The next morning.
High above the vast sea, on the back of the Fire Phoenix spirit summon, Chu Chengzhou held his big sister in his arms and released spiritual power, probing the surrounding waters.
Suddenly, within his spiritual perception, a large number of ten-thousand-year sea soul beasts appeared in the distant waters.
They were a school of sea soul beasts that looked much like tuna. The group numbered in the thousands, their bodies jet black, and more than thirty percent had cultivated over ten thousand years.
The school's king did not feel weak. It was not at the level of a hundred-thousand-year sea soul beast, but its age was at least ninety thousand years.
A ninety-plus-thousand-year sea soul beast was not his target. Chu Chengzhou had planned to ignore it, but then an idea came to him. He said a word to Tang Yuehua, ran Golden Light Ground-Stride, and flew into the air above the school.
In the next moment, the Void Illusion Realm activated. Spiritual power surged out, and the fish king patrolling its "territory" beneath the waves with a host of underlings had its consciousness altered and became his temporary slave.
Causing trouble in unfamiliar waters, how could you go without a guide?
Chu Chengzhou: Slip into the village quietly, and don't fire the gun!
Soon, the sea surface churned. A massive black billfish surfaced, its head tipped like a spear, a large dorsal fin on its back, body nearly ten meters long, though its tail looked somewhat off, most likely a grievous old injury.
Alright, looks like a disabled fish.
"Black all over. I'll call you Xiao Hui! Xiao Hui, go. Take your master to find a hundred-thousand-year beast king!"
Not caring about the disability, Chu Chengzhou gave orders from midair to the billfish king. Fearing Xiao Hui might not understand, he even conveyed his meaning through spiritual power.
Xiao Hui: I'm this black, so why am I Xiao Hui?
There were many sea soul beasts in the boundless ocean, but a ninety-plus-thousand-year sea soul beast was no small figure.
Although this billfish king's age was a bit lower, not yet a hundred thousand years and not to his liking, it had lived long and was the leader of a clan. It would surely know where the real tough ones in the nearby waters were, making it perfect as a guide.
"Gu—"
Receiving the order, the black billfish king temporarily named Xiao Hui let out a cheerful low cry. Its huge tail flicked, throwing up spray, and it sped toward the southeastern waters.
The school of fish: …
After that, Chu Chengzhou flew back to Xiao Hong and had Xiao Hong follow the guide Xiao Hui.
"What is that…?"
Looking at the big billfish guiding them below, Tang Yuehua asked curiously.
"Oh, it's called Xiao Hui. It's our guide. It's guiding us now."
"Guide?"
Tang Yuehua blinked, a little puzzled.
Two hours later, the guide Xiao Hui stopped in a certain stretch of sea.
"There's one here?"
Sensing no hundred-thousand-year sea soul beast within his perception range, Chu Chengzhou asked the Xiao Hui floating on the surface below.
"Gu gu gu—"
Xiao Hui flicked its tail and "spoke" with its mouth.
Chu Chengzhou could not understand fish speech, but through spiritual communication he grasped the meaning.
A large clan lived in these waters, and its king was a hundred-thousand-year sea soul beast.
Xiao Hui's clan was called the Black-Fin Billfish Clan. They had once been a powerful group led by a hundred-thousand-year beast king, a local hegemon in the vast ocean.
But years ago, the Black-Fin Billfish clan clashed with the clan in this sea and the two sides fought.
Because the other side's numbers were overwhelming, the Black-Fin Billfish clan was defeated with heavy losses. At that time, the old fish king, a hundred-thousand-year sea soul beast, chose to stay behind alone to cover the retreat for the clan's survival.
In the end, the old fish king never returned. Xiao Hui, the old fish king's son and the strongest of the clan, succeeded as fish king.
Xiao Hui's misaligned tail was left by that battle.
Now that the great Master Chu had descended, Xiao Hui had naturally brought its backer to settle scores with its "father-killer" enemy.
"A bunch of big lobsters?"
After hearing Xiao Hui's tale, Chu Chengzhou raised a brow.
Indeed, the Black-Fin Billfish clan's nemesis was a shrimp-type sea soul beast clan called the Crystal Radiant Dragon Lobsters.
In Chu Chengzhou's view, the Black-Fin Billfish clan's heavy losses and the old fish king's death were self-inflicted.
Billfish feed on little fish and shrimp, and the Crystal Radiant Dragon Lobster clan was extremely numerous. Their habitats were not far apart, so the lobsters naturally ended up on the billfish menu. The result needs no saying. They kicked an iron plate.
In overall quality, Black-Fin Billfish far surpassed Crystal Radiant Dragon Lobsters, but in sheer numbers the billfish could not compare at all.
At its peak the Black-Fin Billfish clan barely surpassed ten thousand, while the Crystal Radiant Dragon Lobster clan—well, even the hundred-thousand-year lobster king did not know how many underlings it truly had.
