Choice

Bao Liang slept especially soundly on his first night at the Hongchen residence.

The bed was new, the bedding had been aired in the sun, and the pot of flowers on the windowsill, left there by he knew not whom, was in full bloom.

When he woke, dawn was just breaking, and Meng Hongchen was already clinging to the doorframe, half her head peeking inside.

"Little Baozi! Time to get up! Come eat breakfast with us!"

"...Coming, coming."

Bao Liang rubbed his eyes and climbed out of bed, silently marveling, A life with food, a place to stay, and someone to back me up really is much more comfortable than life at the orphanage.

Breakfast was set out in the main hall, with a whole table full of dishes.

Red-braised pork, sweet-and-sour fish, pork knuckle in sauce, white-cut chicken, steamed egg custard... and in the most prominent spot sat a steamer basket of piping-hot meat buns.

Bao Liang's eyes lit up. He plopped down, grabbed a bun, and bit into it.

"Mmm! Delicious!"

Smiling, Meng Hongchen put some food in his bowl. "Eat slowly, or you'll choke.

"Grandpa said all this is to build up your body, so eat more."

Xiao Hongchen sat across from him, holding a bowl of porridge. He gave Bao Liang a leisurely glance and said nothing, but he didn't stop Meng Hongchen from serving him food either.

He held the bowl for ages without taking a single bite, though his eyes darted toward Bao Liang from time to time.

Seeing how unabashedly Bao Liang was eating, he finally couldn't hold back and spoke with distaste:

"Slow down. Nobody's going to fight you for it."

"You don't understand," Bao Liang mumbled through a mouthful of bun. "You have to eat hot buns while they're hot. They won't taste good once they cool down."

"Twisted logic." Xiao Hongchen snorted and lowered his head to drink his porridge, but quietly pushed the small dish in front of him toward Bao Liang.

Jing Hongchen sat at the head of the table. Only after Bao Liang had swallowed his mouthful did he speak, unhurriedly:

"Little Bao Liang, there's something I need to tell you."

"Go ahead, Grandpa Jing."

"I've had people make most of the preparations for the medicinal baths, pills, and nourishing food," Jing Hongchen said. "But there's one thing that will take a little longer.

"That's high-quality Whale Rubber."

Bao Liang stopped gnawing on his bun. "You haven't found any Whale Rubber yet?"

"It's not that we haven't found any." Jing Hongchen shook his head. "It's that it's hard to find."

He put down his chopsticks and patiently explained, "It's not as though there's no Whale Rubber in the Hongchen Clan's storehouse, and other people have some too.

"But high-quality Whale Rubber that's suitable and usable for the three of you at your present age, and in sufficient quantity, is simply too scarce-there isn't even enough for one person."

"The higher the quality of Whale Rubber, the more overbearing its medicinal power.

"If you children used Whale Rubber meant for adults, you'd be too weak to withstand the nourishment, and it would harm you instead," Jing Hongchen said. "So what Grandpa means is, wait a little longer. Once we have the Whale Rubber, we'll discuss your Soul Ring."

Bao Liang nodded. He had no objections.

Seeing that he didn't make a fuss, Jing Hongchen praised him inwardly and asked, "By the way, Little Bao Liang, is there anything you want? Or do you feel you're lacking anything right now?"

Bao Liang swallowed his mouthful of bun and gave the question serious thought.

During his years at the orphanage, he had dug in the earth, carried bricks, and helped the matron with work every day, training nothing but brute strength.

But though he had built up his strength, his body hadn't kept pace. Food had been limited, after all, and he hadn't gotten enough nutrition, so he was only of average height among children his age.

Now that he had entered the Hongchen residence and no longer had to worry about food or clothing, it was the perfect time to make up for that shortcoming.

He didn't want a Soul Tool on a whim. It was part of the three-year plan he had set for himself: his body, Soul Power, and Martial Souls all had to advance together, or his Martial Souls might drag him down in the future.

After thinking for a while, Bao Liang raised his head. "Grandpa Jing, I do have an idea-I'd like a full-body training Soul Tool with freely adjustable weight."

"Oh?" Jing Hongchen's interest was piqued. "What do you mean?"

"I have Ultimate Martial Souls, so there's no need to say much about my Martial Soul talent." Bao Liang counted on his fingers as he laid it out. "But strong Martial Souls don't mean a strong body.

"If the gap between the strength of my body and the strength of my Martial Souls grows too wide, I'm worried something bad might happen."

He paused, his tone growing more serious. "What's more, my Second Martial Soul is a Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff with Ultimate Strength. It's said to be the progenitor of all canine and lion Soul Beasts.

"A Martial Soul like that can only place even greater demands on the body."

"And..." Bao Liang hesitated, but said it anyway. "I feel like my Explosion Martial Soul is showing signs of going out of control again.

"My Second Martial Soul is also giving me a feeling of 'weakness.'"

The moment he said that, the atmosphere at the table changed.

Meng Hongchen's chopsticks stopped, and she looked at him worriedly.

Xiao Hongchen frowned as well.

Jing Hongchen's expression turned serious. "A feeling of losing control? When did it start?"

"Just last night," Bao Liang said. "Especially my Second Martial Soul. It keeps feeling like its stomach is always hungry, and it can't muster any strength."

