(Bai Chenxiang beautiful illustration)
Yu Xiaogang's body stiffened slightly. He had never heard of these two Martial Souls; they lay beyond the scope of his "theories."
But before his disciple, he absolutely could not show weakness. He could only force himself to remain composed, clear his throat softly, and begin "analyzing" based on the literal meanings and his limited knowledge:
"Ahem, this 'Demon Armor' Martial Soul, judging by its name, should be a powerful armor-type Martial Soul. It is likely similar to the Diamond Mammoth of the Elephant Armor Sect, focused on extreme defense, perhaps with some transformative abilities as well."
He tried his best to sound certain.
"As for this 'Kun'..."
Yu Xiaogang racked his brain but could not recall any records of Kun in any book. He could only force himself to speculate:
"This Martial Soul should be a rare Sea Soul Master Martial Soul, a type of fish-like Sea Soul Beast..."
Tang San listened attentively and nodded, but deep within his heart, a shadow of doubt quietly began to spread.
His teacher's tone just now did not seem as decisive or well-supported as usual when explaining Martial Soul theories.
Instead, it carried a hint of uncertainty and conjecture... Could it be that even his teacher did not know?
He did not press further, but the way he looked at Yu Xiaogang's back now held a trace of scrutiny.
The Firmament Golden Ranking's radiance did not fade. With unquestionable majesty, it continued to reveal the rankings one by one:
[Soul Master Strongest Ranking, Fifteenth Place: Mighty Lion Douluo!] [Affiliated Faction: Spirit Hall] [Fourth Elder of Spirit Hall's Worship Hall, possessing the top-tier beast Martial Soul Blazing Lion. A Rank 97 Peak Douluo whose Berserk power can burn mountains and boil seas. He deserves fifteenth place on the Powerhouse Ranking!] [Reward Obtained: The age of all Soul Rings increases by one thousand years!]
Mighty Lion Douluo's burly body trembled slightly. The Soul Rings beneath his feet emerged one after another, and the first two shifted from yellow to purple within the golden light.
Feeling the increase in his strength and the transformation in the quality of his Soul Rings, a surge of exhilaration welled up in his heart. He could not help throwing back his head and releasing a deep lion's roar, displaying his power.
Countless gazes filled with envy and awe fell upon him, all looking up at him.
Yet amid that satisfaction, there was a trace of indescribable awkwardness and doubt.
"I'm Rank 97, yet I'm only fifteenth?"
"That Zhuang Zhou in sixteenth place is only Rank 96... Could it be that among those at Rank 97, I'm actually the weakest one?"
That thought greatly diminished the pride he had just felt, and his expression turned dark and uncertain.
Before he could think further, the Heavenly Ranking flashed with golden light again:
[Soul Master Strongest Ranking, Fourteenth Place: Qing Luan Douluo!] [Affiliated Faction: Spirit Hall] [Third Elder of Spirit Hall's Worship Hall, possessing the top-tier beast Martial Soul Qing Luan. A Rank 97 Peak Douluo who commands the wind at extreme speed and burns the heavens with azure flames. He deserves fourteenth place on the Powerhouse Ranking!] [Reward Obtained: The age of all Soul Rings increases by one thousand years!]
Almost the instant the golden ranking appeared, a streak of azure light raced back from the direction of the target range in the distance.
He landed elegantly beside Qian Daoliu. It was Qing Luan Douluo, returning after completing his supervisory task.
He too was bathed in the golden light that increased the age of his Soul Rings, and his aura seemed even more restrained and refined than before he had left.
Seeing that the Third Elder ranked ahead of him, the discomfort in Mighty Lion Douluo's heart eased somewhat. He thought to himself:
"Third Brother ranking ahead of me is only natural. It seems that at Rank 97, aside from Third Brother and me, there should be no one else?
"Hmph, the people ranked ahead must be old monsters at Rank 98 or even Rank 99."
