Thousand-Year Soul Ring Appears

In the plaza before Spirit Hall, a faint haze of dust still hung in the air. The aftershocks from the clash between the two Titled Douluo had yet to fully subside.

"What? How could you agree to him? This—"

The pale-faced Chrysanthemum Douluo struggled to rise and hurriedly spoke up, only to be held back by Ghost Douluo.

The latter shook his head and pointed ahead.

Guang Ling Douluo was looking at them with a smile, but his single eye held undisguised coldness.

Yue Guan's lips trembled, yet he could not say a word. He could only sigh and shake his head helplessly.

That kid Su Chen had always been so steady. Why did he have to lose his head over something like this?

How could that old bastard possibly give you the soul bone!

"Little fellow, won't you reconsider?"

Bibi Dong's beautiful brows were tightly furrowed, the reflection of the white-haired boy mirrored in her wine-red eyes.

"Do you remember what I told you before?"

Her meaning could not have been clearer.

Not to mention a Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone, even one that was thirty thousand or fifty thousand years old—so long as Su Chen asked for it, it was not as if she could not provide one.

"Thank you for Your Holiness's favor, but I still wish to give it a try."

The boy cupped his hands as he spoke.

Of course Su Chen understood what Bibi Dong meant, but only children made choices. He wanted them all!

"...Sigh."

His Holiness the Pope slowly closed her beautiful eyes, her long lashes trembling.

Su Chen's choice was not wrong. Or rather, it was the most reasonable choice.

A proud genius, a precious reward that seemed to come with no risk whatsoever—given that he was only six years old, his earlier performance had already been exceptionally impressive.

But still...

Bibi Dong felt a vague, indescribable disappointment in her heart.

Perhaps the boy's confident words, mature steadiness, and entirely different attitude toward her had given her some unwarranted illusions.

"Yue Guan, Gui Mei, keep an eye on him."

Bibi Dong waved her hand listlessly, the noble and icy expression returning to her lovely face.

"Your Holiness the Pope..."

Chrysanthemum Douluo hesitated to speak. He could not shake the feeling that Su Chen would not be so foolish.

But under the current circumstances, there was nothing more they could do.

"That kid actually wants to fight a Soul Ancestor?"

"A newborn calf isn't afraid of tigers. It's a common flaw among geniuses, especially with a Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone on the line."

"I thought the kid was mature enough. Turns out he still can't resist the temptation of a soul bone."

"Give me a break. Even Titled Douluo can't resist it, let alone a six-year-old child."

The crowd discussed it among themselves, looking at the white-haired boy with considerable regret.

He was such a promising seedling. What a pity.

You practically pointed at that man's nose and cursed him earlier. Did you really think he'd hold back?

"Alright, let our protagonist take the stage."

The corner of Guang Ling Douluo's mouth curled up. He clapped his hands, and the tall man standing behind him strode forward with powerful steps, swiftly taking his position on the other side of the plaza. The white-haired boy shrugged and followed him over.

As they watched the two figures from behind, the crowd's expressions turned strange.

Since childhood, Su Chen had used the Ninja World Cultivation Method he had developed with Orochimaru to temper his body, soaking in medicinal baths. While children his age were only around 1.3 meters tall, he had already surpassed 1.5 meters and was closing in on 1.6, with a lean and well-proportioned build.

Yet even so, before that burly man standing over 2.5 meters tall, he still appeared incomparably small. Like a young wolf beside a fierce tiger, it was no exaggeration to say that the man looked capable of casually swatting Su Chen to death.

The concern on Chrysanthemum Douluo's face deepened. They all believed that if Su Chen went all out, defeating a low-level Soul Elder should not be a problem. But a Soul Ancestor was different. The gap between each rank was like heaven and earth!

What was more, this Soul Ancestor had been chosen by Guang Ling Douluo. How could he possibly compare to an ordinary Soul Ancestor?

He glanced at Guang Ling Douluo standing beside them. Though the latter seemed focused on the arena, an indistinct aura had firmly locked onto them.

Clearly, the other party would not let them intervene so easily.

All we can do is hope this kid admits defeat early if things turn bad. Otherwise, when the time comes, we might not be able to save you.

At the center of the plaza, the two stood twenty meters apart.

"I don't want to lay hands on a child, but I'm sorry. I cannot refuse this order."

The burly man revealed a helpless expression before taking a deep breath.

"Be careful."

Boom!

A powerful burst of soul power erupted, making the big man's upper robe billow before it instantly exploded!

