Douluo: Wuhun Qimen Formation, control everything!

Deep beneath the tower of the Soul Spirit Research Association outside Shrek City.

Instead, it was a secret chamber sealed off by countless complex soul-guiding arrays.

In the center of the secret room, Zhou Xuan stood in front of a machine with his eyes closed.

His forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat, which slid down his cheeks but evaporated before reaching the ground, a clear sign of excessive mental exertion.

Before him, a ball of light was restlessly twisting, expanding, and contracting, within which countless fine, hair-like golden runes could be vaguely seen rapidly circulating.

That was a soul-guiding array he drew using his mental power.

In essence, a soul ring is a method of solidifying a soul beast's soul skills by using soul power and some rules. Everyone has soul power, but the difficulty lies in how to solidify soul skills.

After a long period of experimentation, Zhou Xuan discovered that the Soul Guidance Array was indeed very useful.

Since the Soul Guiding Array can solidify Soul Skills onto the Soul Guiding Device, it makes sense to solidify Soul Skills onto a mass of Soul Power, right?
This ball of light is the culmination of his research over the past two years—an artificial soul ring that is yet to be formed.

In one corner of the secret room stood two figures, their breathing deliberately suppressed, for fear of disturbing the young man in the center.

One of them was Elder Xuan, whose body was hunched over and whose signature wine gourd was no longer in his hand. His eyes were bloodshot, his fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white from excessive force.

The other was a handsome man dressed in black robes, none other than the Beast God Di Tian. Even he, who was usually so composed, couldn't help but breathe faster.

This is an artificial spirit ring! If it really succeeds, its significance will be so great that it will be enough to change the entire continent's landscape!

Suddenly, the chaotic ball of light trembled violently, the golden runes inside began to become disordered, and a violent aura leaked out from it. The soul guidance array in the entire secret chamber emitted a humming sound as if it could not bear the burden.

"It's about to get out of control!" Elder Xuan instinctively wanted to intervene, but remembering Zhou Xuan's instructions before the experiment began, he forcibly stopped himself.

Di Tian's pupils suddenly contracted, and he subconsciously raised his hand, but at the critical moment he remembered Zhou Xuan's previous instructions and stopped moving, but he did not completely let his guard down.

The experiment can fail, but Zhou Xuan absolutely cannot be harmed. As things stand now, Zhou Xuan's significance to the soul beast race is even greater than that of the auspicious beast.

However, just as the sphere of light was about to completely collapse, Zhou Xuan suddenly opened his tightly closed eyes.

He raised his left hand, his index fingers together, and without hesitation stabbed himself between the eyebrows.

A wisp of dazzling golden light was slowly drawn out from between Zhou Xuan's eyebrows. The moment the light appeared, Zhou Xuan's body trembled violently, and his face instantly turned bloodless.

But without the slightest hesitation, he slowly pressed the wisp of light representing his spiritual origin into the raging ball of light in front of him.

Om-!
A strange buzzing sound, seemingly coming from the void, reverberated throughout the secret chamber, and the previously violent energy instantly calmed down.

The sphere of light stopped expanding wildly and began to contract rapidly inward, its light becoming increasingly pure and solid.

Di Tian's face visibly showed excitement.

Only then did he understand Zhou Xuan's actions.

Zhou Xuan was using his own spiritual essence as a "soul" to infuse this lifeless artificial soul ring with a "soul"!
The essence of Soul Rings lies in the Soul itself!
Under the watchful eyes of the two powerful figures, the ball of light eventually shrank into a completely black ring.

Become!

Zhou Xuan slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, a slight smile playing on his lips.

The artificial spirit ring is complete!
This is an absolute ten-thousand-year spirit ring, and unlike ordinary ten-thousand-year spirit rings, its shelf life is almost infinite.

As long as there is sufficient soul power around it, it can maintain its existence and even absorb the surrounding soul power over a long period of time to upgrade itself!
"Haha...hahahaha!"

Elder Xuan was stunned for a moment, then burst into a wild, joyful laugh.

"He succeeded! He really succeeded! You're going to rewrite the history of Shrek Academy, no, the history of the entire continent, kid!"

Di Tian finally stopped having a tense expression.

"Kid, it looks like I made the right bet this time!"

Zhou Xuan looked at the soul ring with a smile in his eyes.

With successful experience, the process of creating artificial spirit rings will only become simpler in the future.

Moreover, with this experience, it will be much easier for him to condense spirit rings and fuse martial souls on his own in the future.

