Nuoding Reunion, Final Assessment

Heaven Dou Empire, Nosfala Province, Nuoding City.

Early in the morning, two females, one older and one younger, arrived at the city gate hand in hand. If one looked only at their backs and not their faces, they might have mistaken them for a mother and daughter—except this "mother" had an empty left sleeve.

"Nana, let's go in."

"Mm."

Though Nuoding City was not particularly large, it was close to the Heaven Dou Empire's border, so its walls were built solidly and thickly. Like the other passing pedestrians, the two underwent inspection before entering Nuoding City.

Nuoding Junior Spirit Master Academy was located in the western part of Nuoding City. After asking several passersby for directions, Bibi Dong finally brought Hu Liena here.

From afar, they could already see a towering archway. It was twenty meters wide and over ten meters tall, constructed entirely from sturdy stone. Beneath it stood two black iron grille gates. Bibi Dong could tell at a glance that they had been forged from high-quality refined iron.

Through the iron bars, they could see winding paths leading into secluded grounds. A broad road stretched straight inward, flanked by tall trees. At the center of the archway were four large characters: Nuoding Academy.

The moment Bibi Dong brought Hu Liena to the gate, they were stopped by the young gatekeeper. "Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing? Is this a place beggars like you can come?"

Hu Liena had not changed out of her white dress during the journey, so it was still ragged and filthy. As they were being pursued, Bibi Dong had no choice but to disguise herself slightly. Combined with her black robes, the two truly looked like a beggar mother and daughter. The gatekeeper's eyes held no small amount of disdain.

At being called a beggar, anger flashed through Bibi Dong's eyes, but she restrained herself and said in a deep voice, "I'm looking for Great Corpse and Little Gang."

"You? You know Great Corpse?"

The gatekeeper gave Bibi Dong another once-over. His gaze was drawn to her lovely figure, which even the black robes could not conceal, before he glanced at the unremarkable Hu Liena.

"Hiss... Could this be Great Corpse's illegitimate daughter and his..." The further the gatekeeper's imagination ran, the more absurd it became.

To ordinary people like them, it was perfectly normal for Lord Soul Masters to have several wives and concubines.

"Teacher, should I..." Hu Liena tugged at Bibi Dong's sleeve, but Bibi Dong shook her head. They absolutely could not act again and draw attention to themselves.

Hu Liena did not dare speak, but inwardly, she had already cursed the gatekeeper bloody.

"You... really know Great Corpse?" The gatekeeper stared at Bibi Dong for a long while. Seeing her calm expression, a hint of greedy desire appeared on his face. "How are you going to prove it?"

Seeing that the gatekeeper was deliberately making things difficult, and that his lustful eyes kept roaming over her body, Bibi Dong felt a chill of revulsion.

She had never imagined that she would one day be in such a sorry state.

"Are you letting us in or not?"

Bibi Dong's tone had clearly turned cold. Even though she was only level 59 now, crushing an ant to death would take no more than a blink.

The gatekeeper seemed startled by Bibi Dong and could not help taking a step back. But he quickly came to his senses and cursed himself inwardly. A beggar mother and daughter—what the hell am I afraid of?!

"What, not happy about it?! Look at how you two are dressed. One look tells me you're no good. And look at this little pauper—her clothes are covered in patches. If you want to beg, get lost somewhere else. Nuoding Academy isn't a charity house. Scram, scram."

As he spoke, the gatekeeper raised his left hand and pushed toward Bibi Dong's chest. A lewd glint flashed through his eyes as he thought of taking advantage before driving them away.

Unfortunately, someone was faster than him.

Just as fury surged through Bibi Dong's heart, Hu Liena could no longer endure it. She likewise raised her left arm. Her delicate little hand barely reached the gatekeeper's hand, and with a hard push to the right, she knocked his left hand aside!

With a slight burst of Soul Power beneath her feet, a thud rang out as Hu Liena kicked the gatekeeper flying five meters away.

