100,000-year Spirit Ring and Level 98

"Seven Treasures Emerge into Glazed Tile!"

A seven-colored treasure pagoda appeared in Ning Fengzhi's hand, while six Spirit Rings floated around him—two yellow, two purple, and two black.

Ning Fengzhi was still very young, barely in his twenties, yet his Soul Power had already reached the Spirit Emperor level.

This made Qian Xunji somewhat wary. But then he remembered that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda could not break through Level 79. Ning Fengzhi was destined to remain stuck there for life, so he relaxed.

What use was a mere support-type Soul Saint? In the end, one still had to rely on a Titled Douluo.

Ning Fengzhi's support arrived. Six beams of colored light descended upon Gu Rong.

Gu Rong could also sense Tang Zhen's aura at this moment. Tang Zhen's Spirit Rings had somehow shattered; one look was enough to tell that this was a move that harmed the enemy by a thousand while injuring oneself by eight hundred.

There was no time for further thought. He could only fight with everything he had.

Boom—

The black giant hammer collided with the bone dragon, producing another mushroom-cloud-like explosion.

But soon afterward, the bone dragon transformed by Bone Douluo was blasted away.

"Pfft." Tang Zhen spat out a mouthful of blood. Looking at the result, he had finally driven back Bone Douluo at the cost of exploding his first four Spirit Rings.

Bone Douluo's previous move had carried no less power than Yu Yuanzhen's Ninth Spirit Skill. Moreover, Tang Zhen had just witnessed the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's support. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda truly deserved its reputation as the strongest support-type martial soul.

Without exploding his Spirit Rings, Tang Zhen knew that his methods could not rival an enhanced Bone Douluo.

"Cough, cough. Old man, you really are strong. Even with Fengzhi's support, you still sent me flying so far. This round is yours. I'll count it as your win." Bone Douluo coughed. He looked somewhat disheveled, but he was not injured.

Tang Zhen saw Bone Douluo's condition and was utterly shocked. He had exploded four Spirit Rings, yet he had not even harmed Bone Douluo in the slightest. Meanwhile, his own body was already wracked with pain.

Everyone present branded Bone Douluo in their minds. Bone Douluo had rarely made a move before, and those who had seen him fight were all dead.

The labels they gave Bone Douluo were elusive movements and exceptionally powerful defense. He was the most unpredictable and troublesome kind of opponent.

"Swordsman, I lost. You take over. I need to rest a while. That old man's hammer is really heavy—it's made my whole body numb." After giving Chen Xin a few instructions, Bone Douluo sat down to rest.

"Heh, you old bag of bones. Looks like you still need me to step in after all." Behind Chen Xin appeared an ancient greatsword around two meters long and half a foot wide. Its entire body was a clear azure, as though carved from crystal, and it radiated an immensely powerful aura of slaughter.

The Seven Kill Sword was the inherited martial soul of the Chen Family, a renowned clan. It was one of the rare top-tier weapon martial souls, standing alongside the Clear Sky Hammer and the Coiling Dragon Staff.

The Seven Kill Sword was most famous because of Chen Xin's father, the previous Sword Douluo, Sword Hero Chen Jianjun. Chen Jianjun's cultivation was formidable, and even among Titled Douluos, he was a peak expert. He was known as a Peak Douluo.

A few years ago, Chen Jianjun had challenged Qian Daoliu, the Grand Elder of Judgment of Spirit Hall. Though he lost, his reputation remained illustrious.

"Sword Dao Chen Xin!" Tang Zhen regarded this opponent with great seriousness. The Seven Kill Sword's fame was immense, and although the Chen Family had few members, nearly every generation produced a Titled Douluo.

Especially Sword Hero Chen Jianjun and his son, Sword Dao Chen Xin—both were Titled Douluos. Their story was also considered a celebrated tale in the Spirit Master world.

As the saying went, a man's reputation was like a tree's shadow. Tang Zhen naturally knew how renowned Chen Jianjun had been back then. He even knew that before challenging Qian Daoliu, Chen Jianjun had challenged his father, Tang Chen.

