[The video continues…]
"What exactly happened here, Xin'er?"
Dugu Bo glanced first at his son, then toward Yu Xiaogang, who had just finished being lectured by Yu Yuanzhen.
Surprisingly, Dugu Bo did not appear angry at all.
After all, his son had not suffered any serious injuries.
And even if he had…
Would it really be something worth bragging about for a man in his twenties to lose to a twelve-year-old child?
Clearly not.
"I… I sparred with the Young Sect Master," Dugu Xin said awkwardly, his face burning red with embarrassment.
"He only used his Spirit to fight me… and I still couldn't win."
The moment those words left his mouth, both Dugu Bo and the surrounding disciples froze slightly.
Couldn't even defeat the Spirit alone?
That sounded absurd.
Yet Dugu Xin's expression clearly showed he was not joking.
In fact, the reality had been even more humiliating than his explanation suggested.
From the very beginning of the battle, Yu Xiaogang had not moved personally even once.
He had casually dragged over a chair, sat down nearby, and simply allowed Little Dragon to handle everything alone.
At first, Dugu Xin had been furious at such arrogance.
A mere Spirit Elder daring to challenge a Spirit Ancestor while sitting comfortably on a chair?
Wasn't that looking down on him too much?
Yes, Yu Xiaogang possessed a thousand-year first soul ring.
Everyone on the continent already knew about that.
But so what?
How could one extraordinary spirit ring possibly bridge the gap of an entire major realm?
Unfortunately for Dugu Xin…
Reality had slapped him harder than anyone expected.
No matter how he attacked, he was completely suppressed by Little Dragon.
The dragon-like Spirit moved with terrifying speed and overwhelming combat instincts, whipping him around the battlefield like a spinning top.
Several times during the fight, Dugu Xin attempted to bypass Little Dragon and attack Yu Xiaogang directly.
After all, in his mind, no matter how strong the Spirit was, Yu Xiaogang's physical body should still remain weak.
That was the greatest weakness of Spirit Masters.
But every attempt failed.
Little Dragon blocked him effortlessly every single time.
Its coordination, reaction speed, and combat awareness were terrifyingly high.
In the end, after exhausting all his methods and consuming nearly all his soul power, Dugu Xin collapsed onto the ground in despair.
He lay there staring blankly at the sky, completely doubting life.
Meanwhile, Little Dragon happily returned toward Yu Xiaogang, clearly wanting praise for its victory.
However, the moment it noticed the book in Yu Xiaogang's hands, its entire body stiffened.
Fighting was acceptable.
Training was acceptable.
But reading books?
Absolutely not!
The resistance and panic transmitted through their spiritual connection instantly made Yu Xiaogang laugh helplessly.
He shook his head with amusement.
The most difficult stage of his growth had already passed.
There was no need to pressure Little Dragon endlessly anymore.
Occasionally allowing it to relax was perfectly fine.
After spending some time with Little Dragon, Yu Xiaogang eventually withdrew it and silently returned to his chair.
Meanwhile, Dugu Xin continued lying on the ground, gasping for breath while trying to recover his strength.
Only afterward did Dugu Bo and Yu Yuanzhen finally arrive at the training grounds.
"You're saying…"
"You couldn't even defeat the Young Sect Master's Spirit alone?"
Dugu Bo stared at his son in disbelief.
By now, information regarding Yu Xiaogang's unique dual-combat Spirit had already spread across the continent.
Everyone knew his Spirit could fight independently alongside him.
Both could even use soul skills simultaneously.
When working together, the effect was far greater than simply one plus one.
Many people openly lamented how unfair such a Spirit was.
Especially considering Yu Xiaogang had awakened with only Rank 1 innate soul power.
Who would have imagined that someone with such poor innate talent would eventually become this monstrous?
Honestly speaking, many people now believed Yu Xiaogang's combat potential surpassed even geniuses born with Rank 8, Rank 9, or full innate soul power.
Yet now…
According to Dugu Xin, Yu Xiaogang himself had not even entered the fight.
And despite that, Dugu Xin still lost.
"That's not the only problem…"
Dugu Xin swallowed hard.
A trace of lingering shock still remained in his eyes.
Initially, the thousand-year first soul ring had already shocked him tremendously.
But after witnessing Yu Xiaogang's third soul ring…
Everything else seemed insignificant by comparison.
"His soul rings…" Dugu Xin muttered.
At this point, even speaking became difficult.
Because what truly terrified him was not the first soul ring.
It was the third.
A ten-thousand-year third soul ring.
That completely overturned the common understanding of Spirit Masters across the continent.
