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Hiss!
Upon seeing this, Hu Liena's heart trembled instantly.
She had already known that Dai Chengfeng was a prodigy, and she was well aware that his second and third soul rings were both from thousand-year spirit beasts—a fact that had once left her utterly astounded.
But!
Even now, her enchanting fox-like eyes remained wide open, brimming with disbelief as she stared fixedly at the fourth soul ring that appeared last—its deep, pitch-black glow emanating an ominous aura!
Ten thousand years!!!
For a moment, Hu Liena instinctively sucked in a sharp breath. Her voice, shaken by extreme shock, lost all traces of her usual coquettish composure. "This… how is this possible?!"
"The fourth soul ring… ten thousand years?!"
Hu Liena felt her mind buzzing uncontrollably.
As one of the golden generation cultivated by the Spirit Hall—and among its most outstanding members—her own fourth soul ring was only around four thousand years, nearing five thousand at best.
And even that was already considered a top-tier soul ring configuration that countless soul masters could only dream of achieving!
As her teacher, Pope Bibi Dong of the Spirit Hall, often said, her fourth ring was already approaching the absolute limit of what a Soul Ancestor could withstand in terms of years!
Any more, and she might have succumbed to the overwhelming soul power within the ring, leading to her body exploding.
But Dai Chengfeng…
His fourth ring had directly leaped into the ten-thousand-year tier!
Moreover, the profound blackness of that soul ring made it clear to Hu Liena that this wasn't just a simple ten-thousand-year ring.
This… this shattered the unshakable iron law of the Douluo Continent that had been passed down for countless years! It obliterated everything she had ever believed!
How could she not be shocked?
And while Hu Liena was still reeling from the shock, nearly speechless, Zhu Zhuqing across from her suddenly stopped breathing for a moment!
Zhu Zhuqing was even more astonished than Hu Liena!
The icy aloofness that usually graced her exquisite face melted away instantly!
Her lips parted slightly, almost unable to close.
After all, she hadn't even known before that Dai Chengfeng's second soul ring surpassed the norm at a thousand years!
Thus, when the second purple soul ring lit up, she was already incredibly surprised.
But when that pitch-black, ink-like ten-thousand-year fourth soul ring appeared, it nearly robbed her of her ability to think. Her heartbeat had never been so intense.
A ten-thousand-year fourth ring?
This went far beyond the definition of "genius" recorded in the Spirit Hall's archives… This was practically inhuman!
At this moment, Zhu Zhuqing's starry eyes were filled not only with shock but also a trace of bewilderment!
She couldn't understand how Dai Chengfeng had achieved this!
For a moment, the room fell into an oppressive silence so profound that the sound of a pin dropping could have been heard.
On the two stunningly beautiful faces—each unique yet equally breathtaking—only one expression remained: shock!
It wasn't until a long while later that the two women finally began to regain their composure.
But soon, a sudden glimmer of fiery determination ignited in their eyes.
Neither woman was foolish, so they quickly connected the dots between Dai Chengfeng first presenting the Whale Jelly and then revealing his soul rings…
Could there be no connection between the two?
They certainly didn't believe that Dai Chengfeng would be so frivolous as to show off his soul rings for no reason.
Thus, almost simultaneously, Hu Liena and Zhu Zhuqing sharply raised their heads to look at Dai Chengfeng. Their eyes burned with fervor, blazing with intensity!
The shock hadn't fully dissipated yet, already being overshadowed by a mix of desire, verification, and an urgent need for answers.
"Dai Chengfeng!"
"You…"
Almost in unison, their voices rang out, trembling with barely suppressed hoarseness and excitement.
"You… you showed us the Whale Jelly and revealed your soul rings just now… Could it be… Could it be because…?!"
Dai Chengfeng watched the captivating expressions on the faces of the two peerless beauties—shame and suspicion melting away, replaced by pure astonishment and intense longing. The playful smirk on his lips deepened.
"Think about it. Why do we have a limit on the number of years for soul rings when we obtain them?"
The two women shook their heads, unable to answer. They held their breath, their gazes unwaveringly following him.
Dai Chengfeng didn't mind. He knew how excited they were and continued, "It's because of the strength of our bodies and the power of our mental energy!"
"If our physical strength and mental energy can't keep up, even the best soul ring placed in front of us would be impossible to absorb. Forcing it would only result in our bodies exploding!"
"And Whale Jelly is the key to unlocking the shackles of the soul ring's year limit!"
When the two women heard Dai Chengfeng's explanation, they instinctively found it hard to believe. After all, how could something like Whale Jelly—an aphrodisiac—have such a powerful effect?
If it truly did, someone would have discovered it long ago.
But looking at the soul rings beneath Dai Chengfeng's feet—clearly surpassing the understanding of ordinary people—they couldn't help but believe.
"If Whale Jelly has this effect, then after we consume it…"
Thinking about how they too might one day absorb soul rings that surpassed the limits of human cognition, Hu Liena and Zhu Zhuqing's hearts skipped a beat almost simultaneously.
Their gazes toward Dai Chengfeng became even more fervent and filled with desire.
Dai Chengfeng continued his explanation: "After consuming Whale Jelly, your tendons, blood vessels, meridians, cellular vitality, and even mental energy will be tempered and elevated!"
"It will bring your physical prowess to a level far surpassing others at the same stage—or even crossing into a higher realm that others can only barely reach!"
"At that time," Dai Chengfeng paused briefly, his gaze sweeping over the two women's cheeks, flushed with excitement, "you'll be able to attempt absorbing soul rings that exceed the traditionally recognized year limits. As for the benefits of absorbing higher-level soul rings…"
"You should already know them well enough—I don't need to explain further, right?"
"Mm-hmm!!!"
The two women nodded vigorously. They weren't ordinary people; they came from families with legacies.
How could they not understand the immense advantages a powerful soul ring brought to a soul master?
For a moment, Hu Liena and Zhu Zhuqing's faces were brimming with excitement, though gratitude and shame dominated their emotions even more!
"Dai… Dai Chengfeng! You… I…"
Hu Liena thought back to her earlier misunderstanding of Dai Chengfeng, then looked at the 'key' he had presented to them—a pathway to becoming stronger. A complex mixture of shame, excitement, and gratitude welled up in her eyes.
"I'm sorry!"
She blurted out to Dai Chengfeng, her voice carrying an unprecedented sincerity. "I… I completely misunderstood you earlier! I was so stupid! And here you've given me something so incredible…"
Zhu Zhuqing's icy eyes melted like spring water. She too nodded vigorously, her cherry-red lips parting slightly, her usually cold voice now filled with utmost seriousness:
"Dai Chengfeng, I'm also sorry. I was wrong to doubt you just now…"
Seeing their sincere apologies, filled with shame and gratitude, Dai Chengfeng chuckled lightly, his tone teasing: "Oh?"
"Why are you apologizing to me now? Didn't you just think I had ulterior motives?"
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