Immovable King Zhao Wuji

The final stage was also set in an open clearing, though it looked much smaller than the one used for the second stage. The academy probably assumed that not many people would make it this far.

In the middle of the clearing, a middle-aged man who looked to be in his fifties sat in a chair, dozing off. His lowered head bobbed with each breath.

"Teacher Zhao, I've brought people for the assessment," Dai Mubai called loudly.

The man's bobbing head paused, and he slowly raised it, his eyes still somewhat bleary.

He rubbed his eyes. "I didn't expect anyone to reach the final stage this year."

Then he stretched, his bones cracking as his gaze fell on the group.

"Oh! Six little ones came this year?" Teacher Zhao's face clearly showed his surprise.

Dai Mubai smiled as well. "Not only that, they all passed the first two stages without taking the tests."

Teacher Zhao nodded and looked at them with a smile. "Not bad, not bad. Looks like we might finally recruit a few little monsters this year."

He stood up, and only then did everyone get a clear look at him. Teacher Zhao had an ordinary face and was perhaps only around one meter seventy tall, but his body was incredibly burly. His bulging muscles were intimidating to behold, and it was obvious that they contained tremendous strength.

Standing there, he was like a small mountain, exuding a crushing sense of pressure.

"Since six of you have come this year, I'll personally test you in this final practical stage. You have the time it takes for one incense stick to burn to get to know each other. After that, as long as you can last one incense stick's worth of time against me, you'll pass."

As he spoke, Teacher Zhao pulled an incense stick from his robes. With a pinch of his fingers, he lit it, then flicked it into the ground some distance away.

"Teacher Zhao, isn't this a bit inappropriate? Wasn't I supposed to handle the final stage?" Dai Mubai asked hesitantly.

Teacher Zhao glared, naturally imposing even without anger. "With the dean gone, I'm in charge. Can you assess all six of them one by one? Do you even know how much Soul Power you have?"

Dai Mubai fell silent, only able to lead the group aside. "This is troublesome. Teacher Zhao is actually going to assess you personally."

"What's wrong? Is Teacher Zhao very strong? Could he be a Soul Emperor too?" Xiao Wu asked curiously.

Before Dai Mubai could explain, Hermione spoke from the side with a grave expression. "At the very least, he's a Soul Emperor! He might even be stronger. The teacher at the first stage was already a Soul Emperor. The final stage is more important, so they couldn't possibly send out a weaker teacher instead."

"That's right." Dai Mubai nodded in agreement.

"Teacher Zhao isn't a Soul Emperor! He's a Soul Saint! A Level 76 Beast Soul Battle Soul Saint!"

Other than Zhao Xuan, everyone's pupils contracted almost simultaneously, their expressions turning solemn.

Zhao Xuan seemed thoughtful, but a trace of excitement rose on his face. "A Soul Saint? Interesting! What's his Martial Soul? Is it strength-based?"

Dai Mubai gave Zhao Xuan a surprised look, then nodded. "You guessed right. Teacher Zhao's Martial Soul really is strength-based."

"Really?!" Zhao Xuan grew even more excited. A strength-based Soul Saint? That was truly rare! He almost wanted to grab Grandmaster's face and kiss him twice. If Grandmaster had not brought them here, he definitely would not have found such a rare opponent.

Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Hermione were already used to this. They merely exchanged glances, only to find the same bitterness in each other's eyes. Zhao Xuan had held back for quite a long time, hadn't he? The monstrous strength in his body was probably starving for release.

However, the other two girls were somewhat surprised. The girl with short, ear-length hair looked at Zhao Xuan hesitantly. "You seem very excited."

Zhao Xuan lightly pressed his lips together, a smile curving at the corner of his mouth as his eyes burned with passion. "Of course."

With his handsome face and long black hair, Zhao Xuan already possessed a somewhat beautiful appearance. When he smiled, he looked even less like a man and more like a beauty whose smile could topple a city.

The girl's face reddened, and she quietly lowered her head, seeming somewhat at a loss.

Hermione unconsciously narrowed her eyes beside them, her expression turning a little dangerous.

As a veteran among women, Dai Mubai had long made reading expressions an instinct. Seeing their looks, his heart skipped a beat, and he quickly said, "There isn't much time. I'll keep this brief."

"Teacher Zhao's Martial Soul is called the Great Strength Vajra Bear! This Martial Soul possesses immense strength and astonishing defense! Its speed might not be outstanding, but because of the difference in Soul Power Level, you definitely won't be able to escape. So forget about trying to stall for time by dodging."