After all, ordinary spirit rings below ten thousand years would gradually become outdated as a Spirit Master grew stronger.
The true foundation of a powerful Spirit Master always lay in their Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings.
That was why the configuration:
Yellow, Yellow, Purple, Purple, Black, Black, Black, Black, Black
was regarded as the optimal soul ring ratio throughout Douluo Continent.
Why?
Because this configuration maximized the number of Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings a Spirit Master could obtain later in life.
For example—
A Titled Douluo who failed to follow the optimal configuration might only gain their first ten-thousand-year soul ring at the sixth ring.
That would leave them with only four ten-thousand-year soul rings total.
Meanwhile, the seventh spirit ring was always fixed.
Regardless of the Spirit Master, the seventh soul skill would always become the Martial Soul True Body.
The truly devastating trump cards of a Titled Douluo came from the eighth and ninth soul rings.
Those abilities represented ultimate killing techniques.
However, such powerful attacks consumed enormous amounts of soul power and could only be used once or twice during battle.
Under these circumstances, the importance of earlier ten-thousand-year soul rings became extremely obvious.
A Spirit Master without the optimal configuration might possess only one practical ten-thousand-year soul skill usable regularly.
But someone with the optimal configuration would possess two.
That difference alone could determine victory or defeat between two equally powerful Titled Douluo.
One additional ten-thousand-year soul skill was enough to completely crush an opponent.
This was precisely why Spirit Masters obsessively pursued the so-called optimal soul ring configuration.
It was also why hundred-thousand-year soul rings were viewed as treasures beyond imagination.
After all, a single hundred-thousand-year soul ring granted two soul skills simultaneously.
Not to mention the immense enhancement to a Spirit Master's physical body and soul power.
The gap between soul ring levels was enormous.
The amplification brought by a ten-thousand-year soul ring far surpassed what a thousand-year soul ring could provide.
That was why Dugu Xin felt genuine fear after seeing Yu Xiaogang's soul ring setup.
Because if Yu Xiaogang continued progressing like this…
Even without obtaining any hundred-thousand-year soul rings in the future…
He would still possess seven ten-thousand-year soul rings eventually.
Seven!
That was two more than even the so-called optimal configuration.
And Dugu Xin absolutely did not believe Yu Xiaogang lacked ambition.
Even if Yu Xiaogang personally remained indifferent, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan certainly would not.
As one of the Upper Three Sects, their foundation and resources were unimaginably deep.
They would definitely prepare everything necessary for Yu Xiaogang's growth.
Once he reached the required rank, they would spare no cost to help him obtain a hundred-thousand-year soul ring.
If that day truly came…
Dugu Xin could not even imagine how terrifying Yu Xiaogang would become.
Thinking this far, he suddenly realized something.
Joining the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan might very well become the greatest decision the Dugu Family had ever made.
Meanwhile, Dugu Bo frowned slightly.
"What exactly is wrong with the Young Sect Master's soul rings?"
He still did not fully understand.
After all, everyone already knew Yu Xiaogang's first soul ring was thousand-year level.
There should not be anything new worth shocking over.
Unless…
Suddenly, a horrifying possibility flashed through Dugu Bo's mind.
His pupils contracted instantly.
"Wait…"
Could it be—
Dugu Bo slowly turned toward Yu Xiaogang.
"Young Sect Master…"
"Could you allow me to see your soul rings personally?"
His voice unconsciously became cautious.
Beside him, Yu Yuanzhen immediately revealed a smug smile.
Ah yes.
This was his favorite part.
Watching others reveal utterly shocked expressions after seeing his son's soul rings never became boring.
Under Dugu Bo's tense gaze, Yu Xiaogang calmly nodded.
Little Dragon reappeared beside him.
Then, three soul rings slowly rose from beneath his feet.
Purple.
Purple.
Black.
The entire training ground instantly fell silent.
Dugu Bo's eyes widened completely.
He subconsciously swallowed hard.
A thousand-year first soul ring.
A thousand-year second soul ring.
And…
A ten-thousand-year third soul ring.
This configuration was simply monstrous.
It shattered the traditional understanding of spirit ring absorption entirely.
At this moment, Dugu Bo naturally realized the same terrifying future Dugu Xin had imagined earlier.
If Yu Xiaogang truly continued growing at this pace…
Then one day…
There was an extremely high possibility that he would become a Titled Douluo possessing multiple hundred-thousand-year soul rings.
A true legend.
Perhaps…
At this very moment…
He was personally witnessing the rise of a future myth on Douluo Continent.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)