Chapter 31: 200,000-Year Spirit Ring

"Three purple, three black, one orange." Yan Shaozhe looked at the seven spirit rings under Ma Xiaotao's feet with a terrified expression.

"You said your seventh spirit ring surpassed 100,000 years and reached 200,000 years."

Ma Xiaotao nodded.

"All of this is because, if Chen Qiye hadn't stepped in to rescue, those two toads would have been offered as a sacrifice at the very end of their lives to me and Qi Ye; otherwise I would have at most only about fifty to sixty thousand years."

"Wait, what did you say about you and Chen Qiye…"

"That's right. Qi Ye's fourth spirit ring is also 200,000 years, and thanks to the boost from the sacrifice, Chen Qiye's soul power has already reached Level 53, and he has obtained a fifth spirit ring of about 50,000 years, while his first and second spirit rings have also both been raised to the ten‑thousand‑year level."

………

Just as he reached the school gate, Chen Qiye saw a figure dressed in a sky‑blue dress, her high ponytail tied up to her waist; although her looks were ordinary, its intangible aura stood out markedly among the surroundings.

Gu Yue also seemed to notice Chen Qiye and came over to greet: "Qi Ye, why aren't you entering the school yet? What are you looking at?"

Hearing Gu Yue's words, Chen Qiye finally reacted: "I'm not looking at anything, just thinking about something, got distracted."

Gu Yue smiled: "Shall we go together?" Chen Qiye replied: "Sure!!"......

And so, the start of school approached quickly......

………

"Huo Yuhao, you'd better explain to me where you actually went; you even dare to be late for enrollment—did your wings harden, ignoring the school's rules!" Zhou Yi shouted at Huo Yuhao in anger.

Bang! Huo Yuhao said nothing else and knelt before Zhou Yi, "Teacher Zhou, I was wrong."

Seeing Huo Yuhao kneeling before her, Zhou Yi was startled, and her original fury instantly diminished by more than half.

In her memory, Huo Yuhao had always been a diligent, obedient, sensible child; moreover, Huo Yuhao never lied, so this disappearance must have a reason.

Then Huo Yuhao began his self‑pitying spiel: he lifted his head, full of guilt, and said to Zhou Yi, "Teacher, I was wrong; I shouldn't have deceived you and Teacher Zhou. But I was afraid you'd worry, so I fabricated a lie and left. Because when I left, I didn't even know if I could return."

Hearing Huo Yuhao say that, Zhou Yi's anger was instantly diverted, and she couldn't help but ask, "Is there anything the academy can't help you with? Must you face it alone? If you speak up, would we refuse to help you?"

Huo Yuhao gently shook his head and said, "I can't be helped; my martial soul has a problem. Teacher Zhou, do you remember? Teacher Wang once said in class that for a Soul Master, the most terrifying thing is a broken martial soul."

Zhou Yi was greatly surprised, "What? Your martial soul…"

Huo Yuhao nodded, "Near the end of the school year, I discovered my martial soul was malfunctioning. My Spirit Eye martial soul would occasionally make me feel mentally hazy, and the martial soul even showed signs of cracking. I then recalled Teacher Wang's words. He said that if a martial soul is innately deficient and its innate soul power is low, forcing cultivation carries a small chance of the martial soul cracking. Once it cracks, it's a disaster for a Soul Master: at best, all soul power is lost and the martial soul shatters; at worst, it endangers one's life."

In the end, Huo Yuhao's heartfelt performance left Zhou Yi dazed and fooled; had Chen Qiye not known the plot, he would have been completely duped as well.

Thus, the Sea God Lake swirled, fireworks glittered, and in the office there was motherly kindness and filial piety......

………

The morning classes passed amid Zhou Yi's nagging, and the afternoon classes took them to the Beast‑Fighting Zone.

As the largest dedicated area of the entire Shrek Academy and also its biggest building, the Beast‑Fighting Zone occupies an area as large as all the martial soul department's teaching buildings, dormitories, plus the Shrek Plaza combined. Across the entire Douluo Continent, being able to domesticate soul beasts with the power of an academy is exceedingly rare, and achieving a scale like the Shrek Academy's Beast‑Fighting Zone is absolutely unique— even the royal families of the great empires would never undertake such a thing.

Domesticating soul beasts is not that easy; one must preserve their wild nature, cater to each beast's distinct dietary habits, ensure safety, and also manage their guidance. The investment required is beyond what ordinary Soul Master academies can even imagine. Hunting soul beasts is simple, but domesticating them is not like domesticating the second senior brother; it relies on the tax revenue of Shileke Cheng and the annual sale of Soul Guidance devices to the outside. However, the buyers are limited to the three great empires: Tianhun, Douling, and Xingluo.

After a long wait, Chen Qiye finally reached his assessment turn, handed the form in his hand to a teacher responsible for delivery; the teacher placed it into the lift slot beneath the judges' platform, and soon Chen Qiye's assessment sheet arrived in Director Du Weilen's hands.

"Xiao Ye, I won't go into the Beast‑Fighting Zone assessment rules in detail; you must have known them over the years. How many years' soul beast do you wish to try?"

Director Du Weilen looked at Chen Qiye, the 'future hope of the academy,' and asked with a kind, benevolent smile.

Chen Qiye lowered his head, pondered briefly, and said in a tone that would not shock anyone to death.

"Ten thousand years, then."

"Ten thousand—ten thousand years! Are you sure?"

Chen Qiye's tone was so flat that Director Du Weilen didn't react immediately.

At that moment, he stared at the youth before him, his heart filled with disbelief.

That tone is way too flat, isn't it? This is a ten‑thousand‑year soul beast, not a thousand‑year, let alone a hundred‑year one. Even the weakest ten‑thousand‑year soul beast, in Du Weilen's eyes, is beyond what Chen Qiye, a Soul Ancestor of over forty levels, can match.

"Although you possess a ten‑thousand‑year spirit ring, the terror of a ten‑thousand‑year soul beast is beyond your imagination; you should choose another."

Not to mention he didn't even know about Chen Qiye's power increase; even if he did, it would still be hard to agree.

Moreover, given Chen Qiye's situation, defeating a soul beast with a 5,000‑year cultivation would already be enough for him to pass the assessment; there's no need to take such a risk.

"Director, I have no problem; you must trust me," Chen Qiye said.

Although he understood the other party was truly considering him, no one knows his own strength better than he does.

Director Du Weilen, seeing Chen Qiye's resolute demeanor, was indecisive for a moment.

In the end, he could only turn his head toward the direction above the platform.

Perhaps someone there transmitted a message to him with mental power; Du Weilen nodded toward the direction and turned to look at Chen Qiye.

"Alright, I agree, but you must ensure your safety; if any accident occurs, promptly retreat toward the audience area. We will have a dedicated teacher responsible for rescue."

Even though he agreed to Chen Qiye's choice, Du Weilen still gave countless reminders and admonitions, fearing any mishap.

"Got it, Director, why are you still so naggy?"

Chen Qiye waved his hand, complaining nonchalantly.

The scene made the people behind him shiver; after all, this was the academy's teaching director, not someone he could complain about casually!

Especially Class 2 homeroom teacher Mu Jin, who was already ready to laugh at Zhou Yi's students.

(End of chapter)