Even the illustrious Sword Douluo found having his face slapped like this somewhat hard to bear.
Fortunately, there were no outsiders in the hall, which kept the impact to a minimum.
But looking back at the unmoving, partially humanoid skeleton around Gu Yang, Sword Douluo felt curiosity rise alongside his amazement.
He wanted to see just how formidable the defensive power of Gu Yang's first Soul Skill really was!
"Boy, this strike is comparable to an all-out attack from a level-thirty Soul Elder. Be careful!"
Since a sword strike at the same level had no effect on Gu Yang, Sword Douluo naturally had no need to increase his attack power one level at a time. He immediately raised his sword Qi to level-thirty strength.
The azure sword Qi stabbed straight at the partially humanoid skeleton surrounding Gu Yang. The two collided, and the powerful impact instantly sent Gu Yang flying backward. He staggered back several steps before finally steadying himself.
Even so, the Bone Armor protecting Gu Yang remained completely intact.
Seeing this, Ning Fengzhi and Bone Douluo beside him could not help looking surprised. Clearly, they had not expected that even after Sword Douluo raised his attack power to level thirty, he would still fail to damage Gu Yang's defenses.
Not even a single mark?
The same thought arose in all three of their minds.
How was that possible?
Sword Douluo's heart trembled slightly, and he immediately attacked again.
"This strike, level forty!"
Azure sword Qi shot out again, this time leaving a dent in the Bone Armor surrounding Gu Yang.
"Level forty-five!"
The dent became a breach.
"Level forty-nine!"
Spiderweb cracks began appearing across the ribs of the partially humanoid skeleton.
Only then did Sword Douluo stop completely.
Any further increase would mean level fifty, and level fifty and level forty-nine were two different concepts, so testing this far was enough.
After all, this was an attack at Sword Douluo's level-forty-nine strength. If it were an ordinary Soul Master instead, Gu Yang might well be able to block an attack from a level-fifty Soul King.
At this thought, Ning Fengzhi's face filled with smiles.
"Uncle Gu, you have a fine grandson!"
Hearing Ning Fengzhi's words, Bone Douluo was all smiles as well.
"You flatter him, Sect Master. Gu Yang belongs to our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. That is what is worth celebrating!"
Ning Fengzhi seemed to hear the meaning beneath Bone Douluo's words, and he slowly nodded.
After realizing that Gu Yang's ceiling was even higher than they had anticipated, the three also discussed his future development path.
Gu Yang, however, merely listened.
He had his own considerations regarding his development, not to mention that he also had an all-purpose analytical AI.
After returning to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Gu Yang did not dwell too much on his first Soul Ring. Starting the next day, he trained and cultivated according to the exercise regimen provided by the AI.
Truly effective training meant devising a suitable plan based on his own physical condition, getting every muscle and bone in his body moving.
Training continuously without damaging his body through excessive fatigue was the most efficient method.
Overloaded training like the Shrek Seven Devils' stone-carrying regimen, which left them completely out of commission the next day, was actually not very efficient.
This was where the importance of an AI system that could formulate and adjust a cultivation plan at any time according to Gu Yang's condition became apparent.
After his martial soul awakening, Gu Yang did not just train his body. He also cultivated in a mimicry environment.
As one of the continent's Upper Three Sects, as well as its wealthiest sect, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Mimicry Cultivation Environment was definitely superior to those of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and the Clear Sky Sect, and even compared to Spirit Hall's, it was not inferior.
He had the Mimicry Cultivation Environment to increase the speed of his Soul Power cultivation.
This was supplemented by the large quantities of high-quality medicinal herbs the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect arranged every day to nourish his body.
Under all these conditions, coupled with his already outstanding cultivation talent, Gu Yang's cultivation advanced a thousand miles a day.
In just half a year, Gu Yang's Soul Power reached level twenty!
An average of one level every month and a half-there was no suppressing his level whatsoever!
Even Sword Douluo, Bone Douluo, and the others could not help clicking their tongues at such a terrifying cultivation speed.
Although raising one's Soul Power Level was relatively easier in a Soul Master's early stages, Gu Yang's speed was still far too astonishing.
Many Soul Masters only had level-twenty Soul Power when they graduated from a junior Soul Master Academy.
But how long did that take?
Five whole years!
The only interesting event in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect during this period was Ning Rongrong's martial soul awakening: her innate Soul Power was level nine!
For a support-type Soul Master, this was indeed an exceptionally high level of talent.
A sect heir with level-nine innate Soul Power, and the sect's future guardian with innate full Soul Power who frequently brought him pleasant surprises.
The worries that had troubled Ning Fengzhi for years were all resolved at once. No wonder the sect's disciples had recently been seeing him burst into laughter from time to time.
"AI, with my current physical strength, what is the maximum age of a second Soul Ring I can absorb?"
After his Soul Power Level reached twenty, Gu Yang spent several more days consolidating his Soul Power before asking the AI about the upper limit for his second Soul Ring.
Before long, the familiar voice echoed in Gu Yang's mind. "Based on the host's current physical strength, the maximum age for absorbing a second Soul Ring is 7,500 years!"
"7,500 years?"
Even Gu Yang himself was somewhat shocked. At this rate, wouldn't his third Soul Ring be able to break past ten thousand years?
But thinking about it, that made sense.
His martial soul awakening alone had allowed Gu Yang's body to withstand the impact of a 1,800-year Soul Ring's energy. Now that he had obtained his first Soul Ring, and one from an earth-attribute Soul Beast renowned for defense at that, the strength of both his body and his bones had increased substantially. Naturally, the upper age limit of the Soul Rings he could withstand had also soared.
As for his choice of Soul Beast, Gu Yang also consulted the AI's analysis and decided to prioritize a Soul Ring from a relatively gentle water-attribute Soul Beast.
To obtain his Soul Ring, Bone Douluo once again accompanied Gu Yang to Sunset Forest.
This time, Gu Yang took the initiative to tell Bone Douluo in advance the age of the second Soul Ring he could withstand.
When he heard it was 7,500 years, Bone Douluo was still shocked. But things went as Gu Yang had anticipated: after experiencing the first absorption beyond the normal limit, Bone Douluo's objections were indeed much weaker. In the end, he only cautioned Gu Yang to act within his limits.
The grandfather and grandson searched for half a day before finally arriving at a bamboo grove. Amid stretches of emerald-green bamboo, a strange stalk, fiery red and a full size thicker than the others, easily caught Gu Yang's eye.
As his gaze settled on the fiery-red bamboo, the AI supplied its information at the same time.
[Exploding Bamboo, 7,501 years old, fire-attribute plant-type Soul Beast, possesses an explosive trait.]
7,501 years?
His absorption limit just happened to be 7,500 years. Was this heaven's will?
Although Gu Yang's original target was a water-attribute Soul Ring, one of the four basic attributes, encountering a suitable Soul Beast of another attribute did not necessarily mean it would not work.
"AI, what is this explosive trait?"
"The host can understand it simply as the impact produced by an explosion."
"Then if I inherit this explosive trait, could I possibly obtain a Soul Skill similar to Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets?"
The AI was all-purpose, so Gu Yang directly named one of Shikotsumyaku's abilities, Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets.
"With the enhancement of the explosive trait, Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets is theoretically feasible!"