Dawn broke over Holy Soul Village, golden sunlight spilling across rooftops and dirt paths as if nothing unusual had occurred.
Yet beneath the calm surface, invisible waves were spreading—fast, far, and uncontrollably.
Inside a modest wooden house at the village's edge, Tang Hao stood motionless. The previous night's sensation still lingered in his bones: an ancient, tyrannical dragon pressure that had appeared for less than a breath—then vanished.
He slowly clenched his fist.
"That wasn't a Titled Douluo…" he muttered.
His gaze shifted toward the village center.
"…And it wasn't Tang San."
Meanwhile, Lin Chen walked calmly back into the village, his steps light, breathing steady. The black soul ring beneath his feet had long since been concealed by the system, hidden under a false configuration of ten-year soul power fluctuation.
To anyone observing—
He was nothing special.
System concealment is absolute, Lin Chen thought with satisfaction.
[Passive Effect: Supreme Ring Camouflage — Active]
Only he could feel it—the abyssal power coiled quietly within his body, obedient and lethal.
At the Spirit Awakening Hall, the black-robed Spirit Master sat stiffly, sweat soaking through his robes. He had not slept all night.
Three martial spirits.
No—three supreme martial spirits.
He swallowed hard as Lin Chen entered alongside Tang San.
"Y-you," he stammered, forcing himself to stand. "Your spirit power… we still need to measure it."
Lin Chen nodded politely and placed his hand on the crystal orb.
Cracks spread instantly.
The crystal shattered.
Silence.
The Spirit Master's face turned deathly pale.
"Innate… innate full soul power," he whispered hoarsely. Then, after a pause, his voice dropped. "No. This… exceeds full soul power."
Tang San's eyes narrowed slightly.
So even he can't hide everything, Tang San thought.
Lin Chen withdrew his hand and smiled faintly, as if embarrassed.
Old Jack trembled with excitement. "Two… two geniuses! Holy Soul Village has produced two geniuses!"
Lin Chen said nothing.
He already knew.
Far away, within the towering Spirit Hall Main Branch of Notting City, a massive crystal array suddenly pulsed.
Crack.
One of the detection crystals exploded.
Several white-robed Spirit Masters recoiled in shock.
At the center of the hall, Su Yuntao froze mid-step.
"This fluctuation…" he muttered, pupils shrinking. "That wasn't Blue Silver Grass."
High above them, in a sealed chamber reserved for confidential transmissions, a message array activated on its own.
[Anomalous Martial Spirit Detected][Classification: Unknown — Dragon-Type | Authority-Level Suppression][Estimated Age: Unmeasurable]
The hall fell silent.
A senior bishop rose slowly from his seat.
"Send word to the Main Hall," he said grimly. "And mark Notting City as a priority observation zone."
"No intervention," another elder added cautiously. "Not yet."
They all understood the implication.
Something had awakened.
Back in the village, Lin Chen sat beneath an old tree, eyes half-closed, appearing relaxed.
The system interface shimmered quietly.
[New Function Unlocked][Soul Ring Evolution Authority — Secondary Access][Conditions: Bonded Targets | Emotional Contract Established]
Lin Chen's lips curved faintly.
So that's how it works… my women will not be limited by this world.
Nearby, Tang San approached and sat beside him.
"You felt it too, didn't you?" Tang San asked casually.
Lin Chen opened one eye and looked at him.
"…Felt what?"
Tang San smiled faintly, but his gaze was sharp.
"Never mind."
Above them, unseen, fate twisted tighter.
Two anomalies.
One continent.
And somewhere far away, upon a throne of darkness and divinity—
A woman with purple eyes slowly opened them.
"…Interesting."