Chapter 84: Level 30
About four months after entering Tiandou Royal Academy, Yang Xiong's soul power became more solid. Finally, one afternoon, his entire body felt as if it had been pierced through, and he suddenly felt an immense sense of comfort. Yang Xiong finally let out a sigh of relief.
"I've finally reached level 30, which is about the time I expected."
Indeed, it was level 30. He had reached level 29 less than half a month after entering Tiandou Royal Academy, and after another three and a half months of cultivation, he had finally reached level 30.
With this progress, using the Yin-Yang Meditation method, he should be able to increase his level by about four levels each year. This speed was no weaker than the talents with innate full soul power.
About half a month ago, Ning Rongrong had already reached level 30, becoming the fifth of the Shrek Eight to reach the Soul Sovereign level.
Originally, Flender wanted to arrange for everyone to help Ning Rongrong hunt soul rings in the usual way, but she politely declined. Her soul rings had been arranged by the sect.
Yang Xiong thought for a long time before deciding to give Ning Rongrong the Man-Faced Demon Spider as her third soul ring.
Normally, the third soul ring for a soul master was around 1,700 years, but this Man-Faced Demon Spider was over 2,000 years old and could not be absorbed.
However, after asking several times, Yang Xiong confirmed that Ning Rongrong had consumed a lot of whale resin, especially the thousand-year-old whale resin. After verifying with Bone Douluo, Ning Rongrong's body was indeed much stronger than usual.
Typically, the whale resin could help absorb a 500-year soul ring. Since Ning Rongrong had consumed quite a bit, absorbing this Man-Faced Demon Spider's soul ring should not be a problem.
Moreover, the third soul ring of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda usually chose a soul beast with a higher soul power, and the Man-Faced Demon Spider, as a forest hunter, was very appropriate.
At this moment, in Ning Rongrong's small villa, Ning Fengzhi, Bone Douluo, Yang Xiong, and Ning Rongrong were all present. Yang Xiong had also taken out the almost dying Man-Faced Demon Spider from his soul guide that could store living beings.
Indeed, spider-type soul beasts had very strong survival abilities. Even though Yang Xiong had been torturing it for months, it still hadn't died. Its one eye looked exceptionally fierce, clearly showing immense hatred for Yang Xiong, the one who had tortured it.
Bone Douluo looked at Yang Xiong with a face full of anger. "Yang Xiong, you're being too reckless. This Man-Faced Demon Spider is excellent, but it's over 2,000 years old. Rongrong is an auxiliary soul master; how can she bear it?"
Yang Xiong immediately hid behind Ning Rongrong, looking fearfully at Bone Douluo. "Elder Bone, you should know the effect of whale resin on the body. Rongrong will definitely be able to absorb this soul ring. Besides, this Man-Faced Demon Spider has been tortured by me for so long; there might even be some unexpected benefits."
Recently, Yang Xiong had become genuinely afraid of Bone Douluo. Seeing both of them made him want to hide, just like a quail.
But these two didn't know what was wrong with them, as they had been coming to Tiandou Royal Academy every few days, claiming they were giving Yang Xiong some individual battle education. Each time, they would beat Yang Xiong up without using any soul power, warning him not to tell Ning Rongrong, or they would make his life miserable in the sect.
As a result, Yang Xiong began to have a miserable time, appearing with a bruised face every few days, but he dared not show any anger towards these two big shots.
However, fighting against Title Douluos did significantly improve his combat experience. At least his ability to escape and survive, especially his ability to withstand beatings, had improved a lot.
...
Before Bone Douluo could say anything, Ning Rongrong spoke first. "Dad, we've already verified this. Whale resin should help absorb soul rings of about 500 years. I've already consumed a lot of whale resin, so absorbing this soul ring shouldn't be a problem. Besides, I trust Xiao Xiong won't harm me."
Ning Fengzhi sighed. "Rongrong, our verification of the whale resin is indeed correct, but you must understand that absorbing a soul ring that exceeds your level is extremely painful. Besides, they are battle soul masters, and you are just an auxiliary soul master."
Ning Rongrong smiled confidently. "Dad, you underestimate me. I've been working hard on my cultivation, and my physical strength has improved a lot."
Ning Fengzhi couldn't help but feel a bit emotional when he saw Ning Rongrong. Compared to when she first went to Shrek, she was now less innocent and had become more charismatic.
Bone Douluo, seeing the situation, didn't get too angry but instead gave Yang Xiong a fierce look. "This is all your doing, Yang Xiong. If anything happens to Rongrong, I'll hang you at the entrance of Tiandou Royal Academy."
Yang Xiong helplessly replied, "Elder Bone, you all confirmed this soul ring, so why are you blaming me?"
Ning Fengzhi, seeing Bone Douluo's angry look, couldn't help but smile bitterly. He had a good understanding of Bone Douluo and Sword Douluo's recent behavior, but he couldn't interfere. These two had been taking out their frustration on him because they believed Rongrong had been taken away by this handsome young man, and of course, they also got some satisfaction from it.
The process of Ning Rongrong absorbing the soul ring was indeed extremely painful, and her face became terribly pale, making both Bone Douluo and Ning Fengzhi extremely worried.
