Thousand-Year Soul Ring

This was Hu Jiu's second year studying at Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy.

In other words, he was a second-year student.

There was nothing new about academy life in the second year. Because he had the AFK Panel, Hu Jiu had plenty of free time. Aside from attending classes as usual, he spent most of his time taking Xiao Wu everywhere to play and enjoying his carefree days.

Only Tang San continued to work hard. His daily schedule was packed with cultivation, and he also had to find time to study theoretical knowledge under Grandmaster. He was so busy that he could barely keep up.

It was worth mentioning that this year, he and Xiao Wu had not enrolled as Work-Study Students. They paid for their own schooling, and each of them was assigned a single dormitory room, just like Tang San.

Hu Jiu was more than happy with this arrangement. After all, Xiao Wu was a girl, and he was unwilling to let her continue living in a dormitory shared by boys and girls, let alone Xiao Wu herself.

Before the new year, his three biggest customers, Xiao Chenyu, Liu Long, and Ling Feng, graduated, nearly leaving him without any customers.

Fortunately, Hu Jiu was quick-witted. He had them send their servants to trade with him in the future, purchasing a month's worth of food in each transaction. After doing business with them for so long, he was reluctant to lose such high-quality customers.

The Carrots he produced were not much different from ordinary carrots, and storing them for a month was no problem. They would only taste slightly worse after being kept for too long.

Xiao Chenyu and the other two quickly accepted his suggestion.

Before graduating, Xiao Chenyu, with the cultivation of a Level Eighteen Soul Master, was invited to attend Martial Soul Hall Intermediate Academy free of charge. Liu Long and Ling Feng were no worse off. Both were Level Seventeen, and they entered Martial Soul Hall Intermediate Academy together as well.

Moreover, for some time afterward, because the cultivation atmosphere at Martial Soul Hall Intermediate Academy was intense and competition was fierce, the three of them needed even more of Hu Jiu's Carrots.

They brought him an income of more than a thousand Gold Soul Coins every month, turning Hu Jiu into someone who no longer had to worry about money.

That was because the three families were all fairly well-off. Seeing that the three of them had entered Martial Soul Hall Intermediate Academy and believing they were worth cultivating, their families were nearly pouring all their wealth into them. Otherwise, they might not even have been able to afford Hu Jiu's Carrots.

One day, three months later.

Hu Jiu looked excitedly at the Purple Soul Ring beneath his feet.

It hadn't been easy. His First Soul Ring had been on AFK for more than a year, and only now had it finally advanced into a Thousand-Year Soul Ring. The wait had left Hu Jiu on edge!

This was a thousand-year Soul Ring! Even the protagonist, Tang San, only had a Hundred Year Soul Ring.

Confidence. Swelling pride!

Hu Jiu felt like he was about to defy the heavens.

After sensing the effects of the Thousand-Year Soul Ring, he decided that defying the heavens could wait. He might as well turn the heavens upside down directly!

He was going to overturn the heavens!

One look at the effects of his First Soul Ring explained why Hu Jiu was so swollen with pride.

After becoming a Thousand-Year Soul Ring, the effect of his First Soul Ring Skill changed to increasing cultivation speed by one times. For someone who ate it, the effect lasted for one hour. For him, it was a passive skill, and the enhancement lasted permanently.

"Hahaha, this effect is too heaven-defying. No, I need to calm down. I need to keep a low profile."

After getting excited for a while, Hu Jiu came back to his senses. The effect of his Soul Ring was too astonishing now, so he had to hide it well. Unless someone was absolutely trustworthy, he could never reveal it.

At present, there were only two people Hu Jiu absolutely trusted: Xiao Wu and Tang San.

Moreover, even when giving Tang San Carrots in the future, he would have to start charging him. Who told him to be so stingy, refusing to teach him even Tang Sect Kung Fu? Didn't he know that his Idle Slot had been empty for so long?

