The pressure surrounding his body vanished, and Luo Qi felt a wave of relief in his heart.
He took two steps forward, placed his left hand in a fist level with his chest about thirty centimeters away, and gripped his left hand's back with his right hand, cupping his fists in a salute:
"Reporting to the Library Director, this old man began studying martial souls at the age of twelve, and more than fifty years have passed since then. Yet the Library Director's soul ring configuration is something this old man has only ever seen in this lifetime."
"According to what this old man knows, the limit age for a soul master's first soul ring is 423 years;"
"The limit age for the second soul ring is 764 years;"
"The limit age for the third soul ring is 1,760 years;"
"The limit age for the fourth soul ring is 5,000 years;"
"And the limit age for the fifth soul ring is 12,000 years."
"The ages of the Library Director's second, fourth, and fifth soul rings have already far exceeded the limit soul ring ages. Such a thing should not exist in this world."
Luo Qi paused, and continued:
"Furthermore, the color of the Library Director's first soul ring is somewhat dark, faintly showing a tendency toward purple."
"If this old man guesses correctly, the Library Director's first soul ring is already approaching a thousand years, which also exceeds the limit age for the first soul ring."
"This already violates the axiom of the limit ages for absorbing soul rings. This old man is dull-witted, and I ask the Library Director to generously clear up my confusion."
Luo Qi held an extremely humble posture, and after finishing, he once again cupped his fists in a salute.
He had delved into academia for many years, and the basic theories and principles of his scholarship all came from books and academic circles.
Now that an existence defying common sense appeared before his eyes, were his academic conclusions still correct?
Regarding this question, Luo Qi felt genuine confusion and bewilderment from the bottom of his heart, and even a trace of panic.
Yet as a scholar, he could not bring himself to engage in self-deception.
He wanted to get to the bottom of the matter, which was why he approached Qian Zong, hoping Qian Zong could resolve his doubts.
As Luo Qi asked the question about the soul ring ages, the surrounding crowd also quieted down accordingly.
They were likewise filled with eager anticipation for the answer to this question.
As everyone knew, no one could absorb a Thousand-Year Soul Ring at rank 20, nor could anyone absorb a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring at rank 40.
Yet the person before their eyes had accomplished precisely that.
This had already shattered the inherent cognition of the Soul Master World.
Qian Zong understood instantly, and could not help but sigh with emotion in his heart:
Even a primary school student like Wang Sheng knew what kind of bird-man Yu Xiaogang was, yet this old man with one foot in the grave actually still believed Yu Xiaogang's crooked theories.
However, seeing the old man's actions, Qian Zong felt a sliver of comfort in his heart.
On the mainland, there were only bowing and kneeling etiquettes, which had been passed down for over ten thousand years.
The cupped-fist salute was a social etiquette unique to Spirit Hall that he had invented and vigorously promoted.
Judging from the present, the promotional effect was exceptionally good, and soul masters had already begun using it.
This was progress!
Trash Gang, oh Trash Gang, it seems your good days are coming to an end.
Thinking of this, Qian Zong instantly became spirited.
Looking across the entire mainland, the person Qian Zong hated most was not Tang San, but Yu Xiaogang.
Tang San could only be called double-faced and selfish.
As for Yu Xiaogang, well, there was plenty to discuss there; calling him a fake human being would hardly be an exaggeration.
Qian Zong laughed heartily, and praised:
"As expected of a scholar with a sharp eye! My first soul ring came from a soul beast of over 800 years."
Saying this, Qian Zong suddenly sighed, his expression carrying a hint of regret:
"It's a pity my body hadn't been tempered to its limit at the time, otherwise the age of my first soul ring could have gone straight to a thousand years."
In reality, the age of Qian Zong's first soul ring was only a little over 400 years.
Having already become a wanted criminal, where would Qian Zong find the time to temper his physical body? Rapidly increasing his strength was the right path.
