Promotion Assessment

"Ji Wushuang, Martial Soul: Peerless Sword Casket, Level 17 one-ring assault-type Battle Soul Master. Please instruct me." Ji Wushuang controlled the Peerless Sword Casket as Cloud Shuttle and Qingshuang circled around him.

Opposite him.

Lan Ruobing smiled sweetly. "Lan Ruobing, Martial Soul: Frost Staff, Level 16 one-ring control-type Battle Soul Master. Please instruct me."

The referee smiled. "Friendship first, competition second. With safety assured, show us your finest sides. Begin."

"Go!" Ji Wushuang raised his sword fingers.

Cloud Shuttle and Qingshuang tore through the air, stabbing straight toward Lan Ruobing from either side.

"First Soul Skill, Ice Sky Snow Land!"

Lan Ruobing retreated while waving her Frost Staff.

Her First Soul Ring lit up.

The temperature on the Soul Dueling Arena plummeted, and even the surrounding spectators instinctively shivered.

Countless sharply angular, seemingly razor-sharp ice shards appeared out of thin air.

A thin layer of ice crystals also covered the Soul Dueling Arena.

This soul skill had an enormous range, nearly covering the entire Soul Dueling Arena.

"Crack, crack, crack—"

The blades of Qingshuang and Cloud Shuttle easily shattered the ice crystals.

They pressed onward relentlessly, attacking Lan Ruobing.

"Finger-Twisting Softness!"

Another flying sword flew out from the Peerless Sword Casket and circled around Ji Wushuang.

Whenever the ice shards were about to reach him.

Finger-Twisting Softness shattered them with precision.

This Promotion Assessment battle was similar in format to an exhibition match.

Its purpose was to let students display their strength before a massive audience. The more attention they attracted, the more successful they were.

Their sparring match had undoubtedly achieved that.

This was the first time Ice Sky Snow Land had appeared in this year's Promotion Assessment.

And amid that wide-area assault.

Ji Wushuang was also using the Sword Control Technique before so many people for the first time.

It was equally eye-catching.

"Clang, clang, clang—"

Lan Ruobing moved with elegance and agility, evading the attacks of Qingshuang and Cloud Shuttle every time, occasionally using her Frost Staff to block them.

But as time passed.

Lan Ruobing's face visibly grew paler.

Maintaining a large-scale soul skill like Ice Sky Snow Land consumed an enormous amount of soul power.

Even so.

Lan Ruobing still chose not to stop.

While dodging the pincer attack from Qingshuang and Cloud Shuttle, she also continued closing in on Ji Wushuang.

Ji Wushuang looked at the ever-thickening frost on the ground, the increasingly frigid air, and the layer of frost covering his body.

"My First Soul Skill, Ice Sky Snow Land, can not only summon ice shards to attack. It also has another ability, and that is... freezing!"

The corners of Lan Ruobing's lips lifted slightly.

An icy blue radiance bloomed from her Frost Staff.

In an instant.

An even more powerful force of frost appeared around Ji Wushuang.

"Whoosh!"

In a flash, ice crystals covered Ji Wushuang's entire body, binding him in place and merging him with the icy layer on the ground.

"Hehe~"

Lan Ruobing smiled faintly, believing victory was hers.

However.

Two cold flashes suddenly appeared.

Lan Ruobing watched Qingshuang and Cloud Shuttle fly straight at her, and her pupils abruptly contracted.

"Impossible!"

"He's clearly been immobilized by me! How are these swords still moving?!"

Ji Wushuang, trapped within the ice crystal, curled his lips into a faint smile.

He looked as though he had been trapped and unable to move, but in truth, he could have broken free whenever he wished.

The reason he had allowed Lan Ruobing to control him was entirely deliberate.

First, he wanted to see what other tricks Lan Ruobing had up her sleeve. Second, he wanted her to lower her guard. Third, he wanted to give Lan Ruobing more chances to show herself.

Finger-Twisting Softness struck at that moment as well.