"Spirit Hall has another two people on the list! As expected of the continent's number one Soul Master faction—their foundation is truly terrifying!"
"Three people have already made the list! And all of them are Rank 97 Peak Douluos!"
"It seems that on this Soul Master Strongest Ranking, Spirit Hall will ultimately still hold King's Hall firmly beneath them!"
Seeing two more elders from Spirit Hall enter the rankings in succession, and at even higher levels,
many Soul Masters who had originally been stunned by King's Hall began to shift their views again, believing Spirit Hall's ruling position remained difficult to shake.
Many even felt that King's Hall might be completely suppressed by Spirit Hall on the ranking.
Amid this subtle atmosphere, the Heavenly Ranking did not pause in the slightest. Golden light surged forth, and new rankings descended in an even more dazzling manner!
[Soul Master Strongest Ranking, Thirteenth Place: Non-Aggression Douluo Mozi!] [Affiliated Faction: King's Hall] [Possessing the top-tier mutated Weapon Martial Soul Mechanism Core. A Rank 97 Peak Douluo who forms arrays through mechanisms, turns ingenuity into power, practices universal love and non-aggression, and possesses Peerless defense. All manner of transformations lie within his grasp!] [He deserves thirteenth place on the Powerhouse Ranking!] [Reward Obtained: The age of all Soul Rings increases by one thousand years!] [Soul Master Strongest Ranking, Twelfth Place: King of Thunder Si Kong Zhen!] [Affiliated Faction: King's Hall] [Possessing the God-tier Martial Soul Five Thunder War Drum. A Rank 97 Peak Douluo who commands the thunder of heaven and earth, using the sound of his drums to carry out heavenly punishment. Wherever his thunderous might reaches, all evil retreats!] [He deserves twelfth place on the Powerhouse Ranking!] [Reward Obtained: The age of all Soul Rings increases by one thousand years!]
"What?!"
Mighty Lion Douluo's pupils suddenly contracted. The expression on his face froze instantly, replaced by incredulous fury.
"Mozi from King's Hall... and that Si Kong Zhen?! They're both Rank 97?!"
"And their rankings... are both above mine and Third Brother's!!"
This was not merely a matter of ranking higher or lower. It was a blatant comparison and crushing defeat!
Both at Rank 97, the two from King's Hall ranked ahead of Spirit Hall's two long-established elders!
This meant that in the Heavenly Ranking's judgment, at the same level, King's Hall's peak combat strength was superior!
What made everyone's pupils quake even more was that when the golden reward light enveloped Mozi and Si Kong Zhen,
the Soul Rings appearing beneath their feet had clearly changed from purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black, black, red to—
purple, black, black, black, black, black, black, black, red!
"The second Soul Ring... directly became a ten thousand year one?!"
"Their original second Soul Rings were already close to ten thousand year quality? How... how is that possible?!"
"Monsters... The people of King's Hall truly are monsters beyond all reason!"
This meant that their foundations were far more terrifying than everyone had imagined!
Mighty Lion Douluo forcibly snapped out of his shock. His chest rose and fell violently, but a fierce unwillingness soon surged within him.
He abruptly looked toward the arena, then toward the calm-faced Lin Jiang, and hardened his heart:
"Hmph! So what if your rankings are higher? So what if your Soul Ring configurations are strange?
"Your King's Hall arena rules require you to send out someone whose Soul Power Level is lower than the challenger's!"
"I'm Rank 97! The person King's Hall sends out must be below Rank 97!"
"Even if Mozi and Si Kong Zhen are monstrous, as long as they do not personally take the field and send someone at Rank 96 or lower...
"The absolute gap in Soul Power Level is an impassable chasm! I can still smash them to pieces and seize back everything I lost, with interest!"
He clenched his fist wreathed in blazing flames, and the fighting spirit in his eyes reignited. This time, however, it was fiercer and more determined than ever!
Before you continue