Chapter 6: Great Soul Master

Young master? Young master?

"What's wrong, Xiao Yue? Is there news?" Hearing his personal maid's voice, a teenage boy emerged from the cultivation chamber bare‑chested. The boy had sword‑like eyebrows and starry eyes, his face still somewhat youthful, indicating his age was not great; his figure was slender, muscles firm and proportioned, like a finely carved artwork.

"Lord said the Soul Beast you need has been brought back and is now in the residence. Young master, shall you return now?" the maid named Xiao Yue replied.

Xiao Yue was a cat‑girl that Yu Tianyun's father acquired at the grand auction in Tiandou City. A cat‑girl is a variant that appears during martial soul awakening, causing partial beastification of the body; such beast‑ear maidens are favored by some nobles.

Yu Xiao Feng thought his son Yu Tianyun spent every day training with his father and had no caretaker, so he purchased her and brought her back to tend to Yu Tianyun's daily needs. Yu Tianyun, upon seeing such a beautiful beast‑ear maiden, gladly accepted her without refusal.

At this moment, Xiao Yue's still‑youthful face held a faint allure, a blend of purity and charm, a contradictory mix. The maiden's figure was very sensual; though young, her bosom was unusually broad, her slender waist like a willow, and below that a full, moon‑shaped curve and long, straight jade‑colored legs.

Yu Tianyun stared at Xiao Yue's sensual posture, momentarily dazed. His gaze drifted over her, as if drawn by her beauty. Xiao Yue seemed to notice Yu Tianyun's stare, a blush spreading across her cheeks, and she shyly asked, "Young master, what are you looking at?"

Yu Tianyun snapped back to reality, gave an awkward smile, and hurriedly said, "Nothing, I just think you're beautiful." Hearing this, Xiao Yue felt a surge of joy, her blush deepening. She lowered her head, fidgeting with her garment edge, her heart filled with sweetness.

"By the way, what did you just say?" Yu Tianyun paused, then asked seriously.

"Young master, I asked what you were looking at," Xiao Yue replied in a coquettish voice.

"The previous sentence."

"Lord said the Soul Beast you need has been brought back."

"Then I'll tell Grandfather and go back."

"No need, I'll go with you!" At that moment, Yu Yuanzhen slowly emerged from the main hall.

"Yes, Grandfather," Yu Tianyun replied cheerfully.

Yu Tianyun had been training under Yu Yuanzhen for two years now; a month ago he had already broken through to Level 20. Fearing it would delay his cultivation, Yu Yuanzhen tasked Yu Xiao Feng with finding a suitable Soul Beast. Since Yu Tianyun's first Soul Ring was an amplifying soul skill and not a sub‑dragon type Soul Beast, the second Soul Ring was chosen to be a Thunder Violent Dragon, a beast that consistently yields the Thunder Dragon Claw soul skill.

The three of them arrived at Yu Tianyun's residence; already three people waited in the courtyard: Yu Xiao Feng and his wife, and Yu Tianheng. Yu Tianheng had just broken through to Level 30 and, together with his father, had gone out to obtain a Soul Ring. He returned now to provide cover for Yu Tianyun, since a thousand‑year second Soul Ring was exceedingly rare.

Yu Xiao Feng publicly claimed that the thousand‑year Soul Beast he brought back was for Yu Tianheng to absorb. At that moment, the thousand‑year Thunder Violent Dragon lay in the backyard, wrapped in black cloth; occasional tremors showed it was still alive.

Yu Xiao Feng led Yu Tianyun, Yu Yuanzhen and others to the backyard. Lifting the black cloth revealed a terrifying behemoth: the giant beast was covered in blue‑black scales, its back bore sharp bone spikes and protrusions, its mouth filled with razor‑sharp teeth, and its glinting claws occasionally crackled with electric arcs. It was a Thunder Violent Dragon twenty meters long, a thousand‑year specimen, with a distinct purple stripe along its back, half of which formed another purple stripe.

