The next day, at the White Tiger lineage's ancestral grounds.
"Tianfeng, which Martial Soul do you plan to cultivate first?"
Dai Xiu asked Dai Tianfeng with a smile.
"I haven't decided yet." Dai Tianfeng shook his head.
"To be honest, I'd like you to cultivate your Nether Civet Martial Soul first, but throughout history, the Star Luo Empire's heir apparent has always been a White Tiger Soul Master."
"If you reveal the Hell Spirit Cat, it's bound to arouse suspicion!"
Dai Xiu's face was full of regret. "So I suggest you cultivate your White Tiger Martial Soul first."
The greatest advantage of Twin Martial Souls was that, later on, the second Martial Soul could be directly equipped with top-tier Soul Rings at the ten-thousand-year level or even the hundred-thousand-year level.
Just thinking of a White Tiger Martial Soul equipped entirely with black Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings or even red Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings filled Dai Xiu with excitement.
But for the sake of the bigger picture, he had no choice but to give up on that tempting idea.
"All right, I'll listen to you, Grandpa Patriarch. I'll cultivate my White Tiger Martial Soul first." Dai Tianfeng nodded slightly.
Dai Tianfeng didn't mind which Martial Soul he cultivated.
Whether it was a warrior or an assassin, he was a master at playing both anyway.
"Very good. The clan happens to have some Golden Armor Beasts in captivity..."
Dai Xiu smiled with relief.
"Grandpa Patriarch, I don't want to absorb a Golden Armor Beast for my First Soul Ring."
Unexpectedly, Dai Tianfeng shook his head.
"Tianfeng! Our ancestors mapped out a path for us long ago."
"Descendants of our Dai Family only need to absorb a Golden Armor Beast, a Golden Wave Beast, and a Diamond Tiger, in that order, for their first three Soul Rings to obtain the White Tiger Protection Barrier, White Tiger Fierce Light Wave, and White Tiger Vajra Transformation Soul Skills..."
"Only then can the White Tiger Martial Soul's potential be developed to the fullest."
"Even later on, you can follow our ancestors' path right up until the Seventh Soul Ring."
Dai Xiu was taken aback, then earnestly urged him, "That's also the foundation that has allowed our White Tiger lineage to endure for so long."
Dai Tianfeng was the White Tiger lineage's hope for the future. He couldn't be allowed to stray down the wrong path.
Hearing this, Dai Tianfeng finally recalled something.
In the four Douluo novels, the White Tiger Dai Family's descendants seemed to have identical first six Soul Skills.
Even Wu Siduo was no exception.
From that, there ought to be something to this path.
Not just anything could be passed down for over thirty thousand years.
Still, Dai Tianfeng stuck to his own idea.
In Chinese mythology, the White Tiger was one of the four spirits of heaven, presiding over slaughter throughout the world and ruling over primordial geng metal!
He could use that as a reference and take the extreme path.
As the name suggested, the extreme path meant throwing all one's resources and all nine Soul Rings into a single direction.
It pushed a single ability to its peak, deliberately abandoning other abilities and sacrificing versatility in exchange for overwhelming power in one area.
The Heaven Dou Empire's Five Elemental Academies used this extreme-path training system, with all their Soul Skills strengthening a single element.
By that logic, all nine of his Soul Rings should be stacked with the metal attribute.
But at the thought of his other Martial Soul, the Hell Spirit Cat, Dai Tianfeng immediately hesitated.
The geng-metal White Tiger path didn't seem compatible with the Hell Spirit Cat at all.
If it affected his Martial Soul Fusion Skill, that would be a huge loss.
Even so, Dai Tianfeng wasn't willing to copy the White Tiger lineage's Soul Ring Configuration.
Just then, Dai Tianfeng suddenly thought of the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger.
The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger could raise its cultivation by devouring other living creatures, and at the ten-thousand-year level, it could challenge a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.
Legend had it that its mutation began when the power of the God of Evil descended upon a White Tiger, transforming its light attribute into a darkness attribute and causing it to grow fallen black wings and an Evil God Hook.
In this era, that was no small opportunity.
In the original story, after the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger was killed by Tang San, the black pearl at the core of its power traveled through space and time and became the foundation for the rise of Zhou Weiqing, the favored son of fortune on another plane!
