Outside the exclusive station of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
"Whoa!" With a light shout from the coachman, the carriage gradually stopped. Dugu Yan lifted the curtain and stuck her head out, glancing to the left at Qin Ming, who had just stepped down from another carriage.
"Teacher Qin Ming, I plan to head straight home to see my grandfather. I won't be going up."
"I'll go with Sister Yan. Once we reach Heaven Dou City, I'll head back to my clan as well," Ye Lingling, who was in the same carriage, added.
"Alright." Qin Ming turned and nodded, then looked at the coachman. "Sir, I'll trouble you with this."
"It's my duty! Don't worry, Instructor Qin, I'll see the young ladies safely home to their doors," the coachman replied politely.
So, Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling stayed in the same carriage and headed directly toward Heaven Dou City.
Is it that she doesn't want to see me at the dorm? Yu Tianheng, following behind Qin Ming, watched the carriage depart, his eyes dim with sadness.
"Captain, what are your plans next? We've got a whole month off," Yufeng suddenly asked.
Yu Tianheng snapped back to himself, thought briefly, and said, "I plan to go to the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena to compete in solo battles, sharpen my skills, and aim for the Gold Spirit Badge. At the same time, I'll try to reach level 40."
Yufeng nodded slightly. Yu Tianheng was now at level 39, still within the Spirit Elder realm. If he didn't apply for cross-level matches, he would still be matched with Spirit Elders. With Yu Tianheng's combat strength, he had an advantage at the same level and indeed had a chance to obtain the Gold Spirit Badge. If he waited until breaking through to Spirit Ancestor before competing, then he would face only Spirit Ancestors,eventually even level 49 opponents. That would be far more difficult.
"That's actually a good plan." Saying this, Yufeng turned to Yang Yunhai. "Xiao Hai, what about you?"
"I'll probably stay at the academy, review what I've learned, check for gaps, and correct them with training," Yang Yunhai replied with a smile.
"Not bad either." Yufeng nodded, having made up his mind. "I'll go home and spend a few days with my parents first, then come back to the academy. With my spirit ability, I don't have much of an advantage in the Spirit Arena. Better to just train steadily."
He then turned to his teammates. "I'm planning to head to Heaven Dou City now. Anyone want to come with me?"
Shi Mo, Shi Mo (the twins), Oslo, and Yu Tianheng all responded at once. "Let's go together."
So the four of them boarded another carriage and left for Heaven Dou City. Yang Yunhai and Zhu Zhuqing followed Qin Ming back to the academy.
"Xiao Hai, Zhuqing, I need to report to the Education Committee. You two head back first," Qin Ming said upon entering the academy.
"Alright." Yang Yunhai nodded, leading Zhu Zhuqing back to the valley.
Once there, they tidied up briefly, set up a pot, and cooked a meal.
After a hearty dinner together, they rested on recliners for a while, then began a new round of training.
Meanwhile, at a luxury hotel in Heaven Dou City, Yu Tianheng checked in and began his fierce battles at the Spirit Arena.
Parting with Dugu Yan had hit him hard. He felt he had done wrong, but when considering his family and clan, he also felt he hadn't. No matter how much he thought it over, he couldn't figure it out. In the end, he could only immerse himself in battle to stay focused and relieve his frustration.
The night passed without incident. The next morning, at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy valley,
Dugu Yan arrived with her grandfather, Dugu Bo.
"Xiao Hai, do you think it's suitable for Yan'er to take the Nine-Treasure Dragon Ganoderma now?" Dugu Bo asked, seated at the table.
Yang Yunhai pondered briefly. "Yes. I remember Sister Yan broke through in April. It's nearly been three months now. That timing works."
"However, I don't recommend she obtain a spirit ring immediately after consuming it. It's better to stay here and focus on tempering her body for a while. That way, her body has time to adapt, she can absorb more of the medicinal power, and her physique will strengthen. Later, when she goes to obtain a spirit ring, it will also help her absorb a higher age spirit ring."
Since Dugu Yan had already broken up with Yu Tianheng and severed ties with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan, Yang Yunhai felt he could place more trust in Dugu Bo. Given their character, he believed the grandfather and granddaughter wouldn't betray him like Yu Tianheng had.
"A higher age spirit ring?" Dugu Bo asked in surprise.
"Yes, absorbing a spirit ring beyond the recommended limit." Yang Yunhai nodded. "My third spirit ring was such a case. Its true age was over 2,000 years. In fact, after absorbing it, I directly advanced past level 32."
"This was a theory I came up with a long time ago,it's my greatest secret."
Dugu Bo was shocked. He reassessed Yang Yunhai, his eyes now burning with interest.
He didn't pry further. For Yang Yunhai to reveal this secret already showed immense trust. So he cut straight to the point.
"Then, Xiao Hai, in your opinion, how high an age could Yan'er's fourth spirit ring be?"
"That depends on how much she improves after taking the Nine-Treasure Dragon Ganoderma," Yang Yunhai answered. "Theoretically, as long as her body is strong enough, her fourth spirit ring could reach the limit just below 10,000 years. If her spiritual power also reaches the standard and she can withstand the mental shock of a 10,000-year spirit ring, she could even absorb one directly. But meeting that second condition is extremely difficult."
"That's why I emphasize physical training,it tempers the will and gradually increases spiritual power."
"I see." Dugu Bo instantly understood, though inside he was deeply shaken.
The theory wasn't complicated. In fact, spirit masters in the past had also attempted to absorb higher-age spirit rings. But almost all failed, their bodies exploding as a result.
As for successes, no one would dare spread the word for fear of being captured and dissected for study.
After Yu Xiaogang published his best-age spirit ring theory in Spirit City, spirit masters practically stopped attempting cross-level absorption. That was also why, in recent decades, there had been no reports of spirit masters dying from ring absorption.
But to think Yang Yunhai had actually tried it,and succeeded. More than that, he seemed to have developed a mature theory behind it.
Yu Xiaogang's theory, in Dugu Bo's eyes, was merely a compilation of data from the Spirit Hall archives, and likely conservative to avoid responsibility for deaths.
Yang Yunhai, however, had innovated entirely on his own, testing it on himself. He was in no way comparable to Yu Xiaogang.
No wonder I chose him as my grandson-in-law, Dugu Bo thought proudly.
If Yan'er really could absorb a 10,000-year fourth spirit ring in the future, that would be incredible.
"In that case, I'll go fetch the Nine-Treasure Dragon Ganoderma right away. The sooner she takes it, the better," Dugu Bo said urgently.
He sighed inwardly. If only he had met Xiao Hai sooner and cleared his poison earlier.
His granddaughter had already spent much time detoxifying. Now that her spirit power was about to break through, and since mental strength wasn't easy to improve, it was unrealistic to keep her stuck at level 40 just for the sake of a 10,000-year ring.
Yes, time was a bit tight.
Alas, a 10,000-year fourth spirit ring was likely out of reach.
As if recalling something, Dugu Bo added, "Xiao Hai, should I also bring back the one for Zhuqing?"
If you want to read 40 advanced chapters and 3 new chapters daily, please subscribe to my : patreon.com/Moorowkeel