The two returned to the small coastal town and went to the only hotel in town.
They booked a private room, preparing to eat something.
Inside the private room, Qian Lingyi, who had been holding it in the whole way, finally couldn't hold back. Her eyes full of curiosity, she asked, "Zhu Ziyang, why are your spirit rings like that?"
"spirit rings? What's wrong with the spirit rings?" Zhu Ziyang feigned ignorance, saying.
"Oh, come on!" Qian Lingyi said, "It's your spirit rings! Why are they five ten-thousand-year spirit rings? Are you actually a twin spirits user? Is the Pacifying Life-Reaping Scythe your second Spirit?"
"Actually, I'm not sure either. I just slept, and when I woke up, my spirit rings had become like this." Zhu Ziyang said with a bewildered expression, as if he truly knew nothing.
"Ah? How could that be?" Qian Lingyi looked at Zhu Ziyang's expression and didn't realize he was lying, so she foolishly replied. A thoughtful expression even appeared on her pretty face, as if she was pondering the reason behind it.
"Hahaha!" Zhu Ziyang couldn't help but laugh at Qian Lingyi's naive reaction.
How to put it? After so many days of getting along, Zhu Ziyang had come to understand Qian Lingyi completely. Although the girl was arrogant and acted coolly, she occasionally showed a somewhat thoughtless trust towards people she was familiar with. Because of this trait, Zhu Ziyang always couldn't help but tease her on the road, and the girl was very cooperative, falling for it again and again.
This made Zhu Ziyang sigh, thinking it was a good thing he wasn't someone with ill intentions, otherwise, the girl would be sold off without even knowing it.
To Zhu Ziyang's statement, the girl, however, righteously retorted. She said that not everyone was worthy of being her friend, and that after more than half a year of traveling, she had only looked at Zhu Ziyang differently.
"Ah ah ah! You're teasing me again!" Qian Lingyi immediately understood when she heard Zhu Ziyang's laughter, then shouted in annoyance and anger. Her small pink fists rained down on Zhu Ziyang's body, "You're really something, can't you be serious for once?"
"Alright, alright, haha, I'll be serious!" Zhu Ziyang still couldn't stop laughing. He held Qian Lingyi's small hand in his, saying, "Stop hitting me, I'm going to die if you keep hitting me!"
"Hmph!" The girl let out a delicate snort, withdrew her hand from Zhu Ziyang's grasp, haughtily tossed her golden hair, and sat opposite Zhu Ziyang, elegantly crossing her legs. She said, "Speak, about your spirit rings! I'm warning you, no more teasing me!"
"Alright, alright!" Zhu Ziyang finally stopped smiling and said, "Actually, there's not much to say. You know that my Pacifying Life-Reaping Scythe also possesses the Death Attribute, right?"
"Mm-hmm!" Qian Lingyi nodded, then seemed to understand, saying, "You mean, it's because of your Death Attribute?"
"Exactly. You've seen many Evil Soul Masters, haven't you noticed that some of their spirit rings are also over-configured?" Zhu Ziyang said, "This is actually because they possess the Death Attribute."
"It's like that!" The girl's face showed surprise, and she said, "If you didn't have the Ultimate Light Attribute, I'd be afraid you'd become an Evil Soul Master!"
"Haha, you're looking down on me too much!" Zhu Ziyang said disdainfully, "Do those Evil Soul Masters even deserve to be compared with me? Their Death is merely defiled sin, while my Death is holy redemption!"
"Uh~" Qian Lingyi didn't understand the meaning of Zhu Ziyang's words, but still full of curiosity, she asked, "Can you explain how the Death Attribute increases the spirit ring's age?"
"Yes!" Zhu Ziyang replied, "This is actually related to the essence of spirit rings. Do you know what the essence of a spirit ring is?"
"Let me think." Qian Lingyi pondered, recalling books she had read, and said uncertainly, "It should be spirit power condensed into an object."
"Not entirely correct, or rather, only half correct." Zhu Ziyang laughed. He wasn't surprised by the girl's answer, as this was the common understanding of spirit rings in the Spirit Master's world.
"Half correct?" Qian Lingyi tilted her head, looking at Zhu Ziyang in confusion, and said.
"Yes!" Zhu Ziyang nodded and spoke the words he had already prepared in his mind, "According to my research, a spirit ring is not simply spirit power condensed into an object. It is composed not only of spirit power but also of life force and mental force."
