The Choice of the Third Soul Ring
For several days after that sparring match, Ning Buhui kept turning the same question over in his mind.
As he stood in the rear watching Yan and Xie Yue exchange moves, he had noticed that Yan was much slower than Xie Yue. If he had been able to give Yan a boost to his speed, could the fight have ended sooner? It had made him aware of a shortcoming of his own: he had no way to boost speed. If he encountered an opponent with faster reactions and greater speed in battle, he would be at a serious disadvantage. And when the phantom of Xie Yue's Moon Blade had swept past his ear that day, he had only managed to step back because he had anticipated it. If it had caught him by surprise, could he still have dodged?
Not necessarily.
Ning Buhui had originally planned to choose a Yin Yang Demon Fox for his Third Soul Ring, which could improve his defense and mental abilities. But that match had made him suddenly realize that what he lacked most right now was speed.
He had been looking at it the wrong way. He had always thought a support-type Soul Master didn't need to run very fast. His job was to stand behind his teammates, keep his distance, and steadily provide buffs. But after that sparring match, he had completely overturned that notion. An opponent wasn't a wooden post. When facing an opponent faster than his side, if he couldn't keep up, no amount of strength would do any good. Especially at the All-Continent Soul Master Academy Tournament in the future, where his opponents would be Tang San, Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, and the others. What were the Shrek Seven Devils' signature skills? Speed, teamwork, and surprise attacks. If he really stepped into the arena against them, he would be the first one they targeted.
"I need to improve my speed-related abilities," he muttered to himself.
Vine Armor Spring Life had already made up for his lack of defense. Butterfly Dance Flowing Radiance could boost all attributes. What he lacked now was an ability that could make his entire team and himself "faster."
He could hardly sit still. Early the next morning, he plunged into the library.
This time, he ignored the miscellaneous books and focused on volumes in the Soul Beast bestiaries that dealt with dual-attribute Soul Beasts. He read by day and summarized his findings at night, for three days straight. There were plenty of wind-attribute beast-type Soul Beasts, and there were lightning-attribute ones too, but very few possessed both wind and lightning. It wasn't until his fourth day of searching that Ning Buhui found a very short description in an obscure entry in the General Treatise on Soul Beast Compatibility.
Wind Thunder Winged Tiger.
"Wind governs speed; lightning governs explosive power. Two wings grow from its flanks, the left azure and the right purple. Fierce by nature, it lives alone. It dwells in Thunderstorm Canyon, riding the wind to travel and using lightning to hunt."
There were only a few short sentences, without even an illustration. But after reading them, Ning Buhui sat motionless for a long while, as though someone had struck a string hard inside his head.
The wind attribute meant speed; the lightning attribute meant explosive power. The twin attributes of wind and lightning would make up for his shortcomings in speed and mobility. This Soul Beast's combination of attributes was like being handed a pillow just as he was growing sleepy, practically tailor-made for him as he was now.
That very evening, he went to find Bibi Dong in the side hall.
After hearing him out, Bibi Dong didn't immediately state her opinion. She only told him to hand over the information he had found. Ning Buhui pulled several neatly copied sheets of paper from his robes and laid them before her. Bibi Dong read them line by line, then closed her eyes and thought for a while before speaking:
"Deep in Sunset Forest, there is a Thunderstorm Canyon, where wind and lightning rage together all year round. The Wind Thunder Winged Tiger you mentioned lives in that kind of place."
"You know about it, Teacher?" Ning Buhui asked quickly.
"Years ago, a Soul Douluo went in there to look for a Soul Ring," Bibi Dong said. "He came back missing an ear. Not many Soul Beasts can survive in a place like that, but every one of them is extremely troublesome to deal with. The Wind Thunder Winged Tiger is among the hardest to hunt. It's very clever and never fights head-on. It relies on its speed to put distance between itself and its opponent, then bombards them with lightning. The environment there also makes it very easy for lightning to trigger a thunderstorm. Hunting one won't be easy."
Ning Buhui's heart sank halfway to his boots when he heard that. Then he asked, "Is there still hope?"
"That's for other people," Bibi Dong said. "With me here, a mere Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast can't stir up much of a storm."
Ning Buhui hurriedly nodded and thanked her. Seeing him like that, how could Bibi Dong not know what he was thinking? She set down the papers and said seriously, "Have you thought this through? Before, you wanted to hunt a Yin Yang Demon Fox because you valued its defense and mental abilities. Now you're passing up defense and mental power to improve your speed instead. Are you sure about this choice? Once you absorb a Soul Ring, you can't change it."