The plane where Zhou Weiqing lived had a lineage of Divine Heavenly Spirit Tigers. They possessed the sacred attribute, ruled over ten thousand beasts, and were immensely powerful.
Looking at it another way, the White Tiger could follow the path of Ultimate Light, while the Hell Spirit Cat followed the path of Ultimate Darkness.
Combining light and darkness would surely make the Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Hell White Tiger, even stronger.
Of course, Ultimate Attributes weren't so easy to obtain.
Even Dai Tianfeng, a transmigrator, wasn't very confident.
And the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's Soul Ring was clearly better suited to absorption by the Hell Spirit Cat.
"Grandpa Patriarch, I want to forge an entirely new path!" Dai Tianfeng said seriously.
"Then have you decided what Soul Beast's Soul Ring you want to absorb?"
Looking at the determination in Dai Tianfeng's eyes, Dai Xiu knew it would be useless to keep persuading him, so he could only ask.
"Grandpa Patriarch, there's no rush to absorb a Soul Ring."
Dai Tianfeng shook his head.
The mention of Soul Rings had suddenly reminded him of Whale Rubber, a special substance produced in the brains of whale-type Soul Beasts. It was a potent tonic of supreme hardness and yang.
In this era, people's understanding of Whale Rubber was still limited to its effects as an aphrodisiac and virility booster. No one knew its true value.
After being consumed, Whale Rubber could strengthen a Soul Master's physique, allowing the Soul Master to choose an older Soul Ring when absorbing one.
In Peerless Tang Sect, Wang Dong'er had been able to absorb a Thousand-Year Soul Ring at level 20 precisely because she had taken Thousand-Year Whale Rubber since childhood.
If he took Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue, Dai Tianfeng might even be able to absorb a thousand-year Soul Ring as his first.
The question was... how should he tell anyone?
Dai Tianfeng pondered.
He was only a six-year-old child now. If he came right out and stated Whale Rubber's true effects, probably no one would believe him.
After all, Whale Rubber was a virility-boosting tonic. That preconception had long since taken deep root in people's minds!
"Huh?" Dai Xiu looked at Dai Tianfeng in surprise.
Every child was impatient to absorb their First Soul Ring!
He had been the same back then!
How had everything changed when it came to Dai Tianfeng?
"Grandpa Patriarch, I once saw a method in an ancient book in the library. It said the method could increase the age of the Soul Rings a Soul Master could absorb!"
His thoughts raced, and Dai Tianfeng quickly came up with an explanation.
This continent was nothing like modern society. There were no entertainment devices, and he lived in the imperial palace without a single friend.
So, whenever he had time, Dai Tianfeng would go to the library to pass it.
All of this could be verified.
"Oh?"
Dai Xiu raised an eyebrow. "What method?"
"I think it was... Whale Rubber. After heating it to a high temperature, you take it and refine it, and it can strengthen a Soul Master's physique!"
Dai Tianfeng deliberately spoke in a somewhat uncertain tone.
Hearing this, Dai Xiu was taken aback.
Whale Rubber?
As a man, he naturally knew what that was!
Back when he had fought a great battle with twins, it had added quite a bit of spice!
But he had never heard that Whale Rubber had such a heaven-defying effect.
"Which ancient book was it?" Dai Xiu hurriedly asked.
"That was two years ago. I don't remember anymore!" Dai Tianfeng shook his head.
"All right! I'll find someone to try it."
Dai Xiu gave Dai Tianfeng a long look. "If it's true, Tianfeng, you'll have rendered a great service!"
As the patriarch of the White Tiger lineage, verifying something was as easy as turning his hand.
Neither the White Tiger lineage nor the Star Luo Empire had any shortage of Soul Masters. Finding a few trustworthy Soul Masters to try it was no difficult task at all.
If Whale Rubber really had such a miraculous effect, it would be an unprecedented opportunity for the entire Star Luo Empire.
Being able to increase the age of Soul Rings one could absorb meant that, with the same talent, one could stand at a higher starting point.
As the gains accumulated from generation to generation, the Star Luo Empire's overall strength was bound to undergo a qualitative change.
That was why Dai Xiu had said Dai Tianfeng would have rendered a great service.