While Yu Tianlin was sitting cross-legged absorbing the Thunder Hell Prison Vine's Soul Ring, Yu Jian finally managed to shake off the Lightning Wyvern and hurried toward the canyon entrance.
"I wonder how Tianlin is doing now. There shouldn't be any problem. After all, the outer area of this Thunder Canyon is a one-way path. Since I didn't see any Soul Beasts on the way in, Tianlin naturally wouldn't encounter any Soul Beasts on his way back along the original route."
Although he said this, for some unknown reason, a faint sense of unease lingered in Yu Jian's heart, as if he had overlooked something.
Driven by the feeling of anxiety, Yu Jian subconsciously quickened his pace.
Because the route was straight and the visibility was clear, Yu Jian quickly spotted Yu Tianlin's figure.
But why is Yu Tianlin sitting cross-legged on the ground with a white halo surrounding him?
Realizing the implication, Yu Jian felt a sudden blackness before his eyes.
Heavens! Tianlin, why did you kill a Soul Beast and absorb its Soul Ring all by yourself while I was gone!
And it's a 10 year level white Soul Ring...
I'm ruined! I'm ruined! With such a huge blunder, the Clan Head will surely flay me when we get back!
Yu Jian's face contorted as he felt dizzy, and his blood pressure seemed to have risen.
With a few quick flashes, Yu Jian quickly arrived next to Yu Tianlin and examined everything around him.
This is... the Thunder Hell Prison Vine?
However, upon seeing the Thunder Hell Prison Vine's body cut into two segments, Yu Jian couldn't help but reveal a bitter smile.
Seeing the white Soul Ring on Yu Tianlin from afar, Yu Jian still held a sliver of hope. If Yu Tianlin had absorbed a Soul Ring from a dragon species Soul Beast, then even if the age was a little low, it wouldn't be completely unacceptable.
But now, it was neither a dragon species nor was the age acceptable—it failed on both counts.
Looking at Yu Tianlin, who was still absorbing the Soul Ring, Yu Jian thought with some annoyance: This kid Tianlin! Didn't I explain everything to him when we came? The target was a Swift-Lightning Dragon around 400 years old. Yet, he went and took advantage of my absence to strike down this Thunder Hell Prison Vine and even absorbed its Soul Ring. How am I supposed to explain this to the Clan Head and the Young Master when I return!
If Yu Tianlin knew what Yu Jian was thinking, he would likely protest.
You think I wanted to! But if I didn't absorb this Soul Ring, my left arm would have exploded, and a crippled hand would have been a far worse outcome! This is choosing the lesser of two evils! Besides, you weren't there at the critical moment. If you had been, I wouldn't have been forced to absorb this Soul Ring.
One can only say that everything was a coincidence. If this accident hadn't happened, Yu Tianlin would never have absorbed a Soul Ring from a non-dragon bloodline Soul Beast like the Thunder Hell Prison Vine. In that case, he naturally wouldn't be able to in the future...
Since the deed was done, no matter how helpless Yu Jian felt, he could only honestly act as a guardian for Yu Tianlin. Absorbing a Soul Ring is an irreversible process that cannot be stopped once started.
Since it hadn't reached the 100 year level, the energy contained in the Thunder Hell Prison Vine's Soul Ring was not vast. Yu Tianlin only took an hour to complete the conversion of Soul Power and successfully absorbed the Soul Ring.
When Yu Tianlin opened his eyes, he saw Yu Jian's figure in front of him.
Seeing Yu Tianlin awaken, Yu Jian flashed to his side, slightly squatted down, placed his hands on Yu Tianlin's shoulders, and asked anxiously, "Tianlin, what exactly happened? Why did you absorb the Soul Ring of this Thunder Hell Prison Vine?"
"Uncle Jian, you finally came," Yu Tianlin breathed a sigh of relief and explained, "I listened to you and kept running toward the canyon entrance, but I wasn't paying attention and rushed into the Thunder Hell Prison Vine's territory, and it attacked me."
"I didn't want to cause trouble and planned to leave immediately, but it still relentlessly attacked. No matter where I ran, it would release lightning balls in front of me, blocking my escape route. I had no other choice but to fight it."
Yu Jian pressed on, "Then you killed this Thunder Hell Prison Vine, so why did you still absorb its Soul Ring?"
Yu Tianlin showed a wry smile: "I didn't want to! But during the fight with the Thunder Hell Prison Vine, its lightning invaded my left arm. Although I successfully killed it in the end, I had absolutely no way to deal with the lightning that was like a maggot attached to the bone in my left arm."
"If I hadn't absorbed the Thunder Hell Prison Vine's Soul Ring and used its power to clear the lightning, my left arm would have been crippled."
Hearing Yu Tianlin's explanation, Yu Jian deflated like a burst balloon and whispered, "So that's how it was. Making such a choice in a critical situation was unavoidable..."
