Fabricating the Origin of the Blue Soul Ring

After leaving Stigmata Space, Ling Mo considered it again and again before deciding to seek out Xuan Zi. There was no other choice. One of Shrek Academy's rules stated that anyone late for registration at the start of term would be expelled. Although Wang Yan and Zhou Yi, the two homeroom teachers, certainly would not stand by and do nothing, their standing was not enough to excuse Ling Mo from the academy's decision. Huo Yuhao had the entire Soul Tool Department backing him, so there definitely would not be any issue for him. Ling Mo was different. After thinking it over, the only solution Ling Mo could come up with was to find Xuan Zi.

That was easier said than done. Xuan Zi was not like the two teachers of Class One. Ling Mo's usual excuses definitely would not work on him, which was why Ling Mo had hesitated.

While thinking about how to explain things to Xuan Zi, Ling Mo eventually arrived outside Xuan Zi's residence. How long had it been since he had returned? Looking at the wooden door before him, a trace of nostalgia flashed through Ling Mo's eyes. In Ling Mo's memories, Xuan Zi had treated him very well. Though he was always eating and drinking heavily because of his Martial Soul, and had become perpetually scruffy after that incident, to Ling Mo, Xuan Zi was still that kind old man from before, that elder worthy of his respect.

"Why have you been standing outside for so long? If you're here, then come in. Don't tell me you're embarrassed, brat." With Xuan Zi's cultivation, he had long known that Ling Mo had arrived. But after waiting for ages, the boy still stood outside without entering, so Xuan Zi simply called out to him.

Hearing Xuan Zi's words, Ling Mo pushed open the door and entered. After closing it behind him, he looked toward Xuan Zi inside. He was as scruffy as ever. His oil-covered hands held a wine flask in one and a chicken leg in the other. He somewhat resembled Ji Gong from Ling Mo's original world, though his clothing was rather different.

Having been away for so long, Ling Mo could not help coughing awkwardly. "Ahem, I'm back, old man."

Xuan Zi sat sideways to Ling Mo and ignored him. He took a bite from the chicken leg in his hand and muttered, "You really have no conscience, brat. It's been years, and you never came to see this old man. I'm practically half your grandfather, aren't I? You should at least come back and visit every now and then." After saying that, he took another bite from the chicken leg.

You want me to come back and see you? You really just want me to come back and cook for you. Ling Mo understood Xuan Zi's temperament fairly well and knew he was not truly complaining. Helplessly, he said, "All right, all right. Don't I know you well enough? Stop finding roundabout ways to scold me. How about ten white-cut chickens?"

Seeing that he had achieved his goal, Xuan Zi chuckled and immediately turned to Ling Mo. "You said it. But how could ten be enough? It has to be at least twenty. Hehehe."

Afraid that Ling Mo would go back on his word, Xuan Zi did not give him a chance to speak before continuing, "You came to see me because you were late for registration, right? Tell me what happened. Don't try to fool me with the same story you used on Little Wang and the other one. When I took you to obtain your first Soul Ring, you were extremely cautious. I won't believe that, without me at your side, you were careless enough to encounter a Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Beast while hunting your third Soul Ring and get targeted by it. Explain it properly. What exactly happened?"

Hearing Xuan Zi's words, Ling Mo thought, Forget Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Beasts—even Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts were involved... There was even a whole group of Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Beasts. They nearly killed me. Thinking about everything that had happened in the Far North, Ling Mo let out a long sigh. Since entering Shrek Academy, he had been sighing more and more often. It was practically comparable to the more than ten years he had spent in Fire Forging Moth.

Faced with Xuan Zi waiting for an answer, Ling Mo did not explain immediately. Instead, he released his Herrscher Martial Soul, and three Soul Rings appeared around him—two black and one blue. Ling Mo finally understood the colors of his Herrscher Martial Soul's Soul Rings. Whenever the Herrscher Martial Soul gained a new Soul Ring, the age of its other Soul Rings would increase to varying degrees. With the boost from Snow Empress's nearly seven-hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring, his purple first Soul Ring had directly risen into a black Soul Ring equivalent to more than twenty thousand years.

At first, Xuan Zi had been puzzled by Ling Mo suddenly releasing his Martial Soul. But when he saw Ling Mo's Soul Rings, he was stunned—not only by the two Ten-Thousand-Year-level black Soul Rings, but also by that peculiar blue Soul Ring.

Setting aside how unbelievable Ling Mo's two Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Rings were, Xuan Zi remembered that Soul Rings of colors different from the usual white, yellow, purple, black, and red had only appeared once in history!

According to Shrek Academy's records, differently colored Soul Rings had only appeared once, on Tang San, the ancestor who had founded the Tang Sect and one of the first generation of Shrek Seven Devils from Shrek Academy thousands of years ago. It was also the only time!

