Academy Pressure? Thousand-Year Soul Ring! (Two-in-One)

Soul Hunting Forest.

After receiving Lin Mo's permission, the four Thunder Academy students fled in panic, dragging their battered bodies away without daring to pause for even a moment.

Outside the valley.

Lin Mo reined in all the sharpness of his Soul Power, standing tall as he calmly left the dense forest.

This soul-hunting trip had yielded quite a lot.

Not only had he slain the Thousand-Year Golden Thunder Feather Falcon and absorbed his second Soul Ring across ranks, but he had also unexpectedly obtained a top-grade External Soul Bone.

Furthermore, he had unlocked the system skill [Flash], greatly increasing his own strength.

This operation was no different from running a dungeon in a fantasy world.

It was just that everything he encountered here on Douluo Continent was a low-spec version.

The level of danger was low, and the people were either stupid or rotten!

--

By the time Lin Mo reached the exit of Soul Hunting Forest, the team leader, Shen Lin, had already been waiting there for quite some time.

Seeing Lin Mo return safely with steady breathing, Shen Lin's suspended heart finally settled, and he immediately strode forward.

"Did this soul-hunting operation go smoothly? Judging by your condition, you must have successfully broken through to Two-Ring, right?"

Lin Mo nodded slightly.

"Yes. Thanks for your kind words, Teacher. I broke through smoothly."

He did not take the initiative to mention killing a Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

As for the External Soul Bone, forget about it. He would simply keep his mouth shut.

A tree that stood out in the forest would be destroyed by the wind.

It was best not to expose something like this.

Shen Lin nodded, assuming that he had merely absorbed an ordinary Hundred-Year lightning-type Soul Ring.

Given the child's abilities, the age and quality of his second Soul Ring should not have been poor.

Shen Lin nodded approvingly.

"This soul-hunting operation has finally come to an end. In a moment, we'll report to Thunder Academy's higher-ups. Once everything is confirmed, it will be time for us to head back to the academy."

Lin Mo nodded.

It would be best if they could leave immediately, lest more trouble arise.

"By the way, did you run into any Thunder Academy students in Soul Hunting Forest? They came out before you, but they were all injured, and they seemed a little off mentally—jumping at shadows." Shen Lin recalled the terrified looks on those people's faces when they emerged.

"Sort of," Lin Mo said.

"Sort of?" Shen Lin glanced at him, slightly surprised.

"If they admit it, then we met. If they don't, then we didn't," Lin Mo said.

This was not something that could be explained in just a few words.

Shen Lin: ???

This kid hadn't taken the opportunity to teach them a lesson, had he?

--

Thunder Academy, conference hall.

The four students who had entered the forest stood with their heads lowered, their injuries clearly visible.

The Dean discovered that all of them had broken through to Two-Ring, but their overall mood was low, and something seemed off.

A healing-type Soul Master treated them and found that their injuries were not serious. As for their mental state... it seemed to have been caused by some kind of pressure.

The healing-type Soul Master stated that not all of the injuries on these students had come from Soul Beasts; most had been inflicted by people.

They could find each other's marks on all of them.

In other words, their injuries had resulted from a mutual beating.

"Tell me, what exactly happened in Soul Hunting Forest? And how did you get these injuries?!" the Dean asked with a frown.

He suspected that Lin Mo had something to do with this.

Faced with the school's leaders questioning them, they immediately spilled everything that had happened in Soul Hunting Forest.

"At first, we wanted to use the information gap to suppress Lin Mo. We drove low-level Hundred-Year Soul Beasts around the area, gathering a small beast tide and forcing him to defend himself and counterattack. Ideally, we would have forced him to accidentally kill Soul Beasts, reducing the academy's losses."

"But at the critical moment, a storm suddenly descended from the sky without warning. For some reason, the beast tide turned on us, and everything became chaotic. Then, out of nowhere, a Thousand-Year Purple Electric Baboon appeared and chased us the whole way."

"A Thousand-Year Soul Beast?!" The Dean could not help but exclaim in surprise.

Several instructors present exchanged looks.

There did not seem to be any Thousand-Year Soul Beasts roaming the outer regions of Soul Hunting Forest.

Besides, among the Thousand-Year Soul Beasts in the core area, there did not seem to be any Thousand-Year baboons.

Could one of those Hundred-Year Soul Beasts have successfully advanced?

"In our panic, we accidentally killed several Hundred-Year Soul Beasts..." At this point, they inexplicably felt guilty. Seeing the school leaders' faces darken at once, they hurriedly explained, "To avoid wasting them, the four of us had no choice but to absorb low-age Soul Rings and break through to Two-Ring."

The expressions of several instructors twitched.

Honestly, what a mess you made of this...

Sigh, they had lifted a rock only to smash their own feet.

Still, they were Hundred-Year Soul Rings. It was barely acceptable.

"What happened afterward?" the Dean asked sternly.

As long as those Hundred-Year Soul Beasts accidentally killed had not gone to waste.

Otherwise, he would make them pay!

"Later, we heard a commotion. Somehow, Lin Mo had actually found his way into the Golden Thunder Feather Falcon's territory."

"When we rushed over, the Golden Thunder Feather Falcon had already been defeated by him and imprisoned in a vine cage, barely clinging to life," said the leading youth.

At the mention of the Golden Thunder Feather Falcon, the gazes of all the instructors changed.

That was a top-grade nine-hundred-year Soul Ring, a valuable asset closely watched by the academy.

One could imagine how difficult it was to capture a Soul Beast of that age.

If it escaped their control, the academy would suffer a tremendous loss.

"You're saying that a One-Ring Soul Master defeated the Golden Thunder Feather Falcon without anyone helping him?!" An instructor frowned, finding it unbelievable.

Everyone present turned to look at him.

He immediately explained.

"If it were another Soul Beast, it would be one thing if he could defeat it. But the Golden Thunder Feather Falcon possessed aerial superiority. Logically speaking, even if it couldn't win, it should have been able to disengage on its own. And using vines to trap a nine-hundred-year Soul Beast..."

"It's not that it's impossible, but with his cultivation, he probably shouldn't have been capable of doing that, right?"

After the instructor pointed out the suspicious aspects, everyone turned their eyes toward the four students.

Their testimony was not very credible.

People naturally tended to downplay the serious parts and evade responsibility.

What students said might not necessarily be the truth.

"What we said is true! And that Golden Thunder Feather Falcon wasn't nine hundred years old at all—it had advanced into a Thousand-Year Soul Beast!!" Seeing that the instructors did not believe them, the suspicious gazes made them feel deeply uncomfortable, and they hurriedly defended themselves.

"How can you be sure it was a Thousand-Year Soul Beast?" an instructor sneered.

"A purple ring—a Thousand-Year purple ring! Lin Mo killed it, and we personally saw that purple Thousand-Year Soul Ring!" the student said in a trembling voice.

What?!

Everyone's expressions changed drastically.

"Since you were there, why didn't you stop him?!" The Dean flew into a rage and threw his teacup.

The cup shattered beside their feet. Scalding tea and fragments of porcelain splashed outward, startling them.

"We tried to stop him, but... we couldn't. And the Golden Thunder Feather Falcon was worn to death. While we were negotiating with him, that Soul Beast breathed its last."

"Trash! Didn't the four of you break through to Two-Ring? Before he absorbed the Soul Ring, he was just a One-Ring Soul Master, and you're telling me you couldn't stop him?! If I threw four pigs in there, Lin Mo would still have to spend some effort killing them! How can you be so useless?!" the Dean cursed furiously, like an enraged Zhu Ganglie.

The instructors present were equally astonished.

Four Two-Ring Soul Grandmasters could not stop a One-Ring Soul Master?!

The reverse would have been more believable.

Could Lin Mo of Plant Academy really be such a monster?!

"Where is that Soul Beast? Where is that Thousand-Year Soul Ring?!"

"That bastard accidentally killed our Thousand-Year Soul Beast and still wants to deny it?!"

"Hurry up and bring Lin Mo and his instructor here! Tell them there are matters that need to be verified!" the Dean roared as he ordered someone to handle it.

No matter what, they could not be allowed to get away!

The original agreement signed by the academy had specified Hundred-Year Soul Beasts.

Then he turned around and killed a Thousand-Year Soul Beast. The fucking worst part was that the Thousand-Year Soul Ring couldn't even be absorbed, making it a complete waste.

