Chapter 106: Indestructible Golden Body, Eternal Thought

T/N: Hello! I am back now!

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, over three months had passed.

Early that morning, in the forest simulation training ground of Blue Tyrant Academy, Chu Chengzhou—who was meditating—suddenly experienced a fluctuation in his soul power, which quickly calmed down.

"Not bad. Level 40!"

Feeling the significant improvement in his soul power, Chu Chengzhou nodded with quiet satisfaction.

Ever since he consumed the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Fiery Apricot Delicate Branch—two immortal-grade herbs—his cultivation speed had skyrocketed.

In just over three months, he had advanced at a rate of nearly one level per month, rocketing up to level 40. Now, he only needed a fourth soul ring to officially step into the rank of a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor.

Of course, if it were just the innate boost from the Ice and Fire Immortal Herbs, he wouldn't have progressed this fast. One level per month was unheard of—even evil soul masters who practiced dark techniques couldn't match this speed.

However, with the 2.5x speed boost from Nine Breaths of Energy, such rapid progress became justifiable.

One level a month? Without that boost, it would average to about one level every three months—not as monstrous.

Chu Chengzhou then opened his attribute panel:

[Attribute Panel]

Host: Chu Chengzhou

Soul Power: Level 40

Martial Soul: True Spirit Banner

Soul Rings: Purple (6,800 years), Black (10,000 years), Black (10,000 years)

1st Soul Skill – Spirit Summon: Sky Azure Tree

2nd Soul Skill – Spirit Summon: Radiant Lion

3rd Soul Skill – Spirit Summon: Fire Phoenix

Skills:

Nine Breaths of Energy Control (Red)

Indestructible Golden Body (Red)

Eternal Thought (Red)

Archery (Black)

Movement Technique (Black)

Control (Black)

Defense (Black)

Forging (Black)

Illusions (Black)

Auto-Cultivation Slots:

Archery (Black)

Movement Technique (Black)

Nine Breaths of Energy (Red)

First Soul Ring (Purple)

A month ago, the black-grade body refinement technique in the first slot advanced and was upgraded to red-grade. Following the naming pattern of Nine Breaths of Energy, Chu Chengzhou named it Indestructible Golden Body, symbolizing a body enduring all tribulations. He then removed it from the auto-slot and replaced it with the Archery technique.

A week ago, the black-grade spiritual refinement technique in the second slot upgraded to red-grade. Chu Chengzhou named it Eternal Thought, symbolizing undying consciousness. He replaced it with the Movement Technique.

Aside from that, not much changed from his passive auto-training. His first soul ring had improved to 6,800 years, and the proficiency needed to upgrade Nine Breaths of Energy to the next gold grade had significantly increased—still far from leveling up.

The "Essence, Energy, and Spirit" trinity saw a boost after upgrading both essence (body) and spirit (mind) techniques, greatly improving his refining efficiency.

At this rate, even without soul bones enhancing his physique, Chu Chengzhou was confident he could handle a soul ring configuration of six black and one red—or even five black and two red—when advancing to Seven-Ring Soul Sage.

But just because he could endure it didn't mean he could actually obtain hundred-thousand-year soul rings. That was still uncertain.

"Next step: find a Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear."

Closing the attribute panel, Chu Chengzhou made up his mind.

For his fourth soul ring, he had his heart set on the Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear—not for the Soul Master Tournament, but to prepare for potential assassination attempts in the future.

Lately, he'd been sparring with Zhu Zhuqing like before in Shrek, guiding her in combat and getting a little flirty in the process. Whether Zhu Zhuqing didn't notice or didn't mind, she didn't seem to reject his subtle advances.

Since they were in the same academy, Dai Mubai had witnessed these "training sessions." He wasn't blind or stupid—he could tell Chu Chengzhou was interested in Zhu Zhuqing.

The Soul Master Tournament was a grand stage for young geniuses and the three powers—Heaven Dou Empire, Star Luo Empire, and Spirit Hall—to scout talents. Any team with strong results, especially the champions, would catch the attention of high-ranking powers.

Chu Chengzhou knew that after the tournament, he'd surely be on Star Luo Empire's radar.

If he played by the rules, maybe they'd leave him alone. But he wasn't exactly a "rule-abiding" person. Even if he didn't fully win over Zhu Zhuqing, the Star Luo royal family would likely take action to prevent the future princess from being taken by an outsider.

Hence, summoning a powerful soul spirit was absolutely necessary.

Sure, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan could serve as a backer, but relying on a faction wasn't the same as having your own strength. He couldn't just hide in Ning Fengzhi's clan forever.

