Want to Trade Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone for a Shop

Three months passed in the blink of an eye.

For Lu Ran, every day was just an ordinary day.

Cultivation, blowing off steam...

But for the students under Zhou Yi, it was a different story.

Having not a single talented student in her class, she subjected them all to extreme training.

Almost every week, someone was expelled.

She made the students suffer both physical and psychological torture, to the point where some would have nightmares in the middle of the night.

It led to nervous breakdowns, and the next day, they would head to class with the heavy heart of someone attending a funeral.

Beside the Soul Fighting Zone of the Martial Soul Academy lay the Assessment Zone.

Unlike the Soul Fighting Zone, this was a flat, open space.

Groups were divided in the morning, and the assessment began in the afternoon.

A middle-aged man of about forty with an ordinary appearance walked into the center of the field with a beaming smile.

Even though he looked perfectly ordinary and amiable, in the eyes of some students, he was akin to an angel.

He made them feel a sense of genuine kindness and warmth from the bottom of their hearts, as if there was still hope left in this world.

"My name is Wang Yan, and I am your assessment teacher."

Wang Yan's gaze swept across the crowd, lingering on Lu Ran for a brief moment.

"The rules of the assessment are simple: it is a confrontation between teams. I believe you all know them, but I must remind you once more: intentionally maiming an opponent is strictly prohibited. Otherwise, I will have no choice but to ask you to leave."

The students present nodded.

Some were even moved to tears; to think there was actually a teacher who cared about their well-being...

Wang Yan keenly sensed the strange reactions of some students.

He raised an eyebrow, puzzled, but the assessment could not be halted.

He took out a record book, glanced at it, and looked up: "First round, first match of the assessment: Freshman Class One: Huo Yuhao, Chen Hu, Zhao Chen; Freshman Class Five: Lin Po, Gao Ying, Chu Sihu."

"We're the first ones?"

Huo Yuhao was stunned, looking at his teammates: the tall Agility-type Chen Hu and the sturdy Power-type Zhao Chen.

"Perfect!"

Chen Hu gave a confident smile and raised his fist.

His snow-white teeth shone dazzlingly in the sunlight.

"Let the others see the results of our training!"

"Right!"

"Let's go!"

After encouraging and cheering each other on, the three entered the arena.

Standing opposite them were also three male students.

They wore the standard green uniforms, standing together with the shortest in the middle and the taller ones on the sides.

The short one in the middle was a bit chubby and sported long brown hair.

If they were anywhere else, they might have stood out, but this was Shrek, a grand academy in a major city; such a combination was far too common.

Lost in a sea of students with all sorts of purple, yellow, and green hair, they were not eye-catching in the slightest.

For instance, among the three standing opposite them, the one on the far right had blue hair, and even his eyes were blue.

Wang Yan stepped back a few paces:

"Ready--"

"Begin!"

"Black Fox, possess!"

"Great Strength Savage Bear!"

"..."

In an instant, a series of yellow Soul Rings rippled outward.

Yet, among the several hundred-year Soul Rings, a single, translucent white ten-year Soul Ring was mixed in, appearing exceptionally conspicuous.

The students off-stage were not surprised.

Before a match, intelligence gathering was inevitable; even if one could not inquire into the finer details of other students, one could still grasp the generalities.

Moreover, as the record-breaking Level 11 freshman class monitor, he would naturally pique curiosity.

A golden glint emerged in Huo Yuhao's eyes as he unleashed his first Soul Ring: Spiritual Sharing.

"We cannot lose!"

"Wind Fox Break!"

"Yuhao, watch your right!"

After the intense battle, "..."

"..Huff... huff. We won...?"

"Huff... huff. Did we win?"

With half his uniform shredded and his chest throbbing with sharp pain, Huo Yuhao lay on the ground, staring at the last opponent to fall.

He looked around in bewildered disbelief.

Did we really win?

Wang Yan walked over with a smile and announced the result:

"Freshman Class 1: Huo Yuhao, Chen Hu, Zhao Chen, victorious."

"Oh!!!"

"We won!"

The three of them hugged, their sweat-drenched faces filled with immense excitement; even the intense pain could not dampen their celebration.

They waved their fists and cheered, "We won!"

Wang Yan watched the three of them with satisfaction.

"Congratulations, you may head down to rest now."

He had always been fond of hardworking students.

Under the clear blue sky, Huo Yuhao and his two teammates helped each other up and limped off the field.

The pain in their bodies persisted, but their smiles were radiant, and their spirits were exceptionally light.

