Heading to Skysea City

A burly middle-aged male teacher strode into the Training Ground, the ice shards beneath his feet crunching loudly.

He looked around, his face darkening by the second. Clearly, the sight before him had thoroughly enraged him.

"Which little bastard turned the Training Ground into this?! Do you have any idea how troublesome and expensive repairs are?!"

His gaze quickly locked onto Lu Jun, who stood in the middle of the field.

The Ice Abyss Sword in the boy's hand had not yet fully been put away. Three deep Purple Soul Rings coiled around the blade, while cold air continued to seep from it.

The middle-aged teacher's pupils contracted. He was clearly stunned by such a terrifying Soul Ring configuration.

Three rings?

And Purple Thousand Year Soul Rings at that?!

And the aura of this martial soul... Ultimate Ice?!

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his shock, then walked up to Lu Jun with a cold expression and demanded, "What year are you in, kid? What's your name?"

Lu Jun glanced up at him, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. His tone remained calm. "Lu Jun. Class One, First Year. Nine years old."

"Nine?!" The male teacher's voice suddenly rose, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. "Three rings?! And an Ultimate Attribute martial soul?!"

He sized Lu Jun up and down, finally realizing that the one standing before him was no ordinary student, but a super genius!

But shock was shock. With the Training Ground frozen like this, as the teacher responsible for maintenance, he needed an explanation.

So he pulled a long face and snapped, "You're forbidden from entering the Training Ground from now on! Unless you can keep your Ultimate Ice from leaking out!"

Lu Jun sighed helplessly and turned to Long Chen, his gaze seeming to say, See? I told you this would happen.

Long Chen shrank his neck and guiltily looked away.

"Why haven't you put your martial soul away yet?!" the male teacher urged impatiently.

Lu Jun said nothing more. With a flick of his wrist, the Ice Abyss Sword dissolved into a wisp of frosty air and vanished.

The surrounding temperature finally began to rise slowly, but the ice covering the Training Ground remained stubbornly in place. They would probably need to find a Fire Attribute Soul Master to specifically clear it away.

Ordinary Fire Attributes probably would not even be able to melt his ice.

Either they found a high-level Soul Master, or they had to wait for it to dissipate naturally.

"Kid, it's not that I'm trying to be harsh. Your martial soul is just too outrageous. Look at this—it'll be extremely troublesome to clean up."

Seeing how cooperative Lu Jun was, the male teacher's attitude softened. He pointed at the icy landscape around them.

"I understand. Sorry for the trouble, Teacher," Lu Jun said expressionlessly. "I'll do my best to control it."

"I'll be going now."

Lu Jun said it flatly, then turned and headed toward the dormitories.

Long Chen hurried after him. Before leaving, he secretly glanced back at the teacher, who was still grumbling and cursing, and silently took note.

If I want to spar with Brother Lu in the future, I'd better find somewhere without anyone around...

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

During that time, Lu Jun's life was so regular it was practically mechanical.

He woke up at five in the morning for training, ate breakfast and attended class, then went to Swordplay Class and his once-a-week Second Profession course.

At night, he continued cultivating and meditating until five in the morning.

This orderly life made Lu Jun exceptionally disciplined. With astonishing perseverance, he had forcefully broken through to Level Thirty-Three before setting out for Skysea City to take part in the competition.

Gu Yue Na also lived up to expectations, successfully crossing the threshold into Level Thirty. Her Spirit Soul had already evolved into a Thousand Year Spirit Soul before this, so reaching Level Thirty-One came easily.

That morning, Gu Yue Na and Lu Jun were quietly sharing news of their cultivation progress in the classroom when the door was suddenly pushed open.

A tall figure strode in. It was Long Chen.

Compared to a month ago, his temperament had changed noticeably.

He had grown taller, nearly surpassing Lu Jun, and his shoulders had broadened considerably. He was like a sword drawn from its sheath, his sharpness fully exposed.

Most astonishing of all was the faint Soul Power Fluctuation emanating from him. He had already reached the peak of Level Twenty-Nine, only one step away from becoming a Three Ring Soul Elder.

The moment Long Chen entered the classroom, he headed for the back row.

"Yo, Brother Lu, Sister Gu Yue!" Long Chen grinned, showing a mouthful of white teeth. "I'm not late, am I?"

Lu Jun merely gave him a glance and said nothing.

Gu Yue Na could not even be bothered to acknowledge him.

But Long Chen was long used to it. He patted his chest, his eyes gleaming with confidence. "I'm already Level Twenty-Nine, almost a Three Ring Soul Elder. I've practically been risking my life trying to catch up to you two!"

Just then, the Homeroom Teacher hurried into the classroom as well, unable to hide the delight on her face.

"Lu Jun, Gu Yue Na, Long Chen, come with me." Her gaze swept over the three of them, her tone carrying a trace of excitement. "The upper-year students are ready. You need to join them."

Only then did the three rise and follow her.

After passing through several Teaching Buildings, the group arrived at the Combat Training Ground reserved for upper-year students.

The field was several times larger than the First Year's, and the Soul Tool Shields around it glimmered with a faint blue light. The protective measures were quite thorough.

At the center of the field, four figures stood in pairs, seemingly chatting.

But the instant Lu Jun and the other two stepped into the Combat Training Ground, all four of them turned to look.

More precisely, their gazes fell on Gu Yue Na and Lu Jun.

Gu Yue Na's silver hair cascaded like a waterfall, and her purple eyes shone like stars. Her peerless beauty seemed to be veiled in a hazy glow beneath the sunlight, making her impossible to look away from.

Lu Jun, meanwhile, wore white robes that accentuated his tall, slender frame. He carried a carefree, unrestrained air, like a divine sword drawn from its sheath—his sharpness restrained, yet impossible to ignore.

Even with an expressionless face, he made those girls stare blankly.

They all had only one thought.

Handsome!

The Homeroom Teacher clapped her hands, drawing everyone's attention back.

"Come over and line up!"

Everyone quickly formed a row.

The Homeroom Teacher nodded in satisfaction and announced loudly, "Starting today, the seven of you will represent Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy as official competitors in the Tianhai Alliance Competition!"

"There is one week until departure. During that time, you must quickly build teamwork and familiarize yourselves with each other's fighting styles!"

Her gaze swept over everyone before finally stopping on Lu Jun. With meaningful emphasis, she said, "This time, we have only one goal."

"Defeat Shrek!"

"Do you have confidence?"

"Yes!"

Unlike the others' burning enthusiasm, Lu Jun seemed somewhat listless.

He recalled the original story.

It was all competitions.

If there was a conflict with the other side, then have a competition.

If there was an issue between academies, then have a competition.

To obtain a God-slaying grade fixed-installation Soul Tool Cannon shell, they would settle the winner with another competition.

Even when the world was ending, they still had a competition.

After the Homeroom Teacher announced that they could practice freely for now and that she would come back later to supervise them, the atmosphere in the Combat Training Ground subtly changed.

The two boys and two girls from the upper years almost instantly picked their targets.

Gu Yue Na and Lu Jun.

The red-haired girl was the first to approach Lu Jun. She blinked her amber eyes, her smile bright. "You're Lu Jun, right? The First Year super genius? I'm Lin Yan from Third Year, a Fire Attribute Soul Master."

Before Lu Jun could respond, another girl with a high ponytail came over as well, naturally draping an arm over Lu Jun's shoulder.

"I'm Su Yu. My martial soul is the Wind Demon Bird. I heard you have an Ultimate Attribute martial soul too? That's amazing!"

Lu Jun: "..."

What am I, a Succubus or something?

This relies way too much on looks.