The return to Spirit City was considerably quieter than the departure.
Not because anyone was unhappy.
Quite the opposite.
For the first time since the awakening of their Martial Souls, all five of them possessed their first Soul Ring.
Five yellow rings.
Five different Soul Beasts.
Five different Soul Skills.
And, perhaps more importantly to Longyu, five sets of observations that could now be compared with one another.
Jin Yue, however, was interested in something much simpler.
“Six hundred and forty years.”
Longyu kept walking.
“Approximately.”
“It’s still older than yours.”
“Approximately.”
“Even if mine is only six hundred and twenty years old, it could still be older than yours.”
“Mine could also be six hundred and twenty.”
Jin Yue thought about that for a few seconds.
Then she frowned.
“That would mean they’re the same age.”
“Yes.”
“I don’t like that.”
Qing Luoyue, walking a few steps behind them while reviewing her notebook, spoke without even looking up.
“Neither estimate is precise enough to determine which ring is actually older.”
Jin Yue turned her head.
“Whose side are you on?”
“The correct one.”
Qian Renxue burst out laughing.
Longyu smiled slightly.
Some things, apparently, would never change.
Farther ahead, Golden Crocodile Douluo shook his head.
Jiangmo, on the other hand, looked delighted.
“I told you this would happen.”
Qianjun glanced at his younger brother.
“You encouraged her.”
“Of course I did.”
“That wasn’t praise.”
“I know.”
Mu Qinghe sighed.
For the first time in several days, there was no Soul Beast to hunt, no dangerous ring to absorb, and no injured child requiring immediate attention.
He intended to enjoy the peace.
Unfortunately, he was traveling with the Five Heirs of the Worship Hall.
The peace probably wouldn’t last long.
It lasted exactly until they reached Spirit City.
The moment they passed through the gates, a member of the Worship Hall was already waiting for them.
The man bowed respectfully toward the Titled Douluo.
“The Grand Worship has requested that you report to the Worship Hall upon your return.”
Golden Crocodile raised an eyebrow.
“Immediately?”
The man hesitated.
“He said after the children have been examined.”
Mu Qinghe nodded with obvious approval.
“At least someone here has his priorities straight.”
Jiangmo looked offended.
“I have priorities.”
“Yesterday, your priority was finding out whether Jin Yue could break a rock with her new Soul Skill.”
“She could.”
“That isn’t the point.”
Jin Yue raised a hand.
“I still think we should try a bigger rock.”
“No.”
Mu Qinghe’s answer was immediate.
Jin Yue slowly lowered her hand.
Longyu had to suppress a laugh.
After several weeks of expeditions, the five of them had learned something important.
There were Titled Douluo.
There were Worships.
There was Qian Daoliu.
And then there was Mu Qinghe when someone ignored his medical instructions.
Some battles simply weren’t worth fighting.
The medical examinations took nearly two hours.
Jin Yue received the most attention.
Her absorption had been the most recent and one of the most physically demanding.
Fortunately, there was no permanent damage.
Her muscles remained fatigued.
Several meridians showed mild inflammation.
Her Soul Power circulation was stable.
Mu Qinghe prohibited any intense physical training for three days.
Jin Yue stared at him as if he had just sentenced her to prison.
“Three days?”
“Yes.”
“Can I practice Soul Power control?”
“Lightly.”
“Can I use Golden Scale Body?”
“No.”
“Can I—”
“No.”
Jin Yue widened her eyes.
“You don’t even know what I was going to ask!”
Mu Qinghe looked at her expressionlessly.
“I know you.”
Lingyu covered her mouth to hide a smile.
Longyu was examined again as well.
His right arm, which had suffered the greatest strain during the absorption of his first ring, had now fully recovered.
Luoyue and Renxue were stable.
Lingyu showed the least residual strain among the five.
Only after Mu Qinghe was satisfied were they allowed to head toward the Worship Hall.
The atmosphere changed the moment Longyu stepped through the doors.
This was not an informal gathering.
All seven Worships were present.
Qian Daoliu occupied the central seat.
Golden Crocodile took his place after entering.
Blue Luan was already waiting.
Qianjun and Jiangmo moved toward their respective positions.
The remaining Worships observed the five children with varying degrees of curiosity.
Longyu understood immediately.
This was not a celebration.
It was a report.
Qian Daoliu briefly observed the five yellow rings that appeared around the children when they were asked to display them.
His gaze lingered on them for a few moments.
Then it shifted toward Longyu.
“I was informed that the final absorption was successful.”
“Yes, Grand Worship.”
“Approximately six hundred and forty years?”
