Chapter 41: Always Acting!

Wang Feng squinted his eyes, then raised his soul ring—a deep purple one that radiated throughout the room, accompanied by a beautiful golden lotus.

As the purple soul ring ascended, Bishop Jie Ke was momentarily stunned. A purple soul ring?

Even the handsome youth beside him was slightly astonished, looking at the boy who was only a few centimeters shorter than him with a curious expression.

"His soul power is at level fifteen," Master Ma Xiunio quickly said, "Bishop Jie Ke, this child is a genius. If he joins the Soul Hall, his achievements will be limitless! Burying him in Noding City would be a waste. I hope you can take him to a better academy."

However, before Ma Xiunio could finish, Bishop Jie Ke interrupted with a stern voice, "Wait, did you say his soul power? Only level fifteen?"

Ma Xiunio nodded.

"Kid, how did you obtain this thousand-year soul ring?" Bishop Jie Ke continued to ask.

Wang Feng then repeated what he had told Tang San to everyone present.

"Two soul beasts fighting? A Golden Lightning Leopard and a Star-Moon Fox? That's interesting. The Golden Lightning Leopard is an extremely rare thousand-year soul beast, ranging from five to six thousand years, and the Star-Moon Fox can be between two to four thousand years. However, the Star-Moon Fox possesses strong recovery abilities and indeed has the strength to battle the Golden Lightning Leopard."

Bishop Jie Ke, being a Saint-ranked Soul Master, showed broad knowledge, "It seems your luck is truly outstanding. In the midst of their battle, during exhaustion, there was a chance you could benefit!"

At this moment, the mysterious young man suddenly spoke, his voice crisp and melodious, "Why did you choose the soul ring of the Golden Lightning Leopard instead of the Star-Moon Fox?"

Wang Feng glanced at him and repeated the prepared explanation, "Because the Golden Lightning Leopard is more powerful... so I didn't choose the Star-Moon Fox."

A typical answer from a child.

After Wang Feng finished speaking, the young man shook his head slightly, sighed lightly, and fell silent.

Ma Xiunio and the others were puzzled.

Bishop Jie Ke, however, sneered, "What a pity, what a shame!"

Ma Xiunio and Su Yuntao were once again extremely confused.

"On our way here, this hall's Soul Master mentioned this child to me."

Bishop Jie Ke glanced at Su Yuntao and said indifferently, "This child has innate full soul power, extraordinary talent, and exceptional physical qualities. He just enrolled yesterday at Noding Academy. He probably hasn't been taught much yet. He rushed into the Soul Hunting Forest with great enthusiasm..."

"A thousand-year soul ring is impossible for a first-rank Soul Master to absorb. Forcibly absorbing it, the weak ones will only explode and die! He has innate full soul power, exceptional talent, and perhaps a one percent chance of successful absorption. Unfortunately, if he had absorbed the soul ring of the Star-Moon Fox, which has lower life expectancy and strong recovery abilities, he might have had a slim chance of survival."

Bishop Jie Ke walked to Wang Feng's side, took a look, and shook his head again, "Unfortunately, he ignorantly chose the soul ring of the Golden Lightning Leopard, which is at least five thousand years old. Even a level thirty Soul Master wouldn't dare to absorb such a soul ring!"

Hearing this, Master Ma Xiunio's face changed drastically, "Lord Bishop, are you saying..."

"He won't live for long." The mysterious young man, with his enchanting voice, spoke again, "Inherently having full soul power allows his body to surpass ordinary people, but forcibly absorbing the Golden Lightning Leopard's soul ring, even if successful, his body will struggle to sustain itself."

"Moreover, every time he uses his soul ring, the burden on his body will increase. His soul power will rapidly dissipate because his body can't handle the enormous impact of the thousand-year soul ring!"

The mysterious young man walked up to Wang Feng, his star-like eyes locking onto him.

For some reason, this child held a peculiar attraction for him.

"So, his soul power is only level fifteen," Bishop Jie Ke said coldly, "If he were a true unparalleled genius, absorbing the soul power of the Golden Lightning Leopard without any damage, he would only have reached full soul power at level twenty. That would be a genuine unparalleled genius, a rare find among millions!"

"But he is not."

Bishop Jie Ke pointed at Wang Feng, "His talent is decent, but he's too foolish, knows too little, and made the wrong choice. If he had chosen the soul ring of the Star-Moon Fox with its healing ability and shorter lifespan, there might have been a slight chance of survival."

"Now, his soul power will gradually decrease, and his body will slowly be unable to endure the massive impact of the thousand-year soul power. Eventually, he will fade away."

Bishop Jie Ke looked at Wang Feng and asked, "Kid, does your body ache intensely every time you use your soul power?"

At these words, Master Ma Xiu Nuo was suddenly shocked. Wang Feng had mentioned this before, but he hadn't paid much attention to it.

Could it be...

Wang Feng nodded.

Seeing this, Master Ma Xiu Nuo's heart sank.

"So, he has no potential left." Bishop Jie Ke shook his head, "What a pity we made this trip for nothing."

At the same time,

Noding Academy, in the room where the master was located.

"What? Master, you're saying Feng will slowly die?" Tang San listened dumbfoundedly to his teacher's words, a look of shock on his face. "How could this happen? Feng's first soul ring is a thousand-year soul ring; how could he die?"

Upon returning to the academy, Tang San had sought out his master and recounted the situation with Feng's soul ring.

