Don't Say It—I Won't Remember Anyway

The lowest grade of this Soul Tool was Level 5.

It required the Sun Moon Empire's specialty, Golden Crystal, as a medium, and could generate astonishing defensive power for a short period.

However, it required at least Soul King-level Soul Power to activate.

Jiang Nannan's Fourth Soul Skill naturally had no such restriction, and its effect was even stronger.

As the time drew closer,

Sun Moon Academy was also preparing for the Continental Youth Soul Master Tournament.

The matches the students participated in every month could earn them points. Once they reached a certain standard, they would be eligible for a substitute position in the tournament.

Xu Tinglan stood at the top of the rankings.

After participating in only a few matches, Snow Empress declared that she had lost interest.

Lin Jiayi was more than happy with that.

On the competition stage, aside from Xu Tinglan, no one dared face Snow Empress.

A flurry of snow fell, and the student collapsed with serious injuries.

Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen, and Jiang Nannan ranked second, third, and fourth respectively.

The gap between the latter two mainly lay in their Soul Power and Martial Souls. When it came to the strength of their Soul Skills, Jiang Nannan was unquestionably superior.

Inside the cafeteria.

The four of them sat in a private room on the second floor.

A lavish lunch was spread across the table, the aroma of meat whetting their appetites.

Within the Sun Moon Empire,

it was forbidden to privately hunt Soul Beasts merely to satisfy one's appetite.

Commoners also had the right to awaken Martial Souls, and there were simply too many Soul Masters. Without restraint, Soul Beasts would soon be hunted to extinction.

Thus, Soul Beast meat remained exorbitantly priced.

Seven plates of Shanyang Dragon Bone Stew sat before Xu Tinglan.

He had eaten every last bite.

Xu Tinglan set the napkin he had used to wipe his mouth aside and looked at the other three.

"With substitute qualifications, we can challenge the senior students of Mingde Hall and even contend for starting positions."

Xiao Hongchen rubbed his hands together, eagerness written all over his face.

"That's right."

"They may be five years older than us, but their Soul Power isn't much higher than ours."

Meng Hongchen withdrew her gaze from the young man and pondered briefly.

"It may not be that easy."

"As far as I know, we're definitely stronger than Li Yan and his group, but the seven of them have worked together for a long time. Team battles require coordination."

The corners of Xu Tinglan's lips lifted slightly.

"Then we'll make them speechless with our strength."

"No matter how good their coordination is, a weakness is still a weakness."

The others were also filled with fighting spirit upon hearing that.

That was right.

As long as they performed well enough, the remaining four months would be enough to temper a new team's coordination.

"Then let's challenge them!"

They immediately put words into action.

Xiao Hongchen picked up pen and paper and swiftly wrote a challenge application.

After leaving the cafeteria,

he submitted it to a Mingde Hall teacher.

Mingde Hall's tournament contestants were also within Sun Moon Academy.

They knew this period was immensely important and that they needed to stay at the academy and hone their teamwork.

Sometimes,

when the gap in strength was not great, coordination was the key factor that determined victory or defeat.

Inside the enormous Fighting Arena, the spectator stands were completely empty.

Elder Ma stood to one side, his expression calm.

To his right

stood a tall young man. Compared with an ordinary person's proportions, his head was slightly too large, making him look somewhat strange.

The young man stepped forward.

"Ma Rulong, Level 63 Combat Soul Emperor, Level 6 Melee and Ranged Dual-Path Soul Engineer."

At nineteen, he was already a peak Level 6 Soul Engineer. After entering a state of emptiness, he could even craft Level 7 Soul Tools beyond his rank.

Such talent placed him among the very best even within Mingde Hall.

The academy's assessment was that

if not for Xu Tinglan and Xiao Hongchen, Ma Rulong would have been the finest Soul Engineer in a century.

His talent even surpassed Xuan Ziwen's.

He looked toward Xiao Hongchen with a teasing glint in his eyes.

After the young man,

another student stepped forward.

He was powerfully built, standing there like a wall.

The young man's voice was rough, and his introduction was equally concise.

"Mika, Level 57 Combat Soul Master, Level 5 Heavy Armor Greatsword Soul Engineer."

The next to step forward was also a male student.

The young man was slightly plump, with a constant smiling expression that made him seem like an easygoing, good-natured fellow.

"Xiao Xiafeng, Level 55 Support System Soul King, Level 5 Soul Guidance Turret Soul Master."

Xu Tinglan stood on the left.

He carefully examined the man.

As a Food System Soul Master, he had still cultivated to Level 55 and become a Level 5 Soul Engineer before the age of twenty.

Such talent would not pale even beside Shrek's finest.

The only question was whether he had taken any medicinal drugs.

The fourth official member was also a male student.

He had a well-proportioned build and even looked somewhat thin.

"Chen Fei, Level 56 Agility Attack System Combat Soul King, Level 5 Ranged Soul Engineer."

The person behind him looked quite similar to him. They were clearly biological brothers.

"Chen An, Level 54 Agility Attack System Combat Soul King..."

Just as Chen An prepared to continue his introduction, he was interrupted by a sudden remark.

Xiao Hongchen raised a hand to cover his mouth.

He yawned, then looked sleepily at the remaining people.

"No need for introductions. I won't remember them even if you give them."

He pulled his hat down over his face.

The corners of his lips curled upward, while a trace of condescending arrogance lurked deep in his eyes.

The moment those words came out,

Ma Rulong and the others' expressions immediately changed, their faces darkening frighteningly.

Although Xiao Hongchen did not seem to be targeting Ma Rulong specifically,

they were a collective. Showing no respect to his teammates meant showing no respect to Ma Rulong.

Moreover, he knew perfectly well who this was truly aimed at.

The remaining three had fury in their eyes.

As the top seven students of Mingde Hall's current generation, every one of them was exceptionally gifted and accustomed to endless praise.

Yet they were being looked down upon so openly by reserve team students.

Chen An took a deep breath.

"It seems we need to teach you what it means to respect your seniors."

"Don't think taking a few drugs gives you the right to look down on everyone."

Xiao Hongchen laughed heartily.

"Drugs?"

"Everyone, are you introducing yourselves?"

Xu Tinglan and Jiang Nannan exchanged a glance, understanding what the other meant.

That was right.

This was the real Xiao Hongchen.

The person who always livened the mood around them and seemed easygoing and approachable.

At heart, he was actually an unruly, arrogant young man who looked down on everyone.

On closer thought, that was not necessarily a bad thing.

As long as he did not beat someone up for no reason, then act innocent afterward and shove the blame onto everyone else.

Not to mention,

from what Xiao Hongchen said, it seemed that he and Ma Rulong had some old grudge from long ago.

Elder Ma coughed.

He stepped in to stop them.

"Enough. You'll be teammates in the future. There's no point arguing now. Let your strength speak for itself."

After those verbal provocations,

there was no longer any intention to continue the introductions.

The atmosphere between both sides was tense and explosive.

The Sun Moon main team members all wore dark expressions, and they found Xu Tinglan's group of three unpleasant to look at as well.

The match rules were simple.

It was still a one-on-one challenge, with substitutes competing against the main team members before spending the remaining four months building teamwork.

To form a truly powerful team.

Under normal circumstances, substitutes would certainly not be qualified to challenge the main team members, but this year had produced several exceptions.

Even the senior students of Mingde Hall had heard some of the rumors spreading through the academy.