Impossible, Absolutely Impossible!

It was here!

Hearing this roundabout probing, Lin Nuo immediately understood.

Well, well. After all that, this old fox had been waiting for him right here.

Lin Nuo slightly lowered his eyes, and a trace of sadness and loneliness flashed through his previously calm gaze at just the right moment.

He sighed, his little face tightening slightly, his tone carrying thirty percent sorrow and seventy percent resilience.

"Bishop Salas, you flatter me.

How could I possibly have parents?

Ever since I could remember, I had been an orphan with no father or mother.

If the villagers had not kindly given me a Hundred-Family Meal to eat, I would have starved to death in some filthy ditch long ago."

"..."

The teacup Salas had just raised to his lips suddenly shook, and the scalding tea nearly spilled all over his luxurious Platinum Robe.

His old face, which had been blooming like a chrysanthemum, instantly froze completely, as though he had been struck by an ice-type soul skill.

An orphan?

What the hell kind of orphan?!

Looking at Lin Nuo's face, which seemed cast from the same mold as Her Holiness the Pope's, then thinking of the one-and-only Death Spider Emperor martial soul on the entire continent, Salas felt as though his intelligence had been gravely insulted—yet he did not dare refute a single word.

Within the perfectly closed loop of Salas's "World-Shocking Wisdom," the meaning behind Lin Nuo's words could not have been clearer.

This young master probably had no idea of his own identity, while the Pope had completely sealed off all information about him.

He had actually tried to pry into such a secret just now. He truly had embarked on the Way of Seeking Death!

"Cough... I see, I see."

Salas's eye twitched wildly as he took a deep breath.

"What a... self-reliant and strong orphan!

For a young friend to awaken such a top-tier martial soul amid such adversity, while retaining such an unyielding character, you are truly a model for our generation and a great blessing for Spirit Hall!"

Salas was not only a high-ranking Platinum Bishop of Spirit Hall, but also a genuine, terrifying Spirit Douluo.

Thus, throughout the rest of the journey, Lin Nuo made a point of being diligent and inquisitive.

Without the slightest hesitation, he threw out every question he had accumulated over the years regarding Soul Power circulation and the use of soul skills.

And faced with questions from this suspected "young master," how could Salas dare hold anything back?

Not only did he answer everything he knew, he even dug into his own reserves and gave Lin Nuo a set of Spirit Hall's internal high-level Meditation Method.

Hmm...

This old man's loyalty was truly beyond question.

This round, Lin Nuo had absolutely hit the jackpot.

"Lord Bishop, I have one more favor to ask."

Lin Nuo put away the Meditation Method and smoothly made his next request.

"I have been at Rank 20 for some time now.

Before enrolling at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, could I trouble you to help me hunt a second Soul Ring in Sunset Forest?"

Naturally, Salas had no reason to refuse.

Was this even a joke?

This was a perfect opportunity to serve the "young master" openly and honorably!

He had to put his loyalty and strength on full display!

"Rest assured, young friend Lin Nuo!" Salas patted his chest and promised solemnly.

"Once we reach Sunset Forest, this old man will personally hunt one for you!

No matter what kind of soul beast it is, I will definitely choose a top-quality Soul Ring whose age is right at the limit of what your body can endure!"

"Come, no time like the present.

Let this old man first test the true limit of your body's strength."

As he spoke, Salas smilingly extended his right hand and placed his broad palm on Lin Nuo's shoulder. A gentle, pure stream of Soul Power slowly entered through his meridians and began probing him.

In Salas's original estimation, this little fellow possessed extraordinary talent and the same martial soul as Her Holiness the Pope. His physical constitution had to far surpass that of his peers.

The limit for his second Soul Ring might be eight or nine hundred years.

That alone would already be shocking beyond belief.

After all, the limit proposed by that useless Yu Xiaogang for a second Soul Ring was still stuck at a pitiful seven hundred-odd years.

However, when his Soul Power truly traveled through Lin Nuo's limbs and organs, sensing the terrifying vitality, blood, and bones tempered by massive amounts of high-grade Whale Rubber...

The smile on Salas's face instantly froze.

The Soul Power feedback told him with absolute clarity that this body's limit was two thousand years?

Two... thousand... years?!

Something was wrong. There was a huge problem here!

Absorbing a two-thousand-year Soul Ring as a second ring?

What kind of joke was this?

Back then, Her Holiness the Pope had possessed extraordinary talent. Even with the previous Pope, Qian Xunji, sparing no resources in cultivating her, her second Soul Ring had only barely reached the thousand-year level.

Could this young master, who had grown up on his own in a little place like Nuoding City, actually surpass Her Holiness the Pope back then?

Impossible, absolutely impossible!

Salas felt that although he was old, he had not become so senile that his eyes and senses could fail him to this extent, right?

An illusion! The carriage must have jolted just now, causing an error in his Soul Power probe!

"Cough, cough..."

Salas's old face stiffened. He discreetly withdrew his hand and gave two dry laughs to hide his loss of composure.

"Um... Lin Nuo, the carriage outside jolted just now, and this old man's Soul Power circulation suffered a slight error. I did not get an accurate reading.

Come, let us test it again. We must be rigorous."

Lin Nuo nodded obediently on the surface, but inwardly, he was already delighted.

Keep pretending, old man. Go on, keep pretending.

Salas took a deep breath, focused his mind, and placed his hand on Lin Nuo again with utmost solemnity.

This time, he even used his Spirit Douluo-level spiritual power to scan Lin Nuo's body inside and out with meticulous care.

Meridian width... bone density... muscle resilience...

After an incredibly precise retest, Salas slowly withdrew his hand.

He stared blankly at his slightly trembling hands, then looked at the harmless-looking Lin Nuo across from him.

Two thousand one hundred years.

That was even more outrageous than the previous result?

How could this be possible?

At this moment, Salas, the dignified Platinum Bishop and an eighty-plus-level Spirit Douluo, was completely shaken.

C-C-Could there truly be such a terrifyingly gifted young genius in this world?

This was truly a blessing for Spirit Hall!

"Lin Nuo, your talent is terrifying beyond belief. Your second Soul Ring can actually absorb one around 2,100 years old."

"Of course, if the Soul Ring's quality is too high, that age limit may be reduced somewhat. But a thousand-year second ring is guaranteed."

"Rest assured. Once we arrive at Sunset Forest, no matter what kind of Soul Ring you want, this old man will grant it!"

Salas declared boldly.

Setting aside Lin Nuo's complicated identity, being able to help such a genius obtain the crucial second Soul Ring of his life was also Salas's good fortune.