Wait a minute!
You Chen looked at his now smaller arm and felt a sudden jolt of realization.
An astonishing idea popped into his mind.
He quickly walked to the bathroom, and in the clear mirror, a youthful face reflected back at him.
It looked like he did around the age of 10, but compared to his previously average appearance, he was now much more handsome. If he were to rate himself on a scale of 1 to 10, You Chen would have been a 5 before, but now he was at least a 7!
Despite this drastic change in his looks, You Chen wasn't particularly surprised. The probability of handsome men and beautiful women emerging in the world of spirit masters is much higher than that of ordinary people.
As a true theoretical master, You Chen understood the genetic optimization effects of martial spirits.
When he was 9 years old, his martial spirit was just an average mid-level Wind Hatchling Dragon, nothing like it is now.
While appearance wasn't a priority for You Chen, there was something more significant on his mind—
"Have I lived a second life!?"
Even with his extensive knowledge, You Chen was nearly speechless staring at the familiar yet unfamiliar face in the mirror.
He recalled that the system had a feature to record age, so he quickly opened the attribute panel to confirm. What he found was even more shocking than he had imagined.
[Name: You Chen (II)]
[Age: 9]
[Martial Spirit: Star Skeleton Dragon (High-Level Martial Spirit)]
[Level: 20 Spirit Master]
[Spirit Ring: First Spirit Ring (12,000 years)]
The age of the first spirit ring was a few thousand years less than expected. If it were any other time, You Chen would have put all his thoughts into researching this. But right now, it wasn't the focus because…
You Chen noticed that there was a "(II)" next to his name.
'Switch!'
With just a thought, he switched.
[Name: You Chen (I)]
[Age: 35]
[Martial Spirit: Star Skeleton Dragon (High-Level Martial Spirit)]
[Level: 50 Spirit Ancestor]
[Spirit Ring: …]
What is this, dual SIM capability?
You Chen frowned.
With the switch of character cards, he reverted to his 35-year-old self, and even his clothes adjusted to fit his larger frame.
The only change was that his appearance was noticeably more handsome than an hour or two ago.
So… when he switched to his youthful form, his soul power didn't just vanish or get consumed by the system. It was suppressed to the level 20 limit due to the world's rules.
Though he didn't know why the system's rules prevailed when absorbing the adaptive first spirit ring, but when it came to soul power restriction, the Douluo world's rules took over.
'Or could it be…'
You Chen raised an eyebrow, thinking, 'The system suppressed the Douluo rules only because I used that spirit ring, forcing it to suppress the Douluo rules?'
Compromising to soul power restriction by spirit rings ≠ system rules couldn't override Douluo rules?
The system has such capabilities, but that doesn't mean following this logic or rules suits its nature.
Since the reward was already given, admitting a previous bug wouldn't be plausible, resulting in this current situation?
You Chen pondered, feeling this might very well be the truth.
Undoubtedly, this gamble was a massive win for him!
In You Chen's theory, having a dual-SIM-like state, with one martial spirit and two sets of spirit rings, is even more advantageous than having twin martial spirits!
How could You Chen sleep like this?
He spent the entire night immersed in planning for the future. And so, the early hours arrived.
Ding.
[Task: Classmate Jiang Liu (Level 13 Spirit Master) considers your talent unworthy of being called a genius and unfit to compete with him, boasting that he will defeat you, a third-rate spirit master, in three moves during the end-of-term duel. Defeat Jiang Liu and show him who the real third-rate is. Complete within three moves for additional rewards.]
[Basic Reward: Ten primary nutrition pills, a box of friendly high-grade candies (PS: easily improves kids' favorability).]
[Additional Reward: "Soul Intimidation" (a mental martial skill with enemy-stunning effects).]
You Chen raised an eyebrow.
Unlike Ye Han, who had backing, Jiang Liu was a civilian like him, but with significantly higher talent than Ye Han.
With innate soul power of level five and a high-level martial spirit, the freshwater crocodile, Jiang Liu was truly a genius among their class.
Now, he is a level 43 Spirit Ancestor. In terms of talent, he wasn't far off from pre-system You Chen. Although he lagged in levels now, with a high-level martial spirit, he had a high chance of reaching Spirit Emperor level later.
However, what You Chen cared about more was the timing of this task trigger and the timing mentioned in the task content.
'If I remember correctly, that conflict with Jiang Liu happened about a month after disciplining Ye Han, right?'
You Chen mused.
But some speculations needed gradual verification later.
Morning came quickly.
You Chen had already received his transfer order from Ye Han, but given the system's emergence, he decided to stay a bit longer in Spirit City instead of rushing to his new post.
As for this mission's target?
Fortunately, Jiang Liu also worked within the Spirit Hall, so You Chen didn't need to look for him elsewhere.
Although their relationship was average, being former classmates and rivals, Jiang Liu would certainly not refuse a duel invitation from You Chen.
Jiang Liu might even think that You Chen, having focused on theoretical research for years, might have an advantage in soul power, but not necessarily in combat skills or martial spirit quality.
And within the same major realm, unless one reaches Titled Douluo, soul power levels don't provide an overwhelming advantage.
Jiang Liu believed he had a great chance!
However, in reality, You Chen's combat abilities hadn't diminished at all.
You Chen was far from being a mere theoretical scholar ignorant of martial arts.
Even the original You Chen could neutralize the gap between intermediate and high-level martial spirits with high-year spirit rings.
Jiang Liu might have a chance to catch up to the original You Chen, but that would take several years, let alone the now twice-evolved You Chen.
Still, Jiang Liu was a formidable Spirit Ancestor.
At that level, combined with their familiarity, it wouldn't be easy for You Chen to defeat Jiang Liu effortlessly.
But… for the additional task reward, You Chen didn't care about sparing his old classmate's dignity.
He started the match with his fourth spirit ring's ten-thousand-year spirit skill "Starlight Avatar," then simultaneously used the third spirit skill "Stormy Airflow" with gathering and binding effects, immobilizing Jiang Liu.
The four-thousand-year spirit ring skill combo forced Jiang Liu to use three spirit skills, including his fourth ring, just to hold on.
When Jiang Liu tried breaking free from the Stormy Airflow, the Starlight Avatar charged and self-destructed.
With a loud BOOM, Jiang Liu was knocked unconscious.
Uncertain if amplification-type skills counted as within "one move," You Chen used this strategy, ensuring it was within three moves.
Even Jiang Liu didn't expect You Chen to open with an all-out attack and suffered a swift defeat due to a lapse in judgment.
Lying in the pit created by the exploding Starlight Avatar, Jiang Liu's face turned charcoal black, filled with disbelief.