"Brother, my first soul skill is called Invincible Golden Body! It's a really great skill!"
Yu Keke swallowed the food in her mouth, wiped her hands, and hurriedly activated her martial soul to show Aether.
"First Soul Skill: Invincible Golden Body!"
The little fox girl, with her main body martial soul, shouted sweetly. Two purple soul rings lit up around her.
The first faint purple soul ring shimmered, and her entire body seemed to be coated in a layer of gold.
The transformation lasted about a second before her body returned to normal.
"A… a purple first soul ring?!"
"How is that even possible…"
"Am I seeing things? Her first ring is purple?"
Everyone from Skywater Academy was stunned, their jaws practically dropping.
Why were both her first and second soul rings purple?
This completely shattered their understanding of how soul rings are absorbed.
No matter how monstrous a soul master's talent was, the first soul ring could typically only be absorbed from a soul beast under 500 years old.
Anything beyond that would put overwhelming strain on the body and spirit—potentially even resulting in death.
This was hard-earned wisdom, passed down through countless soul masters' personal experience… often paid for in blood.
So why was it that Yu Keke could absorb a millennium soul ring as her very first?
Though the ring's hue was pale, indicating the soul beast had just passed the thousand-year mark, it was undeniably still a thousand-year soul ring…
The students of Skywater Academy were speechless, mouths agape, unable to comprehend what they were seeing.
"Invincible Golden Body…" Aether muttered.
He hadn't expected Keke to randomly roll one of those few "broken" soul skills from the pool of high-tier options. Looks like picking this for her first soul ring had been the right call.
"Yeah! Once it's activated, it makes me completely immune to damage for the duration. But the time's way too short…"
Keke, thinking Aether might not know how it worked, immediately gave an explanation—though she was clearly a little dissatisfied with how brief the effect was.
"W-what… You said that's your first soul skill?" Wang Wan asked, her voice trembling.
"Yup, that's my first soul skill," Yu Keke nodded firmly.
Her soul ring was already jaw-dropping—but now even her skill was insane…
Wang Wan had no idea what to say anymore.
Most soul masters' first soul skills were designed to give them a decent start—nothing more. As they leveled up, the first skill would often become obsolete.
Because of the ring's limited age, no one had ever seen—or even read of—anyone with a purple first soul ring.
For the vast majority of soul masters, their first ring was a yellow hundred-year ring. Even those with great talent and strong bodies only dared absorb a soul ring around 400 years old. Anything more was considered the pinnacle.
Some even started with soul rings under a hundred years.
So naturally, first soul skills were never anything too impressive.
But Yu Keke? She broke every rule. Not just her soul ring—but her soul skill was absurdly powerful too!
A soul skill that granted complete immunity during its duration—it was the kind of divine skill that could save lives in critical moments!
Now Wang Wan looked at Yu Keke like she was a priceless treasure.
Except now… she no longer had the heart to recruit her into Skywater Academy.
First, Yu Keke's talent was simply too overwhelming. Her first soul ring was purple. Anyone with half a brain would assume she had access to some method that allowed her to absorb a thousand-year soul ring right from the start.
That kind of secret would shake the entire soul master world—and draw the attention of malicious parties. Even Title Douluo might covet it.
Even if Skywater Academy had a Title Douluo protector, they still might not be able to keep the child safe…
Second, she was clearly being protected by a mysterious young man of unfathomable strength.
She had initially wanted to recruit Keke to avoid letting such talent go to waste. But now it was obvious she'd been overthinking. With such a powerful backer, what would she even need an academy for?
However…
As if remembering something, Wang Wan's expression changed slightly. She glanced at Aether and said,
"Your Excellency… Keke's first soul ring might bring a lot of unwanted attention your way…"
"Hmm? Keke's soul ring will bring trouble?"
Aether raised an eyebrow in confusion.
Hearing this, both Yu Keke and Paimon pricked up their ears.
"Your Excellency, her first ring being purple will definitely attract the attention of other soul masters. Some… might go to great lengths to uncover the method behind it…"
Wang Wan tried to put it as delicately as she could.
In her heart, she believed it was Aether who had given Keke the means to absorb a thousand-year soul ring.
But she didn't dare ask outright. She was afraid Aether might think she was also after the secret. Though she had entertained the thought for a moment, she knew it was foolish in the face of such overwhelming power.
Aether had thought she was about to say something serious. So it was just this?
"Don't worry. I'll protect her."
He smiled as he gently patted Keke on the head.
"Yeah! We'll protect Keke!" Paimon chimed in, nodding firmly.
She didn't really understand what kind of "trouble" Keke's soul ring could bring, but she knew one thing for sure—so long as the Traveler was around, no problem was too big to solve!
"…Please forgive my boldness," Wang Wan said, her brows slightly furrowed. "But I think it's best to keep Keke hidden from the public for now."
"I trust that with your strength, Your Grace, most soul masters wouldn't stand a chance against you.
"But if the great clans—or even the Spirit Hall's Title Douluo—make a move, even someone of your strength might find it hard to handle multiple opponents at once…"
She reasoned that even if Aether himself was a Title Douluo, he was still just one man. If the major powers truly decided to go after the secret behind Keke's soul ring, even he might not be able to fend off several Title Douluo at once…
"Eh? Traveler, that big sister said those 'Title Douluo' are really strong. Can you beat them?" Paimon asked, worry creeping into her voice.
She had no real grasp of power levels—but "Title Douluo" sure sounded like a big deal…
"You little… Weren't you just saying you'd protect Keke with your life? And now you're doubting me?"
Aether shot Paimon a deadpan look.
"Hey, I was just worried about you, okay…? Fine, as your best partner, I'll trust you!"
Paimon pouted, glancing sheepishly at Aether's expression.
_
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