Zhang Yangzi

The forging competition was held first, so Lin Xiuran got up early and arrived at the venue to prepare.

Over a hundred forging stations had already been set up in the gymnasium, and they all appeared to be the most advanced models. Although the Skysea Alliance did not have many powerful experts, its financial resources were exceptionally strong.

There were not many spectators in the gymnasium stands. In the eyes of ordinary people, forging was not particularly important. After all, Soul Master battles were the most captivating, followed by things like mecha manufacturing.

The youth division competed first, and Hundred Refinements purification would take relatively little time.

Lin Xiuran met up with Tang Wulin, and the two then headed to their respective forging stations.

"Attention, youth division contestants. Your objective is to complete Hundred Refinements purification. Those unable to do so will be eliminated directly. Among those who succeed, the best will be selected to enter the next round."

The first metal provided was Blue Womb Copper. Among rare metals, it was absolutely one of the most difficult to forge.

Its rarity and difficulty made the challenge obvious, and it was bound to eliminate a large portion of the contestants.

This was only the youth division, yet no one had expected the opening challenge to be this difficult.

Looking at the metal before him, Lin Xiuran took out his hammer from his Soul Tool and began hammering without another word.

At the same time, Tang Wulin also immediately began hammering.

Blue Womb Copper required extensive observation during forging. One had to determine the proper force and angle. Tang Wulin's hammering was powerful, but it also had a steady rhythm.

Lin Xiuran, on the other hand, had no apparent method at all. He simply hammered wildly, neither too hard nor too softly, striking at an unhurried pace.

The people watching from the main platform began to suspect that he had come purely to make trouble. After all, they had never seen such a hammering technique.

Even the young girl standing between Tang Wulin and Lin Xiuran wore an ugly expression.

Mu Xi had thought standing beside Tang Wulin was already painful enough, but she had not expected there to be another freak like Lin Xiuran.

Every blacksmith had their own forging rhythm. Once that rhythm was disrupted, they would be affected. Thus, having a hundred people forge at once was itself a test. Lin Xiuran's chaotic, rhythmless hammering was simply the greatest disturbance of all.

"Nonsense! Isn't he here just to cause trouble?" Someone on the main platform had already shouted angrily. But the rules were the rules. Anyone who registered could participate, and even if they knew nothing about forging, there was no way to revoke their qualification.

Yet no one noticed that after every strike of Lin Xiuran's hammer, a faint wisp of flame seemed to curl around the metal.

Time passed quickly. Lin Xiuran and Tang Wulin finished their competitions almost one after the other.

Under the astonished gazes of everyone present, the two put away their hammers and left Tianhai Gymnasium.

They left only the people on the main platform staring in amazement at the two exquisite pieces of Hundred Refinements Blue Womb Copper.

The Soul Master competition was being held at Tianhai Stadium, which was not far from Tianhai Gymnasium. Lin Xiuran added a little Wind Element and quickly ran toward it.

But just as they reached the entrance of Tianhai Stadium, Tang Wulin was stopped.

Lin Xiuran knew the person who had stopped him very well. It was Ye Xinglan.

What he had not expected was that Tang Wulin still ended up clashing with her. But given Ye Xinglan's punchable personality, that was hardly surprising.

After arguing with Tang Wulin for a few moments, Ye Xinglan spotted Lin Xiuran nearby.

"Fine, so you two are together. No wonder you're both so ill-behaved!" Ye Xinglan practically gritted her teeth, her eyes nearly spewing fire.

But Lin Xiuran had no time to deal with that. He was in the first group of the individual matches and was in a hurry.

He directly bumped past the blocking Ye Xinglan and ran toward the registration area.

Seeing Lin Xiuran leave, Tang Wulin hurried after him.

"You two!" Ye Xinglan suppressed her fury as she watched them leave, fiercely clenching her fingers.

"Just you wait!"

One was Lin Xiuran, who had shown her absolutely no respect, and the other was Tang Wulin, who had made her wash dishes all night.

"I'll beat you until you beg for mercy!"

After registering, just as expected, Lin Xiuran's next match was about to begin. He had already been pressed for time as part of the first round, and Ye Xinglan had delayed him further.

The seventeenth match of the first round.

Lin Xiuran walked straight onto the competition platform.

The platform was circular, surrounded by a specialized Soul Tool defensive barrier to prevent the power of Soul Skills from leaking out.

Lin Xiuran's opponent was a youth who appeared quite composed. He had pale yellow hair and was not particularly handsome, but he looked at Lin Xiuran with great confidence.

"I heard you're from Eastsea Academy?" the composed youth spoke first.

Lin Xiuran raised an eyebrow slightly. "So?"

"Nothing. It's just that I used to be from there as well." A trace of bitterness appeared in the composed youth's eyes.

Before Lin Xiuran could ask anything, the referee began announcing the rules.

Every competition platform had a referee. The referee on their platform was a middle-aged man.

"The rules are simple. Use your own attack methods as much as possible. You need not hold back. I will intervene when necessary to ensure your safety. If one side admits defeat or loses the ability to fight, they will be judged defeated. If the gap in strength is too great, I will make the judgment as well. You have thirty seconds to prepare. During the final five seconds, I will begin the countdown. Begin preparing."

Lin Xiuran quietly watched his opponent. Their gazes met, and the youth opposite him said nothing further, though he looked brimming with fighting spirit.

"Five, four, three, two, one! Begin!"

The composed youth opposite him made the first move. Two yellow hundred-year Soul Rings rose beneath his feet, and his gaze sharpened.

As his Martial Soul was released, a black shadow rose from behind him. At the same time, a pair of wings glimmering with faint black radiance spread open behind his back.

Xie Xie and the others in the spectator stands also noticed what was happening. Aside from Xu Xiaoyan, all of them looked shocked.

Xie Xie said in surprise, "The one fighting Brother Xiuran is Zhang Yangzi!"

"Who is Zhang Yangzi?" Seeing everyone's strong reaction, Xu Xiaoyan was somewhat confused. She thought Lin Xiuran had encountered some formidable opponent.

Xie Xie explained, "Zhang Yangzi was one of the two students in Zero Class before you and Brother Xiuran arrived. But for certain reasons, he already left Zero Class."

Xu Xiaoyan nodded, seeming to recall something. When she had first encountered Zero Class in the Spirit Ascension Platform, there had indeed seemed to be five of them.

Zhang Yangzi flapped the wings behind him. Floating above his head was a young eagle, entirely black with a pair of strange purple eyes. The eagle was not large, but its sharp gaze shone with brilliance and spirit.

A flying-type Martial Soul!

Lin Xiuran relaxed somewhat, and the tension in his gaze eased.

If it was a flying-type Martial Soul, then this would be much easier to handle.