Sword of Data, Logical Slash

At sunset, in the third training ground behind Shrek Academy.

This was a combat arena specially prepared for senior students, paved with hard obsidian and covered in marks left behind by various soul skills, each one recounting the fierce battles of the past.

Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong had arrived early. Huo Yuhao closed his eyes and focused, pushing Spirit Detection to its limit. Every blade of grass and tree in the training ground, even the flow of the air, lay within her perception. Wang Dong stood at his side, the luminous wings of the Light Goddess Butterfly flickering in and out of view. The Power of Light at its Extreme Light gave her the ability to launch a Thunderous Strike at any moment.

They were fully prepared.

"He's here." Wang Dong suddenly spoke, her golden eyes fixed on the training ground entrance.

Ji Juechen approached alone at an unhurried pace. He still wore that plain academy uniform, with the seemingly ordinary sword hanging at his waist. His steps were neither fast nor slow, and the distance of every stride seemed measured with a ruler, carrying an eerie rhythm.

System, the target has entered the optimal observation range. Begin comprehensive real-time analysis. Project all data onto my visual interface.

[Command confirmed. "Eye of Insight" operating at full power.]

In Ji Juechen's vision, the entire world changed. Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong were no longer two people, but two humanoid models composed of countless Data Streams. Huo Yuhao's Spirit Detection range appeared to him as a pale-blue spherical domain, while the Power of Light surging from Wang Dong was a constantly leaping cluster of golden energy.

"You're here." Huo Yuhao opened her eyes, her gaze sharp as a blade. "I accept your challenge."

"Mm." Ji Juechen nodded and walked to the center of the arena, stopping ten meters away from Huo Yuhao. He did not draw his sword. He merely watched her quietly.

"Are you not going to attack?" Wang Dong asked impatiently.

"I'm waiting," Ji Juechen said calmly.

Waiting for her to make the first move. Only when she uses her abilities at full power can the Eye of Insight gather the most complete dynamic data. What I want is not victory, but "analysis."

Huo Yuhao naturally did not stand on ceremony. She stomped hard against the ground, and her third soul ring abruptly lit up!

"Third Soul Skill, Group Weakness!"

An invisible wave instantly spread out, engulfing Ji Juechen. It was an area-wide Mental Shock, impossible to evade.

Yet Ji Juechen simply stood there quietly, as though a skill capable of slowing even a Soul Ancestor had no effect on him whatsoever.

Here it comes. The wider the Spiritual Power coverage, the lower the strength per unit. System, record its Spiritual Power frequency spectrum and prepare reverse interference.

["Group Weakness" Spiritual Power frequency spectrum recorded. Reverse interference plan being generated...]

Huo Yuhao's heart jolted. She felt her Spiritual Power being absorbed and neutralized by an invisible barrier the moment it came within one meter of Ji Juechen.

"How is that possible?!" Wang Dong cried out.

At the instant they were stunned, Ji Juechen moved.

He was not as fast as lightning. He simply took an ordinary step forward, drew his sword, and thrust straight ahead.

This sword strike looked plain and unremarkable, without the slightest Soul Power Fluctuation. It was like a beginner practicing basic swordsmanship.

But Huo Yuhao's pupils suddenly contracted!

Through her Spirit Detection, the trajectory of that sword pointed precisely at the "node" linking her Spiritual Power to Wang Dong's Spiritual Power! It was the hub of their Spirit Sharing!

Not good!

Before Huo Yuhao could even think, her body reacted on pure battle instinct. She instantly dodged to the side while activating her second soul skill, "Simulation," causing her presence to become blurry and indistinct.

However, Ji Juechen's sword followed her like a Shadow.

System, Predictive Taunt!

["Predictive Taunt" activated. Target: Huo Yuhao's "Simulation."]

"The essence of Simulation is 'replication.' It cannot create entirely new energy fluctuations. Before my ultimate perception, your 'phase difference' is far too obvious."

[Taunt precise! Double Sword Intent Points awarded! Temporary increase in insight into this skill!]

In Ji Juechen's vision, there was an extremely tiny, nearly imperceptible delay between the energy fluctuations of Huo Yuhao's simulated illusion and her real body. His sword tip happened to stab directly into that delayed "gap."

"Pfft!"

A soft sound rang out.

Ji Juechen's sword tip did not pierce Huo Yuhao's body. Instead, it struck the air beside her.

Yet Huo Yuhao felt as though a red-hot steel needle had viciously plunged into her Sea of Consciousness. Agonizing pain surged through her, making her grunt as her body staggered. Her "Simulation" instantly broke, revealing her true form.

"Yuhao!" Wang Dong was horrified and could no longer hold herself back. Her second soul ring flared brightly!

"Second Soul Skill, Butterfly Goddess's Light!"

Dozens of enormous golden spheres of light crashed toward Ji Juechen like a meteor shower. Each orb contained terrifying explosive power, enough to flatten a small mountain.

Faced with this world-destroying attack, Ji Juechen still did not retreat.

It's finally here. Light Goddess Butterfly, Extreme Light attribute. Energy structure... analysis complete. System, generate the optimal evasion route.

[Generating route... analyzing energy gaps... route planned.]

Ji Juechen's figure began an incomprehensible "dance" amid the rain of light filling the sky.

He used no movement-type soul skill. Relying only on the simplest footwork, he moved through the impossibly narrow gaps between the spheres of light. Every turn and every step seemed to have undergone countless calculations—neither a fraction too much nor an inch too little.

That was not a battle. It was a... perfectly precise performance based on data.

Wang Dong's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. No matter how hard she tried, she could not understand why her attack, with no blind spots whatsoever, could not so much as touch a corner of his clothes.

"It's over."

Ji Juechen's voice suddenly sounded beside Wang Dong's ear.

At some point, he had already passed through the entire rain of light and arrived before Wang Dong. His sword had somehow returned to its sheath, yet its icy sword tip was pressed against Wang Dong's smooth neck.

The entire arena fell into Deathly Silence.

Huo Yuhao stared blankly at the scene, a chill shooting from the soles of her feet straight to the crown of her head.

She understood.

From the beginning, Ji Juechen's target had never been her. Through that single attack on her, he had located the node of Spirit Sharing. Then he had used Wang Dong's attack as a "reference point" for his own movement, ultimately closing in on his target.

Every step and every movement had been within his calculations.

"You..." Wang Dong's body stiffened. Feeling the bone-chilling cold at her neck, she could not say a word.

Ji Juechen withdrew his sword and looked at her expressionlessly.

System, battle review. The evasion route just now had an error of 0.01 seconds. It can be optimized. Although Wang Dong's attack pattern is dazzling, its energy output is too evenly distributed and lacks a point of explosive force. Huo Yuhao... I have seen through all her abilities.

He turned around and looked at the pale-faced Huo Yuhao.

"Your 'lock' is very complicated. But no matter how complicated a lock is, as long as there is a blueprint, it can be opened."

"Today, I merely showed you a glimpse of the 'blueprint.'"

"Tomorrow, at the same time, I'll teach you how to 'pick the lock.'"

With that, he did not linger. He turned and left, leaving behind two geniuses whose confidence had been utterly shattered, disheveled in the evening wind.