Qian Renxue hesitated for a moment before she could not help asking, "What kind of ability is it, exactly?"
An Yi looked at her and suddenly smiled. "Want to feel it for yourself?"
Qian Renxue instantly grew wary and took half a step back. "Are you going to bully me again?"
An Yi: "..."
Had flicking this girl on the forehead given her a psychological scar?
"Don't worry, I won't bully you. I'll just let you feel it."
Qian Renxue hesitated. "Does it hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt, and it won't injure you either." An Yi got to his feet and walked toward an open patch of grass. "On the contrary, it can help you cultivate."
"Help me cultivate? How?" Qian Renxue asked, her face full of confusion.
An Yi stopped and beckoned to her. "Come here."
Qian Renxue hesitated again, but remembering that she had just promised An Yi last night to be obedient, she finally dawdled over.
Once she was in position, An Yi slowly raised his left hand.
A cold, moon-white light flashed, and the Moon Martial Soul appeared once more.
The next instant-
Yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, red!
Seven dazzling Soul Rings slowly spiraled up from beneath An Yi's feet.
When she saw the final Seventh Soul Ring, bright red as blood, Qian Renxue's expression changed instantly, and her pupils contracted sharply.
"A... a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring?!"
The seven Soul Rings hovered around An Yi, radiating a terrifying, suffocating pressure.
The Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring in particular shone with a crimson light that seemed to have a tangible weight, nearly pressing Qian Renxue off her feet.
Soul Rings themselves contained enormous energy. When a Soul Master released their Martial Soul, Soul Rings were not merely decorations for displaying strength. Powerful Soul Rings exerted a direct suppression of energy and imposing presence when released.
For Soul Rings less than ten thousand years old, this suppression was not especially noticeable. But once a Soul Ring's age surpassed ten thousand years, the pressure it radiated alone was enough to make it difficult for lower-level Soul Masters to breathe.
As for a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, once released, its terrifying presence was practically equivalent to a natural suppression domain!
Qian Renxue felt a tightness in her chest and her legs go weak. Even the circulation of Soul Power in her body grew sluggish.
Just as she was about to reach her limit, An Yi willed it.
The light faded, and the seven Soul Rings instantly withdrew into his body. The pressure that had been overwhelming enough to topple mountains and overturn seas vanished without a trace along with them.
Qian Renxue let out a long breath and swallowed with some difficulty.
When she looked at An Yi again, genuine awe appeared in her eyes for the first time.
Before this, though she had called him "teacher," she had not actually held much respect for An Yi in her heart.
After all, she had grown up in the Worship Hall. Her father was the current Pope, a Titled Douluo, and her grandfather was a level ninety-nine Peerless Douluo. And which of the grandfathers in the Worship Hall was not a top-tier expert whose might shook the continent?!
As for An Yi, Qian Daoliu had told her that he was only a Soul Saint.
To Qian Renxue, who was accustomed to seeing Titled Douluo, a mere Soul Saint was hardly worth lowering herself to respect.
So, deep down, she had actually looked down on An Yi somewhat.
All her earlier concessions to An Yi, even her sworn promises, had been entirely because An Yi could take her to see her mother and let her hold Bibi Dong in her arms, just as she wished.
But now, after seeing this extraordinary Soul Ring configuration with her own eyes, especially the terrifying Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring that represented absolute strength, Qian Renxue suddenly felt that she had been a little foolish before.
This was a teacher her grandfather had personally gone to invite. How could he possibly be an ordinary Soul Saint?!
Seeing the awe in Qian Renxue's eyes, An Yi felt somewhat helpless.
His Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring had not dropped from a Soul Beast. It was a God-Given Soul Ring bestowed by the Sea God while he was on Sea God Island.
According to Bo Saixi, the Sea God had been moved by his extraordinary perseverance in tempering himself in the Sea God's Light day after day for ten years since childhood.
And because the Seventh Soul Ring was crucial to a Soul Master, the Sea God had made an exception and bestowed a God-Given Soul Ring upon him.
The age of a God-Given Soul Ring was not fixed from the start. The greater the age one could withstand while absorbing it, the stronger the Soul Ring one ultimately obtained.
Back then, An Yi had spent nearly half a year bringing it up to a hundred thousand years.
Originally, he had not wanted to reveal it.
After all, a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring on a Soul Saint was far too conspicuous. It could easily make people wonder whether he also had a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone.
An ordinary man was innocent, but carrying a treasure made him guilty.
But after spending more than half a month with her, An Yi had noticed a problem.
Qian Renxue had always treated him casually, even somewhat contemptuously. She did not take him seriously as her teacher at all.
Or, to put it more bluntly, she looked down on him from the bottom of her heart.
After all, who could blame her when he was only a mere Soul Saint?
He was willing to take Qian Renxue to see Bibi Dong partly because he did indeed have certain considerations, and partly because he thought it might change Qian Renxue's attitude toward him and teach her to respect her teacher and his teachings.
In the end, after all that effort, it was more effective to simply show off his Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring.
With a thought from An Yi, the light of the Moon Martial Soul in his left palm suddenly grew brighter.
Its cold, moon-white radiance rippled outward like water, enveloping Qian Renxue in an instant.
Qian Renxue was still shocked by the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring when she suddenly felt her body grow heavy.
"Teacher, what is this..."
Before she could finish, the pressure intensified again.
Qian Renxue felt her body growing heavier and heavier, as though an invisible mountain were pressing down on her.
She frowned and mobilized her Soul Power to resist.
"Gravity?"
An Yi shook his head. "Strictly speaking, it's Tidal Gravity."
"Tidal... Gravity?"
Before Qian Renxue could figure out what the term meant, her body sank again.
Bang!
Her knees buckled, and she fell to them on the grass.
"Teacher!"
Qian Renxue gritted her teeth as golden light burst forth. Her Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul instantly possessed her, and sacred Soul Power surged from within her as she tried to counter the mounting pressure around her.
But it was no use. The force continued to grow stronger.
Qian Renxue braced her hands against the ground and tried to stand, but no matter how she circulated her Soul Power, her body seemed nailed firmly to the ground.
After a few breaths, she could no longer hold on and collapsed facedown on the grass.
"Teacher! Stop, quickly!"
An Yi crouched down and looked at her. "Make an effort and stand up on your own. This amount of pressure isn't beyond what you can withstand."
"You can do it."
With that, he turned and walked away, found a comfortable spot beneath a tree, sat down, closed his eyes, and began cultivating through meditation.
Qian Renxue's eyes widened.
Wait! You're just walking away like that?
I'm still lying on the ground!
"Teacher! Come back!"
There was no response.
An Yi had already entered Deep Meditation, while the moon remained suspended above Qian Renxue's head, continuously releasing Tidal Gravity.