First Ring, a Thousand Years Old-Tang San and Yu Xiaogang Stunned

He had no desire to kick the bucket just yet, even if he was not afraid of death.

But he could not accept dying so carelessly.

He had not even had a proper look at this strange new world or crossed hands with its geniuses. How could he die like this?

Granted, being a genius only earned someone the right to meet him, but he had yet to test the geniuses of this world. It would be a shame to miss out.

What he did not know was that he had already fought this world's greatest genius—and won by a landslide.

"Ah, life is unpredictable. One sausage wrapped around another..."

With a soft sigh, Huo Linfei put the thought aside. He circulated all the Soul Power in his body, preparing to absorb this Thousand-Year Soul Ring, which far exceeded the usual age limit, in the best condition he could muster.

Yet the excruciating pain he had imagined never came, nor did the Soul Beast's assault on his soul. He felt no pain at all.

What? What was going on?

Just as Huo Linfei grew puzzled, he realized that the Phantom Qilin Beast within him was absorbing the Fire-Patterned Python's soul—and its vast Soul Power along with it.

As the Phantom Qilin Beast absorbed the python's soul and Soul Power, it slowly fed a gentle stream of Soul Power and mental energy back into Huo Linfei's body, helping him refine the purple Soul Ring.

"Phantom Qilin Beast, well done! That's the partner who's fought beside me all this time!"

At the sight, Huo Linfei broke into a grin and lavished praise on his Martial Soul.

Director Su watched Huo Linfei's expressionless face and frowned.

What was going on?

He hadn't burst apart at once, but absorbing a Thousand-Year Soul Ring shouldn't be this easy!

Unable to make sense of it, Director Su stopped trying. Whether this was fortune or disaster, a little more waiting would tell.

He was not optimistic, though.

After all, this went far beyond the limits.

Perhaps it simply hadn't started yet.

He sighed.

With another sigh, Director Su could already picture the tragedy to come. Hands clasped behind his back, he paced around Huo Linfei, waiting to collect his body.

But the longer he waited, the more he felt that something was wrong.

The fluctuations of Soul Power around Huo Linfei were remarkably steady. They were nothing like the violent turmoil Director Su had imagined, the kind that looked ready to explode.

"Strange... Could it be...? No. That would be unprecedented..."

Director Su's frown deepened. He shook his head and cast the unrealistic idea aside.

He wanted that possibility to be true, but it was too shocking to believe, like a tale from the heavens.

Time trickled by.

Soon, half an hour had passed, and Huo Linfei's condition remained unchanged.

Then one hour...

Two hours...

Two and a half hours...

Director Su stayed beside Huo Linfei the entire time, his expression changing again and again. Yet each time he leaned in to examine him, he found nothing.

Strangely, the purple Soul Ring had vanished without a trace.

Director Su's brow remained tightly knit. No matter how he probed, he could not find an explanation. What he had initially deemed impossible was beginning to feel possible.

In every case he knew of, if there had been no chance at all, Huo Linfei would have burst apart and died the instant he began absorbing it. Yet so much time had passed.

The more Director Su thought about it, the faster his breathing grew. Excitement he could barely conceal shone in his eyes.

If Huo Linfei succeeded, Director Su would be the first to witness a miracle. It would be an unprecedented feat, perhaps one never to be repeated.

After all, this was truly enough to shake the world.

Just then, soft, shuffling footsteps sounded nearby. Director Su instantly grew alert. He drew on the Soul Power within him and watched the direction of the sound warily.

Before long, a group of five came into view.

At their head was a young man with a short, flat haircut and a black robe. A boy and a girl in pink followed him, with two men in matching uniforms behind them.

They were Yu Xiaogang, Tang San, and Xiao Wu. The two men were teachers from Nuoding City.

"Director Su? What are you doing here? Have you come to hunt a Soul Ring for a student?"

Both sides paused in surprise when they met. Yu Xiaogang was the first to speak.

His question was understandable. Director Su rarely left the academy, let alone visited the Soul Hunting Forest.

Director Su gave a slight nod in reply. He did not particularly like Yu Xiaogang, though he could not say he disliked him either.

"Is that... Huo Linfei?"

