First Soul Ring Successfully Absorbed

Dawn glimmered faintly, and mist like gauze veiled a peaceful little village. There was none of the city's clamor here, only a pastoral melody woven from crowing roosters, barking dogs, and clear birdsong.

An unassuming carriage slowly stopped beneath the old locust tree at the village entrance. The curtain lifted, and Tang Wutong jumped down first before turning to lift the drowsy Tang Wulin out. Jiang Nannan followed close behind, surveying this secluded village hidden deep in the mountains, her eyes filled with curiosity and wonder.

"Wulin, wake up." Tang Wutong gently patted her little brother's cheek and said softly, "I've brought you to meet two very important people."

Tang Wulin rubbed his eyes, looking at the unfamiliar surroundings, then at his sister and Nannan. Though he did not understand why they had come here, he obediently nodded.

The three followed a bluestone path strewn with fallen leaves into the village. At its end stood a small fenced courtyard, its gate ajar, with a few nameless wildflowers swaying gently in the morning breeze.

"This is it." Tang Wutong took a deep breath, a barely perceptible trace of nervousness and anticipation in her voice.

She stepped forward and gently knocked on the courtyard gate.

"Who is it?" A gentle woman's voice came from within, accompanied by soft footsteps.

The gate creaked open, revealing a woman dressed in simple, elegant cloth garments. She looked barely in her twenties, with peerless beauty and a temperament as gentle as water. Her smooth, long hair was loosely pinned behind her head, and her entire body radiated a soothing aura of life.

"May I ask..." Tang Wutong had just begun to speak when the woman's gaze passed over her and settled on Tang Wulin in her arms.

At that instant, an unmistakable flicker of excitement and affection crossed the woman's eyes, as though she had found a lost treasure.

"You are..." Her voice trembled slightly.

Just then, a deep, resonant man's voice came from inside the courtyard. "Ah Yin, who's here?"

As his words fell, a burly man emerged from the house. He too looked very young, with a resolute face and a short beard. Though dressed in coarse hemp clothing, he could not conceal his presence, steady as a mountain.

Yet when his gaze fell on Tang Wulin in Tang Wutong's arms, a crystalline sheen of tears rose in those eyes that seemed to have witnessed all the world's vicissitudes.

"Wutong?"

The man recognized Tang Wutong, his voice hoarse with excitement.

"Grandpa, Grandma." Looking at the "young couple" who appeared scarcely older than herself, Tang Wutong called softly, her eyes reddening.

Indeed, this seemingly young couple was none other than Tang Hao and Ah Yin, who lived here in seclusion.

Tang Hao strode forward, staring intently at the child in Tang Wutong's arms. His voice carried a tremor of authority and undisguised affection. "This is... our grandson?"

Ah Yin also stepped forward and reached out, wanting to touch Tang Wulin's little face, yet hesitated as though afraid of disturbing this dream.

Tang Wulin looked at the unfamiliar "uncle and aunt" before him, yet inexplicably felt a sense of closeness—a call from deep within his bloodline. Blinking his large eyes, he asked in his childish voice, "Are you... my grandpa and grandma?"

At that innocent question, tears instantly spilled from Ah Yin's eyes. Unable to hold back any longer, she took Tang Wulin from Tang Wutong and hugged him tightly.

"Yes, we are..." Ah Yin choked out, her tears falling onto Tang Wulin's cheeks, warm and soft.

Tang Hao stood beside her without speaking, but his large, rough hands gently stroked Tang Wulin's head, his eyes filled with fondness and relief.

Watching this scene, Tang Wutong and Jiang Nannan exchanged a smile and quietly stepped aside, leaving this warm moment of reunion to the family of four.

Sunlight pierced the mist and spilled into the courtyard, gilding this long-awaited reunion with warm gold.

After their warm exchange of news, Tang Wutong's expression gradually grew solemn. Looking at her grandparents, she laid out the grave situation facing the Douluo Continent.

"Grandpa, Grandma, things are rather complicated now," Tang Wutong said gravely. "The connection between the Divine Realm and the Douluo Continent has been completely severed, and divine inheritances can no longer descend. On this continent, apart from the two elders, Da Ming and Er Ming, the only ones left with god-level strength are you two and me."