Just as Ning Rongrong was gradually recovering and opened her eyes, she suddenly became a bit uncontrollable. Eight sharp spider legs emerged from her back, each one segmented and more than a meter long.
When the spider legs first appeared, Ning Rongrong's clothes were immediately torn. But before Yang Xiong could carefully examine them, Bone Douluo quickly wrapped her up with his own clothes and gave Yang Xiong a menacing glare, causing Yang Xiong to feel a little nervous.
Since becoming a couple, although Yang Xiong and Ning Rongrong spent a lot of time together, their relationship had mostly been limited to hugging, kissing, and such. They hadn't done anything too extreme, and this was the first time Yang Xiong had seen Ning Rongrong's body.
After thorough confirmation from Bone Douluo and Ning Fengzhi, it was clear that the spider legs were an external soul bone from the Man-Faced Demon Spider. Not only was it extremely toxic, but it also possessed tremendous power, making it one of the best external soul bones.
The two of them were overjoyed. With this, Ning Rongrong was no longer a helpless auxiliary soul master but could now be considered a battle soul master.
However, both of them specially instructed Ning Rongrong that she should never use the external soul bone unless absolutely necessary. The world of soul masters was still far too dangerous.
Originally, Yang Xiong had considered absorbing the Eight Spider Soul Bone himself, as this soul bone was even stronger than everyone had imagined, especially with its devouring power.
Unfortunately, after carefully observing it, he realized that his Xuanming Armor had already fully enveloped his ribs and spine since it had evolved. It was unlikely that he could absorb the external soul bone in his back anymore, especially since external soul bones had to be absorbed alongside soul rings. Yang Xiong didn't want to waste his third soul ring, so he ultimately decided to give it to Ning Rongrong.
...
After reaching level 30, Yang Xiong contacted Lin Gong and prepared to head to the Sunset Forest with him.
Although Lin Gong had been secretly protecting him at Tiandou Royal Academy, he had been much more relaxed recently. The academy was safer than Shrek Academy, especially after Yang Xiong had been beaten by Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo. The old man liked to come out and laugh at him afterward.
Since the incident in the Star Dou Great Forest, Lin Gong had stopped hiding. He would appear openly in the village, though he dressed like an ordinary person and no longer wore soul master attire.
Sometimes the two of them would drink and talk, and Yang Xiong found it very relaxing, especially when he was feeling troubled.
Compared to the others from Shrek, Yang Xiong felt much more comfortable around Lin Gong. At least the old man was amusing.
After leaving Tiandou Royal Academy by carriage, Lin Gong was still sulking, and Yang Xiong knew he was angry with him.
Yang Xiong helplessly said, "Teacher Lin, stop overthinking. It feels like I owe you so much."
Lin Gong snorted coldly. "You little brat, not only did you steal away the talented Rongrong, but you also dragged Qin Shuang into this mess. You took two of my best students at once. I should've beaten you up."
Yang Xiong was speechless. "This isn't my fault. It was the sect leader's decision. If you want to blame someone, blame the sect leader's choices."
Lin Gong rolled his eyes at Yang Xiong. "Of course, you're hiding behind the sect leader. If it weren't for Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo, do you think I wouldn't have beaten Ning Fengzhi? I'd have been gone already if I wasn't worried about your safety."
Yang Xiong was puzzled. "Teacher Lin, can't the sect leader order you around?"
Lin Gong smiled coldly. "I've long since repaid my debt to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. If it weren't for you, I'd be comfortably at home. Why would I be out here? I'm just here for you, and I'm definitely not doing it for the sect leader."
"I told you before, in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, I'm just an honorary elder. Those old men can't control me. Even Bone Douluo can only be polite to me."
Yang Xiong seemed to recall something. "Teacher Lin, what exactly is your relationship with Grandmaster Long? You two seem to know each other well. You even had a bit of a confrontation last time."
Lin Gong fell silent for a long time, as if recalling something from the past. After a long pause, he slowly spoke. "Actually, I traveled the Soul Master world with Grandmaster Long back in the day. We were quite close, but in the end, we parted ways due to some disagreements. Back then, our reputation was much stronger than the Golden Iron Triangle. We were their predecessors."
Yang Xiong listened in shock, piecing together the information. Lin Gong and Grandmaster Long were both in their seventies or eighties, much older than Yu Xiaogang. Could there have been some love-hate relationship between them?
The carriage soon arrived at the outskirts of the Sunset Forest, and Lin Gong looked puzzled. "Yang Xiong, what kind of soul ring are you looking for? What year range?"
Yang Xiong smiled. "Teacher, since you know me so well, can't you guess what I'll choose?"
Lin Gong replied, "You brat are always so mysterious. I'd guess your third soul ring will be around 3,000 years. But as for which soul beast, I can't guess."
"But I'm curious. While there are many soul beasts of that age range in the Sunset Forest, there aren't any top-tier ones. Since you didn't go to the Star Dou Great Forest, you must already have your eye on a particular soul beast."
Yang Xiong smiled. "You really understand me, Teacher. I saw that soul beast the last time I came to the Sunset Forest, and it even chased me for an entire day. You should remember it."
Lin Gong was shocked. "That's impossible! That soul beast is extremely rare and powerful, but its attributes don't match yours at all. It's over 4,000 years old, maybe even older. Don't do anything reckless."
(END CHAPTER)
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