"Father! Stay your sword! This era is different from the one you lived in!"
Qian Daoliu gripped the Angel Holy Sword in his hand and looked at the figure holding Judgment Blade high overhead. He shouted himself hoarse, "In this era, absorbing a Thousand-Year Soul Ring as one's first Soul Ring is not without safeguards! The procedures and techniques are already fully developed!"
Qian Daoliu's roar, mixed with the powerful Soul Power of a Ninety-Ninth Rank Peerless Douluo, reached Qian Wushuang's ears with perfect clarity.
High atop the towering ancient tree, Qian Renheng and Qian Renxue, sheltered within the Soul Power barrier, finally realized what was happening.
The siblings exchanged a glance, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
So that was why Great-Grandfather had suddenly flown into a rage and even wanted to kill his own kin for the greater good.
For ten thousand years on the Douluo Continent, it had been an ironclad rule that the maximum age limit for a first Soul Ring could never exceed five hundred years.
There were even differences between Beast Martial Souls and Tool Martial Souls due to the varying Martial Souls and constitutions of Soul Masters.
Among Soul Masters obtaining their first Soul Ring, those capable of absorbing a four-hundred-year Soul Ring were already exceedingly rare.
Without the groundbreaking discovery of Whale Rubber, two children around six years old like them—
Trying to absorb Thousand-Year Soul Rings as their first Soul Rings would have meant nothing more than exploding to death like firecrackers. It was no different from courting death.
No wonder Great-Grandfather had immediately gone all out against Grandfather. Great-Grandfather had only just been resurrected, and they had not yet had the chance to tell him about Whale Rubber. A misunderstanding was inevitable.
"Great-Grandfather, show mercy! This is all a misunderstanding! Please go easy, and don't wear yourself out."
Qian Renheng watched that sword which seemed to pierce heaven and earth, terrified that Qian Wushuang might tremble and send it down to send Qian Daoliu on his way.
"Yes, Great-Grandfather! It's all a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding! You and Grandfather, stop fighting!"
Qian Renxue anxiously stomped her feet atop the tree branch. Unlike Qian Renheng, she was not nearly as calm; she was genuinely frightened.
"A misunderstanding?!"
In midair, Qian Wushuang, who looked like a god at that moment, slightly furrowed his brows.
A trace of hesitation flashed through his golden-brown eyes. Since both of his precious great-grandchildren said it was a misunderstanding—
Then there had to be some secret he did not know. At the same time, he felt somewhat remorseful for not giving Liu'er a chance to explain himself.
Whoosh—
With a thought from Qian Wushuang, the raised Judgment Blade turned into golden light that scattered across the sky.
The thousand-meter-tall angel phantom followed suit, dissolving into pure energy in midair.
He recalled his Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul into his body and slowly drifted down from the sky, landing not far from Qian Daoliu.
Phew—
Seeing his father disperse the soul skill, Qian Daoliu deflated like a punctured balloon, the tension in his muscles instantly vanishing.
"Hahaha... I survived. That was terrifying!" he muttered, collapsing onto the ground without a shred of dignity.
He panted heavily, the back of his robes already soaked through with cold sweat. The more he thought about it, the angrier and more aggrieved he became.
"Father, did you really want to kill me just now? That was your strongest soul skill, Angel Descent!"
He was the Great Elder of Spirit Hall, the invincible ruler of the skies revered by the world, Qian Daoliu, the Ninety-Ninth Rank Angel Douluo.
And he had nearly been cut down by his own father?!
Qian Daoliu shakily raised a finger and pointed at Qian Renheng on the distant treetop, saying irritably:
"Xiao Heng! Come here. Come explain to your Great-Grandfather what exactly is going on. After all, you were the one who discovered it!"
Qian Wushuang ignored Qian Daoliu throwing a tantrum on the ground and casually waved his hand, dispersing the Soul Power barrier.
Then, a gentle gust of wind carried the two children down and set them steadily before him.
"Xiao Heng, Xiao Xue, what exactly is going on?" Qian Wushuang asked, his expression puzzled and his tone unbelievably gentle.