Lan Ruobing's Soul Power had already been nearly exhausted, and under the combined assault of Qingshuang and Cloud Shuttle, she was thoroughly disheveled.

Now, with Finger-Twisting Softness added to the mix—

"Whoosh—"

Just as Lan Ruobing was desperately defending herself—

Finger-Twisting Softness truly lived up to the word "soft."

Like a python coiling around its prey, it wrapped around Lan Ruobing's delicate body in an instant.

Her icy-blue dress was cinched tightly.

Lan Ruobing was only nine years old, but with the early maturity of soul masters, she already possessed a hint of beauty.

She was far more attractive than Hu Liena, who was cheering and waving flags not far away.

Swish! Swish!

Qingshuang and Cloud Shuttle sliced through the air, their sword tips aimed directly at Lan Ruobing.

"Don't move."

"My Finger-Twisting Softness is incredibly sharp. If you move, having your clothes cut apart would be the least of your worries. Getting hurt wouldn't be good."

Ji Wushuang said with a smile.

"You... You let me control you on purpose, didn't you?" Lan Ruobing asked with a helpless bitter smile.

"That's right." Ji Wushuang nodded with a smile as he recalled Cloud Shuttle, Qingshuang, and Finger-Twisting Softness.

Freed from Finger-Twisting Softness's restraint, Lan Ruobing immediately let out a sigh of relief.

"This match goes to Ji Wushuang!" the referee teacher announced with a smile.

"Yay! Brother Wushuang, that was amazing!" Hu Liena jumped up excitedly.

Xie Yue hurriedly tried to stop her. "Sis, don't get so excited. It's too embarrassing!"

On the stage—

Ji Wushuang closed the Peerless Sword Casket, nodded to Lan Ruobing, then turned and walked down from the Soul Dueling Arena.

Yan, Xie Yue, and Hu Liena approached him head-on.

"Come on, it's only a Promotion Assessment. Why did you have to make yourself look so cool?" Yan rolled his eyes and curled his lips.

Ji Wushuang could not be bothered to pay attention to Yan.

"It can't be helped. Brother Wushuang's strength is right there for everyone to see. First place in this Promotion Assessment is practically guaranteed," Hu Liena said, her little face flushed as she gazed at Ji Wushuang with adoration.

"When it's my turn, I'll take first place too!" Yan said confidently with a grin.

"If you want first place, you'll have to get past Xie Yue first." Ji Wushuang headed toward the academy gates.

Hu Liena quickly followed after him.

"I'm a Beast Soul Master. In the early stages, weapon soul masters are no match for Beast Soul Masters!" Yan said smugly.

The Flame Lord Martial Spirit possessed both fire and earth attributes, with outstanding attack and defense. It was a top-tier Beast Martial Spirit.

Although Xie Yue's Moon Blade had great offensive power, close-range brawling was not his forte.

That was why Yan was especially confident.

Xie Yue had no desire to argue over something like this. There was no point.

"Na'er, cultivate diligently."

"Try to break through to Level 15 by this time next year and crush Yan."

Ji Wushuang said with a smile.

"Brother Wushuang, that won't be difficult for me at all. By this time next year, I might already be Level 16!" Hu Liena replied confidently.

"Yan, did you hear that?" Ji Wushuang glanced at Yan and smiled. "Let's make a bet. If you can defeat Na'er in the Promotion Assessment and take first place, I'll treat you to a meal. You can pick anywhere you want."

"Alright, you said it!" Yan rubbed his hands together eagerly, his competitive spirit thoroughly stirred. Looking at Hu Liena, he said, "Nana, I won't go easy on you then. You'd better prepare yourself!"

Ji Wushuang raised his brows.

Yan's serious expression truly surprised him.

He was still a child, after all. His competitive streak was stronger.

If he really stepped over Hu Liena to claim first place, Ji Wushuang wondered whether he would regret it in the future.

Before long—

The Promotion Assessment ended, and the rankings were announced accordingly.

This did not merely represent their grades.

The class they would be assigned to would also be determined by these rankings.

The gap between them had already begun to show.