Within Chu Chengzhou's spiritual perception, the nearby waters teemed with big lobsters like golden crystals.
He could not be sure how many Crystal Radiant Dragon Lobsters there were in these waters, but at minimum it was in the hundreds of millions.
"Alright, Xiao Hui, you're free."
With a wave, Chu Chengzhou lifted the control on Xiao Hui.
Since these waters held vast numbers of Crystal Radiant Dragon Lobsters, Xiao Hui had found the right place. This must be the lair of the hundred-thousand-year lobster king.
Which meant the guide had done its job and was no longer needed.
The instant control was lifted, Xiao Hui's consciousness returned. It stared at Chu Chengzhou in horror.
Heavens, what kind of great demon king is this? He controlled Grandpa Fish's mind without me noticing? Terrifying!
At once its tail lashed, splashing water, and Xiao Hui dove to the seabed, fleeing in a panic.
Ignoring the fleeing Xiao Hui, Chu Chengzhou sat on Xiao Hong and, with Tang Yuehua, began scouting these waters.
A dozen minutes later, Chu Chengzhou sensed an area densely packed with high-level sea soul beasts, and among them one aura was especially strong.
Among soul beasts, this level of soul power aura was something he had only ever sensed from afar on Xiao Wu's two little brothers, Da Ming and Er Ming.
As he drew closer and swept with spiritual power, Chu Chengzhou saw on the seabed reef, surrounded by countless underlings and asleep, a giant clawless lobster over ten meters long, with a mighty dragon head and two massive primary spines extending from its head, its whole body covered in crystal-like golden armor.
Without question, this was the hundred-thousand-year Crystal Radiant Dragon Lobster King he sought.
To be fair, the Crystal Radiant Dragon Lobsters lived up to their name. One look told you their bloodline indeed carried traces of dragon lineage.
Which dragon-type soul beast was so bold as to mess with a shrimp?
Or maybe a bold shrimp messed with a dragon. Shrimp-dick fooling around?
Next, the soul-power flower bloomed over Chu Chengzhou's head. Defensive technique: Flower Blooms in an Instant activated. He flew down and appeared on the sea surface.
Though far from the continent, the seabed here formed a plateau. The water was not deep, only three to four hundred meters.
Illusion technique: the Void Illusion Realm activated. Formless spiritual power poured out and, in an instant, descended into the sea of consciousness of the sleeping hundred-thousand-year Crystal Radiant Dragon Lobster King.
The next second, the lobster king opened the huge golden eyes on its dragon head, like amethysts, and a devout look flashed within.
Not bad. Looks like I can control anything short of a hundred-thousand-year spiritual-type soul beast.
Comparing the lobster king's spiritual power to his own, Chu Chengzhou thought to himself on the sea.
After a moment, Chu Chengzhou sent a command to the lobster king through spiritual power, then flew back to rendezvous with Tang Yuehua and left these waters.
Four hours later, through the Void Illusion Realm, Chu Chengzhou had controlled another hundred-thousand-year sea soul beast king.
If a ninety-thousand-year Xiao Hui could serve as a guide to help him find hundred-thousand-year sea soul beasts, then as the overlord of the Crystal Radiant Dragon Lobster waters, the hundred-thousand-year lobster king could naturally serve as a guide as well.
It was like in the soul master world. Find any Titled Douluo and you could learn from him where other Titled Douluo were.
Sure enough, under the lobster king's lead, Chu Chengzhou then controlled the Crystal Radiant Dragon Lobster clan's old rival, the Raging Sea Demon Crab clan's king, the hundred-thousand-year Raging Sea Demon Crab King.
Chu Chengzhou: When will vengeance end?
Not long after, on an uninhabited desert island.
He glanced at the hundred-thousand-year Raging Sea Demon Crab King in the waters by the shore, then at the hundred-thousand-year Crystal Radiant Dragon Lobster King that had crawled onto the island. A smile tugged at Chu Chengzhou's lips. He looked to Tang Yuehua at his side. "Yuehua, ready?"
"Mm."
Tang Yuehua nodded, excited.
At first, she never thought Chu Chengzhou would arrange a hundred-thousand-year soul ring for her. But when she saw him control the hundred-thousand-year Crystal Radiant Dragon Lobster King, she understood.
No wonder Chu Chengzhou had not taken her to Sunset Forest to add a ring, but had come all the way to the vast sea.
There was only one reason. To find her a hundred-thousand-year sea soul beast and let her obtain a hundred-thousand-year soul ring that few soul masters on the continent could ever possess.
She knew that soul beasts over a hundred thousand years could offer sacrifice. Her second brother Tang Hao's hundred-thousand-year ninth ring had come that way.