“Between six hundred and twenty and six hundred and sixty,” Longyu corrected.
“Six hundred and forty is only our current best estimate.”
Jin Yue smiled.
Longyu ignored her.
Qian Daoliu noticed.
He said nothing.
“Then begin.”
Longyu blinked.
“With Jin Yue’s case?”
“With all five.”
The hall fell silent.
Longyu had expected questions.
Perhaps a discussion.
He had not expected to present all of their results immediately.
Then again…
He had spent weeks preparing records.
He stepped forward.
“Yes, Grand Worship.”
Five documents were placed on the table.
Longyu had prepared copies.
Luoyue had corrected several descriptions related to the Soul Beasts.
Lingyu had added medical observations.
Jin Yue had complained about the amount of writing.
Renxue had reminded her that she always complained whenever something involved writing.
The first page was simple.
Preliminary Comparative Record — First Soul Ring Absorption
Case 1: Qiangu Longyu
Martial Soul: Destruction Coiling Dragon Staff.
Soul Beast: Ruinclaw Dragon Lizard.
Estimated Age: 580–620 years.
Compatibility: exceptionally high, although the exact classification remained provisional.
Observed Absorption Burden: high.
Primary Complications: meridian overload, uneven pressure concentration, and considerable physical pain.
Result: successful.
First Soul Skill: Ruin Dragon Strike.
Observed Martial Soul Modification: increased definition of the dragon coiled around the staff, particularly its scales and claws.
Longyu explained the absorption.
Not as an achievement.
Not as a victory.
He began by explaining what had gone wrong.
His initial attempt to directly resist the ring’s energy.
The dangerous accumulation of pressure in his right arm.
His decision to redistribute that energy.
The inflammation afterward.
Then he moved on to the second case.
Qing Luoyue.
Blue Feather Gale Hawk.
Approximately 540–570 years.
Very high compatibility.
Considerably lower observed physical burden.
First Soul Skill: Azure Wind Wings.
Observable changes in the wings and feathers of the Blue Luan.
Then Renxue.
Sacred Crown Eagle.
Approximately 580–630 years.
Extremely strong intuitive Martial Soul response.
Light, purification, and sacred affinity.
Successful absorption with moderate physical burden.
First Soul Skill: Sacred Light Spear.
A slight increase in the definition and purity of the Six-Winged Seraph’s manifestation.
Then Lingyu.
Jadeheart Deer.
Approximately 480–520 years.
Exceptional compatibility.
The lowest physical burden among all five cases.
First Soul Skill: Healing Light.
The appearance of a small jade marking on the chest of the Healing Angel.
Finally…
Jin Yue.
Earthscale Dragon Crocodile.
Approximately 620–660 years.
High compatibility with all four selected developmental axes.
High physical burden.
Successful absorption.
First Soul Skill: Golden Scale Body.
An observable increase in the robustness and definition of the Golden Crocodile’s scales.
When Longyu finished, the hall remained silent.
He waited.
Qian Daoliu did not speak immediately.
Golden Crocodile did.
“You forgot something.”
Longyu looked at him.
“What?”
“Jin Yue’s ring is the oldest.”
Jin Yue immediately smiled.
Longyu stared at the Second Worship.
Golden Crocodile maintained a perfectly serious expression.
Jiangmo was the first to break.
He burst out laughing.
Qianjun closed his eyes.
Even the corners of Blue Luan’s mouth moved slightly.
Qian Daoliu looked toward Golden Crocodile.
“Second Worship.”
“Yes?”
“Let the boy finish.”
Golden Crocodile leaned back in his seat.
“I was only correcting the record.” You are reading on g.com, the official source.
“We cannot determine that conclusively,” Luoyue interjected.
Jin Yue slowly turned toward her.
“Again?”
This time, even Qian Daoliu allowed a small smile to appear on his face.
Only for a moment.
Then his expression became serious again.
“Your conclusion?” he asked.
Longyu lowered his gaze toward his notes.
This was the important part.
“The conventional estimates regarding Soul Ring age remain useful.”
One of the Worships raised an eyebrow.
He probably had not expected Longyu to begin that way.
Longyu continued.
“They exist because generations of Soul Masters accumulated experience.
Ignoring them would be foolish.”
Qian Daoliu watched him carefully.
“But…”
Longyu nodded.
“But our observations suggest that they should not be treated as exact, universal limits.”
Silence.
Longyu placed another sheet on the table.
“Five Soul Masters of the same age absorbed first Soul Rings ranging from approximately five hundred to six hundred and forty years.
However, the difficulty of absorption did not increase proportionally with age.”
He pointed toward Lingyu’s record.
