Xu Jiujiu was still stunned, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Purple… as your first ring? That's impossible!"
Master Li, who had initially remained calm, now approached with hurried steps, his face showing an expression rarely seen—shock that could not be hidden. "Tianyu, could you show us your soul ring again?"
Tianyu let out a deep sigh. He knew they would have more questions later. With a steady movement, he reactivated his Martial Soul.
"Golden Dragon King!"
A golden dragon shadow appeared behind him once more, far larger and more vivid than before. A single deep purple soul ring circled around his feet, radiating an aura far stronger than an ordinary thousand-year soul ring.
Xu Jiujiu immediately noticed the difference. "That's… not just a normal thousand-year soul ring! Its aura… it's even stronger than my third ring!"
Master Li furrowed his brows, eyes narrowing as if trying to see something hidden. "Tianyu, how did you obtain a soul ring of such quality at your level?"
Tianyu took a breath before answering. "There was a time I snuck out of the house to explore the forest on the outskirts of the city. I came across a soul beast—wounded and near death. It was a Golden-Scaled Thunder Lizard, around 4,000 to 5,000 years old."
He continued, carefully choosing his words. "When I approached, the beast growled and prepared to attack. Instinctively, I activated my Martial Soul to defend myself. Strangely, the moment my Golden Dragon King appeared, the soul beast suddenly bowed in fear… then sacrificed itself."
Xu Jiujiu covered her gaping mouth. "Sacrificed itself? That's incredibly rare!"
Master Li nodded slowly, his eyes gleaming with interest. "There are indeed some rare cases where soul beasts voluntarily offer their soul rings. It usually occurs when there's a special resonance between the Martial Soul and the soul beast."
"After that," Tianyu continued, "the soul ring merged with me instantly, without the usual absorption process. I only realized how fortunate I was after learning more at the academy."
Silently, Tianyu felt relieved that his lie sounded plausible. He knew that if people found out the truth—that he could generate soul rings on his own—they might suspect he was actually a hundred-thousand-year-old soul beast disguised as a human. Even if it could be explained as a special ability of his Martial Soul, not everyone would believe it.
"Human nature is complex," Tianyu thought bitterly. "Someone might try to kill me just for thinking I'm lying. Even my mother could be endangered because of it."
Suddenly, Xu Jiujiu gripped his hand tightly. "That means your Golden Dragon King is truly special! There must be a connection between the golden-scaled reptile and your dragon."
Master Li still appeared deep in thought. "The Golden-Scaled Thunder Lizard is known to be a rare soul beast with extremely diluted dragon blood. Perhaps there was a resonance with your Martial Soul's pure dragon aura."
Tianyu nodded, grateful they accepted his explanation. "Ever since that day, I promised myself never to waste this opportunity."
Xu Jiujiu couldn't hide the emotions swelling in her heart. She had always known Tianyu was talented, even from the moment she first saw him. But now, with the truth that he possessed a purple soul ring as his first—something unprecedented on the entire continent—she realized he was far more extraordinary than she had imagined.
At first, their engagement was merely a tactic. She wanted to escape an arranged political marriage set by her father, while also ensuring Tianyu remained tied to the Xing Luo Empire. She had told her father, the current emperor, about Tianyu's talent. Although the emperor initially refused, he changed his mind drastically after hearing that Tianyu had shattered the soul power testing orb during the talent assessment.
That wasn't something an ordinary human could do.
The Emperor of Xing Luo knew that the innate limit for a normal human was only up to level 10. No human had ever surpassed it. But... there was one exception—those chosen as divine heirs. As recorded in the history ten thousand years ago: the Sea God Tang San's greatest enemy, Spirit Hall, worshipped the Angel God. All of their Grand Bishops came from the Qian bloodline, descendants of angels. It was said that one member of the Qian family had been born with spirit power exceeding level ten and inherited the legacy of the Angel God himself.
Xu Jiujiu couldn't suppress the joy blooming in her heart. Her pale cheeks gradually flushed like cherry blossoms in spring. Though she had initially gotten engaged to Tianyu just to avoid a political marriage—thinking it better to be betrothed to someone she'd known for a few months rather than a complete stranger—she also wanted to tie his talents to the Xing Luo Empire. But now, her feelings were beginning to change.
"Tianyu..." she whispered softly, her delicate hand unconsciously reaching for Tianyu's arm. Her body, still growing, naturally enveloped the six-year-old Tianyu's smaller frame.
Master Li hid a small smile as he watched the scene unfold. "Jiujiu, don't overwhelm Tianyu. He still needs to train diligently."
Tianyu, suddenly trapped in Xu Jiujiu's embrace, felt his face heat up. "Si-Sister Jiujiu... I can't breathe…"
Xu Jiujiu quickly let go, though her slender fingers still lightly touched Tianyu's arm. Her rosy red lips curved into a teasing smile. "I'm sorry, my dear fiancé. I just got too excited." Her eyes sparkled mischievously. "I can't wait until you grow up."
Tianyu choked, his face flushing red like a ripe pomegranate. He quickly stepped back to a safe distance, trying to steady his breathing. "Sister Jiujiu, don't say weird things!"
Master Li let out a long sigh, shaking his head. "You two… Alright, that's enough for today."
"Yes, Uncle," Xu Jiujiu replied.
Master Li was the brother of the Empress of the Xing Luo Empire, who was also Xu Jiujiu's mother. That was why Xu Jiujiu could have an escort as powerful as a Contra just to help her hunt for her third soul ring.
As they parted to rest, Xu Jiujiu still couldn't wipe the smile off her face. Behind her teasing attitude, her mind was serious. The engagement that had started as a political maneuver was now beginning to feel like something more. Tianyu wasn't just a genius—he was a phenomenon the continent had never seen before.
Meanwhile, Tianyu returned to his tent and placed a hand over his still-pounding chest. On one hand, he was embarrassed by Xu Jiujiu's bold behavior. But on the other… there was a strange warmth surging in his heart.
He wasn't sure if he could go through with breaking the engagement when the time came.