As for Xiao Wu, never mind. Xiao Wu had no money and was still being supported by him to this day!

"As for Xiao Chenyu and the others, I'll see whether I can lower the cultivation effect of the Carrots first. If I can't, then I'll stop doing this business from now on."

When it came to his own safety, making money was a minor matter. Besides, he was no longer short of money. He could be as extravagant as he pleased!

The advancement of his Soul Ring fed back into the AFK Panel, causing a massive improvement in Hu Jiu's Soul Ring Idle Slot. One day of AFK cultivation actually increased the Soul Ring's age by five years, making Hu Jiu grin so widely that he couldn't close his mouth.

At this rate, even a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring would take only a few years. By then, the effect of the Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring would begin feeding back into him again, increasing the number of years added by AFK cultivation each day. The two effects would complement each other, allowing him to improve continuously.

This was the rhythm of becoming a god!

Besides that, the appearance of his Carrots had changed as well.

They had once been only light red, but now they had turned dark red and looked even more appetizing.

Their taste had changed too, becoming even more delicious.

This result directly led to Xiao Wu stopping her regular meals. Every day, she ate nothing but Carrots, and he never saw her stop.

She had become addicted to eating Carrots!

Now Hu Jiu could finally relax!

Excellent. He officially announced that he had captured one Wu Xiao Tu.

"Little San, pay up!" The Thousand-Year Soul Ring had made Hu Jiu unbearably swollen with pride.

Selling one Carrot to Tang San for one Silver Soul Coin was practically giving it away.

After all, he charged one Gold Soul Coin even for a ten-percent increase in cultivation efficiency. Tang San's Carrots increased cultivation speed by one times, yet he was selling them for only one Silver Soul Coin. Even Tang San felt that was too cheap.

"Xiao Jiu, can I write you an IOU? I really have no money right now." Tang San was somewhat embarrassed. Every month, aside from the ten Gold Soul Coins he received from Spirit Hall, he had only the meager income from the Blacksmith Shop.

At the Blacksmith Shop, he had initially earned one Silver Soul Coin a month. Now that his skills had improved, his pay had risen to two Silver Soul Coins.

Therefore, even if Tang San neither ate nor drank, a month's wages could only buy a little over a hundred Carrots.

He needed at least eight a day. A month's wages could only support ten-odd days of cultivation, after which he had no money left.

Yet Tang San was unwilling to give up the Carrots that doubled his cultivation speed. Because of this, Hu Jiu officially became Tang San's creditor.

"Hahaha, Little San, what are you saying?" Hu Jiu laughed proudly.

"Take them. Eat as much as you want. I have more here if you run out. Don't talk about money or anything like that. It's too damaging to our relationship!"

"When you become successful in the future, just remember to repay what you owe me."

So money didn't matter. His main goal was to become Tang San's creditor.

Once Tang San obtained the Immortal Herb in the future, would he really have the nerve not to leave one for him?

He vaguely remembered that in the Original Work, Tang San had obtained a limited number of Immortal Herbs, just enough for Shrek's Seven Devils to use.

Now that there was one more person—him—one spot would inevitably be pushed out. So he had to claim a place first.

Oh, and there was Xiao Wu too. That should make two spots.

"Good! Then I'll keep it in mind for you." Tang San nodded seriously. He knew that Hu Jiu mainly wanted to charge him because he was afraid Tang San would feel guilty, that it would hurt his self-esteem, or that he would refuse to eat them.

That was why he used the method of buying and selling to keep Tang San from owing him a personal favor.

Unfortunately, all of this had been seen through by the clever Tang San.

"Xiao Jiu, just wait. I'll repay you in the future."

In his heart, Tang San silently swore an oath.

With the doubled cultivation effect, the cultivation speeds of Hu Jiu, Tang San, and Xiao Wu suddenly accelerated. It was practically like riding a flying car, with a new change every day.

The speed at which their Soul Power increased was simply frightening.