“Lingyu absorbed the youngest ring and experienced the easiest absorption.”
Then Luoyue’s.
“Luoyue absorbed an older one, but her process was also relatively stable.”
Renxue.
“Renxue absorbed a ring approximately the same age as mine and suffered considerably less physical strain.”
Then his own record.
“My absorption was more dangerous.”
Finally, Jin Yue.
“And Jin Yue absorbed the candidate with the highest estimated age, yet her experience was comparable to mine rather than proportionally worse.”
One of the Worships spoke.
“That could simply mean the age estimates are wrong.”
Longyu nodded immediately.
“Yes.”
The man paused slightly.
He seemed to have expected Longyu to argue.
“That is one possible explanation,” Longyu continued.
He gestured toward Luoyue.
“That is why we also need to improve the methods used to estimate the age of Soul Beasts.”
Luoyue straightened slightly.
Longyu returned his attention to the documents.
“But even allowing for a considerable margin of error in the age estimates, the differences between the absorption processes are significant enough to justify further investigation.”
Qian Daoliu lightly tapped one finger against the armrest of his seat.
“What factors?”
Longyu had prepared that answer.
“Physical constitution.”
He briefly looked at Jin Yue.
“The condition of the meridians and adaptability of Soul Power circulation.”
Lingyu.
“Soul Power quality.”
Renxue.
“Martial Soul characteristics.”
Luoyue.
“Compatibility between the Martial Soul and the Soul Beast.”
Finally, he pointed toward his own record.
“And the nature of the energy contained within the Soul Ring itself.”
Jiangmo spoke from his seat.
“You’re saying two six-hundred-year Soul Beasts could represent completely different levels of danger?”
“Yes.”
“That is already known.”
“Yes.”
Again.
No irritation.
No attempt to pretend he had discovered something no one else understood.
Jiangmo narrowed his eyes.
Longyu continued.
“What I am proposing is that we attempt to measure how much each of those differences matters.”
That slightly changed the atmosphere in the hall.
Qianjun smiled.
Barely.
But Longyu noticed.
He placed one final sheet on the table.
It contained no answers.
Only questions.
Can physical preparation increase tolerance during Soul Ring absorption?
Can the strength and adaptability of the meridians be deliberately improved?
Can recovery methods reduce risk before an absorption?
Can compatibility between Martial Soul and Soul Beast be classified with enough reliability to be useful?
Can the energy characteristics of different Soul Beast species partially predict absorption difficulty?
Can the cumulative selection of Soul Rings predictably influence the future development of a Martial Soul?
And at the bottom:
Can a Soul Master’s individual absorption limit be deliberately shifted?
Qian Daoliu read every question.
Slowly.
Longyu waited.
“And how do you intend to answer them?”
“With more cases.”
“How many?”
Longyu remained silent.
He did not have a number.
“I don’t know.”
Qian Daoliu nodded.
“Good.”
Longyu blinked.
That was not the reaction he had expected.
Qian Daoliu continued.
“If you had answered with an arbitrary number, I would have ended this conversation.”
Jiangmo let out a quiet laugh.
Longyu was not sure whether that was supposed to reassure him.
Probably not.
Qian Daoliu picked up one of the documents.
“You have five cases.”
“Yes.”
“Five children.”
“Yes.”
“All six years old.”
“Yes.”
“All from families with powerful Martial Souls.”
Longyu began to understand.
“Yes.”
“All trained from an early age.”
“Yes.”
“All with access to resources that the overwhelming majority of Soul Masters will never possess.”
Longyu remained silent.
Qian Daoliu placed the document back on the table.
“Then your sample is biased.”
Longyu immediately felt something click into place.
It was not a criticism that invalidated their results.
It was a criticism of how far those results could be generalized.
Five exceptional children did not represent all Soul Masters.
“Yes,” he admitted.
Qian Daoliu watched him.
“Only ‘yes’?”
Longyu thought for several seconds.
“Our results can demonstrate what is possible for us under these conditions.
They do not demonstrate that the same method would work equally well for ordinary Soul Masters.”
Qian Daoliu nodded.
“Better.”
Longyu made a mental note.
They needed diversity.
Different Martial Souls.
Different levels of innate talent.
Different constitutions.
Different backgrounds.
And eventually, different ages.
Five cases had just become a much larger problem.
Strangely…
that excited him.
Another Worship spoke.
“There is something that concerns me more.”
Longyu looked toward him.
“If this research spreads, there will be children attempting to surpass the established limits.”
Longyu’s expression changed.
That was dangerous.
The Worship continued.
“One rumor is enough.