That had happened long ago. Tang Zhen had only recently broken through to become a Titled Douluo at the time, when Chen Jianjun came to challenge Tang Chen. Chen Jianjun had been Level 96 then, and after sparring with Tang Chen, he broke through to Level 97 on the spot.

Tang Chen's assessment of Chen Jianjun from that year still lingered in Tang Zhen's ears.

Tang Chen: "What a pity for this Sword Hero."

Tang Zhen: "Why do you say that, Father?"

Tang Chen: "Such a gifted prodigy, yet his Ninth Spirit Ring is only seventy thousand years old. It will be exceptionally difficult for him to break through the threshold of Level 98 in the future. How could that not be a pity?"

Tang Zhen: "Your son is slow-witted and does not understand what Father means."

Tang Chen glanced at Tang Zhen and sighed. "Zhen'er, you know that after a Titled Douluo reaches Level 95, every level becomes a major realm. The age of one's Spirit Rings is the greatest aid in breaking through those realms.

"You know that I was exceptionally fortunate in my early years and obtained a 100,000-year Spirit Ring. That 100,000-year Spirit Ring greatly enhanced me, allowing me to break through all the way to Level 95 without encountering any bottlenecks.

"Afterward, I naturally broke through to Level 98 as well. When I broke through to Level 98, I discovered that my Spirit Rings would further merge with my martial soul. The Soul Power within the Spirit Rings would completely fuse with the martial soul. This state could be called the Spirit Rings' second fusion.

"This not only requires sufficient accumulated Soul Power, but also resonance from the Soul Power within the Spirit Rings. When I broke through to Level 98, the energy was exactly right, and I broke through naturally.

"But mine was a 100,000-year Spirit Ring. A 100,000-year Spirit Ring was only just enough, so what about ten-thousand-year Spirit Rings? I suspect that a 100,000-year Spirit Ring is a necessary condition for advancing to Level 98.

"In the history of Spirit Masters, it seems that most Titled Douluos above Level 98 possessed 100,000-year Spirit Rings. That is why 100,000-year Spirit Rings are such treasures.

"Zhen'er, when Hao'er breaks through to Titled Douluo in the future, we must find a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast for him somehow. Hao'er's talent is no less than mine, perhaps even greater. We cannot let it go to waste.

"I have collected three top-grade ten-thousand-year Soul Bones over the years. I will give them all to you. Teach them to Hao'er in the future. They can serve as the Clear Sky Sect's Inheritance Spirit Bones."

Tang Zhen: "Yes, Father. By the way, why did you say Chen Jianjun was a pity just now? Was it because he did not have a 100,000-year Spirit Ring?"

Tang Chen: "Exactly. If he had a 100,000-year Spirit Ring, he should have broken through to Level 98 long ago. It is even possible that he could have reached Level 99. His swordsmanship is unparalleled.

"If we fought at the same level, and I did not use Explode Ring, I might not be able to gain an advantage against him. What a pity. Such a powerful expert is helpless before his bottleneck."

Tang Zhen: "Did Chen Jianjun challenge Father because he could not break through, hoping to achieve a breakthrough through battle?"

Tang Chen: "Precisely. But the process was extremely dangerous. He truly was powerful, and he broke through to Level 97 in the process. Yet the threshold of Level 98 is not so simple. Perhaps he will remain Level 97 for his entire life.

"Zhen'er, remember this: to break through to Level 98, a 100,000-year Spirit Ring is indispensable. Otherwise, I cannot think of any better method. Of course, 100,000-year Soul Bones would also work, though two might be needed."

Tang Zhen: "Then, Father, why didn't you give me a 100,000-year Spirit Ring?"

Tang Chen shot him a glance. "Bad luck. I couldn't find one. I only found you a 94,000-year Shake Heaven White Bear. What, and you're still dissatisfied?

"There is currently a 100,000-year Titan Giant Ape in the Star Dou Great Forest. It only advanced in recent years. In the future, it may be more suitable for Hao'er."

Tang Zhen: ...So this was what they meant by grandparents doting more on their grandchildren.

"Come and fight, Sword Dao Chen Xin."

Tang Zhen's spirits rose. He suppressed the discomfort in his body and faced Chen Xin in his peak condition.