Ning Rongrong was visibly excited.
The Seven Kill Sword Martial Spirit was known to be passed down in a single bloodline. For a long time, it was believed that once Sword Douluo grew old, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would lose one of its most powerful protectors. But now, it seemed that if Chen Feng could be brought into the sect, he would undoubtedly become Sword Douluo's successor. There would no longer be a power gap.
"Hello, Rongrong. I've heard of you—the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect,"
Chen Feng said with a friendly smile, introducing himself.
"My name is Chen Feng. I'm not a direct descendant of Sword Douluo, but we're from the same clan. Strictly speaking, I should call him grandfather."
Ning Rongrong's expression grew even more joyful.
"Does your clan have other members?" she asked quickly.
Just imagine—a group of soul masters all possessing the Seven Kill Sword. What kind of overwhelming combat power would that be?
But under her eager gaze, Chen Feng gently shook his head.
"No. I'm the only one left. The Seven Kill Sword Martial Spirit has always been passed down through a single line.
There was a rare case long ago of two brothers, where one awakened the Seven Kill Sword, while the other only awakened a short dagger. His innate soul power was merely level 2—a completely useless spirit. That person, the one with the failed Martial Spirit… was my ancestor."
He spoke with half-truths.
His clan background was real—he was from the same bloodline as Sword Douluo—but the timeline? That wouldn't hold up under scrutiny.
But what could Chen Feng say? That he came from five hundred years in the future?
Yeah right. Who the hell would believe that?
A brief flicker of disappointment crossed Ning Rongrong's eyes, but it didn't last long. She quickly smiled again.
The Seven Kill Sword was incredibly rare and powerful.
To have just one more user besides Sword Douluo was already a blessing.
If a whole group of people had the Seven Kill Sword, it might have caused Sword Douluo to leave the sect altogether and start a new family sect, like the Clear Sky or Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clans.
Heaven truly was fair. The more powerful a Martial Spirit, the more limited its inheritance.
The Seven Kill Sword's strength came at the cost of scarcity.
"By the way, Chen Feng," Rongrong asked curiously, "why is your second soul ring purple? That's already beyond what a Soul Master should be able to absorb, right?"
It wasn't just her.
Everyone—except for Tang San, who was still absorbing his spirit ring—looked over in curiosity. This was unheard of.
Chen Feng chuckled and glanced toward Tang San.
"Well, I suppose I just got lucky. I took a risk and absorbed a stronger spirit ring than I should have—just like Tang San is doing now."
With that, everyone's focus shifted back to Tang San.
The corpse of the Man-Faced Demon Spider looked to be nearly three thousand years old.
For most Soul Masters, the limit for a third soul ring was around 1,700 years. This was a massive leap.
"My brother… he'll be okay, right?" Xiao Wu asked softly, her eyes red.
Tang San's pores were constantly leaking blood mist—if she could interrupt the absorption process, she'd have already rushed in to help.
Chen Feng, of course, knew Tang San would survive, but he couldn't say that outright. So instead, he answered gravely:
"It's hard to say. It depends on his willpower—and how strong his body is from previous training."
Zhao Wuji asked:
"Chen Feng, since you've absorbed spirit rings beyond your level, is there anything we can do to help Tang San?"
Chen Feng thought to himself:
Help? What experience do I have? My first two soul rings only broke the limit because of Shura God's rewards!
And as for his third ring, he had only managed to absorb a 3,500-year-old Lightning Leopard because his ring ages had increased, and his body had toughened accordingly.
Tang San's method? A reckless gamble. If he survived, it'd be pure luck.
"Right now, the only thing we can do is wait and make sure nothing distracts him.
The rest is entirely up to him," Chen Feng replied.
Everyone held their breath and kept a quiet watch.
Zhao Wuji remained on high alert, wary of any nearby spirit beasts.
As time passed, the turmoil around Tang San's body began to settle.
The Shrek team visibly relaxed.
Chen Feng spoke at just the right moment:
"Absorbing a spirit ring beyond one's limit is dangerous, but it has benefits, too.
Now that Tang San has done this once, his body will adapt—and he'll be able to handle higher ring ages in the future."
Dai Mubai let out a sigh.
"Chen Feng… how do you know all this? Even the Grandmaster—who's supposed to be the greatest theorist—might not know that."
"Theory is only words on paper," Chen Feng replied calmly.
"Real understanding comes from experience."
Indeed, after reaching the rank of Peerless Douluo in his past life, he had long realized that Yu Xiaogang's theories weren't always right.
Half an hour later, Tang San finally completed the absorption.
He stood up—completely naked. The girls quickly turned away, embarrassed.
Scratching his head, Tang San reached into his Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges and pulled out a fresh set of clothes.
Chen Feng looked on with admiration.
Storage-type soul tools were incredibly rare for low-level soul masters, yet Tang San had one, a gift from the Grandmaster.
Tsk… if only I had one too.
Then I wouldn't have to lug around this bag like some mortal. It's a pain to carry, and easy to lose.
Sigh…
Chen Feng sighed again.
Fully dressed, Tang San immediately noticed Chen Feng and strode over quickly.
He gave a respectful half-bow and said sincerely:
"Benefactor, thank you. I have nothing to repay you with… so please accept my Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges."
"???"
Chen Feng was stunned.
Did someone just hand me a pillow when I was about to nap?
I didn't even ask for your storage space, and you're just giving it to me?
"No need. That would be… too much," Chen Feng replied awkwardly, trying to decline.
He had already tricked Tang San out of his external spirit bone, and now he was about to walk away with a favor and a free soul tool?
Even someone as shameless as Chen Feng felt a little embarrassed—his face flushed slightly, and he waved his hands in refusal.
If Tang San ever found out the truth, would he draw a circle on the ground and curse me for life?
"Take it!" Tang San insisted, forcing the belt into his hands.
"You helped me get the Man-Faced Demon Spider's spirit ring. What's a little soul tool compared to that?"
"…Fine."
Chen Feng finally accepted it, then casually pointed behind Tang San.
"By the way, weren't you looking for your teammate? That girl named Xiao Wu?
There she is—she's already back."
Tang San whipped around.
"Xiao… Xiao Wu!"
"San-ge!"
Tears welled in Xiao Wu's eyes. Two drops rolled silently down her cheeks.
And yet… when she saw that Tang San's first words weren't about finding her, her heart turned strangely cold.
"Xiao Wu… do you know how panicked I was when you got taken by the Titan Giant Ape?"
Tang San rushed forward and hugged her tightly.
Xiao Wu pouted.
"Really? Just how panicked were you?"
"I wanted to fly to you immediately! Even if it was the Titan Giant Ape, I wasn't afraid!"
"And then?"
"Then… I encountered a Man-Faced Demon Spider while resting. Chen Feng injured it and gave me the spirit ring.
I have to thank him—his attributes were perfect for me!"
"And after that?"
"After that… I absorbed the spirit ring. Xiao Wu, do you know? It was nearly three thousand years old!"
Suddenly, Xiao Wu's expression turned cold. She pushed Tang San away.
"So you forgot about me, huh?"
"Xiao Wu, how can you say that? I just wanted to grow stronger—to save you!"
"Then why didn't you wait until you were a Titled Douluo to come find me?"
Furious, Xiao Wu turned and ran off.
"Xiao Wu—!"
Tang San stood there, stunned.
Something's not right…
This isn't how it was supposed to go…