The awakening ceremony continued.
Among the remaining children, two more possessed Innate Full Soul Power. Both were descendants of the imperial Dai family, named Dai Ran and Dai Dongze, and both had top-tier White Tiger martial souls.
But with Chen Li's spectacular Lightning Martial Soul having come first, much of their spotlight seemed to have been stolen away.
At last, every child had completed their awakening.
As descendants of the empire's foremost noble clans, this group of children was exceptionally gifted overall. Even the weakest had reached Soul Power Level six, which would have made them geniuses in the outside world.
"Chen Li, Dai Ran, Dai Dongze, the three of you, come with me." Titled Douluo Dave called their names, his voice carrying throughout the hall. "The rest of you will be arranged by your family elders. Your talents are also remarkable. Cultivate diligently, and do not disappoint your families or the empire."
Under countless gazes filled with envy, jealousy, and mixed emotions, Chen Li and the other two followed Titled Douluo Dave out of the courtyard hall.
Dave led the three directly to the heavily guarded Imperial Royal Soul Beast Breeding Forest on the outskirts of Star Luo City.
Large numbers of Soul Beasts ranging from several hundred to ten thousand years old were kept here, allowing members of the royal family and core noble clans to safely obtain Soul Rings.
The process of selecting Soul Rings for Dai Ran and Dai Dongze was swift.
Both possessed White Tiger martial souls, so their target was clear: tiger-type Soul Beasts. Under Titled Douluo Dave's guidance, they each selected and killed a Gale Tiger and a Golden Eye Tiger with more than three hundred years of cultivation. They successfully absorbed Yellow Soul Rings, stabilizing their Soul Power at level eleven and gaining their first Soul Rings.
When it was Chen Li's turn, Titled Douluo Dave pondered briefly. "A pure lightning-attribute martial soul excels in attack and speed. Among tiger-type Soul Beasts, there are lightning-attribute branches as well..."
His spiritual power swept across a designated area like a tide and quickly locked onto a target. "That one. A Thunder Pattern Tiger of around three hundred years. Its attributes suit you."
He raised a hand and lightly pressed toward the distant beast enclosure.
An invisible, intangible pressure as heavy as a mountain descended from hundreds of meters away.
The Thunder Pattern Tiger in the enclosure, originally imposing and surrounded by faint sparks of electricity, suddenly let out a terrified wail. Its limbs gave way, and it collapsed to the ground. Blood flowed from its mouth and nose, its eyes unfocused as it entered a near-death state.
The terror of a Titled Douluo was not something a Hundred Year Soul Ring beast could withstand, even if it was merely a precise suppression from a trace of his aura.
"Go kill it, then absorb its Soul Ring," Dave instructed calmly, as though he were merely telling Chen Li to pick a piece of fruit.
"Yes."
Chen Li walked up to the limp Thunder Pattern Tiger.
With a thought, blue-white lightning rapidly gathered in his palm, extending and taking shape as a radiant thunder blade more than a foot long that crackled continuously.
Without hesitation, he aimed at the Thunder Pattern Tiger's vital spot and drove the blade down with precision.
The Thunder Pattern Tiger's body shuddered, then lost all signs of life.
A bright Yellow Soul Ring slowly condensed above its corpse.
Chen Li sat cross-legged. Following the absorption method he had been taught over the past few days, he used his Soul Power to draw the Yellow Soul Ring above his head. It then slowly descended over his body as he focused his mind, attempting to communicate with the Soul Beast's remaining essence and Soul Power within the ring and merge them into his Rumble-Rumble Fruit martial soul.
At first, the process went smoothly. The Soul Ring settled firmly into place, and surging Soul Power began flowing into his body.
Chen Li could feel his Soul Power churning...
However, at the very moment the Soul Ring came into contact with his body and tried to establish a stable connection...
A sudden change occurred!
The steadily rotating Yellow Soul Ring suddenly began to tremble violently!
Its light flickered erratically, and a faint but teeth-grating crack came from within, as though something were crumbling apart inside it.
Chen Li felt an exceptionally clear sense of rejection and disgust emanating from his Rumble-Rumble Fruit!
The next moment!
Bang!
With a soft sound, the Yellow Soul Ring carrying three hundred years of Soul Beast cultivation suddenly exploded before everyone's eyes without warning!
It did not naturally dissipate after being absorbed. Instead, it seemed to have been burst apart by a force from within, shattering into countless tiny golden particles. Those particles then became wisps of pale golden mist that quickly drifted into the air and vanished completely.
"What?!"
"The Soul Ring... shattered?!"
"The absorption failed? How is that possible?!"
Dai Ran and Dai Dongze widened their eyes, unable to believe what they were seeing. Having just successfully absorbed Soul Rings themselves, they knew that while the process required caution, failure was nearly impossible as long as the attributes were roughly compatible and their Soul Power Levels could withstand it.
Not to mention that this was a Soul Beast personally chosen by a Titled Douluo, one with perfectly compatible attributes!
For the first time, obvious shock and gravity appeared on Titled Douluo Dave's normally impassive face.
His figure flashed, and he appeared beside Chen Li. He placed one hand on Chen Li's shoulder as incomparably pure Titled Douluo Soul Power instantly entered Chen Li's body for a careful examination.
After a moment, he withdrew his hand. His brows were tightly furrowed, and his eyes were filled with confusion and incomprehension.
"The martial soul origin is intact, the Soul Power channels are clear, and there is no injury or rejection reaction in the body..." Dave muttered. "At the final stage of fusion, the Soul Ring's energy was... rejected by your martial soul origin?"
He had lived for over a hundred years, presided over countless awakenings, and seen all sorts of gifted and unusual talents. Yet he had never seen, or even heard of, such a situation!
A top-tier martial soul with Innate Full Soul Power was actually unable to absorb a Hundred Year Soul Ring? This completely violated the ironclad rules of the Douluo Continent's Soul Master system!
Dave's gaze settled on Chen Li once more, changing from initial appreciation into deep doubt and scrutiny.
This boy from the Dust Family, with his awakened Lightning Martial Soul, seemed to be far more than he appeared. Was this bizarre inability to absorb Soul Rings a fatal flaw, or... some secret beyond ordinary understanding?
Chen Li narrowed his eyes as a thought flashed through his mind like lightning in the darkness.
Could it be... that ordinary Soul Rings were unworthy of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit? Was that why it instinctively rejected them?
If that was true... then wouldn't this seemingly heaven-defying Golden Finger become a useless ability that could never be upgraded?
Chen Li's heart slowly sank.
His path seemed to have been blocked.
But perhaps he simply had not found the right key yet.
Titled Douluo Dave looked at the silent Chen Li. The confusion in his eyes had swiftly become profound after that first fleeting moment. He slowly spoke, his voice carrying unprecedented solemnity:
"Chen Li, I have never seen a situation like yours before. Come back to the city with me first. I need to examine the ancient records when I return."
Escorted personally by Titled Douluo Dave, Chen Li returned to the grand and heavily guarded Dust Family estate in Star Luo City.
The venerable Titled Douluo said nothing further. He merely gave the Dust Family a brief account of the situation before drifting away.
Yet news that the Dust Family's direct heir had awakened a world-shaking martial soul but could not absorb a Soul Ring spread through the social circles of the Star Luo Empire's upper class that very night, as though it had grown wings.
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