Can Soul Rings Be Upgraded Without Soul Spirits?

Shrek Academy. Morning sunlight spilled through the windows into the classroom.

Ning Rongrong sat at her desk, her chin propped in both hands, her eyes sparkling.

Today, they were going to the Spirit Ascension Platform.

Although she still had no idea what kind of place it was, just hearing the name made it sound anything but simple.

And besides... that guy Xie Xie had been acting all mysterious yesterday, refusing to say anything.

"You'll know tomorrow."

The moment Ning Rongrong remembered Xie Xie's punchable expression, her teeth itched with anger.

"Hmph. I'd like to see what it is that's worth hiding so carefully."

She glanced at Zhu Zhuqing beside her.

Zhu Zhuqing sat ramrod straight, her face showing little expression, but there was also a trace of anticipation in those black eyes of hers.

The class was basically all present. No one was late or absent.

The classroom's front door was pushed open, and Wu Zhangkong walked in.

His lake-blue long hair carried a faint sheen in the morning light, and his cold, stern eyes swept over everyone present.

The classroom instantly fell silent. Everyone lifted their heads and looked at the man standing behind the lectern.

Wu Zhangkong wasted no words and got straight to the point.

"Today, we're going to the Spirit Ascension Platform."

Ning Rongrong's eyes grew even brighter.

"The Spirit Ascension Platform is the place where you obtain Soul Spirits."

"Soul Spirits can provide you with soul rings, and they can also assist you in battle."

"The Spirit Ascension Platform is divided into three levels."

"The Primary Spirit Ascension Platform allows soul masters below four rings to enter."

"The Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform allows soul masters below seven rings to enter. Inside, most Soul Spirits are at the thousand-year and ten-thousand-year level."

"The Advanced Spirit Ascension Platform... is far more dangerous. You don't need to understand it for now."

Wu Zhangkong paused, then continued.

"Soul Spirits are different from soul beasts."

"A ten-year Soul Spirit can only produce one soul ring."

"A hundred-year Soul Spirit can produce at most two."

"And so on. A Soul Spirit at the ferocious beast level can produce up to six soul rings."

A chorus of sharp inhales rang through the classroom.

Ning Rongrong's eyes widened.

"One Soul Spirit can provide up to six soul rings?"

She did the math in her head.

"Doesn't that mean... if someone obtained a ferocious beast Soul Spirit, it would cover everything from the first ring to the sixth?"

"That's way too exaggerated..."

But she did not interrupt Wu Zhangkong.

Wu Zhangkong continued.

"Besides allowing you to obtain Soul Spirits, the Spirit Ascension Platform has another important function."

"It lets you experience fighting soul beasts and strengthen your real combat experience."

"The soul beasts inside are virtual, but their fighting methods are almost no different from real soul beasts."

Hearing this, a question popped into Ning Rongrong's mind.

She raised her hand.

"Teacher Wu, I have a question."

Wu Zhangkong looked at her.

"Speak."

"You said the Spirit Ascension Platform can be used to obtain Soul Spirits, and Soul Spirits can provide soul rings..."

There was a trace of worry in Ning Rongrong's voice.

"But we haven't reached the level where we can obtain soul rings yet."

"For example, although I took a Soul Ascension Pill and a Mystic Water Pill, my soul power still hasn't reached rank thirty."

"Then after we go in... will it be useful to us?"

Wu Zhangkong looked at her and nodded.

"Good question."

"If your level hasn't reached the standard for obtaining a soul ring, then after entering the Spirit Ascension Platform, you won't be able to obtain a Soul Spirit."

Ning Rongrong's heart sank.

If she couldn't obtain one... then what was the point of going in?

She thought this to herself, disappointment written all over her face.

Though it could increase practical combat experience against soul beasts, she was a support-type soul master...

Ning Rongrong bit her lip.

"Then won't this trip to the Spirit Ascension Platform be basically useless for me?"

She suddenly felt a little regretful.

"If only I'd worked a little harder back at the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect..."

"After taking the Soul Ascension Pill and the Mystic Water Pill, maybe I'd already be at rank thirty by now."

"Then I could obtain a Soul Spirit directly..."

Unfortunately, there were no ifs in this world.

Ning Rongrong sighed. Wu Zhangkong looked at her vexed expression and spoke again.