If Ning Rongrong were his only girlfriend, being a freeloader wouldn't be too bad. But with other girlfriends involved, that'd be… awkward.

Bringing his other girlfriends to hide out at his father-in-law's place? That'd be uncomfortable for everyone, especially Ning Fengzhi.

Leaving the simulation field, Chu Chengzhou headed toward the teaching building, planning to ask Flender to escort him to the Star Dou Forest.

But halfway there, a thought struck him—

If the target for his fourth soul ring is a 10,000-year Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear, can Flender and the others even handle it?

He knew the bear was powerful—but how powerful exactly? He wasn't sure.

If Flender, Liu Erlong, and Zhao Wuji teamed up, they might stand a chance. Might.

And what if things went south?

As they say, plans rarely keep up with change.

Even in the Star Dou Forest, Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bears were rare. If they didn't find one quickly, they could end up searching for days, and what if they ran into some serious trouble?

Like that last time, when he encountered Star Luo experts?

Every year, countless soul masters lost their lives in the Star Dou Forest. Most weren't killed by their target soul beasts, but by other powerful beasts—or rival soul masters.

After all, no smart soul master would target a beast beyond their own ability.

"Should I go to my future father-in-law?"

Chu Chengzhou mused silently.

Their last meeting wasn't exactly pleasant, but asking Ning Fengzhi to help hunt one soul beast? He definitely wouldn't say no.

Just then, a familiar voice called out from nearby:"Chu boy, what are you thinking about?"

Turning around, Chu Chengzhou spotted Dugu Bo and his granddaughter Dugu Yan approaching.

"Senior, Sister Dugu."

His eyes lit up, and he greeted them warmly.

He'd been worrying about finding a strong escort, and here came one walking straight to him!

"Senior, you look a lot better. Looks like my method worked?"

Seeing Dugu Bo's hair and beard, once greenish, now mostly back to white, Chu Chengzhou asked.

"Not bad at all. Feeling way better now!"

Dugu Bo smiled and nodded.

Chu Chengzhou's soul bone detox technique had worked. Over the past few months, he'd transferred most of his stored toxins into a newly acquired 10,000-year left arm soul bone.

A few more months, and he'd be free from the backlash of internal toxins.

However, while Dugu Bo's issue was being resolved, Dugu Yan wasn't so lucky.

With her lower control over soul power, she couldn't store toxins in a soul bone even if she had one. Her old symptoms had returned, prompting the visit to Blue Tyrant Academy.

Truth be told, Dugu Bo could've found another detoxifying soul master, but he preferred to build a better relationship with Chu Chengzhou—just in case he needed a favor down the road.

Even if he didn't, his descendants might.

Befriending a genius soul master was never a bad move.

"Good to hear! Sister Dugu, you look a bit pale—relapse?"

"Mm, I'll be troubling you again," Dugu Yan nodded.

"No problem!"

Chu Chengzhou instantly summoned his martial soul—True Spirit Banner—and activated his third ring, summoning the Radiant Lion spirit "Xiao Bai."

A beam of light burst forth, and in mere moments, the toxins in Dugu Yan's body vanished like snow under the blazing sun.

"Ah~ I feel full of energy again!"

Free from her burden, Dugu Yan let out a satisfied sigh.

"Chu boy, I see you're level 40 now?"

Dugu Bo asked, sounding a bit skeptical.

Wasn't Chu Chengzhou level 36 just a few months ago?

Chu Chengzhou wasn't hiding his soul power, so his level was easy to sense.

"Level 40?"

Dugu Yan's eyes widened in disbelief.

When they first met at Shrek Academy, she had been level 38 and he level 36. Just last month, she'd advanced to 39—and now he had surpassed her?

"Got a lucky opportunity recently~"

Chu Chengzhou waved it off casually.

Honestly, he felt a bit guilty. His rapid growth was mostly thanks to those two immortal herbs.

"An opportunity?"

Dugu Bo raised an eyebrow. He didn't suspect the herbs but figured Chu Chengzhou must've acquired a good soul bone.

After all, he hadn't shown any breakthrough right after consuming the poisonous herbs, and the most common way to spike one's cultivation was through soul ring addition or soul bone refining.

He didn't think Chu Chengzhou would resort to shortcut techniques that harmed long-term potential—no self-respecting genius would.

Besides, even though soul bones were valuable, they held less appeal for a Title Douluo unless they were extremely high-quality.

More importantly, Chu Chengzhou had helped him before—Dugu Bo wouldn't stoop to killing him for a soul bone.

