As they traveled toward the Sunset Forest, the three highest-ranking members of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect were still processing the shocking revelation displayed on the Heavenly Curtain.
When Yu Xiaogang explained his discovery, both Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo had unconsciously stopped walking.
The two Titled Douluo, who normally valued their dignity and composure above all else, stood frozen in place with their mouths hanging open.
Their eyes were fixed on the smiling Yu Xiaogang displayed on the Heavenly Curtain.
At that moment, their expressions were nearly identical to those of Yu Yuanzhen and the others shown on the screen.
Complete disbelief.
Utter shock.
And perhaps a touch of horror.
After all, what Yu Xiaogang had just revealed was not a simple theory or minor improvement.
It was a discovery capable of overturning the fundamental understanding of Spirit Masters throughout the entire Douluo Continent.
Anyone who heard it for the first time would react exactly the same way.
"Uncle Sword... Uncle Bone..."
Ning Fengzhi's voice trembled slightly.
The usually elegant and composed Sect Master had completely lost his calm demeanor.
No matter how refined a person was, such a revelation was enough to shake their emotions.
"Should we test it ourselves?"
The question immediately snapped Bone Douluo out of his daze.
"Ah? Oh! Right! Of course! We have to test it!"
He rubbed his hands excitedly.
For perhaps the first time in years, the usually carefree Titled Douluo seemed genuinely nervous.
Without hesitation, Bone Douluo activated his Martial Soul.
A powerful surge of spirit power erupted from his body.
Nine spirit rings rose around him one after another.
Yellow.
Yellow.
Purple.
Purple.
Black.
Black.
Black.
Black.
Black.
The familiar rings floated around his body.
Yet today, they seemed completely different.
Bone Douluo's gaze locked onto his first spirit ring.
If Yu Xiaogang's theory was correct, then everything they knew about spirit rings would have to be rewritten.
"It has to work..."
He muttered under his breath.
Then he began carefully channeling spirit power into his first spirit ring.
Nearby, Sword Douluo and Ning Fengzhi watched every movement intently.
Neither of them dared blink.
Although they had already witnessed Yu Xiaogang's demonstration, seeing it personally was an entirely different experience.
As spirit power flowed into the spirit ring, Bone Douluo immediately felt something strange.
The ring continuously attempted to activate his First Spirit Skill.
The sensation was subtle but persistent.
Every time spirit power entered the ring, the spirit ring seemed to urge him to release the skill immediately.
For a moment, Bone Douluo understood why no one had discovered this secret before.
Normally, there was no reason for a Spirit Master to pour spirit power into a spirit ring without intending to activate a spirit skill.
The process felt unnatural.
No one would think to do such a thing.
Yet Bone Douluo persisted.
Spirit power continued flowing into the ring.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
Then—
Crack!
A strange sound echoed inside his mind.
It felt as though an invisible barrier had shattered.
Instantly, the urge to release his First Spirit Skill vanished.
At the same time, another unexpected change occurred.
A stream of spirit power began flowing back from the spirit ring into his body.
Bone Douluo froze.
His eyes widened.
"It actually works..."
The words escaped his lips unconsciously.
His emotions became indescribably complicated.
Excitement.
Shock.
Joy.
Disbelief.
All of them mixed together into something he could barely describe.
The discovery was so revolutionary that even a veteran Titled Douluo found it difficult to process.
"Uncle Bone!"
Ning Fengzhi stepped forward immediately.
"How do you feel?"
"Are you alright?"
Sword Douluo also looked concerned.
At first, both of them had been delighted when they heard Bone Douluo confirm Yu Xiaogang's theory.
But hearing the strange tone in his voice made them worry that something had gone wrong.
Bone Douluo blinked.
Then he laughed.
"I'm fine."
He waved his hand dismissively.
"It's just..."
His expression became complicated.
"The gap between us and Dragon God Douluo is truly enormous."
Both Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo fell silent.
Bone Douluo shook his head.
"When I was his age, what was I doing?"
"Probably running around getting into fights."
A bitter smile appeared on his face.
"But when Yu Xiaogang was that age, he had already discovered something capable of redefining the entire Spirit Master system."
Neither Sword Douluo nor Ning Fengzhi could refute those words.
Compared to Yu Xiaogang's achievements, even geniuses like them seemed somewhat ordinary.
After a moment, Ning Fengzhi cleared his throat.
