Early the next morning, Yu Tianming knocked on Yu Yuanzhen's door.
A middle-aged maid answered and bowed slightly when she saw him. "Young Sect Master, please follow me. The Master has been waiting for you for some time."
Following the maid to Yu Yuanzhen's study, Yu Tianming noticed how luxurious it was. All the furniture was crafted from richly grained wood, intricately carved with dragon patterns. Just being in the room brought a sense of comfort—clearly, the furniture came from high-level plant-type soul beasts.
Yu Yuanzhen sat at the head of the room. When he saw Yu Tianming arrive, his usually stern face lit up with a kind smile. "It seems you've already mastered the basics of meditation. Come, sit and talk with Grandpa. Do you want to follow the power-attack path or the agility-attack path? And what kind of first soul ring are you hoping for?"
Since they were family, Yu Tianming wasn't at all nervous around the titled Douluo. He sat down directly across from Yu Yuanzhen and spoke confidently. "I don't want to follow either the power-attack or agility-attack path. Those paths are more like team roles. If I become a titled Douluo like you one day, how many people will be able to fight alongside me, let alone keep up? I just want to walk a path that makes me as strong as possible."
"As for my first soul ring, I want an amplification-type soul skill. Something that will still be useful even at higher levels. Purely offensive skills are practically useless when you get to level 80 or 90."
Yu Yuanzhen clapped his hands and praised, "It looks like you have a solid understanding of martial souls and soul skills. Even though you've only gone through elementary education, you're already better than that good-for-nothing Yu Xiaogang."
Children in the clan usually start early education around the age of three, learning the fundamentals of martial souls. If Notting Academy is the equivalent of elementary school, then the clan's early education would be like preschool.
"Don't say that, Grandpa. What I know is just basic common knowledge."
"No need to be modest. Your understanding is spot-on." With that, Yu Yuanzhen pulled a notebook from the bookshelf behind him and handed it to Yu Tianming. "These are soul beasts we've raised that tend to yield amplification-type soul skills. Take a look and see if any catch your eye. If you find one that suits you, I'll take you to hunt it."
The notebook only contained a few entries, so Yu Tianming quickly read through it. "Grandpa, I think the Wind Thunder Hawk and the Golden-Scaled Thunder Python are both great options. They both carry dragon bloodlines and provide powerful amplification skills."
Yu Yuanzhen nodded. "As it happens, we recently purchased a Wind Thunder Hawk with over 400 years of cultivation from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. Its dragon bloodline is exceptionally pure. Most Wind Thunder Hawks have indigo feathers, but this one glows with a golden sheen. I originally planned to use it to improve our breeding stock, but giving it to my grandson for his first soul ring is a worthy use."
With that, he stepped outside, wrapped Yu Tianming in his soul power, and flew toward the Thunder Forest.
The Thunder Forest was a soul beast reserve maintained by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. The plants here were mostly of lightning attribute, and the forest was populated with dragon-type and thunder-type soul beasts needed by the clan. Feed was regularly brought in to reduce the chances of the beasts turning on each other. In truth, the forest was more like a "pig pen" for low-level clan members to pick out their first soul rings.
The forest wasn't large, and Yu Yuanzhen quickly reached the territory of the Wind Thunder Hawks. Towering thunder trees, hundreds of meters tall, rose from the ground. Unlike the ten-meter-tall trees on Earth, these giants made people feel like ants standing before skyscrapers.
Several nests were built on the branches of the ancient trees, perched like cliffside dwellings.
A few Wind Thunder Hawks circled the nests vigilantly. One of them, shimmering with golden light under the sun, looked especially dazzling.
Wind Thunder Hawks are extremely fast, capable of speeds far beyond their level. They could only be kept in this forest because of the abundant food supply—and because humans couldn't hunt them as easily as soul beasts in the wild.
Spotting the golden-winged Wind Thunder Hawk, Yu Yuanzhen raised his clawed right hand and pointed at it. In a low voice, he said, "First Soul Skill – Thunder Dragon Claw."
A thin bolt of lightning shot from his hand toward the sky. The hawk had no time to react and was struck down instantly, falling stiffly before Yu Tianming.
The other hawks in the air scattered in terror. The whole sequence was smooth and precise—truly worthy of a titled Douluo.
Yu Yuanzhen handed Yu Tianming a small knife. "Stab it in the eye and finish it."
Without hesitation, Yu Tianming took the knife, plunged it into the hawk's eye socket, gave it a twist, and killed it.
Despite the bird's dying glare of resentment, Yu Tianming felt nothing—as if he had just killed a chicken, not a sentient soul beast.
Yu Yuanzhen nodded. As a soul master, Yu Tianming had passed the psychological test.
A ring of bright yellow light slowly rose from the Wind Thunder Hawk's corpse. Yu Yuanzhen said, "Begin absorbing the soul ring."
Yu Tianming sat down and summoned his martial soul. A massive phantom appeared behind him, then fused into his body as he entered the soul attachment state.
His body grew noticeably taller. Dragon horns appeared on his head, two dragon tails extended from his back, and enormous dragon wings sprouted from his shoulder blades. On either side of his neck, two dragon heads like Feng Xiaotian's appeared, offering him a wider field of vision.
The two extra dragon heads could turn ethereal at any time, extending several meters to strike enemies.
He now resembled Nezha with three heads and six arms, yet his appearance remained oddly harmonious.
As he had practiced, Yu Tianming used his soul power to draw the soul ring toward himself.
As it neared, Yu Yuanzhen's low voice rang in his ears: "Focus on your martial soul. Stay conscious." Yu Tianming focused his mind on his martial soul, and as the ring approached, he felt immense pressure, like he was suffocating on a high-altitude plateau.
The yellow ring hovered above his head for a moment, then suddenly dropped and turned into a transparent golden ring beneath his feet. A scorching heat surged into his body. He trembled involuntarily.
Then he closed his eyes. His consciousness sank into the scorching, swirling soul power. The soul ring's energy surged wildly, cleansing his body and spirit. After a long time, the heat began to subside, replaced by a sense of comfort, power, and clarity—as if his whole being had ascended.
Yu Tianming opened his eyes, filled with excitement. It was already noon. The forest was silent except for the distant chirping of a bird or two—clearly, no soul beast dared come close with Yu Yuanzhen nearby.
He looked at himself. After absorbing the ring, he had grown taller, his vision was sharper, and his body felt lighter. Every aspect of his physical capabilities had been enhanced by the soul ring.
Delighted, he turned to Yu Yuanzhen. "Grandpa, I've successfully absorbed the soul ring of the Golden-Winged Wind Thunder Hawk! My soul power is now at level 12, and the soul skill I gained is incredibly powerful."
Yu Yuanzhen smiled, stroking his beard. "Then show it to Grandpa."
At that, Yu Tianming spread the massive wings of King Ghidorah.
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Note:
This fanfic is based on Douluo Dalu 1.
The author rejects the "whale glue" concept, calling it too absurd, for the following reasons:
1. If rhino horn can be substituted with ox horn in traditional medicine, why not whale glue with something similar?
2. Douluo 1 already states that the first four soul rings are linked to physical strength, with mental strength becoming more relevant later—so why only use soul bones for body enhancement?
3. Using whale glue acts like a drug, making users feral and lustful. That clearly sounds like something a pervert came up with, and the author refuses to write such nonsense.
4. The first few soul rings will follow common conventions—low-key and inconspicuous.
5. Yellow-yellow, purple-purple, black-black, red-red—looks nicer too.
(End of Chapter)
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