New story! Please support by adding to your collection! Thank you :)
------------------------------------------------------
After returning to the small town outside the Soul Hunting Forest, night had already fallen.
The two didn't rush back immediately but stayed overnight in the town. Early the next morning, they boarded a carriage and headed back to Nuoding City.
Four hundred miles wasn't particularly long or short.
In his previous life, it would have taken only a few hours by car. But on the Douluo Continent, where transportation wasn't advanced, the two spent an entire day and half a morning traveling by carriage before finally reaching Nuoding City.
"We're back~!"
As soon as they entered the courtyard, Chu Chengzhou called out.
"Little Chu, you've finally become a Soul Master?"
Soon after hearing the commotion, Xiao Wu ran out of the living room to greet them.
The word "finally" was appropriate, but Chu Chengzhou didn't like it.
"Lazy to deal with you~"
Giving Xiao Wu a sideways glance, Chu Chengzhou walked into the living room by himself.
There was no other reason—he had been struck hard.
True, he was now a one-ring soul master, but compared to Xiao Wu, he still fell far short.
Xiao Wu's cultivation talent was equivalent to having full innate soul power, so her cultivation speed was already incredibly fast. Add to that the purple-tier Meditation skill she learned last year, and her upgrade speed had become even more explosive.
Two years ago, when Xiao Wu first enrolled at Nuoding Academy, she was only level 12. By the end of the semester, she had reached level 15.
But now, Xiao Wu had recently become a two-ring Soul Grandmaster.
As for her second soul ring?
This little rabbit was also a shameless liar, claiming that a distant relative had come to Nuoding City and helped her obtain her second soul ring.
However, Chu Chengzhou knew that Xiao Wu had secretly gone out to form her second soul ring herself. He just didn't expose her.
Moreover, since Xiao Wu had also cultivated the yellow-tier Body Refinement skill, the second soul ring she formed, while not reaching the thousand-year purple tier, was still over nine hundred years old, with a deep yellow hue tinged with a hint of purple.
"Hey~, Little Chu—no, Brother, don't walk away! We're both Soul Masters now, let's spar!"
Seeing Chu Chengzhou ignoring her, Xiao Wu quickly chased after him.
Previously, Chu Chengzhou, believing he had made significant progress in body refinement, decided to gain some combat experience by sparring with Xiao Wu. To ensure fairness, he even forbade Xiao Wu from using her soul skills.
Unfortunately, ideals were lofty, but reality was harsh. Even without using soul skills, Xiao Wu could still utterly dominate him.
It was true that Chu Chengzhou had started cultivating Body Refinement earlier than Xiao Wu, but Xiao Wu had the advantage of higher soul power levels. Moreover, her first soul ring—a century-level one—had significantly boosted her physical attributes. Coupled with her rich combat experience and superior techniques, Chu Chengzhou was thoroughly outmatched.
Having experienced being utterly dominated once, Chu Chengzhou naturally lost any further enthusiasm for sparring.
After all, if it was just a one-sided beating, what kind of combat experience was he accumulating?
Wasn't he just learning how to endure beatings with minimal pain?!
Once Chu Chengzhou unilaterally canceled the sparring plan, Xiao Wu immediately protested. She had been looking forward to openly bullying her older brother!
Still, since he was technically her older brother, Xiao Wu couldn't bring herself to beat him up directly. Instead, she occasionally tried to coax Chu Chengzhou into sparring with her.
"Go away, go cool off somewhere, you little Pesky Rabbit~"
Chu Chengzhou said dismissively.
Sparring? Only a fool would spar with you!
"Huh? Who are you calling a Pesky Rabbit?"
Instantly, Xiao Wu became enraged.
As the big sister of the rabbit clan, Xiao Wu naturally knew about her distant relatives.
The Pesky Rabbit was one of the most mischievous rabbit-type spirit beasts on the continent, notorious for teasing weaker spirit beasts in the forest.
"I'm not a rabbit. If you're not a Pesky Rabbit, then who is?"
"Chu Chengzhou, I think you're itching for a beating!"
Infuriated, Xiao Wu lunged at Chu Chengzhou.
Watching the two playfully fight, Su Nan, who had just entered the living room, shook his head helplessly.
Inside the bedroom, Chu Chengzhou opened the attribute panel and prepared to adjust his AFK training plan.
Currently, in the two AFK slots, one was occupied by the newly added yellow-tier Body Refinement skill, while the other held the purple-tier Meditation skill, which was just over 40% complete.
Now that he had obtained his first soul ring, Chu Chengzhou naturally planned to increase its age.
It didn't need to be too high—just temporarily raising it to a thousand-year purple-tier soul ring would suffice.
The AFK training efficiency for soul rings was ten years per day. Starting at 652 years, his first soul ring would reach the thousand-year mark after just over a month of AFKing.
However, a problem arose: could a mere one-ring soul master possess a thousand-year purple-tier soul ring?
Uninformed soul masters would outright dismiss it as impossible, while those with some knowledge and shallow pockets would likely drool with envy.
According to the optimal soul ring ratio, a one-ring soul master should only be able to have a soul ring around four hundred years. If your first soul ring is a thousand-year purple one, it must mean you've absorbed a soul bone!
Soul bones were valuable items. Even the most ordinary hundred- or thousand-year soul bones, measured in gold soul coins, were worth at least several million.
Isn't this walking around with a million gold soul coins—and completely defenseless, at that?
No need to say more—kill him and take it!
If Chu Chengzhou had a powerhouse backing him, like a Title Douluo-level father who could crush the Pope of the Spirit Hall, having a thousand-year first soul ring wouldn't be an issue. Even if others envied him, they wouldn't dare make a move.
But unfortunately, his strongest support was his grandfather, a four-ring Soul Ancestor—powerless and without influence. He simply wasn't qualified to possess a thousand-year first soul ring.
Of course, he had two other potential backers: Xiao Wu's younger brothers, Da Ming and Er Ming.
These two were incredibly strong. Ordinary Title Douluos wouldn't stand a chance against them. The problem was that they were hundred-thousand-year spirit beasts. While they could serve as his backers, they couldn't be used openly.
Thus, Chu Chengzhou faced two options: either stop AFKing his soul ring until he gained self-defense capabilities, or develop a self-created soul skill that could alter the color of his soul ring.
If there were no AFK slots, Chu Chengzhou wouldn't entertain such fantasies. After all, creating a self-developed soul skill was no trivial matter—it might never happen in a lifetime.
But with the ability to AFK train, it seemed possible?
A soul master's soul rings existed as part of their martial soul, essentially forming a part of their own strength.
If he could gain a certain degree—or perfect—control over his own strength, wouldn't he be able to change the color of his soul ring or use soul skills without revealing the soul ring itself?
Additionally, mastering control over one's strength was a necessity for every powerful individual. This path aligned with his future growth and didn't conflict with his goals.
Of course, if he couldn't develop such a self-created soul skill, he would have no choice but to stay low-key. His first soul ring would remain below nine hundred years for now.
A slightly deeper-colored soul ring wasn't a problem. He still had several years before leaving Nuoding City, the "starter village." By then, he should be able to handle ordinary opponents. As for stronger individuals, they likely wouldn't covet the practically non-existent, useless soul bone within him.
After all, if he couldn't even have a thousand-year soul ring, how high could the soul bone's age possibly be?
As long as his soul ring didn't show hints of purple or directly turned into a thousand-year purple one, there wouldn't be any issues.
------------------------------------------------------
Double Chapters Chapters Ahead: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)