The Pressure of a Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring

A black halo rotated slowly, each turn radiating an intangible pressure as heavy as if it were physical.

Ten-thousand-year soul ring.

Everyone in the classroom felt a tremor originating from the depths of their souls.

It was the most instinctive reaction of low-level soul masters when facing a ten-thousand-year soul ring; it had nothing to do with courage or willpower, but was purely an instinctive fear brought about by a massive gap in the hierarchy of life.

The students in the front row turned pale, fine beads of cold sweat seeping from their foreheads.

Their fingers gripped the edges of their desks so tightly that their knuckles turned white.

Some unconsciously released their own martial souls to resist this pressure. Above the head of one male student, a phantom of a Gray Wolf appeared, but under the oppression of the ten-thousand-year soul ring, the phantom trembled violently, on the verge of dissipating at any moment.

The students in the back rows fared no better. A sturdy boy clenched his fists so hard that the veins on his arms bulged.

He gritted his teeth, desperately resisting the pressure that threatened to crush him, but his trembling legs betrayed his current state.

Huo Yuhao sat by the window, his body leaning slightly forward, his hands pressed firmly against the desk.

His Spirit Eye martial soul released automatically, and faint spiritual fluctuations rippled through his eyes—an instinctive defense triggered by his body under immense pressure.

The pressure of the ten-thousand-year soul ring crushed every nerve in his body like a physical weight, but he bit his lip hard, forcing himself to keep his eyes wide open, staring unblinkingly at the blue figure on the podium.

This is the strength of Brother Mu.

This is the goal he must chase in the future.

Huo Yuhao bit his lip until it bled, but he was completely unaware of it. A scorching light burned in his eyes—not fear, not retreat, but a near-manic fighting spirit ignited by the massive gap between them.

Wang Dong sat in the seat closest to Mu Chen.

His performance was much better than the other students. For one, his cultivation was higher than most, and for another, he had felt the aura of a ten-thousand-year soul ring at close range during their combined cultivation last night, giving his body a certain level of adaptation.

Even so, his Radiant Goddess Butterfly martial soul still stirred restlessly under this pressure.

He could feel the skin on his back growing slightly hot; it was a sign that his martial soul wanted to manifest.

But he forcefully suppressed it.

His gaze never left Mu Chen. Watching the figure on the podium shrouded by four soul rings, Wang Dong's emotions were more complex than ever before.

This person was his roommate, the one who forced him to call him "Big Brother," and the one who cultivated with him every day.

But the Mu Chen standing on the podium now made him feel a hint of unfamiliarity.

It wasn't a sense of alienation, but something far more subtle.

Zhou Yi swept her gaze over the reactions of the students below, nodding inwardly. This was exactly the effect she wanted.

She wanted them to see with their own eyes what a true genius was and what kind of goal they should be chasing.

Flowers in a greenhouse cannot withstand the wind and rain; only by witnessing true power would they find the motivation and direction to move forward.

After about ten seconds—which felt like a century to the students below—Zhou Yi finally spoke.

"That's enough, Mu Chen. Retract your martial soul."

Mu Chen nodded and withdrew his martial soul into his body. The phantom of the Ocean slowly dissipated, the Trident dissolved into specks of light, and the four soul rings extinguished one by one from bottom to top. The heavy pressure that had been crushing everyone's chest vanished, like a drowning person finally breaking the surface.

The sound of heavy gasping filled the classroom.

Some slumped in their chairs, their backs soaked through with cold sweat.

Others still had trembling hands, staring blankly at the empty podium, unable to recover from the shock.

Most were silent, unable to say a word, because they didn't know what to say. Any language seemed pale and powerless in the face of that level of talent.

Zhou Yi walked to the center of the podium and clapped her hands, drawing the attention of all the dazed students back to her.

Her gaze swept over every face, her tone returning to its usual sternness.

"Did you see that?"

No one answered. There was no need to.

"A hundred-year soul ring is yellow, a thousand-year is purple, a ten-thousand-year is black, and a hundred-thousand-year is red; this is the basic common knowledge passed down in the Douluo Continent soul master world for tens of thousands of years," Zhou Yi's voice was not loud, but every word struck the heart of everyone present. "But basic knowledge is not absolute truth. A true genius is someone who breaks common knowledge."

She turned to look at Mu Chen, her eyes filled with undisguised admiration.

"Mu Chen's second soul ring is already a thousand-year one, and his fourth soul ring has jumped directly to ten-thousand-year. What does this mean? It means his body's capacity, the strength of his meridians, and his mental resilience far exceed that of an average soul master. You think this is talent? Yes, it is indeed talent. But what lies behind that talent? It is the bitter training he has never ceased since the day he awakened his martial soul, and the persistence he has shown day after day for six years."

Zhou Yi's tone suddenly turned harsh: "And now, some of you can't even finish the morning run, crying and complaining after a few dozen laps. With that kind of attitude, how can you hope to chase after him? How can you hope to reach the peak of the soul master world?"

The atmosphere in the classroom was as heavy as lead. Several students lowered their heads, their faces burning.

Zhou Yi waited a few seconds, letting these words sink into the students' hearts, before changing the subject, her tone becoming slightly lighter.

"However, you don't need to be too discouraged."

She patted Mu Chen on the shoulder, her gesture carrying a rare sense of closeness: "Mu Chen is the undisputed number one among the freshmen of this year. But being number one does not mean he is the only strong one. In my class, everyone has their own potential; the key is whether you are willing to dig for it. Mu Chen's starting point is higher than yours, that is a fact. But a starting point is not the finish line. On the path of cultivation, talent determines the ceiling, but hard work determines how far you can go."

She paused, scanning the room.

"Among the students I have taught, there are many examples of those with mediocre talent who achieved extraordinary things. Likewise, I have seen many regrets of those with great talent who fell by the wayside. Therefore, letting you see Mu Chen's soul rings today is not to discourage you, but to let you see clearly that this is your role model, this is the goal you must chase. You don't need to surpass him right now, but you must start working toward this direction from this moment on."

Zhou Yi's voice suddenly rose a notch: "Do you understand!"

"Understood!" the whole class answered in unison, their voices louder than ever before.

Huo Yuhao shouted with extra effort, his throat nearly cracking. Although Wang Dong beside him didn't follow suit, a glimmer of seriousness appeared in his eyes.