Revealing a First Ring of a Thousand Years

The group ahead had already begun their assessments.

A young man handed over ten gold coins. His bone age was over twelve, so he failed.

The parents wanted to argue with the old man, but he showed no sign of backing down. They wanted to reclaim their reputation, so they had Dai Mubai show off his two yellow hundred-year Soul Rings. The entire waiting area fell silent.

A third of the people waiting to be assessed immediately left.

Next, another confident young man handed over ten gold coins. His age was within the requirements, but when he released his martial soul, his first ring was a thousand-year Soul Ring. The old man merely shook his head and said he had failed.

The parents were puzzled. "My son was a prodigy at the Junior Soul Master Academy. He already has a hundred-year Soul Ring."

The old man replied calmly, "My Shrek Academy only accepts monsters, not ordinary people. Anyone over thirteen, or anyone whose soul power is at least level twenty-one, doesn't need to waste money on the assessment."

Several more people left.

"Next."

The old man knocked on the table, completely unconcerned by the number of students.

Then a young man with a broad chest and sturdy shoulders stepped forward. He released his martial soul, and a pair of yellow Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet as the old man felt his bones. Soon after, he released his martial soul again.

But the old man shook his head. "You fail."

"Huh? Why?" the young man asked in disbelief.

"My Shrek Academy only accepts monsters. The requirement is a first Soul Ring of a hundred years and a second Soul Ring of a thousand years. Your second ring is only a yellow hundred-year ring. You're not a monster, so you don't meet the academy's requirements."

The old man's answer left the young man fuming.

"How can you say that? And what does a thousand-year second Soul Ring have to do with being a monster? That's not something you can get just by having the right bones. You'd have to be born with bones far beyond the norm. Who could possibly withstand that? Are you recruiting Soul Masters or rich second-generation heirs?"

Faced with the young man's questioning, a furious aura suddenly rolled off the old man.

"If you want to make a name for Shrek Academy, you need to get your facts straight first. Otherwise, you're just throwing away your reputation. As for why your bones can't withstand it... sometimes, people need to look for the reason within themselves. Even after years of hard work, some people still don't have what it takes."

Luo Mo: "???"

What a guy. You really think you're something, don't you?

He didn't even dare show off his Soul Rings.

Let me show you my one purple, one yellow, three purple, and one black Soul Rings, then.

The onlookers were stunned too.

The enrollment process had already drawn plenty of complaints. Now even the people who'd already been assessed were leaving. Of the original hundred or so people, only ten-some remained.

Luo Mo and the other two were next in line.

Xiao Wu couldn't help muttering, "The requirements are far too harsh. The standards are far too high. It's no wonder there are so few students at Shrek Academy. And they don't even make the requirements clear in advance. It's obvious they're trying to make a name for themselves by making the academy seem mysterious."

Luo Mo glanced at Xiao Wu in silence.

The little white rabbit had grown a sharp tongue.

At this point, all the people who remained met the old man's requirements. The next dozen or so applicants were quickly assessed.

However, the old man said this was only the first stage.

After that, they had to go through a second assessment inside the academy, and parents were allowed to accompany their children.

Soon, it was the turn of the three of them.

"We'll sign up together." Tang San took out thirty gold coins. Luo Mo and Xiao Wu paid as well, then held out their hands for the old man to examine.

The old man first felt Tang San's wrist, then nodded.

"Did you temper your bones with some kind of soul bone?"

Tang San was startled. The old man then asked him to take a few steps and checked him again. Once he'd confirmed that his bones met the requirements, he examined Luo Mo and Xiao Wu in turn.

All three of them met the requirements.

The old man looked at them approvingly. "Your muscles and bones have been well developed. Go ahead and release your martial souls."

Tang San was the first to release his soul power. A stalk of Blue Silver Grass appeared in his palm.

At the same time, two yellow Soul Rings emerged.

The old man exclaimed, "That's Blue Silver Grass? Even a useless martial soul can be cultivated to this level?"

Tang San said calmly, "Only a useless soul master has a useless martial soul. I suppose I meet your academy's requirements, don't I?"

"Of course you do. You're a little monster."

A faint smile appeared on the old man's face as he turned to the remaining two.

Luo Mo didn't hesitate. He urged his soul power, and a golden armor-like covering appeared over his right hand. Two purple Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet.

"A purple first ring?"

The old man was so astonished that he stood up from his chair.

Everyone present was dumbfounded. What kind of monster was this?

The method of tempering one's bones was known throughout the world. Plenty of people had heard that a thousand-year second Soul Ring was possible, but a thousand-year first Soul Ring was practically unheard of.

After all, the most important requirement was a thousand-year soul bone.

But soul bones were now exceedingly rare. Even hundred-year ones could fetch thousands of gold coins, and thousand-year ones were even more precious.

Besides, one had to find a soul beast that could produce a thousand-year soul bone, and the person had to be able to withstand the cleansing process. Worst of all, one had to find a soul beast that had just reached a thousand years and kill it for its Soul Ring.

Anything more than a few dozen years beyond a thousand could leave even a Soul Master's body unable to withstand it, causing it to explode and killing them.

Dai Mubai looked at Luo Mo's thousand-year first Soul Ring, his heart filled with admiration.

He wasn't short on money, and he had also absorbed a thousand-year bone.

But that bone had appeared when he was seven. By then, he was already at level nine and had absorbed his first Soul Ring.

Otherwise, he could have had a thousand-year first Soul Ring too.

"Impossible! Your Soul Ring can't be only a thousand years old!"

The old man stared at Luo Mo's first Soul Ring in disbelief, then cried out, "At the very least, it must be over two thousand years old!"

"What?"

"That can't be possible!"

"Are you kidding me?"

"What kind of person could withstand a Soul Ring that's over two thousand years old as their first one?"

The onlookers stared at the old man in suspicion, thinking he had to be mistaken.

The old man ignored everyone else and fixed his gaze on Luo Mo. "How did you manage to absorb a thousand-year soul bone as a Soul Master?"

Luo Mo's silence only made the crowd even more suspicious.

How could a Soul Master possibly absorb a thousand-year soul bone?

There had once been a rumor that a Soul Master had tried to absorb a thousand-year soul bone. In the end, the energy had surged out of control, and he had died. That enormous energy was simply beyond what any Soul Master could withstand.

When Dai Mubai heard the old man's question, he was deeply shocked.

He trusted the old man's judgment.

So, after Luo Mo had absorbed a thousand-year soul bone at the Soul Master rank, Dai Mubai had felt nothing but admiration. This man was truly a monster.

He wouldn't have dared do that himself.

Luo Mo shrugged. "Just take it slowly. As long as you absorb a small enough amount each time, there's theoretically no risk of the energy surging out of control and killing you."

That made sense—in theory.

At the time, he'd also gradually absorbed the bone, but he'd still triggered a backlash. In the end, he'd only managed to survive by relying on his body's ability to regenerate from frost.

Naturally, he'd had enough power to do it.

Take Xiao Wu, for example.

The old man spoke as if deep in thought. He then looked at Luo Mo's second Soul Ring and exclaimed, "At the very least, that one must be over three thousand years old!"