99.99% Pure Ice Marrow, Your Purity Is Beneath Mine!!!!

"Should I say, as expected of the Body Sect's young master?"

Xu Qing looked at Xiao Meng. The latter didn't understand the implication, so she simply gave him a wink, which made his face darken.

"Relax, we're on the same side. I just scanned this data; I couldn't help it, this soul tool has been running and I forgot to turn it off."

"No outsiders will know."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Meng realized what happened and stuck out her tongue in embarrassment.

Heh, she even knows how to act cute?

Lin Jiayi walked in the lead and continued:

"In order to secure more research funding, the Hall Master promised the imperial family that we would win the Soul Master Tournament in a year. To achieve this goal..."

"The Hall Master has poured his heart and blood into this, trading for vital resources like protein powder and cultivation potions from the Body Sect."

"He even paid a painful price to ensure there would be no mistakes, just to bring you in as an outside reinforcement."

"The Hall Master's dedication is as clear as the Sun Moon."

Xu Qing was a bit puzzled. Wait, why is the story inconsistent? Wasn't this just a last-minute idea after the academy establishment failed?

And now it's a "painful price" to hire an outside reinforcement? Also, what kind of price did you actually pay...?

Jing Hongchen: You have to lose a calf to catch a cow; do you think this is easy for me?!

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes. His high intellect allowed him to form a hypothesis from these scattered clues and fragments of speech.

Xiao Meng, however, didn't notice anything amiss. She picked up where Lin Jiayi left off, adding:

"Brother Xu, the assessment arena is just ahead. The specific process for the grade-skipping assessment is as follows."

"You must use a soul tool you crafted yourself, or rely solely on your personal strength, to battle a senior student."

"Victory or a draw counts as passing, but in reality, it is extremely rare for a freshman to pass this assessment!"

"That's why everyone has given this assessment a nickname—the Position-Swapping Blood Battle."

"Oh? A blood battle..."

Xu Qing became interested. He had assumed it would just be a walk in the park to crush some weaklings, but it seemed things weren't as he had imagined.

"That's not entirely accurate, but it's not entirely inaccurate either."

The group finally walked through the long corridor and arrived at the arena.

Lin Jiayi looked at the melancholy young man holding a sword on the stage and signaled that this was Xu Qing's opponent.

"Ji Juechen, twenty-four years old, a Level 6 Soul Engineer of Mingde Hall, a Level 67 Battle Soul Emperor. Your condition for passing the assessment is to hold out against him for the duration of one incense stick."

The short, stout middle-aged man folded his chubby arms, his gaze shifting between the two.

Although I don't understand why the Hall Master wants to make things so difficult for you, there is no need to understand!

We firmly support every decision the Hall Master makes, and we unwaveringly back every instruction he gives!!

Mingde Hall, loyalty!!!

"Get up there, Xu Qing."

The young man had long black hair simply tied back with a ribbon, and his complexion looked unhealthily pale.

Yet, he was exceptionally handsome; his eyes, however, looked dull and colorless, and even his movements as he walked appeared sluggish.

In his hand, he held a four-foot-long, pitch-black sword. The style of the sword was primitive, with no discernible features.

At first glance, it looked no different from a fire poker.

However... Xu Qing clearly noticed that the arm the man used to hold the sword was covered in dense, tiny needle marks.

This guy... he's even more intense than Ano.

"Xu Qing, there are no outsiders here for this battle, please feel free to unleash your full strength."

Jing Hongchen's voice suddenly appeared in the arena; he had arrived without anyone noticing.

He beckoned Xiao Meng over and whispered:

"Good granddaughter, tell Grandpa, where did you go last night?"

"Hmph, you know perfectly well why you're asking."

Rip—

It seemed the old man's "little cotton-padded jacket" was no longer keeping him warm.

Suddenly, with a thunderous boom!

Xu Qing stomped, cracking the high-grade metal floor, and under Lin Jiayi's stunned gaze, he leaped into the air, appearing on the stage in the blink of an eye.

He started with a loud laugh!

"Hahaha!!! Your willpower, it really is as sharp as a sword!!"

Blue soul power swirled around Xu Qing's hands, and Mystic Ice Marrow the size of beans began to condense at high speed.

After spending the entire night sleeplessly researching the condensation techniques of the Mystic Ice Marrow martial soul with Xiao Meng, he had grasped the essence and learned how to condense even purer ice marrow!

That was compression—extreme compression! Forcing out all the unruly, stray Heaven and Earth Yuan Power that had seeped in!

What remained was Ice Marrow with a purity as high as 99.99%!

The Great Dao is simple! The ancients truly did not deceive me!

Ice Marrow of this purity would kill an ordinary ice-attribute Soul Master the moment they consumed it!

Only Xu Qing could withstand the soul power reaction after it entered his stomach.

This mouthful! It would be insane!!

Whoosh—!!

As a grain of Ice Marrow was swallowed, my fate was in my hands, not the heavens.

His soul power level soared directly!

Forty-five! Forty-six! Forty-seven! Forty-eight!!

A four-level increase in soul power, even for a master of ultimate attributes!

How terrifying!

Ji Juechen's eyes, which had been unable to open, snapped wide at this moment.

He had originally treated this as a mere formality, but now, feeling that surging aura of soul power and a purity that far exceeded his own.

Even a poker-faced man like him could no longer maintain his composure.

"What kind of fierce potion is this!!"

Did Ji Juechen actually think it was just a potion? And he seemed tempted by it?

"Junior, could you provide a Soul Guidance Network link?"

Boom, boom, boom, boom!!

Four heaven-defying soul rings erupted into existence!

Purple, purple, black, black!!

Boom!

Xu Qing's golden Willpower, condensed into substance, exploded once more! A gale instantly swept across the arena!

He chuckled softly and said:

"It seems Hall Master Jing didn't make the situation clear to you. Such a stance full of openings, such a contemptuous attitude."

"You guy, it seems you haven't been treating me as an opponent at all!?"

As his voice fell, six soul rings appeared out of thin air around Ji Juechen!

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black!!

A perfect soul ring configuration!

Yet, in front of Xu Qing, this was simply not enough.

Whoosh...

His Silver Self martial soul possessed him in a ten-thousandth of a second, and then his fist struck out like a dragon!!

"Roar—!!"

"A dragon!!!?"

Ji Juechen's pupils contracted sharply!

No, no, no!! Where did a dragon come from!?

He shifted his body across the arena, but that suddenly manifested golden dragon soul beast bit down on him relentlessly, making it impossible to get close to Xu Qing!

"Hehehehahaha!"

"So this is the feeling of manifesting a soul beast phantom!? It was worth the meticulous effort I put into drawing it! This is too exhilarating!"

Xu Qing laughed loudly, then stomped his foot forward with a violent boom!

The metal floor cracked once again!

He held his left palm upright before his chest, while his right hand was balled into a fist, raised high above his head.

Just by striking this pose, he was consuming his soul power at an incredibly massive, devouring rate!!

He was imitating the sages, but unable to grasp the true essence, he could only mimic the form and add a bit of brute force.