"I spent a great deal of effort to find this Thunder Violent Dragon; it has a cultivation of a full fifteen hundred years. Xiao Yun, are you sure you can handle it?" Yu Xiao Feng asked anxiously. Though he knew Yu Tianyun's physical condition had been honed in less than two and a half years to rival a Soul Elder, a thousand‑year Soul Ring represented a qualitative leap over a hundred‑year one, so he remained concerned for his son.

"No problem. Though a thousand‑year Soul Ring is much harder to absorb than a hundred‑year one, that's only a bodily matter. Without the soul shock of a ten‑thousand‑year Soul Ring, Xiao Yun's physique can fully absorb it, even if it's two hundred years higher, no issue," Yu Yuanzhen affirmed.

Living together day and night, Yu Yuanzhen knew best how diligent his great‑grandson was. In less than two and a half years, Yu Tianyun never slacked a day; with such persistent cultivation and abundant resources, his soul power cultivation became very solid, and his physical condition even surpassed that of an average Soul Elder.

Yu Tianheng trained at the Tiandou Royal Academy, with comparable cultivation resources. Even when taking whale gelatin, he could only absorb a three‑thousand‑year Soul Ring upon breaking through to Soul Elder. It can be foreseen that when Yu Tianyun reaches Soul Elder, he will be able to absorb a Soul Ring exceeding four thousand years.

It's not that Yu Tianheng didn't work hard; Yu Tianyun simply has better talent, a sturdier foundation, and more rigorous training. Even before awakening his martial soul, Yu Tianyun began taking whale gelatin and doing non‑harmful exercises, so obtaining his first Soul Ring was equivalent to others' optimal second Soul Ring.

Yu Xiao Gang's theory is mercilessly trampled on Yu Tianyun.

Although Yu Tianheng is now stronger than in the original at the same time, when he sees Yu Tianyun he still sighs occasionally, "Those with talent work harder than you; I feel in a few years Yu Tianyun will catch up to me."

Yu Tianyun stepped before the Thunder Violent Dragon, drew a short sword from the Storage Soul Conduit, and thrust it into the wounded, dying beast lying on the ground. The short sword pierced its eye; Yu Tianyun then released his martial soul, channeling streams of electricity along his arm into the sword, which surged into the beast's head.

The Thunder Violent Dragon let out a painful roar, its body trembling incessantly. After about three breaths, it gradually fell silent, and a circle of splendid bright purple aura slowly rose.

Seeing this, Yu Tianyun sat cross‑legged in front of it and began to draw the Soul Ring, which started to float slowly toward the crown of his head. He felt a pressure that made his entire skeleton emit faint creaks, sweat beads forming on his forehead, his brows slightly furrowed—clearly it was uncomfortable.

Yu Linglong clutched Yu Xiao Feng's arm with both hands, her eyes filled with deep worry as she watched Yu Tianyun.

"Mom, don't worry. Xiao Yun's physical condition already surpasses that of an ordinary Soul Elder; absorbing a mere fifteen‑hundred‑year Thunder Violent Dragon Soul Ring is no problem," Yu Tianheng comforted Yu Linglong, speaking casually.

"But Xiao Yun is only just over eight years old; it's a lot for someone so young to absorb a thousand‑year Soul Ring. I'm afraid he might not withstand it; after all, he's still a child!" Yu Linglong's words were filled with deep concern.

"Linglong, trust father's judgment. Father is a Title Douluo; if he is certain Xiao Yun can absorb it, then he definitely can," Yu Xiao Feng told his wife.

About an hour later, Yu Tianyun slowly opened his eyes, exhaled a deep wisp of foul air, and two Soul Rings floated beside him—one deep yellow, one bright purple—pulsing up and down. He finally, without incident, successfully absorbed the Soul Rings.

Yu Tianyun rose slowly, gathered the Soul Rings, and looked toward everyone.

(End of chapter)