The Might of a Single Sword Shocks the Entire Academy

The three-foot-long white sword qi at Ji Juechen's fingertips left a bottomless gash in the distant metal wall, as though it were about to slice through the entire steel plate.

"Wow!"

Jing Ziyan's cry echoed through the empty training ground. Her small hands covered her mouth, and her beautiful eyes were filled with sparkling disbelief. She knew Ji Juechen had grown stronger, but she had never imagined he could become this strong!

Sword Qi Projection—this was a technique only Soul Douluo-level powerhouses could grasp! Yet Ji Juechen was clearly only a Four-Ring Soul Sect!

"Ji Juechen, you... you..." She was so excited that she could barely form a coherent sentence. "That sword strike just now was incredible!"

Ji Juechen withdrew his hand, his expression as calm as ever, as if he had merely done something insignificant. Yet his mind was occupied with something else.

[Sword Intent Points balance: 800.]

Exchanging for Sword Qi Projection had just cost him 5,000 points, leaving him only the 800 points Jing Ziyan had contributed. The energy consumption was even faster than he had expected.

It seems Jing Ziyan alone isn't enough, he thought. I need to find more "energy sources."

His gaze drifted involuntarily toward Teacher Wang, who was still twitching on the ground.

[Ding! "Fear" emotion detected. Source: Teacher Wang.]

[Emotion intensity: 95. Sword Intent Points gained: +2,000.]

Here it came!

Ji Juechen's heart stirred as he walked over to Teacher Wang and looked down at him from above.

Teacher Wang was terrified out of his wits, the stench of urine from his crotch growing stronger. Tears and mucus streamed down his face as he begged, "Ji... Master Ji, no, Grandpa Ji! I was wrong! I failed to recognize your greatness! Please spare this worthless life of mine! I'll never dare do it again!"

Ji Juechen said nothing. He merely raised his hand slowly, a faint strand of sword qi flickering at his fingertips.

"Don't, don't, don't! Don't kill me! I... I'll give you all my savings!"

[Ding! "Fear" emotion detected. Intensity soaring! Sword Intent Points gained: +3,000!]

At last, a visible curve appeared at the corner of Ji Juechen's lips.

So fear could be "refined."

He withdrew the sword qi and spat out two cold words. "Get lost."

"Yes, yes, yes! I'm leaving! I'll leave right now!" Teacher Wang looked as though he had received a pardon. Scrambling to his feet with both hands and feet, he fled the training ground in a rolling crawl. He looked even more miserable than a homeless dog.

By the time Teacher Wang's retreating figure vanished, Ji Juechen's Sword Intent Points had risen to 5,800.

"Not bad." He nodded in satisfaction.

Jing Ziyan watched the scene with a complicated expression written all over her little face. She felt Teacher Wang had gotten what he deserved, yet Ji Juechen's methods seemed somewhat... unfamiliar. But beneath that unfamiliarity was a domineering air that made her heart race.

"Ji Juechen, we... we should leave quickly. There are too many people around here," she reminded him softly.

Ji Juechen nodded, and the two left No. 7 Training Ground one after the other.

But they did not know that everything which had just happened had already been recorded on a Soul Guiding Communicator by a student who had rushed over after hearing the news. It spread through the academy's internal forum at astonishing speed.

Half an hour later, Sun Moon Academy's internal forum.

A post titled [Breaking News! At No. 7 Training Ground, Ji Juechen Cripples a Soul Emperor with One Sword and Scares a Teacher Out of His Mind!] was pushed to the front page!

Though the video in the post was somewhat blurry, the nine Dark Gold soul rings that seemed capable of destroying heaven and earth, along with the scene of Xu Tianchen collapsing after all his soul rings shattered, could be seen clearly!

First floor: [Holy shit! Is this real? Edited, right? Nine soul rings? And all of them Dark Gold? Did a god descend?] Second floor: [Don't doubt it! My buddy was training next door and heard that terrifying pressure with his own ears! They say Teacher Wang even pissed himself!] Third floor: [Xu Tianchen? Isn't he that Senior Xu who throws his weight around everywhere because his family has money? Serves him right! Well done!] Fourth floor: [This Ji Juechen... isn't he that Sword Fanatic who's been around forever? When did he get this fierce? I remember he only had four rings!] Fifth floor: [Serious question: what rank are Dark Gold soul rings? I'm not well educated, so don't fool me.] Sixth floor: [Get lost, idiot above! That's definitely the color of Million Year Soul Rings! This is unprecedented! Our academy—no, the entire Douluo Continent—is about to produce a peerless genius!]

The forum exploded instantly. Everyone in the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, from students to teachers, was left dumbfounded by the news.

Meanwhile, the two people at the center of the storm still knew nothing about it.

Ji Juechen returned to his dormitory. It was a single dorm assigned by the academy, small and plain, with only a bed, a desk, and his beloved sword.

He wiped the sword clean and placed it beside the bed, then sat cross-legged and began sorting through today's gains.

"Sword Qi Projection is a good skill. It's extremely useful whether for attacking or showing off. The God-Tier Soul Ring Experience Card is an even greater trump card—it can save my life at critical moments."

"But the greatest gain is still this system."

He opened the system panel and looked at the Sword Intent Points constantly ticking upward. An unprecedented surge of ambition rose in his heart.

In the past, what he pursued was pure swordsmanship, the pinnacle of solitude. But now, he discovered that when power combined with the human heart, it could erupt with such terrifying energy.

"This world seems far more interesting than my sword."

Just then, someone began pounding on the dormitory door with a loud bang, bang, bang.

Ji Juechen frowned. At this hour, who could it be?

He opened the door and found three uninvited guests standing outside. The young man in front wore a luxurious Soul Engineer robe, his arms folded across his chest and his chin slightly raised. His face carried a hint of scrutiny and arrogance. Two lackeys stood behind him, blocking the doorway completely.

"You are Ji Juechen?" the young man asked. His tone was calm, yet it carried an unquestionable pressure.

Ji Juechen did not answer. He merely looked at him coldly.

The young man did not seem to need an answer and continued on his own. "My name is Jing Hongchen, the headmaster of Sun Moon Academy. I heard that you crippled one of my students and scared off one of my teachers?"

Ji Juechen's heart tightened.

The headmaster had come personally.

He had thought the matter would take some time to blow up, but he had not expected it to come so quickly.

"Yes," he admitted evenly.

Jing Hongchen's gaze was like that of a hawk as it swept over Ji Juechen, as if trying to see straight through him. Only after a long while did he slowly say, "Very good. I don't care what methods you used, whether it was a fortunate encounter or a secret technique. Now, I will give you an opportunity."

"Three days from now, the academy will hold an internal ranking tournament. The winner can represent the academy in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament."

"You." Jing Hongchen's finger pointed straight at Ji Juechen. "Participate. If you can earn a spot, I can let today's matter go. If you cannot..."

He did not finish, but the threat in his eyes spoke for itself.

"With only four rings, you'll be fighting those six-ring and seven-ring geniuses?"

After saying that, Jing Hongchen turned and left, leaving behind an unfathomable silhouette.

Ji Juechen stood in the doorway, watching the direction Jing Hongchen had departed in, but his eyes only grew brighter.

A ranking tournament?

Representing the academy?

Wasn't that a ready-made gathering place for "energy sources"?

One genius after another, one bout of arrogance and defiance after another—what a lavish "feast of emotions" that would be!

Rather than feeling pressured, he was actually... eager.

"Three days from now..." he murmured, that familiar curve returning to his lips.

"Looks like it's time to let the entire academy witness my sword."