"No" Wu Lan corrected her sharply.
"A worthless book at least does no harm. But this book is dangerous. It has already taken many lives." His tone carried unrestrained anger.
"What do you mean?" they asked, confusion clear on their faces.
How could such a worthless book kill people?
"Take a look at the age listed for the 1st Ring in Yu Xiaogang's book."
They quickly flipped through the pages and found it: the 1st Ring could be up to 423 years.
"423 years, it is the standard age for the first ring. Everyone who want to be powerful looks for soul beasts of this age when choosing their first ring" Liu Erlong said, sharing her own academy experience.
"It is not the standard age" Wu Lan corrected. "It was made the standard by people."
His words deepened their confusion.
"You should have seen many people succeed in absorbing a soul ring around 400 years. But there are also many people who die trying to absorb a ring of that age. Do you know what the difference is between them?" Wu Lan patiently explained, then asked.
"Brother, I know! It's their physical strength." Xiao Wu answered instantly.
Her brother always emphasized the importance of physical strength, and his words stuck with her.
"Good, Rabbit. Staying with me really does improve your intelligence." Wu Lan wasn't surprised she got it right, he repeated this lesson countless times, but he still praised her.
Hearing his words, Xiao Wu smiled happily at first, but then puffed her cheeks and pouted.
"Hmph, Brother, I've always been smart!"
"Right, you're smart." Wu Lan teased her lightly before continuing.
"When it comes to the first few rings, only physical strength is important, for yellow and purple rings especially. So if someone without sufficient physical strength tries to absorb a 400-year-old ring, what do you think happens?"
He stopped, letting them imagine the consequences.
"They will explode under the immense power" Liu Erlong said, guilt flashing across her face.
Over the years, she had witnessed many students die like this while absorbing their rings.
She had always wanted her students to obtain the best rings, so she instructed teachers to take their time searching for suitable beasts. But now, recalling the children who had died because of her guidance, guilt overwhelmed her.
"Yes. Common people, malnourished and weak, attempting to absorb a 400-year-old ring are seeking death" Wu Lan explained firmly.
"Then what is the correct standard age for a first soul ring?" Liu Erlong asked, hoping for clarity.
"There is no fixed age for soul rings. It depends on two factors. One, physical strength. Two, mental strength." Wu Lan paused, letting them digest his words, then continued.
"If someone has enough physical strength, they could absorb a 9,999-year soul ring as their first. And if their mental strength is strong enough to resist the resentment, they could even attempt a 10,000-year soul ring as there first soul ring."
Liu Erlong, Zhuqing, and Ye Lingling all breathed heavily, shaken by his words. They imagined someone starting with black rings, and the possibility of multiple red rings later on.
Only Xiao Wu remained calm. She had seen her brother succeed with her own eyes.
She felt proud that only she knew this secret. But her happiness soured quickly when she remembered that stupid weed also knew.
Annoyed, she thought angrily, Someday I'll throw that weed into a soup.
"Did anyone actually succeed in doing this?" Liu Erlong asked excitedly. If this worked, the very foundation of soul ring configurations could change.
"Yes. I saw it succeed myself" Wu Lan admitted.
"But absorbing rings at that level is extremely difficult. Unless one trains their body under long-term high intensity, and then has their body healed regularly to perfection without leaving behind any hidden injuries, it is almost impossible to get black soul ring as first."
Hearing about such harsh conditions, Liu Erlong's excitement dimmed. Children could never endure such extreme training, and even if they could, the healing would cost too much. It was unrealistic.
Zhuqing, however, looked at Wu Lan with new resolve. She silently considered increasing her training and asking him to heal her, just to have more time alone with him.
"Anyway, absorbing soul rings is a complex matter involving many factors, physical strength, mental strength, martial spirit, and even the nature of the soul beast. You cannot simply write down an average number and publish it, like that bastard did." Wu Lan's voice grew sharp with anger.
"The worst part is that Yu Xiaogang never cultivated past level 29. How could he possibly know the true limits of soul rings?" Wu Lan sneered.
"You mean someone else helped him collect this information?" Zhuqing asked, catching the implication.
"Correct. Without help, how could he have gotten accurate numbers from soul masters who would never willingly reveal the details of their martial spirits?"
The others quickly realized the truth. No soul master would reveal such personal secrets unless under very special circumstances.
Wu Lan's eyes lit up. He had thought of a way to make Liu Erlong finally accept reality.
"Liu Erlong, do you still believe Yu Xiaogang personally researched the ages of soul rings?"
Her confidence wavered. She was no longer as sure as before, but a small shred of hope still clung to her heart.
Gong wouldn't write nonsense that harms people… right?
"Yes" she answered weakly.
"Fine then" Wu Lan said with a playful smile. "How about we test Yu Xiaogang? Let's see if he knows about the resentment released by a 10,000-year-old soul beast."
He leaned closer, his tone sharp. "Depending on his answer, you will know if he truly researched this theory through hard work, or if he plagiarized it from somewhere else."
Liu Erlong nodded. If Yu Xiaogang could not even answer such a basic question about his own "research," then all the things he had ever said to her were lies.
Seeing the shift in her expression, Wu Lan felt satisfied. With this, Liu Erlong would finally stop clinging to him.
That bastard doesn't even know about the mental shock caused by a 10,000-year ring, yet he proudly claims to have researched soul ring ages with his life's effort.
Yu Xiaogang, just wait. I'll tear off the mask you've painted with lies and deceit.