Yu Xiaogang, Tang San, and Xiao Wu immediately spotted Huo Linfei sitting cross-legged on the ground. Shock spread across their faces.

The other two teachers from Noding Academy reacted the same way.

Director Su had actually left his office to help Huo Linfei obtain a Soul Ring.

Once their shock faded, their expressions grew complicated.

Tang San looked at Huo Linfei with envy and malice in his eyes.

He had wanted his teacher to ask Director Su to help him obtain a Soul Ring too, but Director Su had refused.

Why did Huo Linfei deserve help that neither my teacher nor I could get?

They had settled for bringing along two other academy teachers. Under Grandmaster's overbearing influence, the two ordinary teachers had not dared refuse.

Tang San had done this mainly because, in his previous life, his teacher had nearly died when he took Tang San alone to obtain a Soul Ring. Tang San did not want to take that risk again.

Fortunately, with the two other teachers helping this time, nothing like that had happened. He had successfully obtained his First Soul Ring from a Hundred-Year Mandala Snake, just as he had in his previous life.

At 423 years old, it was right at the optimal age limit.

Director Su might have accompanied Huo Linfei, but Tang San did not believe Huo Linfei could obtain a Soul Ring with the same optimal configuration as his own.

Looking at the group before him, Director Su suddenly realized why the academy's teachers had been unavailable today.

Half the teachers who could go out to hunt Soul Rings had followed Yu Xiaogang here.

Director Su said nothing about it. Yu Xiaogang was the headmaster's friend, after all, and it was not Director Su's place to object.

After a brief exchange, Director Su turned his attention back to Huo Linfei.

Yu Xiaogang and the others grew curious as well. Yu Xiaogang wanted to see what kind of Soul Ring Huo Linfei could obtain without his guidance.

They had arrived late. The Fire-Patterned Python's body had long since been completely absorbed, and with the Soul Ring out of sight, they had no way of knowing its age.

They assumed it was a Hundred-Year Soul Ring. With Director Su there, that much should not be a problem. Whether it was the optimal age or even a suitable ring was another matter.

Director Su's theoretical knowledge might be sound, but Yu Xiaogang was a renowned theoretical Grandmaster in the Soul Master World. Naturally, he believed himself superior.

After another stretch of time, Director Su stared at Huo Linfei, who still showed almost no change, his face full of confusion.

Why was there still no reaction after so long?

Success or failure, it should not have taken this long.

"Grandmaster, in your opinion, what does it mean when a Soul Master shows no reaction after absorbing a Soul Ring for more than three hours?"

In the end, Director Su could not help asking Yu Xiaogang.

There was no one else present he could ask. More than that, the wait was tormenting him, and anxiety had begun to gnaw at him. At this point, he was ready to try any remedy he could find.

"What?!"

"He's been absorbing it for over three double-hours?!"

Director Su's words stunned Yu Xiaogang, and the question burst from his lips.

Tang San, however, smiled. Huo Linfei needed this long to absorb a Hundred-Year Soul Ring? His aptitude could not be much good. Tang San had absorbed his 423-year-old Mandala Snake Soul Ring in just one minute.

"Ahem... Director Su, this is the first time I've encountered such a situation, so I was a little startled. Generally speaking, a Soul Master absorbs their First Soul Ring quite quickly, unless the ring is older than usual or their own talent is poor..."

After recovering from his shock, Yu Xiaogang realized he had lost his composure and cleared his throat. His implication was unmistakable.

He was rather glad Huo Linfei had not agreed when he had tried to take him as a disciple.

Even among those with Innate Full Soul Power, there were differences.

Yu Xiaogang looked at Tang San with even greater satisfaction.

Director Su heard him, but the conclusion he reached was entirely different.

The next moment, a powerful wave of Soul Power surged from Huo Linfei. He opened his eyes, a sharp gleam flashing through them.

Beneath him, a Soul Ring blazing with purple light appeared!

Yu Xiaogang, Tang San, Xiao Wu, and the two teachers stared fixedly at the purple Soul Ring beneath Huo Linfei. Their jaws dropped. They were shocked beyond words!

"???!!!"

"A Thousand-Year Soul Ring?!"

"Am I seeing things?!"

"How is that possible?!!"

"That defies all reason?!!"