As Noobish as a Local Douluo

At this, he abruptly changed the subject. His gaze lifted from the chessboard and settled directly on Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun, his eyes carrying an added layer of scrutiny.

"Have you ever considered this question? Why must something as essential to Soul Masters as soul rings be obtained from Spirit Beasts?"

The question came so suddenly that neither Zhou Qiubai nor Yang Guyun had time to react.

Of course they had considered it. Or rather, every Soul Master was instilled with the same answer after awakening their Martial Soul.

Soul rings could only be obtained by hunting Spirit Beasts. This was a law of heaven and earth, an ironclad rule, an unshakable foundation that had stood since Martial Souls first came into being.

Yet no one had ever thought to question the answer itself.

Xie Ru did not wait for a reply.

He could see Yang Guyun thinking, and he could also see that Zhou Qiubai showed little surprise. Instead, there was a look of understanding in his expression.

It seemed he had not waited in vain this time.

"I sat in court for forty years. I have reviewed countless imperial archives and read countless internal records from Spirit Hall. There is one account that is quite interesting."

"In ancient times, when humans had only just awakened their Martial Souls, soul rings did not exist. Soul Masters of that era gained power through another method: communicating with heaven and earth, resonating with the rules, and condensing soul rings of their own. For reasons unknown, this method was replaced. Or perhaps Soul Masters discovered that killing Spirit Beasts could also produce soul rings, and that the process was less prone to losing control."

"On the surface, this lowered the threshold and gave every Soul Master a clear, viable path to