And according to the Clear Sky Sect's records, gaining a soul ring through voluntary sacrifice was very different from normal ring hunting. Even a level-10 Soul Scholar could withstand the sacrifice of a hundred-thousand-year soul beast.
A theory that seemed nearly impossible was about to appear on her.
Tang Yuehua was sure that in known continental history, no soul master had ever owned a hundred-thousand-year first soul ring. Not even a twin-martial-soul soul master.
What she did not know was that, in the original course, a few years later her dear nephew Tang San would blaze the trail. Even without counting the Sea God trials' rewards, Tang San's Clear Sky Hammer could also have a hundred-thousand-year first ring.
"Come, Xiao Jin. Time to offer your ring.
Your great and merciful Lord God promises you. When Yuehua ascends to godhood, your Lord God will grant you eternal life."
Chu Chengzhou, full of charlatan airs, addressed the hundred-thousand-year Crystal Radiant Dragon Lobster King.
Tang Yuehua: "…"
"Zhi zhi—"
With a series of shrimp cries, the lobster king's eyes flashed with devotion.
A hundred-thousand-year soul beast's wisdom rivaled that of humans, but if it had never learned, it could not speak human words.
Crystal Radiant Dragon Lobster King: Praise the exalted Lord God!
In the next second, blinding red light spread from the lobster king's brow, turning into a red halo that expanded in an instant.
The sacrifice began.
When the surging ring of blood flame contracted and became a hundred-thousand-year first soul ring, and a golden arm-bone afterimage sank into her right arm, Tang Yuehua officially advanced to a one-ring soul master.
Upon advancing, Tang Yuehua's soul power reached level 20, quasi Soul Grandmaster. The soul power required for the entire one-ring stage was directly filled by the immense energy in the hundred-thousand-year soul ring and the hundred-thousand-year soul bone.
And it was certain that level 20 was not Tang Yuehua's limit. Because she lacked a second soul ring, her soul power was capped at 20 for now.
"Tsk. An unprecedented hundred-thousand-year first soul ring. Yuehua, congratulations on becoming a soul master."
Chu Chengzhou stepped forward with a smile to congratulate her.
"Little man—no, you are a man who stands tall. With your help, my dream has finally come true."
Looking at the smiling youth before her, feeling the unprecedented soul power within, Tang Yuehua's eyes turned moist as she hugged Chu Chengzhou tightly.
"Then, dear Sister Yuehua, how will you repay your man?"
He licked the corner of his mouth, his roguish hand sliding to the shapely rear of the beauty in his arms, and asked.
"Ptui, you only think of those messy things."
The deeply moved Tang Yuehua from a moment ago immediately snapped.
"Alright, no jokes. How's the soul skill?"
Chu Chengzhou straightened his face and got down to business.
"A bit strange…"
"Strange?"
He raised a brow.
Tang Yuehua nodded. "According to the sect records, hundred-thousand-year soul rings seem to produce two hundred-thousand-year soul skills. But my first soul ring skill is only one."
"Only one? A hundred-thousand-year ring yielding a single skill isn't necessarily bad. Heaven won't dock your skill for no reason. It likely means your skill is remarkable."
Hearing there was only one hundred-thousand-year soul skill, Chu Chengzhou did not mind.
Generally, hundred-thousand-year rings did grant two skills, but there were many exceptions.
Even excluding his own special cases, the original story had the Clear Sky Hammer's hundred-thousand-year eighth skill, Thousand-Jun Rampart, and Ning Rongrong's hundred-thousand-year eighth skill, Nine Treasures Divine Light Body.
"It seems… my skill isn't that remarkable.
First Soul Skill, As You Wish. It must be used together with my domain. After activation, it increases the cultivation speed of soul power and comprehension by 20% for all soul masters within the domain.
The good thing is that although As You Wish is from a very high-aged ring, I feel I can maintain it for a long time. The soul power cost is very small."
Tang Yuehua said, somewhat embarrassed.
First Soul Skill, As You Wish, increases cultivation speed and comprehension by 20%.
If this were an ordinary hundred-year first skill, this would be very strong, even heaven-defying.
But this was a martial soul born with domain power, combined with a hundred-thousand-year ring to form the only skill, and it still needed the domain to function, while the increase to cultivation speed and comprehension was only 20%. That felt a bit underwhelming.
Of course, since As You Wish did not only affect herself or a single target but all targets within the domain, 20% might not sound high, yet the effect was in fact extremely heaven-defying.
If she returned to the Clear Sky Sect, she would not only be the sect's eldest princess. She would be the sect's super ancestor. Her status in the sect would soar beyond that of her brother, Sect Master Tang Xiao.
It accelerates soul power cultivation and aids comprehension to break bottlenecks. Which soul master would not worship her like an ancestor?
After learning the effect of As You Wish, Chu Chengzhou fell into thought.
Generally, the effect of an auxiliary-type soul skill correlates with the soul beast that provided the ring.
