You Have Two Soul Rings, Yet Your Soul Power Is Only Level Fifteen!

"Yes."

Xiao Shenghe answered without the slightest hesitation, his voice clear and crisp.

He did not give the number at once. Instead, he paused for a brief moment.

That short silence was not hesitation. It was as though he were gathering the force to declare something that would overturn everything they thought they knew.

Slowly, deeply, he drew a breath. His chest rose slightly, as if he meant to take in the doubt and Spirit Resonance filling the valley, then turn them into pure certainty.

Only then did he speak. His voice was not loud, yet it was like a stone dropped into a perfectly still lake. Every syllable sent out ripples that refused to fade:

"Soul Power Level fifteen."

The instant his words fell, time seemed to stretch and freeze beneath an invisible force.

"Fif...teen?"

A thin, trembling voice was the first to tear through the silence. It came from a small Soul Beast, emerald green from head to tail.

Its once-bright eyes had gone round, filled with sheer, uncomprehending horror.

That whisper was like a fuse, setting off a volcano that had long been held in check.

"How is that possible!"

A roar like muffled thunder burst out from an enormous beast covered in armor like stone.

It lurched a step forward, making the ground tremble. Fury and alarm burned together in its bell-sized eyes.

"Level fifteen Soul Power, yet he can bear... bear the 'weight' of a soul like that? It defies the fundamental truths of heaven and earth!"

Its voice brimmed with instinctive anger and fear at seeing the rules it knew trampled underfoot.

Then more voices erupted, noisy and chaotic, weaving into a wave of disbelief:

"How could such a monster exist in this world!"

"How can that be? Soul Ring slots and Soul Power Level are iron laws at the foundation of every Soul Master. They have been passed down since ancient times and have never changed!"

"Exactly! This... this makes no sense!"

"Could it be some kind of illusion we cannot understand? Or..."

"What in the world is his soul made of?"

Doubt, astonishment, fear, curiosity... Every emotion crashed and echoed through the Soul Beasts like a tangible torrent.

They no longer maintained the composure and detachment of Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts. Now they seemed like creatures abruptly thrown into an unknown fog, watching the knowledge and rules they relied on crumble before their eyes.

Some Soul Beasts leaked Soul Power uncontrollably, halos of every color casting bizarre light across the valley; others instinctively huddled together or backed away, every movement betraying caution and unease.

At the center of the sudden uproar, the Clouded Deer Chieftain seemed to have become a motionless jade statue.

She made no sound. Nor did she show her feelings as openly as the other Soul Beasts.

She simply stood there. The peaceful glow surrounding her now flowed with unnatural slowness, almost frozen, its light flickering dimly. It was as if the storm in her heart was raging all the more violently for being silent.

Her gaze locked on Xiao Shenghe like two beams of light honed to a point.

It was no longer mere scrutiny. She seemed to be silently taking him apart, looking through appearances to the truth beneath.

From Xiao Shenghe's calm eyes to his straight but still boyishly slender shoulders, and then to his hands hanging naturally at his sides, as though they held some ineffable rhythm...

Her gaze swept over every detail, seeking the faintest clue in a body that held only level fifteen Soul Power to explain its earth-shaking potential to contain "nine Soul Ring spaces."

Even the valley wind seemed to sense the gravity of the moment. It grew cautious, daring only to rustle faintly through the leaves, as though afraid to disturb this silent confrontation over the very rules of the world.

At last, when the clamor around her had quieted somewhat and every gaze had turned to her, the Clouded Deer Chieftain shook her head with excruciating slowness, almost imperceptibly.

It was not a denial. It seemed more like an effort to force down the shock churning inside her.

When she finally spoke, her voice was no longer clear and ethereal. It was low and heavy, as though ground against gravel, and every word seemed to be dragged from the depths of her soul:

"Incredible. Truly incredible!"

"Level fifteen Soul Power,"

she repeated, absurdity and gravity mingling in her tone.

"Yet he possesses a soul 'capacity' that makes even beings like us, who have cultivated for ten thousand years and glimpsed the barest edge of heaven and earth's laws, feel... a shiver."

Her gaze left Xiao Shenghe and slowly passed over her fellow Soul Beasts, who were still restless,

before settling on Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Bone Douluo Gu Rong, who guarded Xiao Shenghe's sides like two silent mountains.

Her eyes held a tangle of emotions: the embers of shock, profound confusion, and finally a grave resolve in the face of the unknown.

"Mom, then let's hurry to the Ritual Altar!"

Xiao Yao called out.

"All right, everyone. Let's go."

"All right."

"Shenghe."

"Hmm? What is it, Grandpa Gu?"

"Once you've chosen a path, keep walking forward."

Gu Rong's gaze swept over the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts around them, whose Soul Power still flickered erratically. There was no threat in his eyes, only the calm statement of a man who had seen much of life,

"No matter how many hardships and dangers lie ahead, don't spend the whole journey hiding from them."

"If you're true gold, you needn't fear the fire."

"Understood, Grandpa Jian. I'll remember that."

Half an hour later.

"So this... is the Ritual Altar where the Clouded Deer hold the Secret of Symbiosis ceremony?"

Xiao Shenghe spoke softly, as though afraid to disturb the stillness of the place. His voice carried something close to reverent wonder,

"It's... vaster than I imagined, and heavier with history."

"Hehe, of course! Impressive, aren't we Clouded Deer?"

The young deer accompanying them grinned proudly.

Xiao Shenghe did not answer. He merely nodded.

"You two, no outsiders may participate during the ceremony, so please wait outside for a while."

A Clouded Deer respectfully gestured to Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Bone Douluo Gu Rong.

"Mm!"

Sword Douluo Chen Xin replied.

"Xiao Xue, this is the boy who will enter into our clan's secret art, the 'Secret of Symbiosis,' with little Yao, correct?"

"Yes, Elder Xuan."

At that moment, an aged, steady figure stepped slowly out of the shadows beside the altar.

"Grandpa Lu Xuan! It's been so long!"

Xiao Yao hurried forward in delight.

"Yes, Yao, it has been a long time."

The old priest's voice rang softly like an ancient bell. Lu Xuan, who would preside over the ceremony, held an Antler Staff and walked with extreme slowness, as though each step bore the weight of a thousand years.

The end of his staff struck the stone with a dull thud, thud, thud, echoing across the empty altar like the heartbeat of time.

"Senior!"

Xiao Shenghe bowed deeply to Lu Xuan.

"Good, good, good!"

Lu Xuan said it three times, a gentle light in his eyes.

"Then let us begin!"

"Formation, arise!"

In an instant, light swirled at the center of the altar, and Runes floated into the air,