The shock Ling Mo had brought Xuan Zi this time was simply too great. Under what circumstances had Ancestor Tang San obtained differently colored Soul Rings? Only after breaking through his limits, reaching the legendary hundredth rank and becoming a god, had the Soul Rings he absorbed afterward become different in color from those of ordinary people. Thus, differently colored Soul Rings were also known as God-rank Soul Rings!

Xuan Zi could hardly believe his eyes. He was actually seeing a God-rank Soul Ring that existed only in records, and could even be said to exist only in legend! On this thirteen-year-old child whom he had raised himself?

Driven by overwhelming curiosity, Xuan Zi did not even care about the chicken leg he had dropped in his shock. With his oil-covered hands, he excitedly grabbed Ling Mo by the shoulders and urgently asked, "What is going on with your Soul Rings? Forget the two black Soul Rings for now—where did that blue Soul Ring come from?!"

When Ling Mo decided to do this, he knew Xuan Zi would be extremely excited, but he had not expected such an intense reaction. Yet if he did not do this, Ling Mo truly did not know how to explain himself to Xuan Zi. He did not have Huo Yuhao's ability to alter the colors of Soul Rings, and deep down, Ling Mo was unwilling to hide too much from Xuan Zi. That was how this scene had come about. Still, telling Xuan Zi the truth was absolutely impossible. It involved far too many of Ling Mo's secrets, so Ling Mo decided to tell a small lie.

Ling Mo said, "Old man, don't get so worked up. Let go of me first, and I'll explain everything slowly."

Hearing this, Xuan Zi let go of Ling Mo despite still being extremely curious. "If you don't explain yourself clearly today, don't even think about leaving. Stay here with this old man until you do."

Seeing that Xuan Zi had calmed down after being released, Ling Mo let out a long breath and began recounting the story he had prepared beforehand. "This time, I successfully obtained the third Soul Ring for my first Martial Soul. The new Soul Skill I gained can heal my injuries very quickly. You also know that the second Soul Ring of my first Martial Soul is purple, so I wanted to try adding a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring to my Second Martial Soul. In the end, I succeeded."

Upon hearing this, Xuan Zi frowned and interrupted him. "How could you possibly deal with a Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Beast at your level of strength, much less kill one? Even some inner academy disciples struggle when they encounter Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Beasts, let alone you. And if I remember correctly, your Second Martial Soul already absorbed a hundred-year Soul Ring, didn't it? Are you still trying to deceive me?"

How could Ling Mo not have considered that issue? Pretending to be dissatisfied, he said, "Why would I lie to you? Can you let me finish first?" He continued, "Of course I could not have dealt with a Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Beast myself. My plan had been to return to the academy and ask you or one of the teachers to help me obtain a Soul Ring. But just as I was about to leave Star Dou Forest, an enormous wave of Soul Power suddenly erupted from the direction of the core area. The moment I sensed it, I immediately ran toward the edge of Star Dou Forest. But that aura of Soul Power seemed to notice me and charged rapidly in my direction. It caught up to me in only a few breaths. Only after it reached me did I see what it looked like. It was a white giant dragon over a hundred meters long! Knowing I could not escape, I had no choice but to stop and prepare for a desperate fight. But just as I was about to make my move, that white dragon actually spoke! It told me it bore no ill will. Thinking about it, that made sense—otherwise, why would it waste words on me? It said it was a three-hundred-thousand-year Elemental Dragon and that it was about to die after failing its tribulation. It wanted to make a deal with me."

At this point, Ling Mo entered Void Law Mode and opened Imaginary Space. A small white young dragon flew out from within. It was none other than a miniature Benares.

Under Xuan Zi's puzzled gaze, Ling Mo held the Benares, now only half a foot tall, in his arms. Lowering his head to look at it, he continued, "The deal concerned this little one. That white dragon wanted me to swear that I would protect its child for as long as I lived. If I agreed, it would sacrifice itself to me. If I refused, it would kill me. I didn't know what it meant by sacrifice, but what choice did I have? I could feel the gap between us, and I knew I had no ability to resist. I could only agree. Afterward, it kept its promise, and I learned what sacrifice meant. At the time, I only felt a warm, comfortable sensation all over my body. This blue Soul Ring appeared after it sacrificed itself, and my yellow first Soul Ring also turned black."

After saying that, Ling Mo raised his head and looked at Xuan Zi. "That's what happened. I guessed that the Soul Ring is blue because it was a two-hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast and because of the sacrifice."

After hearing Ling Mo's explanation, Xuan Zi had been thinking the entire time. Then he suddenly noticed something was wrong and asked suspiciously, "That's not right. Where is the white dragon's Soul Bone? If it really was a three-hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast as you say, then it should definitely have left behind a Soul Bone. Where is it? Did you absorb it?"

