First Assessment, Complete

Gu Tian walked slowly into the center of the arena.

With every step he took, the surrounding air seemed to grow heavier. The pressure radiating from the depths of his soul left everyone present feeling a sense of suffocation. Xiao Chenyu, feeling as if he had been granted a reprieve, retreated into the crowd with a deathly pale complexion.

"If this is the extent of your binding, I suggest you cripple your own martial soul now to avoid further embarrassment."

Gu Tian looked up at Tang San, a nine-colored divine light flashing briefly in his eyes.

"BOOM!"

A supreme, imperial pressure erupted from Gu Tian as the epicenter.

Behind Gu Tian, a majestic nine-colored dragon shadow flickered into existence. Dark golden dragon scales faintly emerged on his arms, and his muscles bulged, radiating a raw, violent beauty.

The absolute suppression originating from the Dragon God bloodline caused the Blue Silver Grass within Tang San's body to recoil in terror.

Tang San felt a crisis like never before. He discovered that under the lock of Gu Tian's aura, the circulation of his Mysterious Heaven Skill had become sluggish.

What... what is this? Why is my martial soul refusing to obey? Tang San was horrified.

He hesitated no longer. Since he could not compete in raw soul power, he would use the secret arts of the Tang Sect!

"Hundred Explanations of Tang Sect Hidden Weapon Techniques!"

Tang San once again utilized Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, circling Gu Tian at high speed to search for a fatal opening. His fingers brushed against the Twenty-Four Bridge Moonlit Night at his waist, his eyes glinting with ruthlessness.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Three streaks of black, icy light erupted from Tang San's sleeves. They were three poisoned sleeve arrows, flying in a triangular formation straight for Gu Tian's throat and eyes!

These arrows were incredibly vicious; not only were they fast, but they were also barbed. Once they pierced the flesh, even a god could not save the victim.

"Watch out for the hidden weapons, Brother Gu Tian!"

In the distance, Xiao Wu could not help but scream, her face turning deathly pale from extreme tension. She had thought this was just a normal sparring match, but she never imagined that Tang San would use such lethal, underhanded weapons against a fellow student in full view of everyone!

Looking at the purple-black light flickering on the arrowheads, a chill like none she had ever felt rose in Xiao Wu's heart.

To win... he actually wants to kill? Xiao Wu cried out in despair. How could such sinister and vicious methods belong to a six-year-old child? Gu Tian's previous conspiracy theories suddenly seemed so real and terrifying.

Gu Tian sneered. Under the lock of the Dragon God's consciousness, those hidden weapons—which appeared as fast as lightning to mortals—looked like snails crawling through mud to him.

Gu Tian shifted his body slightly, tilting his head back at a perilous angle. The three sleeve arrows flew past the tip of his nose, the cold wind they generated slicing off a few strands of his hair.

"Playing with such underhanded tricks?" Gu Tian's gaze turned icy, and his figure vanished from the spot.

So fast!

Tang San's pupils contracted violently. He hurriedly activated his Purple Demon Eye, his eyes turning a lustrous purple as he attempted to track Gu Tian's movement.

"There!"

Tang San dodged to the side, barely avoiding a heavy punch from Gu Tian that carried the force of wind and thunder. The fist struck an ancient tree; with a bone-jarring crash, the tree was snapped in two, wood splinters flying everywhere.

The two engaged in a frantic exchange in the forest. Tang San used the leverage of Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon, constantly trying to neutralize Gu Tian's monstrous strength. However, every punch Gu Tian threw carried nine-colored elemental fluctuations. Under the relentless pressure, the webbing between Tang San's thumb and forefinger split, blood dripping from his palms.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

A heavy stomp from Gu Tian shattered the rocks on the ground. Tang San was forced back repeatedly; he realized that his prideful hidden weapons and footwork were pale and powerless in the face of Gu Tian's pure, dimensional-level suppression.

"You wanted to see my martial soul, didn't you?" Gu Tian pressed the attack. "Then I'll let you see it clearly!"

Gu Tian's sweeping kick lashed out like an iron whip, creating a sharp sonic boom in the air. Tang San used all his strength to raise his arms in defense, pushing his Mysterious Heaven Skill to the limit as his Mysterious Jade Hand glowed with intense white light.

"CRACK!"

The crisp sound of bone fracturing was piercing in the silent mountain. Tang San let out a scream as he was kicked away, slamming heavily into a distant stone wall and triggering a landslide of rocks.

Tang San struggled to crawl out from the rubble, his right arm bent at a grotesque angle. He looked at the slowly approaching Gu Tian, a flash of extreme madness, resentment, and humiliation in his eyes.

He could not lose! If he lost here, his pride as a Tang Sect disciple would be shattered! And... Xiao Wu was watching him!

"You forced me to do this!"

Tang San roared in his heart. He forced himself to endure the excruciating pain, his eyes turning blood-red from congestion. He retracted the broken Blue Silver Grass, and all the soul power in his body surged toward his left hand.

A pitch-black little hammer slowly appeared in his left palm.

The hammer was entirely black, the handle about half a foot long, with faint dark patterns carved into the surface of the head.

The moment the little hammer appeared, the surrounding air became oppressive, and the plants in the mountain seemed to stop swaying.

"That is..."

In the distance, Xiao Wu froze the moment she saw the hammer, her pupils shrinking into vertical slits. Her instinct as a soul beast told her that it carried a lingering aura of plunder and bloodshed.

That was... the Clear Sky Hammer!

It was the most tyrannical tool-type martial soul on the continent, the totem of the Clear Sky Sect, and the martial soul of the enemy who had killed Ah Yin and caused her mother's fall!

"Tang Hao... Tang San..."

