Yu Xiaogang stared at the notes scattered across his desk.
The conclusion had not changed. It had not changed yesterday. It had not changed last month.
And it certainly had not changed after seven years of cultivation.
He had known it from the moment his martial soul awakened.
He had simply refused to think about it.
So he researched—hoping to prove himself wrong. Trained his body, so he would not have time to let the paradox sink in.
A light-attribute dragon-line spirit beast.
Anything less would permanently cripple Luo Sanpao's potential.
Yu Xiaogang's notes listed the weakest acceptable candidates he had been able to find.
A Lightscale Drake, usually reaching a thousand years of cultivation before its draconic traits stabilized.
A Suncrest Wyvern, a rare light-attribute dragon-kin recorded in several clan hunting logs.
And the Radiant Marsh Serpent, a distant descendant of ancient light dragons whose spirit rings were highly prized by light-attribute Soul Masters.
None of them were particularly powerful by the standards of the Douluo Continent.
Unfortunately, even the weakest among them rarely fell below a thousand years of cultivation.
Yu Xiaogang was Level 10.
Absorbing such a ring would simply tear his body apart.
Yu Xiaogang leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples.
Capturing such a beast would not be difficult.
His father was a Titled Douluo. The clan could hunt one without much trouble.
The problem was never the hunt.
It was the moment afterward.
Yu Xiaogang let out a long sigh.
His body simply could not withstand the energy.
Which meant he needed to become stronger first.
And to become stronger—
He needed a spirit ring.
Yu Xiaogang stared at the ceiling for a long moment.
Even training his body to endure a thousand-year spirit ring was unrealistic.
That kind of strength simply wasn't achievable by ordinary means.
Yu Xiaogang slowly lowered his hands and stared at Luo Sanpao.
The small creature blinked back at him innocently.
"…You see the problem, right?"
"Luo?"
Yu Xiaogang dropped his head onto the desk.
Instead of letting his thoughts spin in an inescapable cycle, Yu Xiaogang pushed his chair back and stepped outside.
The corridor was quiet.
Yu Yuanzhen stood there waiting.
He was simply standing outside the door, hands clasped behind his back, looking at Xiaogang with a calm, knowing gaze.
"You have reached level 10."
It was not a question. Yu Yuanzhen already knew.
Yu Xiaogang nodded.
For a moment neither of them spoke.
Xiaogang could see the faint impatience in his father's eyes.
Yu Yuanzhen had read every page of Xiaogang's theories.
He knew exactly what Xiaogang was trying to do.
A well-chosen first soul ring could reshape the future of a martial soul.
It could compensate for a malignant mutation in the awakening.
If the foundation was correct, the path ahead might still be salvaged.
Yu Yuanzhen finally spoke again.
"The clan can hunt the spirit beast."
Yu Xiaogang sighed.
"That was never the problem."
Yu Yuanzhen's gaze sharpened slightly.
"Your body."
"Yes."
Silence returned.
Yu Yuanzhen understood immediately. After all, the theory had been written by his own son.
Yu Yuanzhen studied him for a moment longer before speaking again.
"Then explain it."
His tone was calm, but firm.
"I want to know exactly what led you to conclude that your first spirit ring must exceed the normal absorption limit."
"Luo Sanpao isn't simply weak," Xiaogang said quietly.
Yu Yuanzhen said nothing, letting him continue.
"It is a malignant mutation, yes. But the mutation itself shows an incomplete—yet very specific—direction."
Xiaogang gestured toward the small creature at his feet.
"The horns. The body structure. Even the aura it produces during summoning."
Yu Yuanzhen's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Dragon lineage," he said. Yu Xiaogang nodded.
"But the mutation failed to stabilize. The martial soul never completed its transformation."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"Which means the first spirit ring becomes the stabilizing factor. The missing piece."
Yu Yuanzhen's gaze sharpened.
"It must match the direction of the mutation."
Xiaogang nodded again.
"Dragon lineage… and a compatible element."
He hesitated slightly before adding,
"Based on what I've observed, light attribute is the most likely candidate. But that part is still theoretical."
Yu Yuanzhen said nothing.
Xiaogang continued.
"If the first ring doesn't match the mutation's direction, the foundation will simply settle in that shape."
He looked down at Luo Sanpao.
"And once the foundation sets… no later spirit rings will be able to change it."
Yu Yuanzhen finished the thought for him.
"And light-attribute dragon-line spirit beasts rarely fall below a thousand years of cultivation."
Yu Yuanzhen understood immediately what Yu Xiaogang meant.
His eyes tightened as the trap in that logic became clear.
"So the problem is clear."
Yu Yuanzhen looked into Yu Xiaogang's eyes.
"What do you intend to do about it?"
Yu Xiaogang did not avert his gaze. His jaw was set.
"Find another way to grow stronger."
"Good."
That was all Yu Yuanzhen said.
He straightened slightly, the rigid line of his shoulders easing just a fraction.
At the corner of his mouth, the faintest hint of a smile appeared. Betraying his pride.
After his father left in a strangely good mood, Yu Xiaogang returned to his room.
While he had resolved to find another way to grow stronger, determination alone would not make it happen.
So, Yu Xiaogang let his mind settle.
He sat down cross-legged on the floor and closed his eyes.
For once, he wasn't trying to cultivate.
No circulation of soul power. No attempts to push Luo Sanpao beyond its limits.
Just steady breaths.
Now that he thought about it, ever since his reincarnation he had never simply meditated.
Everything had always revolved around cultivation and soul power refinement.
So he let the thoughts settle and focused only on the rhythm of his breath.
In.
Out.
Slow.
Steady.
His awareness gradually turned inward.
And then—
Yu Xiaogang opened his eyes.
He was standing in a featureless grey void.
Strangely, he felt no alarm.
After years of constant pressure and frustration, the quiet emptiness felt almost comforting.
He only realized something was wrong when he tried to breathe.
There was no air.
The moment the suffocation hit him, his concentration shattered.
Yu Xiaogang's eyes snapped open.
He was back in his room, lungs heaving as he dragged in a deep breath.
"…What was that?"
Yu Xiaogang stared at the empty room, eyes wide.