Breaking Through to Soul Elder

After cultivating his Soul Power to level 29 once again, Yu Tianshuang felt that he had finally reached the peak of the Soul Grandmaster realm this time and could not help sighing with emotion.

The Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament was only a year away. Shui Bing'er had broken through to level 39 a month ago and would soon be able to break through to the Soul Elder realm. Xue Wu and Yu Hairou had also recently reached level 39, and even Shui Yue'er, who had never much liked cultivating, had begun to work hard.

Luckily, he had the heaven-grade Frozen Sky Condensing Sea Art. Otherwise, he would have fallen behind by more than just one major realm.

In a rest room at the Great Soul Arena in Heaven Dou Imperial City, the group had just won a team battle. They listened to Shui Xinrou's post-battle analysis as they recovered their Soul Power.

Shui Bing'er finished recovering her Soul Power and opened her eyes. Unable to conceal her delight, she said, "I've broken through to level 40!!"

Everyone was delighted to hear it. Shui Xinrou also said they would set out for the Frozen Forest the next day to hunt for Shui Bing'er's Fourth Soul Ring and help her break through to Soul Ancestor.

Amid the other girls' congratulations to Shui Bing'er, a cold, magnetic voice rang out. "Teacher, I've also broken through to level 30."

Shui Xinrou knew that Yu Tianshuang really had broken through to level 30, so she did not ask him if it was true.

She looked at Yu Tianshuang with pride in her eyes and said, "Very good. You truly are my disciple. You can go with your senior sister tomorrow, and that will save me a second trip."

"Auntie, this blockhead only broke through to Soul Elder. I'm already level 37, and he's only level 30. He's the slowest of us all, so why are you so happy? It's like he's the first one to break through to Soul Ancestor. When I broke through to level 30, you weren't nearly this happy, and you didn't praise me like this. Hmph."

Shui Yue'er was instantly overcome with jealousy, her pretty little mouth jutting out far enough to hang a soy sauce bottle from it.

"Oh, you. What do you know? Tianshuang has the best talent among you. Forget it. You'll find out when he wants to tell you."

Shui Bing'er walked over as well and stared intently at Yu Tianshuang. Only when he began to feel uneasy did she slowly say, "I've always thought something was odd about you. Like me, you have a top-tier ice-attribute Beast Martial Soul, and your Innate Soul Power was a level higher than mine. You had Innate Full Soul Power, so why do you cultivate even more slowly than Yue'er? Why is your body so much stronger than Xue Wu's when you're at the same realm? You're both Battle Soul Masters, so it shouldn't be like that. And you never seem to run out of Soul Power, which doesn't match the reserves a Soul Grandmaster should have either. So what secret are you hiding?"

Faced with Shui Bing'er's barrage of questions, Yu Tianshuang backed away again and again. Then he smiled helplessly, looked at Shui Xinrou and the other girls, and said solemnly, "All right. I actually have a Soul Tool that makes me cultivate through each realm several times. Um... counting this time, I've cultivated through the Soul Grandmaster realm three times."

The girls didn't know about the Big Dipper Seven Primordial Purple Extremity Seal inside him, so he would explain it as a Soul Tool.

"What?"

"There's a Soul Tool that screws you over like that? Throw it away, blockhead."

"He's not really a blockhead. There must be some benefit he can't bear to give up."

"Tell us, show-off."

"It's like this. Every time I cultivate through a realm again, I can use this Soul Tool to convert the Soul Power I've cultivated into greater physical strength and a larger total reserve of Soul Power. That's also why I was able to absorb a thousand-year First Soul Ring and a ten-thousand-year Second Soul Ring."

"So that's how it is. I thought it was amazing enough that my sister broke the record by absorbing a nine-hundred-year First Soul Ring. And you were able to absorb thousand-year and ten-thousand-year Soul Rings. So that's how you did it."

Seeing the girls' expressions turn to ones of sudden understanding, Yu Tianshuang also spoke the secret he had buried in his heart for a long time.

"Hey, blockhead, with your current strength, what realm of opponent could you beat if you went all out?"

Shui Yue'er looked at Yu Tianshuang and asked curiously.

"Hmm... I haven't tried, but when I go all out in the Purple Gold Soul Fighting Arena, I lose more often than I win. I should be about equal to an ordinary Soul King, though I couldn't beat a particularly strong one. But if I break through to Soul Elder, I should be able to become the strongest in the Soul King realm."

Of course, he meant immediately after breaking through to Soul Elder. After repeatedly cultivating through the realm, he would be able to fight a Soul Emperor as well.

"Hiss." The girls drew in sharp breaths, causing the temperature in the rest room to drop in an instant.

They returned to the academy amid the girls' chatter all along the way. Watching the bevy of beauties head toward their shared dormitory, Yu Tianshuang could not help thinking of the Immortal Herbs he had prepared for them.

Once Senior Sister Bing'er broke through to Soul Ancestor, he could give her one to use. With her talent, she should be able to bring out the Immortal Herb's full effects.

Early the next morning, at the gates of Skywater Academy, Yu Tianshuang smiled and greeted Shui Bing'er, who was already waiting beside the carriage.

"Why didn't Auntie come with you?"

Seeing that Yu Tianshuang was alone, Shui Bing'er looked behind him and asked curiously.

"Well... when I knocked on her door this morning, Teacher said, said, said she was in a bad mood from being woken up and wouldn't get up until she wasn't angry anymore..."

Hearing this, Shui Bing'er knitted her pretty brows and complained, "Honestly, she's a grown woman, and she's still so willful. Oh well, let's wait a while."

The two stood by the carriage waiting for Shui Xinrou and fell silent for a time. Yu Tianshuang stared at Shui Bing'er's increasingly enchanting and lovely face, which stirred his heart in the warm morning sunlight, and could not help becoming a little lost in thought.

Shui Bing'er, who had been looking toward the academy, shifted her gaze and saw Yu Tianshuang staring at her in a daze. Her cool, aloof face could not help reddening slightly.

"Show-off, don't, don't keep staring at me."

Shui Bing'er spoke only after Yu Tianshuang's unblinking stare made her feel embarrassed.

"Oh, oh, sorry, Senior Sister. I was a little distracted. I, I just suddenly thought you looked like a fairy who had stepped out of a painting. I was a little rude."

Yu Tianshuang hurriedly turned his head away from Shui Bing'er as he spoke.

"When did you learn to say things like that? From now on, from now on you're not allowed to say them."

Shui Bing'er's already faintly flushed face grew a few shades redder.

After turning his head, Yu Tianshuang could not resist stealing another glance at Shui Bing'er's enchanting face. Just then, Shui Bing'er, who had also turned away, secretly looked over at him. Their eyes met, and both instantly whipped their heads away like thieves caught in the act.

The atmosphere was a little delicate and dreamy. That delicate, ambiguous mood lingered until Shui Xinrou arrived at the gate, yawning.

Seeing the two in the carriage refusing to look at each other and pretending nothing was amiss, Shui Xinrou felt that something was strange, but she could not put her finger on it, so she closed her eyes and pretended to doze.

They traveled in silence and finally reached Ice Seal Town. Looking at the noticeboard by the town gates and the conspicuous notice from Spirit Hall, Yu Tianshuang felt somewhat downcast and conflicted, though he did not know why.

Noticing her disciple's somewhat complicated mood, Shui Xinrou patted Yu Tianshuang on the shoulder to comfort him.

He shook his head and indicated that he was all right. The three of them then stayed at an inn for the night, preparing to set out the next morning to hunt for Soul Rings.