Jing Hongchen fell silent in thought.

He really hadn't heard much about the Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff as a Soul Beast.

But on the day Bao Liang moved in, he had already ordered people to gather all the records of ancient Soul Beasts related to the Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff.

Besides, Jing Hongchen was a rank ninety-three Titled Douluo. Even if he had never heard of this Soul Beast, he certainly had no shortage of knowledge and theory.

Martial Souls and the body complemented each other. That was an iron law of the Soul Master World.

The stronger the Martial Soul, the greater its demands on its host's body. With Twin Martial Souls like Bao Liang's, especially when both had Ultimate Attributes, that little bit of Qi and blood had to feed two hungry wolves at once. It was only a matter of time before it couldn't hold up.

Fortunately, they had discovered it early.

Jing Hongchen quietly swept a glance over Bao Liang's small, thin frame, already pondering how many extra meals the kitchen should add each day, and whether to add another ingredient or two with gently nourishing properties to the medicinal bath formula.

After pondering for a moment, he slowly said, "Little Bao Liang, Grandpa has a few deductions. Let me tell you what they are."

"Go ahead, Grandpa."

"As for your First Martial Soul going out of control, I deduce that it's because you're still young-your mental power isn't strong enough, so you can't control such an overbearing Ultimate Martial Soul.

"After all, the Burst Core Array, which is much like Explosion, is also among the most difficult basic Soul Tool Core Arrays to handle," Jing Hongchen said. "But... the fact that you can clearly sense that something is wrong with both Martial Souls is unusual in itself.

"So I surmise that your First Martial Soul may also have a Mental Attribute. Perhaps both Martial Souls even have a Mental Attribute."

Bao Liang blinked but didn't interrupt him.

"The feeling of weakness from your Second Martial Soul is much the same," Jing Hongchen continued. "You're too young.

"After awakening, that little bit of Qi and blood in your body has already had all its space taken up by your two Martial Souls. What remains is no longer enough to support their continued growth.

"Your Martial Souls are hungry, but you can't supply them, so naturally they pass a feeling of 'weakness' on to you."

He gave his conclusion. "So, in the days ahead, until the feeling of weakness you sense from your Martial Souls fades, Grandpa thinks you should put off obtaining your First Soul Ring."

"First, get your body into good shape. Everything else can wait."

Bao Liang had no objections at all. He nodded. "That makes sense, Grandpa Jing. I'll do as you say."

After listening, Xiao Hongchen uncharacteristically refrained from arguing and merely gave Bao Liang a somewhat worried look.

Meng Hongchen was even less able to sit still. She hurriedly called a servant over. "Quick! Go tell the kitchen to make a few more substantial dishes!"

"Little Baozi, eat more! You need to eat more to have strength!"

Bao Liang didn't refuse-he was indeed still a little hungry.

Having received her instructions, Meng Hongchen rushed out like a whirlwind, then came rushing back with two maids carrying dishes behind her.

"Little Baozi, eat more! The kitchen just made all of this!"

Bao Liang buried his head in his food, his cheeks bulging as he chewed, looking just like a little hamster guarding its food.

Xiao Hongchen muttered, "A starved ghost reincarnated," but his chopsticks never stopped, putting food into Bao Liang's bowl piece by piece. When he finished, he didn't forget to add with a stern face, "I won't deal with it if you leave any leftovers."

Jing Hongchen watched the scene, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly, but he was already calculating: How many Qi-and-blood medicinal ingredients are left in the Hongchen Clan's storehouse? Is there enough to nourish Bao Liang? If not, who can I get another batch from? Xiao and Meng need things like Mystic Water Pills too. Looks like I'll have to get more from the Douluo Continent...

As for that full-body training Soul Tool,

Jing Hongchen had made up his mind: make it. He definitely had to make it first.

It wouldn't take much time, and it would cost even less.

As for letting Little Bao Liang use it, that could wait.

His body was already so weak. If he wore that thing too, something really could go wrong.

Jing Hongchen would never gamble with his own family's life on a one-in-ten-thousand chance.

It was an exceptionally lavish meal.

Bao Liang polished off at least thirty big meat buns, two bowls of rice, three plates of red-braised pork, and two large pork knuckles in one sitting. At last, he rubbed his round belly and gave a satisfied belch.

Jing Hongchen put down his bowl and chopsticks and suddenly asked, "By the way, Little Bao Liang, do you have any thoughts about the First Soul Ring for your Explosion Martial Soul? Tell Grandpa.

"Grandpa can help you weigh your options."

Bao Liang thought for a moment, then followed Jing Hongchen's earlier deduction. "Just as you said, Grandpa Jing, my First Martial Soul lacks self-control.

"So for my First Soul Ring, a high-quality Soul Beast with a primary Mental Attribute and a secondary attribute like fire or destruction would be best."

He paused, then added, "But honestly, the fire attribute isn't really of much use to me. After all, my First Martial Soul's attribute is Ultimate Flame.

"So I'd prefer a First Soul Ring with a primary Mental Attribute and a secondary destruction attribute."

"Grandpa Jing, do we have a Soul Beast like that in Sun Moon?"