The divine soul ring—once absorbed, it grants the bearer the skill they need most. The longer one endures during the absorption, the higher the soul ring's age, and the more powerful the soul skill gained.
Jiang Chen's most urgent task now was to withstand the impending tribulation. He guessed that the first soul skill he would receive would likely be related to defense.
Concentrating his spirit power into the system interface, he selected the option to activate the divine soul ring. Immediately, the system issued a warning:
[After absorbing the soul ring, the host must pass the first heavenly tribulation within three days. It is recommended to endure until the very end during absorption to increase the chances of success. Confirm absorption?]
This time, despite trembling inside, Jiang Chen did not hesitate. He pressed confirm.
Absorbing the first soul ring was like a young man entering his bridal chamber for the first time—how could he not be excited?
Especially since he had never "entered the chamber" before.
The moment he confirmed, a golden orb suddenly appeared above his head. In an instant, the orb shattered, releasing a dense golden light that poured into his Baihui acupoint.
At once, a dazzling golden radiance emanated from his entire body. He resembled a Vajra Buddha, his aura suffused with a divine and oppressive presence, stretching out dozens of meters around him.
In that moment, Tang Hao—already drunk and asleep in bed—was abruptly awakened. Quietly, without disturbing Tang San, he slipped out.
Stepping outside, he gazed toward the village chief's courtyard. From the cracks of a door and window of one house, golden light spilled forth.
The overwhelming aura that had startled him was coming from that very room. He immediately recognized it as Jiang Chen's.
Using his immense spiritual perception, Tang Hao carefully scanned the energy, his face instantly changing in disbelief.
That was the aura of soul ring absorption! And judging by the fluctuations, the soul ring was of high grade.
"This kid… where did he get a soul ring from? Could he be a transformed hundred-thousand-year-old soul beast?"
There was no way a soul beast could have appeared in Shenghun Village, so the soul ring couldn't have been earned by slaying one. The only possibility was that Jiang Chen was a transformed hundred-thousand-year-old soul beast himself—capable of generating his first soul ring naturally.
Tang Hao's wife was exactly such a transformed soul beast, so he was well aware of these secrets.
But if Jiang Chen truly was a transformed soul beast, then as a titled Douluo, Tang Hao would have noticed by now. After all this time, from his observations, Jiang Chen was clearly not one.
This was puzzling. So where did Jiang Chen's soul ring come from?
Tang Hao stood silently, troubled, gazing toward Jiang Chen's direction…
As the golden light merged into Jiang Chen's body, he felt warmth flood every inch of his being. But before he could savor the feeling, the massive energy began to explode within him.
The energy bestowed by the divine soul ring was immense—like endless crashing waves, washing through his body again and again.
At first, his strong physique allowed him to withstand the onslaught with ease. But as time passed, the energy's impact became more intense.
After an hour, his pores expelled countless impurities and toxins.
The soul ring's energy was purifying his muscles and bones, cleansing the grime within.
The power surged wildly inside him, threatening to burst him apart.
Veins bulged on his forehead, his face contorted in agony, and beneath his skin, the erratic flow of energy could be seen.
"I can't hold on!" he growled, triggering the Zombie Transformation technique, which instantly reduced the internal pressure.
The Zombie Transformation technique was running nonstop, absorbing the soul ring's energy and rapidly strengthening his inner soul power.
Two more hours passed before he reached his limit again. The overwhelming energy made him feel as if he would explode at any moment.
"Roar! Manifest my Martial Soul!"
His Zombie Martial Soul appeared and quickly fused with his body. The enhancement to his physique from his Martial Soul eased some of the torment within.
Tang Hao had been standing dumbfounded at his own doorstep for three hours, sensing the escalating energy.
Over an hour ago, the energy fluctuations had already far surpassed what a tenth-level soul master could endure.
Yet, even another hour later, Jiang Chen's absorption had not yet ended.
For a soul master of tenth level, this energy fluctuation was now lethal.
Normal tenth-level soul masters would likely explode and die within three seconds under such an energy onslaught.
Outside Jiang Chen's body, a yellow energy ring had already formed. As time passed, the color of the ring deepened.
After the Martial Soul manifested, Jiang Chen's constitution improved, but the energy surging inside him grew ever more terrifying. In less than an hour, he reached his limit for the third time.
He felt as if his entire body was being torn apart, the agony piercing into his very soul.
Opening his eyes slightly, he noticed the yellow ring outside his body was changing—the deep yellow was gradually shifting toward purple.
"Has it reached a thousand years?" Jiang Chen's heart leapt with joy.
A thousand-year soul ring—far beyond the theories that Yu Xiaogang had researched. He never expected he could reach such a level.
"No, the soul ring hasn't fully turned purple yet. I can still hold on!"
Jiang Chen closed his eyes again, his whole body wracked with spasms of pain. Impurities and sweat mixed together, sticky and foul-smelling, filling the room with a stench worse than any cesspit.
His skin had started to bleed, countless blood vessels bulging beneath the surface, on the verge of bursting.
Jiang Chen's consciousness was hazy. He had no idea how long he had endured.
Finally, the raging energy slowly weakened and then miraculously vanished.
After over four hours of torment, Jiang Chen could no longer hold on. His nerves relaxed, and he instantly fell into a deep sleep.
Standing there, Tang Hao finally exhaled a long breath of relief. He had waited more than four hours. In another two or three hours, dawn would break.
Lying back down, Tang Hao found it difficult to fall asleep.
His powerful spiritual perception told him that Jiang Chen had not failed in absorbing the soul ring—that terrifying soul ring had indeed been successfully absorbed.
He didn't know exactly how many years the soul ring had reached, but it must have been astonishing.
If Jiang Chen survived, he was destined to become a legend across the Douluo Continent!
...
"Xiao Chen, Xiao Chen!" Old Jack knocked at Jiang Chen's door with a puzzled expression.
It was already well past mid-morning. By Jiang Chen's usual habits, he should have been up long ago. Yet the door remained closed.
After knocking several times with no response, Old Jack pushed the door open forcefully—and immediately saw Jiang Chen, covered in blood and filth.
A foul stench burst forth, far worse than any outhouse.
Frowning deeply, Old Jack hurried forward anxiously.
"Xiao Chen, Xiao Chen, what happened to you?"
Ignoring the horrible smell and grime, he gripped Jiang Chen's shoulders tightly and shook him.
"Hmm?" Jiang Chen finally stirred, slowly opening his eyes.