A kick from a near-Soul Grandmaster was not something an ordinary person could withstand. If Hu Liena had not deliberately held back, his breastbone would already have cracked.

"You little bitch, you're courting death!" Being knocked down by a child was utterly humiliating. In a fit of rage, the gatekeeper scrambled to his feet and charged at Hu Liena.

Death Camp Survival Rule No. 3: Don't cause trouble, but don't fear it either.

Silently reciting the experience she had accumulated over the years, Hu Liena stepped forward. A fox tail flickered indistinctly into view behind her.

Still, she held something back. She did not draw that dark-red short sword. After all, not everyone was True Lord of the Path of Seeking Death.

"Enough. Stop." At that moment, a somewhat hoarse voice rang out, stopping the gatekeeper.

The gatekeeper froze for a moment. Then the anger on his face instantly transformed into fawning servility as he bowed and scraped before the newcomer. "Great Corpse, you're back."

Hu Liena and Bibi Dong turned around at the same time.

A man of average height and somewhat thin build had somehow arrived beside them. He looked to be around forty or fifty years old, with short black hair parted seventy-thirty. His appearance was utterly ordinary, his hands clasped behind his back, and his half-lidded eyes carried a trace of laziness and despondency.

"Little Gang, it's me." Bibi Dong held back her tears and called softly.

At the sound of that voice, Great Corpse Yu Xiaogang was slightly stunned, unable to believe it. "You... you are..."

"He's Great Corpse?" Hu Liena gave the newcomer another once-over, somewhat puzzled.

This guy's Soul Power level was only one soul ring above hers. Was he really the person her teacher had said could help them?

With her old lover here, much of Bibi Dong's anger dissipated. "Little Gang, aren't you going to let us in?"

To Yu Xiaogang, her voice was filled with the loneliness of a tiger fallen to the plains.

"Y-yes... yes." Great Corpse was clearly still at a loss, but he quickly composed himself and led Bibi Dong and Hu Liena through the academy gates.

Before entering, Great Corpse gave the gatekeeper a cool glance. "This is the first time, and the last. If it happens again, there will be no need for you to stay."

Cold sweat poured down the gatekeeper's back as he hurriedly agreed and darted aside.

One year later.

On the plaza of Death City stood a group of young men and women, every one of them wearing excited expressions. Today, as long as they passed the final assessment, they would be able to graduate from this place.

Every one of them felt reborn. A year of hellish training had brought them enormous transformations, both in strength and in temperament.

This was also the class with the most surviving trainees. More than thirty people had lived to reach the annual final assessment. As long as they did not die in the future, they would all become pillars of Spirit Hall, perhaps even high-ranking figures at the bishop level.

There were five arenas and five instructors. Even Chief Instructor Jiang Xiruan had personally stepped onto the field for this final assessment.

On the central arena, Jiang Xiruan stood with her hands behind her back, impassively watching the three people approach her. Faint arcs of electricity flickered in her eyes.

Tap, tap, tap...

Qian Yuxi, Jin Yuetian, and Tuoba Yun.

The three strode in synchronized steps to the center of the plaza. Though they were still a head shorter than Jiang Xiruan, their bodies stood exceptionally straight. A powerful aura radiated from them, making others afraid to approach.

Jiang Xiruan's expression shifted. After a year of tempering, these three children had truly become increasingly steady.

"Level 42 Soul Ancestor, peak level 29 Soul Grandmaster, level 24 Soul Grandmaster..."

The three had progressed at a startling pace, especially Qian Yuxi. He had broken through to level 40 a month ago, and she had personally taken him to Misty Trace Grand Canyon to hunt his fourth soul ring.

Jiang Xiruan felt that day had truly tested her heart. Qian Yuxi had actually endured a thirty-thousand-year soul ring, and he had even gained a soul skill that sounded exceedingly difficult to deal with!

However, for the sake of the soul bone in his hand, she had no intention of losing!

Yet whenever she thought of the condition of silence she had agreed to Qian Yuxi's request for a year ago, Jiang Xiruan felt a headache coming on.