The Price of a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring

Two days later, after two days and nights of rushing the work, En Zuo wearily placed the Battle Armor design blueprints back into the drawer. The One-Word Battle Armor—Nightmare—had been finalized. All that remained was forging and manufacturing.

En Zuo had already settled on a plan.

"Before the All-Continent Youth Advanced Elite Tournament four years from now, I'll reach Soul King and complete the entire One-Word Battle Armor."

En Zuo did not know how great his chances were against the Shrek Seven Monsters' chosen candidates, but he reckoned that, under the current circumstances, defeating Senior Brother Long Yue would be somewhat difficult.

Before he had figured out the gap in their strength, he never underestimated any opponent.

His opponent was one of the Dragon God's two halves.

The other Shrek Seven Monsters candidates were all extraordinarily gifted Soul Masters of the current era. Being invincible among those of the same rank and fighting above their rank were commonplace for them.

Perhaps in other people's eyes, En Zuo and Long Yue were both geniuses seen only once in a thousand years. Their first three Soul Rings being Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Rings was even unprecedented.

Yet only En Ci and Long Yue, the two people closest to En Zuo, knew the truth.

By attaching Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Rings to his first three Soul Rings, En Zuo had already overdrawn a portion of his future potential.

"Demon Ding." Thinking of this, En Zuo softly called to Demon Ding, who was clutching a blood pack in his arms and happily dreaming.

A drop of drool hung from the corner of his mouth.

Only after hearing En Zuo's call did Demon Ding groggily open his eyes.

En Zuo sat upright, rubbed Demon Ding's round head, and gently asked, "Demon Ding, do you feel all right?"

Demon Ding tilted his head and thought for a while. He patted his belly, then shook his head, indicating that he did not feel anything unusual.

En Zuo forced a smile. As a Martial Soul, Demon Ding was not actually complete.

From the moment his Martial Soul awakened at the age of six, his first Martial Soul, Demon Ding, had inevitably become an accessory to the Crystal Staff.

Even his ability to attach Soul Rings had completely disappeared.

In other words, En Zuo could attach Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Rings because two Martial Souls were bearing the same Soul Ring.

He had sacrificed his first Martial Soul's future potential to attach Soul Rings in exchange for an absolute advantage in Soul Ring age during the early stages.

En Zuo could not say which was better or worse.

Yet even though Demon Ding could not attach Soul Rings, En Zuo still tried to make up for Demon Ding's flaw.

He was unwilling to accept it.

The feeling of losing something that should have been yours was different from never having possessed it at all.

Martial Soul flaws had always been a thorny issue on the Douluo Continent. Yet the Master, Ma Hongjun, Ning Rongrong, and even Ma Xiaotao had all proven one thing.

As long as the conditions were met, a Martial Soul could break free from its cocoon and transform into an exceptionally powerful Martial Soul.

Unlike the vague understanding Soul Masters on the Douluo Continent had of Martial Soul Evolution, En Zuo was certain that Demon Ding could control his own evolution.

He could sense the power of evolution hidden within Demon Ding's body, restrained precisely because he had no Soul Rings.

From Ding-Ding Demon to the later Demon Baron, Demon Ding should have possessed the potential to reach a higher level.

"I'll make us stronger."

En Zuo did not want to see Demon Ding, who had grown up alongside him, gradually fail to keep up with his second Martial Soul because of Soul Ring limitations and eventually leave En Zuo's combat system.

Demon Ding, perched on his shoulder, patted his round belly and let out a satisfied burp. He tucked En Zuo's words away in his not-so-clever little mind.

But compared to fighting, Demon Ding preferred...

Eating to his heart's content!

Over the past two days, Demon Ding had eaten wonderfully.

Although En Zuo had buried himself in the Battle Armor design, Long Yue's little brother regularly delivered blood packs to him at mealtimes. Demon Ding was very satisfied with that.

Seeing Demon Ding's carefree nature, En Zuo smiled. As long as Demon Ding was happy, that was enough. As long as he worked hard, everything would get better.

"En Zuo, there are some things I want to discuss with you." En Ci's figure appeared outside the door. His beard and hair were completely white, and his aged frame was faintly stooped.

"It concerns that child, Yuhao."

En Ci felt rather moved. He had not expected En Zuo to find a candidate after being away for only half a day. Although the boy's Soul Power Level had barely reached eleven, he shared not only the name of the Spirit Pagoda's founder from ten thousand years ago, but also the same Martial Soul and Soul Skills.

That alone meant the child would certainly become famous throughout the Star Luo Continent in the future.

"Teacher?"

En Zuo opened the door. In his memory, En Ci was usually busy attending imperial functions and handling major matters at Monster Academy. He rarely had time to come here.

He had not expected Huo Yuhao to alarm his teacher.

He asked, "What happened to Yuhao?"

"That child Yuhao may not seem as gifted as you and Long Yue at present, but I believe that if he grows up, he will become a second Ice Douluo," En Ci said with absolute certainty.

"In the future, he can protect Star Luo for a hundred years of seclusion."

"But I saw hatred in him, as well as deception..." En Ci's tone shifted, and his expression became complicated. This was the first time he had felt such intense hatred from an eleven-year-old child.

But what angered En Ci most was that Huo Yuhao's fabricated past had deceived En Zuo.

From Long Yue, En Ci had learned of Huo Yuhao's supposed background. As the Star Luo Empire's State Preceptor, he used his connections to investigate the Dai nobles within the Star Luo Empire, but the results chilled his heart.

The results showed that there was no one named Huo Yuhao in the Star Luo Empire. His identity, relatives, and even every part of his past were blank.

None of it could be verified.

With all the evidence laid bare, En Ci did not act immediately. Instead, he wanted to hear En Zuo's answer.

"En Zuo, I can tolerate the hatred within him. I can even tolerate his hatred toward the Star Luo Imperial House."

"Because you are the disciple I raised with my own hands, and he is the teammate you found."

The ring on En Ci's hand flashed, and he handed a thick stack of reports to En Zuo. He advised, "But he is taking advantage of your sympathy. Do you truly want to let someone full of lies remain at Monster Academy?"

Even now, En Ci stubbornly believed that this was information Huo Yuhao had fabricated to deceive kindhearted En Zuo.

Ever since he was young, En Zuo had treated others gently. He and Long Yue, who went mad at the drop of a hat, were complete opposites. In En Ci's—and indeed all of Monster Academy's—impression, En Zuo had always been a good child in the most literal sense.

En Zuo froze. He had not expected the problem to arise here. He respectfully accepted the report En Ci handed him, but had no desire to read it.

He knew Huo Yuhao's origins perfectly well. Whatever conclusion the report reached, En Zuo understood it more clearly than anyone.

Was En Zuo supposed to abandon Huo Yuhao because of this?

That was obviously impossible.

Huo Yuhao came from ten thousand years ago. That could not be exposed. Even to En Ci, En Zuo would not reveal this information.

En Zuo sorted through the chaotic thoughts in his mind and decided to draw on his own credibility. "Teacher, Yuhao is a descendant of a reclusive sect, while the Dai noble identity was merely a name he added for himself."

"But every part of Huo Yuhao's experience is beyond doubt. This disciple has personally verified it."