Chapter 156: The Burden of Talent and the Road to Redemption
Hearing Beibei confidently declare that Tang Ya couldn't possibly turn to the Evil Soul Masters and become a saint, Moon En's lips twitched slightly.
Others might not understand Tang Ya's situation, but as the head of the Sea God Pavilion, how could he not?
No one else had witnessed Tang Ya absorbing the life force of plants and plant-type soul beasts during her time at Shrek Academy. But Moon En had seen it all. Still, out of respect for her close bond with Beibei and believing she was only taking vitality from plants rather than humans, he had chosen to remain silent.
Tang Ya had never harmed anyone—at least, not at that point. Her Martial Soul seemed to have mutated in an ominous direction, but Moon En believed she still held on to a bottom line. That belief had been why he didn't stop her when she decided to leave Shrek.
But what happened afterward had been beyond his expectations.
The Iron Blood Sect had been completely wiped out by an evil soul master. The method of extermination bore a chilling resemblance to Tang Ya's soul skills. Clearly, something in her heart had changed. The line she once refused to cross had now been shattered.
Yet, Moon En still couldn't judge her too harshly.
He understood the pain and trauma Tang Ya had endured. She was just a young girl whose heart had been scarred deeply. That kind of transformation, born from suffering and vengeance, was sadly predictable.
Her ability to devour life, paired with the appearance of evil soul masters in Tiandou City during that time, gave Moon En a clear picture of where she had gone. But now wasn't the right time to bring her back—not when so many pieces were still in motion.
"Xuanzu, what's wrong?" Beibei finally spoke after noticing Moon En had fallen silent.
"It's nothing," Moon En replied softly, pulling himself from his thoughts. "I was just a bit distracted. Tang Ya has her own fate. There's no need for you to worry too much. Compared to her, you should focus more on your own strength."
"Xuanzu, do you know where Xiaoya is?" Beibei asked, eyes filled with desperate hope.
"I have a rough idea," Moon En admitted. "But with your current strength, there's nothing you can do."
"Please, Xuanzu, tell me! Tell me where she is!" Beibei begged, kneeling and kowtowing toward the direction of Moon En's voice.
"You want to throw your life away? What good is it if you can't even stand before her?" Moon En snapped.
The two remained in a standoff, silence heavy in the air, until Moon En finally sighed. "You stubborn child…"
"I do know a bit about Tang Ya's current situation," Moon En continued, his tone softer now. "But with your current cultivation, even if you saw her, what could you do?"
"I will train harder. I'll raise my strength until I can stand by her side again," Beibei said firmly.
"You fool!" Moon En shouted. "You know your own talent. Even if you train every single day, how much further can you really go?"
Beibei didn't argue. He bowed deeply again. "Xuanzu, please help me."
Silence fell once more. Then, a dragon pill and a 60,000-year-old soul bone materialized in front of Beibei. Moon En's voice followed, calm but resolute.
"In the training of a soul master, the Martial Soul comes first, and soul rings come second. Your talent—defined by the quality of your Martial Soul and your innate soul power—sets your limit. Normally, that cannot be changed."
"But mutations exist. And over thousands of years, we've come to notice certain patterns in how soul rings influence Martial Soul evolution."
"Soul rings?" Beibei asked.
"Yes. High-level soul rings can sometimes cause a Martial Soul to mutate and evolve, enhancing one's talent far beyond their natural limits."
"I see… when absorbing soul rings beyond your normal limits?" Beibei guessed.
"Exactly. Our ancestor Tang San was the first to do so ten thousand years ago. He absorbed a ten-thousand-year ring for his fourth ring and laid the foundation for becoming the greatest soul master of his era."
Moon En's voice grew steadier, more instructive. "After generations of data and experiments, we discovered a way to consistently absorb soul rings beyond the typical limits—and soul bones are crucial for that."
