'No, not necessarily!' You Chen quickly reconsidered, looking at the "First Spirit Ring" reward with a thoughtful expression.
He contemplated two possibilities aside from the reward being useless. First, the ring might replace his existing first spirit ring. Second, it could stack with his original first ring, combining their ages to form a new one.
This possibility excited You Chen. After ensuring Ye Han was safely sent back, he returned to his residence in Spirit City.
As soon as his mind touched the spirit ring in his inventory, his eyes lit up.
'There's a reaction!'
Excitement surged within You Chen, and a sinister grin appeared on his face.
He was no longer the naive novice he had been twenty-three years ago. Typically, a spirit master absorbs a spirit ring only at a bottleneck and without an existing ring. Otherwise, it's impossible to draw in or absorb a ring.
Even for twin martial spirits, they only reserve space for a ring, allowing them to attract one. This is the rule of this world.
Yet, the inventory displayed a prompt to "use" the ring, causing You Chen's heart to tremble.
Whether it was a system glitch or something else, did it mean, as You Chen suspected, that the system's rules might override those of the Douluo World?
'No, it's too early to celebrate.'
He calmed himself. It was merely a possibility. If the system's rules indeed surpassed those of the Douluo World, it might forcibly allow him to absorb the ring.
However, even if he bypassed the first hurdle, absorbing a first ring when he already had one was not without risks.
Beyond the two outcomes You Chen hoped for, if the ring couldn't be absorbed and simply rejected, that would be a relatively good result.
The worst-case scenario could be a conflict causing his body to explode.
This was a very real danger!
Despite speaking of leaving the Spirit Hall and living reclusively, You Chen was not a compliant person. On the contrary, he harbored strong ambitions!
Otherwise, how would he dare risk offending Bibi Dong by exposing Yu Xiaogang's incompetence?
Simply being a spirit master was enough for comfort and enjoyment, but in the Douluo World, such needs didn't highlight the differences between people.
When it came to women, the disparity was more apparent. School beauties might be one in a hundred, a thousand, or at most one in ten thousand.
On the whole Douluo Continent, with hundreds of millions of people, there are only about a hundred thousand spirit masters! Being a spirit master means you're one in thousands.
Crossing into the Douluo universe, possessing the talent to break level 10 and become a spirit master essentially guarantees status and prestige.
Every male spirit master, even if unattractive and unpopular among female spirit masters, is a coveted catch in the eyes of ordinary people.
Even Ma Hongjun, with his looks, physique, and personality, had admirers among civilian girls.
In Douluo fanfictions, transmigrators don't need much effort; a bit of insight is enough to win the favor of beauties unattainable in their past lives.
Women they once envied, who would reject them, now vie for their attention.
Previously, they only watched as school beauties were easily won over by other men, feeling jealousy and resentment, dismissively labeling them as superficial playboys. Meanwhile, they, the so-called good guys, were left with only tissues for company.
Now, they easily became the "playboys" they once envied.
Not because of effort, but because they awakened a martial spirit and possessed innate soul power.
With spirit masters earning wealth much more easily than civilians, these fanfiction protagonists, even without following the typical routes, were winners compared to their pre-transmigration lives.
You Chen was average-looking, but at 9, he was considered a prodigy. At 15, breaking through to Grandmaster with a millennium second ring made him extraordinary.
He naturally experienced what he could when the time was right.
In his past life, as an ordinary worker, love and procreation were distant concepts. Now, as someone of status, he wasn't about to remain chaste.
Yet, after being pursued and flattered by the beauties he once envied, You Chen quickly regained his clarity.
He found resonance with the elders of the Worship Hall, who remained single throughout their lives.
Ordinary beauties, no matter how attractive, feel inherently inferior when with spirit masters. Without equality in spirit, true love is unattainable.
Spirit masters often intermarry not only to produce spirit master offspring but also because only those of similar strength can relate equally.
Without emotional bonds, driven only by physical desire, such love is shallow and unsustainable.
Thus, many Titled Douluo from the Worship Hall remained single, seeking personal power ascension.
Perhaps You Chen was inherently similar. He didn't dwell long in romantic entanglements and soon refocused on breaking his limits and overcoming his innate constraints.
In his past life, lacking opportunities and channels, hard work still left him a bigger cog in the machine. In this life, with a chance to control his destiny, he seized every opportunity!
He believed that the greatest freedom lies in power.
Even those with ambition often use what they have to strive and gamble.
Betting everything on investments or entrepreneurship requires more courage than 99% of people.
Those who risk their safety and lives to gamble...
Such individuals cannot be without ambition or courage!
Even knowing he might displease Bibi Dong, he still pressed on!
Now, with another chance to defy fate before him, would he let it go?
No, absolutely not!
At 35, his vitality was beginning to decline, and his cultivation speed waning.
If he could absorb this adaptive spirit ring, he would immediately break through to level 50, absorb a fifth ring, and with two ten-thousand-year rings, his martial spirit might evolve again!
It could become a high-level martial spirit!
With a high-level martial spirit and two ten-thousand-year rings, he could rival a six-ring Spirit Emperor!
More importantly, his cultivation speed would greatly increase, giving him hope to break through to Spirit Saint before 50!
Then, he could aspire to become a Titled Douluo, borrowing centuries more from the heavens!
"Martial Spirit Possession!"
A green dragon-shaped phantom enveloped him.
Without more hesitation, You Chen used the ring.
Immense soul power began to surge.