Soul beasts, drawn by instinct, wandered into the area. Not all soul beasts possessed sharp senses. Some failed to detect the danger hidden in the webbed zone.

The Man-Faced Demon Spider's webs were not only poisonous but terrifyingly resilient. Once ensnared, escape was impossible.

Ten-year soul beasts died almost instantly.

Hundred-year soul beasts struggled briefly, then followed the same fate.

One by one, they perished within the webs.

Spirit energy spilled out.

Under normal circumstances, this energy would quickly dissipate. But during the rebellion period, dispersion was slow. The five students, meditating at the heart of this deadly trap, unknowingly began absorbing the overflowing energy.

At first, only a few weak soul beasts fell.

Then more.

And stronger ones.

Spirit energy thickened, pooling around them like fog.

*

Inside the Spirit Tower's monitoring room, the staff member stood frozen.

"This… this can't be right," he muttered, staring at the screen as the spirit energy density continued to rise. His face had gone pale. "There has to be something wrong with the platform."

He wasn't accusing them of cheating. He couldn't.

Everything was happening naturally.

But the rate at which spirit energy was being consumed was terrifying. That energy wasn't infinite. It came from the Spirit Tower's deepest reserves.

"Teacher," he said solemnly, "I must report this to the higher-ups."

Alfred glanced at him calmly. "Which rule did my students break?"

"They killed the Man-Faced Demon Spider. Now they're meditating and recovering. Everything followed the rules. The spirit ascension platform operates independently. You can maintain it, not interfere with it."

Sweat trickled down the staff member's forehead. "Yes… but if this continues, your students will be in danger. Their bodies and spiritual power may not be able to withstand further evolution. Especially those with only one soul ring. The backlash could be severe."

He was right.

Their spirit souls were evolving continuously, inching closer to a threshold their bodies might not endure.

But Alfred showed no concern.

Ray's physique far surpassed ordinary Soul Masters. His spiritual power had already reached the Spirit Connection realm. A thousand-year spirit soul wouldn't threaten him.

As for Lily… Alfred was even less worried.

These brats… really went all out for this final exam.

Seeing Alfred unmoved, the staff member hesitated, then activated his communicator. Reporting was still his duty.

*

Ray awoke last.

As he opened his eyes, his heart jolted.

Thick yellow spirit energy swirled around them like a storm. Beyond the webs lay piles of soul beast corpses. Some had already dissolved under corrosion, while others were still twitching weakly.

"What… what is this?" Ray asked softly.

"It's the poison," Volt replied, his expression complicated. "The Man-Faced Demon Spider's webs."

Realization struck Ray instantly.

The spider truly deserved its title as a soul beast killer. Its webs had slaughtered countless soul beasts… and their spirit energy had all flowed to them.

Without thinking, Ray looked down.

Gold lay on his chest, its body noticeably larger, shaking its head lazily.

"If this keeps going…" Ray's voice trembled.

Volt forced a bitter smile. "We'll hit our limits first. Those of us with two rings can't take much more. I can barely handle five hundred years per ring. Barbara's about the same. Only you and Lily still have room."

Ray fell silent.

This opportunity was incredible… but dangerous.

Just then, Lily spoke calmly, cutting through the tension. "The spider webs won't last much longer. Get ready. We're leaving soon."

The final calm before the storm had arrived.

Ray swept his gaze across the surrounding spider webs, and sure enough, faint cracks had begun to appear. The once taut, gleaming threads were losing their luster, sagging slightly under their own weight.

Even the Man-Faced Demon Spider's terrifying poison had its limits.

Once the webs fully collapsed, this place would no longer be a safe haven. The irony was cruel. They had survived because of the spider webs, yet those same webs would soon force them to leave.

Ray asked, "How much spirit energy do you think we've absorbed?"

Lily frowned slightly as she calculated. "Around four to five hundred years each. For you and me, it's all concentrated in a single soul ring. The others gained roughly two hundred years per ring. There's still one or two hundred years of spirit energy lingering nearby, but it would take too long to absorb it. More importantly, once we move, other Soul Masters will be far more dangerous than soul beasts."

