Six-Ring Soul Emperor Shui Bing'er!

On the plaza of Tianshui Academy, Shui Bing'er's resolute refusal and the back she turned as she walked away were like a resounding slap, striking hard across the faces of Yan and the entire Spirit Hall.

The hundreds of onlookers on the plaza fell into a brief silence, which was immediately followed by an even more heated wave of discussion.

"She actually refused! That's the Golden Generation of Spirit Hall!"

"She said she's already betrothed to the Young Sect Master of the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect? How come I've never heard of this?"

"The Seven Treasures Glazed Sect may be wealthy, but in terms of influence and martial power, can they compare to Spirit Hall? Is this Shui Bing'er stupid?"

"Exactly, exactly. Young Master Yan is so outstanding—young, accomplished, and a direct disciple of the Pope. His future is limitless! What kind of prospects could she have following that Ning Xiaochun?"

Some female students, jealous of Shui Bing'er's beauty and talent, couldn't help but chime in with snide, sarcastic remarks: "Hmph, why put on such an act of purity? Maybe she's just playing hard to get! She just wants to inflate her own value."

"That's right, Spirit Hall is being so sincere, yet she's still acting coy. She really doesn't know what's good for her!"

Although these words were not spoken loudly, in the quiet plaza, they clearly reached the ears of Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er.

Shui Yue'er instantly bristled! She whipped her head around, glared at the few female students who were making the snide remarks, her willow-leaf eyebrows arched in anger, and she snapped:

"What did you say?! Have the guts to say it again?! What my sister does is none of your business! If you dare to spout nonsense again, watch out, or I'll tear your mouths apart!"

Those female students were startled by Shui Yue'er's imposing manner and shrank their necks, not daring to make another sound, though their eyes still held expressions of defiance.

Shui Bing'er, however, seemed not to have heard the gossip. Her pace did not falter in the slightest; she continued to walk toward the academy at a steady, unhurried gait. She had never cared for the opinions of irrelevant people.

However, Yan would not let her leave so easily.

"Stop!" Yan's voice carried a hint of irrepressible anger and urgency. He strode forward, blocking Shui Bing'er's path.

Shui Bing'er stopped and furrowed her brows slightly, her ice-blue eyes looking at him coldly: "Is there something else?"

Yan took a deep breath, struggling to calm himself down, and forced a smile onto his face that he believed to be deeply affectionate:

"Miss Bing'er, I know you may not understand me very well yet, which is why you've made such a rash decision. But please, give me a chance! I, Yan, truly admire you! As long as you are willing to give me a chance, you will find that I am the one most suited for you!"

He spread his arms wide, as if to embrace the entire world:

"Look at me! I am twenty-one years old and already a five-ring Spirit King! The leader of Spirit Hall's Golden Generation! A direct disciple of His Holiness the Pope! In the future, I even have the hope of challenging the Title Douluo realm or reaching even higher heights!

That Ning Xiaochun, what is he? Just a second-generation heir hiding under the protection of the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect, relying on the shade of his ancestors! What can he give you? Can he give you glory, status, and power like I can?"

The more he spoke, the more agitated he became, and his voice grew increasingly high-pitched: "Miss Bing'er, do not let a moment of impulse blind your eyes! Choosing me is your best path! The Seven Treasures Glazed Sect is nothing in the face of Spirit Hall!"

Shui Bing'er listened quietly until he finished, her expression remaining unchanged throughout.

Once Yan stopped, she spoke slowly, her voice as cold as an icy spring, yet carrying an unquestionable power: "Are you finished?"

Yan faltered slightly.

Shui Bing'er looked at him, her ice-blue eyes devoid of anger or disdain, holding only a calmness that bordered on indifference:

"You say you are stronger than me, you say you are stronger than Ning Xiaochun, you say Spirit Hall is stronger than the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect... these are all just your one-sided claims."

She paused, looking directly at Yan with a hint of challenge: "If you want to be the man of Shui Bing'er, the first requirement is that you must be stronger than me. Only by defeating me will you have the qualifications to say those things."

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire crowd erupted in an uproar!

No one had expected that Shui Bing'er would propose such a condition! She wanted to duel Yan one-on-one?!

"Defeat you?" Yan was stunned for a moment, then a playful smile appeared on his face.

"Miss Bing'er, are you sure? I am a five-ring Spirit King, and you... you shouldn't even be level forty yet, right? I don't want to hurt you."

Shui Bing'er ignored his condescension and simply repeated coldly: "Defeat me, and I will agree to you. If you lose, get lost. Do not appear before me ever again."

Her tone was flat, yet carried a decisive, iron-clad finality.

Looking into her clear and firm eyes, a desire for conquest suddenly surged in Yan's heart.

He loved this kind of challenge! He loved the feeling of breaking a wild horse! The more stubborn Shui Bing'er was, the more he wanted to conquer her!

"Fine!" Yan laughed aloud, his eyes flashing with excitement. "I accept! Since Miss Bing'er has such refined interests, I shall play along with you! However, fists and feet have no eyes; if I happen to hurt you, don't blame me!"

He stepped back to create distance, and his crimson spirit power began to surge and churn violently!

"Flame Lord, possess!"

Amidst a low roar, Yan's body suddenly grew taller, his muscles expanded, and his skin turned a deep crimson, like red-hot iron.

His short, fiery-red hair stood on end, igniting into raging flames. A violent, scorching aura swept outward, causing the surrounding crowd to retreat one after another, feeling an unbearable heat.

Two yellow, two purple, one black!

Five spirit rings rose slowly from beneath his feet, radiating a powerful spirit power fluctuation!

A five-ring Spirit King!

And the fifth spirit ring was actually a ten-thousand-year-level black spirit ring!

Another gasp erupted from the crowd!

"My god! A five-ring Spirit King! Young Master Yan is only twenty-one, right? This talent is too terrifying!"

"His fifth spirit ring is already ten-thousand-year-level! He is worthy of being the Golden Generation of Spirit Hall! This strength is absolutely invincible among his peers!"

"That Shui Bing'er is going to suffer now! No matter how strong she is, she can't possibly challenge a Spirit King across multiple ranks, can she?"

Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo Gui Mei stood to the side, both wearing satisfied smiles. They had absolute confidence in Yan's strength.

In their eyes, the conditions Shui Bing'er proposed were nothing short of self-humiliation.

However, facing the overwhelming pressure of Yan's spirit power, there was not a trace of fear on Shui Bing'er's face.

She slowly raised her right hand, and ice-blue spirit power surged forth like a rising tide.

"Ice Phoenix, possess."

A clear, resonant phoenix cry seemed to descend from the heavens, and the phantom of an Ice Phoenix—graceful in form, its feathers carved from ice crystals—slowly unfurled its wings behind her. Endless cold radiated from her as the center, and the ground rapidly crusted over with thick frost, standing in defiance against the heat waves emitted by Yan.

Then, amidst the shocked gazes of everyone present, the spirit rings beneath Shui Bing'er's feet lit up one after another.

The first, yellow. The second, yellow.

The third, purple!

The fourth, black!

The fifth, black!!

The sixth, black!!!

Two yellow, one purple, three black!

Six spirit rings pulsed slowly beneath her feet, radiating a terrifying, suffocating pressure.

Six rings! A Spirit Emperor!