Purple So Deep It Was Nearly Black!

Jiang Chen had no intention of hiding it either. With a thought, Soul Rings slowly rose beneath his feet.

Two purple Soul Rings gradually appeared.

Two Thousand-Year Soul Rings!

Especially the second one. Not only was its purple so deep it was nearly black, but the shifting light it emitted carried a terrifying pressure.

"Th-this is..."

Tang San stared fixedly at Jiang Chen's second Soul Ring, his voice trembling slightly. "A Thousand-Year Soul Ring? No, that color... It has to be at least five thousand years old."

The age of a Thousand-Year Soul Ring was mainly judged by how much black it contained.

And Brother Chen's Soul Ring was already more than half black!

Xiao Wu looked at the nearly black-purple Soul Ring and instinctively covered her mouth.

Her heart skipped a beat as an absurd thought suddenly sprang into her mind.

Could this guy... be a Soul Beast rebuilding himself, like me?

Otherwise, how could a human's second Soul Ring possibly be of such an age?!

Seeing their dumbfounded expressions, Jiang Chen began spouting nonsense with a perfectly serious face.

"Didn't I say earlier? I saw a Soul Beast by the roadside that was on the verge of death. It looked pitiful, so I gave it a finishing blow. Who knew its Soul Ring would be a little old?"

"That works too?"

Tang San recovered from his shock and gave a bitter smile. "Brother Chen, your luck... is just too heaven-defying."

Feeling the faint pressure radiating from that Soul Ring, then comparing it to the Thousand-Year Soul Ring he had just absorbed, his own suddenly seemed far less appealing.

He did not doubt Jiang Chen's explanation. Other than picking up such a bargain, Tang San could not think of any way a level-twenty Soul Master could defeat a Soul Beast over five thousand years old alone.

"Mm..."

Xiao Wu said nothing more. She merely rested her cheek in her hand and pondered, her gaze secretly sweeping over Jiang Chen again and again.

As a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast who had rebuilt herself, no one present understood the strength of Thousand-Year Soul Beasts better than she did.

No matter how strong Jiang Chen was, there was no way he could defeat a Soul Beast over five thousand years old at this stage.

Besides, he had only been gone for less than half an hour. There was simply no way he could have digested the power of a Thousand-Year Soul Ring in that time.

In an instant, Xiao Wu went through a storm of thoughts and finally reached a conclusion.

There was a high chance Jiang Chen, like her, was a Soul Beast rebuilding himself!

Only that could explain everything about Jiang Chen.

His formidable strength, extraordinary combat skills, Soul Rings that defied common sense...

That was right. It had to be so!

The more Xiao Wu thought about it, the more convinced she became. When she looked at Jiang Chen again, her gaze carried an indescribable meaning.

Jiang Chen got goosebumps from her unblinking stare.

"Hey, what kind of look is that, rabbit? Never seen a handsome guy before?"

"You..."

Xiao Wu instinctively wanted to snap back, but swallowed the words at the last moment. She merely curled her lips and muttered softly, "Narcissist! Who was looking at you?"

She turned away, her heart pounding wildly.

If Jiang Chen really was a Soul Beast rebuilding himself... then wasn't he the same as her?

Then the two of them...

"Brother Chen, what is your Second Soul Skill?" Tang San suddenly asked curiously.

A second Soul Ring over five thousand years old—there was no way he could not be curious.

A red flash flickered in Jiang Chen's palm, and the Glazed Green Lotus silently appeared.

The lotus, originally crystalline and translucent, had now turned crimson. Blazing golden-red flames danced within its Lotus Heart, and even the surrounding temperature rose slightly.

"My Second Soul Skill is Green Lotus: Red Lotus Karma Fire." Jiang Chen gave a brief introduction. "It can both defend and attack with fire, and it can also temper the body and dispel negative conditions."

"Fire?" Xiao Wu's eyes lit up. "Then it'll be much easier to roast carrots from now on."

Jiang Chen's mouth twitched.

Using Karma Fire to roast carrots—her train of thought was truly something else.

Tang San caught the words "temper the body," and anticipation flashed through his eyes. "Brother Chen, can this Soul Skill really temper the body?"

If it could, then this Soul Skill was far too heaven-defying.

"Theoretically, yes, but only if you can endure the pain of being scorched by the flames." Jiang Chen thought for a moment.

In legend, Karma Fire was a flame capable of burning even the soul.

Even if what he had obtained was an infinitely weakened version, that did not mean the pain of being burned would be reduced.

With that in mind, the Red Lotus in Jiang Chen's palm slowly spun. He summoned a wisp of golden-red flame that covered his right hand, sensing the temperature of the Karma Fire.

At first, the sensation brought by the Karma Fire was warm. But as time passed, the warmth gradually faded and was replaced by scorching pain.

It was like countless ants were gnawing at him with huge teeth wreathed in flames.

After gritting his teeth and enduring it for three minutes, Jiang Chen hurriedly dispersed the flames.

"Brother Chen, how was it?" Tang San stepped closer and asked curiously.

If Brother Chen's Soul Skill could truly temper one's physique, then he could continue raising the upper limit of his future Soul Rings.

Jiang Chen let out a heavy breath and wiped the fine sweat from his forehead. "It hurts a lot. If you want me to temper your bodies, you'd better prepare yourselves mentally beforehand."

"Besides, I'm still not skilled enough at controlling the flames. I need to practice for a while."

Seeing him say that, Tang San could only suppress the excitement in his heart.

After all, Brother Chen's second Soul Ring had put far too much pressure on him. If he did not work harder, he probably would not even be able to see the soles of Brother Chen's shoes in this lifetime.

But when he thought of his Twin Martial Souls, Tang San regained a little confidence.

"Then, Brother Chen, should we help Xiao Wu obtain her Soul Ring next?" Tang San asked.

Without realizing it, he had already begun to regard Jiang Chen as their pillar.

Jiang Chen turned to look at Xiao Wu. "You'll have to ask her about that."

"Me?"

Xiao Wu blinked, her expression somewhat evasive. "I-I don't think there's any need to rush..."

"You just obtained your Soul Rings. You should stabilize your Soul Power first. I'm not in a hurry."

Hearing Xiao Wu's concern for him, Tang San felt warmth rise in his heart. "It's fine. Fighting is also a way to stabilize Soul Power. Besides, with Brother Chen here, we don't need to worry about anything going wrong while absorbing a Soul Ring."

Jiang Chen said nothing and merely watched Xiao Wu silently.

He was curious what excuse Xiao Wu would come up with to brush them off. He could learn a thing or two from her.

Xiao Wu's eyes darted around. Copying Jiang Chen's earlier manner, she slapped her forehead.

"Ah! My stomach suddenly hurts. I need to go under that tree over there... you know, take care of something! You two absolutely must not follow me!"

Before Tang San could react, Xiao Wu vanished into the dense forest on the other side in a flash.

Tang San stood there blankly, feeling as though this scene was strangely familiar.

Jiang Chen was amused by both her excuse and her acting.

So after all that anticipation, she had ended up copying him.

Wait... didn't that mean I was just laughing at myself?

After about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, rustling sounds came from the bushes.

Xiao Wu skipped out, her little face slightly red. She even put on a show of brushing grass clippings from her skirt. "Phew~ I feel much better!"

When Tang San's gaze fell on her, he suddenly froze. "Xiao Wu, your Soul Power..."

Before he could finish, two Soul Rings slowly rose beneath Xiao Wu's feet.

One yellow, one purple.

Although the purple Soul Ring was much lighter than Jiang Chen's, it undeniably possessed the deep luster unique to a Thousand-Year Soul Ring!