"First group, begin!"
After watching the first pair walk into the Beast Fighting Arena, Zhou Yi glanced back at Yang Jian. Her expression grew complicated as she walked over to him.
"Yang Jian, what age of Soul Beast do you want to use for your practical training?"
For someone like Yang Jian, who could defeat her head-on, a thousand-year Soul Beast clearly wouldn't be much of a challenge. He could handle one with ease, which would defeat the purpose of practical training. That was why Zhou Yi had come to ask what he had in mind.
The age of the Soul Beast...
Yang Jian furrowed his brow and thought it over carefully for a moment. "A forty- or fifty-thousand-year Soul Beast."
At those words, the other students in the viewing area drew in sharp breaths.
They were still trying to figure out how they could team up to beat a thousand-year Soul Beast, while Yang Jian was already planning to face a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast alone?
And not just any Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, either. This one would have nearly fifty thousand years of cultivation!
Yang Jian's existence had taught them a profound truth: sometimes, the gap between people was even greater than the gap between a person and a Soul Beast.
Yang Jian was simply... inhuman!
"Forty or fifty thousand years? There are Soul Beasts like that in the Beast Enclosure, but..."
Zhou Yi froze, then began speaking without thinking. But halfway through, she stopped.
A Soul Beast with forty or fifty thousand years of cultivation was roughly equivalent to a Soul Saint-level powerhouse. Of course, some of the monstrous students in Shrek Academy's Inner Court could also fight one with their Soul Emperor cultivation.
Since Yang Jian could defeat her, it was only natural that he wanted to choose a Soul Beast of that level for practical training.
But a first-year student challenging a Soul Beast with nearly fifty thousand years of cultivation was still a bit too shocking.
"You're only a three-ring Soul Elder, so the person in charge of the Beast Fighting Zone may not agree to your request. But I'll do my best to make the case for you. I can't guarantee how old the Soul Beast you end up facing will be."
Though Zhou Yi said this, she looked troubled.
If Yang Jian only wanted to train against a Soul Beast with ten thousand years of cultivation, then, for her husband Fan Yu's sake, the person in charge of the Beast Fighting Zone might agree.
But using a Soul Beast with forty or even fifty thousand years of cultivation required Elder Gong's permission. As an Level 8 Soul Engineer, her husband might have a little influence with Elder Gong, but not much.
It would take Xian Lin'er, the dean of the Soul Guidance Department, and Qian Duoduo to have a real chance.
All she could do was try her best.
Zhou Yi hurried off, while Ye Qingyuan immediately shot Yang Jian a worried look.
She knew that Yang Jian's strength was nowhere near proportional to his cultivation. But the strongest opponent he had beaten so far had only been a Soul Emperor. A Soul Beast at this level could only be defeated with any confidence by a Soul Saint who possessed a Martial Soul Avatar.
What's more, Soul Beasts were unlike humans. They had no reason at all, and if anything went wrong, even with the Beast Fighting Arena's supervisor watching over them, things could easily turn dangerous.
"Don't worry. I'm only going to give it a try and see where my limits are. If things look bad, I'll give up."
Yang Jian reassured Ye Qingyuan with a faint smile. "You should be careful, though."
"I'll be fine! Don't underestimate me!"
Ye Qingyuan lifted her little chin. "I'm a genius who's surpassed the optimal Soul Ring ratio, after all. A mere thousand-year Soul Beast? I can handle it with one hand!"
As she spoke, Ye Qingyuan even made a little grabbing gesture, looking especially adorable.
Of course, the real reason she looked adorable was that she had a face straight out of a top-tier character model.
Before long, Zhou Yi returned, accompanied by a tall, red-haired old man with a ruddy complexion. The old man looked extremely impatient.
The red-haired elder was Gong Changlong, the head of the Beast Fighting Arena. Even throughout all of Shrek Academy, his status was exceptional. Without his deep expertise in studying Soul Beasts, the entire Beast Fighting Zone would be unable to function.
Zhou Yi brought Gong Changlong over to Yang Jian. Before the red-haired elder could speak, she gave Yang Jian and Ye Qingyuan a meaningful look and spoke first.
"This is Elder Gong, the head of our Beast Fighting Zone."
At her words, Yang Jian and Ye Qingyuan stood and gave him a respectful bow. "Greetings, Elder Gong."
But Gong Changlong clearly wasn't one to be swayed by courtesy. Hot-tempered as he was, he spoke bluntly. "You're the kid who wants practical training against a Soul Beast with forty thousand years of cultivation? You're just a three-ring Soul Elder. Do you even know what a Soul Beast with forty thousand years of cultivation represents? The Beast Fighting Zone isn't a place for you to fool around!"
Gong Changlong had been in a foul mood lately.
He'd been studying how to artificially breed different subspecies of the same species of Soul Beast in the Beast Enclosure, and the experiments weren't going well. If Zhou Yi hadn't begged him so earnestly—and vouched for Yang Jian with her young husband, an Level 8 Soul Engineer—he wouldn't have come all this way.
Before Yang Jian could answer, Gong Changlong gave a cold snort. His figure suddenly blurred, and he struck at Yang Jian's face with his palm.
Zhou Yi's expression changed slightly, but she quickly understood.
Elder Gong only wanted to test Yang Jian's strength. He wouldn't use his full power, and Yang Jian was strong enough to handle this kind of test.
Yang Jian's figure suddenly flashed to the side. Xiao Bai in his arms immediately turned fierce, but didn't leap out. She only glared at Gong Changlong with a threatening look.
The next moment, a tremendous force of suction suddenly surged from Gong Changlong's fan-like palm. A terrifying heat radiated through the pull.
To Gong Changlong's surprise, Yang Jian wasn't dragged toward him by the suction. The air around Yang Jian rippled like water.
A gentle, warm sensation instantly spread outward from Yang Jian's body. But his next move once again caught Gong Changlong off guard.
Facing Gong Changlong's scorching palm, Yang Jian had already dodged and resisted the pull. Instead of immediately putting distance between them, he clenched his fist and swung straight at him!
The ripples began to shudder violently.
The gentle warmth vanished in an instant, replaced by an endless vastness!
Canglan Fist!
A flicker of surprise crossed Gong Changlong's face. His impatience quietly faded, and interest rose in his eyes.
He wanted to see just what this kid was capable of!
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