Elder Xuan's loud laughter echoed in the secret chamber, causing the Soul Guiding Lamp to sway slightly.

He grabbed Zhou Xuan's shoulder and slapped him hard with his large, fan-like hands, making a loud thud.

"Good job, kid! If word gets out about this, the whole continent will go crazy!"

Di Tian didn't speak. He simply stepped forward slowly, his eyes fixed on the black soul ring floating above Zhou Xuan's palm.

He could clearly sense that this spirit ring lacked the unique life imprint and soul resentment of a spirit beast, but its energy was extremely pure.

This is exactly the result he wanted to see.

"It's done. The next step is to find someone to test it!" Elder Xuan's laughter subsided, and his expression turned serious. "I'll go find a trustworthy Soul King right now and have him absorb it! Can you guarantee that this thing will be fine?"

Zhou Xuan nodded calmly: "Don't worry, I've already calculated this countless times. Since it can be accomplished, there's definitely no problem. However..."

Elder Xuan nodded and immediately turned to go find someone.

"Wait, Elder Xuan."

He turned around, looking at Zhou Xuan with some confusion: "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with this thing?"

“There’s no problem.” Zhou Xuan shook his head. “It’s just that the test subject isn’t necessarily a Soul King.”

Elder Xuan frowned: "Why? A Soul King is strong and has a high physical endurance. If anything unexpected happens, he can withstand it. Wouldn't it be more dangerous to find a weak one?"

Di Tian also cast an inquiring glance, feeling that a more powerful platform would have a higher margin for error.

Zhou Xuan held the artificial soul ring in his palm, a black halo swirling around it.

"Elder Xuan, I can guarantee that the soul power of this soul ring is absolutely gentle, and even an ordinary person who has just awakened can absorb it. Therefore, I think that finding a Soul Venerable who is about to break through to the Soul Sect would better reflect the value of this soul ring. After all, we both understand the significance of a fourth soul ring that is ten thousand years old, don't we?"

Upon hearing Zhou Xuan's words, Elder Xuan almost instinctively denied them.

"No way!" He glared, his voice echoing in the secret chamber. "Absolutely not! Even if you created it, it's a ten-thousand-year spirit ring! This is too risky!"

"Elder Xuan, please don't be in a hurry." He held the black spirit ring up to Elder Xuan. "Please feel its energy carefully."

Elder Xuan frowned, suspiciously reaching out his hand and cautiously probing with his spiritual energy.

"This...this energy..."

He couldn't sense any violent aura, nor the ferocious sound found in the soul rings of ordinary ten-thousand-year-old soul beasts.

On the contrary, the soul power in this black soul ring was no different from the baby bottle he had used before.

Zhou Xuan explained, "I can guarantee that its absorption process will be safer than absorbing a hundred-year-old soul ring."

"Elder Xuan, think about it, what if we find a Soul King to absorb it? If we succeed, what will happen? The outside world will say that Shrek Academy has created an artificial Soul Ring, which is very impressive. And then what?"

That was the end of it. Because a Soul King is capable of acquiring a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring, we were just providing him with a more convenient option. But what if a Soul Master could obtain a ten-thousand-year fourth Soul Ring?" Zhou Xuan didn't finish his sentence, but Elder Xuan already understood his meaning.

Can you really guarantee complete safety?

Zhou Xuan nodded: "Don't worry! Besides, we'll all be there when we fuse the spirit rings, so even if we fail, there won't be any losses."

Elder Xuan let out a long breath.

"Alright! As you say! Let's go big!" Old Master Xuan slapped his thigh and made up his mind.

Elder Xuan was incredibly efficient; in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he led in a somewhat uneasy-looking young man.

The boy was about sixteen or seventeen years old, with an average appearance and build; he was the kind of person who would be easily lost in a crowd.

His school uniform was faded from washing, which clearly indicated that his family was not well-off.

When he saw Zhou Xuan in the center of the secret room, and the black-robed man in the corner who exuded a terrifying aura, his legs began to tremble.

"Master Xuan... Master Xuan, you wanted to see me..." The boy's voice trembled noticeably, and he didn't even dare to lift his head.

Elder Xuan patted his shoulder with considerable force, causing the boy to stumble.

"Hey kid, what's your name?"

"Reporting to Elder Xuan, my name is Li Fan."

"Li Fan, what level is your soul power?"

"I just... just reached level 40," Li Fan answered honestly, feeling increasingly uncertain.

