Immovable King, Trial of Strength

After entering the village and following the dirt road for a short distance, they came upon an open field. It was fairly large, around five hundred square meters. More than a dozen people had already gathered there, all applicants who had passed the initial test. Tang San and Xiao Wu were among them.

At the center of the field stood a burly, mountain-like man. He looked to be around fifty, stood well over two meters tall, and had broad shoulders and a thick back. His knotted muscles stretched his clothes taut. His face carried a hint of laziness and impatience, yet an invisible pressure radiated from his half-lidded eyes, like a sleeping lion.

Zhao Wuji! Shrek Academy's Vice Dean, a level seventy-six Assault Type Battle Soul Saint. His Martial Soul was the Great Vajra Bear, and he was known as the "Immovable King"!

Several people who appeared to be senior students stood beside Zhao Wuji, including Dai Mubai, whom they had encountered at the Rose Hotel the day before. Dai Mubai was speaking to Zhao Wuji in a low voice, occasionally glancing toward the village entrance. When he saw Ling Yun approaching at an unhurried pace, his expression visibly changed. A complicated look flashed through his eyes—wariness, along with a trace of unwillingness.

As Zhao Wuji listened to Dai Mubai's quiet words, his thick black brows rose. His lazy gaze shifted to the approaching Ling Yun, sizing him up from head to toe with an interested expression.

"Oh? This is the brat who made you suffer yesterday? The one who punched Old Li's crystal ball to pieces?" Zhao Wuji's voice was booming, with a metallic edge to it.

Dai Mubai's expression darkened slightly, but he still nodded. "Teacher Zhao, it was him. He's strange. He doesn't have any Soul Rings, but his strength is astonishing. And... he gives off a terrifying sort of aura."

Zhao Wuji laughed heartily and patted Dai Mubai's shoulder. "Kid, a few setbacks are good for you. Looks like a real little monster has come this year." His gaze returned to Ling Yun, filled with scrutiny and eagerness.

By then, everyone who had passed the initial test had arrived, around twenty people in total. Zhao Wuji cleared his throat and boomed, "My name is Zhao Wuji. I'm the academy's Vice Dean. Reaching this place means you've preliminarily passed the academy's assessment. But that isn't enough!"

He swept his gaze over the young men and women present, lingering for a moment longer on Ling Yun and Tang San.

"The next assessment is the second and final one. It's simple: last for the time it takes an incense stick to burn under my hands. If even one of you lasts until the end, all of you pass. Otherwise, all of you can get lost!"

The moment he said this, everyone except Ling Yun, Tang San, Xiao Wu, and a few others erupted in uproar, their faces filled with fear and dissatisfaction.

"Are you kidding? You're a Soul Saint!"

"How could anyone possibly do that?"

"This is completely unfair!"

Zhao Wuji glared, and a powerful Soul Power pressure descended like a mountain. All the clamor instantly died away. Everyone turned pale and fell silent as cicadas in winter.

"This is Shrek Academy. What I say goes! If you think it's unfair, you can get lost right now!" Zhao Wuji snorted. "Mubai, light the incense!"

Dai Mubai hurriedly took out an incense stick, lit it, and planted it in the ground.

"The assessment begins! You can come at me together, or take turns. Do as you please!" Zhao Wuji folded his arms, looking utterly unconcerned, but the pressure belonging to a Soul Saint made the air itself seem to freeze.

The applicants looked at one another, and none dared to move first. Before a Soul Saint, their meager Soul Power was like fireflies before the bright moon.

Tang San frowned deeply, his mind racing as he considered a strategy. Xiao Wu tensed as well, ready to attack at any moment. They both knew this was a task that was nearly impossible to complete.

Then, a calm voice broke the heavy atmosphere.

"Teacher Zhao, how about I give it a try first?"

Everyone turned in astonishment. Ling Yun was walking out from the crowd and stopping a short distance in front of Zhao Wuji.

Him again! Tang San's eyes narrowed. This mysterious Ling Yun was actually going to challenge Zhao Wuji alone? What did he have to rely on?

Xiao Wu's eyes widened as well. "Brother, has he lost his mind?"

Zhao Wuji's interest deepened as he looked at Ling Yun, who had stepped forward voluntarily. "Kid, are you sure you want to face me alone? Don't say I'm bullying you. I can use just thirty percent of my strength."

Ling Yun shook his head, a faint curve lifting the corner of his mouth. "Teacher Zhao, there's no need to hold back. I'd also like to see just how great the Immovable King's strength truly is."

Arrogant! Utterly arrogant!

A youth without even a single Soul Ring was telling a Soul Saint not to hold back?!

