"Which of you two goes first?"
Ning Tian stepped forward—but Gu Tianchen gently blocked her.
"I'll go first."
Ning Tian didn't object.
Unseen by her, Gu Tianchen shot Chen Junting a reassuring glance, then turned toward the towering stone pillar, his eyes alight with anticipation and curiosity.
Niu Tian approached the pillar and slowly raised his hands.
"Place your palm against the pillar. One is enough."
Gu Tianchen obeyed without hesitation.
The moment Niu Tian's palms came within a foot of the pillar, a surge of azure soul power flowed into it.
Flash!
The pillar erupted in brilliant light—its surface shimmering with blue-golden mist. From its base, a radiant beam shot upward along the engraved patterns, reaching the apex in the blink of an eye.
As the light peaked—
Gu Tianchen's expression shifted from shock to confusion. Then, as the blue-golden energy flowed through the hand pressed to the pillar, a gentle, soothing warmth filled his chest.
Before he could react, golden mist enveloped him completely, cloaking his entire body.
Instantly, Tai Tan's voice boomed in his mind like thunder:
"Focus! Use every ounce of your will to endure the Sea God Divine Pillar's baptism. The stronger you withstand, the higher the age limit of your soul ring will be!"
So this is a Divine Bestowed Soul Ring…
Same function—just a different 'skin.'
Chen Junting could tell the difference well enough.
At that thought, under the stunned gazes of Niu Tian and Tai Tan, a vertical seam slowly split open on Chen Junting's forehead—revealing his third eye. A strange, rose-golden mist seeped from it. Had it not been for the rotating pupil within, they might have thought a new disaster had struck.
Brother… is that a second martial soul?
Impossible. That's the Eye of Fate.
Through a mere glance, Tai Tan turned to the Sea God Pillar—then back to Chen Junting, silently asking the critical question:
Does that "someone" in the God Realm know about this?
Niu Tian said nothing. But his silence spoke volumes.
Through the golden haze, Chen Junting's Eye of Fate pierced the luminous veil—and saw the translucent soul ring forming above Gu Tianchen's head. No patterns yet—meaning absorption hadn't truly begun.
Just then—
"Next person, step forward."
Before the words fully faded, Wang Dong'er gave Ning Tian a playful shove.
(Though Ning Tian would've gone anyway.)
Repeating Gu Tianchen's actions, Ning Tian soon sat cross-legged on the floor, wrapped in golden mist. The others waited patiently as the absorption commenced.
Chen Junting's focus, however, stayed fixed on Ning Tian.
Gu Tianchen? He's tough—he'll be fine.
(Gu Tianchen: Rude.)
As time passed, Ning Tian's soul ring shifted colors: white → yellow → purple → black. Her calm, serene expression gradually tightened under mounting pressure.
But as Chen Junting observed the Divine Bestowed Ring's mechanics—
"Hm? That can't be right…"
Through his Eye of Fate, he sought deeper insight—but the feedback left him dissatisfied.
Why are the patterns flowing from her life imprint inside her body?
In his third-eye vision, the patterns of Ning Tian's forming sixth soul ring were slowly seeping outward from within her, etching themselves onto the divine ring.
To Chen Junting, this was wrong.
All living beings—human or beast—carry ancestral life imprints in their blood. But those imprints have limits. What happens when a descendant surpasses their ancestors?
With that question in mind, he turned to Gu Tianchen.
Above Gu Tianchen's head, the ring's color change had slowed to a crawl—shifting only once every dozen seconds.
And here, Chen Junting found a different answer.
Through the Eye of Fate, he clearly saw the patterns of Gu Tianchen's ring being drawn from the very fabric of heaven and earth, then woven into the divine soul ring.
Now, it all made sense.
Where do the patterns of Divine Bestowed Rings truly come from?
From oneself—and from the world!
And why from the world?
Chen Junting theorized: Heaven and Earth hold memory. Every event that has ever occurred is recorded within the cosmos, manifesting as patterns. Every soul skill—of every soul master and soul beast—exists within this vast, living database.
Extract. Absorb. Deduce. Innovate.
If the entire world were a cosmic computer… then Divine Bestowed Rings were merely programs executing its commands.
"So that's it… so that's it…" Chen Junting murmured inwardly, enlightenment flooding his mind.
Now, the final piece of his self-forged soul ring puzzle was nearly complete.
In his spiritual sea, Electrolux watched—his eyes filled with quiet pride. He said nothing to disturb Chen Junting's revelation, slowly dissolving his form into mist…
As observation deepened, Chen Junting realized: this brief window was far too short to fully unravel the ring's secrets.
Soon, Ning Tian's absorption concluded. A new, ten-thousand-year soul ring rose beside her—its soul skill, as expected for her bloodline, granting attribute amplification.
She stood, bowing deeply to Niu Tian, Tai Tan, and Wang Dong'er in gratitude.
Meanwhile, Gu Tianchen's ring had turned deeply black—and was now shifting toward crimson.
His body trembled violently, skin flushing an unhealthy red. The agony he endured was clearly immense.
Then, as black bled into red—
BOOOOM—!
A torrential wave of soul power exploded outward!
Behind him, a colossal bone dragon phantom erupted—wings unfurling, roaring with primordial fury.
ROOOAAR—!
The phantom solidified—then plunged into Gu Tianchen's body.
A long, triumphant cry echoed as Soul Saint-level might radiated unmistakably from him.
Around him floated seven rings:
Two yellow, two purple, one black, two crimson-red—terrifying in their perfection.
As he reined in his aura, the golden mist dissipated.
Just then, a set of clothes flew toward him, draping over his form.
A ripple of spatial energy followed.
Once composed, Gu Tianchen stepped forward—his eyes blazing with indescribable excitement. After all, this seventh ring was his first self-absorbed 100,000-year soul ring.
"Thank you, honored seniors."
"Nothing to thank us for," Tai Tan waved dismissively.
At Niu Tian's nod—and Wang Dong'er's eager stare—he strode to the Sea God Pillar and pressed his palm against it.
BOOM—!
His own soul power erupted—nine rings swirling around him: seven black, two crimson.
Blue-golden light bloomed where his palm touched the pillar. Torrents of soul energy surged into it, re-igniting the patterns.
Under Tai Tan's precise control, golden specks coalesced. With a sharp pull, three drops of light fell into his open palm—solidifying into three golden beads.
Translucent as crystal, each bead held a faint, swirling golden mist—identical to the aura Ning Tian and Gu Tianchen had been enveloped in.
"These are my gifts to you three."
He handed the beads to Chen Junting, Wu Feng, and Huo Yuhao.
"When you next need a soul ring," he explained, "just crush the bead. The effect will be the same as what they just received."
"Thank you, Uncle!" ×3
As Chen Junting accepted his bead, his eyes sparkled with quiet joy.
'I now have samples to study in depth.'
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