"I'm sure," Ning Buhui said without hesitation. "I have Vine Armor Spring Life now, so my defense is good enough for the time being. Speed is the attribute I lack most right now. Otherwise, when I face an enemy who's faster than me, I won't be able to hit them or get away. Wouldn't that be maddening? Besides, a speed boost would be extremely useful to the team too."
Having come this far, Ning Buhui continued earnestly, "Teacher, I want to take part in the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament in a few years."
Bibi Dong raised an eyebrow. "You'll have to earn that chance yourself. With your current abilities, you can't make it onto Spirit Hall's team yet."
"I'll work hard and raise my Soul Power Level as quickly as I can," Ning Buhui said.
Bibi Dong was silent for a moment, then said, "Go back for now. Break through to level thirty first. I'll have people keep an eye out for information on the Wind Thunder Winged Tiger."
"Yes." Ning Buhui rose, bowed, and turned to leave.
Coming out of the side hall, he stood on the steps, the hem of his robes flapping sharply in the night wind. He was determined to take part in the Soul Master Tournament, both to prove himself and to gain more of a say in Spirit Hall. For that goal, it was time to put his life on the line again.
After returning to his quiet room, Ning Buhui didn't immediately enter the pagoda to cultivate. He first sat down at the table and rearranged his training for the next few months. Cultivating Soul Power would remain his main focus, but he couldn't neglect physical techniques, Heart Separation Control, or his Self-Created Soul Skills either. He could cut his daily reading time down to one two-hour period, which would also give him a chance to relax a little. Otherwise, staying wound too tight for too long would cause problems. He understood that Soul Power Level was only the foundation. In the end, it would still come down to his own strength; having a high level alone wasn't much use.
From that day on, Ning Buhui returned to the grueling routine he had followed before going to Rotten Wood Marsh.
Every day, he rose before dawn, ran fifty laps around the training ground, and then did three sets of basic physical techniques. By the time the sky began to brighten, he was already back in his quiet room, drenched in sweat. After a quick wash and breakfast, he plunged into the Soul Suppressing Pagoda and spent the entire morning meditating on his Soul Power. The Soul Power on the second floor was five times as concentrated as outside. Like a dry sponge tossed into water, he could clearly feel Soul Power flowing into his meridians strand by strand each time he entered meditation, growing slowly and steadily stronger.
After midday, he went to the library on schedule and stayed for two hours. Sometimes he leafed through Soul Beast bestiaries, studying the habits and weaknesses of various Soul Beasts. At other times, he borrowed combat notes left by Soul Masters of earlier generations and compared them with memories of his previous life, gradually filling in his understanding of this world's system of power. In the afternoon, he practiced Heart Separation Control and his Self-Created Soul Skills. He generally spent his evenings meditating inside the pagoda, only resting for a night when he truly couldn't go on.
Once, Hu Liena ran into him in a corridor. Seeing the dark circles under his eyes, she couldn't help saying, "Little junior brother, what mischief have you been getting up to at night?"
Ning Buhui smiled. "Senior sister, what mischief could I be getting up to? I just think my Soul Power Level is too low, so I've been cultivating hard."
Hu Liena rolled her eyes at him irritably. "You're seven years old and already a level twenty-eight Soul Grandmaster. If your level is still low, how are other people supposed to live?"
Occasionally, Yan and Xie Yue also called him over to spar. Actual combat was indeed a way to grow quickly, and he was becoming more and more adept at using his Soul Skills.
The days passed one by one. Ning Buhui's Soul Power rose bit by bit, like water filling a pool. He was cultivating on the pagoda's second floor when he broke through to level twenty-nine. That day, halfway through his meditation, a familiar ripple suddenly spread through the Soul Power in his body. It fluctuated violently, like water coming to a boil. He stirred, but remained in meditation, steadily adjusting his breathing to the fluctuations. An hour later, his Soul Power settled down on its own. When he checked again, his Soul Power had risen another notch, becoming purer and denser.
Level twenty-nine.
He opened his eyes, a slight smile curving his lips. He was neither overly excited nor surprised; it was the natural result of three months' work, like water flowing into a channel once it was dug. He stood and stretched his legs, feeling more energetic than before.
He was only one final step away from level thirty.