Chapter 33: Du Busi's Gamble: "This Old Man Chooses to Believe in My Disciple!"
The lingering pressure in the great hall slowly dissipated. Facing Long Aotian's incredulous exclamation, Liu Yuan merely withdrew his surging soul power. His breathing steadied. He bowed slightly, his expression as placid as an ancient, undisturbed well.
"Senior Brother, you overpraise me. It is merely the result of steady accumulation. Combining that with a focused mind during my seclusion allowed me to luckily cross this threshold."
"You kid, you are certainly humble." Long Aotian shook his head, a wry smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
Memories of his own bottleneck surfaced. When he had attempted to break through to Level 30, even with the Body Sect's countless resources piled up before him, it had taken an agonizingly long time to refine his foundation. Yet, the junior brother standing before him had shattered that barrier as naturally as drinking water or eating a meal.
Sitting at the head of the great hall, Du Busi had zero patience for such pleasantries. The massive frame of the Body Sect's master lurched forward, the heavy wooden chair groaning under his weight. His eyes brimmed with a piercing emerald light. He tapped the armrest, the rhythmic thud echoing through the vast chamber.
"Enough, save the humble talk for later! Since you have now firmly planted your feet on the Level 30 step, obtaining your third soul ring is this sect's absolute top priority."
Du Busi rubbed his large, calloused hands together. A swift, decisive urgency etched itself across his brow.
"For the past few days, this old man has been flipping through the sect's secret scrolls, scouting out several excellent choices for you. Among them is a ten-thousand-year Bewitching Fox. Its spiritual power impact is treacherous and entirely unpredictable. Given the nature of your Double Pupils, it would be the most compatible match..."
"Master." Liu Yuan raised his head, his gaze meeting Du Busi's piercing emerald stare without a single flinch. "Regarding the third soul ring, this disciple dares to be bold. I already have my own ideas."
His tone was soft, yet it carried an unquestionable, ironclad firmness.
The atmosphere inside the great hall instantly stagnated. The air grew heavy. Two withered elders, both radiating the deep, abyssal auras of high-level experts, exchanged sharply surprised glances. Long Aotian, Chen Lu, and Wang Yanfeng stared at Liu Yuan, their eyes wide with astonishment.
In the Soul Master world, the soul ring choices of low-level cultivators strictly followed the guidance of their elders and teachers. This was an unwritten law. It was even more absolute when the teacher in question was a world-class, top-tier powerhouse like the Body Douluo, Du Busi.
Du Busi froze. He stared at his disciple for a long moment before throwing his head back, a hearty, booming laugh rattling the rafters. He waved a massive hand dismissively.
"Oh? You kid, you may be young, but you certainly have a mind of your own. Fine! Then this old man will listen. Tell me, what kind of precious treasure have you chosen for yourself?"
Liu Yuan took a slow, measured breath. He swept his gaze across the hall, ensuring he had everyone's undivided attention.
"This disciple has carefully analyzed his own combat system," he began, his voice dropping an octave. "Currently, I have 'Laser Eye'for long-range engagements. It possesses ultimate penetration, capable of destroying nearly anything in its path. For recovery and endurance, I have the'Undying Body'. As long as my spiritual power is not entirely exhausted, I can remain virtually invincible on the battlefield."
He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly. "However, during my spars with Senior Brother Long, and especially when facing that five-ring Evil Soul Master, I discovered a fatal flaw."
His tone sharpened, cutting through the silence like a blade. "That flaw is my melee burst power and instantaneous displacement ability. Once a superior enemy closes the distance, or if I fall into a tight encirclement, I lack the explosive speed to reposition. I am forced to withstand their assaults head-on."
"Therefore, for my third soul skill, I require an ability that can thoroughly temper and strengthen my physical body, or one that grants extreme melee burst power and speed. After days of extensive research through the archives, I have already selected my target."
Liu Yuan's eyes locked onto Du Busi. "The core area of the Far North. The Ice Qilin."
"What?!" Chen Lu gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. Wang Yanfeng's eyes bulged, looking as if they might pop out of their sockets.
One of the withered elders standing to the side furrowed his brow deeply. He stepped forward, unable to hold back his counsel. "Liu Yuan, this is highly inappropriate. Your martial soul is the Double Pupils. At its core, it belongs to the eye-type Body Martial Soul category. According to all established common sense, your cultivation path should strictly follow the direction of spiritual power, illusions, or extreme vision enhancement. Choosing an Ice Qilin—a beast renowned purely for its tyrannical physical body and extreme ice attributes—isn't that acting in complete opposition to your foundation?"
Long Aotian opened his mouth, fully intending to offer his own words of caution. But as he took in the absolute, unwavering seriousness etched onto Liu Yuan's face, the words died in his throat. He ultimately remained silent.
Du Busi did not speak. The massive man slowly sank back into his high seat. He crossed his thick fingers, propping up his chin as he descended into deep, heavy contemplation.
In truth, if he were to follow his original, orthodox mindset, he would have instantly rejected Liu Yuan's proposal. As the Sect Master of the Body Sect, his understanding of the martial soul system's delicate balance surpassed almost anyone alive. A spiritual-type martial soul paired exclusively with spiritual-type soul rings—that was the righteous path. The orthodox way.
