Traits

Xuan Xiao nodded, then slowly released his Soul Rings.

Two purple, two black—four Soul Rings appeared beneath his feet, slowly rotating as they radiated an oppressive aura that made hearts tremble.

The two black Soul Rings in particular were each deeper and heavier than the last, like twin black holes swallowing the light around them.

Everyone in the classroom suddenly felt their bodies grow heavy, as though an invisible mountain had been placed upon their shoulders, making it hard to breathe and causing their hearts to race.

Two purple and two black?

Twelve years old, four rings, two purple and two black?

Wang Yan's glasses nearly fell off. His mouth hung wide open for a long while, unable to close, and he stood frozen in place as if someone had cast a paralysis spell on him.

After teaching for so many years, this was the first time he had ever seen a genius of this caliber.

No, this was no longer a genius. This was a monster!

Wang Yan took several deep breaths before barely steadying himself. Then, his voice trembling, he asked, "Your Soul Ring... how many ten-thousand years is it?"

Xuan Xiao thought for a moment before answering truthfully.

"Sixty-eight thousand years. After absorbing it, my Soul Power directly rose by three levels."

Wang Yan's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and his voice cracked. "How much?!"

Sixty-eight thousand years! That was already close to seventy thousand years!

Even a Soul Sage-level powerhouse might not necessarily be able to hunt a Soul Beast of that level alone!

Yet he, a level forty-three Soul Ancestor, had actually absorbed a sixty-eight-thousand-year Soul Ring?

And his Soul Power had even risen by three levels immediately afterward?

What the hell kind of godlike feat was that?!

Wang Yan felt that his worldview had suffered an unprecedented blow.

He gripped the lectern and took several deep breaths before barely managing not to lose control on the spot.

The entire class was dumbstruck as well. Their eyes were wide and their mouths hung open, like a flock of chickens struck by lightning.

As they stared at the two black Soul Rings beneath Xuan Xiao's feet, they felt their brains were no longer enough to process it all.

Xiao Xiao sat beside Xuan Xiao, feeling the pressure radiating from the two Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Rings at close range. Her little heart pounded wildly.

After Xuan Xiao put away his Soul Rings and sat down, he saw Xiao Xiao's lovestruck expression. Her eyes sparkled, a glistening thread of drool hung from the corner of her mouth, and she looked as though her soul had been sucked out.

He waved a hand before her face. "Snap out of it."

Only then did Xiao Xiao suddenly come back to herself. She hurriedly wiped the drool from her mouth, her face reddening further as she lowered her head and did not dare look at him.

Xuan Xiao looked at her shy appearance and sighed, his tone carrying a hint of seriousness.

"Don't just think about acting lovestruck. I'm a dangerous person. Whether you want resources from me or simply like this face of mine, you need to think it through. Once you take that step, your entire life will become entangled with mine. This is a road of no return."

Xiao Xiao raised her head and looked at him, unprecedented determination in her eyes. "I'm not afraid."

Xuan Xiao looked into her clear eyes, fell silent for a moment, then smiled without saying anything else.

The dismissal bell rang. Xuan Xiao stood up and was about to leave when Wang Yan called out to him.

"Student Xuan Xiao, please wait."

Xuan Xiao stopped and turned back to look at him. "Is there anything else?"

Wang Yan adjusted his glasses and walked up to him. There was some hesitation on his face, but he still asked.

"Um... regarding your fourth Soul Ring, I'd like to learn more about it for the records. After all, a case like yours is extremely rare even in the academy's history."

Xuan Xiao thought about it and decided there was nothing worth hiding, so he spoke.

"There's nothing to hide. Some high-level Martial Souls have their own special abilities. For example, phoenixes can naturally undergo Nirvana. One of my Martial Soul's special abilities is something I call Halving."

Wang Yan froze briefly, then pressed, "What does that mean?"

Xuan Xiao explained, "Exactly what it sounds like. Damage, abnormal conditions, or energy impacts from outside sources only have half their normal effect."

Wang Yan's pupils abruptly constricted, disbelief coloring his voice.

"What are the activation conditions for this ability? Does it have a limit?"

Xuan Xiao shook his head and said calmly, "For now, no. There are no activation conditions either, because it's a passive ability."

Wang Yan fell completely silent.

A passive ability, with no activation conditions and no upper limit.

That meant that from the moment Xuan Xiao was born, he had possessed a permanent damage-reduction aura.

And it worked against every type of damage.

Physical damage was halved, energy damage was halved, mental damage was halved, and even the effects and duration of abnormal conditions were halved.

What the hell kind of godlike passive was this?!

Wang Yan felt that the shock he had received today surpassed everything he had experienced over the past ten years combined.

He braced himself against the desk and took several deep breaths before barely calming down. Then he quickly jotted down several notes in his notebook.

"Alright, I understand. Thank you, Student Xuan Xiao."

Xuan Xiao waved a hand, then turned and walked out of the classroom.

Xiao Xiao hurried after him, walking beside him. After hesitating for a moment, she tugged at his sleeve.

"I'll tell you a secret."

Xuan Xiao bent down and leaned his ear closer.

Xiao Xiao rose onto her tiptoes, leaned close to his ear, and lowered her voice. "I have Twin Martial Souls."

Xuan Xiao straightened and looked at her. He suddenly recalled that in the original story, she had added a hundred-year Soul Ring to her second Martial Soul, wasting the advantage of having Twin Martial Souls for nothing.

After thinking for a moment, he seriously instructed her, "Then make good use of the advantage of Twin Martial Souls. Before your first Martial Soul reaches seven rings, don't add any Soul Rings to your second Martial Soul."

Xiao Xiao froze for a moment, then nodded forcefully. "Mm, I understand!"

Xuan Xiao smiled. "Go eat. I'll head back to the dorm first."

Xiao Xiao nodded, then skipped toward the cafeteria, looking to be in an excellent mood.

Xuan Xiao watched her retreating figure, shook his head, and then turned toward the dormitory building.

When he reached the bottom of the dormitory building, he saw Mu En still lying in that old reclining chair, squinting beneath the sun and looking utterly relaxed.

Xuan Xiao walked up to him and said, "Old man, no need to look for a Soul Beast anymore."

Mu En opened his eyes, clearly not having processed what was going on. He looked at Xuan Xiao with a blank expression.

Xuan Xiao continued on his own, "I handled some personal business yesterday and took care of the Soul Ring while I was at it. Sixty-eight thousand years—a large snake with wind and ice dual attributes."

Mu En abruptly sat upright, his eyes widening as he stared at Xuan Xiao in disbelief, his voice trembling slightly.

"What did you say? Sixty-eight thousand years?"

Xuan Xiao nodded, then released his Soul Rings.

Two purple and two black—four Soul Rings appeared beneath his feet, slowly rotating.

Mu En's gaze locked onto the two black Soul Rings, especially the fourth one.

He could feel the dense energy fluctuations emanating from it. It had definitely surpassed fifty thousand years.

He remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking, his voice carrying complicated emotions.

"You brat... you really do always know how to surprise people."