Accepting the Assessment, A Long and Arduous Road

"Then how should I cultivate from here on? After all, I don't even know my current cultivation level, nor do I know when I should obtain a soul ring." Although he understood his ancestor's intentions, Xu Mochen still had questions.

The Purple Imperial Chaos Dragon King merely smiled indifferently at this: "Since you have come here, I naturally will not let your martial soul and soul power remain in this state. For now, you only need to relax your body and mind, do not resist, and I will place a new restriction upon you."

"It will help you hide and alter your martial soul form, soul power level, soul ring color, and more at any time, without affecting your own perception. However, remember that I will only grant you the state of innate level ten—what is known as Innate Full Soul Power. For your subsequent cultivation, you must not only train on your own but also complete the trials I have set for you."

"Only by passing each trial will your soul power level be able to break through to the next major rank. The Purple Imperial Chaos Dragon King martial soul is quite unique; throughout your entire cultivation process, you do not need to obtain any soul rings, soul bones, or domains from the outside world."

"You will automatically receive these items upon completing each trial. If you rashly absorb external soul rings, soul bones, or domains, you will cause irreversible damage to your martial soul."

After speaking, the Purple Imperial Chaos Dragon King flicked his finger, and a purple light "whooshed" from between Xu Mochen's brows into his body. Xu Mochen did not hesitate, immediately sitting cross-legged to receive the inheritance his ancestor bestowed upon him with all his might.

Time passed second by second. Xu Mochen's eyes were tightly shut, his entire body wreathed in a purple halo. Behind him, the Purple Imperial Chaos Dragon King martial soul flickered in and out of existence. Suddenly, waves of powerful aura erupted from Xu Mochen's body.

Accompanied by a resonant dragon roar from Xu Mochen, a yellow soul ring slowly appeared around him, pulsing rhythmically. Slowly opening his eyes, Xu Mochen could clearly feel the surging soul power fluctuations within his body!

Level eleven! A yellow God-Bestowed century-old soul ring! With this, he had truly embarked on the path of cultivation.

"Many thanks for the ancestor's grace! Please accept this junior's kowtow!" Xu Mochen knelt respectfully before the Purple Imperial Chaos Dragon King once more. The Dragon King merely smiled indifferently and waved a hand, gently lifting Xu Mochen to his feet.

Only then did the Purple Imperial Chaos Dragon King's gentle voice reach Xu Mochen's ears: "Not bad. Your first soul ring has reached seven hundred and thirty-six years, already matching the level of many soul masters' second soul rings. Furthermore, the soul ring I bestowed upon you is far harder to absorb and integrate than those from ordinary soul beasts of the same level. You are worthy of being my descendant."

"This Seat must remind you of one more thing: compared to soul rings obtained by hunting soul beasts, the God-Bestowed soul ring I have given you not only possesses quality and compatibility with your martial soul that far surpasses any hunted ring, but it also possesses growth potential."

"In other words, as your cultivation improves in the future, the age of your God-Bestowed soul ring will increase to the limit your body can withstand. You will soon realize the true power of this soul ring!"

A growth-capable God-Bestowed soul ring! Only now did Xu Mochen deeply understand what it meant to defy the heavens! Perhaps only a god with formidable power could possess such terrifying ability!

If he were to cultivate to the end in this manner, he might possess a full set of hundred-thousand-year soul rings with perfect compatibility by the time he reached the Title Douluo or even Soul Douluo realm! If his ancestor were to grant him soul bones, domains, or powerful self-created soul skills later on, then like a protagonist, killing enemies across ranks would become incredibly easy!

The Purple Imperial Chaos Dragon King understood the turmoil in Xu Mochen's heart but solemnly reminded him: "To wear the crown, one must bear its weight. While you possess greater talent and fortune than others, remember that you also have a arduous mission to fulfill. The road ahead is long and winding; only by reaching the end can you harvest the true fruits of victory."

"And now, you must begin the first of the Nine Trials of Chaos." Hearing this, Xu Mochen slowly suppressed his excitement and began to pay close attention. The Purple Imperial Chaos Dragon King flicked his finger again, and a white light injected into his brow. Information regarding the origin and creation method of God-Bestowed soul rings instantly appeared in Xu Mochen's mind.

Just as Xu Mochen was puzzled, the Purple Imperial Chaos Dragon King spoke slowly: "The first trial: use the God-Bestowed soul ring and the knowledge I have given you to create a cultivation product that soul masters can absorb and use without the death of a soul beast. There is no time limit for this trial."

After speaking, without waiting for Xu Mochen to reply, the Purple Imperial Chaos Dragon King waved his dragon claw. The surrounding scene instantly began to shift. Xu Mochen felt a powerful suction force from behind, and before he could react, his figure was pulled out of the secret realm space.

Outside the inner layer of the secret realm, Kong Dehan was sitting in meditation, calm and composed. Xu Yuanding, however, did not have such a steady mindset; he paced back and forth anxiously, his eyes occasionally glancing at the tightly shut door.

"Old Kong, I truly admire you. The Crown Prince has been missing for so long, yet you still have the leisure to meditate? Are you not afraid that something might have happened to him?" Looking at the still-composed Kong Dehan, Xu Yuanding retorted with irritation.

