Soul Land: I Am the True Grandmaster

Chapter 176: The Gap of the First Soul Ring, Part 2

Ye Tianshui's innocent eyes sparkled with curiosity as she eagerly tugged on Ye Wen's sleeve. "Hurry, Papa, hurry!"

The group soon arrived at the lake's edge. Although each of the three children possessed a Seagod martial soul just like Ye Wen, they were still far from having the strength to dive in and drag out a beast of that size on their own.

With a playful grin, Ye Wen took a step forward. "Watch this, everyone!"

With a wave of his hand, the lake parted, splitting into two walls of water and revealing the lakebed below.

"Whoa!" All five children gasped in unison, clapping with admiration. For Ye Wen, controlling a lake was a simple feat small work for a Seagod.

As the water receded, fish flopped around on the exposed lakebed, bewildered by the sudden absence of their watery habitat. And among them was the soul beast Ye Wen had been searching for: a massive turtle with golden scales shimmering under the sunlight. Its body bore dragon like scales, and its head had a distinctly draconic shape.

Ye Wen recognized it immediately, though it looked different from the ordinary Golden Armored Turtle. He addressed the children, sharing his knowledge. "This creature is a hybrid between a dragon type and a turtle type soul beast, known as a Golden Ao Dragon Turtle. Don't let its short limbs fool you although it's only about a thousand years old, it could take on a standard five thousand year soul beast in a fight."

The children gaped in awe. After Ye Wen's teachings, they knew that a five thousand year soul beast was a powerhouse equivalent to a lower level Soul King an advanced rank in the soul master hierarchy. But Ye Tianshui's excitement waned, and she frowned slightly, pouting.

"Papa, it's so ugly. I don't want this one!"

Ye Wen chuckled, realizing the difference in their tastes. The boys, including Ma Hongjun and Oscar, saw the creature as a majestic, golden marvel, but to his daughter, the turtle's fierce appearance was a bit too rough. Smiling, Ye Wen patted her on the head.

"Think of it this way, Tianshui: cute animals make great pets, but fierce ones like this are perfect for your soul ring. Once it's defeated, it'll become a beautiful, glowing purple ring. Isn't that worth it?"

Reassured, Tianshui nodded slightly, accepting her father's reasoning. She closed her eyes, steeling herself. "All right, Papa. Let's do it!"

Laughing softly, Ye Wen bound the Golden Ao Dragon Turtle in place, allowing Tianshui to dispatch it with one swift strike. She absorbed the ring with ease; with her powerful lineage and endurance, her body handled the turtle's energy effortlessly.

Next, it was Ma Hongjun and Oscar's turn. Fire type soul beasts are relatively rare in a controlled environment like this forest burning down valuable resources is strictly prohibited, and a fire would mean swift punishment from the enforcement team. After an extensive search, Ye Wen realized there was no suitable fire attribute avian beast for Ma Hongjun here. No matter, Ye Wen thought; they could find something back at the academy.

But poor Ma Hongjun's spirits sank. He watched as his friends acquired soul rings one after another, while he was still left empty handed. Still, his training under Ye Wen had prepared him, and the importance of finding a perfect soul ring was instilled in him.

Ye Wen considered Ma Hongjun's abilities, recalling how the original series underutilized his immense potential. His refined Extreme Flame was a rare talent, wasted with only a secondary phoenix god's position. With proper development, Ma Hongjun's fire could easily surpass even Tang San's Clear Sky Hammer.

Next up was Oscar, whose original first and second soul rings Healing Sausage and Detoxifying Sausage had questionable value. Although the abilities were useful, they lacked the power and utility to keep up with his increasing strength. If Oscar could gain an ability that aided his cultivation early on, it would accelerate his training, compensating for the slower pace typical of food type soul masters.

An auxiliary soul ring for enhanced cultivation would give him a solid foundation for later training. Such soul rings typically belonged to plant type soul beasts that cultivated symbiotically, helping other creatures grow as a means of self preservation. These were often surrounded by soul beasts who protected them, making it difficult for ordinary soul masters to approach without strong backing.

Before long, Ye Wen located a suitable plant soul beast: an Airborne Tree with exactly 400 years of cultivation.

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