‘Qianjun’s grandson absorbed a six-hundred-year ring.’ Then some father will decide that his son can do the same.”
Longyu remembered his own absorption.
The pain.
The pressure.
His right arm nearing its limit.
If someone simply copied the age…
They could die.
“Then it should not be made public,” Longyu said.
Qian Daoliu answered immediately.
“Correct.”
He looked at the five children.
Then at the other Worships.
“From this moment onward, all records related to these experiments will be considered internal information of the Worship Hall.”
Jin Yue stopped smiling.
Luoyue looked up from her notebook.
Qian Daoliu continued.
“No exceptional absorption age will be used as propaganda.
No incomplete method will be taught without supervision.
And no conclusion will be published until sufficient evidence exists to support it.”
His gaze settled on Longyu.
“Understood?”
“Yes.”
“Repeat it.”
Longyu took a breath.
“Do not confuse preliminary results with a proven method.”
“That is part of it.”
Longyu understood.
“And do not put other people at risk to prove a theory.”
Qian Daoliu nodded.
“Exactly.”
The hall remained silent for several seconds.
Longyu looked at the five documents on the table.
He had imagined many times what it would be like to change the ideas of the continent.
He had thought about theories.
Methods.
Knowledge originating thousands of years in the future.
But there was another problem he had not considered deeply enough.
An incomplete idea could also cause harm.
Knowledge without context could be dangerous.
And he possessed far too much knowledge without context.
Whale Glue was the perfect example.
He knew it could strengthen the body.
He did not know exactly how.
He knew it could help with Soul Rings.
He did not know the correct dosage.
The species.
The processing method.
The frequency.
The risks.
Remembering the result did not mean possessing the method.
Longyu lowered his gaze slightly.
That rule did not apply only to his Soul Ring theory.
It applied to nearly everything he remembered from the future.
“Then,” Golden Crocodile said, “are we finished?”
Qian Daoliu looked at him.
“No.”
The Second Worship sighed.
Jin Yue looked disappointed.
Qian Daoliu turned back toward Longyu.
“There is another claim in your records.”
Longyu immediately knew which one.
“The modifications to our Martial Souls.”
“Five absorptions. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
Five observable changes.”
“Yes.”
“Your Theory of Cumulative Martial Soul Evolution?”
Longyu nodded slowly.
“It is consistent with it.”
“That is not what I asked.”
Longyu fell silent.
Qian Daoliu held his gaze.
“Does it prove your theory?”
“No.”
“Why?”
Longyu answered without needing much time to think.
“Because we do not know how much change would have occurred with conventional Soul Ring selection.
We also do not know whether these modifications are permanent, whether they will continue accumulating with future rings, or whether they truly represent evolution rather than normal adaptation after absorption.”
Qian Daoliu’s gaze softened almost imperceptibly.
“Good.”
Longyu continued.
“We need to observe the changes for years.”
“Then do so.”
Those two words made Longyu raise his head.
Qian Daoliu gathered the documents together.
“You will publish nothing.”
“Understood.”
“You will not experiment irresponsibly on other children.”
“Understood.”
“You will not assume that observing five results means you understand an entire system.”
Longyu went still for a fraction of a second.
Qian Daoliu did not know the true meaning those words carried.
He could not.
To him, they referred only to the five cases.
To Longyu…
they meant much more.
“Understood.”
Qian Daoliu nodded.
“But you may continue.”
Longyu smiled.
“Thank you, Grand Worship.”
“Do not thank me yet.”
Qian Daoliu looked toward Mu Qinghe.
“Any research involving physical modification, medicine, or Soul Ring absorption will require medical supervision.”
“Agreed,” Mu Qinghe replied.
Then Qian Daoliu looked toward Blue Luan.
“Soul Beast records must be reviewed before they are used as the basis for selecting candidates.”
Blue Luan nodded.
“Luoyue can help.”
The girl immediately paid attention.
Qian Daoliu looked toward Golden Crocodile.
“And any physical strengthening program…”
Jin Yue straightened.
Golden Crocodile smiled.
“Leave it to me.”
Longyu felt a faint sense of concern.
So did Lingyu.
Qian Daoliu noticed.
“With medical supervision.”
Golden Crocodile’s smile faded slightly.
“That takes away some of the fun.”
“Precisely.”
Jiangmo raised a hand.
“And me?”
Qian Daoliu looked at him.
“What do you propose to contribute?”
“Experience.”
Qianjun answered before anyone else could.
“Bad ideas.”
“They’re still experience.”
This time, several people laughed.
The meeting seemed to be approaching its end when Renxue, who had remained surprisingly quiet, raised her hand.
