The Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, Three Soul Skills

"Spirit Hall?"

Li Yuan scoffed inwardly.

They reacted quickly. The moment he landed in Nibelungen, the Spirit Hall's nose had already sniffed him out.

But with his current strength, with ten Titled Douluo guarding him, let alone a mere Suotuo City branch, even if Bibi Dong herself came, he wouldn't necessarily have to back down.

If the Spirit Hall dared to extend its hand, he wouldn't mind breaking a few claws first.

"No need to mind them," Li Yuan waved his hand. "Yue Yao, I have another task for you now."

"Please speak, Master."

"Immediately go to Suotuo City and its surroundings and select a suitable location. It needs to be large and open to establish an academy. Money is not an issue; buy it directly if you find something you like."

Yue Yao nodded. "Your subordinate will attend to it immediately."

She turned and walked away quickly, her skirt stirring up a gentle breeze.

After breakfast, Li Yuan brought Shui Bing'er to a stone table in a corner of the courtyard. He took out the Frost-Speaker Left Arm Bone from his system space. Its ice-blue light flowed and shone in the morning sun, releasing wisps of cold air.

"Bing'er, this is for you."

Shui Bing'er, who was sipping tea, almost dropped her cup when she saw it. Her eyes widened as she looked at the crystal-clear spirit bone. "Is this a spirit... spirit bone?"

"A ten-thousand-year left arm bone, ice attribute, with high compatibility with your spirit," Li Yuan handed the spirit bone to her. "Go and absorb it."

Shui Bing'er took the spirit bone with both hands, her fingertips trembling slightly.

Having grown up in Skywater Academy, she knew the preciousness of spirit bones.

An ordinary Soul Master might never even see one in their lifetime, let alone possess one.

Yet he casually gave it to her, as if it were pocket money.

"Master... this..." Shui Bing'er's voice trembled. "It's too valuable, I--"

"Don't just stand there, hurry up and absorb it," Li Yuan pushed the spirit bone into her hand, his tone casual. "I need to level up a bit myself, so it won't delay things."

"Level up?" Shui Bing'er blinked, her face full of confusion.

Li Yuan merely curved his lips into a mysterious smile, offering no further explanation.

Shui Bing'er looked at him for a few seconds, then swallowed her words. Holding the spirit bone, she turned and entered the side room, her eyes still filled with unconcealed flattery as she closed the door.

On a spacious training ground.

Di Jun and Long Yuan stood with their hands behind their backs, ten paces apart, their auras contained, encompassing the entire area within their senses.

Li Yuan sat cross-legged in the center, his eyes slightly closed. He flipped his palm, and a God-Bestowed Spirit Ring hovered before him, emitting a gentle golden glow.

He held his breath, concentrating, and his will sank into his spirit.

The phantom of the World-Destroying Black Dragon slowly appeared behind him, its obsidian scales reflecting the sunlight, its scarlet vertical pupils slowly opening.

"Attach."

The God-Bestowed Spirit Ring transformed into a stream of light and entered Li Yuan's body.

In the next instant, a surge of immense Soul Power erupted from the depths of his bones, washing over his meridians like a tide.

Li Yuan gritted his teeth, his brow furrowed, his body trembling slightly, but he did not let out a single groan.

Spirit rings began to form behind him.

One ring, two rings, three rings... The year markings jumped wildly, passing through millennia, three thousand years, five thousand years, eight thousand years, finally settling steadily at ten thousand years.

A pitch-black spirit ring slowly rotated around him, as deep as the night, exuding a pressure entirely different from ordinary ten-thousand-year spirit rings.

Long Yuan and Di Jun exchanged glances, a flicker of surprise in their eyes.

The moment the spirit ring condensed, three pieces of information flooded into Li Yuan's mind.

"First Spirit Skill: Dragon Might of the End."

Passive Effect: Emits the Vinster King's dragon might, causing opponents with a spirit rank lower than oneself to experience instinctive fear, reducing all attributes by 10% to 30%, and delaying spirit skill release.

Active Effect: Consumes a small amount of Soul Power to unleash a dragon roar in a frontal fan-shaped area, forcing a willpower check.

Losers are paralyzed with fear for one to three seconds; winners experience mental shock and disordered Soul Power circulation.

"Second Spirit Skill: Scale of the Rebellious Dragon."

Dragon Scale Armor covers the entire body, tripling defense and reducing all elemental attacks by 70%.

"Third Spirit Skill: Dragon Breath of the End."

Spits out dragon breath imbued with the Black Flame of the End, possessing astonishing power.

Upon impact, it continuously corrodes Soul Power, with the burning effect lasting for ten seconds.

