Test

Gai Yue headed straight for the Spirit Dueling Platform in the plaza, with Oscar naturally following close behind.

Once they were atop the platform, Gai Yue's icy voice rang out again. "I promised Brother Fu that if you can pass my test, I'll stay at Shrek for five years and serve as your swordsmanship teacher during that time."

Oscar bowed respectfully to Gai Yue. "Then this junior thanks you in advance, Senior. Whatever test you have, bring it on. Oscar will certainly give it his all."

Looking at this polite yet confident child, Gai Yue felt that leaving the mountains this time might actually have been the right choice.

But whether this child was truly as exceptionally gifted as Flender had claimed would depend on whether he could pass his test.

Meanwhile, several heads poked out from around a distant corner. Ma Hongjun asked Flender, "Teacher, how come I've never heard of this Senior Gai Yue? Can he really teach Brother Ao swordsmanship?"

Hearing the doubt in his disciple's voice, Flender smacked Ma Hongjun on the head. "You brat, you weren't even born when I first met him! How could you possibly know him?"

Zhao Wuji chuckled from the side and explained, "I met Brother Gai when the boss and I were leading teams to hunt soul beasts. The academy was desperately short on money at the time, so the boss and I took on a few jobs."

"Brother Gai had only just broken through Level 60 back then. He was younger than either of us, yet he'd reached the Soul Emperor rank before we had. We just didn't know why someone so talented was all alone."

Ma Hongjun was clever enough to grasp it immediately. "So Senior Gai was hunting his Sixth Spirit Ring alone when you and Teacher ran into him?"

Flender nodded. "That's right. Brother Gai's talent surpassed both Old Zhao's and mine. But he had only just reached Level 60, and he was being besieged by three ten-thousand-year soul beasts alone. One of them had even reached the Thirty Thousand Year Level. Even if Old Zhao and I had joined forces, we might not have been able to defeat it."

"He was already seriously injured when we found him. We hadn't intended to meddle, since the situation really was dangerous."

Ma Hongjun asked at just the right moment, "Then how did you get to know each other?"

At that question, Flender's old face suddenly reddened. Zhao Wuji snickered. "Brother Gai noticed us too, so he offered us fifty thousand Gold Soul Coins to save him. The academy was broke at the time, and Flender got carried away and jumped in."

Hearing that, Ma Hongjun glanced at Flender and thought that made much more sense. With his teacher's personality, only money could make him risk his life like that.

"At the time, we were protecting a soul master who had just reached Level 50 while he acquired his Fifth Spirit Ring. We had already completed the job, but Brother Gai was offering too much, so the boss and I joined forces with our employer to help him."

"Once we entered the fight, we discovered that two of the three ten-thousand-year soul beasts, the ones around ten thousand years old, had already sustained serious injuries. The thirty-thousand-year soul beast wasn't badly hurt, but with two Soul Emperors and a Spirit King joining the battle, it knew to retreat."

Hearing this, Ma Hongjun, Shao Xin, and the others all stared at Gai Yue on the Spirit Dueling Platform in disbelief as he faced Oscar.

Gai Yue was that strong? He had just broken through Level 60, yet he could severely injure two ten-thousand-year soul beasts while facing three at once? His talent and strength truly were beyond question.

Zhao Wuji continued, "After a fierce battle, we saved Brother Gai and received our payment. But Brother Gai was seriously injured, so we looked after him for a while."

"Later, he learned that the boss and I also took jobs helping people acquire spirit rings. Once he recovered, we helped him acquire his Sixth Spirit Ring."

"Over those months together, we learned about his background. The boss originally wanted to recruit him into Shrek, but he only wanted to grow stronger and take revenge, so we eventually parted ways."

"But when he needed his Seventh Spirit Ring, he contacted the boss and me to help him acquire it. After going back and forth like that, we formed a deep friendship. Still, I never expected him to leave the mountains."

Flender grinned, his eyes gleaming with wisdom. "Who do you think I am? When I personally stepped in, Brother Gai naturally gave me some face. But whether he stays will depend on Xiao Ao himself."

Just as Flender and Zhao Wuji were explaining Gai Yue to everyone, Gai Yue spoke to Oscar on the Spirit Dueling Platform. "The most important thing in swordsmanship is one's heart, so my test is very simple."

Oscar nodded slightly. From those words alone, he could tell that Gai Yue was no ordinary man.

Gai Yue said, "While temperament is important, I also need to see your strength. Attack me with all you have. Let me first see what you can do."

Oscar did not hesitate. As soon as Gai Yue finished speaking, Oscar slowly raised his left hand. Azure light gathered, and a Jade Sword over a meter long appeared in his grasp.

Seeing this, an almost imperceptible trace of anticipation appeared on Gai Yue's face.

Before coming here, Flender had already told him that Oscar did not possess a Sword Martial Soul, but instead had a Jade Sword that could be condensed at the level of a Weapon Spirit soul master through an External Soul Bone.

Skills like this from an External Soul Bone were exceedingly rare. Not only had it given Oscar additional combat ability, but it also possessed tremendous potential for development.

Oscar gripped the Jade Sword, explosively pushed off with his calves, and thrust the blade at Gai Yue's face.

Over the past two months, although Oscar had been taught swordsmanship by a teacher, he had also developed some methods of his own.

Facing Oscar's attack, Gai Yue did not release his martial soul. Instead, he brought together the index and middle fingers of his right hand, which then Turned into an Ice Blue sword aura a meter long.

Two-Finger Sword!

Oscar was still somewhat surprised by the sight. Being able to do this alone proved the depth of the other man's attainments in the sword.

The Jade Sword in Oscar's hand repeatedly thrust, lifted, spun, and slashed...

Gai Yue did not take the initiative to attack. He simply kept feeding Oscar moves, since he truly wanted to assess Oscar's swordsmanship.

During the exchange, Gai Yue was surprised to find that although Oscar had not used any spirit skills, his sword's Attack Power far exceeded that of Weapon Spirit soul masters of the same level.

That was indeed the case. When using the Azure Spirit Jade Sword, Oscar's attack and strength increased directly by fifty percent. It was like a passive effect; as long as he used the External Soul Bone, he received the boost.

Furthermore, the Azure Spirit Jade Sword inherently possessed cutting properties. Even without any offensive spirit skills, among Weapon Spirit soul masters of the same level, the Attack Power of Oscar's Azure Spirit Jade Sword was far superior.

After exchanging thirty moves, Oscar knew that the other party had already gained a clear understanding of his close-combat ability.

Thus, Oscar's final slash struck Gai Yue's finger sword, while he used the force to retreat ten meters.

Then, with a light toss of the Jade Sword in his hand, the entire blade Turned into ten streaks of azure light. Driven by Oscar's Soul Power, they formed ten one-meter-long Jade Swords.

"Go!"

The ten Jade Swords instantly locked onto Gai Yue's face, heart, and limbs. Driven by Oscar's Soul Power, all ten swords shot forth!

Gai Yue's eyes lit up at this move. He had never expected mere Level 23 Oscar to possess such a wide-area attack method.

Moreover, this was not simply condensed sword aura. It was an attack formed entirely from pure Soul Power.

But an attack of this level posed no threat whatsoever to Gai Yue. With a casual sweep of his finger sword, a frigid sword aura Flew Out, directly cutting apart all of Oscar's attacks. They turned into ice crystals and fell to the ground.

"Although you don't have a Sword Martial Soul and only know some basic sword techniques, your foundation is good, and your strength is not weak either. Against Weapon Spirit soul masters of the same level, you have a greater chance of winning." Gai Yue praised him without hesitation.

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