For example, Oscar's Sausage martial soul gained its first ring from a beast with healing abilities, thus his skill became the Recovery Big Sausage that restored health.
The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda needs to hunt beasts strong in strength to gain strength-boosting skills.
Barring surprises, a creature like the Crystal Radiant Dragon Lobster would not innately enhance cultivation speed or comprehension. It had nothing to do with Tang Yuehua's As You Wish.
Which meant the reason her first soul skill was As You Wish had nothing to do with the ring itself, and was entirely due to the unique nature of the Ruyi martial soul?
Thinking this way, Chu Chengzhou had some guesses, but they needed verification.
Setting the soul skill aside for now, Chu Chengzhou asked, "Yuehua, what about your soul bone skills? That right arm soul bone shouldn't have any issues, right?"
"No. This hundred-thousand-year right arm soul bone carries two soul bone skills, exactly one offense and one defense. It's just that I can't use them for now."
Tang Yuehua looked a bit dejected.
Whether soul skill or soul bone skill, higher age means better effect.
That's in terms of effect. Soul power consumption is another matter.
Generally, the higher the age, the stronger the effect and the greater the consumption.
But there are cases where age increases, effect stays the same, and consumption decreases.
This type of change appears more often in auxiliary-type soul masters.
At level 20, Tang Yuehua could sustain the cost of a hundred-thousand-year first skill for a long time. Perhaps the high age of the ring manifested as reduced consumption.
But she could not activate the two offensive-defensive soul bone skills on the hundred-thousand-year Crystal Radiant Dragon Lobster right arm soul bone.
Simply put, the cost to trigger a hundred-thousand-year soul bone skill exceeded the maximum "mana bar" of her level-20 soul power.
So the high age of these two soul bone skills had manifested entirely in their offensive and defensive potency.
"No matter. When your level is higher, you'll use them naturally."
Chu Chengzhou waved it off.
He then glanced at the lobster king's body left after the sacrifice. The True Spirit Banner martial soul manifested in his hand, his seventh ring lit up, and he summoned the Dark Devilgod Tiger spirit summon, Xiao Hei.
"Xiao Hei, go. This big guy is yours… Uh, wait."
Just as he was about to let Xiao Hei consume the lobster king's body, a thought struck Chu Chengzhou.
If he remembered right, the physiology of hundred-thousand-year sea soul beasts differed from land beasts. Besides the ring and bone, there was another treasure.
Any sea soul beast over a hundred thousand years, regardless of species, would form in its head a great tonic called "whale brain."
It contained vast energy. Soul masters could eat it to raise soul power without side effects and to help break through bottlenecks. Letting Xiao Hei gulp it down would be a waste.
Xiao Hei could serve as a recycling station for corpses he did not need. A treasure like whale brain should be handled by the master himself.
Next he planned to send Xiao Wu and the others to Sea God Island to train. With the advantage of the trials, the four girls' soul power would soar. To keep from falling too far behind, he might as well take some whale brain to level up. Otherwise his standing as head of the household would look bad.
A flash of golden light in his hand. Chu Chengzhou drew a soul-forged fine-gold sword. With soul power poured in, the sword became razor sharp.
After some work, he pried open the lobster king's skull and retrieved from within a gold paste the size of a basketball.
At once the air filled with a rich fragrance.
"Tsk. Smells pretty good."
Chu Chengzhou clicked his tongue at the aroma.
"What is that?"
Tang Yuehua asked in mild surprise.
"It's called whale brain. Only sea soul beasts over a hundred thousand years produce it. Eating it boosts soul power and helps break bottlenecks."
He explained.
"Oh."
Tang Yuehua nodded, reaction rather calm.
Boosting soul power and helping break bottlenecks was nothing special.
For Tang Yuehua right now, the issue was not raising soul power, but how to better control it.
"Alright, Xiao Hei, go on. The rest is yours."
Stowing the whale brain, Chu Chengzhou pointed at the lobster king's corpse and addressed Xiao Hei.
Though he did use Xiao Hei like a recycling bin, as a spirit summon with no rights, Xiao Hei did not mind.
For a devouring-type soul beast, the corpse of a high-aged soul beast was the best treasure. Even without ring, bone, and whale brain, this was still a priceless prize.
Take this hundred-thousand-year Crystal Radiant Dragon Lobster. Without terrain advantage, its strength might not surpass an ordinary rank-95 Titled Douluo. But in sheer internal energy, it far exceeded a typical rank-95 Titled Douluo.
Yet if a rank-90 quasi Titled Douluo added its ring and bone, after advancing their soul power would at most reach rank 92 Titled Douluo.
T/N: For up to 30 chapters ahead on most of my translations, become a p@tron at [email protected]/LordHipposApostle
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excluding these ten chapters gonna try daily this week.