Qian Daoliu looked at her.
“Speak.”
“If all of this is secret…
how are they supposed to obtain more cases?”
Longyu turned toward her.
Good question.
They could not simply announce that they were looking for children willing to experiment with older Soul Rings.
Nor should they.
Renxue continued.
“And if all the cases come from the Worship Hall, we’ll still have the same problem you just pointed out.”
Qian Daoliu observed her for several seconds.
“What do you propose?”
Renxue thought.
“Don’t experiment first.”
Longyu raised an eyebrow slightly.
“Collect.”
Now he understood.
Renxue continued.
“Spirit Hall already records Martial Soul awakenings, Soul Power levels, and many of the Soul Rings obtained by its members.”
Longyu felt several pieces begin to fall into place.
They did not need to create every case.
Many already existed.
They were simply scattered.
“Historical records,” he murmured.
Luoyue raised her head.
Lingyu did as well.
Renxue smiled.
“Exactly.”
Qian Daoliu did not smile.
But Longyu knew Renxue well enough to understand that it did not matter.
Her grandfather was pleased.
“Tomorrow,” Qian Daoliu said, “you will come with me to the administrative division.”
Renxue blinked.
“Why?”
“Because you just volunteered to discover how our records are organized.”
Renxue opened her mouth.
Then closed it.
Jin Yue began laughing.
“That’s what you get for talking.”
Renxue glared at her.
Longyu, however, watched Qian Daoliu.
That was interesting.
Very interesting.
Until now, he had thought mainly about direct research.
Experiments.
Observation.
Expeditions.
But Spirit Hall already possessed decades, perhaps centuries, of information.
Thousands of Soul Masters.
Thousands of Soul Rings.
Thousands of Soul Beasts.
Successful outcomes.
And failures.
Perhaps even deaths.
Maybe the problem was not necessarily the absence of information.
Maybe…
no one had organized it to answer the right questions.
When the meeting ended, the five walked together through the corridors of the Worship Hall.
Jin Yue was still satisfied.
“My ring is still the oldest.”
Luoyue sighed.
“We cannot prove that.”
“You can’t prove it isn’t.”
“That is not how this works.”
Renxue walked with her arms crossed.
“Tomorrow I have to review administrative documents because of all of you.”
Longyu looked at her.
“Technically, it was your idea.”
“That doesn’t help.”
Lingyu smiled.
“It might be interesting.”
Renxue looked at her.
“You can come.”
“I have to help Mu Qinghe with the medical records.”
Renxue looked at Luoyue.
“Soul Beast archives.”
Jin Yue.
“Training.”
Finally, Longyu.
He smiled.
“I have work.”
Renxue narrowed her eyes.
“I hate all of you.”
“That isn’t true,” Lingyu said.
“Right now, it is.”
The five continued walking.
Longyu allowed their voices to fill the corridor.
For a moment, he did not think about Tang San.
Or Bibi Dong.
Or the future destruction of Spirit Hall.
Or gods.
Or wars.
He simply listened to his friends arguing.
He had spent nearly his entire second life within these walls.
His mother was here.
His father.
His grandfather.
Jiangmo.
His friends.
The elders who scolded them.
The teachers who trained them.
The healers who prohibited them from doing stupid things.
To the Longyu of his previous life, Spirit Hall had been an organization within a story.
A name.
A faction.
An antagonist, depending on the perspective from which the story was told.
To Qiangu Longyu…
it was home.
And as he walked beside the other four heirs, he understood once again why he could not simply watch history advance toward the ending he remembered.
But changing it would not begin by killing enemies who were not yet enemies.
Nor by proclaiming knowledge he did not yet fully understand.
It would begin in a far less spectacular way.
With five cases.
Five notebooks.
Many questions.
And years to find the answers.
That night, Longyu opened his notebook again.
He wrote:
First comparative dataset: five cases.
Below it:
Insufficient to prove the theory.
Then:
Sufficient to justify further investigation.
He thought about Qian Daoliu’s words.
His sample was biased.
His methods were still incomplete.
His knowledge of the future consisted of fragments, not instructions.
All of that was true.
He turned the page.
His notes on Whale Glue appeared.
Longyu stared for several seconds at the question he had written before.
Objective: Second Soul Ring — One Thousand Years.
Possible?
He picked up his brush.
But he did not write an answer.
He had not earned the right to do so yet.
Instead, he added a new line:
Before increasing the limit, we must learn how to measure it.
Longyu set the brush down.
Five cases would not change the rules of the world.
Qian Daoliu was right.
But no one had said they had to stop at five.