Soul Land: I am Uchiha Sasuke

"Hiccup~ I'm so full!" Ling Yun stretched and walked out of the restaurant.

It was already midnight. Sasuke and the others had held a banquet to celebrate the advancement of Ling Yun, Ling Xue, and Bai Cha.

Ye Zhiqiu and Sasuke walked at the back of the group. After some hesitation, Ye Zhiqiu finally asked, "Brother Sasuke, what level is your soul power?"

"Soul power level? I don't know, and I don't care," Sasuke replied. "I am a ninja, not a soul master. There's no need to compare me to you."

Ye Zhiqiu was slightly taken aback. Ninja? What's that? He wanted to ask, but the atmosphere held him back.

"Brother Sasuke, I see the hope of Canghui Academy in you. Will you join me in leading these children to greater heights?" Ye Zhiqiu stopped and asked sincerely.

"Don't say such boring things," Sasuke replied, not bothering to stop as he continued walking.

Ye Zhiqiu stood there for a moment, confused, before quickly catching up. "Brother Sasuke, are you really unmoved by my sincerity?"

"Boring," Sasuke repeated.

"Too weak," Sasuke muttered as he watched the sparring match in front of him, his tone filled with disdain.

Ye Ling'er, clearly frustrated, snapped, "I've been calling you 'teacher' for so many days, but you haven't taught me a thing!"

"I never said I would teach you," Sasuke said calmly. "Don't try to tie me down."

"Ah, right! If we weaklings die outside one day, it'll be our own fault for not being strong enough. It has nothing to do with Teacher Sasuke, right, Mu Qing?" Ye Ling'er grabbed Mu Qing dramatically.

"The most difficult path requires the strongest will," Sasuke said. "And in my opinion, you're not mentally prepared yet."

"What kind of preparation?" Ye Ling'er challenged.

"As long as you stay in the academy, you'll never escape the cycle of weakness," Sasuke replied. "It's laughable that you're still clinging to the so-called academy at your age while dreaming of becoming stronger."

The students were stunned. Sasuke, usually so reserved, suddenly had so much to say. It wasn't his harsh words that shocked them—it was how unusually talkative he was.

Sasuke ignored their reactions and continued, "You soul masters spend your days training in the academy, engaging in harmless sparring sessions. When you break through a bottleneck, you go out and hunt for a soul ring.

If you continue living like this, talent will become a barrier you'll never overcome. Talented people work hard in places you can't see, but you haven't even reached their starting point."

"So how do we become stronger, Teacher?" Ling Yun asked eagerly.

"Strength isn't born in comfort—it's forged on the road," Sasuke said.

His Sharingan flashed red, and suddenly, all the students—including Mu Qing—fell into a scarlet void. In that void, they saw a hand gripping a knife reaching for them, yet they couldn't move at all.

The white blade stabbed in—the red blade pulled out. The excruciating pain and overwhelming fear swallowed the students of Canghui Academy.

"Sasuke!" Ye Zhiqiu shouted, realizing something was wrong.

"Shut up," Sasuke snapped. "If they're still standing in three hours, I'll take them on a real training journey."

Ye Zhiqiu hesitated, looking at the students writhing in pain on the ground. After a moment, he clenched his teeth and said, "I hope you know what you're doing."

"I'll only push them as far as they can survive," Sasuke replied. "But the world is far crueler than I am. You, of all people, should understand that, Ye Zhiqiu."

One month later, Sasuke set off with Ling Yun, Ling Xue, Ye Ling'er, Bai Cha, and Mu Qing.

Why a month later? Because after Sasuke released them from his illusion, even Ye Ling'er—who had the highest soul power—was unconscious for 18 days.

"Boss Ye, I really don't want to leave!" Ye Ling'er sobbed, clinging to Ye Zhiqiu. Ling Yun, Ling Xue, Bai Cha, and Mu Qing joined in, hugging him tightly.

Ye Zhiqiu comforted them before turning to Sasuke. "I'm leaving them in your hands."

"I'll bring them back in half a year," Sasuke said.

Ye Zhiqiu pondered for a moment, then nodded. "I understand."

"Mu Qing, how did you endure it?" Ye Ling'er asked curiously.

No one had expected Sasuke to use the same illusion on Mu Qing, and even less expected her to survive it.

"I could feel it," Mu Qing answered. "Even though I couldn't see anything, even though it hurt, I could feel that Teacher Sasuke was there… so I wasn't as afraid."

Following Sasuke's request, Mu Qing had stopped calling him "brother" for now.

"Teacher, where are we going?" Ling Yun asked.

"Star Dou Forest," Sasuke replied.

"But none of us need a soul ring right now, Teacher!" Bai Cha said.

"I know!"

Ling Xue raised her hand enthusiastically. "This is for training! Teacher Sasuke is taking us on a real training journey!"

"As I said before, now that you've set off, I won't hold back," Sasuke warned. "No matter what happens, I will not allow you to fall behind."

"Yes!" the five of them answered in unison.

Ling Yun glanced at the team. He was the only boy. Looking at Sasuke's handsome face, he sighed internally. This team is going to be more united than ever…

"We're finally here!" Ling Yun shouted excitedly, looking at the vast Star Dou Forest stretching before them.

"Huh? Are we really staying here?" He looked at the dense, towering trees and the old man with a long beard.

"The air here is so fresh!" Ling Xue said.

"The scenery is beautiful!" Bai Cha added.

"You can see the stars so clearly," Ye Ling'er chimed in.

"Just say that Sasuke is amazing already," Ling Yun muttered, rolling his eyes.