Thousand-Year Soul Ring

Yin Chen never refused Dai Huabin's challenges. After all, Soul Masters grew through battle; a Soul Master without combat experience was nothing but a flashy spear with a weak shaft, unable to withstand a single blow.

Dai Huabin was also a fine whetstone.

Still, watching Xu Yun enthusiastically plan how to discipline the troublemaker beside him, along with her attentive little follower, Yin Chen could not help but sigh softly to himself.

This freeloading... somehow feels more and more familiar. And it comes with a whole pile of little troubles.

At an open-air training ground within the academy, reserved specifically for sparring students, Yin Chen listened as Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo excitedly recounted what they had seen at the imperial capital's streets and markets over the weekend. Xu Yun solemnly added her own commentary from the side, while her little follower nodded along eagerly.

Just then, a tall figure with a sharp aura stepped into their path.

It was Dai Huabin.

His short golden hair gleamed beneath the sunlight, and the arrogance in his eyes was even stronger than before. The Soul Power fluctuations around him had clearly reached Level 21.

Evidently, he had successfully broken through the bottleneck at Level 20 and obtained his second Soul Ring.

Yin Chen calmly swept his gaze over him, immediately understanding.

It seemed this White Tiger young master, unwilling to admit defeat, had returned with newfound strength and a rekindled desire to challenge him.

"Yin Chen."

Dai Huabin's voice was loud and filled with fighting spirit.

"I've already broken through to Soul Grandmaster. Do you dare fight me again? This time, I'll definitely defeat you."

He was brimming with confidence. They both had two Soul Rings now; he refused to believe the gap between himself and Yin Chen was still as enormous as before.

The frustration of repeated defeat had transformed into surging battle intent.

Yin Chen looked at him and did not refuse.

He also wanted to see how much Dai Huabin's strength had improved after obtaining his second Soul Ring. It would be a useful reference for judging his own standing among those of his age.

After all, in the original storyline, Dai Huabin had been one of only three Soul Elders among Shrek's freshmen of their year. His talent and strength were beyond question.

"Fine."

Yin Chen replied calmly.

Lan Susu, Lan Luoluo, Xu Yun, and the others were already used to this. With practiced coordination, they stepped back and cleared out a spacious area.

Students passing nearby, along with several teachers who had caught wind of the news, stopped one after another and gathered around curiously to watch another clash between the academy's two top geniuses.

Behind Dai Huabin, concern showed in Zhu Lu's cat-like eyes. More than anyone, she knew that Dai Huabin had never gained any advantage against Yin Chen.

The two took their positions in the arena, and the atmosphere instantly grew tense.

"Dai Huabin, Level 21 Power Attack System Battle Soul Master. Please advise."

"Yin Chen, Level 24 Control System Battle Soul Master. Please."

As soon as the words fell, Dai Huabin made the first move.

He knew full well how strange Yin Chen's Future Sight ability was. He had to attack with thunderous force.

"First Soul Skill, White Tiger Protection Barrier."

"Second Soul Skill, White Tiger Fierce Light Wave."

Amid a low tiger's roar, Dai Huabin's muscles swelled, black-and-white tiger stripes surfaced across his skin, and both his defense and strength increased dramatically.

The two yellow Soul Rings circling him lit up in succession.

At the same time, he opened his mouth and fired an incomparably condensed white beam filled with destructive power straight at Yin Chen's face.

This second Soul Skill was far more powerful than the first, incredibly fast, and broad in its range.

Yet, just before the White Tiger Fierce Light Wave was released, the phantom hands in Yin Chen's shattered golden eyes trembled ever so slightly.

Future Sight activated.

He had already "seen" the beam's trajectory.

With what seemed like a casual shift of his feet, his body drifted lightly like willow fluff in the wind. The swift white beam grazed the corner of his clothes and blasted into the open ground behind him, leaving a shallow crater.

At the same time, Yin Chen raised a hand and silently summoned the Wind of Time.

Dai Huabin felt the air around him instantly turn viscous, as though he had fallen into an invisible swamp. His movements involuntarily slowed by half a beat, and even his breathing caught slightly.

"Damn it!"

Dai Huabin roared. Relying on his immense strength, he forcibly broke free of the airflow's restraint and lunged again, tiger claws cutting through the air as they slashed directly for Yin Chen's vital points.

He no longer relied on long-range Soul Skills, attempting instead to use close-quarters combat to limit Yin Chen's room to evade.

Yin Chen remained composed. Future Sight allowed him to perceive Dai Huabin's intentions a fraction of a second in advance. Combined with the Wind of Time slowing Dai Huabin's movements and his own agile footwork, he defused every one of Dai Huabin's storm-like attacks.

Their fists and feet collided with dull thuds, but Yin Chen always blocked or dodged at the most critical moment and with the smallest possible cost.

He had not used his full strength. It was more like he was guiding a practical combat lesson, steadily forcing Dai Huabin toward his limits while observing his newfound power, changes in fighting style, and the details of his Soul Power circulation.

The longer Dai Huabin fought, the more alarmed and stifled he became.

He felt as though he were fighting an invisible shadow, with every ounce of force striking empty air.

Yin Chen was like a bottomless lake. No matter how fiercely Dai Huabin stirred the waters, he could never glimpse its full depths.

"Roar—!!!"

Unable to gain ground after such a long attack, with his pride trampled again and again, Dai Huabin's patience finally ran out. His fury and unwillingness to concede erupted completely.

Soul Power surged around him as if boiling. The phantom image of a White Tiger behind him raised its head and roared at the sky, pushing his condition to its peak. All his strength gathered in his right fist, which crashed toward Yin Chen's chest like a falling meteor, carrying an unstoppable momentum.

This was his strongest strike, one that abandoned defense and concentrated all his Soul Power and will.

The force of that punch made everyone watching hold their breath, while Zhu Lu nervously covered her mouth.

Yet, facing this earthshaking blow, a trace of seriousness finally flashed through Yin Chen's eyes.

He knew Dai Huabin had reached his limit.

Just as that tiger fist, packed with terrifying power, was about to touch his body—

Two Soul Rings finally rose beneath Yin Chen's feet at the same time.

The first was a bright yellow Hundred-Year Soul Ring.

The second, following close behind, was unmistakably a deep, noble purple that radiated a frightening energy fluctuation—

Purple, a Thousand-Year Soul Ring!

"A Thousand-Year Soul Ring?!"

"How is that possible?!"

"His second Soul Ring is a Thousand-Year Soul Ring?! Am I seeing things?!"

In an instant, the entire crowd erupted. Cries of shock swept through the training ground like a tidal wave.

Every student watching, including several teachers, stared with eyes wide open, their faces filled with disbelief.

By common knowledge in the world of Soul Masters, the limit for a second Soul Ring was roughly seven hundred years.

Yet Yin Chen, a child who had only just turned eight, possessed a second Soul Ring at the thousand-year level.

This completely overturned everything they thought they knew.

Even Lan Susu, Lan Luoluo, and Xu Yun, who had always stayed by Yin Chen's side, covered their mouths in shock. They had never seen Yin Chen reveal his second Soul Ring before.

They had only known that he was strong, never realizing that his Soul Ring configuration was so shockingly extraordinary.