Third Soul Ring

"Thank you for your understanding, Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince. I refused to participate in the Elite Tournament precisely because I was worried that my rapid cultivation progress would draw investigation. After all, even Teacher Qin Ming could uncover my records, let alone other major sects and great clans."

After hearing Xia Liang's words, Qin Ming, who was seated beside him, said guiltily, "Master Xia, I'm deeply sorry for investigating you without your permission."

"To show your apology, you'll need to compensate me for emotional distress and invasion of privacy." Xia Liang asked with utmost seriousness, "Teacher Qin, can you accept a total of thirty thousand Gold Soul Coins?"

"Of course." Qin Ming produced a Gold Card from somewhere and handed it over. A three was displayed on the card.

Gold Cards were Gold Soul Coin deposit cards denominated in units of ten thousand. A three meant that it held at least thirty thousand Gold Soul Coins.

Taking the Gold Card Qin Ming offered, Xia Liang swiftly stored it in the Silver Bracelet on his left wrist. As a commoner Soul Master, he did not dare gamble heavily at the Great Soul Arena, so he could only look for opportunities to extract benefits from wealthy people.

Take what he could and save up more money to buy Food-type Soul Masters' food in bulk. It would definitely come in handy when the time came to obtain Immortal Herbs.

After watching their transaction, the Three Education Commissioners and Prince Xue Xing were all left dumbfounded. Only Crown Prince Xue Qinghe smiled with interest. It was good that Master Xia was greedy for money. Greedy people were the easiest to control.

"Master Xia, we're all very curious. How did you achieve such astonishing cultivation speed?" Xue Qinghe suddenly asked.

Everyone present, including Prince Xue Xing, the Three Education Commissioners, and Qin Ming, focused intently, as though all of them wanted to hear some astonishing answer.

Xia Liang did not disappoint them. He truly gave an astonishing answer.

"Hard work?" Prince Xue Xing said with a strange expression.

The others all stared at Xia Liang with surprise and doubt in their eyes.

"That's right. Hard work." Xia Liang said earnestly, "A commoner Soul Master has no support from a great clan. Other than hard work, what other path can you think of to achieve such astonishing cultivation speed?"

"Three Education Commissioners, and Your Highness Prince Xue Xing, you should know that two years ago, I entered the academy as a cook. My purpose was to secure the academy's Mimetic Cultivation Resources, so I could raise my Soul Power faster."

"Before I came to Heaven Dou Royal Academy, I also trained with a Mercenary Group for three years. Everything I went through during those three years was similar to my experiences at Heaven Dou Royal Academy. I relied on constant effort, using every avenue available to me to obtain all kinds of resources to aid my cultivation. That is the reason for my astonishing cultivation speed."

"Of course, the main reason lies in absorbing high-age Soul Rings. My First Soul Ring was five hundred years old, while my Second Soul Ring was nine hundred years old. Thanks to absorbing those two high-age Soul Rings, I was able to jump three levels of Soul Power twice when breaking through bottlenecks. It greatly narrowed the gap between me and geniuses."

"As for why I can absorb Soul Rings of such high ages, it all relies on the special nature of the Skeleton Martial Soul."

At that point, Xia Liang gave a self-mocking smile. "To be honest with you all, before obtaining my First Soul Ring, my appearance was perfectly normal, just like yours. I even had every reason to be narcissistic. Only after acquiring my First Soul Ring did the Skeleton Martial Soul's effects on my body turn me into this gaunt and lifeless-looking state."

"My body looks sturdy now, but it is actually just a frame of bones holding me up. The fundamental reason for this physical condition is that my flesh cannot keep up with the growth rate of my skeleton. In other words, the strength of my entire skeleton is several times greater than that of my flesh."

"As the saying goes, fortune and misfortune go hand in hand. The Skeleton Martial Soul brought inconvenience to my body and appearance, but it also greatly enhanced the endurance of my meridians and bones. When I absorb Soul Rings, it is my entire skeleton, rather than my flesh, that bears most of the impact from the Soul Ring's energy."

"My powerful skeletal endurance is the secret behind my ability to absorb high-age Soul Rings. I'm telling you this secret today out of trust and sincerity. I hope you will not reveal it to anyone else."

