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Chapter 27: The Thousand-jin Ant
🕑 Added 2024-10-03 05:04:31 +0000 UTCIn response to Yang Wudi's question, Yang Podi pondered for a moment before speaking.
"Grandpa, we came into the Sunset Forest without carrying any burdens, which means they recognized that you have a soul guiding device. Soul guiding devices are generally quite valuable, indicating that we must have some family wealth."
"Since Grandpa brought both of us into the Soul Hunting Forest, they likely knew you had some strength. Initially, they didn't intend to attack you directly; their real target was me. They wanted to use me to force you into a difficult position."
"Earlier, you killed them all because you wanted to prevent them from going out to report our presence or alert others."
"Also, when you told me to search their bodies, it was probably to let me see blood and understand the harsh reality of the soul master world."
Hearing this, Yang Wudi nodded. "That's right, Podi. It's impressive that you can understand so much in such a short time."
"The reason I killed those five people earlier wasn't just to prevent them from reporting back. It was to teach you a lesson: in the soul master world, once you take action, you must eliminate the threat completely. Otherwise, it will lead to endless trouble."
"Also, did you notice my attacks earlier? I struck down those five before they could even make a move against you. Our Breaking Spear emphasizes agility and quick resolutions. If you choose to follow a purely strength-based development route, how would you handle the situation we just faced?"
"One more important point: our Breaking Clan is a family of fighters. Everyone is born a warrior and won't be threatened by anything. If you were truly captured, my Breaking Spear would only become fiercer, with no hesitation whatsoever. This is the essence of our clan and the strength of the Breaking Spear."
After listening to his grandfather's words, Yang Podi couldn't help but swallow hard. It seemed he had been living in a comfortable environment, forgetting the harsh truths of the world and the roots of his family.
"Podi, think carefully about what I just said. Let me know if you come up with anything."
The two fell silent afterward.
Yang Podi reflected on his grandfather's words. In the original story, there were only a little over 100 direct descendants of the Breaking Clan left, yet they never ceased their struggle against the Spirit Hall. His grandfather's spirit of fearlessness and determination allowed him to fight against Title Douluo with his Spirit Douluo strength.
He couldn't help but wonder if he could one day achieve his grandfather's level of strength. The Breaking Spear technique had been passed down through the Yang family for generations; was it truly viable for him to pursue a purely strength-based path?
He pondered throughout the night and found it hard to sleep, ultimately not remembering how he finally dozed off.
The next morning, Yang Podi slowly opened his eyes to see his grandfather's large face hovering over him, seemingly scrutinizing him, which startled him.
Yang Wudi was speechless, wondering if he really looked that frightening to have his grandson react so dramatically.
But he soon returned to his usual kind demeanor. "Podi, I said a lot yesterday. Perhaps it was a bit early for you, but take your time to reflect."
"Grandpa, I thought it over last night. I still firmly want to follow the pure strength path, no matter how difficult it may be."
"Alright, Podi, I believe you will succeed. But let me teach you one more thing: in the Soul Hunting Forest, you must never let your guard down. Stay alert at all times."
"Got it, Grandpa, I understand." Although Yang Podi verbally acknowledged it, he couldn't help but grumble internally: he was only six years old and was expected to be vigilant alongside his peak Spirit Saint grandfather—what a burden.
After a light breakfast, they set off again to search for soul beasts in the Sunset Forest.
Today seemed lucky; they quickly discovered a promising soul beast—a nest belonging to a Thousand-jin Ant.
Numerous Thousand-jin Ants were moving around the nest, among which one particularly large ant caught their attention, measuring over seven and a half inches, nearly reaching eight inches long.
In any soul beast forest, the Thousand-jin Ant was a very common type of soul beast, with a significant population, primarily consisting of ten-year soul beasts, while those exceeding a hundred years were relatively rare.
The Thousand-jin Ant was known for its tenacity, possessing excellent defensive capabilities and immense strength that far surpassed its body size. This made the Thousand-jin Ant highly favored by all strength-type soul masters, as it provided an exaggerated power boost.
Generally, a ten-year-old Thousand-jin Ant would be about three inches long and have a pair of saber-like mandibles capable of biting through hard substances. A hundred-year-old Thousand-jin Ant wouldn't exceed six inches, and only those of a thousand years could possibly reach a foot in length. Ants over a thousand years old were extremely rare and hard to find.
The largest known Thousand-jin Ant had a length of about a meter and an age of over thirty thousand years.
Recently, the clan leader of the Strength Clan, Titan, had broken through to Spirit Douluo. The family leaders of the four surnames had gone together to hunt for soul rings. According to Yang Wudi, that thirty-thousand-year-old Thousand-jin Ant had formidable defenses; even he had to exert significant effort to break through its defenses, and its strength was extraordinary, not inferior to ordinary soul beasts aged seventy or eighty thousand years. If Yang Wudi hadn't intervened, Titan might not have been able to defeat that thirty-thousand-year-old Thousand-jin Ant.
"Podi, that large Thousand-jin Ant is probably over 500 years old, close to 600. What do you think?"
"Grandpa, are there no better soul beasts? The Thousand-jin Ant feels a bit lacking in strength. Why don't we look for something like a dragon-type soul beast instead?"
Yang Podi couldn't help but grumble: as a time traveler, he felt it was too lowly to choose an ant as his first soul ring.
"Podi, you don't understand. For strength-type soul masters, the Thousand-jin Ant is considered top-notch. Titan's eighth soul ring has a soul skill effect that even I envy. Moreover, it significantly enhances his physical strength."
After a moment of contemplation, Yang Podi finally spoke, "Alright, Grandpa, let's go with this Thousand-jin Ant. Please help me capture it."
Yang Wudi nodded and quickly dashed toward the swarm of Thousand-jin Ants. The Breaking Spear vibrated, sending the surrounding small Thousand-jin Ants flying, before stabbing directly into the large ant. With a single thrust, a large wound appeared on the ant's body, and blood gushed out.
Before the other Thousand-jin Ants could react, he swiftly captured the large one and left.
With Yang Wudi's peak Spirit Saint strength, dealing with a mere hundred-year soul beast was extremely easy.
Upon returning, Yang Wudi didn't linger but took Yang Podi's hand and quickly left. They needed to move away from the Thousand-jin Ant nest to absorb the soul ring, ensuring there were no unexpected issues.