He looked nothing like the man who had just been cold-eyed and frost-faced, as though he were about to judge Qian Daoliu.
Could it really be that I misunderstood Liu'er? Qian Wushuang thought, then slightly shook his head.
But how could there possibly be a Soul Master in this world who could absorb a Thousand-Year Soul Ring as their first Soul Ring?
That completely defies the limits of what the human body can endure!
"Great-Grandfather, it's like this..." Qian Renheng gave a bitter smile, stepped forward, and gathered his thoughts.
He clearly explained how Whale Rubber had been discovered, how it had been tested, and how it had been applied.
"So, Xiao Heng, you accidentally discovered it while reading in the Library Hall when you were four?"
Spirit Hall's Library Hall had five floors in total. The first through third floors were the most ordinary and were open to the public.
Starting from the fourth floor of the Library Hall, the records became extremely precious.
They were Spirit Hall's accumulated legacy of ten thousand years. No one could say for certain what was inside.
Only Spirit Hall's upper ranks could enter with tokens to consult the books they needed, and they were not allowed to take them away.
"But isn't Whale Rubber only used for..."
At that point, Qian Wushuang's old face reddened. His voice faltered, and he simply could not say the rest.
Xiao Heng and Xiao Xue were only six years old. Mentioning Whale Rubber's aphrodisiac and virility-boosting effects in front of children would truly damage the dignity of a Peerless Douluo!
"Great-Grandfather, what you are referring to is untreated Whale Rubber, all of which is full of impurities."
Qian Renheng's expression remained unchanged as he explained seriously, "Ordinary Whale Rubber that has not undergone high-level purification is harmful rather than beneficial to Soul Masters, even Ten Thousand Year Whale Rubber!"
"That stuff can be used as... ahem, ahem, you understand, Great-Grandfather. But consuming it long-term will damage a Soul Master's foundation!"
"After two years of extensive secret research, Spirit Hall discovered that as long as Whale Rubber is completely melted at an extremely high temperature—"
"And all impurities are thoroughly removed, it undergoes a complete transformation and becomes a priceless treasure greatly beneficial to a Soul Master's body!"
Pride filled Qian Renheng's voice. Though he said he had discovered it by chance in the Library Hall—
Only he himself knew what had truly happened.
"For Soul Rings below ten thousand years, the limit a Soul Master can absorb has never been some fixed, unchanging rule."
"Rather, it is determined by the Soul Master's physical condition and the toughness of their meridians. In other words..."
At that point, Qian Renheng directly transformed into a Martial Soul theory master, a super-enhanced version of some Xiaogang.
"As long as a Soul Master thoroughly tempers their body until it is strong enough before awakening their Martial Soul and absorbing a Soul Ring—"
"Forget Thousand-Year Soul Rings. Even absorbing a nine-thousand-nine-hundred-and-ninety-nine-year Soul Ring as one's first Soul Ring is theoretically possible!"
"During the two years before your resurrection, Great-Grandfather, Spirit Hall used a large number of criminals for clinical trials."
"After consuming purified Whale Rubber, a Soul Master's physique would be greatly strengthened. At first, their first Soul Rings could break through the five-hundred-year limit!"
"Then came six hundred years, seven hundred years, eight hundred years, nine hundred years, one thousand years for the first Soul Ring!"
"At this point, Spirit Hall already possesses a complete system and process for Over-Limit Soul Ring Absorption."
"After consuming highly purified Whale Rubber, Soul Masters suffer absolutely no side effects. Absorbing a Thousand-Year Soul Ring as their first Soul Ring is even less of a problem!"
"So the chance of my sister and me encountering danger while absorbing Thousand-Year Soul Rings is extremely, extremely small!"
"Besides, even if something unforeseen happens, don't we still have Grandfather and you, Great-Grandfather? You could forcibly interrupt it then!"
Hiss—
Qian Wushuang sucked in a breath, listening with utter fascination, his old eyes widened into perfect circles.
That thing produced in the brains of whale-type Soul Beasts, something despised by Soul Masters—
After purification, it could actually have such an unreasonable, unimaginable, heaven-defying effect?
This was simply an enormous shock to him, a man from the old era!
Before you continue