God Wind Academy!
Blazing Fire Academy!
These names were quite renowned in the world of soul masters, especially within the borders of the Tian Dou Empire. They were prestigious institutions for advanced soul master training.
A low murmur of surprise and whispers immediately rippled through the crowd of onlookers.
"Feng Xiaotian of God Wind Academy? I've heard he was born with full soul power—his talent is extraordinary! He's the captain of God Wind Academy's combat team!"
"And Huo Wu of Blazing Fire Academy—she's no slouch either, her flame control is top-notch!"
"Tsk, tsk… Those young ladies over there are in trouble now. Though they're beautiful, picking a fight with these two…"
Feng Xiaotian was pleased with the crowd's reaction. His tone gradually shifted from polite to one laced with subtle superiority and an air of certainty:
"I don't know which academy you three hail from, but surely you've heard of my name in the world of soul masters."
"This jade ring," he gestured toward the ring still gripped by both women, "was indeed spotted first by Miss Huo Wu. It's just that she was momentarily careless and this young lady here managed to grab it half a step ahead."
"I kindly ask the three of you to let us have it back."
"If you're willing to make friends, I can pretend this little conflict never happened."
"Otherwise…"
This statement, though seemingly reasonable, was actually a preemptive strike.
First, he flaunted his and his companion's illustrious academy backgrounds and their reputations as geniuses, applying psychological pressure. Then, he defined "spotting it first" as the reason, subtly implying that Ning Rongrong had "snatched" it. Finally, under the guise of wanting to "make friends," he issued a veiled threat.
An ordinary soul master student, upon hearing the name Feng Xiaotian of God Wind Academy, would likely have already felt intimidated and chosen to back down.
But what kind of person was Ning Rongrong?
The little princess of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, who regularly interacted with Title Douluos or regional powerhouses, would never be cowed by a genius from a high-level soul master academy?
Hearing this thinly veiled yet aggressive threat only fueled her anger further, igniting her spoiled temperament. Her cheeks puffed up indignantly.
Just as she was about to retort…
However, a calm, emotionless voice suddenly cut through the murmurs of the crowd, silencing all chatter in an instant.
"Otherwise, what?"
Everyone turned to look. A tall, black-clad youth, exuding an aura of quiet strength like a towering pine, walked forward at a measured pace.
His features were handsome, with sharp lines and a composed expression that betrayed no hint of emotion. Yet his deep, penetrating eyes were like ancient, icy wells, sending shivers down the spines of those who met his gaze.
He first glanced at Ning Rongrong, noting that despite her anger, she hadn't been harmed. His gaze softened slightly.
Then, his unruffled eyes settled on Feng Xiaotian, whose expression had shifted slightly, and Huo Wu, who was still brimming with rage.
The moment Ning Rongrong saw Dai Chengfeng, her previously wide, angry eyes lit up with relief. All her grievance and frustration seemed to find an outlet.
Like a fledgling returning to its nest, she immediately released her grip on the ring and hurried to Dai Chengfeng's side, clinging to his arm. With a tone laced with coquettish grievance, she complained:
"Dai Chengfeng, you're just in time!"
"I clearly saw this ring first, but that fiery dragoness insists it's hers and even threatened to beat me up!"
"And this masked guy dared to threaten us!"
"What's so great about God Wind Academy or Blazing Fire Academy anyway?"
Her words reignited Huo Wu's fury, which Feng Xiaotian had barely managed to suppress. It flared up again, burning hotter than before!
"How dare you call me a fiery dragoness?!"
She shrieked, trembling with rage. "I saw it first! You're the one trying to snatch it!"
Feng Xiaotian's gaze had grown razor-sharp, like two blades, locked tightly onto Dai Chengfeng.
Dai Chengfeng's sudden appearance, along with his demeanor that exuded an age-defying calmness and poise, instinctively made Feng Xiaotian sense a subtle threat.
However, he remained confident in his own strength and reputation. Especially since the other party looked so young—how strong could he possibly be?
He sneered, the last traces of politeness vanishing from his tone, replaced by icy interrogation:
"Friend, it seems you're not planning to give me, Feng Xiaotian, any face. Are you stepping in to butt heads over this?"
Dai Chengfeng didn't spare a glance at Huo Wu's furious, fire-like eyes. Instead, he directly met Feng Xiaotian's threatening and scrutinizing gaze and stepped forward lightly.
With this seemingly casual step, an invisible yet overwhelming aura, as immense as a mountain, erupted from him in an instant!
The air seemed to freeze and grow heavy at this very moment!
Immediately afterward, a dazzling, heart-stopping light surged from beneath his feet!
The first soul ring—yellow, a hundred-year soul ring.
The second soul ring—purple, a thousand-year soul ring!
The third soul ring—purple, another thousand-year soul ring!
The fourth soul ring—deep, dark, and seemingly capable of swallowing light—a ten-thousand-year soul ring!
Nearly everyone in the crowd, including some lower-level soul masters, couldn't help but gasp in shock!
A ten-thousand-year soul ring at the fourth ring—this was practically a legendary existence!
But the astonishment didn't end there!
The fifth soul ring quietly emerged next!
It was a color none of them had ever seen—or even imagined—radiant, mysterious, shimmering with the warm yet noble glow of the finest rose gold!
The moment this strange rose-gold soul ring appeared, it seemed to steal some of the brilliance from the ten-thousand-year black soul ring!
Yellow, purple, purple, black, rose gold!
Five soul rings circled Dai Chengfeng's body like five living halos, slowly orbiting in perfect order, emanating a soul-chilling aura and an incomprehensible pressure!
The unprecedented configuration of soul rings—especially the unheard-of fifth soul ring—struck everyone present like a sledgehammer to the heart!
The crowd, who had moments ago been whispering confidently about Feng Xiaotian and Huo Wu's identities and predicting that Dai Chengfeng's group would suffer, fell into an eerie silence!
You could hear a pin drop!
Everyone's eyes widened, their mouths agape, faces etched with utter shock and disbelief!
Some ordinary people even felt their legs go weak, nearly collapsing to their knees.
Feng Xiaotian and Huo Wu, standing at the forefront, had their pupils shrink to pinpricks! Their expressions of horror were impossible to hide!
A Soul King!
This youth, who appeared younger than them, was actually a Soul King above Level 50!
How could this be?!
Both of them were acknowledged as prodigies among their respective academies—and even across the entire Tian Dou Empire's younger generation. Despite countless efforts, Feng Xiaotian, the strongest among them, was still only at the Soul Elder level!
The contrast between Dai Chengfeng's terrifyingly young age and his soul power level was beyond comprehension!
What truly sent shivers down their souls was the completely illogical, paradigm-shattering configuration of soul rings!
A thousand-year soul ring at the second ring was already shocking enough, but a ten-thousand-year soul ring at the fourth? That was unheard of!
And then, that fifth ring—the rose-gold soul ring—what on earth was it?!
The aura it emitted was ancient, mysterious, and overwhelmingly powerful, even more unsettling than the ten-thousand-year black soul ring!
"Am I the one butting in… or is it you?!"
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