"Even if you can't obtain a Soul Spirit, entering the Spirit Ascension Platform this time will still benefit you."

Ning Rongrong raised her head.

Wu Zhangkong's gaze swept over everyone present.

"Aren't you all very curious why Wulin, Siduo, and Yun'er have soul ring configurations so much stronger than ordinary soul masters?"

Zhu Zhuqing's eyes lit up sharply.

She had wanted to know the answer to this question for a long time.

The others had the same expressions, each of them pricking up their ears.

Wu Zhangkong did not keep them in suspense.

"The age of a soul ring a person can withstand is related to their spiritual power and physical constitution."

"The stronger the spiritual power and the better the physical constitution, the higher the age of the soul ring they can withstand."

"But there is another reason the Spirit Ascension Platform is called the Spirit Ascension Platform."

Wu Zhangkong's tone grew slightly heavier.

"The Soul Spirits you obtain inside can gain a type of energy called 'spiritual power' by killing the soul beasts inside."

"This energy can increase the age of a Soul Spirit."

"When the age of the Soul Spirit increases, the age of the soul ring will rise along with it."

Hearing this, everyone could not help growing excited. At last, they knew how Tang Wulin and the others had gotten such monstrous soul ring configurations.

Wu Zhangkong continued.

"In other words, even if you only obtain a hundred-year Soul Spirit at the start, as long as your spiritual power and physical constitution are strong enough, you can enter the Spirit Ascension Platform, continuously hunt soul beasts, accumulate spiritual power, and raise that Soul Spirit to a thousand years, ten thousand years, or even higher."

"The age of the soul ring will increase along with it."

Ning Rongrong's mind turned rapidly.

"In other words..."

She murmured to herself.

"Once my spiritual power and physical constitution improve in the future, I can go to the Spirit Ascension Platform to hunt soul beasts and increase the age of my existing soul rings?"

Wu Zhangkong glanced at her and nodded slightly.

"That's right."

Ning Rongrong sucked in a breath of cold air.

But very quickly, she thought of another problem.

"But... Teacher Wu."

She raised her hand.

"We don't have Soul Spirits yet."

"Then after we go in, what happens to the spiritual power we gain from killing the soul beasts inside?"

"Without Soul Spirits, is spiritual power still useful to us?"

Wu Zhangkong looked at her and nodded slightly.

"The early-stage Spirit Ascension Platform does indeed have this problem."

"If you don't have a Soul Spirit, the spiritual power obtained from killing soul beasts cannot be used and will dissipate directly."

"But..."

"The current Spirit Ascension Platform, after the dean's research, has already solved that problem."

"Even if you don't have Soul Spirits, after entering the Spirit Ascension Platform, you can still increase the age of your soul rings."

"As for exactly how to increase them, you'll know once you go in."

The classroom fell silent for an instant.

Then it exploded into uproar.

"What?!"

"You can increase the age of your soul rings even without Soul Spirits?"

"This... this is way too absurd, isn't it?"

"How on earth did the dean do it?"

Luo Ziyan covered her mouth, her eyes wide and round.

Ning Rongrong's breathing quickened. She had originally thought the Spirit Ascension Platform would be of little use to her this time.

At most, she would go in to take a look and gain a little experience fighting soul beasts.

But now... Wu Zhangkong was telling her that even without Soul Spirits, they could still increase the age of their soul rings.

"Doesn't that mean..."

Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up.

"My current two soul rings can both have their ages increased through the Spirit Ascension Platform? I wonder if they can be raised to the thousand-year level!"

Though Zhu Zhuqing did not speak, her fingers clenched slightly.

In those black eyes burned something called longing. Her Nether Civet's two soul rings were both at the hundred-year level.

If they could be raised to a thousand years... her strength would at least double.

[Detected that key figure Ning Rongrong's recognition of Shrek Academy as Monster Academy has greatly increased!]

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained a reward: Golden Pearl *10]

[Detected that key figure Zhu Zhuqing's recognition of Shrek Academy as Monster Academy has greatly increased!]

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained a reward: Millennium Dragon Scale Fruit *10]

[Detected that ordinary figure Luo Ziyan's recognition of Shrek Academy as Monster Academy has increased!]

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained a reward: hundred-year Soul Spirit *50]