"Chu boy, you've hit level 40. Want me to help you get that fourth ring?"

Stroking his beard, Dugu Bo grinned.

The Sunset Forest was right outside Heaven Dou City—it wouldn't take much time.

"Really? Thank you, senior!"

Chu Chengzhou immediately agreed.

"Haha, just a small favor. I've got free time. You just let me know when to go."

"No problem! But since you're helping me hunt a soul ring, let me give you and Sister Dugu a gift."

"A gift?"

Dugu Bo raised his brows; Dugu Yan looked curious too.

"You'll see soon. Just give me a few hours."

Since Dugu Bo was being generous—and Chu Chengzhou had previously taken great advantage—he wanted to return the favor with two sets of spirit-forged armor.

This soul beast hunt could take a while, so the gift would also double as "hazard pay."

The armor had excellent defensive power—life-saving for someone like Dugu Yan, who hadn't reached four rings yet.

As for Dugu Bo, with Title Douluo-level soul power infused into the armor, it could even outperform raw defensive skills—effectively increasing his durability.

Chu Chengzhou briefly checked in with Xiao Wu and the others, asked Liu Erlong for leave, and then left Blue Tyrant Academy with the Dugu pair.

He hadn't brought his full blacksmithing kit—only his Spirit-Forging Silver Hammer. The rest was at Shrek Academy.

Luckily, this task was simple. A rented smithy would do.

Two hours later, inside a blacksmith shop in Heaven Dou City, Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan tried on freshly made spirit-forged cloud titanium armor, transforming into silver-plated warriors.

Technically, the best materials for them would've been metals that enhanced soul power—like Blue Nurturing Copper—but due to Dugu Yan's weaker physique, Chu Chengzhou chose lightweight and sturdy cloud titanium.

As for Dugu Bo, weight wasn't a concern—he was a Title Douluo, after all. But Chu Chengzhou's forging skills were only at the spirit-forging level. Even if he used a power-amplifying metal, the effect wouldn't be significant—better to go pure defense with cloud titanium.

Dugu Yan's armor was light, like Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong's, weighing under 30 jin (~15 kg). Dugu Bo's was heavier—over 300 jin (~150 kg)—with impressive thickness, especially over vital areas like the chest.

"Senior, Sister Dugu, how does it feel?"

Chu Chengzhou asked with a grin.

"Very sturdy. I think its defense is on par with those guys—Shi Mo and Shi Mo."

Dugu Yan sighed and said with emotion.

Chu Chengzhou shook his head. "Sister Dugu, most soul masters whose soul power is below level 60 shouldn't be able to break through this armor."

Even now, Dugu Yan hadn't advanced to a four-ring Soul Sect, so the Shi brothers must still be three-ring Soul Elders. But the defense of a three-ring defense-type Soul Elder couldn't compare at all to this spirit-forged armor. Unless it was a ten-thousand-year defense-type soul skill from a five-ring Soul King, then maybe it'd come close.

"Below level 60? That high?"

Dugu Yan couldn't help but widen her eyes.

She had thought the armor would only be equivalent to a defense-type soul master of the same level. She hadn't expected it to be this strong.

"The material itself is rare metal, plus it was crafted using a special secret technique. Of course its defense is excellent—otherwise, what's the point of the armor?"

Being able to block most attacks from soul masters below level 60 was just the beginning.

Armor made from Heaven-Forged Metal, even without amplification from a soul device array, could likely withstand a casual ninth soul skill from a Titled Douluo purely on material strength alone.

"Oh, right. Sister Dugu, if anyone asks where the armor came from, just say it's an ancient soul device passed down through generations!"

Chu Chengzhou made sure to explain—he didn't want people lining up to buy armor from him in the future.

"Mm, no problem. I won't say a word."

Dugu Yan nodded in agreement.

"Kid Chu, this armor of yours is really something. After infusing soul power, its defensive ability is much stronger than my usual soul power body defense."

After testing the armor's defenses, Dugu Bo also showed a pleased expression.

Though a Titled Douluo had at least nine soul skills, his Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor martial soul didn't include any defense-type soul skills. In battle, he usually relied solely on soul power for protection. Now, with this special armor, that weakness was at least partially covered.

Though this improvement wasn't exactly earth-shattering, Dugu Bo was quite satisfied.

Besides, he was well aware that in the world of soul masters, there were special attacks that could ignore energy-based defenses.

Against such unreasonable soul skills, even the strongest body protection soul power or defense skills wouldn't help.

But this armor was different. While it strengthened soul power defenses, it also offered decent physical protection. So when facing those special attacks, it might actually block them.

