Seven Absolute Zither Master, Seven Years Old, Level Twenty-One

"Clear Sky Sect..."

Li Changsheng's body trembled once more upon hearing those three words.

What a familiar name!

"The son of the Clear Sky Sect Master? A Clear Sky Hammer martial soul? No wonder the people from the Shrek Pre-Academy are so proactive. The world's number one power-attack tool martial soul."

The current Clear Sky Sect was almost identical to how it had been ten thousand years ago: hidden from the world, uninvolved in worldly affairs, with not even its location known. For thousands of years, no one in the outside world had heard of a Clear Sky Hammer soul master appearing.

The fellows from the Shrek Pre-Academy were still a cut below Shrek Academy.

They would take the initiative to recruit geniuses, and you would find yourself with no desire to refuse.

Limit-year soul beasts!

Rare soul bones!

All of these could be yours, provided you had talent and joined the Shrek Pre-Academy.

In the blink of an eye, the vast purple radiance in his star-like eyes dissipated, and Li Changsheng returned to his own consciousness.

The waitress's consciousness returned as well. She raised her slender hand, pressing her index finger lightly against her temple, and looked at the turning Li Changsheng with a dazed expression.

She seemed to feel that she had just said something she shouldn't have or made a fool of herself, but she couldn't quite remember what it was.

"Very well, you may leave." Although Li Changsheng was small, he was filled with the aura of someone in a position of authority. Using the residual consciousness control, he dismissed the waitress from the room.

That was right.

What Li Changsheng had just used was the Purple Demon Eye!

However, it wasn't him using it, but the God of Wisdom. This Purple Demon Eye, which surpassed all limits, could well be called the Purple Vast Demon Eye.

Its most straightforward ability was control—the control of a person's consciousness.

Of course, Li Changsheng's body was fragile and lacked a martial soul; even with the God of Wisdom, he could at most control some ordinary soul masters.

But if Li Changsheng possessed soul power and his physical tolerance reached the required standard, such control would be terrifying.

Unconditional obedience.

"Developing the Purple Demon Eye to its absolute limit is truly formidable."

Li Changsheng had only intended to fish for information, but he hadn't expected the God of Wisdom to tell him that he could help him directly control others for a short time. Without overthinking it, he had used it immediately.

And so, the scene that just transpired occurred.

"How long do I need to cultivate to reach that level?"

Turning back around to stare at the central arena below, Li Changsheng asked casually.

<Answer: This depends on your specific opportunities. If you cultivate purely, it will take a thousand years. If you encounter opportunities, you will progress significantly faster.>

The God of Wisdom gave Li Changsheng an ambiguous answer.

"It's starting."

Li Changsheng felt a sudden sense of boredom and instead cast his gaze toward the level-eight soul device arena in the center of the Soul Fighting Arena.

At this moment.

Dozens of Soul Emperor powerhouses, who had been standing there, walked down to the lower level of the arena one after another.

At the same time, as they walked in, their surging soul power erupted like a waterfall.

A dazzling array of soul rings stimulated everyone's eyes.

Simultaneously.

The soul device arena, which had originally looked like black soil, instantly erupted with heaven-shaking light that shot straight into the clouds, illuminating the entire night. In that instant, two resounding beast roars echoed out.

Li Changsheng followed the movement with his eyes, looking up at the firmament.

The surging soul power of the dozens of Soul Emperors, guided by the level-eight soul device, rushed into the sky and transformed into a golden dragon and a fire phoenix!

The two powerful illusory entities faced the heavens, unleashing two world-shaking waves of light.

The golden dragon shook the world; the fire phoenix scorched the plains.

After unleashing their fierce attacks, the two entities transformed into two intertwined balls of light.

They split to either side, one gold and one red, presenting a divided appearance as they covered the entire level-eight soul device arena.

Everyone present was stunned; they only lowered their heads once the host's voice rang out from below.

Even after regaining their senses, their minds were still occupied by a few questions:

What was that?

A dragon? A phoenix?

Why did they appear?

Li Changsheng withdrew his gaze the moment the dragon and phoenix descended. While others might not know, he was very clear about it.

This level-eight soul device arena, also known as the Sun Moon Annual Ring Platform, was a high-level defensive soul device produced by the Bright Mirror Hall of the Sun Moon Empire. Beyond its basic structure, it was supplemented with the soul bone essences of two ten-thousand-year soul beasts.

A sixty-thousand-year Golden Earth-Armored Dragon!

A fifty-thousand-year-old Prairie Fire Phoenix!

To use it, over a dozen Spirit Emperors must simultaneously channel their internal spirit bone essence, forcing the Earth Armor Dragon and the Prairie Fire Phoenix to manifest as two barriers—one for defense and one for absorption—to achieve perfect protection.

The defense simply blocks spirit power attacks.

The absorption draws in leaked spirit power.

