Yu Xiaogang's Theory

Inside the academy, after hearing Tang San's account, Grandmaster's brows furrowed slightly, and his expression turned extremely grave.

"A Thousand-Year Soul Ring? Are you sure you didn't see it wrong?" Grandmaster stared intently at Tang San, trying to confirm it once more.

Tang San nodded calmly, his tone firm.

"Teacher, there can't be any mistake. Whether by its color or the fluctuations in its aura, it was indeed a Thousand-Year Soul Ring. Its age should have been around a thousand years, not much higher than that."

Upon hearing this, Grandmaster's eyes grew grave.

A first soul ring that was a thousand years old—he would never have believed it in the past. But the book Bibi Dong had sent someone to deliver a few days ago had clearly recorded one point:

A soul master's soul rings were not fixed and unchanging. They depended entirely on the individual's physical condition. The stronger one's physique, the greater the age of the soul rings one's body could naturally contain.

According to this, even a level-ten soul master could absorb a thousand-year soul ring as their first soul ring without much trouble, provided their physique had reached roughly the standard of a level-thirty soul master.

But how could an ordinary child possess such high-grade cultivation resources? As that book stated, reaching a thousand years with one's first soul ring was difficult to achieve through innate talent alone. It basically required consuming rare treasures such as Whale Rubber, and it had to be at least a thousand years old and taken over a long period of time. Or one had to consume several pieces of Whale Rubber that were over ten thousand years old. Only then could the body meet the standard required to absorb a Thousand-Year Soul Ring, making success possible.

But he knew about Whale Rubber as well. Although it was currently used as a potent aphrodisiac, it was still extremely valuable. Even a fingernail-sized piece of hundred-year Whale Rubber was worth over a hundred Gold Soul Coins. Even he had never been willing to eat any.

As for Whale Rubber that was over ten thousand years old, it was simply something one could only stumble upon by chance. Ordinary people could never afford it. To hunt a ten-thousand-year Sea Soul Beast, several experts above the rank of Soul Emperor were required.

Defeating one was not difficult. Killing it was the hard part. In the sea, once a Sea Soul Beast realized it was outmatched and wanted to flee, it was truly difficult to catch.

Besides, other than Bibi Dong and those few people, perhaps no one else in this world besides himself knew about this. And Bibi Dong clearly could not possibly have any connection to that girl.

If she really were Bibi Dong's person, Bibi Dong would never allow a genius to come to such a backwater place. For what? It couldn't possibly be just to see him once. He himself did not even believe that.

After stroking his chin and pondering for a long time, Grandmaster sorted through his thoughts before slowly speaking.

"Xiao San, it isn't entirely impossible for a first soul ring to reach a thousand years, but the conditions are simply too harsh. According to my theory, if an ordinary person's first soul ring is over a thousand years old, there are only two possible outcomes."

Grandmaster paused, then continued.

"First, their physical condition must fully meet the requirements. Only then can they perfectly absorb a soul ring over a thousand years old without any issues arising. But such cases are one in ten thousand."

He glanced at Tang San and continued.

"The other possibility is forcibly absorbing a soul ring that exceeds the limits of one's physical condition. Although the absorption may succeed, there will likely be aftereffects. Since the energy within the soul ring exceeds the limit the body can contain, the Martial Soul will suffer damage. There may be no signs in the early stages, but every time the Martial Soul is used or another soul ring is absorbed, the Martial Soul will deteriorate a little faster. In the end, it will most likely be crippled."

"If she were the child of some great clan and had the assistance of an expert, then perhaps she might have absorbed it perfectly. But I investigated as well. She came alone when she enrolled. Combined with her attire and personality, she showed none of the mannerisms of a noble family's child. Therefore, she should merely be an ordinary person."

"And according to my many years of theory, if a soul beast suffers torment when it is near death and wholeheartedly seeks death, then it will be very easy to absorb. Therefore, I can conclude that she must have accidentally absorbed a dying Thousand-Year Soul Beast."

Hearing this, a hint of surprise appeared between Tang San's brows as he pressed on.

"Teacher, according to what you mean, as long as my physical condition is strong enough, my first soul ring could also be a thousand years old? Could it be that she consumed some rare treasure?"

"Xiao San, you are correct. However, absorbing a thousand-year soul ring as your first soul ring is fraught with danger. I admit that your foundation is far stronger than that of ordinary people, but unless you can consume some rare treasures that enhance physical strength, it still will not be enough. If you forcibly absorb a Thousand-Year Soul Ring, there is a great chance that even your Martial Soul will be crippled. There is basically little chance of success." At this point, Grandmaster waved his hand.

"As for that girl, without a teacher's guidance or professional instruction, she understood nothing. That is why she boldly absorbed a Thousand-Year Soul Beast. Forcibly absorbing a soul ring beyond one's level carries the risk of death, but fortunately, it was only a soul ring barely over a thousand years old. Otherwise, she probably would not have lived for long. Her current condition simply has not revealed itself yet, but her Martial Soul should already have been left with injuries from the impact of the Thousand-Year Soul Ring's energy. Every time she uses a soul skill afterward, her Martial Soul should deteriorate a little faster, until it finally dissipates completely."

After hearing his teacher's explanation, Tang San's eyes could not help but show a measure of relief, along with a flash of admiration. As expected, he had not chosen the wrong teacher. Grandmaster's theoretical knowledge was truly unfathomable. He could even explain such a phenomenon that no one had ever heard of. With Grandmaster as his teacher, although his first soul ring had already been ruined, he would surely rise again afterward.

How laughable. Those people actually mocked his teacher as a joke. Perhaps they were the real jokes! And despite possessing such vast knowledge, his teacher merely laughed off the ridicule of outsiders. That broad-minded temperament was what made a true Grandmaster.

Just then, Grandmaster sighed, a trace of helplessness appearing on his face.

"Ah, what a pity. I thought you would be able to directly absorb a soul ring over four hundred years old, so there would have been no need to do that. But since your soul ring has turned out this way, Teacher can only prepare some medicine to strengthen your body and strive to make your second soul ring reach a thousand years."

Ah, but it seemed that the next time he encountered Tang Hao, he would need to ask that fellow for some Gold Soul Coins. Although Nuoding City did not have any particularly high-grade Whale Rubber, even the hundred-year kind was still expensive.

"Teacher, I have troubled you."

Grandmaster merely waved his hand and said,

"Xiao San, saying that makes you sound like an outsider. Just as you said, a teacher for one day is a father for life. I have no children either. From the moment I took you in, I treated you as my own son."

Upon hearing this, Tang San's brows furrowed slightly, but he did not show it. He remained respectful as he said,

"Teacher, rest assured. I will never disappoint your expectations."