800-Year First Soul Ring

Wang Zhao merely gave Die a meaningful look, and she released the aura she had kept restrained for so long, fiercely pressing it toward the sky.

The next instant, a strangely shaped "white cloud" in the sky trembled, quickly drawing everyone's attention.

Die's figure flashed at once. Possessed by her Extreme Shadow Butterfly Martial Soul, seven Soul Rings in the optimal configuration—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black—appeared around her. She instantly reached the sky and struck the "white cloud" down to the ground, kicking up a great cloud of dust.

Bibi Dong's delicate brows furrowed slightly. With a light wave of her jade-like hand, she dispersed the dust with an almost imperceptible Soul Pressure, revealing the "white cloud's" true form.

It was a winding white giant python. If not for its gleaming snake eyes, its cotton-like body could easily make one think it was some strange cloud that had fallen into the mortal world. Its enormous body did not look savage; instead, it had an oddly adorable air about it.

Of course, none of that could stop Wang Zhao from killing it. After Bibi Dong restrained it, Wang Zhao immediately had Golden Scale rush forward and use his sharp claws to tear at the Cloud-Traversing White Python's eyes.

Before long, the Cloud-Traversing White Python collapsed and died, and a dark yellow Soul Ring slowly rose from its corpse.

Just like that, the battle ended with ease, and Wang Zhao was about to absorb the Soul Ring.

But at that moment, a jade-like hand calmly stretched out before him.

"This is an eight-hundred-year Soul Ring. What are you thinking? Haven't you read the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul written by Grandmaster?"

Bibi Dong stared at Wang Zhao, frowning.

It turned out that she did not know of the Cloud-Traversing White Python Soul Beast. Only when its Soul Ring emerged did she determine its exact age from the ring's color.

Though she had not known, she believed that Wang Zhao, who had prepared for so long, must have already judged the Cloud-Traversing White Python's approximate cultivation before the battle.

What was Wang Zhao thinking? A Soul Ring that ordinary Soul Masters could only absorb at level twenty, and he wanted to absorb it now? Wasn't that seeking his own death?

However, Wang Zhao slowly shook his head and looked at Bibi Dong with a serious expression.

"I've naturally read Great Master's work, but I don't think it is absolutely correct."

"...State your reasons."

Bibi Dong fell silent for a moment, barely suppressing her temper as she spoke calmly.

Only because Wang Zhao had spent more than a year with her did she tolerate this. Had anyone else said such a thing, she would have slapped them to death long ago.

Naturally, this was within Wang Zhao's expectations. After all, he was a gentleman who did not stand beneath a crumbling wall and never took unprepared risks. I can begin the first stage now, he thought, then said solemnly,

"For example, Great Master believes that Plant-type Soul Masters can absorb the Soul Rings of animal Soul Beasts. What does Sister Dong'er think of that?"

"It is an unconstrained idea with great practical potential."

"..."

As expected of you, the Douluo World's second-ranked love-brained fool.

Wang Zhao shook his head inwardly while continuing his rebuttal aloud.

"Sister Dong'er, do you truly believe that, at the same level and tier, plant Soul Beasts are inferior to animal Soul Beasts?"

"Their strength should not be judged solely by brute force."

"Let's put that aside for now. Since Sister Dong'er mentioned practical potential, I would also like to ask: is it really so simple for Plant-type Soul Masters to absorb animal Soul Beast Soul Rings?"

"You must know that one of the traits of Beast Martial Soul Masters is their naturally robust physiques, which allow them to withstand the violent energy of animal Soul Beast Soul Rings. But can Plant-type Soul Masters withstand it? Wouldn't they accidentally explode and die?"

"If, for their First Soul Ring, Plant-type Soul Masters can only choose animal Soul Beasts, yet cannot endure animal Soul Rings around four hundred years old, wouldn't they have no choice but to settle for lower-aged Soul Rings? If this continued, wouldn't Plant-type Soul Masters forever be inferior to Beast Martial Soul Masters?"

"You must know that Plant-type Soul Masters originally had the ability to restrain Beast Martial Soul Masters because their Martial Souls contained immense, unceasing vitality. By choosing to absorb animal Soul Rings, aren't they simply sacrificing the fundamental for temporary strength and putting the cart before the horse?"

"..."

Those words truly left Bibi Dong stunned for a moment.

She was not particularly skilled in theoretical knowledge, which was why she especially admired intelligent people. Though her mind was somewhat muddled, she could still tell that Wang Zhao was not talking nonsense.

He was right. Looking at it this way, Xiaogang really did seem to be wrong... But was that possible?

Was there actually such a huge flaw in Xiaogang's invincible theories?

Leaving aside Bibi Dong's complicated feelings, Wang Zhao also fell silent for the moment. After all, this plan called Break Gang—meaning to shatter Yu Xiaogang's image of perfect wisdom in Bibi Dong's heart—had to proceed step by step.

As for whether what he said was genuinely sound and well-founded, and what about the later God King Tang...

That was the protagonist. How could he be compared to ordinary people?

Leaving aside something as illusory as Protagonist's Aura, the Mysterious Heaven Skill he cultivated was an absolute top-tier cultivation technique in the Douluo World, no matter how much netizens from his previous life had disparaged it.

And his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, even before its second awakening, was genuinely inherited from the hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor. How could it be compared to ordinary Blue Silver Grass?

Yet even so, when God King Tang absorbed the nearly four-hundred-year Mandala Snake Soul Ring, he still suffered unbearably.

Had it been any other Plant-type Soul Master, they would not have been able to endure it at all. They would have long since fucking exploded and died.

There was no shortage of records of such incidents throughout history. Did anyone really think Yu Xiaogang was the only one in the world imaginative enough to believe Plant-type Soul Masters could absorb animal Soul Beast Soul Rings?

He was simply a fame-seeking, attention-grabbing man who had caused endless harm and was utterly shameless!

Pah!

At that moment, Die suddenly appeared beside Wang Zhao and nudged him with her elbow, whispering,

"Are you still absorbing that Soul Ring? Otherwise, it'll disperse soon..."

"!"

Wang Zhao jolted in alarm, gratefully glanced at Sister Die, then immediately moved to absorb it.

But Bibi Dong grabbed him again. Before he could frown, he suddenly noticed that she was not using much force.

Wang Zhao's brows relaxed quietly.

He turned back and smiled slightly.

"Don't worry. I'm a cautious person. Since I chose to absorb this Soul Ring, I've already made thorough preparations."

"Once I've absorbed it, I'll explain it properly to you, Sister Dong'er."

As he spoke, he raised his small hand and placed it over the jade-like hand gripping him, slowly prying it away. Then, together with Golden Scale, he walked to the Cloud-Traversing White Python's corpse and sat down cross-legged.

Looking at Wang Zhao's small back, Bibi Dong's heart stirred slightly, but she quickly drove the miscellaneous thoughts from her mind.

What am I thinking...