Unexpectedly, he received this horrifying answer!

Master sighed and said, "The child Wang Feng is too impatient. With such good luck, intelligence, and strong physique, if he had been a bit more cautious, he should have absorbed the soul ring of the Star-Moon Fox to have some chance of surviving. But he insisted on absorbing the soul ring of the Golden Lightning Leopard... with at least five thousand years. Even if his talent is exceptional, it would be difficult for him to survive. By forcibly absorbing the soul ring now, he'll likely experience extreme pain every time he uses his martial soul. His soul power will also dissipate slowly, and he won't live for much longer."

After Master finished speaking, a sigh filled his face with sorrow.

That child, if he had a teacher to guide him, perhaps he wouldn't be in this situation!

"Is there any way to save Feng, Master?" Tang San stood up with a somewhat anxious expression. Feng was his good friend who had grown up with him!

"Difficult!" Master shook his head, "First, use precious materials to slow down the impact of the Golden Lightning Leopard's soul ring, but these rare treasures are extremely scarce. You may come across them, but it's difficult to obtain them deliberately. Even if he is saved, Wang Feng's soul ring will still degrade to a hundred years, not a thousand. His strength and potential will be greatly diminished... and the Soul Hall wouldn't bother with such a thankless task."

"Secondly, it involves having a Soul Master of at least Saint-level suppress the soul ring of the Golden Lightning Leopard for him. However, it's equally thankless, and even if he recovers, Wang Feng's soul ring will still decline. His strength, potential, and limits will all decrease. The Soul Hall won't undertake such a task..."

Hearing the teacher's explanation, Tang San was also stunned. He hadn't expected this turn of events.

"Feng, how... how much time do you have left?" Tang San asked with a trembling voice.

The master remained silent for a moment, then shook his head, "At most... six or seven years, and that's without using his martial soul. If he uses it extensively, it will significantly shorten his lifespan, and there's even a chance of sudden death."

Tang San stood still.

---

In the city of Noding, within the Soul Hall.

It was exceptionally quiet.

Master Ma Xiunio looked at Wang Feng with a pained expression, tears shimmering in his eyes.

Su Yun Tao also gazed at Wang Feng, feeling a hint of sadness in his heart.

No one had anticipated this situation.

At this moment, Wang Feng suddenly spoke with a quivering voice, "Esteemed Bishop, is it true that the Soul Hall has no way to save me? The Soul Hall is so powerful; you should be able to help in my situation, right? If you can save me, then I won't be in any danger, right?"

Silence.

"Save you?" Bishop Jie Ke chuckled, "The cost of saving you is too high, and you can't afford it. Even if we save you, your strength, talent, will be far inferior to what they were. You might consider yourself fortunate if you can still become a Soul Master at that time!"

"So, kid, sorry, but you can't join the Soul Hall. I suggest you stop studying, go back to your village, and live out the rest of your life without using your martial soul."

Bishop Jie Ke waved his hand.

"But, can't you at least give it a try? How would you know unless you try?" Wang Feng walked up to Bishop Jie Ke, his face filled with entreaty.

He seemed somewhat afraid, as if he had understood the words spoken by Jie Ke and the mysterious young man just now.

Witnessing this scene, Ma Xiunio and Su Yuntao felt a pang in their hearts.

"No need to try! Even if His Holiness the Pope were here, he wouldn't waste resources and manpower for you!"

Bishop Jie Ke impatiently looked at Wang Feng, "It's really a waste of my time! Kid, you're incredibly lucky, but at the same time, incredibly unfortunate. If you want someone to blame, blame it on God not favoring you! Move aside!"

As he spoke, Bishop Jie Ke was about to push Wang Feng aside.

But the mysterious young man beside him stopped him, saying, "Jie Ke, that's enough."

The mysterious young man's expression darkened, seemingly displeased upon hearing the four words 'His Holiness the Pope' from Bishop Jie Ke.

"Yes," Bishop Jie Ke was momentarily stunned, then respectfully replied.

The mysterious young man walked up to Wang Feng, looking at this boy who was only a head shorter than himself. He took out a token from his pocket and handed it to Wang Feng, saying:

"Kid, the Soul Hall can't help you. However, this token can provide you with some assistance in life. If you manage to survive, I'm giving you a chance."

Seeing this token, Bishop Jie Ke was slightly surprised, "Your Highness..."

"No need for further explanation." The mysterious young man waved his hand, "It's just a token from the Soul Hall."

Bishop Jie Ke smiled wryly.

That token was no ordinary item. It was a special token of the third rank from the Soul Hall, bearing not only a long sword and a hammer but also three pairs of wings on either side.

Profound and mysterious!

Yet, with this token, one could enter the Soul Hunting Forest of most cities, the main hall of the Soul Hall, and even receive a considerable amount of Gold Soul Coins from the Soul Hall.

For this boy with no future prospects, it was enough to make him wealthy for a lifetime.

Wang Feng looked at this unique token in silence.

"All right, let's go."

The mysterious young man finally gave Wang Feng a profound look.

H had an inexplicable feeling that perhaps he would see this child again. However, He didn't know what the situation would be like by then.

However, at this moment, as the group led by Bishop Jie Ke left, Wang Feng's face, though very disappointed, flashed a trace of a smile.

Yes, from the moment Wang Feng revealed his thousand-year soul ring in front of Ma Xiu Nuo and Su Yun Tao, he had been... acting!