Yu Xiaogang suspected Zhu Qing had fed Ning Tian drugs with nasty side effects. How else could he outpace Xiao Wu and Tang San, both with innate full soul power?
"I don't know, but I trust vice dean Zhu Qing. And that boy's hard work is plain to see," Dean Jeno replied, crediting it to diligence and Zhu Qing's guidance.
Yu Xiaogang wasn't convinced. As someone with half level innate soul power himself, he knew how agonizingly slow progress could be. There had to be a catch—probably drugs.
'He's definitely on something. He'll hit a wall at Level 29, maybe never even make it to Soul Elder. He's no match for Little San,' Yu Xiaogang thought bitterly, still fuming from Zhu Qing's past thrashing and jealous of Ning Tian's similar starting point.
That afternoon, Zhu Qing and Ning Tian stocked up on wilderness supplies.
......…
The next morning, they rented a carriage and set off.
After a day and a night, they reached the Soul Hunting Forest by the third morning.
Plant-type soul beasts weren't hard to find. Until they hit ten thousand years, they couldn't move, lurking deep in the forest, blending in with regular plants unless you sensed their soul power.
Led by Zhu Qing, Ning Tian scoured the densest areas until they stopped beneath a towering tree.
"This Soul Power Sacred Tree is over six hundred years old. Are you sure about this, Xiao Tian?" Zhu Qing asked,worriedly as they stood thirty meters away.
Before them stood a sturdy banyan tree, indistinguishable from the rest except for its pulsing soul power. A Soul Power Sacred Tree over ten meters tall was a hundred year beast, with each extra meter adding another century. This one topped fifteen meters—six hundred years at least.
"Teacher, remember what I said? A soul ring's limit ties to the soul master's physical strength. I've trained my body every day for a year. Plus, the Soul Power Sacred Tree is gentle, and it shares the wood attribute with my Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword. It's a perfect fit. I'm sure of it," Ning Tian said confidently.
On the way, he'd bombarded Zhu Qing with soul master theories from his past life, all to talk her into letting him absorb a higher age ring. Without help to hunt stronger beasts or a scapegoat for side effects, he'd settled on this six hundred year one. Otherwise, he'd have gone for a ten thousand year ring.
A six hundred year ring would do for now, though. He could always ditch the ring later and shunt the fallout to the Tang family.
Destroying a soul ring was simple, any soul master could do it. The trick was recovering or reabsorbing afterward, unless you had secret techniques like the Clear Sky Clan's ring explosion or divine help.
With his God-Level Side Effect System, Ning Tian could swap rings freely, as long as he picked the right fall guy.
"Even so…" Zhu Qing hesitated, but his resolute gaze stopped her.
His physique was rock-solid, and his theories had won her over. Most impressively, he'd jumped from Level 5 to Level 10 in nine months while juggling sword practice and studies. It was miraculous.
She had no grounds to object.
Pink light flared from her right hand as she summoned her dark red rapier and charged the Soul Power Sacred Tree.
Before a hundred years, these trees had no offense, relying on camouflage. Past that, they could lash out with branches. At thousand year, their attacks intensified. At ten thousand, they could shuffle short distances and regrow limbs. By fifty thousand, they matched animal soul beasts, excelling in group assaults.
But fifty thousand year Soul Power Sacred Trees were unheard of, at least in Zhu Qing's books or the academy library.
This six hundred year tree reacted as Zhu Qing closed in, its arm thick branches whipping toward her like serpents, aiming to bind her.
Against Zhu Qing, a high level Spirit Elder with an agile, offensive sword martial soul, it was hopeless.
In moments, the tree was stripped to a bare trunk.
"You're absolutely sure?" Zhu Qing asked, still gripping her rapier, her charming face tense with unease.
"Teacher, I trust my judgment. Please watch over me," Ning Tian said.
He stepped up to the tree, summoned his Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword, and gripped it with both hands. Pouring in all his soul power, the palm sized blade stretched to three feet. With a fierce swing, he sliced the tree in two.
Faint yellow light gathered above the stump, forming a yellow soul ring.
Ning Tian sat cross legged beside it, closed his eyes, and began absorbing the ring with his soul power.
The Soul Power Sacred Tree's gentle nature, his sword's wood attribute, his year of brutal training made the process smooth. The only feeling was his soul power nearing its limit.
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