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The five individuals ranked on the Youth Genius Rankings once utterly crushed their peers in terms of soul ring configurations.
In the group of five that Xu Yuan had just obliterated, all five Soul Elders only had three yellow soul rings.
Though this paled in comparison to the soul ring configurations of soul masters from ten thousand years ago, it was still considered one of the best possible configurations in the current era.
This limitation stemmed from the constraints of spirit fusion.
The requirement for spiritual power in spirit fusion meant that even maintaining a configuration of two yellow and one purple soul ring required reaching the Linghai Realm. Typically, only soul masters over the age of fifteen could break through to this realm—and even then, doing so would already classify them as geniuses.
Unless their first spirit was elevated to a thousand-year level, it was nearly impossible for someone at thirteen to possess a purple soul ring in their third ring.
But even with a thirteen-year-old's physical conditioning, enduring three purple thousand-year soul rings posed another hurdle altogether.
Thus, constrained by these various factors, even the elite students admitted into Shrek Academy were limited to a configuration of three yellow soul rings.
However, with sufficient time for cultivation in the future, their first two spirits would inevitably ascend to the thousand-year level, and their first three soul rings would become at least purple thousand-year rings.
This surpassed the capabilities of soul masters from ten thousand years ago who relied on hunting soul beasts for rings.
Ordinary geniuses were held back by these limitations, but a small group of top-tier prodigies managed to enjoy the benefits of the Spirit Era even in their early stages.
Yang Nianxia, Luo Guixing, and Zheng Yiran—all possessed configurations of three purple soul rings. Such a setup would have been nearly impossible to achieve ten thousand years ago.
Xu Yucheng, the Immortal, was an exception. His Reaper Scythe martial soul was said to be so powerful that it backlashed against him, leaving his body frail. Even at the Soul Ancestor rank, he couldn't withstand the pressure of thousand-year soul rings.
A Soul Ancestor with four yellow soul rings was yet another rare exception.
When the five released their martial souls and displayed their soul rings, gasps erupted from the onlookers.
No wonder they were among the top five of the Youth Genius Rankings!
Their abilities represented the pinnacle of their age group.
And yet, Xu Yuan was even more monstrous.
This guy not only matched the highest number of soul rings among the five geniuses but also boasted an insane configuration of three purple and one black soul ring in terms of quality.
Lingyuan Realm!
This was the answer that left everyone breathless.
Unless Xu Yuan's fourth soul ring was obtained by slaying a soul beast, his spiritual power must have broken through to the Lingyuan Realm.
In an era where only the most exceptional prodigies could reach the Linghai Realm by the age of thirteen, someone actually breaking through to the Lingyuan Realm at this age was unheard of!
"Do you think Wu Siduo and the others stand a chance?"
"No way."
"Xu Yuan has a ten-thousand-year soul ring. A single ten-thousand-year soul skill might be too much even for Wu Siduo, ranked ninth on the Youth Genius Rankings, to handle."
"Did the staff compiling this year's Youth Genius Rankings slack off? How did they miss such insane stats on Xu Yuan?" Some students couldn't help but comment endlessly.
"Yeah, where did this Xu Yuan even come from?"
"..."
"Come on, let me see your limits." Xu Yuan pointed his spear at the five before him, his voice brimming with arrogance.
The spear momentum gathered instantly.
The surrounding environment began to shift under his influence, targeting the five individuals.
The overwhelming spear pressure surged forward. Yang Nianxia roared as his martial soul enveloped his body. Faint, dark golden fur emerged, and his figure grew tall and imposing.
Dark Golden Bear.
A branch of the Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear, it was a slightly inferior bloodline compared to the true Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear.
Wu Siduo's form turned ethereal, her silhouette becoming even more slender. The fluctuations of her soul power became obscured as she darted to the side in the blink of an eye.
Xu Yucheng wielded his Reaper Scythe, charging alongside Yang Nianxia toward Xu Yuan.
"Come!"
Xu Yuan held the Tianyuan Five Elements Spear and thrust forward.
This single strike seemed to seal everything.
After three years of cultivation, he had almost integrated the first three techniques of the Forbidden Seven Techniques into every spear strike, achieving a preliminary mastery of their fusion.
Sensing the dormant soul power within, Yang Nianxia and Xu Yucheng's expressions shifted slightly.
