Long Aotian's Shock: This Liu Yuan Is Incredible!

"Liu Yuan, are you ready?"

Standing at the entrance to the Elder Hall, Vina asked the young man beside her one last time.

"Don't worry, Vina." Liu Yuan smiled faintly, looking perfectly composed. "I've been ready for a long time."

"Good. Then let's go in."

Vina nodded and took the lead through the heavy bronze doors.

Liu Yuan followed close behind, while Long Aotian, Wang Yanfeng, and the others entered as well, either out of curiosity or to keep Vina company.

The Elder Hall was immensely spacious, with a lofty vaulted ceiling and several ever-burning lamps set around its walls. The lighting was not particularly bright, yet the place exuded a solemn, dignified air.

There were no statues of deities in the center of the hall. Only at the far end, seated in a grand chair, was an elderly man with white hair and beard.

The old man rested with his eyes closed, clad in a plain gray robe. Yet the faint aura radiating from him made it impossible for anyone to underestimate him.

"Elder Chen."

Vina stepped before the elder and bowed respectfully.

Elder Chen slowly opened his eyes. When his gaze fell upon Vina, a gentle smile immediately appeared on his otherwise stern face. "So it's little Vina. You're back? I heard you went to acquire your Second Spirit Ring this time. Looks like you succeeded? Good, very good!"

"Thank you for your concern, Elder Chen." Vina answered obediently, then turned sideways and pointed to Liu Yuan behind her.

"Elder Chen, I've brought back a friend this time. He has also awakened a Body Martial Soul and wishes to join our Body Sect. I'd like to ask you to conduct his entrance test."

"Oh? Another promising Body Martial Soul?"

At those words, Elder Chen's gaze instantly passed over Vina and landed on Liu Yuan.

At that instant, Liu Yuan felt as though he had been targeted by some prehistoric beast. Every muscle in his body tensed involuntarily.

But he did not retreat. Instead, he straightened his back and met Elder Chen's gaze without servility or arrogance, clasping his hands in salute. "This junior is Liu Yuan. Greetings, Elder Chen."

"Mm, your temperament is not bad."

Elder Chen nodded slightly, withdrawing that oppressive, scrutinizing aura. Stroking his beard, he said, "Since little Vina brought you here, we'll follow the rules. Come over here."

He pointed to a stone table at one side of the hall.

Liu Yuan stepped forward as instructed.

By then, Vina had already returned to Long Aotian and the others.

Watching the upright young man standing before Elder Chen, Long Aotian, who had said little until now, finally could not help asking, "Vina, where exactly did this Liu Yuan come from? How did you meet?"

"Yeah, Vina." Wang Yanfeng also leaned closer and lowered his voice. "I wanted to ask outside just now. What Soul Power Level is he, exactly? How does he compare to us?"

Even Gu Tong, who had been staring fixedly at Liu Yuan's back, pricked up his ears.

Faced with her companions' questions, Vina gave a mysterious smile.

She first gave them a rough account of how she had met Liu Yuan.

But as for Liu Yuan's exact level, she did not answer directly, instead keeping them in suspense. "You'll find out soon enough. I'm sure you'll be very surprised."

Seeing Vina's confident, slightly smug expression, Long Aotian and the others exchanged glances and immediately came to a conclusion.

"Looks like... this newcomer named Liu Yuan has some real skill." Long Aotian stroked his chin, and the fighting spirit in his eyes only intensified. "Otherwise, with Vina's judgment, she would never be so confident in him."

"Then I really want to see what he's made of." Wang Yanfeng was also curious, his gaze fixed tightly on the front.

At that moment, before the stone table.

Elder Chen did not begin the test immediately. Instead, he took out a thick register, picked up a brush, and asked, "Name?"

"Liu Yuan."

"Age?"

"Twelve."

"Martial Soul?"

"Double Pupil—my eyes, in other words." Liu Yuan pointed at his eyes.

"Double Pupil..." Elder Chen's brush paused slightly. He raised his head and carefully examined Liu Yuan's eyes, a sharp glint flashing through his own. "Not bad. Eyes are a high-tier Body Martial Soul. Now that the basic information has been recorded, let's begin the test."

As he spoke, Elder Chen took a transparent crystal ball from beneath the table and set it on the tabletop.

"Our Body Sect doesn't care for those flashy Soul Tools. This crystal ball may be old, but it is the most direct and accurate." Elder Chen pointed at the crystal ball. "Place your hand on it and inject your Soul Power."

"Yes."

Liu Yuan took a deep breath, stepped forward, and slowly extended his right hand, pressing it against the icy crystal ball.

Within his body, the long-dormant Soul Power surged forth like an awakened dragon, rushing through the meridians in his arm and pouring endlessly into the crystal ball.

Buzz—

In an instant, the originally dim crystal ball trembled violently. Then, a dazzling burst of white light flared to life!

The light was not blinding, but it was incredibly dense. It instantly filled the crystal ball's entire interior and continued spilling outward, as though it might burst the hard crystal apart!

Elder Chen, who had been casually recording the information, dropped his brush onto the table with a smack.

He shot to his feet and stared fixedly at the glowing crystal ball, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

This brightness... this purity...

"Tw... twenty-three?!"

Elder Chen's voice turned shrill with shock, echoing through the vast hall.

This was an excellent prospect!

He was only twelve, yet he was already level twenty-three!

Even Vina, who was the same age and had received the Body Sect's focused training since childhood, was only around this level now!

And Liu Yuan had not even received the Body Sect's focused training yet...

"What?! Level twenty-three?!"

Long Aotian and the others in the distance were equally dumbfounded.

Wang Yanfeng, who had just been speculating about Liu Yuan's strength, now had his mouth open wide enough to fit an egg inside. He stood frozen in place.

"Did I hear that right? Level twenty-three? That's incredible!" Chen Lü rubbed his ears hard, his face full of disbelief.

"Higher... higher than Vina?" Gu Tong murmured. The way he looked at Liu Yuan's back changed completely.

If they had previously regarded Liu Yuan as merely a somewhat talented "newcomer," their view of him had now changed entirely.

He was very likely to become one of the sect's key trainees, just like Vina and Long Aotian!

After all, a Soul Power Level of twenty-three at the age of twelve was already extraordinarily high!

Long Aotian gradually recovered from his shock as well.

When he looked at Liu Yuan again, his gaze held far greater regard.

He felt no jealousy, nor any displeasure at the other's excellence. Instead, a smile of meeting a worthy opponent appeared at the corner of his lips.

"Looks like I'll have another opponent in the Body Sect from now on."

"Mm... I just wonder whether he has the potential for a Gold Grade Second Awakening of his Martial Soul..."