A pet beast and its master could communicate with each other telepathically. Nangong Lingyun immediately asked through their heart link:
"You mean to..."
A-Yin replied gently:
"Actually, besides the life and plant attributes, and the devour and carrying characteristics, the Blue Silver Grass also has a small ability. It's not an attribute, nor exactly a characteristic—it's called group linkage.
Ordinary Blue Silver Grass can donate its power to the Emperor, and the Emperor can bless and reward subordinate Blue Silver Grass with power in return.
If I bestow upon him an Emperor's Blood Soul Ring, the quality of his martial soul should greatly increase. It might even assist him in gaining full control over attack selection.
Moreover, the Emperor's Blood Soul Ring can continuously evolve. In the future, once my power returns to its peak, it might even be enhanced to a hundred-thousand-year soul ring."
"Will bestowing this Emperor's Blood Soul Ring affect you?"
Nangong Lingyun's tone turned a bit serious.
Jerry's soul ring would at most require some extra effort to deal with, and with Angel Yan around, there was no fear of not finding a suitable one.
But if this significantly delayed the recovery of the Blue Silver Empress, it might not be worth the trade.
A-Yin was silent for two seconds, and then a voice different from her usual one—tinged with a trace of amusement—appeared in his mind again:
"Of course it will! And a lot too.
For a hundred-year soul ring, I might need a full two and a half hours to recover."
Nangong Lingyun froze, his expression suddenly turning incredibly surprised.
"Haha! Never thought I'd see the day—A-Yin is joking with me now.
Just wait. When you regain your human form, your master will give you a huge surprise."
…
The carriage sped along the road.By noon the next day, the group had already arrived near the Junior Soul Hunting Forest.
Yuan Tiangang pulled out a token engraved with three patterns, showed it to the guards at the gate, and they were quickly allowed to pass.
As the group headed inside, Xiao Wu's mood suddenly dropped.
She had been looking around just a moment ago, full of chatter, but now she walked silently with her head lowered, saying nothing.
Nangong Lingyun asked, knowingly:
"What's wrong? Something on your mind?"
"Brother Yun, do you really think soul rings are that important to soul masters?"
The moment she said this, the expressions of Yuan Tiangang and Jerry turned strange.
Especially this former delinquent commander—although he didn't know Xiao Wu was actually a hundred-thousand-year soul beast in human form, he could already sense that something was off.
Nangong Lingyun didn't respond directly. Instead, he fell into rare contemplation.
Two years had passed, and thanks to his tireless efforts, the favorability of both Xiao Wu and A-Yin had reached 80%.
And the higher the favorability, the more difficult it became to increase it further—especially after the thresholds of 40% and 70%.
Below 30%, showing talent, impressing them, or sparking emotional reactions could easily boost favorability.
But once it exceeded 70%, the usual tricks became ineffective. It was time for the big moves.
After pondering for a moment, Nangong Lingyun's face suddenly turned grim:
"Survival of the fittest. Natural selection.
The path of cultivation is a struggle against fate. Whether among humans or soul beasts, brutal competition is always present.
I can't answer your question, because if I take even one step less today, I could lose my head tomorrow—die a miserable death by the roadside, and taste the bitterness of defeat.
Along with me, my friends, family, and subordinates could all become meals for wild dogs. My dreams, my ideals, and my accomplishments would vanish into nothingness.
Perhaps only when my hands are strong enough to control my own fate will I consider the matters you worry about."
What I worry about? Did I say I was worried about anything?
Xiao Wu's face showed surprise for a moment, but Nangong Lingyun's next words quickly drew her attention away.
"Didn't you always want to know why I work so hard? Why I persist so much?It's because in my mind, there are two endings to two stories."
"Two stories?"
Xiao Wu, Jerry, A-Yin, Angel Yan, and Yuan Tiangang all perked up their ears.
"One is a story where someone else is the protagonist.That person treats all beings as leeks, sees the world as farmland, thrives on others' suffering, and builds his rise on their downfall.
To let one family rule for endless generations, he would destroy everything I value, uphold, admire, and believe is right—casting a dark cloud over the entire world.
In his future, the rich feast behind vermilion gates while bones freeze in the streets. The wealthy own vast lands, and the poor have no place to stand.
The soul beast race would perish. Humanity would have no hope of rising ever again.
The other story is mine—where I change all of that, no matter the ending of this world, or the fate of those I cherish."
As Nangong Lingyun spoke, Jerry had an admiring expression on his face.
These kinds of impressive-sounding words were far beyond anything he could come up with.
Angel Yan's face was full of satisfaction.
As a creator and guardian of justice and order, she fully endorsed and admired his ideals.
Yuan Tiangang looked filled with longing.
In his eyes, not only was the other future bleak, even the current world wasn't much better.
As for A-Yin and Xiao Wu, they suddenly let out a shocked scream.
"What?!"
The words "soul beasts perish" hit them like a bolt of lightning.
But in the next moment, seeing everyone's strange expressions, the rabbit quickly tried to cover up:
"Surely with your talent, you can control your own fate, right?"
Nangong Lingyun let out a soft laugh:
"Do you know how big this world is?
Notting City is just the smallest city in the Fasno Province. Above Fasno is the Heaven Dou Empire. Stronger than that are the Upper Three Sects. And all the sects are far below Spirit Hall—and even that doesn't compare to the many hidden divine trial lands.
And if you step off this planet, even Douluo Continent is just one of many places where life gathers.
In the vast cosmos, who knows how many life-bearing planes are hidden among the stars?
If your goal is only to dominate Notting City, then an average martial soul, innate level-four soul power, and lazy cultivation would be enough to someday become a Soul Sect.
But what about this continent? This planet? This starry sky?
To conquer them—how strong would you need to be? What terrifying and cunning enemies would you face? What cruel battles and deadly trials would you endure?
Xiao Wu,
When your perspective is no longer confined to one corner of the world, you'll realize that even super martial souls and innate full soul power are just... meh.
In terms of martial souls, beyond super-quality, there are six higher levels: Demigod-level, Sub-god-level, True God-level, God King-level, Supreme-level, and Creation-level.
If one day, your opponent has everything you have—and more—what will you rely on to win?"
(End of Chapter)