Li Yuan slowly opened his eyes, looking down at his hands, black arcs of electricity dancing at his fingertips.

Each of the three spirit skills could be considered heaven-defying. The foundation of a ten-thousand-year spirit ring, coupled with the enhancement of a Creation-Grade Spirit, had created such a terrifying configuration.

The first ring alone could withstand ten thousand years and came with three spirit skills.

Was this the strength of a Creation-Grade Spirit?

That wasn't all.

At the same time.

The Soul Power within his body surged and climbed, breaking through the barriers of level twenty-two and level twenty-three, finally stabilizing at level twenty-four.

His physical strength also skyrocketed along with it; a layer of fine black patterns became faintly visible on the surface of his skin, the embryonic form of dragon scales appearing and disappearing, receding as he breathed.

"Level twenty-four."

Li Yuan stood up and stretched his limbs, his bones emitting a crisp crackling sound.

He turned to look at the two beside him. Di Jun stood with his hands behind his back, smiling, while Long Yuan nodded repeatedly, his eyes filled with approval.

"As expected of our Lord," Long Yuan remarked with genuine emotion. "To be able to withstand a ten-thousand-year first Spirit Ring less than a day after awakening one's martial soul—looking back at the history of the entire continent, one couldn't find a second person like this."

Di Jun nodded faintly, his gaze deep and meaningful. "The potential of the World-Destroying Black Dragon far exceeds what we imagined. Our Lord's foundation is set; the heights he will reach in the future are immeasurable."

Li Yuan exhaled a breath of stale air, a satisfied curve playing on the corners of his mouth.

"The second one."

Without hesitation, he summoned the God-Bestowed Spirit Ring again, and the dark golden light submerged into his body once more.

The phantom of the World-Destroying Black Dragon roared toward the sky, and black mist surged forth, completely shrouding his figure.

At the same time.

Suotuo City, Spirit Hall branch.

Inside the meeting hall, Cardinal Krofu sat in the main seat, a cup of cold tea resting at his side.

He was in his early forties, with a square face, prominent brow bones, and a pair of hawk-like eyes that revealed a hint of gloom.

He was the bishop stationed at the Suotuo City Spirit Hall, a level seventy-three Spirit Saint, and his word was law in this city.

Footsteps echoed from outside the door, and a deacon hurried in, bowing in salute. "Lord Bishop, I have an urgent matter to report."

Krofu lifted his eyelids. "Speak."

"That manor in the west of the city was bought yesterday. Immediately after, they began recruiting staff, offering to awaken martial souls for commoners for free."

Krofu's hand, holding the teacup, paused.

"Free martial soul awakening?"

"Yes. And the message they put out also says that if someone is chosen and willing to join, all cultivation resources, food, clothing, housing, and transportation will be covered, with a promise to train them up to the Spirit Douluo level."

Krofu set down his teacup, his brows slowly knitting together.

Free martial soul awakening had always been a method for Spirit Hall to recruit talent.

By using soul awakening to win over commoner families, any sprout with decent potential would be taken under their wing.

Now, for someone to do the same thing under the Emperor's nose was no different from snatching meat out of Spirit Hall's mouth.

"Do you know which faction it is?"

The deacon shook his head. "It's still unclear. We only know the manor was bought recently and they only started operations yesterday. I have inquired, and the other party is acting low-key; they haven't even hung a plaque at the entrance, so it's impossible to tell their depth."

Krofu sneered. "They don't even dare to show their name; that is interesting."

He stood up, walked to the window with his hands behind his back, and gazed toward the west of the city. A cold light flashed in the depths of his eyes. "To dare to snatch business from Spirit Hall—even that old thing Emperor Xue Ye wouldn't have the guts. I'd like to see who has the audacity to do this."

"Lord Bishop, should we report this to His Holiness the Pope?"

Krofu glanced back at him, his tone unpleasant.

"If we have to report such a trivial matter, His Holiness will likely think that our Suotuo City branch is raising a group of useless trash."

Cold sweat broke out on the deacon's forehead, and he quickly lowered his head. "I spoke out of turn."

"Send people to investigate." Krofu sat back down, picked up his teacup, and took a sip, his voice unhurried. "Find out their background, origin, and who the person in charge is. Get to the bottom of it for me, every single detail. I want to see what kind of remarkable character could possibly emerge in this Suotuo City."

"Yes! I will get on it at once!"

The deacon bowed and retreated.

The meeting hall fell silent. Krofu looked at the tea leaves floating and sinking in his cup, his knuckles tapping lightly on the tabletop twice.

"Snatching business right in front of me... Heh."

He set down his teacup, his gaze slowly turning cold.