"Next?"
Zhu Ziyang blinked in confusion, glancing at Mu En. But the elder didn't respond with words. Instead, he answered through action.
Mu En slowly sat upright, and behind him, nine soul rings appeared, glowing softly and radiating immense power.
Yellow, yellow, purple, black, black, black, red, red, red.
Nine rings of varying sizes and colors instantly filled the hall of the Sea God Pavilion. Fortunately, soul rings were intangible, otherwise this space wouldn't have been enough to contain them all.
"This…" Zhu Ziyang's confusion deepened. Why summon his soul rings all of a sudden? Though puzzled, his gaze was drawn to the nine luminous soul rings floating behind his teacher. His sharp eyes immediately noticed something odd—four of the rings were distinctly different from the others. They emitted a unique, solid aura, standing apart from standard rings. Curiosity lit his expression.
"Heh, I see you noticed." Mu En chuckled, having watched Zhu Ziyang's face carefully. "That's right. Now let this old man explain to you what soul rings truly are."
Zhu Ziyang's heart stirred with anticipation. He was eager to hear Mu En's insights—after all, Mu En was one of the most powerful humans on the entire Douluo Continent. Would his understanding of soul rings match what Electrolux had shared?
Mu En didn't speak immediately. Instead, he extended his hand, and a black soul ring floated over to Zhu Ziyang's right side. Then another, also black, hovered to his left. Both looked identical in color, but as Zhu Ziyang observed more closely, he saw that one appeared misty and faint, while the other was dense and radiant.
"Go on, try touching them," Mu En encouraged with a smile.
Zhu Ziyang hesitated, but extended his hand toward the ring on the right. Soul rings are intangible, there's no way to actually touch one, he thought skeptically. And indeed, his hand passed straight through it.
Then he reached for the ring on the left—and froze.
Solid. Warm. Smooth.
It felt like the Spirit-Nurturing Jade Cai Meier had once given him.
Zhu Ziyang's eyes widened in disbelief. "T-Teacher… What… what is this?!"
"Heh. No need to panic. What you're seeing is called Secondary Soul Ring Refinement," Mu En replied with a knowing smile. His expression grew nostalgic, as if lost in distant memories.
"Secondary Soul Ring Refinement?" Zhu Ziyang echoed, stunned. This was the first time he'd ever heard of such a concept. He instantly recalled what Electrolux had said days ago—about the essence of a soul ring lying in its life force. A strange sense of certainty settled in him: whatever Mu En was about to reveal likely aligned with Electrolux's theory.
"That's right. Soul Ring Refinement—Phase Two," Mu En explained. "Normally, when a soul master advances in rank and absorbs a new ring, we call it the initial refinement. That's the basic requirement for progress. All soul masters undergo this phase—it's what allows them to harness soul skills."
"But what I'm about to teach you is something deeper—Secondary Refinement, a deeper awakening of the ring's potential. According to an old friend of mine, the true nature of a soul ring is a fusion of soul power and life force. During initial absorption, we only refine the soul power—not the life force. Secondary Refinement is the process of absorbing that life force."
As Mu En spoke, Zhu Ziyang's excitement grew uncontrollably. Just as Electrolux said! His own teacher wasn't inferior after all!
"Once a soul ring undergoes Secondary Refinement, its attached soul skill will become part of your martial soul's very essence—instinctive, no longer bound by conventional activation. The ring's age will also increase slightly, and your physical body will be further enhanced."
"But more importantly," Mu En added, grinning, "your life force will rise significantly. Look at me—my spine was once shattered, yet here I am, still alive and kicking!"
He laughed, poking fun at himself.
"You just experienced the key sign of Secondary Refinement: the materialization of the soul ring. Like the jade you touched just now. Don't worry—they're still incorporeal. They won't take up space in the real world."
"Teacher," Zhu Ziyang asked, "if Secondary Refinement enhances strength so greatly, why haven't I heard of it before?"
"Good question!" Mu En praised him with a chuckle. "There are two main reasons.
First, this discovery is relatively new—within the past few centuries. And even then, only a handful of people noticed it. Most assumed the benefits were just coincidence. It wasn't until about a hundred years ago that a genius truly unlocked its secrets and formalized the concept.
Second, the process requires a special method—a life force cultivation technique. But there are very few forces on the continent that possess such knowledge. As far as I know, only two: the Body Sect, and my old friend."
"Then... Shrek Academy doesn't have this method?" Zhu Ziyang asked, disappointed.
"Unfortunately not," Mu En replied with a smile, seeing through his thoughts. "But don't worry—even if the Academy lacks it, I do."
Zhu Ziyang's eyes lit up. Of course! If Mu En's soul rings had undergone Secondary Refinement, then he must know the method to cultivate life force!
"Haha! I learned it from my old friend. She made me promise never to teach it to others… but you're my last disciple, and your martial soul is highly compatible with it. So I'll break that promise—for you."
He smiled wistfully. "Compared to the future of Shrek Academy, what's one broken oath?"
"Thank you, Teacher!" Zhu Ziyang was deeply moved.
"You don't need to thank me. You're my disciple," Mu En said, waving it off. "But know this—you'll need six soul rings before you can practice life force cultivation. So keep working hard!"
"I will, Teacher!" Zhu Ziyang replied with unwavering confidence.
After leaving Sea God Island…
On his way back to the outer court, Zhu Ziyang entered his spiritual sea to consult with Electrolux.
"Teacher, what do you think of what Mu En said today—about Secondary Refinement and life force cultivation?" he asked.
Electrolux was lounging under the sun-like glow of an extreme light-element star, reclining lazily.
"Haha, I admit I underestimated your teacher," Electrolux said frankly. "Anyone capable of reaching the bottleneck of an entire realm must understand the roots of their own strength. That's not something to be taken lightly."
Zhu Ziyang nodded. He agreed entirely.
"So, what do you think about life force cultivation itself?" he asked.
"That sort of method? It's not meant for you." Electrolux answered bluntly. "As someone who commands death, why would you need to cultivate life?"
"Besides," he added with a snort, "he said it himself—you need six soul rings before you can even start. Me? Once you reach four rings, I'll help you refine them all, right away!"
"Understood, Teacher!" Zhu Ziyang grinned. Having two powerful teachers really was the best feeling in the world.
"Hilarious," Electrolux scoffed. "You need a method to refine life force? Please. If you have hands, you can do it!"
If Mu En had heard that, he would've leapt to his feet in rage.
"Easy for you to say—you control death!"