Weakness Invites Bullying, Only Strength Can Protect Yourself

"What did you experience before?" Wu Zhangkong suddenly asked.

Zhong Shenxiu fell silent for a few seconds before saying, "Nothing much. I just came to understand one truth—weakness invites bullying, and only strength can protect yourself."

Those words sounded somewhat strange coming from a nine-year-old child, yet combined with Zhong Shenxiu's golden vertical pupils and aloof bearing, they somehow seemed perfectly natural.

Wu Zhangkong did not press further. Everyone had their own past. Since Zhong Shenxiu was unwilling to talk about it, he would not force him.

"You still have half a day left of confinement, but I'm releasing you early."

Wu Zhangkong turned around and gestured for Zhong Shenxiu to follow. "Come with me. I want to test your strength."

Zhong Shenxiu did not ask any questions and silently followed.

The two left the confinement room one after the other and headed toward the exit along the basement corridor.

Wu Zhangkong's steps were steady, neither too fast nor too slow, just enough for Zhong Shenxiu to keep up.

Once they left the Academic Affairs Office building, bright sunlight greeted them outside.

Zhong Shenxiu narrowed his eyes. After three days without seeing natural light, he felt slightly unaccustomed to it.

Wu Zhangkong led him across the campus toward the training area.

They encountered some students on the way. Seeing Wu Zhangkong, they respectfully bowed, then curiously looked at Zhong Shenxiu—the Light Gold Vertical Pupils were simply too conspicuous.

Before long, they arrived at an independent training room. It was enormous, about half the size of a football field. The floor was covered in specially made cushioning material, and the surrounding walls had been reinforced to withstand attacks below the Soul Emperor level.

Wu Zhangkong closed the door and activated the training room's soundproofing and protective formations. Then he turned to look at Zhong Shenxiu.

"Release your martial soul and attack me with everything you have."

Wu Zhangkong was brief and direct. "Let me see what gives you the nerve to hit that hard."

Zhong Shenxiu did not waste words.

He retreated several steps, opening up distance between himself and Wu Zhangkong, then took a deep breath.

A low dragon roar faintly rose from within his body.

Dense light gold dragon scales surged forth like a tide from his neck and the ends of his limbs, instantly covering the vital areas of his body. Under the training room lights, they gleamed with a cold, metallic luster. His ten fingers extended into pale gold dragon claws as sharp as blades, blazing halos lingering around their tips.

The contours of his face grew sharper, while two short, hard brilliant gold dragon horns emerged from either side of his forehead.

His eyes had completely transformed into molten gold vertical pupils, as though liquid light were truly burning within them. The pressure and wildness of an apex predator were no longer concealed.

The fluctuations of seventeenth-rank Soul Power spread outward. Though insignificant compared with Wu Zhangkong's Soul Emperor cultivation, the unique majesty of the dragon race made the air throughout the training room grow heavier.

A trace of surprise flashed through Wu Zhangkong's eyes.

He had seen many dragon-type martial souls, from earth dragons to true dragons, from frost Giant Dragons to flame Giant Dragons, but Zhong Shenxiu's martial soul... he had never seen anything like it.

That radiant, majestic aura, that pressure which seemed to stand above ordinary dragons, and the wildness and power contained within those molten gold vertical pupils...

"Radiant King Dragon..."

Wu Zhangkong softly repeated the name of Zhong Shenxiu's martial soul, a thoughtful glint passing through his eyes.

At that moment, Zhong Shenxiu moved.

There was no probing, no holding back. He went all out from the very first strike.

He kicked off the ground, producing a dull boom, and shot toward Wu Zhangkong like a cannonball.

He was so fast that he did not seem like a seventeenth-rank Soul Master at all.

Almost at the instant he lunged forward, Zhong Shenxiu loosely clenched his right hand.

The light around his body immediately gathered madly into his palm, solidifying into a dragon-shaped spear formed entirely from highly compressed blazing white light, pale gold patterns flowing across its surface.

Sky Light Dragon Spear!

The spear hummed, radiating a sharp aura capable of banishing evil and severing all things. Its tip pointed directly at Wu Zhangkong's chest.

The strike was fast, precise, and ruthless. There was not the slightest hesitation or restraint, as though the person before him was not his teacher, but a mortal enemy.

A trace of approval flashed through Wu Zhangkong's eyes.

When facing a powerful enemy, either do not strike at all, or strike with everything you have and give the opponent no chance to react—this was the correct combat philosophy.

But he was, after all, a Soul Emperor.

Just as the Sky Light Dragon Spear was about to pierce him, Wu Zhangkong moved.

