Jiang Huai walked forward, holding "Jiang Ling." A shimmering, shifting glow of sword energy rippled across the blade.
The moment Ning Rongrong saw the sword, she remembered a book Sword Grandpa had once shown her. It had contained a picture of this very sword, with a description beneath it explaining that the sword was a treasured heirloom of the Jiang Kingdom, a vassal state of the Star Luo Empire.
Jiang Huai didn't say a word. He charged straight at Zhao Wuji, who smirked and struck out at him.
But Jiang Huai dodged with a nimble movement, then thrust his sword into Zhao Wuji's lower back. The pain contorted Zhao Wuji's face.
Zhao Wuji realized Jiang Huai meant to kill him. Enraged, he immediately unleashed his Seventh Soul Skill.
The commotion drew a crowd of people from the first, second, and third trials. The teachers overseeing those trials all released their Soul Skills and rushed over. Even Oscar, who had been selling sausages, stopped and ran into the academy without even bothering to take his stall with him.
Jiang Huai slashed at Zhao Wuji again and again, and cracks even appeared in Zhao Wuji's Martial Soul Avatar.
Zhao Wuji was astonished. He hurriedly channeled Soul Power to repair it. He was a dignified, seventy-sixth-level Battle Soul Saint, yet a Soul Elder was beating him down. It was humiliating.
When Jiang Huai saw that all the sword marks he had carved into Zhao Wuji had healed, he switched tactics. A hand cannon appeared in his right hand. Tang San tried to stop him, but Jiang Huai's imposing aura forced him back.
Jiang Huai raised his hand and began charging Deadly Void. Seeing this, the onlookers immediately recognized it. "An offensive Soul Tool!"
Zhao Wuji realized something was wrong and bolted, but he was too late. A cannon blast rang out. Zhao Wuji turned and caught the projectile in his palm.
But that was an incredibly foolish thing to do. The projectile Jiang Huai fired contained a highly potent poison concocted by Tang San.
Zhao Wuji realized this the moment he touched it. He angrily cursed, "Damn it!" as the poison began eating away at his hand.
Jiang Huai pressed his advantage, flicking his sword up to lift Zhao Wuji off the ground before kicking him away. Then he followed with a slash, chanting, "Tianji Peak, Breaking Thousand Armies Roar; with one sword, I once faced a million troops!"
Terrifying sword energy gathered around the blade in Jiang Huai's hand. Then he brought it down. To save his life, Zhao Wuji blocked with his right palm, forcibly shifting his position.
The price was Zhao Wuji's right pinky finger. It was indeed severed by Jiang Huai's sword.
Jiang Huai held his sword to Zhao Wuji's throat. Zhao Wuji swallowed, a bead of cold sweat forming on his forehead.
"Did we pass?"
Jiang Huai asked out of the blue. Zhao Wuji glanced at the sword, held fifteen centimeters from his neck, swallowed again, and nodded. "Yes. You've been accepted."
At that, Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing cheered. Tang San finally smiled again, and everyone relaxed.
In the shadows, Tang Hao was dumbfounded to see Jiang Huai overpower a Soul Saint despite being only a Soul Elder. He wondered whether he should give Jiang Huai some pointers on using his Second Martial Soul.
Soon, night fell over Douluo Continent. Zhao Wuji and the two teachers, Li Yusong and Shao Xin, stood in the dean's office.
Flender looked at the bandage wrapped around Zhao Wuji's right pinky and sighed. "Wuji, do you know who that boy is?"
Zhao Wuji asked angrily, "Who?"
Flender replied gravely, "The Jiang Kingdom."
Flender didn't say anything else. He only uttered two words: "You've met." He hoped his old friend would catch on.
At the mention of the Jiang Kingdom, Zhao Wuji immediately remembered what had happened more than ten years ago. When Jiang Liuyu, ruler of the Jiang Kingdom, discovered his son was missing, he sent all seven hundred thousand of his troops to search for him.
Once they picked up the trail, the army began its pursuit, led personally by Jiang Liuyu. When they chased their target into Heaven Dou Empire territory, war broke out. The Balak Kingdom had nearly been flattened by the Jiang Kingdom's three hundred thousand cavalry back then.
And the Jiang Kingdom had far more soldiers than that mere army of seven hundred thousand. It was said that if the ruler gave the order, millions of people across the country could take up arms and march to war. Under the previous ruler, the Jiang Kingdom had nearly become an empire.
If the Star Luo Empire hadn't paid an enormous price, it would never have brought the Jiang Kingdom under its control as a vassal state.
The notebook Zhao Wuji's father left behind after his death had said that the Jiang Kingdom was an undisputed power. The Zhao clan had once been part of the Jiang Kingdom, too.
Zhao Wuji swallowed. "I've heard the current ruler of the Jiang Kingdom, Jiang Liuyu, is known as the most vengeful ruler of all?"
Flender stood, opened the window, and gazed outside. His expression grave, he said, "Ask her yourself."
With that, Flender, Shao Xin, and Li Yusong left the office, leaving Zhao Wuji alone, his heart pounding.
Zhao Wuji glanced at the doorway, then turned toward the dean's seat. A woman was now sitting there, with Tang Hao beside her in a black robe.
Jiang Yi toyed with the Longyuan Sword, now reduced to a tiny size in her hand. The moment Zhao Wuji saw it, he guessed Jiang Huai's identity. He had initially planned to take revenge later, but now it seemed he was either going to die today or be left disabled.
Jiang Yi said nothing. She simply sat in silence, looking at the sword in her hand. The quiet in the office made Zhao Wuji uneasy. Jiang Yi was beautiful, but he still didn't dare meet her eyes.
That was how the Jiang Kingdom's royal family operated: whenever a junior went out, a Titled Douluo was sure to follow behind them. It was how they kept the younger generation safe.
Who in Douluo Continent could stand against the Jiang Kingdom's Titled Douluos? Back then, Jiang Huai's great-grandfather had nearly split the entire continent in two with a single sword strike.
Zhao Wuji dropped to his knees and pressed his forehead to the ground, his voice full of fear. "This commoner, Zhao Wuji, pays his respects to Your Highness, Princess."
Jiang Yi nodded and spoke in a cool voice. "I heard you were quite the bully this afternoon. You even knocked your royal sister-in-law unconscious."
Zhao Wuji hurriedly explained that it had only been an entrance examination. Jiang Yi let out a cold laugh. "An examination? Which intermediate Soul Master Academy—no, which advanced Soul Master Academy—would have a Soul Saint use his full strength for an examination? Do you think I'm stupid?"
"Your Highness, this commoner wouldn't dare."
Tang Hao barked, "Wouldn't dare? You already did!"
Zhao Wuji hurriedly kowtowed. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Your Highness, this commoner won't dare do it again!"
Tang Hao dragged Zhao Wuji outside and gave him a sound beating, then brought him back to the office to continue the interrogation.
The wounds Zhao Wuji had just bandaged began to bleed again. He could only press down hard on his severed right pinky.
Jiang Yi brushed aside the loose hair over her forehead and said, "You may have the power to be arrogant, but before the Jiang Kingdom's royal family, you're nothing. And you—keep your head down around my younger brother. Don't reveal his identity, or the Jiang Kingdom's royal family will hunt you down. Oh, and my younger brother is the heir to the throne."
With that, Jiang Yi vanished. Tang Hao glanced at Zhao Wuji, still kneeling on the ground, and left.
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