One Sword Breaks All Laws! Ultimate Destruction!

"Alright, Teacher."

Bai Yuan nodded and walked to the open space in the center of the room.

Leng Yaozhu gave the steward beside her a meaningful look.

Understanding, the steward turned and tapped several controls on the Soul Guidance Screen. A finely crafted soul guidance device slowly rose from the floor.

A fist-sized crystal orb was embedded in its metal base, surrounded by six silvery-white pillars. Each one emitted faint fluctuations of Soul Power.

"This is the Spirit Pagoda's specialized soul skill testing device," the steward explained. "Once activated, it will simulate a real combat environment. Young Master Bai Yuan, please stand in the center."

Bai Yuan did as instructed and took his place between the six pillars.

Leng Yaozhu stood to one side with her arms folded, her gaze fixed on Bai Yuan.

Let her see.

Whether this wager on the Unyielding Soul Spirit was worth it.

She hoped he would not disappoint her.

"Begin," she said coolly.

The steward pressed the activation button.

Buzz!!!

The six pillars lit up at once. Silvery-white light poured out like flowing water, instantly swallowing the entire room.

Bai Yuan felt his vision blur as the scene around him began to twist and shift.

The next second, he froze.

Soft earth lay beneath his feet, ancient trees blotted out the sky overhead, and the air was filled with the damp scent of grass and wood.

The low growls of unknown Soul Beasts echoed in the distance, while sunlight filtered through layers of leaves and cast mottled shadows across the ground.

The Star Dou Forest.

Bai Yuan looked around and could not help sighing inwardly.

What simulation was this? They had practically moved the entire Star Dou Forest here!

Every blade of grass, every tree, every ray of light, every shadow—even the scent in the air—was terrifyingly real.

On a distant treetop, a ten-year Phoenix-Tailed Cockscomb Serpent was preening its feathers. Its movements and mannerisms were exactly like those of a real one.

As expected of the Spirit Pagoda.

This technology was incredible.

"The test target will appear in ten seconds." The steward's voice came from the void, devoid of emotion. "Young Master Bai Yuan, please prepare yourself."

Bai Yuan withdrew his gaze, took a deep breath, and slowly clenched his right hand.

Ten seconds.

Nine seconds.

Eight seconds.

He closed his eyes and felt the Soul Power circulating within his body.

Dawnmaker trembled gently in the void. The Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff Soul Spirit emerged at his side, its golden fur drifting in the wind as fighting intent burned within its vertical pupils.

Three seconds.

Two seconds.

One second.

Bai Yuan suddenly opened his eyes.

Thirty meters ahead, a massive black shadow burst from the forest.

It was a pitch-black Thousand-Year Shadow Leopard. Its body flitted through the shadows like a ghost, moving so quickly that only an afterimage remained.

A Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

The corners of Bai Yuan's mouth lifted slightly.

Perfect timing.

"Dawnmaker!"

He raised his right hand, and the sword blade condensed from the void.

Golden patterns flowed across the cicada-wing-thin blade like water, while the phantom of the Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff roared within the swordlight.

His first Soul Ring lit up.

A dazzling purple ring rose from beneath Bai Yuan's feet and slowly revolved around his body.

Purple—the mark of a Thousand Year Soul Ring.

The instant the Soul Ring lit up, the glow on Dawnmaker suddenly exploded!

Golden sword energy surged forth like a tide, forming a massive sword phantom that shot into the sky!

Within the sword phantom, the Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff's silhouette threw back its head and howled.

"Roar!!!"

The soundwave erupted like thunder, shaking the entire simulated forest.

The Thousand-Year Shadow Leopard's charging body suddenly stalled, as though something had pinned it in place.

It was a shudder that arose from the depths of its soul—the pressure of the Unyielding Soul Spirit, the absolute suppression that the Ancient Mastiff King's bloodline exerted over ordinary Soul Beasts.

Bai Yuan gave it no chance to react.

He stomped the ground and shot forward like an arrow.

Dawnmaker carved a golden arc through the air.

"First Soul Skill—Stride to Deliverance!"

It dealt physical damage equal to 100% of his own attack power to the enemy!

With the Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff's amplification effect added in, that final 100% became a ridiculous 300%!

When he had first discovered this Soul Skill, had he not thought that it was Xiao Bai's skill?

Then did that mean the Core Flame worked the same way?

And that Calamity Form???

Holy crap! If this move did not one-shot the Twelve God Kings, he would eat his words!

The sword fell.

Carrying an aura of ultimate Destruction, the golden sword radiance tore through the air before it and lunged at the Shadow Leopard with incomparably sharp momentum!

Boom!!!

With a deafening blast, the Shadow Leopard's body was swallowed by the golden sword radiance.

When the light faded, only a deep trench remained on the ground, stretching from Bai Yuan's feet all the way to thirty meters away.

The Thousand-Year Shadow Leopard had already turned into specks of light and dissipated into the air.

One-shot kill!!!

The Simulation System's prompt sounded:

[Target destroyed. Continue to the next stage of testing?]

[No additional options detected. Test concluded!]

The surrounding scenery began to twist and fade. The illusion of the Star Dou Forest receded like a tide, revealing the room's original walls and ceiling.

Bai Yuan stood where he was, Dawnmaker trembling softly in his hand.

He took a deep breath to calm the surging Soul Power within him, then turned to look at Leng Yaozhu.

"Teacher, how was that?"

Leng Yaozhu did not answer immediately.

Her eyes remained fixed on the streams of data flashing across the Soul Guidance Screen. Something flickered deep within her crimson pupils.

The steward stared at the screen beside her, his mouth wide enough to fit an egg inside. After a long while, he finally squeezed out a sentence. "Th-this data..."

Leng Yaozhu raised her hand, signaling for him to be silent.

Her gaze moved away from the screen and settled on Bai Yuan.

That gaze was more complicated than ever before.

There was satisfaction, surprise, and a trace of shock that even she herself had not noticed.

A Thousand Year Soul Ring.

The power of his first Soul Skill rivaled the third or even fourth Soul Skill of an ordinary Soul Master.

And—

Leng Yaozhu narrowed her eyes.

She had seen it clearly. Bai Yuan's sword strike just now had not relied solely on the power of his Soul Skill.

There was Dawnmaker's innate sharpness, the strength enhancement of the Golden-Haired Mastiff, and Bai Yuan's own control over the rhythm of battle.

The three had blended together seamlessly.

This was not something one could achieve through talent alone.

This child's understanding of combat far surpassed that of others his age.

Leng Yaozhu slowly spoke. Her voice was calm, yet carried undeniable certainty.

"Not bad."

She walked up to Bai Yuan, lowered her head to look at him, and curled her lips slightly.

"Much better than I expected."

Bai Yuan grinned. "I didn't disappoint you, did I, Teacher?"

Leng Yaozhu did not answer directly.

She turned and walked toward the door. After taking two steps, she stopped and spoke without looking back.

"I know how you should be trained from now on."

Bai Yuan was stunned. "What direction?"

Leng Yaozhu turned her head and glanced at him, her gaze sharp.

"Extreme assault. Ultimate Destruction!"

"The sharpness of Dawnmaker, combined with the power of the Unyielding Soul Spirit.

You do not need defense, control, or any flashy tricks."

She paused, enunciating each word.

"You only need one sword to break all laws."

Bai Yuan stared at her blankly, then slowly tightened his grip on Dawnmaker.

One sword to break all laws.

Wasn't that exactly suited to Xiao Bai's physical Destruction Path character?

And within the [Worldbearing Coreflame], he had seen a faint light beginning to burn.

What was this?