Liu Yuan's current line of thought, when viewed through the lens of the traditional Soul Master world, was not just unorthodox; it was absolute heresy.
However, as Du Busi turned the thought over in his mind, the sheer, devastating performance of Liu Yuan's first two soul skills flashed before his eyes.
'Heresy?'Du Busi mused silently.'Which of this kid's previous two soul skills ever followed the conventional path?'
Despite possessing an eye-type martial soul, his first skill was the completely unreasonable, highly destructive Laser Eye. His second skill was even more exaggerated. He had directly crossed natural boundaries to obtain rapid limb regeneration—a miraculous trait usually exclusive to plant-type or high-level recovery-type soul beasts.
If someone had told Du Busi about such combinations in the past, he wouldn't have believed it even if he racked his brains for a century.
Yet, the cold, hard facts proved that the effects of these two soul skills were utterly terrifying. They had forged a foundation solid enough to allow Liu Yuan to achieve a heaven-defying combat record, heavily injuring enemies across a gap of three entire soul ring realms.
'Since he chose correctly the first two times... why can't this old man choose to believe in him one more time?'
Du Busi's gaze gradually deepened, the emerald light swirling within his pupils. He looked at Liu Yuan not as a mere disciple, but as a convention-shattering monster.
Liu Yuan's talent and intellect could no longer be measured by the yardstick of common sense. Since this boy was actively carving out a path to power that no one in history had ever walked, forcing these so-called 'common sense suggestions' upon him might only serve as iron shackles, binding his limitless potential.
Rather than forcing him down a stable, predictable spiritual-type path, it would be infinitely better to let go. Let the boy gamble for an ultimate, unmatched future. After all, the orthodox choices of the older generation were not necessarily superior to the vast horizon Liu Yuan saw with his own Double Pupils.
The great hall remained suffocatingly silent for a long time.
Finally, Du Busi let out a long, heavy breath. He suddenly slammed his palm against the armrest, the sheer force cracking the ancient wood as he rose to his feet like a waking titan.
"Good! Then this old man will personally take you to the Far North for a trip!"
"Sect Master! This is entirely unreasonable!" The previously vocal elder stepped forward, his face pale with anxiety. "The core area of the Far North is fraught with lethal dangers. Not to mention the fact that an Ice Qilin is exceedingly rare and difficult to track down! Even if we do find one, letting an eye-type martial soul forcefully fuse with its soul ring carries far too much risk. If the violent attribute conflict causes irreversible damage to his martial soul—"
"Enough." Du Busi raised a single hand, instantly silencing the elder's desperate persuasion. He stared down at Liu Yuan, his eyes burning with a fierce, uncompromising light. "The reason this old man chooses to believe in him is because his first two soul skills have already proven a fundamental truth. His understanding of his own martial soul far exceeds the limits of our rigid imagination. Since he dares to gamble his future on this path, then this old man dares to believe in him!"
The elder opened his mouth, desperately wanting to argue further. But seeing the absolute finality etched into Du Busi's features, he swallowed his words. He could only let out a long, helpless sigh and step back into his place.
Du Busi shifted his gaze to Long Aotian and the other two juniors, waving his large hand dismissively. "Aotian, take Chen Lu and Wang Yanfeng back. Rest up and cultivate well. As for the matter of Liu Yuan obtaining his third soul ring, this old man will handle it personally."
"Yes, Master." Long Aotian bowed respectfully. He, Chen Lu, and Wang Yanfeng all cast lingering looks of 'take care' toward Liu Yuan before quietly retreating from the great hall, leaving the heavy wooden doors to click shut behind them.
Now, only the master and disciple remained in the vast, echoing chamber.
Du Busi leaped down from the high platform, landing with a heavy thud that shook the stone floor. He closed the distance, towering over Liu Yuan. His rugged expression revealed a potent mixture of overbearing arrogance and fierce, unyielding protectiveness.
"Kid, are you truly ready? The core area of the Far North is not a playground. It is a frozen hell where even the moisture in your breath will freeze before it leaves your lips."
He grinned, revealing a row of stark white teeth. "However, rest assured. Since this old man has promised you, even if I have to flip the entire Far North upside down, I will hunt down that Qilin and drag it right before you!"
Liu Yuan bowed deeply, bending at the waist. A rare wave of genuine warmth flowed through his usually pragmatic heart. He knew full well that this was no longer just a simple soul beast hunt. This was a massive, unmatched gamble his master was making on his behalf, staking the sect's resources and his own time on Liu Yuan's vision.
"This disciple is ready. Thank you, Master, for fulfilling my request!"
"Haha, let's go! Let the two of us, master and disciple, go and witness the brutal scenery of the Far North!"
The emerald green light surrounding Du Busi suddenly surged outward like a tidal wave. The terrifying, suffocating pressure of a Level 98 Super Douluo flared wildly for a fraction of a second before he reigned it in.
Without another word, he reached out with a massive hand, grabbing Liu Yuan by the shoulder. In the blink of an eye, the two of them transformed into a streak of brilliant green light. They pierced straight through the sky, instantly rushing out of the Sect Master's great hall and tearing through the clouds, speeding relentlessly toward the distant, extremely cold lands of the north.
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