She paused, her gaze falling on Tang Wulin, who was curiously looking around nearby, then continued, "Wulin's Martial Souls have awakened—the Blue Silver Emperor and the Soft Bone Rabbit, Twin Martial Souls. But his Blue Silver Emperor is still latent and can only appear outwardly as Blue Silver Grass. At this critical juncture, finding him a suitable Soul Spirit is vital."

After listening, Ah Yin frowned slightly, worry filling her eyes. As the Blue Silver Emperor herself, she knew how cruel this world could be and understood even better what a powerful first Soul Ring meant for her descendant.

"A Soul Spirit..." Ah Yin murmured, rapidly sifting through the suitable auras of life within the Star Dou Great Forest in her mind.

A moment later, her eyes brightened as though something had occurred to her. She turned to Tang Hao, then looked at Tang Wutong and said, "Come to think of it, we've been protecting a Soul Spirit these past few days. I think she'd suit little Wulin very well."

"Oh? What is she?" Tang Wutong quickly asked.

"A Soul Spirit from the Emerald Swan clan." Ah Yin's voice held a barely perceptible trace of pride and anticipation. "This Emerald Swan still retains her original consciousness. She once formed a contract with a human Soul Master, but that Soul Master later met an unfortunate end. I happened to be passing by, so I used the Life Secret Art you taught me to barely preserve her life and turn her into a Soul Spirit."

She paused, then continued, "Her cultivation is now only a step away from the two-hundred-thousand-year threshold. Although she hasn't broken through yet, she already possesses Quasi-200,000-Year strength. I imagine the Soul Ring abilities she can grant will be closely connected to life and healing. For Wulin, who possesses the blue silver emperor bloodline, that would undoubtedly provide the best nourishment."

Delight flashed in Tang Wutong's eyes, but she soon frowned again. "An Emerald Swan? She really is a top-tier healing Soul Spirit. But Quasi-200,000-Year cultivation... can Wulin's current Spiritual Power withstand it?"

That was indeed a serious problem. For an ordinary Soul Master, having a thousand-year first Soul Ring already marked them as a genius. Those with ten-thousand-year rings were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns, let alone one at the two-hundred-thousand-year level. The pressure on their Spiritual Power would be like a mountain collapsing upon them.

The taciturn Tang Hao spoke up then. Wisdom glimmered in his deep eyes as he said gravely, "Actually, when humans absorb Soul Rings, there is another method besides resisting through Spiritual Power alone."

He pointed at his chest, his voice deep and forceful. "Relying on physical strength. Although this method is slower and requires the body to adapt to the Soul Ring's energy bit by bit, it can indeed serve as a supplementary measure to share the mental burden."

Tang Hao looked at the innocent, uncomprehending Tang Wulin in Ah Yin's arms. A trace of fierceness and resolve flashed in his eyes, as though he had returned to those years of fighting for his life in the world of Soul Beasts.

"My suggestion," Tang Hao declared decisively, "is that we take a two-pronged approach over the next three days. On one hand, Ah Yin will guide Wulin in increasing his spiritual power. On the other, I will personally put his body through special training to improve his physical strength!"

"As long as we temper both his mind and body to their limits over these three days, I believe our little Wulin will definitely be able to withstand that Quasi-200,000-Year Emerald Swan's Soul Ring!"

Tang Hao's voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable dominance. In this little courtyard, a secret training regimen for Tang Wulin's future was quietly decided upon.

The three days of special training passed in a flash.

Over those three days, in the valley outside the village, Tang Hao became the strictest of instructors, tempering Tang Wulin's body with the iron-blooded methods unique to the "God of Slaughter." Every punch and every weighted run came with the sharp cracking of bones and the tearing and rebuilding of muscles. Meanwhile, Ah Yin stood nearby, using her Blue Silver Domain, gentle as spring breezes and nourishing rain, to mend Tang Wulin's damaged meridians while guiding him to sense the life aura between heaven and earth and temper his Sea of Consciousness.

But that was not all. Whenever night fell, Tang Wulin would sink into his Sea of Consciousness. There, the Goddess of Life's gentle guidance made his control over life force increasingly proficient, while the cultivation insights Xiao Yan had left behind for "Eight Extremes Collapse" and "Three Thousand Thunder Movement" subtly seeped into his very marrow. The Flame Mantra circulated silently within him, devouring the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and transforming it into pure Battle Qi that nourished his internal organs.

