"Your Martial Souls' resonance was rather weak to begin with, and your levels are low right now as well. It's perfectly normal for you to be able to weaken and sever that resonance starting with your First Soul Ring."
"Grandmaster, you're my friend for life from now on. If there's ever anything I can help with, just come find me." Dai Mubai threw an arm around Ning Yuhao's shoulders and spoke happily.
Zhu Zhuqing also came over. "Yuhao, thank you."
Then she placed something in Ning Yuhao's hand. He looked down and saw a tooth, its color shading into black, still slightly warm.
Ning Yuhao's gaze turned a little peculiar. "Unless I'm mistaken, is this that Shadow Cat's canine tooth?"
Zhu Zhuqing's face reddened slightly. "I don't have anything to express my thanks with right now, but don't worry. Once I get back, I'll do everything I can."
Ning Yuhao put the tooth into his Soul Tool and gave her a sunny smile. "It's fine. Consider it making a friend. I'm happy I could solve your problem, too."
After the four of them returned, they still kept in frequent contact by letter. Dai Mubai mentioned that although the Star Luo Emperor had flown into a rage and punished him, the punishment had been cut short at his eldest brother's prompting. His days were now very comfortable.
Two years passed in a flash. Ning Yuhao cultivated extremely quickly and reached level 20. It was time for Soul Hunting again.
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm shouted in his Sea of Consciousness, "Xiao Hao, let's sneak away and head north. I'll find you something good."
Ning Yuhao, however, was in no hurry. "I'm the young sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect now, and I'm right at the level 20 threshold. I don't think running off on my own is very realistic."
"Oh, come on, you've got me! With my spiritual power concealing you, you'll be well outside the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's grounds by the time they realize you're gone."
Ning Yuhao still shook his head. "Brother Sky Dream, is there something up north?"
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had taken the form of a youth in Ning Yuhao's Sea of Consciousness and floated in midair. "Do you remember the ice-attribute Martial Soul I gave you?"
"I remember."
"Your ice-attribute Martial Soul is only an empty shell right now. You have to absorb an ice-attribute Soul Ring before it can become a true Ultimate Ice Martial Soul," the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm explained.
"Let's wait until I've absorbed my second Soul Ring. This really isn't a suitable time, and I imagine the Soul Beast you've picked isn't an ordinary one, either. With a little more strength, I'll have a better chance." Ning Yuhao naturally knew that the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm wanted to seek out the Ice Empress, but his current circumstances were not as straitened as Huo Yuhao's. By the same token, he faced more restrictions. If he left without saying goodbye, he feared both Titled Douluo, Chen Xin and Gu Rong, would head out.
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, however, was a little anxious. "Xiao Hao, your Martial Soul is rather special. It can summon Soul Beasts to fight, so I'm planning to give you the best Soul Beasts."
Ning Yuhao knew that the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's concern had thrown his judgment into disarray. "But that Soul Beast is supposed to become my third Martial Soul, not have its Soul Ring attached to my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda."
"Well... that does seem to make sense."
"Is that Soul Beast someone you know?"
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm said somewhat sheepishly, "You could say that. Then have you picked your Second Soul Ring?"
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had originally wanted to find Ning Yuhao's Second Soul Ring in the Far North as well. If they did not go, he would not be much help in choosing its species.
Ning Yuhao nodded. "My Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda is so unusual that I'm planning to put together a Soul Beast battle group. Naturally, that means warriors, healers, and mages. Brother Sky Dream, you'll be the brains of the group and command them. The greatest strength of the summoning system is that the summoner and summons can coordinate in battle at the same time."
"The Soul Beast I've chosen for my Second Soul Ring is the Azure Armored Black Tortoise. It has both earth and water attributes, with extremely strong self-recovery and defensive abilities."
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm nodded. "All right, but you can choose a three-thousand-year-old one. With two and a half Martial Souls strengthening your body, plus all the deliberate physical training you've been doing, a three-thousand-year-old one won't be a problem. I have to say, your sect really is rich."
"Three thousand years... I can't obtain one at that level myself. I'll have to put some effort into persuading them."
Ning Yuhao went to great lengths before Ning Fengzhi agreed to let him obtain a three-thousand-year Soul Ring. He even demonstrated his strength, forcibly killing a Soul Beast over nine hundred years old with his powerful spiritual power. Bone Douluo also examined his body carefully and confirmed that he could withstand it before they reluctantly agreed.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect raised Soul Beasts like these, which were not very aggressive and were easy to rear. Once Ning Yuhao was ready, a dying Azure Armored Black Tortoise was brought before him.
Ning Yuhao easily made a purple Soul Ring drift slowly out of the Azure Armored Black Tortoise's body, then sat cross-legged to absorb it. Bone Douluo and Ning Fengzhi both stayed beside him.
For Ning Yuhao, the absorption went smoothly-even a little faster than Dai Mubai's absorption of his seven-hundred-plus-year Soul Ring. When Ning Yuhao stood up, Ning Fengzhi and Bone Douluo hurried forward. "Xiao Hao, how was it? How do you feel?"
They had been extremely nervous. Ning Fengzhi had even brought an ancestral spirit fruit out of the treasure vault. If anything really went wrong, this spirit fruit could at least ensure that Ning Yuhao's foundation remained unharmed.
Ning Yuhao smiled faintly and summoned his enormous Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. A purple Soul Ring encircled its second floor, while a white Soul Ring encircled the first. As Ning Yuhao poured Soul Power into it, the door on the second floor opened as well. An Azure Armored Black Tortoise formed from Soul Power flew out and landed before them.
"Good! Good! Good!" Ning Fengzhi clapped his hands and laughed heartily, unable to stop himself from saying "good" three times. He could already foresee that even if the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect still could not produce a Nine Treasure Martial Soul like their ancestor's and break through to Titled Douluo, in thirty or forty years, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would likely stand at the head of the Upper Three Sects.
"Xiao Hao, what's your Second Soul Skill?"
"My Second Soul Skill is called Mudstone Barrier. It's a defensive Soul Skill, and with support from a water-attribute Soul Master, my defensive ability can rise another level." Ning Yuhao was quite satisfied with this Soul Skill. After all, without a good tank, team fights were far too exhausting.
"Fengzhi, it seems heaven truly favors our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. With Xiao Hao and Rongrong here, they'll surely take it to new heights in the future." Bone Douluo was also delighted. They had watched these children grow up, and with accomplishments like these, they naturally felt proud.