After answering Yu Jian's question, Yu Tianlin asked urgently, "Uncle Jian, now that I have absorbed a Soul Ring without the Dragon Clan bloodline, is there any way to remedy it?"
"Hmm, that," Yu Jian composed himself upon hearing Yu Tianlin's question, pondered for a moment, and said, "There is a way to remedy it."
"The reason we Soul Masters with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul must attach Soul Rings from dragon species Soul Beasts is to absorb the innate Dragon Power that comes with them, so that we can undergo Dragon Transformation after Level 30."
"In other words, even if you absorbed the wrong Soul Ring, you just need to find a way to make up for that lost Dragon Power."
Hearing that there truly was a way to remedy it, Yu Tianlin immediately became spirited and asked, "Then how can I replenish that lost Dragon Power?"
Yu Jian gave Yu Tianlin a complicated look and said: "Naturally, you need to consume some natural treasures that contain Dragon Power. As far as I know, there is one in the sect called the Dragon Origin Fruit."
"Dragon Origin Fruit?"
Yu Tianlin murmured the name, and his eyes lit up.
This is truly an instance where despair gives way to hope, where a dark path ends at a bright new village.
However, Yu Jian shook his head. He did not tell Yu Tianlin that the Dragon Origin Fruit was extremely precious, and only the Clan head and a few Elders were qualified to use it. Even he had only heard of it from his Soul Saint father and had never seen it with his own eyes.
But he thought that since Yu Tianlin was the Clan Head's grandson and the only innate Full Soul Power genius the Clan had seen in a hundred years, he should be able to get a Dragon Origin Fruit.
As for the first Soul Ring's age being too low, the impact was actually not too great. It would only cause him to be at a disadvantage when fighting others at low ranks, and the effect of the first Soul skill would be greatly reduced once his rank increased later on.
Thinking this, Yu Jian's mood improved slightly, and he said to Yu Tianlin beside him, "Alright, Tianlin, since you have already absorbed your first Soul Ring, we can return to the clan now."
After speaking, Yu Jian took a step and walked out of the Thunder Canyon.
Yu Tianlin quickly followed. The blue-purple Ahoge about ten centimeters long on the top of his head swayed in the wind, but neither of them noticed it.
The next day, the sky was somewhat gloomy, and muffled thunder rumbled high above. Yu Tianlin and Yu Jian returned to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan at this time.
Because Yu Tianlin's father, Yu Mingfeng, was in seclusion, the two did not disturb him but instead went to report to Yu Yuanzhen first.
"Clan Head, Deacon Yu Jian and Young Master Tianlin have returned," the guard at the gate suddenly announced as he entered.
"Hmm? Back so soon?"
Hearing the guard's words, Yu Yuanzhen put down the documents in his hand, his brow furrowing.
One must know that for the first Soul Ring, if the age of the Soul Ring is close to the upper limit, the conversion of Soul Power alone would take half a day.
Yet, they left yesterday morning and returned before noon today. Subtracting the travel time, this meant Yu Tianlin had completed the time spent searching for a suitable Soul Beast and absorbing the Soul Ring all within a few hours.
Yu Yuanzhen realized a problem had occurred.
"Let them both come in," he commanded softly. Yu Yuanzhen watched the guard leave to deliver the message.
A moment later, Yu Jian and Yu Tianlin walked into the hall.
As soon as he entered the hall, Yu Jian quickly scurried to Yu Yuanzhen, dropped to his knees with a thud, and reported: "Clan head, Yu Jian failed in his duty and could not find a suitable Soul Ring for Tianlin."
"Get up. As an offense-type Soul Master, don't kneel at the slightest provocation!" Yu Yuanzhen snapped. "First, explain clearly. What kind of Soul Ring did he acquire?"
Yu Jian was merely putting on a show. Hearing Yu Yuanzhen's words, he obediently rose but was still hesitant to report Yu Tianlin's Soul Ring. He slightly turned his head and glanced at Yu Tianlin, indicating that the latter should speak.
Yu Tianlin said with a wry smile: "Grandfather, my first Soul Ring came from a Thunder Hell Prison Vine that was over 90 years old."
Yu Yuanzhen abruptly stood up: "Thunder Hell Prison Vine? And only over 90 years old?"
Good heavens, not only is the age too low, but it doesn't carry a single trace of the Dragon Clan's bloodline!
Yu Yuanzhen stared at the two below with piercing eyes and said in a deep voice: "Explain to me in detail. What exactly happened?"
Yu Tianlin then gave a detailed account.
First, the two encountered the 10,000 year Lightning Wyvern, forcing Yu Jian to delay the Wyvern and create an opportunity for him to escape. During his escape, he mistakenly entered the Thunder Hell Prison Vine's territory, engaging in a fight. Although he successfully killed it, his left arm was invaded by the Vine's lightning and was on the verge of being crippled. He was forced to absorb the Thunder Hell Prison Vine's Soul Ring to clear the lightning.