He neither released his martial soul nor used a soul skill. He simply sidestepped and raised his hand.

His movements appeared slow, yet they were unbelievably fast. Though he moved later, he arrived first. His right index and middle fingers came together like a sword hand and precisely tapped the shaft of the Sky Light Dragon Spear.

"Clang!"

The sound of metal striking metal rang out.

Zhong Shenxiu felt a terrifying force surge through the spear. His entire arm instantly went numb, and the Sky Light Dragon Spear nearly slipped from his grasp.

He grunted and forcibly steadied himself, borrowing the force to leap backward and widen the distance.

His first strike had achieved nothing.

But Zhong Shenxiu was not discouraged. Instead, the fighting spirit in his golden vertical pupils burned even fiercer. He adjusted his breathing, Soul Power rushing through his body as the Sky Light Dragon Spear condensed once more.

This time, he did not rashly close in again.

He loosely clenched his left hand, forming another Sky Light Dragon Spear. Then he threw the first spear with his right hand, sending it hurtling toward Wu Zhangkong like a meteor. Almost at the same time, the spear in his left hand flew free as well, shooting in from another angle.

The two spears launched together, sealing off his room to evade.

Wu Zhangkong still did not release his martial soul. He merely shifted his feet slightly, his figure flickering like a phantom. The two Dragon Spears grazed his clothing and flew past, embedding themselves in the wall behind him before erupting in blazing white light.

But Zhong Shenxiu's attack was not over.

As he threw the two spears, he had already condensed a third Dragon Spear and charged toward Wu Zhangkong like an arrow released from a bowstring.

This time, he did not rush forward in a straight line. Instead, he advanced in a zigzag pattern, his trajectory elusive and unpredictable.

The instant he neared Wu Zhangkong, Zhong Shenxiu suddenly changed direction, cutting in from the left as his Dragon Spear stabbed toward Wu Zhangkong's ribs.

This entire sequence flowed as smoothly as clouds and water, as fast as lightning. It did not seem like something a nine-year-old child could accomplish. His combat instincts and grasp of timing made the approval in Wu Zhangkong's eyes grow even stronger.

"Not bad." Wu Zhangkong rarely offered praise.

Then he extended his left hand.

His five fingers spread open and clamped around the tip of the incoming Dragon Spear like iron pincers.

Zhong Shenxiu's pupils contracted. He could feel that the Dragon Spear had struck a wall of bronze and iron, unable to advance even an inch. He tried to pull it back, but Wu Zhangkong's hand seemed welded to the spear tip, completely unmoving.

"Your strength is acceptable, your speed is acceptable, and your combat awareness is excellent."

Wu Zhangkong calmly assessed him. "But your Soul Power is too weak, and your methods of attack are too limited."

As soon as he finished speaking, he flicked his wrist.

A terrifying shock force traveled along the Dragon Spear. Zhong Shenxiu's palm split open, blood flowing freely as the spear flew from his hand and dissolved into specks of light in midair.

And Wu Zhangkong's right hand was already resting on Zhong Shenxiu's shoulder.

A stream of icy Soul Power poured into his body, instantly sealing Zhong Shenxiu's circulation of Soul Power. The dragon scales and dragon claws on his body rapidly faded away, restoring him to the appearance of an ordinary human.

The battle was over.

Less than ten seconds had passed from beginning to end.

Zhong Shenxiu stood where he was, a trace of unwillingness flashing through his golden vertical pupils, though there was even more calmness. He knew exactly how vast the gap between himself and Wu Zhangkong was. This test had never been about victory, but about demonstrating his abilities.

Wu Zhangkong withdrew his hand, and the icy Soul Power vanished with it.

"What meditation method do you cultivate?" Wu Zhangkong suddenly asked.

Zhong Shenxiu's heart stirred, but his expression remained unchanged. "The basic meditation method issued by the academy."

"You're lying."

Wu Zhangkong's gaze was sharp as a sword. "A basic meditation method could never let you break through from rank sixteen to rank seventeen in three days, much less bring your physical strength to this level."

Zhong Shenxiu fell silent.

He knew he could not deceive a powerhouse like Wu Zhangkong, but he could not reveal the secret of the Eternal Myriad Dragon Source Art.

"Everyone has their own secrets. I won't press you."

Wu Zhangkong seemed to see through his thoughts. "But I must remind you that cultivation must proceed step by step. Do not rush for quick success, or you may damage your foundation and regret it beyond remedy."

"Yes." Zhong Shenxiu nodded.

Wu Zhangkong looked at him for several seconds before saying, "From today onward, you are a student in my class. Tomorrow morning at eight, report to the Class Five classroom for first-years. Don't be late."