That night, Yang Podi meditated and cultivated alone in his room.
Yang Podi suddenly opened his eyes. "I did it. Finally, level 30."
Since obtaining his Soul Ring at eight and a half and reaching level 22, he had finally reached level 30 after nearly three years of arduous cultivation. The Nine-Leaf Sword Grass seemed to have produced an unexpected effect: breaking through bottlenecks became easier.
Judging by his rate of advancement, he gained nearly three levels a year, no slower than those with innate full Soul Power, and perhaps even faster.
Yang Podi thought it over carefully. By his calculations, he had reached level 30 Soul Power at eleven and a half. In the original story, Tang San had been the fastest to reach level 30, doing so at twelve, just after joining Shrek Academy.
At that thought, he could not help feeling that Tang San's talent was truly terrifying-or rather, that the Mysterious Heaven Skill was truly wondrous. After enduring a thousand hardships and absorbing Soul Rings beyond the age limit multiple times, he was barely a little faster than Tang San. If Tang San's later cheats were counted, he probably could not even compare. After all, Tang San had gained seventeen levels in just five years after graduating from Shrek Academy, averaging more than three levels a year. That speed was rather terrifying at the Soul King stage.
Early the next morning, Yang Podi went to find his parents. "Dad, Mom, my Soul Power has reached level 30."
Both were somewhat stunned to hear this. Breaking through to Soul Elder at eleven and a half seemed to be the fastest record in history. It seemed no one had ever broken through to Soul Elder before twelve.
"Son, well done. You've broken through to Soul Elder so quickly. How about this? I'll take you to get your Soul Ring tomorrow."
"Have you considered what kind of Soul Ring you want this time? What age do you need?"
Hearing this, Yang Podi thought for a moment. "Dad, are there any strength-type Soul Beasts that might give a lock-on Soul Skill?"
His words piqued their curiosity. "Son, why would you have such a strange idea? Normally, lock-on Soul Skills basically come from spiritual-type Soul Beasts, or a very small number of agility-type Soul Beasts. They almost never appear in strength-type Soul Beasts."
"Isn't there even one?"
"It's not that there are none at all. Have you ever heard of the Iron-Feathered Tiger Eagle?"
"The Iron-Feathered Tiger Eagle? I think I've read about it, but aren't birds usually agility-type Soul Beasts?"
"Bird Soul Beasts generally do excel in speed, but the Iron-Feathered Tiger Eagle is an exception. It's much larger than ordinary eagle Soul Beasts and extremely fast, yet it's a strength-type Soul Beast. Its feathers are as hard as metal, its build is imposing, and its strength is tremendous. Eagle Soul Beasts generally lock onto their prey before hunting for food, which is why a small number of them can yield lock-on Soul Skills."
"But Iron-Feathered Tiger Eagles are extremely difficult to catch. Their strength, speed, and defense are all formidable. Some people have even theorized that they might be a kind of mutated tiger."
"Then where can we find an Iron-Feathered Tiger Eagle?"
"That I don't know. There should be some in the Star Dou Great Forest, but probably not many. People rarely go out of their way to hunt this kind of Soul Beast."
"All right, then. Dad, are we still going to the Sunset Forest this time?"
"The Sunset Forest is closer, only a few dozen kilometers away, and there really are a great many Soul Beasts there. You should have seen quite a few last time."
And so, the two decided to go to the Sunset Forest the next day to obtain his third Soul Ring.
His little sister Yang Tianyue, however, was somewhat unconvinced and declared in her childish voice, "Big Brother, just you wait. One day, I'll definitely surpass you and become the fastest person to break through to Soul Elder."
Yang Podi could not help grumbling inwardly, What's going on? I'm actually being looked down on by a six-year-old kid.
Yang Ping'an, meanwhile, looked envious. His big brother was already level 30, while he was only level 24. The gap was growing wider instead. He would have to work even harder from now on.
By Yang Podi's estimate, his younger brother Yang Ping'an would probably reach around level 27 at twelve, putting him on par with the Shrek Seven Devils.
As for his two grandfathers, although they were pleasantly surprised, they did not say much. Yang Zhentian was already a Soul Douluo now, so helping his own grandson obtain a Soul Ring was as easy as turning his hand. Lately, both grandfathers had devoted all their attention to Yang Tianyue and were practically becoming slaves to their granddaughter.
Did this bear out that saying from his previous life: daughters were their fathers' little sweethearts from a past life? Now it had become granddaughters being their grandfathers' tiny sweethearts from a past life.
Early the next morning, the two left the Breaking Clan in a carriage and headed toward the Sunset Forest. Only once they were in the carriage did Yang Zhentian ask, "Son, what age Soul Ring do you want this time?"
"Around four thousand years. I reckon I can absorb a Soul Ring around that age. When I absorbed a Soul Ring nearly a thousand years old as my second Soul Ring, I felt my body could still take more. My actual limit back then should have been a Soul Ring around twelve hundred years old."
"The age of the third Soul Ring won't affect its color, so I can absorb it without worrying."
"Son, think this through. Many Soul Masters only have a four-thousand-year fourth Soul Ring. I'm worried your body might not be able to take it. If that happens, we'll be in trouble."
"Dad, if you don't believe me, you can test my physical strength. I've trained hard these past three years and taken medicinal baths every day. Nothing will go wrong."
Of course, Yang Podi had not mentioned the most important point: he had a second Martial Soul-his Body Martial Soul. The greatest advantage of a Body Martial Soul was that absorbing Soul Rings greatly improved one's physique, eventually allowing one to absorb Soul Rings beyond the usual limit. This was the fundamental reason Yang Podi dared to absorb a four-thousand-year Soul Ring.
As for his future fourth Soul Ring, Yang Podi had never considered obtaining a ten-thousand-year fourth ring. Although he had a Body Martial Soul, and his physique might be able to withstand it after Ice and Fire Body Tempering, he had no confidence in resisting the spiritual shock.
In the original story, Tang San had cultivated the Purple Demon Eye since childhood and used the Gazing Through Autumn Waters Dew to evolve it. Yang Podi had no method of cultivating spiritual power. Even if his Body Martial Soul made his spiritual power stronger than other people's, it could not make it that strong. Unless he could obtain an exceptional Head Soul Bone of considerable age, that is; he had no interest whatsoever in a low-age one.
Yang Zhentian carefully examined his son's body and could not even help clicking his tongue in wonder. "Son, I'm starting to suspect you're a monster. Your physique is actually this powerful at such a young age. All your hard work over these years hasn't been wasted."
"As for the Soul Beast, do you have any plans?"
"Dad, let's discuss the specific choice of Soul Beast once we reach the Sunset Forest. Finding one with the right age and type will already be difficult enough. Just like last time, it has to be a strength-type Soul Beast. The stronger and rarer, the better. If it's a rare dragon-type Soul Beast, that would be even better. Ideally, it should be a Soul Beast whose strength is unrivaled among those of the same level."