"I truly never imagined a ten-year Soul Ring could have such an effect."

"It's a good thing I dodged that circle, otherwise I would've been finished."

Before they had walked very far, Huo Yuhao heard Wang Yan's voice from behind:

"First round, second match of the assessment: Freshman Class 9, Lu Ran and Wang Dong, versus Freshman Class 5, Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, and Cui Yajie."

The students outside the arena began to whisper among themselves.

"Only two people?"

"Aren't three people required to compete?"

"That Lu Ran seems to be very strong!"

"..."

"...?"

The smile on Huo Yuhao's face slowly froze.

He turned his head stiffly.

Seeing that familiar golden hair, that familiar build... that familiar...

Hatred!

"Mother, I'll help you hang the laundry..."

"Yuhao, be careful not to trip..."

"Beat him!"

"Young Master! It's my fault, Yuhao is still young... I beg you..."

Memories of the past surged forth like a tidal wave.

Huo Yuhao heard his mother's pleas in his ears... his own wailing...

His flushed face turned deathly pale in an instant.

...It was him... He was one of the murderers who killed his mother...

He killed his mother...

Killed his mother...

Huo Yuhao clenched his fists, his body trembling uncontrollably.

His deep blue eyes were suffused with a blood-like crimson...

"Yuhao, what's wrong?"

"Ah Hao?"

"Didn't you want to take the assessment alone?"

On the field, Lu Ran appeared calm and indifferent.

His gaze swept over the three people approaching him.

One man and two women; there was no need to identify them.

The man had a handsome but cold face, golden hair draped over his shoulders, heterochromatic pupils, and a broad chest; even in his school uniform, one could sense an air of nobility.

More conspicuous than that air of nobility was his detestable demeanor.

Lu Ran was no saint.

He had no desire to meddle in other people's business.

But he truly had no fondness for such arrogant and selfish petty people.

The black-haired girl on the left had a slender figure, her slim waist swaying along with her eye-catching long legs.

She walked like a cat.

Her pupils were slightly vertical, also possessing the same golden-blue heterochromatic eyes.

The girl on the right had long pink hair, a gentle appearance, and a smile as bright as spring sunshine.

She was also the only one whose face showed no hostility.

Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, Cui Yajie.

"What choice do I have? The academy wouldn't let me register alone,"

Wang Dong deliberately avoided looking at Lu Ran, putting some distance between them as she spoke.

Sensing Lu Ran's scrutinizing gaze, Dai Huabin's skin twitched. He met the cold gaze head-on, his lips curling in a stubborn sneer.

Whether it was Lu Ran's reputation, attitude, or his eyes, he loathed them all intensely.

Lu Ran could feel Dai Huabin's emotions, but it didn't matter.

What could a conceited little Soul Elder possibly do?

Wang Yan stood at the edge of the field:

"Prepare—

Begin!"

Before the words had even faded, Dai Huabin and the other two scattered instantly.

The three of them naturally knew that Lu Ran could manipulate stone pillars or stone spikes to attack, so how could they possibly give him the chance?

Before they had even landed, Dai Huabin let out a loud shout: "White Tiger Possession!"

Three Soul Rings—yellow, yellow, and purple—surged forth. His figure instantly expanded to twice its size, his muscles popping and cracking, and his school uniform was ripped to shreds.

His golden hair transformed into black and white.

His hands morphed into sharp tiger claws.

The moment his feet touched the ground, he launched a charge.

"White Tiger—Vajra Transformation!"

His ice-blue and golden eyes suddenly flared, his speed surging as he lunged toward Lu Ran.

I will make you pay the price!

Zhu Lu also activated her Spirit Cat possession, her ear tips elongating and her figure becoming lithe as two Soul Rings shimmered around her.

Cui Yajie transformed from a young girl into a mature woman.

Her smooth pink hair turned into voluminous waves, radiating allure.

"Hey, they're coming!"

Wang Dong's dreamlike butterfly wings fluttered behind her, dodging Zhu Lu's attack; seeing that Lu Ran hadn't moved at all, she hurriedly issued a warning.

She knew that Lu Ran had been able to instantly defeat the upperclassman Xu Sanshi years ago and possessed immense strength.

Yet, she still couldn't help but worry.

Seeing himself being ignored, veins bulged on Dai Huabin's forehead, and a fierce glint erupted in his angry eyes:

"White Tiger Intense Light Wave!"

A beam of white energy erupted from his tiger maw:

"Get lost!"