"This theory was developed by my teacher after studying soul masters with the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul. I used Blue Silver Grass to cultivate all the way to Soul Elder. So what gives you the right to say my attribute selection is wrong, or that my soul skill combination is flawed? You should know—before me, no other Blue Silver Grass soul master has ever reached this level of cultivation!"
Tang San was already gritting his teeth. Over the years of learning from Yu Xiaogang, he had come to understand just how rare it was for anyone with Blue Silver Grass to make it past Great Soul Master, let alone reach Soul Elder.
"I never said your soul ring choices were wrong," Ning Rongrong replied softly, blinking innocently. "Just that they're not the optimal choice. And as for your cultivation—have you considered that maybe it's because of your innate soul power?"
A glimmer of pride sparkled in her eyes as she continued,
"My brother said that although Martial Soul quality does affect cultivation, the true foundation is aptitude—and that's determined by your innate soul power at awakening. The higher it is, the faster you can progress."
At the mention of "my brother," everyone except Xiao Wu paused. That tone of adoration and pride… it was exactly the same expression Xiao Wu wore whenever she talked about Tang San.
Tang San himself froze—not because he was annoyed, but because Ning Rongrong's words made a lot of sense. When he awakened his Martial Soul, he had indeed possessed innate full soul power. As for the other Blue Silver Grass users Grandmaster had studied, the highest innate power any of them had was only Level 2.
Rongrong twirled her finger playfully and continued,
"My brother also said, if a soul master isn't sure how to select soul rings after awakening, the best approach is to observe soul beasts. For almost every plant- or beast-type Martial Soul, there's a corresponding soul beast on the continent. And since those beasts evolve to survive in the wild, their attributes are naturally the most compatible with their own physiology."
"But I've never heard of a Blue Silver Grass soul beast," Tang San countered. "It's just a tenacious roadside weed."
"There are Blue Silver Grass soul beasts, Brother Tang," Xiao Wu chimed in shyly from the side, tugging at his sleeve. "I've seen one before."
As a hundred-thousand-year-old soul beast herself, she knew more than most about soul beast classifications. The Blue Silver Forest she had once visited was home to terrifying soul beasts—some so powerful that even ten-thousand-year beasts dared not approach.
"You've really seen one?" Tang San asked in disbelief.
Xiao Wu nodded earnestly.
Ning Rongrong took over again,
"Blue Silver Grass may be everywhere, and most of it might be just ordinary weeds, but quite a few manage to survive long enough to evolve into true soul beasts. That's all thanks to one rare trait—life force."
"My brother told me that Blue Silver Grass ranks among the top five Martial Souls in vitality. After reaching 50,000 years of cultivation, it evolves into Blue Silver King, gaining astonishing regenerative power. Even if you destroy its body and roots, it can heal almost instantly—it's incredibly hard to kill."
"And the Blue Silver Emperor is even more unique. Only one can exist on the entire continent at a time. Its life force is so immense that nothing—not even full destruction of its body and roots—can truly end it. Unless it chooses to self-sacrifice or dies in a once-in-ten-thousand-years Heavenly Tribulation, it's virtually immortal. Even if reduced to scattered seeds across the land, it can fully regrow in just forty-nine days."
Hiding in the distance, Tang Hao couldn't stop the tears from flowing. Hearing those words, he remembered that day. If not for him, A-Yin never would have died...
Tang San's expression changed. He murmured under his breath,
"So the attribute best suited to Blue Silver Grass... is life."
"That's right!" Ning Rongrong nodded proudly.
"Actually, my father respects Yu Xiaogang quite a bit. But because of his low cultivation, he was never able to personally experience soul master breakthroughs beyond Soul Elder. That forced him to rely solely on books, theorizing what might work. But are books always right?"
She looked around the group, then continued calmly,
"My brother said that some truths can only be confirmed through firsthand experience."
None of them—not even Tang San—could refute that. Every soul master had their own beliefs and perspectives. Those who were bookish by nature were especially confident in their theories. Just like Tang San—before this conversation, he had been absolutely sure that his combination of soul rings and attributes was flawless.
But that same mindset often made the theories in those books incomplete or even outright wrong. It was why Xu Yang had doubted the so-called "Ten Core Theories" from the very beginning—he had always viewed them as partially flawed and never took them as gospel.
"To believe everything in a book is worse than reading nothing at all."
That, Ning Rongrong had said, was the best answer.
She wasn't finished explaining, but as she continued, the others began twitching at the corners of their mouths.
"My brother said..."
"My brother told me..."
"According to my brother..."
Those phrases kept popping up in every other sentence.
It became abundantly clear that "My brother says" had become Ning Rongrong's entire belief system. The more she spoke, the more curious everyone grew. Even the typically aloof Zhu Zhuqing couldn't help but ask:
"Rongrong… who is this 'brother' you keep mentioning?"
Everyone turned their attention to her, eager to know just who this mysterious "brother" was that she trusted so absolutely.
Ning Rongrong's eyes sparkled as if she were showing off her most prized treasure.
"My brother? He's my father's personal disciple. He's seventeen this year. His Martial Soul is Sun, and he's a Rank 63 Power Attack-type Battle Soul Emperor. He's the strongest genius of our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's younger generation. My father even said that he's one of the top talents on the entire continent."
But she didn't overstep. Ning Rongrong understood what she could and couldn't reveal. She only disclosed Xu Yang's Martial Soul and cultivation level—information that was already semi-public. She said nothing about his soul ring configuration, soul skills, or anything Ning Fengzhi had instructed her to keep confidential.
"What?! Seventeen years old… and already a Soul Emperor?!"
Everyone was stunned. None of them could believe what they were hearing.
They all considered themselves prodigies—but seventeen and Rank 63? That was beyond belief.
Tang San in particular felt a wave of frustration. He had always seen his own progress—reaching Soul Elder before age twelve—as nearly unmatched among the younger generation. But now? Hearing Xu Yang's cultivation level filled him with a rare sense of inferiority.
There's no way I can reach Soul Emperor in five years, he thought bitterly. Each level takes longer as you go…
He couldn't help the resentment bubbling inside him.
Why can Xu Yang do it and I can't?
He must've had outside help. He has to have.
Dai Mubai, seemingly sensing the same thing, voiced it aloud.
"Hey Rongrong, your brother didn't, uh… take anything to boost his cultivation, right?"
He didn't get to finish his sentence.
"My brother has innate soul power at Level 9—he's a Titled Douluo-level prodigy!"
Rongrong cut him off coldly.
"My father would never let him risk his future by using pills. Every bit of his cultivation was earned through hard work and bitter training."
At that exact moment, far away at Heaven Dou Academy, Xu Yang suddenly sneezed. A chill ran down his spine.
Someone must be talking about me…
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin