How did Yang Wudi feel after hearing Yun Ming's words? He was shocked! He was deeply conflicted!
He was shocked by Yun Ming's unconventional thinking and his superb comprehension, which remained unbound by the rigid ideologies of the current Soul Master World.
He was conflicted because if the Breaking Clan truly abandoned the tradition of full-attack soul rings, would they still be the Breaking Clan? Yang Wudi felt a sense of struggle in his heart.
Seeing his grandson's expression shift from shock to hesitation, Yun Ming guessed his grandfather's concerns and stated his philosophy with a firm tone.
"If the Breaking Clan loses the courage to 'break conventions and forge the future,' then it is no longer the Breaking Clan!!!"
Afterward, Yun Ming continued to explain his proposed solution.
"Grandfather, you don't need to worry about the subsequent soul ring combinations; I have already thought it through."
"Our Breaking Clan's first four inherited soul skills are quite excellent. As long as we adjust the defensive-counterattack 'Zhen' soul ring to the third position and the soul-power-boosting 'Hun' soul ring to the first position, these are things our predecessors have already experimented with. There is no need to test them again!"
Upon hearing Yun Ming's improvement plan, Yang Wudi's mind involuntarily began to simulate what would happen if his first four soul rings were as Yun Ming envisioned. The 'Zhen' soul skill could help a Soul Breaking Spear master break free from control and provided a certain level of defense, which was very useful; the only limitation was that its century-level age restricted its effectiveness after reaching the Soul Saint realm, but if adjusted to a thousand-year level, it could indeed continue to be used. The 'Hun' soul skill's boost to soul power would never be outdated for a soul master, which was also excellent. Only one 'Bao' soul skill was replaced among the first four, but the potential ceiling was indeed higher.
After Yang Wudi thought all this through, his doubts were quickly cleared. That's right! If the Breaking Clan didn't even dare to change for the better, then they would truly be at a dead end! It wasn't that Yun Ming's ideas were profound; it was simply that people in this era were limited by the thoughts of their time. Now that Yun Ming had brought it up, Yang Wudi quickly grasped all the key points, his mood turning from overcast to clear, and he burst into loud laughter.
"Hahahaha."
After laughing, Yang Wudi gave Yun Ming a satisfied compliment.
"Good!"
"You are worthy of being my, Yang Wudi's, grandson!"
Seeing his grandfather return to normal, Yun Ming breathed a sigh of relief and continued to explain his reasoning for the first soul ring.
"The Soul Breaking Spear is like that, and my Atlas Spear is even more so. Therefore, my requirement for the first soul ring is to influence the enemy's judgment of the spear's trajectory."
"A Bewildering Trace Beast is likely to grant me a skill that distorts space; an Ethereal Python is highly likely to grant me a skill that breaks through space. Both types of soul beasts are quite suitable for spear-type Martial Souls, and both types of soul skills remain useful even after reaching the Soul Saint realm. It's just that... both of these soul beasts are quite hard to find."
After listening to Yun Ming's reasons for his soul ring selection and considering his grandson's already formidable talent for spear techniques, Yang Wudi felt that these two soul skills were indeed exceptionally compatible with spear arts, and he made the final decision.
"In that case, it is decided that we will hunt these two types of soul beasts!"
After discussing the soul ring issue, Yang Wudi saw the brilliant grandson before him, his face a tapestry of longing, pain, and hesitation. Finally, he sighed, as if he had made up his mind, and took a pair of rings from his chest to hand to Yun Ming.
The rings looked noble and elegant, their surfaces meticulously carved with exquisite patterns that resembled two magnificent phoenixes. Each ring was inlaid with a brilliant gemstone in the center—one emerald green, the other transparent.
Yun Ming took the rings and looked at his grandfather in confusion.
"What are these?"
Yang Wudi said with a mix of nostalgia and sadness.
"These are your parents' Storage Soul Tools, and also their tokens of love, the Phoenix Seeking Phoenix!"
Hearing this, Yun Ming looked at the two rings in his hand, and sorrow welled up from within him.
Seeing his grandson's expression, Yang Wudi spoke in a rare, gentle tone.
"These were your parents' most precious possessions. I didn't give them to you a few years ago because you were too young and I was afraid you would lose them. Now that your Martial Soul has awakened, I will leave these rings in your care from now on!"
Yun Ming lowered his head in silence, his medium-length hair obscuring his expression.
Not long after, Yun Ming looked up, his eyes slightly red, and asked in a choked voice.
"Grandfather, can you tell me now about my parents' past and how they actually died?"
Yang Wudi looked into Yun Ming's eyes, then thought of his grandson's character, talent, and the oath he had made in the Ancestral Hall yesterday, knowing he could no longer hide the truth. Yang Wudi gathered his thoughts and nodded.
"Fine, I will tell you!"
"The story begins nine years ago."
"Your mother back then... she was a bit spoiled, a bit playful, not very diligent in her cultivation, and often ran off to play by herself."
Yang Wudi's tone softened significantly when speaking of his beloved daughter, and Yun Ming felt a little better hearing about his mother.
"One time, your mother ran out of the family clan and went to Heaven Dou City to play, just in time for the annual auction at the Heaven Dou Auction House. To join in the excitement, your mother attended the auction."
"During this auction, your mother took a fancy to a pair of rings—the Phoenix Seeking Phoenix you have in your hand—and wanted to bid on them!"
"But, this Phoenix Seeking Phoenix was not only a high-level Storage Soul Tool, but because of its exquisite appearance, it was deeply loved by the nobles in the auction house at the time. Your mother didn't bring much money when she went out, and in the end, she lost the bidding war to a wealthy playboy from Heaven Dou City who paid a higher price!"
"However, although she didn't get the rings, your mother didn't care much and intended to leave after the auction ended."
"But who would have thought that the playboy who bought the rings only did so because he had taken a fancy to your mother's beauty!"
At this point, Yang Wudi's tone became unkind and disdainful.
"After the auction ended, just as your mother walked out of the auction house, that playboy brought men to surround her, saying that as long as she went with him, he would give her the rings and shower her with wealth and glory."
"But how could your mother submit to a playboy just because of a pair of rings? She immediately tried to leave."
"And that playboy, how could he let her go so easily? He directly ordered his subordinates to forcibly take your mother!"
At this moment, a cold glint appeared in Yun Ming's eyes. Yang Wudi didn't dwell on it and continued.
"Because that playboy was the son of the Heaven Dou Minister of Political Affairs, the pedestrians on the road didn't dare to meddle in other people's business. But just then, a hot-headed youth suddenly stepped out from the roadside."
Mentioning this man, Yang Wudi still felt a bit angry; he was the brat who had run off with his Little Cotton-padded Jacket. However, looking at Yun Ming and considering that he had left behind such an excellent grandson, Yang Wudi's remaining anger vanished into thin air.
"This person was your father. At the time, your father was studying at Blue Sunshine Academy. Passing by, he happened to see your mother being harassed, so his sense of justice flared up, and he stepped forward to stand up for your mother."
Yun Ming felt a sense of familiarity when he heard this; it was the classic hero-saving-the-beauty trope from storybooks! However, his father and mother would soon prove to him with their strength that they weren't that cliché.
"Your father was already a Soul Elder at the time and had defeated quite a few lackeys, but he hadn't expected that the playboy was accompanied by a Soul Ancestor bodyguard. Once that Soul Ancestor made his move, your father quickly fell into a disadvantageous position."
"Seeing that your father couldn't hold on any longer, your mother revealed her Soul Breaking Spear. The Clear Sky Sect is very close to Heaven Dou City, so anyone in the city with a bit of discernment could recognize the Soul Breaking Spear Martial Soul. Upon seeing the spear, the Soul Ancestor hurriedly pulled back, but since he didn't know your mother's specific identity and saw that no real damage had been done, he wanted to pay some money and settle things peacefully. Your mother didn't agree, and that playboy didn't take it seriously either, so both sides parted on bad terms!"
Yun Ming's father had wanted to play the hero saving the beauty, but in the end, he became the one being saved. Yang Wudi mentioned this to lecture Yun Ming.
"In the future, you must cultivate diligently; strength is the foundation for everything you do!"
Hearing his Grandfather's pointed words, Yun Ming felt a bit awkward and could only agree. Yang Wudi continued to recount what happened afterward.
"However, that official eventually discovered your mother's identity and personally brought his playboy son to the Breaking Clan to beg for forgiveness. If that official hadn't been ruthless enough—not only leaving behind a massive amount of compensation, which included that pair of Phoenix Seeking Phoenix, but also breaking his son's leg on the spot—I would have killed that brat right then and there!"
Yang Wudi still sounded a bit regretful when he reached this part.
"After that, your parents fell in love, got married, and had you!"
"And then"
"Came that great battle from back then!"
ps: Seeking monthly tickets and recommendations.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: DaoistReader