Hearing Yu Tianlin's explanation, Yu Yuanzhen fell silent for a moment.
"Yu Jian, this is not your fault," Yu Yuanzhen sighed, then patted Yu Jian's shoulder and said, "Alright, you may go back now."
"Yes, Clan head," Yu Jian bowed to Yu Yuanzhen, looked at Yu Tianlin, hesitated slightly, and then departed.
With Yu Jian gone and no outsiders in the hall, Yu Yuanzhen said to Yu Tianlin, "Tianlin, release your Soul Ring and let me see it."
"Understood."
Yu Tianlin nodded slightly, activated his Spirit Power, and entered the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul Possession state. A lightning pattern instantly formed on his brow, and a white ring that had a slight yellow slowly emerged beside Yu Tianlin.
"It is indeed so," Yu Yuanzhen couldn't help but shake his head and asked, "Tianlin, what is the Skill of your first Soul Ring?"
"It's the Lightning Ball."
As Yu Tianlin spoke, he released his first Soul Ability.
Yu Tianlin extended his hands and held them level at his chest, his fingers facing each other in a ball-grasping shape. Then, the Yellowish white Soul Ring on his body lit up. With a flash of blue-purple electric light, a lightning ball instantly condensed between Yu Tianlin's palms.
Yu Tianlin explained: "This is my first Soul skill – Lightning Ball. After condensing it, I can throw it to attack, and it will explode directly upon hitting an object."
Yu Yuanzhen looked at the lightning ball between Yu Tianlin's palms. Without any hesitation, he reached out a hand and plunged it into the lightning ball, using this method to directly feel the power of the ability.
"Power is acceptable," Yu Yuanzhen said. "This kind of pure lightning ball long-range attack is somewhat similar to our Clan's inherited second Spirit Ability – Thunder crash."
"Of course, Thunder crash is a barrage of many lightning balls, while your skill can only condense one ball at a time."
Yu Yuanzhen pondered for a moment and continued: "Since there was such an issue with your first Soul Ring, we must make certain adjustments to the three most suitable Soul skills summarized by our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."
"I have thought it over. Your first Soul skill is the Lightning Ball, which is a long-range attack and essentially replaces the position of the original second Spirit Ability, Thunder Crash. So, your second Spirit Ability will be designated as the Thunder Dragon Claw. As for the third Spirit Ability, it will remain as Wrath of Thunder. This will minimize the negative impact."
As expected of a Level 96 Titled Douluo. Not long after receiving the news of Yu Tianlin's Soul Ring problem, he was able to quickly devise a remedy to minimize the adverse effects.
Yu Tianlin nodded in understanding and pressed further: "Grandfather, how should we solve the issue of the missing Dragon Power due to absorbing the wrong Soul Ring?"
"The Dragon Power issue? You heard something about the Dragon Origin Fruit from Yu Jian, didn't you?"
Yu Yuanzhen glanced at Yu Tianlin and instantly understood what had happened.
Yu Tianlin gave an embarrassed laugh: "As expected, nothing escapes you, Grandfather."
Hearing Yu Tianlin's words, Yu Yuanzhen frowned. After pacing for a few steps, he said in a deep voice: "Alright, I will give you one Dragon Origin Fruit!"
"Thank you, Grandfather!"
Yu Tianlin breathed a sigh of relief while flashing a surprised smile.
However, Yu Tianlin did not know that the Dragon Origin Fruit was extremely important to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan; it was a critical asset of the entire Clan. Even though Yu Yuanzhen was the Sect Master, giving this natural treasure to his grandson privately would put him under great pressure.
"With the Dragon Origin Fruit, the problem with the Dragon Power will be solved. As for the Soul Ring's age, we can make up for that later." Yu Yuanzhen reached out and touched Yu Tianlin's head, saying, "The upper limits for the first three Soul Rings are low and difficult to manipulate. However, the upper limit for the fourth Soul Ring is 5,000 years. Typically, Soul Masters ensure that the Soul Ring they absorb is over 4,000 old. But when you break through to Level 40, I will personally help you hunt a Soul Beast. I will carefully judge the Soul Beast's cultivation to find one that is extremely close to 5,000 years, and we can make up for the 300 years gap right then."
After Yu Yuanzhen finished speaking, his hand continued to rub Yu Tianlin's head. However, when he touched the single strand of hair sticking up on the top of Yu Tianlin's head—the Ahoge—he suddenly paused.
"Hmm?"
Yu Yuanzhen showed a look of surprise. He seemed to have sensed a faint fluctuation of Soul Power on the top of Yu Tianlin's head just now?
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