Precious Spirit Rings and Spirit Bones

Xiao Yan sensed strangers approaching the courtyard and immediately turned to look, surprise crossing his face.

"Father?! What brings you here? Have you finished copying the Dou Techniques already?"

Xiao Zhan hurried over and raised a finger to his lips, lowering his voice for fear of disturbing Lu Chuan's cultivation.

"Shh. Don't disturb him."

Xiao Yan immediately shut his mouth and obediently fell silent.

Nearly half an hour later, Lu Chuan finally opened his eyes and stretched comfortably.

Sure enough, being able to cultivate beats being an ordinary person by miles. Dou Qi feels great the moment it enters my body~

Only when he turned his head did he notice everyone watching him, including Xiao Zhan, who had left earlier.

"Hm? Xiao Yan's dad? Are you ready?"

Xiao Zhan stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said respectfully:

"Sir, copying the Dou Techniques will take a little longer. But representatives from Wutan City's Mittel Auction House, along with the heads of the Oba Family and the Jia Lie Family, wish to visit you. Would you..."

Xiao Yan stirred and was about to speak when Yao Lao's hushed voice suddenly sounded in his mind, stopping him short.

(Little Flame, don't say a word! If you don't want to lose out on future opportunities, just watch quietly.)

(Yes, teacher...)

Though reluctant, Xiao Yan agreed.

Lu Chuan rose. He held no prejudice against them; the Oba Family's and Jia Lie Family's grudges were with the Xiao Family, not him.

Since they had come to him, he had no reason to turn down business at his doorstep.

"Sure. Bring them over."

"Yes. I'll fetch them now."

Xiao Zhan gave a strained smile, bowed with his hands cupped, and hurried out.

Lu Chuan paid their feelings no mind. He sat down and focused on sensing the cultivation within his body.

Second stage of Dou Qi, equivalent to a level 22 Soul Master.

Having a cheat really was powerful. He could cultivate at full strength with an Earth Rank Cultivation Method while still at the Dou Qi stage, and he had advanced two stages in half a day.

He picked up the teacup beside him to wet his throat, then noticed Xun'er nearby, looking as though she wanted to say something.

"What is it? What do you want to ask?"

Xun'er picked up the teapot and gently refilled Lu Chuan's cup. Only after setting it down did she speak softly.

"Senior Lu Chuan, I'd like to ask about Spirit Rings. Since I've awakened my Martial Soul, and you said earlier that I'll need to obtain Spirit Rings, I'd like to understand them in advance."

The moment she finished speaking, Xiao Yan pricked up his ears and hurried to sit beside Lu Chuan, afraid of missing a single detail.

"Yeah, big brother. Tell us about them~"

Lu Chuan nodded and began to explain.

"The Douluo Continent has fixed rules. Spirit Rings can only be obtained by hunting Soul Beasts. Ten-year Soul Beasts produce white rings, hundred-year beasts yellow, thousand-year beasts purple, ten-thousand-year beasts black, and hundred-thousand-year beasts red.

Other Spirit Rings provide only one Spirit Skill, but a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring provides two. On the Douluo Continent, such a ring is almost impossible to come by.

And the increase in power a Spirit Ring grants grows with its age.

But that world has a hard limit: every ten levels of Soul Power, you hit a barrier. Without absorbing a Spirit Ring, you can't advance further.

You can still cultivate, but far more slowly than after absorbing one.

And unless you become a God or possess Twin Martial Souls, you can only absorb nine Spirit Rings in your lifetime."

"Holy shit! Gods?! That world actually has gods?!"

Xiao Yan's eyes went wide with disbelief.

Lu Chuan waved a hand casually. "Those gods aren't particularly powerful. They only wield a little authority over the Laws. They can't even withstand Space-Time Turbulence. In terms of strength, they fall far short of this continent's Dou Zuns and Dou Saints."

Xiao Yan relaxed at once. "Oh... So that's all. Weaklings."

Then something occurred to him, and he asked anxiously, "Big brother, we've awakened Martial Souls too. Will our cultivation get stuck at those barriers?"

Lu Chuan rolled his eyes.

"What are you afraid of? You cultivate Dou Qi!"

Xiao Yan slapped his forehead. "Right! I almost forgot."

He immediately asked another question. "Since Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings are the strongest, could I make all of mine Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings?"

"Cousin Xiao Yan, it isn't that simple."

Xun'er shook her head.

"Miss Zhu Qing only had two hundred-year Spirit Rings before. If absorbing Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings were that easy, the senior wouldn't have found only hundred-year rings for her."

Lu Chuan gave Xun'er an approving look before speaking.

"Exactly. Absorbing a Spirit Ring puts a strain on the body. If you can't withstand the impact, it will burst you apart.

The stronger your body, the older a Spirit Ring you can withstand. Absorbing a Spirit Ring over ten thousand years old also brings a fierce mental assault.

If you want every ring to be a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, you either need to devote yourself to strengthening your body or steadily raise your cultivation.

I don't know how a body strengthened by Dou Qi cultivation compares with a Douluo Soul Master's. To be safe, you should cultivate to at least the equivalent of a Dou Emperor before attempting to absorb a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring.

Of course, if you're confident enough to try earlier, no one will stop you. But I won't protect you from the dangerous consequences."

Xun'er nodded thoughtfully.

So that's how it is. Soul Beasts in Douluo serve much the same purpose as Magic Beasts on the Dou Qi Continent: both are resources for cultivators.

The difference is that Soul Beasts produce Spirit Rings, while Magic Beasts provide materials from their bodies and Magic Cores.

In that case, there's no need to rush into absorbing Spirit Rings. The best choice would be to aim for a full set of Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings later on.

"Senior Lu Chuan, if people in that world can only obtain nine Spirit Rings because of those limits, what about us?"

Lu Chuan shrugged.

"I don't know either. We'll have to figure it out as we go."

"All right."

Disappointment flickered in Xun'er's eyes, but she soon put it aside. She was still some way from becoming a Dou Emperor. There was no need to rush.

Seeing this, Lu Chuan changed the subject. "Oh, right. Besides Spirit Rings, there's an even more precious resource called Spirit Bones."

"Spirit Bones?"

"That's right. Hunting a Soul Beast has a very small chance of yielding a Spirit Bone, while a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast is guaranteed to produce one.

Spirit Bones can strengthen a Soul Master's body and grant additional skills. They can be absorbed directly, regardless of cultivation level.

There are six standard types: head, torso, left leg, right leg, Left Arm Bone, and right arm.

Beyond those, there are External Soul Bones, the rarest and most precious of all. You can only hope to stumble upon one."

Lu Chuan shared this information so he could fetch a good price for them later. After all, the harder something was to obtain, the more valuable it became.

Xiao Yan clicked his tongue in amazement.

Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts really are treasures. Not only do they produce Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings, but they're guaranteed to yield Spirit Bones too.

Too bad wanting one won't do me any good. I'm only at the third stage of Dou Qi, nowhere near becoming a Dou Emperor. Besides, I don't have enough resources to afford one!

Meanwhile, as they talked,

Xiao Zhan arrived outside the Guest Room with Ya Fei and the others.