Bone Douluo, Sword Douluo, and Sect Master Ning Fengzhi Were All Stunned! What Kind of Soul Ring Was This? Two Colors!

He murmured without thinking, his voice thick with disbelief.

"Ten-year rings are white, hundred-year rings yellow, thousand-year rings purple, and ten-thousand-year rings black. Even a hundred-thousand-year ring is only red."

Chen Xin's brows drew tight. He stared as though he could see straight through the Soul Ring.

"This... purple shot through with black, black tinged with purple. The two colors weave together as one... This isn't a color anyone should have!"

As one of the Titled Douluo standing at the continent's summit, he had seen the Soul Ring Configurations of countless geniuses: from ordinary ten-year white rings to hundred-year yellow rings, thousand-year purple rings, and even the Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings he himself possessed, symbols of power at its peak.

He had even been fortunate enough to see that heart-stopping scarlet on Golden Crocodile Douluo: the legendary Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, rare as a phoenix feather or a qilin horn.

Yet the Soul Ring forming beneath Xiao Shenghe lay entirely outside that system.

He thought of his own Soul Rings and those of his old rival, Bone Douluo. Both followed the standard yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black... configuration. Even absorbing a thousand-year Soul Beast for a Second Soul Ring was enough to earn someone the name of a monster among geniuses.

But the strange phenomenon of Xiao Shenghe's First Soul Ring had already passed beyond "genius" and touched some unknown realm.

Just then, a hoarse voice, teasing and curious, arrived with a faint ripple in space.

"Oh? Something actually made an old fellow like you gape in astonishment? That's a rarity."

"Grandpa Bone, you're here too!"

"Well, if it isn't our precious little Rongrong! Come, give Grandpa Bone a hug."

"Okay!"

Before the words had faded, the space beside Xiao Shenghe rippled like water. A tall, broad-framed Gray-Robed Elder with an eerily pale face appeared without a sound. It was Bone Douluo Gu Rong, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's other guardian Douluo.

Chen Xin did not turn. His gaze remained fixed on Xiao Shenghe's Soul Ring as he said gravely:

"Old Bones, have you ever seen a Soul Ring that's both purple and black?"

"Both colors?"

Bone Douluo froze for a moment, then scoffed, contradicting him out of habit.

"Who are you trying to fool? Soul Ring colors are distinct: white, yellow, purple, black, red. Since when do two colors mix? I've lived all these years and seen or hunted eight thousand Soul Rings, if not ten thousand. I've never heard of such a thing."

He assumed Chen Xin was being deliberately mysterious again, or had mistaken the glow of some unusual Soul Ring.

"Don't believe me?"

Chen Xin finally glanced at Bone Douluo. A hard-to-read curve touched his lips, carrying shock, confusion, and a hint of just wait and see.

"One look and you'll know!"

"Hmph. Then let's see what's going... on..."

Bone Douluo waved a dismissive hand and stepped forward, casually looking toward the seated Xiao Shenghe and the ring of light beneath him that was almost fully stabilized.

His careless expression froze. Utter shock and bewilderment replaced it, even more intense than Chen Xin's had been.

A solid Soul Ring hovered quietly beneath Xiao Shenghe.

"What kind of Soul Ring is this? Its color isn't pure purple. It looks like something that doesn't belong in our world!"

"What... what kind of existence is it?"

Bone Douluo Gu Rong was a level-ninety-five Titled Douluo famed for his unfathomable spatial abilities and formidable defense. Yet this unprecedented Soul Ring had struck even him speechless, just as it had Chen Xin.

He had seen Ning Fengzhi's Soul Rings, which surpassed the optimal configuration: yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black.

He knew his own configuration and Chen Xin's—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black—were among the finest. He had also heard of the earth-shaking might of a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring.

He even knew that legendary divine treasures or a stroke of fortune could cause a Soul Ring's age and color to evolve. A Thousand-Year Soul Ring might advance into a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, for instance, or a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring might take on red.

But that kind of evolution meant a complete change of color: a leap from one recognized tier to a higher one.

The Soul Ring before him, however, existed in a state of "coexistence." It was neither the standard purple of a thousand-year ring nor the pure black of a ten-thousand-year ring, let alone a form transitioning toward the red of a hundred-thousand-year ring.

Purple and black existed within it at once, merging to form an entirely new category outside the known system of colors.

A simple "Soul Ring mutation" or "abnormal age" could no longer explain it.

"Well, Rongrong, there you are."

The silence had stretched so long that even the wind seemed to have stopped. Then a warm, refined voice, carrying an authority of its own, came from the courtyard gate with the sound of unhurried footsteps.

The newcomer wore a luxurious white robe. Handsome and gentle in bearing, he was Ning Fengzhi, sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

His usual smile was as refreshing as a spring breeze. His gaze first fell on Ning Rongrong, who was holding Xiao Shenghe's hand, her little face full of curiosity and a trace of unease.

Then he turned to the other two elders in the courtyard and greeted them with a slight nod.

"Uncle Gu, Uncle Jian, you're here too."

As sect master, he had always treated the two guardian Douluo with respect.

But he immediately sensed that something was wrong.

Chen Xin and Gu Rong did not respond as they usually would. Their gazes remained locked on Xiao Shenghe, and the shock on their faces had yet to fade.

Ning Fengzhi was perceptive enough to recognize at once that something was amiss.

His smile faded a little, replaced by curiosity and concern.

"Hmm? What's happened to you two?"

He walked closer, his gaze moving between the two Douluo and Xiao Shenghe.

"I've never seen you so astonished. What happened?"

Whatever could put that expression on both Sword Douluo's and Bone Douluo's faces was no ordinary matter.

Ning Fengzhi's thoughts raced. He first ruled out an enemy attack or a crisis within the sect. Neither Douluo's aura held the tension or disturbance left by a battle.

That meant the cause was probably the only unexpected presence here: Xiao Shenghe, the son of an old friend whom he regarded as family.

Before Chen Xin or Gu Rong could answer, Ning Rongrong, who had stayed close to Xiao Shenghe, looked up as though she had found someone to rely on. She called out brightly, with a hint of eagerness to claim credit:

"Dad, Brother Shenghe has a Soul Ring now!"

"Oh?"

Ning Fengzhi raised his brows, understanding and pleasure flickering in his eyes.

He knew Xiao Shenghe's origins were unusual, as was his constitution. Ordinary standards could not measure his cultivation progress.

Hearing that Xiao Shenghe had finally formed a Soul Ring and crossed the threshold to become a Soul Master was indeed worth his attention.

He assumed the two Douluo were surprised by the age at which Xiao Shenghe had formed the ring, the way he had done it, or perhaps a ring age beyond the usual range for a First Soul Ring—possibly a hundred years or more.

After all, theory placed the maximum age one could absorb for a First Soul Ring at around four hundred years. But it was not impossible for a peerless genius, or someone blessed with a special opportunity, to break the rules.

A gentle smile returned to his face. He nodded to Xiao Shenghe to reassure him, then said to Ning Rongrong:

"No wonder. Come, take Dad over to see it."

"Mm! Come on, Dad!"

He thought this was a display of talent worth seeing, but still within the bounds of understanding.

Yet when he followed Ning Rongrong's lead and truly focused on the slowly pulsing ring beneath Xiao Shenghe, radiating strange fluctuations, Ning Fengzhi's composed, gentle smile froze.

Even with all the storms he had weathered as sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, his pupils contracted. He drew in a sharp breath and cried out:

"This! Is this... a two-colored Soul Ring?!"