"We can discuss that later."
His eyes shone brightly.
"Tell us exactly what happened."
Bone Douluo nodded.
"At first, I continuously poured spirit power into the ring."
"The ring kept trying to activate my First Spirit Skill."
"Then, after enough spirit power entered it, I felt as if I had broken through a layer of glass."
He tapped his forehead.
"I even heard a cracking sound inside my mind."
"After that, the urge to release the spirit skill disappeared."
"And then spirit power started flowing back into my body."
Sword Douluo listened attentively.
His eyes were brighter than ever.
"What happened next?"
Bone Douluo grinned.
"Let's find out together."
Turning toward an empty area nearby, he raised his hand.
With a thought, his First Spirit Skill activated.
A burst of power shot forward.
Boom!
The attack struck the ground.
But Bone Douluo's expression immediately changed.
"It really worked!"
His laughter echoed through the forest.
"My own spirit power wasn't consumed!"
Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo were both stunned.
Bone Douluo quickly performed several more tests.
Again and again, he activated his spirit skill.
Each time, the energy came directly from the spirit ring rather than his body's spirit power reserves.
Not satisfied, he even asked Ning Fengzhi to provide support using the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
The buffs enhanced his attacks normally.
Nothing seemed different from a standard spirit skill activation.
Except for one critical detail.
The spirit power expenditure came from the spirit ring.
After dozens of tests, Bone Douluo finally stopped.
His smile had never faded.
"Hahaha!"
"This is incredible!"
"The significance of this discovery is unimaginable!"
He clenched his fists excitedly.
"With spirit rings capable of storing spirit power, Spirit Masters will no longer need to be so conservative during battle."
"In the future, combat endurance will increase dramatically."
Sword Douluo nodded heavily.
The implications were obvious.
A Spirit Master with multiple fully charged spirit rings would essentially possess a second reserve of spirit power.
In prolonged battles, that advantage could determine life and death.
Ning Fengzhi's expression also became increasingly thoughtful.
"Uncle Bone."
"You mentioned that your First Spirit Ring doesn't contain much spirit power."
Bone Douluo nodded.
"That's correct."
Ning Fengzhi rubbed his chin.
"Then does that mean the amount of spirit power a ring can store depends on its age?"
Bone Douluo thought about it.
"Most likely."
"My First Spirit Ring was only a hundred-year spirit ring."
"When I absorbed it at Rank 10, the spirit power it contained only raised me to Rank 12."
He shrugged.
"For my current level, that amount is insignificant."
A sharp glint appeared in Ning Fengzhi's eyes.
"I understand."
His voice grew more serious.
"This means spirit rings are now even more important than before."
Both Titled Douluo immediately understood his reasoning.
Take a ninth spirit ring as an example.
The difference between a sixty-thousand-year spirit ring and an eighty-thousand-year spirit ring was already enormous.
The stronger ring provided a stronger spirit skill.
A greater increase in attributes.
And better overall combat performance.
Now, another factor had been added.
Spirit power storage.
Naturally, an older spirit ring would contain significantly more spirit power.
That meant the gap between Spirit Masters would widen even further.
In the future, two Spirit Masters of the same rank might possess vastly different levels of combat endurance depending on the quality of their spirit rings.
As for opponents of different ranks?
The difference would become even more overwhelming.
One missing spirit ring would now mean losing not only a spirit skill but also an entire reserve of stored spirit power.
The combat disparity would be massive.
As Ning Fengzhi considered the implications, his expression gradually darkened.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda had always been regarded as the greatest support Martial Soul on the continent.
Its support capabilities were unparalleled.
Even powerful Spirit Masters relied upon it.
However, it carried one fatal weakness.
Its cultivation limit.
For generations, no Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Spirit Master had ever broken through Rank 79.
That limitation had always been a source of regret.
In the past, the Martial Soul's overwhelming support abilities had compensated for this flaw.
But what about now?
If spirit rings became even more important than before...
Then being permanently restricted to seven spirit rings meant losing access to two entire spirit rings compared to a Titled Douluo.
Not only two additional spirit skills.
But also two additional reservoirs of stored spirit power.
The gap would become even greater than before.
For the first time since hearing Yu Xiaogang's discovery, uncertainty appeared in Ning Fengzhi's heart.
Could the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda truly maintain its title as the number one support Martial Soul in this new era?
Or would the balance of power across the continent begin to shift once again?
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)