For the next month, the First Soul Tool Proving Ground became a veritable "living hell."
"Boom—!"
A dazzling golden fireball exploded in the center of the field. Waves of heat rolled outward, turning the metal floor red-hot.
"Stop!"
Clutching the riding crop he had somehow snapped off from somewhere, Gu Yuejin emerged from the smoke with a dark expression.
He pointed at the girl in the middle of the field, who was covered in soot and had several singed locks of hair, and launched into a merciless tirade:
"Xu Tianzhen, you have a Sun Martial Soul, not a suicide bomber's!"
"I want a precisely targeted detonation with Solar Flare, not for you to roast yourself and your teammates!"
"Where's your Soul Power control? Did a dog eat it? If this were a real battle, that indiscriminate AOE attack just now would've taken Meng Hongchen out three times!"
Xu Tianzhen pouted, aggrieved. Her expensive court dress was already tattered, and two streaks of soot marked her face, making her look like a filthy little kitten.
"I... I'm already trying really hard to control it!"
She was a princess, raised in the lap of luxury. When had she ever been treated like this?
Tears welled in her eyes. She stamped her foot and cried out:
"This is way too hard! I have to match Xiao Hongchen's Metal Storm rhythm and time it between Ma Rulong's charges. I'm not some precision instrument!"
"Can't do it?"
Gu Yuejin scoffed and walked up to her, looking down at her.
"Then go back and be your Vase Princess."
"This is the Reserve Team. We're heading into a battlefield to fight Shrek Academy. No one's going to go easy on you just because you're a princess."
"Want to cry? Wait until we lose. Then you can cry all you want in front of the whole continent!"
His words cut like knives.
Xu Tianzhen bit her lip and glared at Gu Yuejin, forcing her tears back.
"Who says I can't do it?"
"Fine, I'll train! This princess won't be a vase!"
Watching Xu Tianzhen charge back onto the field, wiping her tears as she gathered Soul Power, Xiao Hongchen's mouth twitched.
"Teacher Gu Yue... aren't you being a bit harsh? She is a girl, after all."
"Does the battlefield care whether you're a man or a woman?"
Gu Yuejin shot him a glance. "And don't think you can slack off. The coverage rate of that Metal Storm barrage just now was only 85 percent. The 15 percent you missed would've been enough for an Agility Attack System fighter to slip in and kill Huo Yuhao."
"Another fifty rounds!"
Xiao Hongchen: "..."
Besides putting the original members through brutal special training, Gu Yuejin hadn't forgotten to shore up the team's weak points.
Three days later, he led two somewhat nervous-looking students into the proving ground.
"Let me introduce you to our two new recruits... tactical 'Accessories,' if you will."
Gu Yuejin pointed to the stocky, honest-looking young man on the left.
"This is Dazhuang. He's eighteen and a Food System Soul Ancestor."
"His martial soul is Energy Gathering Meatbun."
"Although the name sounds like something from the cafeteria breakfast menu, its effect is straightforward and powerful—it instantly restores a large amount of Soul Power."
"For you 'artillery platforms' who rely on Soul Tools to blast everything to pieces, he's a walking ammunition depot."
Then he placed his hand on the shoulder of the thin girl on the right.
She flinched and hugged the silver chains in her arms tightly.
"This is Xiaoya. She's also eighteen, and a Soul Ancestor."
"Her martial soul is Life Chain, and her core soul skill is Damage Equalization."
At the words "Damage Equalization," Ma Rulong's eyes lit up.
"Teacher, you mean..."
"That's right."
Gu Yuejin snapped his fingers, a meaningful smile crossing his face.
"Ma Rulong, haven't you always complained that you can't withstand the explosive attacks of top-tier Power Attack System fighters like Dai Yueheng?"
"From now on, put this girl inside your Heavy Defense Fortress and have her link the whole team with her chains."
"As long as you aren't killed in one hit, the damage you take will be shared among everyone."
"And the rest of you can use Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection to avoid damage and Dazhuang's Soul Power to replenish your reserves."
"That's what I call the 'Zombie Flow' strategy."
Everyone present shuddered at the idea.
It was nasty.
This strategy was downright filthy!
But they had to admit... it sounded great!
"Brother Gu Yue, how does your brain even work?"
