Chapter 20: Golden Spirit Cypress

Time passed quickly, and Yang Xiong soon reached eleven years old; although his practice of the Spiral Sphere had made some progress, his soul power and mental power as a Soul Grandmaster were still far too low, so he could never manage to burst a balloon.

However, with the practice of Divided Mind Control, after years of cultivation, Yang Xiong has reached the realm of Four Apertures Constant Heart and can now burst a water‑filled balloon with a single hand using soul power, though there is still a gap before he can burst a rubber ball with soul power.

Nevertheless, Yang Xiong believes that as long as he continues to cultivate diligently, reaching the Great Soul Master realm will certainly allow him to complete the next stage of the Spiral Sphere's development, and perhaps bring other surprises.

After years of hard training, Yang Xiong's soul power finally reached Level 20. He is not the top of his class, but he ranks in the upper‑middle tier, at least keeping pace with the cultivation progress of other martial soul Soul Grandmasters.

Especially after many years of body training, Yang Xiong's physique became extremely robust; he no longer looks as frail as a six‑year‑old child, his height has even reached 1.6 meters, and his strength is not inferior to that of some Beast Soul Soul Grandmasters.

In comparison, Yang Xiong's strength and speed have also increased dramatically; especially due to long‑term weighted running, his basic speed and power now far exceed those of his peers, and even when compared with Soul Grandmasters of the same rank who possess Beast Souls, he shows no lag in strength or speed.

That day, Yang Xiong approached his homeroom teacher Lin Gong again, stating that he had reached Level 20 and wished to obtain the Second Soul Ring.

Lin Gong looked at Yang Xiong with surprise: "Yang Xiong, your soul power increase is quite good; I didn't expect you to reach Level 20 so quickly. You are the sixth student in the class to do so. What are your thoughts on the Second Soul Ring? Do you still intend to choose a Defense System Soul Beast?"

Lin Gong again produced that sect's Soul Beast book, which contains many Soul Beasts aged five to six hundred years, and even several formidable Defense System Soul Beasts.

Yang Xiong didn't look at the book: "Teacher Lin, I don't want any of those Soul Beasts. I want the Golden Spirit Cypress in our Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's Soul Beast Forest."

Yang Xiong had already decided on the Second Soul Ring choice long ago, especially since he had earlier used the token given by Ning Fengzhi to check the Soul Beasts in the sect's Soul Beast Forest.

The book Lin Gong consulted records Soul Rings suitable for students to absorb, all under seven hundred years old, and Yang Xiong has no interest in those Soul Beasts at all.

Lin Gong's face turned pale instantly: "Are you mad? Do you even know what kind of Soul Beast that Golden Cypress is? Do you know its exact age?"

That Golden Spirit Cypress has been cultivated in our Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect for many years; its age has now reached 980 years. For a Soul Grandmaster, a Second Soul Ring of that age is far too high, yet it hasn't reached a thousand years, so it wouldn't be chosen for the Third Soul Ring either, which is why it has remained there.

Many in the sect are now waiting for that Golden Spirit Cypress to reach a thousand years; then it will undoubtedly become a premium Third Soul Ring.

Yang Xiong muttered inwardly: it will take at least twenty‑plus years for that Golden Spirit Cypress to reach a thousand years, and who will benefit when that happens remains unknown.

In fact, Yang Xiong had long contemplated wanting this Golden Spirit Cypress; since he seeks to obtain a collection of all attributes, a Power-Type Soul Beast with the Wood Attribute is the hardest to find, and even the Star Dou Great Forest may have few.

Gold represents ultimate strength and Qi Blood; the Golden Spirit Cypress is entirely golden, with lush branches and leaves, even the leaves are golden, making it a premium Plant Martial Soul. If not for its awkward age, it probably wouldn't be available to me.

Moreover, compared with Animal‑type Soul Beasts, Plant‑type Soul Beasts have obvious characteristics; their trunks, branches, leaves, height, and even patterns reveal their exact age, which is one reason the sect knows the Golden Spirit Cypress's age.

To put it bluntly, that Golden Spirit Cypress is so sturdy that Yang Xiong might not even be able to kill it when he attacks, because its Life Force and regeneration are extremely tenacious, its trunk strength is overly formidable, and its power far exceeds that of ordinary thousand‑year Soul Beasts; this is also why it continues to thrive in the Soul Beast Forest.

Yang Xiong has even seen records indicating that the Golden Spirit Cypress seems to possess the bloodline of a Golden Tree, and he doesn't know how it came to grow in the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's Soul Beast Forest.

Lin Gong, watching Yang Xiong's determined expression, remained silent for a long time before speaking: "Putting the age issue aside, have you considered what kind of Soul Master path you'll follow? The Golden Spirit Cypress is indeed an excellent Soul Beast, even worthy of being called a premium Plant‑type Soul Beast."

"But your martial soul is your own body, and the First Soul Ring you absorbed was an Animal‑type Soul Beast. Although I don't know which soul skill you obtained, it should be related to defense. Since you have already decided to pursue a Defense path, why would you also absorb a Plant martial soul? Moreover, Soul Grandmasters usually absorb Soul Rings that correspond to their own martial soul's system; your martial soul, though special, should be considered a Beast Soul. Having already absorbed an Animal‑type Soul Ring, aren't you concerned that absorbing a Plant‑type Soul Beast might cause issues?"

Yang Xiong replied: "Teacher Lin, my primary martial soul is neither a Beast Soul nor a Tool Spirit, nor a Plant martial soul. Its greatest advantage is that it can absorb any Soul Ring, and I find the Golden Spirit Cypress perfectly suited to me; this is the result of extensive contemplation and analysis."

Lin Gong sighed: "Very well, you possess a great deal of Soul Master knowledge, even rivaling some teachers. Since you have your own cultivation plan, I won't stand in your way. In three days we'll go to the Soul Beast Forest; remember, your parents must accompany you."

Only then did Yang Xiong leave, his heart full of joy.

Lin Gong, watching Yang Xiong's demeanor, couldn't help shaking his head; pedagogically speaking, he greatly admires this top‑of‑the‑class student, and also recognizes the child's diligent cultivation.

Unfortunately, the child is quite a handful; each Soul Ring he chooses baffles everyone, though his judgment is indeed sharp.

When it came to the First Soul Ring, he immediately recognized the premium Soul Beast Xuanming Turtle, and although this Golden Spirit Cypress's age is somewhat mediocre, it is unquestionably the highest‑bloodline Soul Beast in the entire Soul Beast Forest, far surpassing some elite thousand‑year Soul Beasts.

Nevertheless, Lin Gong said nothing more; the Sect Leader apparently places great importance on Yang Xiong, granting him unrestricted access to the Library Tower and even giving him a Sect Leader Token—something no other student in the entire sect receives.

After reporting the matter, Lin Gong made no further considerations, but this time he still plans to accompany Yang Xiong personally to obtain the Soul Ring.

Three days later, Yang Xiong, Yang Lin, Sun Yu, and Lin Gong set out in a grand procession toward the sect's Soul Beast Forest.

Should we give the protagonist another External Soul Bone, a Heart External Soul Bone, which can provide a continuous supply of Life Force?

After mastering the art of rolling spheres, one will fully learn it upon becoming a Great Soul Master.

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(End of Chapter)