Chapter 20 Return to Wuhun City, shocking everyone!
At the Gates of Wuhun City
Two weeks later, the carriage pulled up to the palace. But this time, it wasn't just Lakan returning.
Lakan hopped out, his hands in his pockets, looking noticeably taller and more "solid." Beside him was Shui Bing'er, wearing a new set of traveling clothes provided by Ling Yue, her hand subconsciously reaching for the silver hilt of Buan hidden under her cloak.
Ling Yue walked behind them, looking like she had aged ten years from stress.
The Shockwave at the Palace
When Lakan, Shui Bing'er, and Ling Yue finally reached the Supreme Pontiff Hall, the "Aura" was undeniable. Usually, a Soul Master can hide their rank, but Lakan was currently a walking sun.
Bibi Dong stood up as they entered. Her eyes, usually cold and calculating, widened for a fraction of a second. She didn't look at Lakan's face; she looked at his feet, where the four rings were rhythmically pulsing.
Purple. Purple. Red. Red.
"Four rings," Yue Guan whispered, his voice cracking. "He left as a Rank 27 Grandmaster. He returns as a Spirit Ancestor... with two 100,000-year rings? That is impossible. Even the laws of the Heavens wouldn't allow a body to hold that!"
Lakan walked to the center of the hall, the Araw and Buan Kampilans strapped to his back alongside his wings. He gave a respectful but casual bow to Bibi Dong.
"Your Majesty, I believe the 'laws of the Heavens' just got an update," Lakan said, his voice resonant.
He gestured to the Soul Spirit manifesting briefly behind him—a small, majestic phoenix with ten heads. "I didn't kill it. We formed a Soul Spirit Bond. It provided the energy for my 3rd and 4th rings simultaneously because my body was tempered enough to bypass the Rank 40 limit."
Bibi Dong walked down the steps, her gaze landing on Shui Bing'er. "And the girl? She carries the same 'ancient' scent as you. Her soul is entwined with yours."
Lakan looked at Bing'er and smiled. "This is Shui Bing'er. She is the Ice Phoenix who helped me forge the Anito Tools. Because of the Sumpa ritual, we are now Twin Sovereigns. Her strength is my strength."
Bibi Dong reached out, her finger tracing the air near Lakan's God-Seed mark on his forehead. She felt a power there that made her own Twin Martial Souls tremble.
"You have brought back more than power, Lakan," Bibi Dong said softly. "You have brought back a Revolution. But remember... the more the sun shines, the darker the shadows it casts. The Elder's Hall and the Empires will not take this 'Double Red' revelation lightly."
Lakan chuckled, the familiar Gojo-style confidence returning. "Let them look, Your Majesty. By the time they figure out how I did it, I'll already be writing the next chapter."
30 minutes later
The throne room was no longer just an audience chamber; it had become a classroom for the most powerful beings in the world. Bibi Dong sat perched on her throne, flanked by Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo. Even a few high-ranking researchers from the Academy were permitted to stand in the back, quills ready.
Lakan stood at the center, the two Kampilans (Araw and Buan) floating slightly behind him, held aloft by his sheer spiritual resonance. Beside him, Shui Bing'er stood with her head held high, her connection to Lakan acting as a stabilizing anchor for her own skyrocketing power.
"You speak of 'Soul Spirits' and 'Anitos' as if you've rewritten the laws of the World," Bibi Dong said, her eyes fixed on the Red Rings pulsing at Lakan's feet. "Explain. Not as a child, but as the 'Noble Soul' you claim to be."
The Soul Spirit Mechanism: Life Beyond Death
Lakan waved his hand, and a projection of the Baybayin Scriptures appeared in the air, glowing with prismatic light.
"Traditional Soul Rings are a 'Snapshot' of a beast's death," Lakan began, his voice calm and methodical. "You kill the beast, and its energy is forcefully condensed. It's static. It's a dead battery. My Soul Spirit Ring is a 'Bridge'."
"Using the Baybayin Ritual of Sumpa, I create a contract. The Ten-Headed Phoenix isn't 'absorbed'; it is transplanted into my Spiritual Sea. Because it remains 'alive' in a spiritual form, it can provide multiple rings. It senses when my body reaches a bottleneck and 'bleeds' out a new ring to match my current capacity. This is why I have two Red Rings at age six. I didn't hunt twice; the Soul Spirit simply provided for me twice."
The Hall was silent. The implications were staggering: a single high-level beast could potentially provide a Soul Master with their entire 1-9 ring set over time.
Lakan then gestured to the Kampilans. "Now, look at the blades. These aren't just 'Soul Tools' like the mechanical gadgets found in the empires. These are Anito Artifacts."
The first is the Vessel: "I used the fossilized remains of the Blue Devil Birds—material already rich in divine resonance—and bonded them with Spirit-Ironwood using Almáciga Resin."
The second is The Awakening: "The ritual of Atang (offering) and the Sacrifice of the First Draw (the blood-bond) invites the spirit of the ancestor to reside within the metal. These blades have Willpower."
Lakan looked at Yue Guan. "Elder Yue Guan, if you throw a normal sword, it follows the path of physics. If I throw Araw, and the enemy moves, the spirit of the Golden Blue Devil Bird will shift the blade's weight in mid-air to pursue them. It is a partner in battle, not a tool."
"The final benefit," Lakan said, looking directly at Bibi Dong, "is Preservation. If we use Soul Spirits, Spirit Hall no longer needs to engage in the mass slaughter of Soul Beasts. We can choose the most powerful, willing partners. This reduces the 'Resentment' in a Soul Master's heart, making them less likely to succumb to mental demons during Rank 90+ breakthroughs."
As Lakan finished, the God-Seed mark on his forehead pulsed. The researchers were scribbling so fast their quills were smoking. Bibi Dong realized that Lakan hadn't just brought back power; he had brought back a monopoly on the future.
"Ling Yue," Bibi Dong commanded. "Take Shui Bing'er to the Special Elite dorms. She is to be treated as a Direct Disciple of the Supreme Pontiff. Lakan..."
She looked at him with a gaze that was no longer just observing a student, but a Peer. "You have three days to rest. Then, you will begin teaching the basics of the Baybayin Scripture to the Golden Generation. If they cannot learn from you, they are no longer fit to be called 'Golden'."
Lakan gave a cheeky, two-finger salute. "Don't worry, Your Majesty. I'll be gentle with them. Mostly."