Even Dai Mubai and the senior students wondered whether Ling Yun had gone insane. Teacher Zhao's strength was among the very best even among Soul Saints!

Rather than getting angry, Zhao Wuji laughed. "Good! You've got guts! Then let's see whether your fists are as hard as your mouth!"

Before his words had faded, Zhao Wuji moved! He did not release his Martial Soul, yet the motion of his body alone stirred up a fierce gust! His fan-sized palm carried terrifying force as it slammed directly toward Ling Yun's chest! It did not seem fast, yet it sealed off every route of escape. This was the opening stance of the Great Vajra Palm!

Even at only thirty percent of his strength, this palm strike was enough to shatter a massive boulder! He intended to teach this ignorant brat a lesson he would never forget!

Facing that heavy, overwhelming palm strike, Ling Yun's gaze sharpened slightly. He could feel the terrifying power it contained, far beyond that of Dai Mubai and the like. A Soul Saint's physical strength truly was extraordinary.

But he did not choose to evade.

The Chaos Dragon God represented the pinnacle of strength. How could he retreat?

"Come!"

Ling Yun shouted, his blood surging through his body like raging rivers! He did not use Soul Power. Instead, he drove the physical strength granted by the Chaos Dragon God Martial Soul to its limit! His right hand clenched into a fist, the muscles in his arm swelling slightly. With an unstoppable momentum, he neither dodged nor yielded as he punched toward Zhao Wuji's palm!

Fist against palm! A direct clash of brute force!

"He's crazy!" Tang San cried out. He could see just how terrifying Zhao Wuji's strike was, yet Ling Yun had chosen to take it head-on?

Xiao Wu covered her mouth as well.

A trace of satisfaction flashed through Dai Mubai's eyes, as if he could already see Ling Yun being sent flying by that palm.

Under the gazes of everyone—whether shocked, pitying, or gleeful—that seemingly slender fist collided fiercely with the enormous palm containing terrifying strength!

Boom—!!!!

A deafening blast like muffled thunder exploded across the field!

A terrifying shockwave erupted from the point where they clashed, sweeping up dust into the sky! Several nearby applicants staggered back under the force of the blast, their faces pale.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Before everyone's disbelieving eyes, Zhao Wuji's mountain-like body actually retreated three consecutive steps! Each step left a deep footprint in the ground!

Ling Yun, meanwhile, merely swayed slightly before standing firmly where he was. The ground beneath his feet cracked inch by inch, but he himself was completely unharmed!

Silence!

Deathly silence!

Everyone had turned to stone, including Tang San, Xiao Wu, Dai Mubai, and the senior students! Every face was filled with utter shock and disbelief!

Vice Dean Zhao Wuji, a level seventy-six Assault Type Battle Soul Saint—the Immovable King, famed for his strength—had been forced back by a single punch from an eleven-year-old boy in a contest of pure strength?!

How was that possible?!!

Zhao Wuji steadied himself, the lazy, teasing expression on his face vanishing without a trace. In its place was unprecedented solemnity and shock! His palm had gone numb. The force behind that punch had been fiercely domineering, beyond what a human should possess!

"Good brat!" An astonishing fighting spirit erupted from Zhao Wuji's eyes. "What incredible strength! Looks like I need to stretch my bones today!"

He completely cast aside his contempt. Intense pale light suddenly burst from his body, and his height instantly shot past two and a half meters. The muscles all over his body bulged exaggeratedly, while a metallic sheen surfaced on his skin. His arms in particular became exceptionally thick and heavy. Beneath his feet, seven dazzling Soul Rings rose and revolved—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black—radiating a suffocatingly powerful pressure!

The Great Vajra Bear Martial Soul had possessed him!

The Immovable King Zhao Wuji was finally getting serious!

"To force me to use my Martial Soul, kid, you have every right to be proud!" Zhao Wuji's voice thundered. "Try taking another move from me!"

His First Soul Ring lit up, and his body swelled once more. His enormous bear paw, accompanied by a shriek that tore through the air, slammed toward Ling Yun again! This time, he had used a soul skill. Its force was more than twice as powerful as before!

Facing Zhao Wuji at full strength, Ling Yun showed no fear. Instead, blazing battle intent ignited in his eyes!

"Now this is getting interesting!"

He let out a long roar. The dark-golden Chaos Dragon God Martial Soul within him finally ceased its silence and gave a delighted roar! An aura far more terrifying, noble, and domineering than before erupted from Ling Yun's body like a volcanic explosion, soaring into the heavens!

Though no Soul Rings appeared, the tangible Dragon Might made even Zhao Wuji's Great Vajra Bear Martial Soul release an uneasy growl!

The Trial of Strength had only just begun! This battle, destined to shake all of Shrek Academy, had entered its most intense stage!