"Life force and mental force?" Qian Lingyi couldn't help but gape, because Zhu Ziyang's viewpoint was something she had never heard of or thought about. For her, and for ninety-nine percent of Spirit Masters, they didn't care about the essence of a spirit ring; they only cared that a spirit ring could enhance their strength.
Despite the Spirit Master profession being incredibly prosperous and flourishing on the Douluo Continent, academic and theoretical research in the Spirit Master's world was severely lacking. This was because, apart from a very small number of Spirit Masters who, seeing no hope for breakthroughs, chose to find new paths by researching Spirit Master theories in an attempt to find new ways forward, other Spirit Masters simply did not care about these fundamental theories of the Spirit Master's world.
This also led to the basic knowledge of Spirit Masters in the Spirit Master's world still being stuck in the era of ten thousand years ago or even earlier. The incomplete foundation, which strangely seemed not to affect the development of the entire Spirit Master edifice, was very peculiar.
In Electrolux's words, other Worlds first had theory, then profession, while the Douluo Continent first had profession, then theory; it was strange, too strange.
"That's right, spirit power, life force, and mental force; these are the complete components of a spirit ring." Zhu Ziyang said seriously, "The role of spirit power in a spirit ring goes without saying. The role of life force in a spirit ring is to give it shape, which is the color and size of the spirit ring we see. The role of mental force in a spirit ring is to define its nature, which is the generation and evolution of Spirit Abilities.
If a spirit ring is compared to a wine glass, then life force is the wine glass, spirit power is the wine in the glass, and mental force is the quality and taste of the wine. How much wine a wine glass can hold, and what quality of wine it can hold, all depend on the size and shape of the wine glass. Similarly, the amount of spirit power gathered by a spirit ring and the quality of the Spirit Abilities it possesses are all related to the life force that constitutes the spirit ring."
"This..." Qian Lingyi fell into deep thought, muttering, "According to this, life force condenses into a ring, spirit power fills this ring, mental force carves Spirit Abilities onto this ring, and then a spirit ring is formed?"
"Excellent understanding!" Zhu Ziyang immediately cast an admiring gaze, then asked, "So, do you understand the essence of a spirit ring's age now?"
"Life force?" The girl's comprehension was very high; she immediately grasped the key. Her eyes gleamed as she said, "It's life force, isn't it?"
"Mm-hmm!" Zhu Ziyang smiled, nodding in agreement, and said, "For a spirit ring, life force is the most important foundation. The more life force there is, the higher the spirit ring's age naturally becomes, and the more and better the spirit power it gathers and the Spirit Abilities it possesses. Now, you understand how the Death Attribute increases a spirit ring's age, right?"
"I understand!" Qian Lingyi's pretty face showed envy as she said, "The Death Attribute can devour life force, and this life force can be converted into the spirit ring's life force. When the spirit ring's life force increases, its age naturally increases!"
"Exactly!" Zhu Ziyang nodded and said, "However, I need to correct you on one point: the Death Attribute does not devour life force, but rather strips it away. There is an essential difference between the two."
"Oh?" Qian Lingyi tilted her head curiously, looking at Zhu Ziyang.
"Devouring means that other substances contained within the life force, such as souls and emotions, are also absorbed and refined. It's defiled life force. If these foreign substances cannot be removed, then the devourer will inevitably suffer backlash, eventually leading to their own soul being polluted." Zhu Ziyang said, "Whereas stripping obtains the purest life force, without any backlash or side effects."
"Hmm~ So, that's why those Evil Soul Masters are all crazy and mentally unstable?" Qian Lingyi connected it to something and said.
"Clever!" Zhu Ziyang praised with a smile, "The Death Attribute is not evil; it is one of the most fundamental rules between heaven and earth. Those Evil Soul Masters, haha, they've really tarnished the reputation of the Death Attribute!"
"Zhu Ziyang, can we also increase our spirit ring's age?" Qian Lingyi didn't pay attention to Zhu Ziyang's sigh, but looked at him thoughtfully and asked.
"This... well, I'm currently researching it. Maybe yes, maybe no." Zhu Ziyang mused.
"Then, if you succeed, can you teach me?" Qian Lingyi's eyes were full of anticipation, and her tone carried hope as she asked.
"Of course, we are good friends!" Zhu Ziyang replied with a smile.