His tone was calm, but the weight of his words made everyone's heart skip a beat.
Although the Spirit Pagoda and Shrek Academy provided them with ample resources, it was because their own innate talent was sufficient that they improved so quickly.
This was a two-way street.
Tang Wulin sat in his seat, feeling the surging power within his body, and glanced at Gu Yue and Na'er beside him, as well as the familiar faces in the classroom.
One year ago, they were complete strangers. One year later, they had become partners fighting side by side.
The ten-year agreement still had nine years left.
He clenched his fists, a flash of resolute light shining in his eyes. Nine years from now, every single one of them would become an Eight-Ring Soul Douluo and a Three-Word Battle Armor Master.
This goal sounded out of reach, but he believed that as long as they worked hard together, nothing was impossible.
After all, they were the first Youth Genius Class jointly founded by Shrek Academy and the Spirit Pagoda.
In the classroom, everyone's emotions were somewhat excited.
Ye Xinglan clenched her fist, her tone carrying a hint of emotion: "To be honest, before coming to this class, I always felt I was the top genius among my peers. As a result, after coming here, I discovered that there are people beyond people and heavens beyond the heavens. I actually ended up at the bottom."
Ever since awakening her Stargod Sword Martial Soul, Ye Xinglan had been recognized by her family as an peerless genius who could lead the family to glory.
She was even in line for the position of the Sea God Pavilion Master.
However, after coming to this class, she instantly sobered up.
Xu Lizhi gave a wry smile and chimed in: "Who's to say otherwise? I was quite confident at first, but I got beaten to a pulp. No choice, I can only work hard and cultivate desperately for fear of being left too far behind."
Although Yuanen Yehui did not speak, her slight nod still exposed her thoughts.
She once thought that her twin martial souls' talent was already enough to look down upon the heroes of the world, but in this class she found that the things she was so proud of didn't seem as prominent as she had imagined.
Listening to everyone's words, Tang Wulin also felt some emotion in his heart.
Of course he knew that these people were all top-tier geniuses in the original work, but in this class everyone's starting point was so high that their originally dazzling talent appeared less prominent.
Yet it was precisely this pressure that stimulated their fighting spirit, making everyone cultivate with their lives on the line.
Wu Changkong waited for everyone to quiet down before continuing: "A year has passed, and next we are going to arrange a final exam. Only by passing the exam can you continue to stay in the Genius Class and carry out next year's training."
His tone turned serious: "The results of this exam are not only related to your personal stay or departure, but also to the subsequent cooperation between the two forces. If your performance is too drag-behind, it will heavily affect the subsequent resource allocation."
This really wasn't a joke; the first final exam was extremely important.
During this past year, because of this Youth Genius Class, the relationship between Shrek Academy and the Spirit Pagoda had eased.
This was of great significance to both sides!
Everyone immediately put away the smiles on their faces and became serious.
Wu Changkong looked at everyone's reactions and nodded with satisfaction: "Now I'll state the content of our final exam: it is to head to the Spirit Pagoda's Spirit Ascension Platform."
"Spirit Ascension Platform?" Ye Xinglan's eyes lit up. "Isn't that the place where soul ring age can be increased?"
Wu Changkong nodded: "That's right. You have all broken through level thirty now, and your soul ring age needs to be further enhanced. This final exam is a major upgrade to your soul ring ages."
"And the target this time is the Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform!"
He paused and continued: "Ye Xinglan, Xu Lizhi, Yuanen Yehui, the goal for the three of you is to raise your soul spirit ages to five thousand years. Your spiritual power has already reached the standard... and you can withstand soul spirits of this age."
The three of them looked at each other, a trace of solemnity flashing in their eyes. A five-thousand-year soul spirit age meant their soul ring quality would reach a whole new level; this goal was not easy, but it was not impossible to complete.
Wu Changkong looked at Gu Yue and Na'er: "Gu Yue, Na'er, the goal for the two of you is fifteen thousand years-which means at the very least, a ten-thousand-year soul ring!"
A ten-thousand-year soul ring was a major breakthrough compared to a thousand-year soul ring.
These children were only eight or nine years old, so the pressure was indeed heavy.
Wu Changkong couldn't help but recall his own past and when he had acquired a ten-thousand-year soul spirit.
Gu Yue and Na'er nodded at the same time with calm expressions, showing no sign of pressure.
Finally, Wu Changkong's gaze fell on Tang Wulin: "Tang Wulin, your target is twenty thousand years. Your spiritual power and strength are both sufficient."
A low gasp rang out in the classroom. Twenty thousand years-even some powerhouses at the Soul King or Soul Douluo level might not possess soul rings of such high age.
Tang Wulin raised his brows slightly, but did not speak. He glanced at Wu Changkong, waiting for his explanation.
Wu Changkong continued: "Your spiritual power was retested a month ago and can accommodate soul rings of these ages. Especially the three of you-Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, and Na'er-your spiritual power has already approached one thousand, and Gu Yue has even broken through the thousand-point mark. Therefore, this requirement is not an impossible task for you to complete."
Tang Wulin came to a realization. Indeed, after a year of cultivation, his spiritual power had reached over nine hundred, approaching one thousand points.
This was thanks to the blessing of the Soft-Boned Enchanting Rabbit Martial Soul, which naturally possessed powerful spiritual power; otherwise, it wouldn't have had so many mechanism skills.
Gu Yue was even more exaggerated, directly breaking through one thousand points. Although Na'er lagged slightly behind, she didn't fall short by much, since both of them were the Silver Dragon King.
"But..." Xu Lizhi spoke with some unease, "A twenty-thousand-year soul ring, isn't this too difficult? Boss is strong, but in case something goes wrong..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was already very clear. Although the Spirit Ascension Platform could increase soul ring age, the process was not easy and carried certain risks.
If the soul ring age increased too quickly and exceeded the Soul Master's bearing capacity, it could cause damage to the body.
Ye Xinglan and Yuanen Yehui also revealed worried expressions. It wasn't that they didn't believe in Tang Wulin's strength, but the goal of a twenty-thousand-year soul ring was indeed a bit frightening.
Several gazes turned toward Tang Wulin simultaneously.
Tang Wulin felt everyone's gazes, smiled, stood up, and said:
"Don't worry, everyone. I'll take the lead. As long as everyone cooperates well, I will definitely lead the entire class to complete the exam."
His tone was calm, yet it carried a reassuring power. Everyone looked at each other, and the unease in their hearts gradually dissipated.
After a year of getting along, they had long since grown accustomed to trusting Tang Wulin. Since he said he could do it, he would definitely be able to do it.
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