"Calm down, Brother Xu. Being anxious like this is useless. In any case, the ancestor would not harm the Crown Prince, so waiting a little longer is fine." Compared to the impatient Xu Yuanding, Kong Dehan appeared much more indifferent.

"But what if—what if something happened?" Just as Xu Yuanding was arguing, the entire secret realm shook violently. The closed door opened once again, and a purple figure flashed out from the cave, landing outside. Then, the door slammed shut with a "bang."

Xu Yuanding and Kong Dehan immediately looked toward the figure. Upon closer inspection, it was indeed Xu Mochen! Xu Mochen's appearance was almost identical to when he entered, but both experts keenly sensed that his aura was now sharper and more formidable than before.

"Your Highness, are you alright? Did you suffer any injuries?" Xu Yuanding immediately stepped forward, anxiously examining Xu Mochen. Kong Dehan also arrived at Xu Mochen's side; though he said nothing, the concern in his eyes was evident.

Seeing this, Xu Mochen felt a warmth in his heart. Given the genuine concern of these two elders and their previous guidance, he knew he could fully trust them.

"Rest assured, I am fine. I simply met the ancestor." Xu Mochen's first sentence completely stunned Kong Dehan and Xu Yuanding.

"The ancestor? Didn't he leave long ago? How could he be in the inner layer of the secret realm?" Xu Yuanding was the first to voice his confusion. Xu Mochen patiently explained: "Actually, the inner layer is a space created by the ancestor. The ancestor I met was not his true body, but a wisp of his soul. The purpose of the space was..."

Xu Mochen told the two elders almost everything that happened in the inner layer. He did this partly out of trust.

On the other hand, his upcoming trials and plans truly required the help of two powerful and trustworthy elders. Otherwise, relying on himself alone—even with the knowledge in his Smart Brain—he didn't know how long it would take to complete the ancestor's trial!

Moreover, his situation was truly bizarre. He couldn't hide it alone with his current abilities, so he needed a few powerful people to cover for him. The two elders before him were naturally the best candidates.

"Heavens! Your Highness, you actually received a God-Trial from the ancestor! Good! You are worthy of being my grand-nephew. If the late Emperor and Empress were watching from above, they would surely be proud of you! But isn't this trial a bit too excessive?" While admiration appeared in Xu Yuanding's eyes, a hint of worry also surfaced.

Xu Mochen was also helpless. According to the novel content provided by the Smart Brain, the protagonist Huo Yuoxhao and Electrolux in Douluo Continent 2 created something called a Soul Spirit to replace soul rings. But setting aside the fact that he didn't have the technology for Soul Spirits, even if he did, these natural Soul Spirits still required the life of a soul beast—it was merely a change from forced to voluntary.

Artificial Soul Spirits that didn't require the death of a soul beast did exist, but they only appeared thousands of years after the timeline of Douluo Continent 2! It was far too distant from his current era! For him, this path seemed unfeasible.

Therefore, for now, Xu Mochen intended to settle for the next best thing. Artificial Soul Spirits involved soul studies, and the knowledge in his Smart Brain regarding soul studies was quite different from that of the Douluo Continent, so it couldn't be used for now. However, perhaps he could change his line of thinking: if artificial Soul Spirits weren't possible, maybe artificial soul rings were!

According to the knowledge on God-Bestowed soul rings provided by his ancestor, the basic principle was that a god fused divine energy with extracted soul beast genes to form an energy ring corresponding to the beast.

The difficulty lay in the fact that he lacked the powerful perception and control of a god to extract the necessary genes from a soul beast and fuse them with soul power to create the required energy ring. Thus, creating an artificial soul ring based on the same principle as a God-Bestowed soul ring required other methods.

However, his current understanding of soul beasts was too limited. The time required to find relevant knowledge and master it in the short term was unimaginable, yet he couldn't afford to delay.

Just as Xu Mochen was distressed, Kong Dehan's voice suddenly came: "Perhaps I have a way. Although I don't understand soul beast genes, I know an old fellow who specializes in soul beast research. His level of research is extremely high, and he has accumulated a vast amount of academic results, though he publishes everything anonymously, which is why he is unknown."

"I heard this old fellow recently made some breakthroughs in his research. Perhaps we can visit and ask for his help another day; he might have a way."

Hearing this, Xu Mochen's eyes lit up as if he saw hope, and he immediately said impatiently: "Really? Great-Uncle, where is this senior? Shall we set off to visit him tomorrow?"

Xu Yuanding also chimed in, "Well done, Old Kong. How come I've never heard you mention such a friend? You're not being much of a brother, are you? Why has such a master remained obscure? You aren't doing this for some ulterior motive, are you?"

"Don't be so hasty, you two. It's not that simple." Kong Dehan patted his head, his face full of helplessness: "It won't work recently. This old fellow said he needs to conduct experiments for the next year and is not receiving guests. Moreover, this old fellow is not only powerful but also has a very eccentric personality. Most importantly..."

At this point, Kong Dehan's gaze toward Xu Mochen became somewhat strange, leaving Xu Mochen and Xu Yuanding confused. Kong Dehan hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and decided to confess: "This old fellow is not human! More accurately, he is a hundred-thousand-year soul beast that has taken human form! And he doesn't like humans. If I hadn't saved his life by chance and continued to provide him with research funding, he likely wouldn't even pay attention to me."