Knowing that her grandfather Dugu Bo and Chu Chengzhou were going soul beast hunting, Dugu Yan didn't linger. After thanking them, she headed back to Heaven Dou Imperial Academy.

"Kid Chu, tell me what kind of soul beast you want for your fourth soul ring."

After leaving the forge, Dugu Bo asked.

"Senior, the effect of my martial soul's skill is to summon the soul beasts I've hunted. So I'm planning to hunt a Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear for my fourth ring."

Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear?

Dugu Bo raised his brows when he heard that.

Though he wasn't exactly a scholar, the famous Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear was well known in the world of soul beasts.

It wasn't surprising that Chu Chengzhou had set his sights on it.

After all, at the same cultivation age, the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear was definitely one of the strongest soul beasts in existence. In terms of raw attack power, not even pure-blood dragon-type soul beasts could match it at the same level.

"How old of a beast are you aiming for?" Dugu Bo asked.

"Anything over 5,000 years and under 12,000 years is fine."

Chu Chengzhou wasn't insistent on getting a 10,000-year-old one. With his cheat-like advantages, even a slightly younger ring would be okay.

The bear was rare anyway, and it would be hard to explain to Dugu Bo why even under 5,000 years would work. As for anything over 12,000 years, Chu Chengzhou wasn't confident he could absorb it safely.

First, that age exceeded the normal limit a level-50 soul master could handle.

Second, the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's rings were notoriously hard to absorb. A typical level-50 soul master could handle almost 12,000 years, but with this species, even absorbing a 10,000-year ring could be a challenge.

Granted, his body was far stronger than the average level-50 soul master.

But he already had a 10,000-year second and third ring, plus a 6,000+ year first ring. Altogether, his three rings added up to more than 26,000 years. If it were anyone else, their body would've exploded already. He didn't want to push his luck.

"Rings that old? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Dugu Bo gave Chu Chengzhou a surprised look.

Beasts with powerful bloodlines already had difficult rings to absorb. Add such high age on top of that, and even a 10,000-year Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear? Was this kid out of his mind?

Chu Chengzhou said confidently, "Don't worry. My physical and mental strength are both strong. A 10,000-year ring from a Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear won't be a problem."

Frowning, Dugu Bo grabbed Chu Chengzhou's arm.

"Hm? Didn't expect this. You've got such soft skin, but your body's actually this strong?"

After giving him a squeeze, Dugu Bo couldn't help but be surprised.

By sight alone, he couldn't tell Chu Chengzhou's physical condition. But now that he'd felt it, he realized this kid's body was insanely durable. He might even be tougher than some average level-60 soul masters.

"It's just a teensy bit tougher than normal, that's all."

Chu Chengzhou waved his hand and made a tiny gesture with his fingers (tiny as in universe-sized).

"You call that a little bit?"

Dugu Bo was speechless. That level of toughness could rival a level-60 soul master—and you call that a little? Your little is way too big!

"Fine, since you can handle it, then a 10,000-year Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear it is."

Now that he knew Chu Chengzhou's physique was extraordinary, Dugu Bo didn't object anymore.

The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear was strong, sure—but relatively speaking. He was a Titled Douluo. Even at his weakest, he was still a nine-ring Titled Douluo!

"Let's go. I'll take you to Star Dou Great Forest! The bear's pretty rare—you might not find one in Sunset Forest, so Star Dou is a better bet."

With that, Dugu Bo started walking toward his mansion.

"Senior, where are we going?" Chu Chengzhou asked, noticing the direction seemed off.

"My place!"

"Your house?"

Chu Chengzhou blinked. They were headed to Star Dou Forest, so why go home?

"Star Dou Forest is really far. We're taking a carriage."

Dugu Bo didn't even look back.

Why take a carriage?

Are you kidding? Star Dou Forest is thousands of miles away. Sure, he could fly, but he wasn't a flying-type soul master. Flying drained a lot of soul power, and bringing Chu Chengzhou along would just make it worse.

Chu Chengzhou quickly said, "Senior, I've got Little Red. It can carry both of us, no problem."

It was thousands of miles to Star Dou Forest from Heaven Dou City. By carriage, it'd take over ten days. But if they flew on Little Red, they could arrive before nightfall.

"Little Red?"

Dugu Bo turned around, his face full of doubt.

"That phoenix summoning beast you saw earlier—the one making fire."

Dugu Bo: "..."

T/N: For up to 20 chapters ahead and fifteen chapters ahead on my other translation, become a p@tron at p@treon.com/LordHipposApostle