Xiao Wu's body trembled violently, every hair on her skin standing on end. She recalled every word Gu Tian had said to her by the Lake of Life. Those conspiracies regarding soul ring hunting now turned into the sharpest blades, piercing her heart until it was riddled with holes.

"San, you actually are surnamed Tang..." Xiao Wu's voice was as thin as a mosquito's, filled with endless disappointment and self-mockery.

She remembered the so-called sibling pact they had made on that cramped little bed, the smiles Tang San wore that seemed dull yet gentle, and the promise Tang San had made to her in the sea of flowers: "If one day many people want to capture you, and those people are ones I cannot defeat, I will make them step over my corpse!"

So, it was all just a play. For the sake of her soul ring, for the sake of her soul bone, this father and son had acted so realistically.

The bone-chilling cold of this betrayal left her unable to remain in that place for even a second longer.

The person before her was no longer the person of the past; as they looked at one another, only disappointment remained.

"Lady Gu Yue, take me away." Xiao Wu closed her eyes, two trails of clear tears sliding down her cheeks. "I don't want to watch anymore, and I... I never want to see that person again."

Gu Yue held Xiao Wu's trembling shoulders with a heart full of pity, casting a cold, disdainful glance at Tang San, who was currently brandishing his Clear Sky Hammer in the arena.

Gu Yue's voice was cool yet powerful. "Since he intended to deceive you, you no longer owe him anything. Stay, and Young Master will give you a true home, one without any deception."

In that moment, the final line of defense in Xiao Wu's heart collapsed completely. She took one last look at Tang San, who had become unrecognizable due to his jealousy, then turned away resolutely. Supported by Gu Yue, she vanished into the shadows of the woods.

At the center of the battlefield, Tang San had completely lost control.

"Die! Just die!"

Tang San growled, ignoring the injuries on his arms as he swung the Clear Sky Hammer frantically. With every swing, the surrounding gravity seemed to intensify.

"Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer!"

He exerted force through his feet, utilizing the power of his waist and hips to make the small black hammer in his hand faster with every strike. The power of each blow stacked continuously, whipping up waves of oppressive black light as he attempted to shatter Gu Tian's defense.

It was said that if the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer was practiced to its peak, one could swing it eighty-one times without pause, each strike building momentum for the final blow. Although Tang San's Clear Sky Hammer martial soul had no soul rings attached, the deterrent power of that five-hundred-pound hammer was still not to be underestimated.

However, Tang San's technique with the Clear Sky Hammer was far from proficient, and more importantly, he was facing Gu Tian. Gu Tian merely watched him coldly, his gaze like that of someone observing a clown.

"If you think this scrap metal can save your life, then you are gravely mistaken."

Gu Tian's right fist condensed once more with brilliant nine-colored divine light. Unlike Tang San, he did not choose complex maneuvers or leverage; instead, he met Tang San's mountain-splitting, rock-shattering hammer with the most domineering method possible, striking it head-on!

BOOM!

A terrifying ripple of soul power surged outward, and the senior students nearby were knocked flat by the shockwave.

Under the gaze of the crowd, the Clear Sky Hammer—reputed to be indestructible and the number one in the world—actually let out a groan of unbearable strain under Gu Tian's nine-colored iron fist. Dense cracks spread rapidly across its surface, and then, with a crisp, mournful sound, it shattered completely into specks of black light that filled the air.

Tang San was struck as if by lightning. His life-bound martial soul had suffered a devastating blow, and he spat out three mouthfuls of blood, collapsing limply to the ground with hollow eyes staring at the sky.

He had lost, and he had lost utterly.

"Little Tian, your First Trial of the Dragon God has just been completed."

In his mind, the voice of Ao Linxi, tinged with a hint of pride and relief, rang out, causing Gu Tian to pause slightly.

"It seems Xiao Wu is now bone-deep in her hatred for Tang San; that little one might even be crying in her dorm right now!" Gu Tian retracted his martial soul, not even glancing at Tang San, who lay on the ground like a dead dog. He took Na'er and departed gracefully amidst a deathly silence.

Night.

Inside Gu Tian's apartment, the light of the Soul Guidance Lamp spilled across the solid wood table, creating an exceptionally cozy atmosphere.

Gu Tian pushed open the door to see Xiao Wu sitting quietly by the bed. Her school uniform was still disheveled, her eyes were severely swollen and red, and her once-lively rabbit ears hung down limply.

Gu Tian sighed softly, walked over, and sat beside her without rushing to speak.

"Brother Gu Tian, am I very stupid?" Xiao Wu suddenly looked up, her voice hoarse. "I actually believed he would protect me for a lifetime. If you hadn't blocked that arrow today, if I hadn't seen that hammer... would I have really become his soul ring in the future?"

Gu Tian reached out and gently stroked her warm rabbit ears.

"That is not your fault. Hunters are always skilled at disguise, and a rabbit's kindness is not a sin. But I promise you, from this day forward, no one will ever treat you like a pawn again."

Gu Tian produced an exquisite food box from behind him.

"You haven't eaten yet, have you? I went into the city and brought you your favorite spicy carrots, and this." As if performing a magic trick, Gu Tian pulled out a necklace. The necklace was crafted from Dragon God Refined Gold and inlaid with a tiny ruby, emitting a faint and steady fluctuation of soul power.

"This is a gift for you, and also a token of our love."

Xiao Wu looked at the bright red carrots, then at the priceless necklace, and tears welled up in her eyes once more. But this time, the tears were not from the pain of betrayal, but from the warmth of being cherished.

"Thank you... Brother Gu Tian."

Xiao Wu took the carrots and allowed Gu Tian to fasten the necklace for her. Under his warm gaze, she revealed the first—and most radiant—smile she had shown in days.