Chapter 17: The Scheme!

Seeing Yu Tianyun successfully absorb the Soul Ring and soul bone, Yu Yuanzhen immediately lifted Yu Tianyun with soul power, flew toward the outside of Sunset Forest, and vanished into the sky like a flash of lightning.

After all, there is an unstable factor in the forest such as Du Gu Bo, who has shown no hostility lately, but caution is paramount; since the goal is already achieved, it is best to leave quickly.

The Title Douluo moved at an extremely fast pace, and before the sun had set, the two had already returned home,

Yu Yuanzhen looked at the spirited, newly transformed Yu Tianyun and said with a smile:

"This time the harvest is tremendous; you go back and digest it, and tell me about your gains tomorrow,"

"Yes, Grandfather," Yu Tianyun replied cheerfully; his harvest this time was indeed great, and the skills granted by the Soul Ring and soul bone fit him perfectly.

Yu Tianyun then returned to his cozy courtyard, shared a warm moment with the arriving Xiao Yue, ate dinner comfortably, and sat cross‑legged on the bed to circulate soul power, feeling this upgrade:

"My soul power intensity is roughly at level thirty‑three, my physical condition has improved considerably, my muscles are stronger, I seem a bit taller, and even look more handsome! I estimate that after breaking through the Soul Ancestor stage I will be almost fully developed; now I feel that even with just my flesh strength I can fight Soul Masters of the same rank, and of course these are not the greatest gains,"

"The Purple Thunder Wild Rhinoceros lived up to expectations, granting me an amplified soul skill—Thunder Dominance Body, which boosts my defense and strength by two hundred percent and adds fifty percent more thunder power; the effect is quite good, and I estimate I can use Thunderclap Sword Finger a few more times, and also—"

At that moment his gaze fell on his right hand; under the flow of soul power a faint, hard‑to‑see dark‑golden glow appeared, and suddenly five sharp blades sprang from his fingertips, his palm moving as if it could slice the air! "And there is the Dark Golden Terror Claw, whose attack power is formidable; it is said that an adult Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear can tear a giant dragon apart, and my soul bone is a growable External Attached Soul Bone, so it will surely gain such might in time, especially when combined with Thunder Dragon Claw—the attack power is unimaginable,"

Having reviewed the gains from this trip to Sunset Forest, Yu Tianyun couldn't help but smile with satisfaction and then began his daily cultivation, meditating on soul power. As the saying goes, "Without accumulating silicon steps one cannot travel a thousand miles; without gathering small streams one cannot form a river sea." Yu Tianyun's current achievements are not solely due to talent; without his uninterrupted daily effort he would not have this strength. Opportunities belong to those who are prepared. Had he not persisted day after day for years, he would not now be able to break through to the Soul Elder stage, and his physical condition would remain ordinary, making it impossible to absorb a Soul Ring like the Purple Thunder Wild Rhinoceros. In the end, although he is not yet indistinguishable from the masses, climbing the pinnacle of the Soul Master World will clearly become more difficult. Yet his foundation is now very solid; all three Soul Rings were absorbed beyond their level, and the benefits are obvious, making him confident that he is invincible among peers, and even if he advances another great realm he is sure he can win in battle.

Unconsciously, time slipped away quietly during cultivation,

Early the next morning, Yu Tianyun quickly finished breakfast and headed to the gravity chamber for training; although with his current physique the maximum five‑times gravity chamber brings little improvement, it is better than nothing.

Soon Yu Yuanzhen arrived, and after a conversation the two, Yu Tianyun laid out all the improvements he had gained, causing Yu Yuanzhen to laugh excitedly, as if he were happier than at his own breakthrough.