"I don't know." This time, Ling Mo was not lying. He truly did not know where the Soul Bone had gone. After discovering that he had survived that day, Ling Mo had searched everywhere for Snow Empress's Soul Bone. He had not absorbed it, so it should have been nearby. But after searching for more than two hours without finding it, Ling Mo could only give up.

It was not just Ling Mo. Even Snow Empress did not know where her Soul Bone had gone. After all, she did not even know how Ling Mo had absorbed the Soul Ring, much less the Soul Bone.

But not knowing did not mean Ling Mo could say nothing. He could only continue making things up. "I didn't absorb the Soul Bone, and I couldn't find the Soul Bone it left behind either. I think it might have been absorbed by this little one. After all, I don't think that white dragon would let me benefit from both its Soul Ring and Soul Bone. So I guessed that it may have merged with this little one under the white dragon's control."

Truthfully, Xuan Zi did not quite believe Ling Mo's explanation. But without evidence, he could only accept something so bizarre.

Xuan Zi knew what sacrifice was, but a three-hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast sacrificing itself was something that had never appeared in history. Xuan Zi did not even dare imagine such a thing could really happen. Three hundred thousand years already meant that the Elemental Dragon had been a super Soul Beast. In Shrek's records, Ancestor Tang San was the only precedent of someone absorbing a super Soul Beast's Soul Ring, and without exception, those Soul Rings had been differently colored. No super Soul Beast Soul Rings had appeared afterward, leaving Xuan Zi with no way to determine whether Ling Mo was telling the truth.

In the end, Xuan Zi could only let out a long sigh and believe Ling Mo's words. "Then what about your other Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring? Where did that come from?"

Ling Mo chuckled and grinned at Xuan Zi. "I killed a Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Beast myself."

"You killed it?" The teasing expression on Xuan Zi's face made it clear that he did not believe Ling Mo.

"Don't you disbelieve me. I really killed it myself. I'm insanely strong now," Ling Mo said proudly.

Looking at Ling Mo's appearance, Xuan Zi shook his head. "All right, all right. If you don't want to say it, forget it. But don't get too happy yet. In seven days, the academy will hold an assessment for core disciples. All core disciples under fifteen in the outer academy will have to participate. Since you say that Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring was hunted by you, then if you can't take first place in this assessment, you'd better consider the consequences yourself. Hear me?" As he spoke, he raised his hand, about to smack Ling Mo on the head.

"Got it." Ling Mo smiled and dodged Xuan Zi's descending palm, then ran out of Xuan Zi's residence toward the dormitories.

Xuan Zi remained inside, watching Ling Mo leave the room as he continued processing everything Ling Mo had said. Honestly, Xuan Zi found it difficult to imagine a super Soul Beast being willing to sacrifice itself to a human. Yet the facts were right there. The Soul Rings and that young dragon could not be faked. But if everything Ling Mo had said was true, then it was simply far too bizarre.

Two days later, Wang Yan and Zhou Yi led Class One's students to the Beast Arena for their advancement assessment. Ling Mo's luck really was good. If Huo Yuhao had not used his Simulation Soul Skill three days ago to simulate two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Rings, causing the advancement assessment to be delayed, then even if Ling Mo had not been expelled for late registration, he would ultimately have been eliminated for failing to complete the advancement assessment and forced to leave the academy.

Half an hour later, Ling Mo watched Huo Yuhao use Martial Soul suppression to frighten away a Thousand-Year Soul Beast Flame Lion King. Ling Mo could not help sighing. He had been at Shrek Academy for more than a year, yet the world was still progressing steadily along its original path, as though he did not exist at all. But Ling Mo knew that was only true for now, because Snow Empress was currently inside his body.

Without Snow Empress, it was difficult to say whether Huo Yuhao could still create Soul Spirits with Electrolux's help later on. Moreover, Huo Yuhao would lose many of the abilities he had possessed in the original story because Snow Empress was gone.

As the strongest combatant of Class One on the surface, Ling Mo's turn finally came after the second-ranked student from Class Two finished their assessment.

Ling Mo chose a Thousand-Year Soul Beast. To the current Ling Mo, Thousand-Year Soul Beasts were nothing. He could even fight Soul Beasts around ten to twenty thousand years old. What he had told Xuan Zi that day had not been a joke.

As the gate opened, a Gale Wolf swiftly darted out. Looking at the Soul Beast before him, Ling Mo said something inexplicable. "A wolf..." As he spoke, a sinister smile gradually appeared on his face. For some reason, the Gale Wolf that had just rushed out had a very bad feeling as it looked at the human before it...