This was a lightning-type Soul Beast, and it had been raised in captivity. Its value was immeasurable.

Fuck, what kind of bullshit was this?!

Facing the Dean's explosive rage, the few students trembled and did not dare say a word.

"Speak! Are you mute?!"

"We... we were immobilized outside the valley by his soul skill. We couldn't move an inch."

"We aren't sure whether he absorbed that Thousand-Year Soul Ring on the spot, but when he walked out of Soul Hunting Forest just now, his Soul Power aura had surged. He must have already broken through to Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster!"

After those words were spoken, the council hall fell silent.

Everyone knew that the carrying limit for a second Soul Ring was around eight hundred years. Those who attempted to absorb one beyond their rank generally exploded and died.

Even Spirit Hall had been unable to break through this limit.

If he had absorbed a Thousand-Year Soul Ring, he could not possibly have walked out alive.

Yet he had not absorbed the Thousand-Year Soul Ring and had instead broken through to Two-Ring.

The instructor recording the proceedings furrowed his brow and added, "In my opinion, he most likely abandoned that Thousand-Year Golden Thunder Feather Falcon and hunted another Hundred-Year Soul Beast to complete his breakthrough. But if that is the case, then the nature of this matter is entirely different. A Thousand-Year Soul Beast died at his hands."

"Fuck, does he think this is some wild Soul Beast Forest where he can just come stock up on goods?!" The Dean's anger did not subside.

One had to know that Thousand-Year Soul Beasts were priceless and already counted as rare treasures.

If he had killed and absorbed a Soul Beast seven or eight hundred years old, they could accept it.

If he had killed a Thousand-Year Soul Beast and absorbed it, that would be his capability, and they could accept that too.

But he had fucking killed a Thousand-Year Soul Beast, been unable to absorb it, then killed another high-level Hundred-Year Soul Beast—why the fuck should they accept that?!

"Go! Send someone immediately and bring them here to confront us face-to-face! Don't let them run away!" the Dean urged again.

The instructors' expressions shifted.

He had urged them twice in a row. It seemed the Dean was truly furious.

With things having escalated to this point, Plant Academy had to compensate them for the losses.

--

Meanwhile.

Thunder Academy, standalone villa.

Yu Tianxin stood proudly, his lightning Martial Soul faintly lying dormant around him.

When a subordinate student brought news that Lin Mo had completed the soul-hunting trial and successfully advanced to Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster, intense battle intent immediately ignited in his eyes.

Previously, Lin Mo had bullied his lackeys, but because of the difference in their cultivation, Yu Tianxin could not bully someone weaker than himself without damaging his reputation.

Now, their realms were equal.

A wild curve lifted at the corner of Yu Tianxin's lips as a plan formed in his heart.

Previously, the realm difference had restrained him, and victory would have been dishonorable.

But now, a battle between equals could be considered a fair spar.

"At least my waiting wasn't in vain," Yu Tianxin said calmly.

"This is the perfect chance to test his true ability. If he really has some skill, I might consider inviting him to join Thunder Academy and become my teammate."

Having made up his mind, Yu Tianxin no longer hesitated. Carrying an unstoppable sharpness, he strode away.

"By the way, where is Lin Mo now?"

"Oh, right."

--

Elsewhere.

Lin Mo and Shen Lin received an invitation from the Dean. The instructor who had come to deliver the message looked somewhat strange.

When Shen Lin asked what was going on, that instructor did not say it outright, merely looking at Lin Mo with scrutiny in his eyes.

Shen Lin noticed the subtle gesture and guessed that Lin Mo had most likely caused trouble.

It seemed the injuries on those Thunder Academy students had something to do with him.

Sigh, there was not much he could say about that.

First, they needed to understand the situation and solve the problem.

After all, this was someone else's territory.

But if this was baseless slander and false accusations, he would certainly protect his own student.

Upon hearing the invitation, Lin Mo also knew that this matter could not be concealed.

Rather than wait for a later notice and be summoned over then, it would be better to settle everything directly.

Along the way, Lin Mo remained exceptionally calm and even had the leisure to admire the scenery.

Shen Lin was also... somewhat impressed.

Soon, led by an academy instructor, the two stepped into the solemn and imposing VIP reception hall.