Yu Tianyun's mouth curved upward, and confidence shone in his eyes: "Advantage is built up repeatedly. My first Soul Ring is equivalent to another Soul Master's second Soul Ring, and my second Soul Ring, with continued diligent cultivation, is equivalent to others' third Soul Ring, while the duration of my third Soul Ring even surpasses that of others' fourth Soul Ring. With such accumulation, my foundation is far more robust than other Soul Masters. In the future I could even attempt a hundred‑thousand‑year Soul Ring during the Soul Saint stage, allowing me to reach heights that ordinary innate full‑soul‑power geniuses cannot attain. Then I could share the burden with you, Grandfather, guard the sect, and no external enemy would dare attack!" Yu Yuanzhen, moved, patted Yu Tianyun's shoulder and said earnestly, "Having such ambition is good, but don't place too much pressure on yourself. Your talent is already strong; even by methodically cultivating and absorbing ordinary optimally matched Soul Rings, you still have a chance to become a Title Douluo like Tang Hao in your forties. According to your current thinking, you will face endless challenges, which is overly risky. My own body is still robust, and I can wait for you to grow!"

How could Yu Tianyun have no pressure? If he truly becomes a Title Douluo in his forties, by then the daylilies will have wilted, Lan Dian Ba Wang Sect will have been wiped out, you will have been beaten to death by a mob of Title Douluo from the Spirit Hall, even having your soul bone extracted—dead without a whole body! The family would be reduced to only Yu Tianheng, Yu Tianxin and a few other big and small cats, far worse than the Qi Bao Liu Li Sect! Thinking of this, he shook his head and retorted:

"No, even if I become a Title Douluo like Tang Hao, what does that achieve? The Clear Sky Sect was forced to close its mountain gate and retreat from the Soul Master World, and Tang Hao himself is like a rat on the street, constantly on the run," Yu Tianyun sighed, then posed a soul‑level question to Yu Yuanzhen:

"Grandfather, can we defeat the Spirit Hall?"

Yu Yuanzhen was momentarily speechless; despite his pride, he knew how terrifying the Spirit Hall was, having lived through the era when Qian Daoliu ruled the Spirit Hall! At that time, no family or sect in the Soul Master World dared to provoke the Spirit Hall; even the two great empires were forced to grant Soul Master subsidies. Anyone who dared to challenge its authority vanished in those years, including Chen Xin's father Chen Jianjun—a Level 97 Title Douluo. In that era only Tang Chen could match it, and Tang Chen consequently elevated the previously obscure blacksmith family, the Hao Tian Tang family, to the position of the number one sect in the world. The decline of the Clear Sky Sect now stems from Tang Chen's disappearance and lack of successors, yet it survived because no one could confirm whether Tang Chen was truly dead, and Qian Daoliu had appeared in the Soul Master World seven years prior. Yu Yuanzhen harbored deep reverence and a hint of fear toward the Spirit Hall; recalling this, he suddenly found his former arrogance laughable and, in a hoarse voice, said, "Tianyun, what are your thoughts?"

Yu Tianyun nodded and said, "Grandfather, I need to keep training hard and grow quickly, and the sect must also take measures to covertly expand its strength. I have already investigated, for example secretly subjugating the four clans abandoned by the Clear Sky Sect. These four clans each possess decent power, excel in different fields, and have strong complementarity; together they form a force that could even surpass the lower four sects."

"However, the leader of the Force One Clan, Titan, remains loyal to Tang Hao even after being abandoned, so the Force One Clan need not be targeted for subjugation."

"We could first approach the Breaking Clan; its leader Yang Wudi harbors intense hatred toward Tang Hao and the Clear Sky Sect, making it easy to subjugate. Then we could use it as a hub to bring under control the Min and Yu Two Clans. Of course, this may not secure the Three Clan, but even if we cannot subjugate it, we can cooperate with it."

"Besides the Elephant Armor Academy, we could use the Thunder Academy as a base to try to win over the other Elemental Academies; even if we fail, we should at least gain their friendship. Of course I don't know the specifics of how to do this; it will require you, Grandfather, and the sect elders to discuss," Yu Tianyun laid out all his ideas.

Yu Tianyun paused, then added, "Also, your grandson has a personal thought: yesterday I happened upon the Poison Douluo Crown, which sparked a desire to study pharmacology. I heard that Yang Wudi is the strongest in pharmacological knowledge on the continent, and I wish to learn from him."

"Good, your idea has great potential and feasibility, but it seems you forgot another faction," Yu Yuanzhen nodded appreciatively.

Yu Tianyun showed a hint of confusion, looking at Yu Yuanzhen.

(End of chapter)