These were the original traits of these two spirit beasts.

"Vanity leads to suffering," Li Changsheng remarked with a hint of disdain.

There was no helping it; that was simply the reality.

The number of times the spirit bone essence within this soul tool could be triggered was limited.

Once the limit was reached, the two embedded spirit bones would shatter and dissipate entirely.

If it could be triggered indefinitely, wouldn't that be too broken? Even most Grade 9 soul tools couldn't reach that level, could they?

Li Changsheng stopped dwelling on it and turned his gaze toward the host hovering on a flight-type soul tool.

"Ladies and gentlemen, and the heaven-gifted prodigies of Spirit Soul City about to awaken your spirits! Today, our Spirit Soul Grand Soul Fighting Arena is honored to invite the geniuses of the Shrek Pre-Academy to engage in a soul fight!"

"They will be facing off against the Gold Soul-level combatants, all of whom are Spirit Elders, cultivated by our very own Spirit Soul Fighting Arena!"

"And as far as I know, the students of the Shrek Pre-Academy are all eleven years old, with spirit power levels of..."

As he spoke, the host, hovering in the air on his soul tool, scanned the surroundings before raising his hand to point at the spirit power light screen in the sky:

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Fireworks scattered and bloomed, as if in celebration, pushing the atmosphere of the entire arena to its peak.

Li Changsheng watched the information displayed on the spirit power light screen with great interest.

With nearly ten thousand people sitting in the stands, amidst their gasps and murmurs, Li Changsheng's pupils suddenly constricted.

Shrek Pre-Academy.

Captain: Centrifugal Killing Mirror—Level 28 Agility-Attack System Tool Spirit Grandmaster. Age: eleven.

Member: Tearing Terror Claw—Level 26 Power-Attack System Battle Spirit Grandmaster. Age: twelve.

Member: Exquisite Dice—Level 25 Support System Tool Spirit Grandmaster. Age: ten.

Member: Iron Armor Linked Shield—Level 26 Defense System Battle Spirit Grandmaster. Age: twelve.

Member: Seven Absolute Zither Master—Level 21 Control System Battle Spirit Grandmaster. Age: seven.

"Seven years old? Level 21? Are you kidding me? This has to be fake, right?"

Li Changsheng pressed his dislocated jaw back into place and checked again.

There was no mistake; the spirit power screen clearly displayed a seven-year-old, Level 21 Control System Spirit Grandmaster!

"This guy... damn, could she be the protagonist? With a system, am I just a side character?"

Li Changsheng couldn't help but complain, his mind racing with frantic thoughts.

A seven-year-old at Level 21—where did this monster come from?

The other spectators were equally shocked and stunned.

It was truly too exaggerated. Seven years old meant she had only awakened her spirit a year ago. Even with innate full spirit power at Level 10, could one really cultivate ten levels of spirit power in a single year?

Li Changsheng stroked his chin, suddenly recalling another possibility: innate spirit power at Level 20!

Wasn't there someone like that ten thousand years ago?

"Qian Renxue... Radiant Angel spirit. No, that's not right. Looking at the title she chose for herself, Seven Absolute Zither Master, her spirit must be powerful enough to rival the Radiant Angel. It's too absurd. Has another monster appeared in this era?"

Li Changsheng stared intently at the arena below.

The host's excited words were automatically ignored by Li Changsheng; his eyes remained fixed below, determined to see what kind of freak this Seven Absolute Zither Master really was.

Soon, under the host's vigorous introduction, the five members of the Shrek Pre-Academy took the stage.

"Why wear masks? Damn it, are they too ugly to be seen?"

<Answer: According to the retrieved regulations of the Shrek Pre-Academy, every admitted student must wear a mask and be referred to by a codename. They may only remove their masks after graduation.>

Upon seeing them, Li Changsheng immediately leaned against the floor-to-ceiling window and cursed.

But the God of Wisdom instantly answered Li Changsheng's question, which also left him inwardly shaken.

They have to wear masks for six years? Is that some kind of psychological perversion?

The five Shrek Pre-Academy students entering the arena all wore masks to conceal their faces.

However, based on the order of entry, it was clear that the one walking at the very back was the Seven Absolute Zither Master.

Li Changsheng could only tell that she was female, dressed in a long, black robe that swept the floor, with silver-white hair draped over her shoulders. She was even slightly taller than Li Changsheng, but that was all he could see.

"God of Wisdom, can the Purple Demon Eye see through... things? Never mind..."

Li Changsheng felt his mood growing restless, likely a result of self-doubt after witnessing such a supreme genius.

But then he thought, I am a transmigrator. I am a transmigrator who has lived for ten thousand years, and I have a system at my side. What do I have to fear?

With a sweep of my Night-Startling Spear, you lot would be wiped out in the blink of an eye!

Li Changsheng patted his own face, cursing himself under his breath for his unseemly outburst.

At the same time, he fixed his gaze on the opponents of the five-member team from the Pre-Nurturing Academy.

Seven people.

That was right; the opponents of the Pre-Nurturing Academy's five were a seven-man team dispatched by the Soul Fighting Arena, likely the most perfect configuration for a soul master team.

However, the five from the Pre-Nurturing Academy were also a perfect configuration.

Agility attack, power attack, support, control, defense.

The composition of the five already met the necessary conditions for a perfect team.

Soon, under the guidance of the host, both sides released their respective martial souls without much chatter, and the battle began.

From start to finish, Li Changsheng's calm gaze remained fixed on the Seven Absolute Zither Master standing in the center.

The Pre-Nurturing Academy's five were positioned in a two-one-two formation.

The power attack and defense types stood at the very front, the control-type Seven Absolute Zither Master stood in the middle, and the agility attack and support types stood at the back.

Soon, both sides released their martial souls.

The Seven Absolute Zither Master's silver-white hair fluttered as two soul rings emerged from her body—one yellow and one purple!

One hundred-year, one thousand-year!

Li Changsheng was not surprised, but the audience was stunned; cheers rose in wave after wave, making for a lively scene.

Following that, the Seven Absolute Zither Master swept her hand, and a seven-stringed zither instantly solidified before her, floating in the air as her soul power spread out, whistling forth.

At the same time, the other four from the Pre-Nurturing Academy beside her also released their martial souls.

But their soul ring configurations were standard top-tier setups: both were yellow.

First was their captain; the Centrifugal Killing Mirror martial soul was a small mirror held in his hand.

Then came the Tearing Terror Claw; his was a beast martial soul, a bear? Li Changsheng only saw his hands become very, very large, complete with sharp claws.

After that was the Exquisite Dice; she was a young girl with flowing hair, and a crystal-clear die radiating five-colored light hovered at her fingertips, with the top face showing a one.

Finally, there was the Iron Armor Linked Shield; his martial soul was a shield, devoid of any flashy qualities.

Compared to the five from the Pre-Nurturing Academy, their opponents were even more pathetic.

Among them, the soul masters even had white ten-year soul rings, though they were all three-ring soul elders.

The moment the host announced the start of the soul fight, the one who reacted the fastest was not the captain of the Pre-Nurturing Academy, that agility attack soul master.

It was the Seven Absolute Zither Master located in the center.

She lightly plucked the first string of the seven-stringed zither, and at the same time, her first soul ring lit up.

Her somewhat ethereal, otherworldly voice rang out: "First movement, first score, Thousand Mountains and Ravines Across the Four Directions."

As the words fell, the seven opponents were instantly crushed by massive phantom mountains, which landed and pressed down upon their martial souls, causing them to emit constant creaking sounds.

That bizarre scene occurred in an instant, yet the opponents seemed to still be able to move.

The other four from the Pre-Nurturing Academy remained motionless, their gazes falling in unison upon the Seven Absolute Zither Master in the center.

"Exquisite Dice, two-point protection," the captain said to the support-type soul master.

But before the support-type soul master could provide assistance to the Seven Absolute Zither Master, she moved again.

It was still the first soul ring, and just as everyone thought she was going to launch another mountain phantom to crush the opponents, a shocking scene unfolded.

"First movement, second score, Birds Startle, People Perish, Frozen Three Feet."

Wind rose on the arena—no, it was a raging ice storm. Ice cones transformed into ice birds, bombarding the opponents. At the same time, the opposing camp was submerged in water, and as the knee-deep water instantly froze, they were trapped by the ice before they could even break free from the phantoms. Then, to their utter bewilderment, all seven were swept off the arena by the rising ice birds.

Li Changsheng: "..."

Audience: "..."

Host: "..."

Higher-ups of the Spirit Soul Grand Soul Fighting Arena: "..."

A total victory, a total victory belonging to one person.

This was no longer control-type crowd management; it was a one-sided slaughter by a control-type.

"Did she use one soul skill? Or two?"

Li Changsheng had observed very carefully. From the start of the battle to the end, she had attacked twice, releasing soul skills both times. Although they were both control-type and had different effects, the first soul ring had lit up both times.

<Answer. Her martial soul is very special. Regardless of how many soul rings are applied, it likely only has one soul skill.>

"What soul skill?" Li Changsheng asked subconsciously.

Answer. Zither Sound Manifestation. the God of Wisdom replied.

"Zither Sound Manifestation? What does that mean? Is it like the Night-Startling Spear's spear-intent manifestation?"

<Answer. Simply put, she can manifest the artistic conception of the zither scores she plays into reality. Like just now, she spoke of mountains and ice, and played the scores for mountains and ice, resulting in mountains pressing down and ice imprisoning, but it is limited to seven-stringed zither scores.>

<Supplement. Your martial soul is very similar to hers.>

"What do you mean?"