Several academy higher-ups sat inside. One sharp gaze after another instantly converged upon Lin Mo in his white robes.

Curiosity, scrutiny, suspicion.

An invisible pressure bore down on them.

Shen Lin frowned slightly.

It was only a soul-hunting trial, and his student had broken through to Two-Ring.

Even if he had taught their students a lesson, there was no need to make such a huge spectacle and put on such an intimidating display.

If it wasn't just a minor squabble between students, then there was a high chance something had gone wrong with a Soul Beast.

Thinking of this, Shen Lin felt somewhat worried.

Lin Mo wouldn't go on a killing spree in the Soul Hunting Forest, would he?

Before entering the forest, he had specifically warned him.

Given the boy's temperament, he shouldn't do anything so foolish.

Before Shen Lin could think further, the Dean in the seat of honor fixed a dark gaze on Lin Mo and spoke with immense authority:

"Lin Mo, do you know your crime?!"

Starting right off with an accusation made Shen Lin's heart skip a beat.

Lin Mo's gaze turned slightly cold as he raised his head and stared at the Dean above.

"What crime have I committed?"

"Now, immediately, release your Martial Soul and reveal your Soul Rings before everyone. Cooperate with the academy's investigation!" the Dean said coldly. Powerful Soul Power fluctuations radiated from him, as though he intended to act directly.

Shen Lin hurriedly stepped forward. His own Soul Power erupted as he shielded Lin Mo behind him, his expression unfriendly.

"Director Zhou, what has Lin Mo done? Could you explain it clearly first?"

"Fine, then I'll make it clear!"

"Our academy kindly gave you a quota, allowing your students to enter the Soul Hunting Forest to obtain Soul Rings."

"But what did he do? He killed a Thousand-Year Golden Thunder Feather Falcon in the Soul Hunting Forest. The instructors confirmed that the Golden Thunder Feather Falcon had indeed disappeared, and even its corpse was nowhere to be found."

At those words, Shen Lin froze.

"W-wait a moment."

"You said he hunted a Thousand-Year Soul Beast? But he's only One-Ring..."

"Besides, even if he killed a Thousand-Year Soul Beast, he couldn't absorb a Thousand-Year Soul Ring... Unless he has broken through to Two-Ring, there must be some misunderstanding here." Shen Lin hurriedly sorted out the facts and explained.

"Instructor Shen, don't you understand yet?" the Dean said coldly, without a trace of emotion.

Shen Lin paused, then glanced sideways at Lin Mo behind him.

If Lin Mo had hunted a Thousand-Year Soul Beast, yet had still advanced...

That meant he had killed two Soul Beasts.

One of them had produced a Thousand-Year Soul Ring, which had been wasted.

"Lin Mo, now, immediately, release your Martial Soul and reveal your Soul Rings before everyone!" the Dean said coldly. Terrifying Soul Power surged from him, pressing down on Lin Mo below.

In the center of the hall, the white-robed youth remained calm.

There was no avoiding this matter in the end, so there was no need to hide it.

With a thought from him, deep thunder exploded, and dark-purple Soul Power swept through the entire hall.

The savage, thick Thunder Hell Vine burst from the ground, wrapped in purplish-gold lightning arcs as its domineering pressure crashed toward everyone.

Martial Soul: Thunder Hell Vine!

Two Soul Rings slowly rose from beneath his feet.

The first ring was golden in color, a most standard Hundred-Year Soul Ring.

Then the second Soul Ring rose after it.

Deep purple haze swirled around it, lightning flowing across its surface. Its vast and heavy Thousand-Year pressure instantly filled the entire hall!

A dazzling purple Thousand-Year Soul Ring hovered quietly around the youth!

Dead silence!

In an instant, the entire VIP hall became so silent that a pin drop could be heard.

Every senior instructor's pupils shrank sharply. Their faces turned pale, their minds went blank, and the sight before them completely overturned everything they knew.

Shen Lin stood frozen in place, his eyes wide as he stared blankly at that purple Thousand-Year Soul Ring.

Second Soul Ring, Thousand-Year!

This fact, which shattered an ancient ironclad rule, was laid bare before everyone.

Just as everyone in the hall remained trapped in stunned silence, unable to recover...