He was just an ordinary student who was worrying about how to obtain his fourth spirit ring when Elder Xuan came to him in person.

"Very good." Elder Xuan nodded. He already knew about this student before he came, and asking now was just to make a final confirmation.

"Get ready, you're about to absorb your fourth spirit ring."

Li Fan was stunned for a moment, then a surge of joy welled up inside him. Could it be that Elder Xuan was going to personally take him to obtain a soul ring? This was an incredible opportunity!

But what Elder Xuan said next made him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

“Look, that’s it.” Elder Xuan pointed to the black soul ring floating in Zhou Xuan’s palm, “It’s ten thousand years old.”

Li Fan looked in the direction he was pointing.

Ten thousand years? The fourth spirit ring?
Me? Absorbing a ten-thousand-year-old soul ring?

"No! Elder Xuan! You...you must be joking!" Li Fan's face turned deathly pale in an instant, and he staggered backward. "My body is already at its limit when it comes to absorbing a thousand-year soul ring, this...this ten-thousand-year soul ring will make me explode and die!"

This is common sense, common sense that every Soul Master knows. He even wondered if he had done something wrong that he was being executed in this way.

"Who's joking with you?" Elder Xuan glared, his imposing presence radiating authority.

Li Fan was so frightened that he immediately knelt on the ground, his voice trembling with tears: "Elder Xuan, spare me! I don't want to die! I really can't withstand a ten-thousand-year soul ring!"

Seeing Li Fan's terrified expression, Zhou Xuan shook his head helplessly. This Elder Xuan was really something, not even explaining things clearly to him.

It's as if this is some kind of horrific human experiment.

"Don't worry, every student is a treasure of Shrek Academy. We won't let you die. Letting you absorb it certainly won't harm you," Zhou Xuan said calmly, then explained the origin of this spirit ring.

Li Fan's mind went blank.

A spirit ring that was created? Can spirit rings even be created?
Elder Xuan snorted and added, "Boy, don't be ungrateful. The value of this thing is beyond your imagination. Giving it to you to absorb is an immense opportunity for you."

Of course, you can choose to refuse, and I'll find someone else right away.

Li Fan was struggling internally.

He looked at Zhou Xuan, then at Elder Xuan, an elder of the Elders' Pavilion. It was impossible for him to play such a trick on an ordinary student.

Ultimately, the desire for power triumphed over the fear of the unknown.

“I…I do!” Li Fan replied through gritted teeth.

"Very good, you have some courage." Elder Xuan nodded in satisfaction. "Sit down and get ready to begin. We'll all be here watching; nothing will go wrong."

Li Fan took a deep breath, sat cross-legged in the center of the secret room, and tried to regulate his breathing.

Zhou Xuan flicked his finger, and the black soul ring floated lightly to the top of Li Fan's head before slowly falling down.

"Once you're ready, draw the spirit ring and prepare to absorb it."

The moment the spirit ring touched Li Fan's body, he subconsciously tensed all his muscles, preparing to face excruciating pain.

However, nothing happened.

There were no violent energy surges, no soul-tearing resentments.

A warm soul force, like a gentle stream, flowed silently through his limbs and bones, merging into his body.

"This...this is absorbing a spirit ring?"

Anyone who didn't know better would think they had taken some kind of magic pill.

This process was even easier and more pleasant than when he absorbed his first spirit ring, a hundred-year-old spirit ring.

He even had the leisure to sense the information of the soul skill that had been solidified in the soul ring.

Time passed by minute by minute.

Inside the secret chamber, Elder Xuan held his breath, his eyes fixed intently on Li Fan.

Although Zhou Xuan had assured them of their safety, they were still extremely nervous to witness this historic moment firsthand.

Finally, the black spirit ring shone brightly and then completely merged into Li Fan's body.

Li Fan suddenly opened his eyes, a powerful feeling he had never experienced before filling his entire body.

He subconsciously released his martial spirit—a sword.

Immediately afterwards, four spirit rings rose from beneath his feet.

Yellow, yellow, purple, black!

When the fourth spirit ring appeared, its deep black color, carrying the unique pressure of a ten-thousand-year spirit ring, caused the air in the entire secret chamber to freeze.

Become!

A level 40 Soul Master actually absorbed a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring and became a Soul Grandmaster with a ten-thousand-year fourth Soul Ring!
"Hahahaha! It's done! It really is done!" Elder Xuan could no longer contain his excitement and laughed heartily.

They witnessed history together! (End of Chapter)