"I was fortunate enough to acquire an external soul bone when I obtained my second soul ring. That soul bone caught the eye of the previous Pavilion Master, and he granted me access to the Golden Tree's energy. By the time I reached level 30, that soul bone had evolved."
"Then, when I acquired my third soul ring, I successfully absorbed a 2,500-year-old ring, far beyond the norm. That fusion brought my soul power to level 32 and caused the external bone to evolve again. That was when the Pavilion Master accepted me as his last disciple and gave me a 70,000-year-old head soul bone."
"Without that head bone, the spiritual shock from absorbing a ten-thousand-year fourth ring would have destroyed me. A strong body refining method is also needed, but soul bones can fill in where such methods are lacking."
"From there, my rise was assured. That fourth soul ring pushed me straight to level 42, purified my bloodline, and ensured my success. My teacher continued to help match my soul bones, and by the seventh ring, I could absorb a hundred-thousand-year-old soul ring. That's how I got to where I am today."
Beibei listened intently, then suddenly realized something. "Xuanzu… you wanted me to absorb soul bones back at level 27?"
"What else did you think?" Moon En said with a hint of annoyance. "You're my only great-great-grandson. I was paving the road for you. But you gave it all up for Tang Ya. You didn't want her to feel left behind, so you rejected the path I laid."
"Do you know how much that decision cost you? A single step slower in cultivation, and you'll always be behind. Especially when it comes to soul rings."
"If your fourth soul ring had been ten thousand years old and infused with the Holy Light Dragon's bloodline, your Martial Soul would have evolved into the Holy Light Dragon by now. Your speed of cultivation would be vastly different."
"High-level soul rings don't just give skills—they make you grow faster. The reason why Xuan Zi can't break through to Limit Douluo is because of his spirit ring configuration. A configuration like two yellow, two purple, four black, and one red is fine for a Titled Douluo. But to go beyond… the total age of your rings must exceed 300,000 years. Otherwise, there's no path forward."
"Xuanzu… I'm sorry. But even knowing this, I think I still would've made the same choice back then," Beibei said bitterly.
"I know you would've. You love her. You're willing to give everything for her. But if you have no future, how can you have a future with her?" Moon En's voice cut deeply.
Beibei's eyes trembled. "I was wrong."
"It's good that you realize it now. Thankfully, your soul power is only at level 47. There's still time."
"The soul bone next to you is a 60,000-year-old right arm bone from a Bright Earth Dragon. Absorb it. Then, when you obtain your fifth ring, you'll be able to fuse a 20,000-year-old soul ring. Your cultivation speed will soar past that of average Soul Kings."
"Le Xuan reached level 80 at age 24 because her soul rings were leagues above others. Even among similar ring configurations, the age of the rings matters."
"In your case, it's not too late—but barely. Thankfully, I also have a dragon pill."
"Xuanzu… this…"
"This dragon pill isn't for direct absorption," Moon En clarified. "But as a Light Dragon's core, having it near you will guide your Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon toward a purer bloodline evolution. It also creates a rich light element environment, perfect for training."
"I've arranged for Shaozhe to assist you with future soul rings. The dragon pill supplements your innate potential, while the soul rings determine your acquired growth. Only with both can you rise quickly and accomplish what must be done."
"You'll enter secluded training here. With the dragon pill, soul bone, and the Golden Tree's energy, you'll break through to level 50 soon. Don't worry about the rings—Shaozhe will prepare suitable ones for you when you emerge."
"…Thank you, Xuanzu."
With Beibei's matters settled, Moon En sighed. Without Zhang Lexuan, Huo Yuhao wasn't considered a prodigy yet. That meant Beibei had to grow stronger—not only for the upcoming All-Continent High-Level Soul Master Competition, but for the very future of the Sea God Pavilion.
This time, Beibei wouldn't be allowed to remain stagnant like in the original path. He had to become a core pillar of the future.
And while Shrek's members trained in seclusion for over a month, each breaking through bottlenecks in soul power, Xiao Qiang finally returned to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy after completing Nana's soul beast hunt.
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