"Back then, Teacher Zhao also had the title of Immoveable King!"

"Immovable King? So it's him." The short-haired girl who had been lowering her head suddenly raised it, surprise in her eyes.

"Hm?"

Zhao Xuan and the others looked at her. This girl seemed to know Teacher Zhao's background.

Seeing their gazes, the girl hurriedly explained, "Back then, Immoveable King Zhao Wuji had a conflict with Spirit Hall. Spirit Hall wanted to punish him, but he forcibly broke out from the siege of sixteen bishops. Later, the matter was simply dropped. Spirit Hall's bishops are all Soul Emperor-level experts of at least Level 60. Zhao Wuji should only have been in his sixties then. Wouldn't he be even stronger now?"

"Spirit Hall?" Zhao Xuan's expression shifted as he looked toward Tang San.

Sure enough, because of Grandmaster, Tang San had never had a good impression of Spirit Hall. Hearing those words now, his brows sank.

"That's right. Teacher Zhao is definitely much stronger than before! And his Soul Ring configuration is the ideal one: two yellow, two purple, and the remaining three are all black Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Rings. Every single one of his Soul Rings boosts attack and defense."

"Hiss... that really is terrifying." Xiao Wu could not help drawing in a cold breath, her voice full of worry.

For her, strength-based Martial Souls were the most frightening, let alone one belonging to a Soul Saint above Level 70. The enhancement brought by Soul Power in the seventies alone was terrifying.

"Teacher Zhao is naturally terrifying, so good luck to you. You'd best introduce your Martial Souls so you can coordinate properly later," Dai Mubai advised from the side.

Tang San looked around, then became the first to state his Martial Soul and Soul Power. Xiao Wu followed immediately after him.

The girl dressed in black was named Zhu Zhuqing. She was a Level 27 agility-attack Battle Soul Master, and her Martial Soul was called the Hell Spirit Cat.

The girl with short, ear-length hair was named Ning Rongrong. She was a Level 26 support-type Weapon Soul Master, and her Martial Soul was the renowned Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda.

"You're from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"

Facing everyone's astonished looks, Ning Rongrong stuck out her adorable little tongue. "Stop staring. I'm no different from ordinary people. I ran away from home. Let's get through this test first. My Martial Soul is the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda, and I have two Soul Rings. I can enhance everyone's speed and strength attributes separately by around thirty percent. Keeping it up for one incense stick won't be a problem at all."

Everyone nodded. As expected of someone from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, that support effect was truly astonishing.

Next was Hermione. She lightly waved her right hand through the air, and a pitch-black wand appeared in her hand.

"My name is Hermione. I'm Level 27... I suppose I should be called a Battle Soul Master. My Martial Soul is a wand, but my first Soul Ring skill is a support-type Soul Skill called Spring Water Gushes Forth. It can dispel negative statuses. My second skill is offensive."

After everyone had finished introducing themselves, only Zhao Xuan remained. Seeing everyone look at him, he did not waste time. "Zhao Xuan, Rank 34 Control System Soul Elder."

"A Soul Elder? How is that possible?!" Ning Rongrong was so shocked that she nearly jumped up. They were clearly around the same age, so how could their Soul Power Levels differ so much?

"There's nothing impossible about it. Oh, and leave the command to Xiao San." Zhao Xuan waved a hand. There was nothing impossible in this world; it was simply a matter of whether you had encountered it.

(Hermione is different, I'll say it again! Only her appearance is taken, not her personality! The wand's skills also cannot match the original work.)

Information revealed: Zhao Xuan's three Soul Skills for his first Martial Soul:

First Soul Skill: Immovable: Briefly immobilizes the body. (Duration depends on Soul Power.)

Second Soul Skill: Unconnectable: Blocks the flow of Soul Power for an instant. If used when another person releases a Soul Skill, it can interrupt the skill.

Third Soul Skill: Telecommunication Fraud: Leaves behind an IP clone at the original location. It possesses thirty percent of the main body's strength, lasts for three minutes, and can be controlled. (Its duration and strength increase along with Soul Power.) The main body appears at a distant location.

Hermione's Innate Soul Power: Level 8.

First Soul Skill: Spring Water Gushes Forth. Its effect is to dispel negative effects.

Second Soul Skill: Phoenix Rocket. Forms arrows with burning flame effects out of Soul Power. Their power and quantity depend on the amount of Soul Power "infused."