After three days, Tang Wulin had grown noticeably thinner, but his eyes shone with startling brightness, and his small body seemed to contain a volcano on the verge of eruption.

On the morning of the third day, Tang Hao drove a carriage back to the courtyard. Loaded upon it were two machines that looked somewhat old but still gleamed with the cold luster of metal.

"These are..." Tang Wutong looked at the two machines in confusion.

"I bought them in a nearby town." Tang Hao jumped down from the carriage and said solemnly, "They're a little old, but they can still measure approximate values without any trouble. After all, words alone prove nothing. We need data to judge Wulin's current condition."

He pointed at the machine that looked like a combination of a punching bag and a mechanical dial, then said to Tang Wulin, "Come, Wulin. Hit here with all your current strength—or even just throw a single punch."

Tang Wulin took a deep breath. His little face held none of a child's immaturity, but instead a composure beyond his years. He did not shout or make a fuss, merely drawing his right fist back slightly. The golden dragon king bloodline within him instantly boiled, while a faint wisp of black flame—Flame Mantra Battle Qi—flowed over his knuckles.

"Hah!"

He unleashed a punch!

Bang!!

The tremendous impact sent echoes rolling through the valley. The testing machine's needle bounced wildly, accompanied by a series of shrill grinding noises from its gears, as though it could not bear the strain.

Clack, clack, clack—

The needle finally stopped at a reading that left everyone dumbstruck.

One hundred thousand jin!

Although Tang Wulin had not used his full strength and had even held back, this casual punch had already reached the terrifying force of one hundred thousand jin!

Looking at that number, Tang Hao's hammer-holding hand trembled slightly. Back then, when Tang San lifted the Sea God Trident, it had weighed only one hundred and eight thousand jin—the weight of a god. Yet this child before him, only six years old, already possessed such terrifying physical strength!

"This..." Jiang Nannan covered her mouth, unable to believe what she had just seen.

Next, Ah Yin stepped forward and activated the other machine, a Spiritual Power tester that resembled a combination of a helmet and a crystal ball.

Tang Wulin closed his eyes and extended his consciousness into the machine. This time, its reaction was even more intense. The reading soared until it finally settled at—

4960!

The Spirit Sea Realm!

Ordinary Soul Masters only just crossed the threshold of the Spirit Sea Realm in Spiritual Power when they reached the rank of Titled Douluo. Yet Tang Wulin, a six-year-old child, already had Spiritual Power approaching a Titled Douluo's level!

"This is unbelievable..." Tang Wutong murmured, her eyes filled with pride and shock.

"Since both his body and spirit meet the requirements, let's begin." Tang Hao forcibly suppressed his excitement and spoke gravely.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Ah Yin summoned the Emerald Swan Soul Spirit.

The enormous jade-green swan floated in the air, noble and sacred. Her terrifying Quasi-200,000-Year pressure spread outward, causing the surrounding flowers and grasses to grow wildly in an instant.

Standing before the Soul Spirit, Tang Wulin looked especially tiny. He reached out and gently touched the Emerald Swan.

Everyone held their breath. To truly absorb a hundred-thousand-year Soul Spirit, one needed at least twenty thousand points of Spiritual Power for even a sliver of hope—and that was only a theoretical value. Though Tang Wulin had 4960 points, combined with a body capable of exerting one hundred thousand jin of force, he might theoretically withstand the backlash, but his chances of success remained slim.

Yet what happened next stunned everyone.

The fierce resistance they had expected never came. The instant the proud Emerald Swan touched Tang Wulin, a distinctly human trace of delight and dependence appeared in her formerly indifferent eyes. She did not resist at all. Instead, she affectionately nuzzled his palm of her own accord, then transformed into a streak of jade-green light and gently merged into his body.

There was no pain, no struggle. It was like a wanderer returning home, like water and milk blending seamlessly together.

"This..." Tang Hao and Ah Yin exchanged a glance, each seeing the shock in the other's eyes.

"It seems," Tang Wutong said, watching the scene with a smile curving her lips, "that besides Wulin's own talent, there's another reason. This Soul Spirit likes our little Wulin too. She chose this herself."

As the Soul Spirit entered his body, an emerald-green Soul Ring threaded with gold appeared around Tang Wulin. That radiance, unique to a two-hundred-thousand-year Soul Spirit and symbolizing a miracle of life, had officially descended upon this child.