The four old men beneath the platform had no idea what the two people onstage were discussing.
At that moment, the two of them stood facing one another. Their gazes clashed like sparks flying, as though a fierce battle could erupt at any moment.
Bei Bei took a step forward and shouted in a low voice.
"Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, possess me!"
With a deep dragon roar, Bei Bei's entire body swelled by a full circle, while both his hands transformed into dragon claws covered in blue scales.
Electricity flickered across them...
A yellow soul ring slowly rose beneath his feet, and Bei Bei's eyes shone brightly.
"Bei Bei, martial soul: Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, Rank 14. Please!"
Xue Mingqing smiled faintly. Feeling the intense battle intent nearly overflowing from Bei Bei, a trace of thought flashed through his eyes.
He raised his hand, and Snow Wind howled. A three-foot Snow Sword wreathed in Green Flowing Wind appeared in his palm.
"Xue Mingqing, martial soul: Snow Sword, Rank 14. Come on."
As he spoke, a pale-purple soul ring radiating magnificent light slowly emerged beneath Xue Mingqing's feet.
Seeing that glaring purple, Bei Bei instinctively froze. When he reacted, his pupils violently contracted as if he had seen a ghost, his face filled with shock.
"Wait, you... Your first ring is a thousand-year ring?! How is that possible?!"
According to the theories of the soul master world, the maximum age for a first soul ring was 432 years. That was a theory proposed by a certain Grandmaster.
But in truth, anyone with experience and knowledge treated Grandmaster's theory as a joke.
The age a soul ring could withstand clearly depended on the soul master's physique.
Take Bei Bei, for example. Before awakening his martial soul, he had already intentionally tempered his body. He had eaten all kinds of heavenly treasures as though they were ordinary meals, thereby forging a first soul ring that was over six hundred years old.
Even so, six hundred years was already Bei Bei's limit.
It was not impossible to add a few more years, but the time and resources required would increase several times over, making it more loss than gain.
But what about Xue Mingqing?
They were both clearly six years old, yet his first soul ring was a terrifying thousand-year ring. Why did it feel like you and I weren't even cultivating the same way?
Xue Mingqing coughed awkwardly and rubbed his nose. "I just got lucky."
Only after leaving Blizzard City and spending some time with the mercenary Ning Yurong and the others did Xue Mingqing realize just how monstrous his thousand-year first ring was!
Simply calling it monstrous might not convey how monstrous it was. For comparison, Sea God Tang San, at Xue Mingqing's age, had only had a first soul ring of slightly over four hundred years.
With the two compared side by side, wasn't Xue Mingqing practically an ultimate prodigy?
At first, Xue Mingqing had thought he succeeded because of the month he spent cultivating bitterly.
But now, looking at the bright yellow soul ring beneath Bei Bei's feet, he realized how laughable that idea was.
What, was he the only one who knew that tempering the body could increase a soul ring's age? Did none of the other families and sects know?
No. They knew. They absolutely knew!
But since they knew this, why had none of their talented disciples obtained a thousand-year first ring?
The answer was already obvious. It was all because Feng Qingyang had provided Xue Mingqing with a safety net.
First, Hurricane Body Tempering had greatly increased Xue Mingqing's natural aptitude and physical strength. Then, Feng Qingyang had implanted a Soul Bone Seed into him.
That way, when he absorbed a thousand-year soul ring, his body could withstand it.
The tremendous Soul Power brought by the thousand-year soul ring was also drawn away by the Soul Bone Seed, most of it being absorbed so that Xue Mingqing would not be burst apart.
The two factors combined to create the monster that was Xue Mingqing and his thousand-year first ring!
Realizing that seventy percent of the reason he had succeeded was Feng Qingyang's doing, Xue Mingqing only wanted to shout, My teacher is badass!
As for the remaining thirty percent, that was naturally because Xue Mingqing himself had possessed unwavering willpower. Otherwise, Hurricane Body Tempering alone would have eliminated him.
At this moment, as Xue Mingqing revealed his martial soul and soul ring, Elder Lin and the other two beneath the platform instinctively froze. Once they came to their senses, they all turned around, their faces filled with horror, and stared at Mu En.
Only when they turned around did they discover that Mu En's face was also filled with astonishment.
Seeing Mu En's expression, how could these three centenarian elders fail to understand?
Before Xue Mingqing revealed his soul ring, even Mu En himself clearly had not known just how great Xue Mingqing's talent was!
When ordinary people saw this thousand-year first ring, they might only feel shocked. They would never think of its deeper significance.
But they were different. As the strongest experts of the current age, how could they be so short-sighted?
What did a thousand-year first ring signify?
It meant that as long as Xue Mingqing did not die prematurely, his minimum future achievement would be that of a Limit Douluo. It was even possible that he might reach the legendary divine realm!
One had to know that even someone as powerful as Mu En, a Rank 99 Limit Douluo and one of the strongest experts in the world, had only had a regular yellow first soul ring.
Xue Mingqing's first ring was purple. Which of them had greater talent was obvious at a glance.
As for whether Xue Mingqing's first soul ring had been forcefully piled up with heavenly treasures and medicinal pills?
That was even more impossible. They might not understand Xue Mingqing, but did they not understand those people from the Sun Moon Empire?
The people who most loved taking pills to exchange for strength had always been those from the Sun Moon Empire.
Because their natural talent was insufficient, they could only frantically take pills, burning through their future potential in exchange for short-term improvements.
In the short term, they could indeed achieve cultivation superior to others of the same age, but the strength they gained was unstable.
Put simply, their entire bodies radiated an empty, unsteady aura. Their foundations were weak, and they were nothing but scrawny weaklings.
But what about Xue Mingqing?
His blood and vital energy were vigorous and abundant, while the Soul Power fluctuations he emitted were as calm as an ancient well, steady beyond belief.
There was no way his cultivation could have come from taking pills!
The four of them remained silent for a long while without saying a word. In the end, it was still Mu En who spoke. "I think... we need to hold another Sea God Pavilion meeting..."
Beneath the golden morning light, a fresh morning breeze carried the desolate chill of the Soul Fighting Platform as it brushed past the robes of the four elders.
After that breeze passed, there were no longer any old men here. All that remained were the two youths standing on the Soul Fighting Platform...
On the platform, Bei Bei stared at the pale-purple soul ring beneath Xue Mingqing's feet and fell silent for several breaths.
His rationality was shrieking wildly that this was a battle he could not win, but the pride of a genius would not allow him to surrender outright!
Even if he lost, he had to lose openly and honorably!
Clenching his fists, Bei Bei's gaze once again sharpened.
"Come on! Let me see what kind of power your thousand-year first ring has!"
Xue Mingqing smiled. Holding the Snow Sword, he flourished it in a cool sword flourish, then—
He slowly tightened both hands around the Snow Sword. "That's some impressive courage... In that case, Hurricane Flash!"
This was not a move from Hurricane Sword Art. It was merely a sword slash Xue Mingqing had performed using the principles of Hurricane Sword Art. Put plainly, this was just Xue Mingqing's basic attack.
Against Bei Bei, Xue Mingqing did not even need to use a soul ring skill.
The moment the word "flash" fell, Xue Mingqing's entire body shot forward in an instant!
He actually transformed into a Green Flowing Wind hurricane and slashed toward Bei Bei!
Before you continue