Ye Lingling carefully put on the jade pendant.
The instant the pendant touched her skin, a gentle current of lightning flowed through her body, leaving her thoroughly refreshed.
"Thank you for your generous gift, Your Eminence." She bowed solemnly once more, this time with a little more warmth.
Seeing this, Yu Tianming smiled and said, "Grandpa, let's get going. Let's try to get the Soul Ring sorted out today."
Yu Yuanzhen laughed heartily and swept his sleeve, lifting the two of them with his immense Soul Power.
"Let's go!"
Three figures shot into the sky, turning into a streak of blue-violet light and vanishing into the horizon under the shocked gazes of the academy's teachers and students.
Ye Lingling heard nothing but the wind roaring past her ears and instinctively grabbed Yu Tianming's sleeve.
The boy's warmth reached her through the fabric, making her heart beat faster.
"Don't be afraid." Yu Tianming turned his hand to clasp her slightly cool little hand. "Grandpa is faster than ordinary Titled Douluo, but with the Soul Power barrier protecting us, there's no danger."
Yu Yuanzhen glanced at their little movements behind him, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
He deliberately slowed down a little so the two youngsters could admire the scenery along the way together.
Clouds rolled beneath their feet, and the morning sun dyed the sea of clouds gold, like an immortal realm.
"So beautiful..." Ye Lingling gazed at it, entranced, temporarily forgetting her nervousness.
"Yes, so beautiful!"
Yu Tianming smiled as he gazed at Ye Lingling's exquisitely beautiful profile.
About four hours later, a seemingly boundless forest appeared in the distance.
Ancient trees towered into the sky, and faint beast roars could be heard.
"We've reached the Star Dou Great Forest." Yu Yuanzhen landed on the outskirts of the mixed zone. "Child, what age Soul Beast do you need?"
Ye Lingling hurriedly answered, "Your Eminence..."
"That's too formal. Call me Grandpa Yu," Yu Yuanzhen said.
At those words,
Ye Lingling looked at Yu Tianming. Seeing him smile and nod, she corrected herself. "Grandpa Yu, the age of my second Soul Ring should be around fifteen hundred years."
"That's too conservative."
Yu Tianming shook his head. "Lingling, you've taken thousand-year whale rubber and ten-thousand-year whale glue. Your physique isn't any weaker than a Soul Elder's. I suggest you absorb a two-thousand-year Soul Ring directly."
Yu Yuanzhen nodded approvingly. "That's right."
Normally, one piece of thousand-year whale rubber could raise the limit one could withstand by five hundred years.
The effects of ten-thousand-year whale glue were far more than double that.
Although Ye Lingling was still only a rank-twenty Quasi-Soul Grandmaster, she had consumed several pieces of whale rubber in succession. Absorbing a two-thousand-year Soul Ring would not be difficult.
The ages of Yu Tianheng's, Dugu Yan's, and the others' second Soul Rings were also around two thousand years.
"All right, then."
Ye Lingling nodded gently.
"Mm, then let's find Lingling a suitable Soul Beast first, and afterward head to the core zone to help Tianming hunt for his Soul Ring," Yu Yuanzhen said with a smile.
Afterward,
Yu Yuanzhen led the two of them in a search through the mixed zone.
After they had searched for a while, a violent fluctuation of Soul Power suddenly came from nearby.
Yu Yuanzhen narrowed his eyes. "Interesting. There are actually Soul Beasts fighting."
With a sweep of his large hand, he quickly brought the two of them near the battlefield.
They saw a bell deer radiating multicolored light locked in battle with an enormous blood-red vine. The surrounding trees had been knocked down, and the ground was cracked.
"It's a Spirit Charm Seven-Colored Deer!"
At the sight of the bell deer, Ye Lingling immediately cried out, her eyes filled with delighted surprise.
"This kind of Soul Beast is extremely rare. It's said to possess a pure life attribute, and its bloodline is very strong. As long as they don't die prematurely, they can pretty much all become ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts."
Yu Tianming's eyes lit up. "Its age is just around two thousand years. Grandpa, this is the one!"
Yu Yuanzhen laughed heartily. "Good!"
With that, his figure flashed, and he appeared directly between the two Soul Beasts.
The pressure of a Titled Douluo erupted. The blood-red vine instantly shrank back underground, while the Spirit Charm Seven-Colored Deer was pinned down, unable to move.
With a casual bolt of lightning, he severely wounded the Spirit Charm Seven-Colored Deer, leaving it with only a breath of life.
"Child, come give it the final blow," Yu Yuanzhen called.
Ye Lingling hurried forward, drew a silver-white shortsword, and plunged it into the Spirit Charm Seven-Colored Deer's neck, ending its life.
Soon,
A dazzling purple Soul Ring emerged from the Spirit Charm Seven-Colored Deer's corpse.
"Start absorbing it."
Yu Tianming said, "With Grandpa and me here, no person or Soul Beast can disturb you."
Ye Lingling gave him a grateful look, then sat cross-legged and began absorbing the Soul Ring.
The entire process went very smoothly and was completed in two hours.
When Ye Lingling opened her eyes again, her Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul already had two Soul Rings, one yellow and one purple, and her Soul Power had risen directly to the peak of rank twenty-two.
However,
The Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul was very unusual. No matter how many Soul Rings it had, it only ever had one Soul Skill: "area-of-effect group healing."
The only differences were the healing's effectiveness and range.