Wu Siduo, positioned to the side, was less affected but still felt her soul power flow becoming sluggish. Her expression changed subtly.
What kind of technique was this?
Sealing the fluctuations of soul power?
Behind Yang Nianxia and Xu Yucheng, Luo Guixing also felt his soul power becoming increasingly difficult to control. He could imagine the dire situation the two facing Xu Yuan's spear were in.
The first and second soul rings around Luo Guixing flickered.
Silver light flashed, and Yang Nianxia and Xu Yucheng vanished, no longer directly facing Xu Yuan's spear. They reappeared to his side.
Simultaneously, a spatial barrier formed in front of Luo Guixing and Zheng Yiran.
Luo Guixing's first soul skill was Spatial Lock, capable of locking enemies—and himself. Now, he expanded the lock, forming a spatial barrier that isolated them from Xu Yuan's spear momentum.
Xu Yuan glanced at it indifferently.
He could forcibly break through such a barrier, but it wasn't necessary.
Turning, he swung the Tianyuan Five Elements Spear horizontally.
Bang!
The Tianyuan Five Elements Spear clashed with Xu Yucheng's Reaper Scythe.
Xu Yucheng staggered backward uncontrollably, retreating six or seven steps before steadying himself.
Xu Yuan prepared to press forward with his spear when Yang Nianxia roared and charged from behind.
Dark golden light enveloped Yang Nianxia's entire body, with an even denser ball of dark golden energy gathering in his right hand.
Xu Yuan executed a swift counter-spear strike, unleashing a spear aura.
The spear aura was also dark golden.
As soon as the dark golden spear aura appeared, Yang Nianxia's expression changed drastically.
Dark Golden Terror Claw!
This was the power of the Dark Golden Terror Claw infused into the Tianyuan Five Elements Spear—a force that held absolute dominance over Yang Nianxia, whose martial soul was the lower-tier Dark Golden Bear branch of the Dark Golden Terror Claw lineage.
"Roar!"
Yang Nianxia had already activated his first and second soul skills, but now, out of desperation, he unleashed his third soul skill.
With a roar, his body swelled, and his right palm descended fiercely.
"Augh!"
Yang Nianxia screamed in pain as his right palm was reduced to a bloody mess.
Xu Yuan completely ignored the recoil, using his foot to kick the top of the spear, swiftly altering its trajectory. Simultaneously, his body surged forward, and the spear swept in a wide arc, slamming into Yang Nianxia's waist with a resounding thud.
Yang Nianxia's vision went black from the pain.
So heavy.
This spear strike packed immense force.
A ghostly figure darted forward like a phantom, launching a swift attack. Cold, sharp claws descended upon Xu Yuan.
Xu Yuan twisted his head, and his blood essence surged.
The blood essence condensed into small spear-like auras, swirling around his body, forcibly blocking Wu Siduo's strike.
Then, Xu Yuan pivoted, kicking the shaft of the Tianyuan Five Elements Spear again. With his right hand controlling its direction, he thrust it toward Wu Siduo.
Wu Siduo's expression shifted subtly.
Such potent blood essence.
It had condensed into tangible energy and formed such a formidable defense.
She quickly retreated, avoiding a direct clash with Xu Yuan's spear.
A competent assassin knew to retreat immediately after a failed attack, hiding once more to seek another opportunity.
Behind Zheng Yiran, a massive emerald-scaled snake opened its maw, releasing a cloud of purple venom that forced Xu Yuan to abandon his pursuit of Wu Siduo.
"So strong."
Watching the first round of exchanges, the surrounding students felt even greater pressure.
It was clear that Xu Yuan had single-handedly withstood the combined attacks of all five opponents and still maintained the upper hand!
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(A:N In the previous chapter, I adjusted the setting so that three of the five individuals have a configuration of three purple soul rings, differing slightly from the original storyline. This adjustment better reflects their status on the Youth Genius Rankings.
They fully had the means to achieve this. Yang Nianxia's physical conditioning was undoubtedly robust. Luo Guixing, hailing from Mingdu and previously studying at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy, came from a wealthy or influential family. Zheng Yiran, backed by her family, entered Shrek Academy with two followers sent by her clan. Her Jade Serpent Clan should still be prosperous, and it was entirely feasible for their families to provide them with rare treasures to enhance their physical conditioning.)
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