She was right.

Dense spirit energy clung to their bodies like mist. To any passing Soul Master, they would look like walking treasure. In the rebellion spirit ascension platform, mercy was a luxury few could afford.

Ray smiled calmly. "Relax. We've already passed the final exam in one stroke and gained far more spirit energy than normal. Even if we get ejected now, it's still a huge win. Everyone's recovered, right? Then let's move."

His composure steadied the others.

He lifted his hammers again and reminded them seriously, "Pay attention to your limits. The moment you feel your spirit soul nearing saturation, press the exit button immediately. Don't be greedy. If your body or spiritual power collapses, the consequences won't be light."

Even he could feel a faint bloated sensation, but it was still well within his tolerance. According to Lily's estimate, he could absorb much more before reaching his limit.

After all, the level of spirit energy one could endure depended on both physique and spiritual power.

In terms of body strength, there was no need to even mention Ray's. As for spiritual power, he had already reached the Spirit Connection realm. Supporting a single thousand-year spirit soul should not be a problem.

A thousand-year spirit soul…

Could he really walk this path?

Leading the team, Ray carefully skirted around the decaying webs. They left behind their miraculous refuge and stepped back into the forest's chaos.

The sounds hit them almost immediately.

Clashing weapons. Bestial roars. Occasional screams of Soul Masters cut short in agony.

This was the rebellion period in its truest form.

Ray considered their next move before deciding to absorb the remaining spirit energy in the area. Normally, they would have to kill countless soul beasts to gain such benefits. This opportunity was rare, fleeting, and impossible to replicate.

Alfred could train their combat sense, but spirit soul evolution was something no one could teach. This was the true purpose of entering the spirit ascension platform.

A realization struck Ray like lightning.

Those with fewer soul rings actually had an advantage here.

Volt, Barbara, and Raziel Phoenix all had two soul rings. Raziel Phoenix's were even split between two spirit souls. To evolve their spirit souls, every ring would need to reach the thousand-year level. That meant an enormous demand for spirit energy.

The more soul rings one had, the harder it was to evolve a spirit soul.

And on top of that, one's body and spiritual power limited how much spirit energy could be absorbed.

Volt and Barbara simply couldn't bear two thousand-year soul rings right now. Their spiritual power wasn't enough.

Ray's heart stirred violently.

If that's the case… isn't being a one-ringed Soul Master the best possible state for the spirit ascension platform?

If my spirit soul evolves to the thousand-year level now, then when I reach rank twenty, my second soul ring will also be a thousand-year-old. And the third as well…

How much money would that save?

His heart raced, but he quickly calmed himself.

This situation was exceptionally rare.

The Spirit Tower had long calculated that a one-ringed Soul Master could only bear a spirit soul slightly over four hundred years. Under normal circumstances, reaching a thousand-year spirit soul at one ring was impossible. The excess energy would split the moment one reached rank twenty.

But his case was different.

First, he had stumbled upon an absurdly favorable environment. Second, his body was far stronger than that of ordinary Soul Masters, allowing him to absorb more spirit energy than theoretically possible.

These two factors together created a miracle.

At that moment, Ray finally understood something crucial.

The academy never intended for everyone to obtain thousand-year spirit souls.

They simply couldn't.

Even if they wanted to, their bodies and spiritual power wouldn't allow it.

At best, they could absorb spirit energy until they reached their personal limits.

And in the future, as one gained more soul rings, evolving a spirit soul would only become more difficult. This was why spirit soul evolution was so rare. Those with ten-year spirit souls rarely had the chance to enter the spirit ascension platform. Those with a hundred-year-old spirit souls didn't need such a risky path. And those who wanted to push a hundred-year spirit soul to a thousand-year one usually lacked the physical foundation to survive it.

Everything made sense now.

More importantly, Ray had found his path.

Others might not be able to evolve their spirit souls, but he could.

His body was strong enough. His spiritual power was sufficient. Even if he still couldn't compare to Lily, he had his own advantages.

In his current state, he could absorb spirit energy until his body reached saturation.

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