The fact that his soul ring age changed from over 400 years to over 800 years was entirely due to the reward of the Divine Test.
Still, that did not matter. What mattered was that for certain geniuses, the age of the first soul ring could indeed reach a thousand years.
Without waiting for Luo Qi to react, Qian Zong feigned confusion and asked:
"Old man Luo Qi, where did you learn this notion that soul masters have limit ages for absorbing soul rings at every rank?"
Yu Xiaogang's theory was merely an empty shell, and because his own strength was lowly, not many people believed his theory at this stage.
It was only after the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament that his theory truly began to enter the vision of soul masters.
To put it bluntly, it was entirely riding on Tang San's coattails.
Without Tang San, he would most likely have been dragged by Bibi Dong to the Divine Realm to enjoy blessings.
Luo Qi did not hide anything, and truthfully stated:
"The academic circle produced a master many years ago who published a work titled Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul."
"In the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul, there is a chapter concerning the knowledge of limit soul ring ages, which specifies the maximum age of soul rings a soul master can absorb at each stage."
Although Yu Xiaogang's character was inferior, that did not mean he lacked fame.
In his youth, he, Flender, and Liu Erlong roamed the Soul Master World together, and they did leave behind some reputation.
Hearing this, Qian Zong feigned deep thought.
Qian Zong was well-acquainted with Yu Xiaogang, but Qian Zong was now a Library Director, belonging to a completely different social class from Yu Xiaogang.
No matter how familiar Qian Zong was with him, he could not expose it directly.
"I remember now. So it was him-the Horn of Wisdom among the former Golden Iron Triangle."
"Now that you mention it, I remember too. That fellow is just a rank 29 good-for-nothing whose martial soul is supposedly a purple-skinned swine. Hilarious."
"Friend, elaborate a bit. How come I didn't know the Soul Master World had someone called a master?"
"At your age, it's normal not to have heard of it. That was all from over twenty years ago..."
"Strange, why do I always feel like I've seen the contents of the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul somewhere before?"
Luo Qi's words stirred a commotion among the crowd, and insider secrets about Yu Xiaogang from back then were exposed.
Back then, Yu Xiaogang, Flender, and Liu Erlong formed the Golden Iron Triangle, traveling the mainland and writing the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul.
Because of their unique insights, they caught the attention of Spirit Hall's upper echelon and a handful of soul master scholars, after which the master's reputation gradually began to spread in the soul master and academic circles.
During that period, Spirit Hall even planned to hire Yu Xiaogang as an honorary elder, which was considered a disguised acknowledgment of his identity as a "master."
Once this matter came out, his reputation as a master spread far and wide in the soul master circle.
A trace of surprise flashed through Yue Guan's eyes.
Both he and Gui Mei knew very well who the master was.
Yue Guan was even clear about the subtle relationship between Bibi Dong and the master.
After all, he and Gui Mei had once served as Bibi Dong's bodyguards, guarding her in secret for many years.
He knew almost everything from the time Bibi Dong was still the Holy Maiden.
This was also one of the reasons why Bibi Dong had always regarded Yue Guan and Gui Mei as her confidants.
As for the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul authored by Yu Xiaogang, both Yue Guan and Gui Mei had read it.
They discovered something fishy inside, but out of regard for Bibi Dong's status, the two of them had never commented on it.
Yue Guan's gaze fell upon Qian Zong, seeing that Qian Zong wore a pensive expression.
After a moment of thought, he remained silent and said nothing more.
Having lived for so long, Yue Guan had long since thoroughly grasped the essence of firmly maintaining a lofty position: speak less, ask little, listen more, and do more.
Ci Xue and She Long frowned slightly, as if they had heard this theory before, yet no matter how hard they racked their brains, they could not remember it.
As for Ling Yuan, she had no impression whatsoever of the moniker "master."
Rank 29-what kind of grade was that, to even deserve her attention?
Before you continue