Meng Hongchen exclaimed, gazing at Gu Yuejin with stars in her eyes. "You came up with something this devious? If Shrek Academy runs into us, they'll probably be spitting blood with rage!"
"All's fair in war."
Gu Yuejin smiled calmly. "As long as we win, I don't mind being a cheat."
The grueling special training continued for a full month.
Throughout that month, Huo Yuhao served as the team's "central brain." He didn't have to take hits on the front line like Ma Rulong, but the demands on his Spiritual Power were several times greater than usual.
He had to maintain Spiritual Detection Share across the entire field, analyze the situation at every moment, and direct his teammates using the tactical hand signals Gu Yuejin had taught him.
The extreme strain finally brought about a breakthrough.
Late at night, in the dormitory.
As Huo Yuhao sat cross-legged on his bed, the Soul Power around him suddenly surged.
His previously tranquil Sea of Consciousness churned like a storm-tossed ocean. Purple-gold light shone from his eyes, illuminating the entire room.
"Crack."
It was as if some kind of shackle had broken.
An aura belonging to a Soul Elder suddenly rippled out from within him.
Level thirty!
"Phew..."
Huo Yuhao slowly opened his eyes. Feeling the Soul Power surging through him, he broke into an excited smile.
"Finally... level thirty."
"Master! I did it!"
He leaped off the bed and rushed to Gu Yuejin's room without even bothering to put on his shoes.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
The door opened. Wearing a nightshirt, Gu Yuejin calmly regarded his panting, foolish disciple.
"What are you yelling about in the middle of the night?"
"Master! I broke through! I'm level thirty!"
Huo Yuhao waved his arms excitedly. "I can go get my Third Soul Ring now!"
Gu Yuejin yawned and flicked Huo Yuhao on the forehead.
"Got it."
"You've eaten so many Immortal Herbs and have two Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bones to back you up. If you still weren't level thirty, don't call yourself my disciple. You'd be an embarrassment."
His tone was dismissive, but a hint of satisfaction flashed in Gu Yuejin's eyes.
The boy's perseverance really hadn't let him down.
"Pack your things. We leave first thing tomorrow morning."
Gu Yuejin turned and went back inside, leaving him with a casual remark.
"Where are we going? The Star Dou Forest?" Huo Yuhao asked.
"Not the Star Dou Forest."
Gu Yuejin's voice came from inside, carrying a touch of languor.
"The Star Dou Forest is Shrek Academy's backyard. We're going to territory belonging to the Sun Moon Empire."
"Jingyang Mountain Range."
The next morning.
Two figures quietly left Mingdu and sped northeast.
The Jingyang Mountain Range was a famous gathering place for soul beasts within the Sun Moon Empire.
Unlike the primal, vibrant Star Dou Forest, it had more exposed rock, steep peaks, and a metallic tang permeating the air.
"Master, what are we looking for this time?"
Huo Yuhao followed behind Gu Yuejin, stepping across the hard rock as he asked curiously.
"The first two Soul Rings for your Spirit Eyes martial soul started too high."
As he walked, Gu Yuejin casually tapped the rock wall beside the path, as if probing it for something.
"The first is a million-year Spiritual Power Soul Ring, focused on detection and sharing. The second is a seven-hundred-thousand-year Extreme Ice Soul Ring, focused on close-range bursts."
"What you're missing now is a powerful mid-range control skill or some way to disrupt your opponent mentally."
"Only by shoring up this weakness can you truly secure your tactical role on the team, instead of being just a 'human radar.'"
Gu Yuejin stopped and gazed toward the distant main peak, wreathed in clouds and mist.
"The Jingyang Mountain Range is rich in soul beasts with Spiritual Power attributes. There's one particular pack-dwelling species called Silver Moon Wolves that's especially suitable for you."
"And besides..."
A miserly smile tugged at Gu Yuejin's lips.
"This is the empire's largest rare-metal mining region."
"The academy's Reserve Team burns through its training budget too fast."
"I might as well take you 'shopping' while we're here—and find you some good materials for Soul Tools."
Huo Yuhao: "..."
Looking at his master's gleaming eyes, Huo Yuhao silently mourned the fate of the soul beasts and ore in these mountains for three seconds.
"Come on. We're going deeper in."
Gu Yuejin blurred into a streak and vanished into the woods.
"I have a feeling that this time we'll find your Soul Ring—and maybe run into a few other 'surprises' as well."
Before you continue