The Whereabouts of the Second Soul Ring

It was midsummer, and once again, noon.

Everywhere on the continent except the Extreme North was scorched by the blazing sun.

Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Volcanic Group Mimic Cultivation Ground.

"Hongjun, now that summer has arrived, the volcano's temperature has broken past its limit. Even a Soul King like me can't stand staying here for long."

At the crater, a burly, powerfully built middle-aged man spoke to the red-haired boy beside him:

"We'll reduce the training load over the next few months. Once autumn comes and the volcano's temperature drops, we'll resume it."

Waves of scorching air rolled out from the crater, like a natural sauna.

In the brief time it took him to say those two sentences, the speaker had already wiped the sweat from his forehead no fewer than four times.

"Hot? I think it's fine!"

Standing at the crater's edge, the red-haired boy emanated a purplish-red glow, his long hair dancing in the heat waves rising from the lava.

Though not particularly handsome, his features were well-proportioned. Combined with his sturdy physique, no one would have imagined that he was Ma Hongjun, the fat Prostitute Phoenix from the original story.

"Uncle Xu, have you forgotten that my Martial Soul is the Fire Phoenix? I'm naturally highly adaptable to extremely hot environments."

"You find it unbearable after staying here too long, but I find it very comfortable."

After hearing this, Guard Xu Pan scratched his head awkwardly and said:

"I let one leaf blind my eyes. I only remembered that you're a Soul Master with a Soul Power Level in the teens and forgot that your Martial Soul is the Fire Phoenix."

As Xu Pan spoke, a hint of envy unconsciously surfaced in his words.

The Fire Phoenix was a top-tier beast Martial Soul. Even a flawed Fire Phoenix was far beyond comparison to his ordinary Rock Horned Bull Martial Soul.

He had already been in his early forties when he broke through to Soul King. Soul Emperor would likely be the end of his cultivation in this lifetime.

But Ma Hongjun, this child, would likely be able to cultivate to the legendary realm of a Titled Douluo, barring any mishaps.

He had no idea how Duke had learned that someone in the Balak Kingdom would awaken a Fire Phoenix Martial Soul.

While Xu Pan was lost in thought, he was blasted by the heat waves erupting from the crater for a while longer, until he truly could not endure the heat anymore.

So, he moved away from the crater and found a place to sit. Enduring the sweltering weather, he calmed his mind and began meditating to cultivate.

The volcano's intense heat made the Heaven and Earth Vital Energy in this area exceptionally active. Meditating here to cultivate soul power was considerably faster than doing so elsewhere.

Of course, that was provided the cultivator could withstand the extreme heat of this place.

Ma Hongjun had relied on his innate rank nine soul power to cultivate at a rate of nearly three and a half levels per year. Aside from the boost provided by the mimic cultivation ground, the active Heaven and Earth Vital Energy was also an extremely crucial factor.

Three days ago.

Ma Hongjun's Soul Power Level had broken through from the peak of level sixteen to level seventeen, leaving only three more soul power levels until level twenty.

He firmly believed that he would break through to level twenty in less than a year.

"I'm now seven years and seven months old. I'll turn eight in another five months, so it's already impossible for me to break through to Soul Grandmaster before turning eight."

"If only I had met Uncle Xu on the day I turned six."

When Ma Hongjun awakened his Martial Soul, he had already been six years and two months old.

Had he met Xu Pan on the day he turned six, there would still have been the slightest possibility of breaking through to level twenty before turning eight.

"I've already broken through to level seventeen. I wonder how that person's cultivation is progressing?"

A secluded courtyard.

Beneath a pavilion, Lin Rong leaned against the railing, occasionally picking up pastries from a celadon plate and tossing them into the water, setting a school of koi scrambling to snatch them.

As Lin Rong fed the koi, he asked:

"Grandpa Yu, is there any news about my Second Soul Ring?"

Inside the pavilion, the Old Butler wore a guilty expression as he answered softly:

"This old servant is incapable. There is no news yet."

"Grandpa Yu, there's no need to blame yourself." Lin Rong turned back, looking at the Old Butler's guilty expression as he consoled him:

"It isn't that you're incapable. My requirements are simply too demanding."

"Spatial-attribute soul beasts are already rare, let alone plant soul beasts with spatial attributes."

"If we truly cannot find one that meets my requirements, we can relax the age requirement somewhat."

"The previous requirement was above nine hundred years but below one thousand years. Now, change the minimum from nine hundred years to eight hundred years."

"If there is still no progress, I'll personally make a trip to the Star Dou Great Forest and try my luck."

The Second Soul Ring Lin Rong needed had to come from a plant soul beast with spatial attributes.

Plant soul beasts were compatible with the Nine Bend Vine Dragon, and a plant soul beast with spatial attributes, combined with the inherent grade of the Nine Bend Vine Dragon Martial Soul, would give Lin Rong a very high chance of obtaining a soul skill with powerful life-preserving capabilities.

Only then would Lin Rong have the confidence to carry out his next plan.

As for the Heart of the Banyan Wood's soul skill, "Flower Transfer, Wood Grafting," its cooldown was far too long, so it could only be kept as a trump card for saving his life.

Unless absolutely necessary, Lin Rong would not use it.

Among soul beasts, those with spatial attributes were exceedingly rare.

There were only a few types of soul beasts that were born with spatial attributes. The rest had basically acquired spatial attributes through later mutations.

Although plant soul beasts came in many varieties, no one had yet discovered any that were innately endowed with spatial attributes.

The only recorded cases were bamboo and gourd vine soul beasts, which were the most likely to later mutate and develop spatial attributes.

Moreover, the higher their cultivation, the greater the chance of later mutating spatial attributes.

Yet Lin Rong required one with a cultivation below a thousand years, making the chances of a spatial mutation extremely low.

That was why the Shadow Guards had found the search so troublesome. Even now, they had not found one that met the requirements.

Lin Rong understood that this decision had indeed been somewhat hasty, but there was no other choice.

Soul masters possessed Nine Soul Rings.

The First, Third, Fifth, Seventh, and Ninth Soul Rings were all exceptionally important.

The First Soul Ring and Ninth Soul Ring marked the beginning and end of a soul master's journey.

The Third Soul Ring and Fifth Soul Ring were, respectively, the first Thousand-Year Soul Ring and the first Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring, serving as links between what came before and what followed.

As for the Seventh Soul Ring, which granted the Martial Soul Avatar, it was even more crucial.

Therefore, the Third Soul Ring, which served as a bridge between the previous and subsequent stages, was best obtained from a soul beast closely related to one's Martial Soul.

Lin Rong's Nine Bend Vine Dragon Martial Soul had been born from the fusion and mutation of the Dragon Soul Vine and Thousand Leaf Banyan.

His First Soul Ring had come from a Thousand Leaf Banyan, granting him the supreme soul skill Dragon Soul Awakening.

Ideally, his Third Soul Ring should also come from a Dragon Soul Vine.

However, the Dragon Soul Vine was itself a Mutated Martial Soul and was almost nonexistent in the Soul Beast Forest.

Thus, Lin Rong had settled for the next best option for his Third Soul Ring.

Without a Dragon Soul Vine, the Azure Vine, its pre-mutation form, was also an excellent choice.

With the Third Soul Ring already decided, if Lin Rong failed to obtain a spatial-type soul skill from his Second Soul Ring, he would have to wait until his Fourth Soul Ring to acquire one.

All the plans that had been laid out would likewise be delayed until then.

To avoid holding back the overall situation, Lin Rong had to obtain the spatial-type soul skill he wanted from his Second Soul Ring.