A Slap in the Face

The two of them entered the teaching building together and headed into the classroom.

Li Hanche sat down at his own seat, while Su Nianxue returned to the seat ahead and to his right.

Before sitting down, she even turned back to look at him, her eyes curving into a smile.

Li Hanche pretended not to notice and opened his book.

The morning lesson covered the basic knowledge of soul masters, personally taught by their homeroom instructor, Lin Ruoxi.

Today, she had changed into a light gray instructor's robe. Her hair was pinned up impeccably, and she stood at the podium holding a slender pointer, indicating a diagram on the blackboard.

The diagram depicted a simple human figure surrounded by several circles, labeled from the inside out: "First Soul Ring," "Second Soul Ring," and "Third Soul Ring."

"Students, today we'll be discussing soul rings."

Lin Ruoxi's voice was clear and gentle.

"Soul rings are one of the core concepts in a soul master's cultivation system. When a soul master's soul power reaches Rank Ten, they can obtain a soul ring by hunting soul beasts, thereby breaking through to the next realm. Every ten ranks they advance, they can obtain a new soul ring. The age of a soul ring directly determines the strength of a soul skill and the upper limit of a soul master's combat power."

She picked up a piece of chalk and wrote a line on the blackboard.

"So, does anyone know the maximum age of a soul beast that a soul master's first soul ring can withstand?"

The classroom fell silent for a moment.

Then several hands shot up.

But one hand was raised the highest, the most eagerly, as though its owner wanted to spring right out of his seat.

It belonged to a boy seated in the middle of the second row. He wore a dark green academy uniform with an exquisite cut, its silver-trimmed cuffs noticeably wider than those of the standard uniforms. His hair was slicked back until it gleamed.

Li Hanche remembered him.

He had been the one who led the sneering yesterday, saying, "People from the slums simply don't belong in decent company."

Later, when they met in the hallway, he had also been the most enthusiastic about looking down on others.

His name seemed to be... Zhao Mengran.

He had Innate Soul Power at Rank Five, and his martial soul was a fairly decent sword.

In previous years, he would have counted as a minor genius. But this year, Li Hanche's Innate Full Soul Power had utterly overshadowed him, so he found Li Hanche especially unbearable.

Lin Ruoxi swept her gaze around the classroom before settling on Zhao Mengran's raised hand.

"Zhao Mengran, you answer."

Zhao Mengran stood up, puffed out his chest, and spoke in a booming voice, as though proclaiming an imperial decree.

"The maximum age for a first soul ring is four hundred and twenty-three years!"

After saying that, a smug smile appeared on his face. Then... he turned his head and looked at Li Hanche.

There was undisguised provocation in his gaze, and his lips curled slightly, as though he were saying: So? Does a wild brat from the slums like you understand such basic knowledge?

Li Hanche: "..."

He looked expressionlessly at Zhao Mengran, with only one thought in his mind.

He can even pick a fight over this?

I'm just sitting quietly in the corner, listening to class. I haven't said a word or even looked at him, and he can still drag me into this?

These villains really are the most brainless creatures alive.

Just as he was about to look away and ignore such kindergarten-level provocation, the familiar golden light exploded in his mind again without warning.

"Ding!"

The system's gloating voice rang out right on cue, brimming with the excitement of someone watching a show unfold.

"Detected: the host has encountered classroom provocation. A minor character who barely qualifies as cannon fodder dares to jump around in front of you. Can this be tolerated? The [Classroom Face-Slapping] choice mission has now been triggered."

"Please make your choice within three breaths."

Three options appeared in his mind.

Li Hanche fell silent after reading them.

Then he mentally cursed the system's ancestors for eighteen generations.

[Option One: Knowledge Face-Slapping Route]

"Stand up and calmly, confidently correct Zhao Mengran's answer: Four hundred and twenty-three years? That is the limit of mediocrity. True geniuses can push their first soul ring far beyond that, because limits were never meant to be obeyed. They were meant to be broken."

"Reward: Mental cultivation art Mind-Clarity and Nature-Seeing Art. This art can greatly enhance the host's spiritual power and perception, double resistance to illusion-type soul skills, and comes with the passive effect Mind Clarity, which automatically activates when the mind is disturbed to keep the host clear-headed."

"Note: True face-slapping is not done with fists, but with crushing superiority in knowledge and vision. Let him know that not only is he worthless in strength, even his brain is insufficient. Nothing kills more thoroughly than destroying one's heart."

[Option Two: Violent Face-Slapping Route]

"Slap the table and rise, plant one foot on the desk, point at Zhao Mengran's nose, and say: Four hundred and twenty-three years? Is that all the ambition you have? Not convinced? Come on, let's go outside and settle this one-on-one. I'll even give you one hand."

"Reward: Attack-Type Soul Skill Deduction Card ×1. After use, it can deduce one Self-Created Soul Skill best suited to the host's current condition."

"Note: Simple, brutal, and direct. A duel between six-year-olds sounds rather cute, doesn't it? But take care—openly challenging someone to a fight in class may make Lin Ruoxi twist your head off. Of course, given your current status, she probably won't dare. But as for His Highness the Crown Prince's reputation... you can weigh that yourself."

[Option Three: Coward Route]

"Lower your head, avoid Zhao Mengran's gaze, and say softly: Y-yes, I'm sorry... I was wrong... I shouldn't be here... I'll never appear before you again... Then leave the classroom in disgrace."

"Reward: Permanent title [Grandson]."

"Title effect: Suspended above the host's head and visible to every living creature on Douluo Continent."

"Note: Isn't living well enough? Why insist on being someone's grandson?"

Option Two was immediately ruled out.

It was not that he was afraid of a duel—he cultivated the Nine-Turn Tyrant Body Art. Beating up a six-year-old noble brat would be no harder than playing around.

The problem was that slamming a desk and challenging someone to a fight in class was simply too stupid.

He had come here to study, not to act in a gangster movie.

If Qian Renxue found out that he had gotten into a fight on his first day at the academy, win or lose, her opinion of him would plummet.

Option Three... heh.

Option One.

The mental cultivation art, Mind-Clarity and Nature-Seeing Art.

What did he lack most right now?

Not offensive methods. The Dark Nether Ice Soul Spear was already a top-tier offensive martial soul. Combined with the ice-element cultivation art Frost Heaven Record, his offensive output was absolutely sufficient.

Nor was it defense. Once the Nine-Turn Tyrant Body Art reached its first turn, Copper Skin, his physical defense would increase drastically.

What he lacked was protection on the spiritual level.

There were many people on Douluo Continent who could fight, but few could emerge unscathed from mental attacks.

The spiritual level was also where weaknesses were most likely to appear.

Mind-Clarity and Nature-Seeing Art could make up for that shortcoming perfectly.

As for that line...

"Limits were never meant to be obeyed. They were meant to be broken."

It was a little embarrassingly dramatic, but at least it was far more restrained than "I'll trample all of Douluo Continent beneath my feet."

And the statement itself was not wrong. As a transmigrator, he had the entire plot of Douluo Continent in his head and knew the fundamental principles behind soul ring ages.

Four hundred and twenty-three years truly was the theoretical limit, but that limit could be broken. There had been quite a few examples in the original work.

Fine, this one it is!