Chương 14: , second ring: absorbing the Year Soul Ring? Are you stupid?

Are you stupid?

"Let's go." Yu Xiaogang patted Luo Sanpao's head, and the fat martial spirit immediately rushed forward, sniffing around.

The three followed behind, stepping on the soft fallen leaves, and walked deeper into the forest.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, Yu Xiaogang began his daily routine of teaching.

"Tang San, Su Chen, listen up." He said as he walked, adopting the air of a master.

"Today I'm going to talk about the choice of spirit rings and the future development of spirit masters. This is the core content of spirit theory, so you must listen carefully."

Tang San immediately perked up his ears.

Su Chen remained expressionless, his gaze sweeping across the surrounding woods as if searching for something.

Yu Xiaogang cleared his throat and began to speak eloquently:

"Spirit rings are the source of a Soul Master's power. Each spirit ring represents a qualitative change. However, the choice of spirit rings directly determines the future ceiling of a Soul Master. It's not about having the highest possible age; rather, they must be compatible with the Martial Soul and progress step by step."

He paused, glancing at Su Chen seemingly casually, and raised his voice slightly:

"Some people are too eager for quick success and forcibly absorb high-age spirit rings that exceed their own limits as their first spirit ring. They may seem powerful, but they are actually mortgaging their future. It's like building a house. If you rush to build the second floor before the first floor is stable, it will collapse sooner or later. If the foundation is not solid, no matter how tall the building is, it will still be a dangerous building."

Tang San looked at Su Chen, then at Yu Xiaogang, opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately remained silent.

Yu Xiaogang continued, "I've studied martial spirit theory for twenty years and have seen too many examples like this. They were incredibly successful when they were young, but they got stuck at level 30 or 40 and couldn't go any higher. Why? Because their foundation was destroyed, and no matter how hard they tried, it was all in vain."

He stopped abruptly, turned around, and looked directly at Su Chen.

Su Chen also stopped and calmly met his gaze.

Yu Xiaogang's expression became earnest, like that of an elder concerned for a younger generation:

"Su Chen, I'm not saying this to discourage you, but because I genuinely care about you. I understand your current situation very well—your first spirit ring is a thousand years old, level 20, which seems impressive, but your foundation has been damaged. If you don't remedy this in time, you'll never be able to break through to level 30 in your lifetime."

Tang San's expression changed, and he subconsciously looked at Su Chen.

Su Chen's expression didn't change; he simply gave a faint "Oh."

Yu Xiaogang thought that Su Chen's secret thoughts had been exposed, and he was secretly pleased, but on his face he put on an even more concerned expression:

"But don't worry, I have a way that might help you win them back."

Yu Xiaogang raised one finger and solemnly said:

"Absorb a ten-year soul ring."

The air was quiet for a second.

Tang San was stunned.

"A ten-year soul ring?"

"That's right." Yu Xiaogang nodded, his tone as certain as if stating an axiom.

"Although a ten-year spirit ring is weak, it is gentle. Using a ten-year spirit ring as your second spirit ring can help strengthen your foundation and repair your damaged roots. Although it will temporarily lower your average spirit ring age, in the long run, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks."

He paused, then added, "Otherwise, you'll never break through level 30 in your entire life. Level 20 is your ceiling."

Su Chen looked at him without saying a word.

Yu Xiaogang thought Su Chen was seriously considering his suggestion, and he became even more smug, even imagining Su Chen crying and begging him for help.

"Master," Tang San suddenly spoke.

Yu Xiaogang turned to his disciple: "What's wrong?"

Tang San hesitated for a moment, then asked a naive question: "Then... should I also absorb a ten-year spirit ring to solidify my foundation and build a strong base?"

Yu Xiaogang immediately shook his head, his tone resolute: "You're different."

Tang San looked bewildered: "Why are they different? Su Chen's foundation is damaged, so he needs to absorb a ten-year spirit ring. I haven't even started building my foundation yet, shouldn't I start from ten years?"

"This..." Yu Xiaogang was stumped by the question. He opened his mouth, but after a long pause, he managed to squeeze out a sentence: "People are different."

"What's different?" Tang San pressed, genuinely curious.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Yu Xiaogang's forehead. He stammered, "Well... your martial soul is Blue Silver Grass, while his is the Ancestral Dragon. Martial souls are different, so the situations are different..."

"But you just said that a ten-year soul ring strengthens the foundation and cultivates vitality, and that applies to everyone." Tang San tilted his head, looking confused.

Yu Xiaogang: "..."

He opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again, then closed it again, like a fish thrown ashore.

Just then, Su Chen smiled.

He parted the bushes, revealing a slender bamboo, about the height of a person, entirely green, with distinct joints, and faint fluctuations of soul power emanating from within.

This is a ten-year-old Lone Bamboo, the most common plant-type soul beast, which can be seen everywhere on the outskirts of the Soul Hunter Forest.

"Tang San, the master is right. People are indeed different, but some principles are the same. Look at this ten-year-old Lone Bamboo, its characteristic is its toughness, which is very suitable for your Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul."

Tang San glanced at Gu Zhu, then looked at Su Chen with a blank expression.

Su Chen continued, his tone becoming increasingly serious: "According to the master's theory, absorbing this ten-year-old Lone Bamboo as your first spirit ring is a perfect match. The spirit compatibility is 100%, the age is gentle with no side effects, and it strengthens your foundation—it's practically tailor-made for your Blue Silver Grass."

Tang San: "... And then?"

"And then?" Su Chen's lips curled up slightly, "you will gain a divine skill—Blue Silver Pole Vault."

Tang San's brain froze for a second: "... Blue Silver Pole Vault?"

"That's right." Su Chen nodded, his expression still serious, but a hint of a smile had appeared at the corner of his eyes.

"Think about it, after your Blue Silver Grass martial soul absorbs this ten-year-old Lone Bamboo, it will gain the toughness of the Lone Bamboo. Then, you can use the Blue Silver Grass to transform into a bamboo pole, and with a strong push—" He performed a pole vault, his hands drawing an arc in the air:

"Whoosh—you leaped out. You jumped so high and so far, you don't have to fear any spirit skills, you just jump away and dodge all attacks. Isn't this the most perfect defensive spirit skill?"

Tang San was stunned for two seconds.

Then he burst out laughing.

He laughed so hard he was bent over, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Blue Silver Pole Vault... Hahahaha... Su Chen, you're so mean... Blue Silver Pole Vault... Hahahaha..."

Yu Xiaogang stood to the side, his face alternating between pale and flushed.

He opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but Su Chen's words were indeed derived from his own logic—a ten-year soul ring strengthens the foundation and nourishes the spirit, perfectly matching the martial soul. He couldn't find any fault with it.