Chapter 4: Random Punishment Countdown — Everyone Panics!
In that instant, Huyan Zhen suddenly felt an invisible force seize him, locking his body in place.
The force was incredibly strong—no matter how furiously he struggled, he couldn't move an inch.
His Diamond Mammoth martial spirit involuntarily emerged behind him.
At the same time, yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black—eight soul rings rose from beneath his feet, surrounding his body.
The next moment, a wave of excruciating pain tore through Huyan Zhen, as if an invisible force was trying to rip his flesh and bones apart.
"Ahhh!!"
Amid the intense pain, Huyan Zhen clearly saw his eighth soul ring begin to loosen.
And in the next second, it detached from his body and vanished without a trace.
[Huyan Zhen (shocked and furious): No! How is this possible? My soul ring! My soul ring!!]
On the virtual screens in front of everyone in the livestream room, Huyan Zhen's anguished outburst appeared at once.
Many were left speechless.
Did Huyan Zhen's eighth soul ring really just get stripped away?
In the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Fengzhi was shaken.
Would he be able to reabsorb a soul ring that had been stripped?
If yes, maybe the punishment could be mitigated. But if not, that was terrible!
Regardless, for a Soul Douluo, finding a compatible eighth ring was no easy task.
Even if he could absorb another, locating a soul beast with the right type and age again would be incredibly difficult.
While Huyan Zhen was being punished, others who answered incorrectly—including Tuoba Xi, Di Tian, and more—were all punished as well.
Messages expressing fear, shock, and rage flashed rapidly across the screens.
No one dared to speak.
Because it wasn't just Huyan Zhen who lost a soul ring.
Tuoba Xi lost three levels of soul power. Some others even lost their martial spirits or years from their lifespan.
Who could possibly ignore punishments like these?
[Huyan Zhen (furious): This is unfair! If we all answered incorrectly, why was my eighth soul ring taken while Tuoba Xi only lost three soul levels?!]
After losing his eighth ring, Huyan Zhen's angry protest lit up the screen again.
Indeed, why were the punishments different? Were they randomized?
Many wondered the same.
Then, a line of blood-red text appeared before everyone.
At the same time, the cold voice of the system echoed in their ears:
[Ding! Friendly reminder: Though punishments are random, the more absurd or far-off the answer is, the harsher the punishment. Conversely, the closer the answer, the lighter the punishment!]
So that's why!
The crowd suddenly understood.
Which meant… Tuoba Xi's answer must have been close to correct. Perhaps it just needed more detail?
Suddenly, many minds lit up with ideas, trying to refine Tuoba Xi's answer further.
Meanwhile, in Windmill Village—
[Ding! Notice: Livestream member Huyan Zhen answered incorrectly. His eighth soul ring has been confiscated and stored in the system space. Host may retrieve it at any time.]
[Ding! Notice: Livestream member Tuoba Xi answered incorrectly. Three levels of soul power have been confiscated and stored in the system space. Host may retrieve it at any time and convert it into purified soul power.]
...
[Ding! Notice: Livestream member Di Tian answered incorrectly. Ten-thousand-year soul power confiscated and stored in system space. Host may retrieve and convert it into purified soul power.]
...
While many were being punished, system prompts kept ringing in Lin Yu's mind.
He was thrilled.
All the penalties from incorrect answers belonged to him? This was amazing!
Even if he couldn't become a soul master through normal means, with the purified soul power drawn from these punishments…
He could become one anyway!
But after the excitement came frustration.
Because earlier, Lin Yu had also submitted an answer—the same as Di Tian's. He said the birth of soul masters was tied to the Silver Dragon King, deceased divine beasts, and the Dragon God.
And yet… it was wrong.
But based on his knowledge of the original story and theories from his past life, that answer shouldn't have been wrong!
Surely soul beasts and soul masters weren't born naturally.
If all beasts on Douluo Star were naturally soul beasts, then Tang San wouldn't have encountered the Ten-headed Sun Serpent in Slaughter City—and that beast wouldn't have failed to produce a soul ring after being killed.
So perhaps the answer wasn't solely related to the Silver Dragon King and deceased divine beasts… maybe it also involved the gods?
Lin Yu fell deep into thought.
Wait! In the Divine Realm Catastrophe, many gods also died in the battle against the Dragon God and his divine beasts. Could the gods be part of the cause too?
Suddenly struck by inspiration, Lin Yu quickly submitted a new answer.
As the livestream host, he could choose to hide his responses.
So this time, his reply didn't show on the virtual screen.
[Lin Yu: The birth of soul masters should be related to the gods of the Divine Realm, the Silver Dragon King, and divine beasts, including the deceased Dragon God.]
After answering, Lin Yu anxiously awaited the system's verdict.
Seconds later, the cold voice rang in his head again—but this time, it said:
[Ding! Incorrect answer!]
Lin Yu was stunned.
Still wrong?!
But based on everything he remembered and had deduced—it had to be due to the Silver Dragon King tearing through space from the God Realm, releasing the essence of dead gods and divine beasts into Douluo Continent. That was what caused the birth of soul beasts and soul masters. How was that not the answer?!
While Lin Yu reeled from another failure, others had also submitted more refined answers based on Tuoba Xi's guess.
But they were all wrong too. Some were punished even more severely.
At that point, the entire livestream fell into terrified silence.
But time was ticking.
As no correct answer emerged, the system initiated a countdown.
Suddenly, a line of blood-red text once again flashed before all.
At the same time, the icy mechanical voice rang out:
[Notice: Final minute for answering. If no one provides the correct answer, a random punishment will occur—either a soul master's martial spirit will be stripped, a soul beast with over 100,000 years of cultivation will lose all its power, or a commoner will lose their life!]
What the hell! That punishment's insane!
Everyone panicked the moment they heard it.
(END CHAPTER)
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