After hearing this explanation, everyone began assessing how credible it was.

Only Education Commissioner Meng Shenji came to his senses and assured him, "Naturally. The secrets of one's Martial Soul are absolutely confidential to every Soul Master. Master Xia, we have already felt your sincerity and trust."

"Here, the three of us old men are willing to swear upon our Martial Souls that even if we are shattered to pieces, we will never reveal the secret of your Martial Soul to outsiders."

Prince Xue Xing and Qin Ming emerged from their thoughts. Following Meng Shenji's words, both nodded to indicate that they would not reveal it to outsiders.

"Master Xia, you are a talent that Heaven Dou Royal Academy has hidden away and nurtured. As Crown Prince, I will inevitably need your assistance and support in the future." Xue Qinghe looked at Xia Liang and said, "I also swear in the Crown Prince's name that I will not reveal any of your secrets. Doing so would be no different from cutting off my own arm, so please rest assured."

"However, there is still something I cannot understand. How did you know that a First Soul Ring could be five hundred years old? As I recall, among Soul Masters across the continent, the recognized limit for a First Soul Ring is only around four hundred years."

"You may laugh when I tell you."

Xia Liang shook his head bitterly. "When I obtained my First Soul Ring, I misjudged a Soul Beast's cultivation. I thought it was four hundred years old. Only after absorbing it did I discover that it was actually a five-hundred-year Soul Beast. Fortunately, I had trained my body for two years at the time, and the Skeleton Martial Soul had strengthened my bones, allowing me to escape danger and absorb it successfully."

"Afterward, to avoid such a situation, I desperately studied all kinds of Soul Beast Knowledge. With professional Soul Beast Knowledge, I happened to join a Mercenary Group. I carefully observed the physical changes of every employer as they absorbed Soul Rings of different ages. In the end, I came up with a bold idea: attempting to absorb a Thousand Year Soul Ring as my Second Soul Ring. But remembering how my First Soul Ring had nearly cost me my life, I did not dare take the risk."

"Instead, I chose to absorb a nine-hundred-year Soul Ring. In truth, I only dared to take that risk because I happened to find a Soul Beast I wanted and had no other choice. Fortunately, it was all worth it. I am thirteen years old now, but I look twenty. Not only in appearance, even my skeletal frame has the strength of a twenty-year-old. Naturally, the age of Soul Rings I can absorb is much higher."

At this point, Xia Liang looked at Meng Shenji, who was seated across from him beside Xue Qinghe, and said seriously, "Chief Education Commissioner, you promised to help me obtain the best possible Third Soul Ring, correct?"

"I've already decided. My Third Soul Ring will come from a five-thousand-year Bone Dragon. With my current skeletal endurance, I will definitely be able to absorb it successfully."

At those words, not only Meng Shenji, but everyone present, including Xue Qinghe, could not help drawing in a sharp breath.

About three minutes passed.

Everyone discussed the matter of a five-thousand-year Third Soul Ring. In the end, Xia Liang made his position clear: if the academy would not help, he would seek help from outsiders himself.

After learning the ages of his First and Second Soul Rings, as well as the Skeleton Martial Soul's advantages in absorbing high-age Soul Rings, Meng Shenji and the others had already regarded Xia Liang as a rare, unconventional genius of the academy. How could they possibly let him seek help from outsiders and attract even more attention? If such an unconventional genius could grow in a stable environment, then with talent built upon one high-age Soul Ring after another, he could very well cultivate to the realm of a Titled Douluo.

Then Heaven Dou Royal Academy could claim that it had nurtured a Titled Douluo with only Innate Level Five Soul Power, living up to its name as the foremost royal academy.

And the Heaven Dou Empire would also gain a powerful Titled Douluo as a guest advisor.

Therefore, they absolutely could not allow outsiders to learn in advance of Master Xia's extraordinary talent regarding his Martial Soul and Soul Rings. In particular, they could not let Spirit Hall or the Seven Great Sects learn of it.

After weighing the matter, the Three Great Committee Members, Prince Xue Xing, and Xue Qinghe all agreed.