People could never know just how much resolve and perseverance they possessed. As time passed, Su Chen was drenched in sweat, his sodden clothes clinging to his body, wet enough to wring water from them. Fine traces of red blood began seeping through his skin.
By now, the single golden halo surrounding Su Chen had become nine. Then the nine condensed into one. The aura contained within that single halo was stronger than that of the previous nine. One became nine again, then nine became one, and one became nine once more. Each halo radiated an equally powerful aura, far surpassing the first halo that had appeared.
"Director!"
The elderly man in the director's office called softly again, reminding Director Yang beside him. Su Chen possessed level twenty innate full soul power and had awakened the Golden Sacred Dragon (Five-Clawed Golden Dragon) martial soul. If anything happened to him, it would be a loss for Spirit Hall.
"We have to force it to stop!"
Director Yang muttered, his brows deeply furrowed. The scene before him left him utterly puzzled. But judging from Su Chen's agonized expression, his life might be in danger if they did not intervene.
To be safe, Director Yang summoned four soul rings around himself. From top to bottom, their colors were yellow, yellow, purple, and purple. Yellow soul power gathered behind him into the silhouette of an upright yellow wolf. His clawed hand, wrapped in yellow soul power, reached toward Su Chen, intending to pull him out.
Bang!
The instant Director Yang's hand touched the outermost halo, before he could even reach Su Chen's body, a terrifying force blasted him backward. He crashed into the desk behind him, his blood and energy churning, and stared at the energy-shrouded Su Chen in shock and fear.
"Director!" A teacher beside him hurried to help Director Yang off the floor. Looking at the layers of energy surrounding Su Chen, the teacher was equally shocked.
Meanwhile, the nine golden halos that had been continuously battering Su Chen's body merged into one in the next instant, forming a massive halo around him. Within two or three seconds, the golden halo turned black.
"A soul ring?"
Those incredulous words burst from Director Yang's mouth. The black halo floating around Su Chen was clearly a soul ring with an age of ten thousand years. As a Soul Ancestor above level forty, Director Yang could not have been more familiar with soul rings.
"A soul ring?"
The other teachers in the director's office all furrowed their brows. Even if they wanted to doubt it, that black soul ring left no room for doubt. It was indeed a ten thousand year soul ring.
On the Douluo Continent, ten-year soul rings were white, hundred-year soul rings were yellow, and thousand-year soul rings were purple. Once their age reached ten thousand years, soul rings turned black.
The elderly teacher who had reminded Director Yang earlier asked in bewilderment, "He hasn't hunted any soul beasts. How could he obtain a soul ring?"
As the golden halo finally became a black soul ring, the energy of heaven and earth stirred up around them slowly dissipated into nothing. The entire junior Soul Master Academy returned to its usual tranquility.
To obtain a soul ring, one had to hunt a soul beast. Moreover, even after a soul beast was killed, its soul ring would remain above its corpse for no more than two hours. The scene before them completely contradicted everything the teachers present understood.
Director Yang shook his head. He could not explain any of this either.
An elderly teacher deeply furrowed his white brows and added, "When soul masters obtain soul rings from soul beasts, their first soul ring must not exceed 423 years. But the ring he's absorbing now is ten thousand years old. Will he be all right?"
Would he be all right? He most certainly would not!
The difference between ten thousand years and four hundred and twenty-three years was hardly a small one. Absorbing a soul ring beyond one's limits meant the body could not withstand the energy it contained, leading to death as the body burst apart.
Director Yang's brows knitted tightly, and he felt utterly at a loss. He had only just promised Ma Xiunuo that he would look after Su Chen, and now Su Chen was about to burst apart and die right under his nose. The thought left a bitter taste in his heart.
Su Chen was already absorbing the soul ring. Disturbing a soul master during that process could have equally disastrous consequences. This time, Director Yang did not act rashly. He said gravely, "I don't know. All we can do now is leave it to his fate! Let's hope a miracle happens!"
Fate? A miracle?
At those words, every teacher present sighed softly. This soul ring had already far exceeded the age limit for a soul master's first ring. Other than his body bursting apart, what miracle could possibly happen?
Level twenty innate full soul power!
A martial soul that appeared less than once in a thousand years, the Golden Sacred Dragon (Five-Clawed Golden Dragon)!
Just as he was about to become a true soul master, he would perish with his dreams unfulfilled. Was heaven truly jealous of such talent?
While the teachers in the director's office lamented Su Chen's fate, his consciousness had already entered a black world. Black energy continuously gathered toward him. Once he had absorbed every last trace of it, Su Chen opened his eyes, filled with satisfaction and joy.
"He succeeded?"
All the teachers present stared at Su Chen in disbelief. Su Chen had actually succeeded?
Surely not. Could a soul master's first soul ring exceed ten thousand years?
Unable to believe what had happened, one teacher could not help asking, "Child, were you obtaining a soul ring just now?"
"Yes." Su Chen nodded.
"Could you let us see your soul ring?" a teacher asked eagerly.
"Of course." Su Chen nodded, loosely curled his hands, and stamped his foot. Golden light surged over his body, and a black soul ring appeared around him.
"A ten thousand year soul ring!"
Now every teacher in the director's office could confirm it. This child's first soul ring was a ten thousand year soul ring. A single black marking within it indicated that its age was exactly ten thousand years.
"A miracle! This truly is a miracle!"
Every teacher in the director's office was astounded. Someone had actually obtained a ten thousand year soul ring as his first ring. This would surely be recorded in the history of soul masters. If all his subsequent soul rings were also ten thousand year rings... They drew sharp breaths, not daring to imagine any further.
"Excellent. You actually obtained a ten thousand year soul ring. But how did you do it?" Director Yang asked curiously. Su Chen had not killed any soul beasts, so how had a soul ring suddenly appeared?
"Uncle, I can't really explain it either. I just happened to obtain a soul ring all of a sudden!" Su Chen rubbed the back of his head. Since explaining would be troublesome, he simply chose not to.
Just happened to!
Faced with Su Chen's explanation, Director Yang could only smile. He did not probe further. Even he, the director, could not explain what had just happened. How could a six- or seven-year-old child possibly explain it clearly?
"Huh?"
Director Yang's hand suddenly froze against Su Chen's forehead, and he exclaimed in surprise, "Your soul power is more than just level twenty, isn't it?"
Before you continue