After finishing their morning run, the four friends headed to the dining hall.
"Hehe, now that I'm a Grandmaster, once I become a Soul Elder, I'm definitely going to get a Man-Faced Demon Spider for my soul ring!" Tang Ya chattered excitedly about her future plans the entire way to breakfast.
"Tang Ya!" Zhu Ziyang suddenly called out to her. His serious expression made Tang Ya and Yu Beibei pause in confusion. After spending so many days together, they had come to understand Zhu Ziyang's personality. That serious look on his face meant he had something very important to say.
"What's wrong, class president?" Tang Ya quieted down and asked curiously.
"I wasn't going to say anything, but since we're classmates—and you're Nannan's good friend—I can't bear to watch you head down the wrong path. What I'm about to say may upset you, but I still need to say it," Zhu Ziyang said solemnly, word by word. His words stunned Tang Ya and surprised Yu Beibei. Jiang Nannan, however, seemed to understand what he was getting at and looked thoughtful.
"Ziyang, what do you mean? Xiao Ya, are you alright?" Yu Beibei asked anxiously, holding Tang Ya's hand.
"I'm fine! Zhu Ziyang, what's with this sudden cryptic talk? You're ruining the mood," Tang Ya replied irritably, shaking off Yu Beibei's hand and giving Zhu Ziyang a puzzled look.
"Xiao Ya, don't be upset. Let Ziyang-ge finish what he has to say," Jiang Nannan gently urged.
"Don't be angry—just hear me out first," Zhu Ziyang continued with a confident smile.
"If I'm not mistaken, the cultivation method your Tang Sect uses for the Blue Silver Grass martial soul is based entirely on your founder, Tang San, right?"
"That's right!" Tang Ya nodded, pride shining in her eyes.
"Ancestor Tang San is the ultimate role model for Blue Silver Grass soul masters. The soul ring configurations he used are still the top choices for our Tang Sect's leaders!"
A flicker of disdain crossed Zhu Ziyang's face—one Yu Beibei caught. He immediately realized that his earlier concerns might be justified.
"So, what you're saying is, Xiao Ya's soul rings are the problem?" Yu Beibei asked.
Zhu Ziyang gave a slight nod.
"Impossible!" Tang Ya protested.
"Tang San's soul ring setup is sacred to our sect. How could it be wrong? Just because you've read a few books doesn't mean you can question nearly ten thousand years of Tang Sect wisdom!"
"Oh? Then let me ask you—how many of your Tang Sect leaders over the generations have surpassed the Soul Sage level?" Zhu Ziyang didn't hide his scorn.
Tang Ya froze. She couldn't answer.
"None, right?" Zhu Ziyang continued calmly, as if he already knew.
"Because with your current cultivation method, Blue Silver Grass can't even reach the seven-ring level!"
"You—how do you know that?" Tang Ya was stunned. What he said was true. Since Tang San, no Blue Silver Grass soul master had reached the Soul Sage level—not even during the sect's peak, despite countless resources being spent. Not one had surpassed six rings.
"It's simple," Zhu Ziyang said firmly.
"Because Tang San's soul ring configuration isn't suited for ordinary Blue Silver Grass martial souls!"
"That's not possible!" Tang Ya still resisted.
"It's the same Blue Silver Grass—why wouldn't it be suitable?"
Yu Beibei fell silent, clearly deep in thought.
"You really believe Tang San's martial soul was ordinary Blue Silver Grass?" Zhu Ziyang asked, scoffing.
"Wasn't it?" Tang Ya was dumbfounded. She had never questioned that before. The sect's records always stated Tang San's martial soul was Blue Silver Grass.
"It was the Blue Silver Emperor," Yu Beibei said quietly.
"Blue Silver Emperor?!" Tang Ya trembled as she murmured the name.
"That's right," Zhu Ziyang confirmed.
