Chrysanthemum Douluo's Pressure

"As for a thousand-year Soul Ring..."

Yan said, "It is not that I am boasting, but I believe that my physical strength has long surpassed that of my peers.

"Moreover, the medicinal effects of the Whale Rubber I consumed have already fused into every part of my body, further improving my physique."

As he spoke, Yan raised his head, and flames seemed to burn in his eyes. "The so-called thousand-year limit is not untouchable for me."

His words rang with force, carrying astonishing confidence.

Yan was indeed not speaking without basis, though he did not voice the most important reason.

The reason he dared to absorb a thousand-year Soul Ring was that his strength as a Martial Artist had already surpassed the Apprentice Rank.

Though he had not undergone any formal testing after breaking through the Apprentice Rank, Yan estimated that his punching force had now exceeded one thousand kilograms.

Converted to the Soul Master ranks of Douluo Continent, such strength was already comparable to that of a high-level Power Attack Type Soul Elder.

And based on the Soul Ring age a Soul Elder could endure, a thousand years was nothing unusual.

"Yan, you..."

Seeing Yan take such an attitude, Resak grew anxious. Afraid that Yan would offend Chrysanthemum Douluo, he hurriedly tried to reprimand him.

But Yue Guan raised his right hand and gave a light wave, stopping Resak from speaking further.

"Yan, showing such sharpness—can you tell whether it is confidence or ignorance?"

Yue Guan stepped forward. He made no obvious move, yet the vast Soul Power fluctuations belonging to a level ninety-five Title Douluo surged from his body like a tidal wave, instantly enveloping Yan.

Yan immediately felt as though an invisible mountain were pressing down upon him.

Xie Yue and Hu Liena stood farther away, but even they were struck by the aftershock. Their faces instantly paled, and they involuntarily took a step back.

The Soul Power within them began circulating on its own to resist it, and only then did they barely manage to steady themselves. Their eyes, however, were already filled with shock.

Merely a trace of the pressure's aftershock had made them understand just how terrifying a Title Douluo truly was.

Yan, standing at the center of the pressure, felt as though he had fallen into a swamp. His experience was far clearer than Xie Yue's and Hu Liena's.

Yue Guan's long hair moved without wind, and his face showed not the slightest expression. Yet Yan could feel the pressure around him slowly rising.

Xie Yue and Hu Liena opened their mouths as if they wanted to say something, but Resak stopped them. He seemed to understand what Chrysanthemum Douluo intended to do.

This was not Chrysanthemum Douluo punishing Yan for not knowing his place. It was a test of Yan's strength, just like the one Zhi Lin, the Azure Vine Soul Douluo of Heaven Dou Royal Academy, had once given Tang San.

Yan also vaguely understood. He knew this was an opportunity Yue Guan had given him. Whether he could seize it and obtain his desired first thousand-year Soul Ring depended entirely on his own performance.

Yet Yue Guan was nowhere near as gentle as Zhi Lin. From the outset, he unleashed Soul Power pressure enough to force a two-ring Soul Grandmaster to his knees, but Yan endured it head-on without even the slightest tremor in his stance.

Interesting.

Yue Guan did not stop. The level of his Soul Power pressure continued to rise.

Soul Grandmaster, peak Soul Grandmaster, Soul Elder.

Yan stood where he was, silently feeling the relentless Soul Power pressure crash against him like waves. His expression remained calm, as though he felt no pressure at all.

Being able to withstand Soul Power pressure at the Soul Elder level was already enough for Yan to be proud of, but Yue Guan still did not stop. He wanted to test the limit of what Yan could endure.

Under Yue Guan's precise control, the Soul Power pressure rose layer by layer, level by level.

Thirty-three, thirty-five, thirty-seven. When the Soul Power pressure rose to level thirty-eight, Yan finally let out a muffled grunt and involuntarily took a step back.

Hu Liena clenched her delicate fists and said nervously to Xie Yue in a low voice, "Brother, Yan is about to give out."

But Xie Yue shook his head. He had been watching more closely. "Nana, haven't you noticed? Yan still hasn't released his Martial Soul."

Resak also heard the siblings' conversation, and he too was shocked by Yan's current performance.

Among everyone present, aside from Chrysanthemum Douluo, he was the strongest. Only he truly understood what kind of pressure Yan was enduring.

And as if to confirm Xie Yue's words, Yan quickly steadied himself.

The Flame Meditation Method finally began circulating at full power within his body, using his own Soul Power to resist Chrysanthemum Douluo's pressure.

Faint flame patterns began to emerge along the edges of Yan's cheeks. Even at this point, however, Yan still seemed to have no intention of summoning his Martial Soul.

Yan's consciousness had never been clearer.

Deep within his sea of consciousness, the remnant source power of the Flame Emperor roared in fury. Yue Guan's pressure made it feel deeply provoked, and in the next moment, it wanted to rush out and crush that ignorant little insect completely.

Yan forcibly suppressed it, but that unyielding will still flowed from his sea of consciousness into him.

The Soul Power pressure continued to rise. When it finally surpassed the Soul Elder level and reached the Soul Ancestor level, Yan at last released the Flame Overlord Martial Soul.

Crimson flames covered Yan's body like invisible armor, while the enormous phantom of the Flame Overlord appeared behind him, letting out a silent, unyielding roar.

Under the relentless scorching heat, even space itself seemed to distort slightly. Despite standing far away, Xie Yue and Hu Liena could still feel a wave of searing heat rushing toward them.

Such flame temperature finally made everyone realize that Yan's earlier words had not been lies. Judging by the flame power currently displayed by the Flame Overlord, it indeed far surpassed its earth-element power.

The pressure of the Soul Ancestor level was worlds apart from before. Even after summoning the Flame Overlord, the pressure around Yan was only slightly relieved.

His body began to sway faintly, like a lone boat upon the sea, as though he might capsize at any moment.

At this moment, it had become a contest of Yan's will. He gritted his teeth and forcibly steadied his body against the unending torrent of Soul Power.

Forty-one, forty-two, forty-three...

Under Yue Guan's deliberate control, the Soul Power pressure increased especially slowly. He intended to use this method to test Yan's limit of endurance.

Finally, at level forty-three, Yan could no longer hold on. His feet stumbled, and he was sent flying backward, collapsing onto the ground. Sweat had already soaked his clothes, and for a moment, he did not even have the strength to stand.

Only then did Yue Guan slowly withdraw his Soul Power pressure. Looking at Yan lying on the ground, a complicated expression appeared in his eyes.

He had thought that Yan enduring the pressure of an early Soul Elder would already be remarkable, but he had never expected Yan to withstand the pressure of a level forty-three Soul Ancestor!

A Soul Scholar who had not even obtained his first Soul Ring had displayed such performance. This completely overturned the understanding of Yue Guan and even Resak beside him.

Your Holiness the Pope, perhaps you were wrong. Spirit Hall's hope for the future is not Hu Liena, but Yan...