"Roar!!"

The big man let out a low roar. His already exaggerated muscles swelled even further, making him look especially terrifying. His short black hair stood on end like steel needles, a layer of pitch-black, savage scales gradually emerged across his body, and a long horn extended from his forehead, gleaming with a dark luster beneath the moonlight.

Three yellow and one purple soul rings appeared one after another, swaying slowly. Though they were not the optimal configuration, the aura erupting from him far surpassed that of an ordinary Soul Ancestor.

"Huff..."

Amid beastlike panting, the big man slowly lowered his body, his pitch-black beast eyes fixed tightly on the white-haired youth.

"Wu Da, Level 41 Battle Soul Ancestor. Martial Soul: Iron Horned Mad Rhino. Please enlighten me."

Iron Horned Mad Rhino?

The instant they heard that name, the entire crowd erupted in an uproar!

"It's actually that martial soul?!"

"This is bad. I never expected Guang Ling Douluo to be so ruthless."

"Shh, don't talk nonsense!"

"Ah, what a pity for a genius with Innate Full Soul Power."

"It really proves that saying: only a genius who grows up is truly a genius. Otherwise..."

The crowd sighed repeatedly, as though they had already drawn the conclusion for both this test and the young man.

After all, this was the Iron Horned Mad Rhino.

Rhino-type martial souls were considered outstanding among beast martial souls, typically possessing considerable defense, offensive power, and endurance.

The Iron Horned Mad Rhino, however, was different. Not only was its defense weak, but its endurance was also exceptionally poor.

Yet what it gained in exchange was an utterly absurd level of attack power and destructive force!!

The first three rings of the Iron Horned Mad Rhino martial soul would grant only the same soul skill: Strength Enhancement.

This allowed its attack power to reach an extremely terrifying level.

And upon reaching the Soul Ancestor realm, this martial soul would undergo an even more outrageous qualitative transformation.

Its fourth ring would inevitably awaken another soul skill.

Destruction Charge!

With the enhancement of its first three soul skills, the power of this skill could reach a truly horrifying level. Among those of the same rank, a touch meant injury, and a direct hit meant death!

Even someone a rank higher would suffer severe injuries if caught off guard.

This was a martial soul specialized to the extreme.

"Damn it, this has to be stopped immediately!!"

Chrysanthemum Douluo's expression changed drastically as he glared fixedly at Guang Ling Douluo, the fury in his heart nearly tangible!

If Ghost Douluo had not desperately held him back, he would have already rushed forward to stop the match.

A trace of worry flashed through His Holiness the Pope's beautiful eyes. Hidden within her long sleeves, her jade-like hand had already clenched into a fist.

"No need to be so anxious. Perhaps our genius will create a miracle? Hehehe."

Facing Yue Guan's nearly devouring gaze, Guang Ling Douluo felt incomparably pleased. Even Chrysanthemum Douluo's furious curses sounded so pleasant to his ears.

He looked smilingly at the expressionless Bibi Dong. "Your Holiness, don't you agree?"

"Nothing has ended yet."

Bibi Dong narrowed her beautiful eyes and cast Guang Ling Douluo a glance.

"Guang Ling Elder, don't be so quick to draw conclusions."

Compared to Yue Guan, who was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, Bibi Dong's worried heart gradually calmed instead.

Because she had seen Su Chen's eyes.

His black pupils glimmered with a bright light, as calm as they had been when they first met.

Bibi Dong suddenly recalled the youth's confident demeanor, and an absurd thought abruptly surfaced in her heart.

Perhaps... maybe he could win?

"Thank you for the reminder. In return, I'll offer you a friendly reminder as well."

The surging airflow lifted the youth's silver hair, revealing those black eyes.

His seemingly slender body stood as firm as an old tree rooted deep in the earth, utterly unmoving.

"Please use your full strength. Be sure not to underestimate me."

Buzz—!

A strange fluctuation swept across the entire venue. Within the white radiance, everyone felt the soul power in their bodies shrink back slightly for an instant, as though it had encountered an absolute superior—and a natural enemy that filled it with fear.

The flowers and grass in the distance swayed joyfully, their leaves and blossoms seeming a few shades brighter.

The youth stood beneath the moonlight, a faint smile resting on his handsome face.

A deep purple soul ring slowly pulsed around his body, emanating a heart-palpitating aura.

"Su Chen, Level 15 Battle Soul Master. Martial Soul: Chakra."

"Please enlighten me."