The Inner Courtyard Awaits You

The twelve-year-old boy before him possessed far less soul power, yet his combat awareness and grasp of timing were so precise and seasoned that every strike landed exactly at the moment his old force had faded and his new force had yet to emerge.

Moreover, the coordination between those two was seamless; Wang Dong's interference was perfectly timed, Huo Yuhao's predictions were flawless, and Mu Chen's attacks always emerged from the most lethal angles.

This was not three students working together; this was a precision-engineered combat machine.

The incense had burned halfway down.

Song Teng took a deep breath, flames rippling across his dragon scales as his temperature climbed once more. He no longer viewed the three before him as students, but as genuine opponents.

"Be careful," he said in a low voice, then transformed into a streak of fire, lunging straight for Huo Yuhao.

He had realized that this boy with the Spirit Eye martial soul was the core hub of this machine. Take him down, and the machine would grind to a halt.

Huo Yuhao's pupils reflected the rapidly approaching fire, but he did not retreat.

Because he knew someone would come.

"First soul skill, Ocean's Fury."

Mu Chen's eyes turned crimson in an instant. With all attributes boosted by fifty percent, his soul power surged wildly through his meridians, and his long blue hair danced in the erupting momentum.

He took a step forward, the ground beneath his feet shattering as he intercepted Song Teng's path like an arrow released from a bow.

He swept his Trident horizontally, the soul power condensed on the blade forming a crescent-shaped blue light that sliced through the air and the flames, striking precisely along Song Teng's inevitable path.

Song Teng was forced to stop.

Because if he did not halt, his neck would collide with the blade before his fist could strike Huo Yuhao.

BOOM!

The blue light blade collided with the flaming dragon claw, and the resulting shockwave knocked Huo Yuhao to the ground, yet he remained uninjured; all the damage had been intercepted by Mu Chen's strike.

Mu Chen himself was faring poorly. The direct impact from a Soul Emperor left his entire right arm numb, and the Trident nearly slipped from his grasp. Yet, he gritted his teeth, steadied his stance, and instead of retreating, he pressed forward.

"Wang Dong!" he shouted.

Wang Dong had already appeared behind Song Teng.

The wings of the Radiant Goddess Butterfly fully unfurled, and her second soul skill activated once more, sending light butterflies raining down like a torrential storm.

This time, the butterflies were not merely a distraction; they clung to Song Teng's flames, light and fire intertwining with a piercing, screeching sound.

Song Teng's movements faltered.

Mu Chen's fourth soul ring lit up.

"Sea Dragon Soul."

A blue-gold radiance erupted from the Trident. A massive shadow of a deep-sea dragon roared forth from the weapon, the dragon's cry shaking the entire arena and causing leaves to flutter down from the trees lining the field.

This was a soul skill from a twelve-thousand-year Deep Sea Flood Dragon, one Mu Chen rarely used.

Because it was his strongest trump card.

The dragon shadow collided with the flames, causing the entire field to tremble.

Water vapor evaporated into a sea of white mist, completely swallowing the figures of the three. The observing students could see nothing, hearing only the roars, the clash of weapons, and Song Teng's earth-shaking dragon cry from within the fog.

Inside the white mist.

Song Teng's Blazing Fire Dragon stood in a standoff against the phantom of the deep-sea dragon, the two forces tearing at each other within the confined space.

His dragon claws held the blade of the Trident, a miniature war of fire and seawater unfolding in that tiny space.

Behind Mu Chen, Wang Dong's hand rested on his shoulder before he even realized it.

At that moment, their soul powers began to merge.

It was a sensation they were intimately familiar with; every night during their shared cultivation in the dormitory, their two distinct soul powers would flow through each other's meridians like two intertwined streams.

Yet now, under the pressure of battle, this fusion became more violent, more surging.

That door.

Mu Chen could feel it—the door that existed deep within their martial soul fusion. It was right there, heavy and ancient, with a heart-stopping light leaking through its cracks. If only he could push it open—

"Stop!"

Zhou Yi's voice pierced through the white mist.

The incense had burned out.

The white mist slowly dissipated.

In the center of the field, Song Teng's Blazing Fire Dragon true form had been dispelled; his academy uniform bore several small tears, and his breathing was slightly ragged.

Opposite him, Mu Chen knelt on one knee, bracing himself with the Trident and gasping for air.

Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao stood on either side of him, equally drenched in sweat, yet in all three pairs of eyes, there was not a hint of submission.

The field was so quiet one could hear a pin drop.

Then, Song Teng laughed.

It was the smile of a true powerhouse witnessing the formidable potential of the next generation—filled with a touch of amazement, a touch of gratification, and a hint of imperceptible relief that he had gone all out, for otherwise, he might truly have lost.

"Teacher Zhou," he said, turning to look at Zhou Yi, his voice filled with undisguised admiration, "these three students of yours are extraordinary."

Zhou Yi adjusted her glasses, uncharacteristically setting aside her usual cold expression. Her gaze lingered on Mu Chen for a moment before sweeping over Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao, finally settling back on Song Teng: "Well?"

"This kid," Song Teng pointed at Mu Chen, "his judgment of timing, his control over the battlefield's rhythm, and the seamless coordination with his teammates—even in the Inner Court, he wouldn't be considered weak. And,"

He paused, his expression turning serious: "Just now, in that final moment, I felt a much stronger power brewing. Although it didn't fully form, the sense of oppression was no weaker than some Martial Soul Fusion Skill I've seen."

Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

As these four words were spoken, the entire crowd erupted in an uproar.

Mu Chen stood up, retracted the Trident into his body, and cupped his hands toward Song Teng: "Thank you for the guidance, Teacher Song."

Song Teng waved his hand: "Don't give me that. I went all out; there was no holding back. If that Sea Dragon Soul of yours had been just a bit more ruthless, these old bones of mine might not have held up."

As he spoke, he reached out and patted Mu Chen on the shoulder, lowering his voice: "Train hard. I'll be waiting for you in the Inner Court."

With that, he nodded to Zhou Yi and turned to leave. His steps were light, showing no sign of having lost a battle—though, strictly speaking, he hadn't been defeated. Yet, as a Spirit Emperor, being pushed by three students with far inferior spirit power to the point of using his sixth spirit ability was, in a sense, a defeat in itself.

Zhou Yi walked over to the three of them.

"A beautiful win," she said, her tone as flat as if she were commenting on the weather. "But don't get arrogant. Although Teacher Song is a Spirit Emperor, he specializes in attack rather than control. If he were a Control-type Spirit Emperor, your coordination wouldn't have gone so smoothly."

Mu Chen nodded: "Understood."

"Also," Zhou Yi's gaze fell on the wound on the web of Mu Chen's right hand, where blood was still seeping out, "go to the infirmary and get that treated."

The words came out a bit awkwardly, but Mu Chen understood—she was concerned for him.

"Thank you, Teacher Zhou," he said.

Zhou Yi gave a grunt of acknowledgment, turned, and walked toward the other groups to begin arranging the next round of sparring practice.

Wang Dong plopped down onto the ground, staring up at the sky, gasping for air.

Her butterfly wings had already been retracted into her body, and her powder-blue short hair was dampened by sweat, sticking to her forehead. In her disheveled state, she looked indescribably cute.