"The Blue Silver Emperor may be called the king of Blue Silver Grass, but it is a true top-tier soul beast. As a martial soul, it is one of the strongest. Compared to the ordinary Blue Silver Grass—barely better than a trash martial soul—it's like the heavens and the earth!"
"Whether or not Tang San's ring setup was right for the Blue Silver Emperor, I don't know," he continued.
"But I know for sure—it's completely unsuitable for Blue Silver Grass! Using his configuration will only make your martial soul weaker."
Tang Ya stood there in shock, speechless.
"The Blue Silver Emperor, being a top-tier martial soul, has immense compatibility. Its essence is strong enough to adapt to any type of soul ring, plant or beast. But Blue Silver Grass is just an ordinary plant-type martial soul. If you don't focus on plant-type soul rings to strengthen it, and instead chase beast-type soul rings, you're digging your own grave," Zhu Ziyang explained.
Tang Ya was visibly shaken. Her thoughts were in complete disarray.
Yu Beibei, however, remained calm and focused. With his background, he knew Zhu Ziyang's words made sense.
"So you're saying that Xiao Ya should focus on plant-type soul beast rings instead of following Tang San's ring configuration?" Yu Beibei asked, getting to the core of the matter.
"Exactly. And the higher the level of the plant-type soul beast, the better for her Blue Silver Grass martial soul," Zhu Ziyang replied.
"If one day her martial soul evolves into the Blue Silver Emperor, then sure—she can absorb beast-type rings. But until then, she should stick with plant rings."
"Then… my second ring being from the Ghost Vine is fine, right? The problem is my first ring," Tang Ya said. She had digested Zhu Ziyang's words. She wasn't stupid—she understood the issue now.
"Since your first ring came from a Mandrake Snake, your second should ideally come from a powerful plant-type soul beast. The Ghost Vine is stronger than Blue Silver Grass, but still not top-tier. If possible, you should aim for higher-level beasts like the Ink Jade Bamboo or the Sky Star Vine," Zhu Ziyang advised.
"Take my words as friendly advice. The decision is yours—follow your current path or try mine."
"My mind's a mess. I'm skipping class today," Tang Ya said with a complicated expression, then turned and walked away.
"Thank you, Ziyang," Yu Beibei said sincerely before hurrying after her.
Zhu Ziyang watched them go with a faint smile. He had done all he could as a friend. Whether she listened was up to her.
"Ziyang-ge, do you think Xiao Ya will take your advice?" Jiang Nannan asked, worried. She really didn't want to see Tang Ya make a mistake.
"I don't know," Zhu Ziyang replied with a shake of his head.
"I've done all I can. The rest is up to her."
"If she doesn't listen and sticks to her original path, does that mean she really won't reach the seven-ring level?" Jiang Nannan asked with concern.
"It'll be very difficult," Zhu Ziyang answered. Then, silently, he added in his heart:
"Unless she falls into darkness."
"Oh…" Jiang Nannan murmured, resolving that next time she saw Tang Ya, she would urge her to follow Ziyang-ge's advice.
The two of them went to the dining hall to eat, then headed to class.
Freshman Dormitory Building.
It was class time, so the building was completely empty.
Outside the entrance, the old man lounged as usual in his wooden chair. In front of him stood a handsome, blue-haired youth.
It was Mu En—and Yu Beibei.
"…That's all, Grandfather," Yu Beibei said respectfully. After calming Tang Ya down, he had been deeply shaken and made the rare decision to seek out Mu En. He told him everything Zhu Ziyang had said.
"That child wasn't wrong. You don't see such perceptive young ones often," Mu En replied calmly, though he was clearly surprised inside.
"There should be a Sky Star Vine in the Yunhe Grand Canyon. Have your second uncle take you there to find a second ring for the little girl."
"Yes, sir!" Yu Beibei agreed respectfully, deeply shocked.
It was the first time he had heard his grandfather praise someone.
"Zhu Ziyang… is indeed a formidable rival," he thought, then turned and left the dormitory.
Mu En slowly opened his eyes and murmured to himself:
"Interesting…"