Let Me Keep All the Experience for Myself

Ma Rulong, the captain of the Main Selection Team, was the first to speak.

"Ma Rulong, Level Sixty-Five, martial soul: Big-Headed Spirit Ape. Quasi-Level Seven Soul Engineer."

"Lin Xi, Level Fifty-Five, Level Five defensive Soul Engineer."

The speaker was a sturdily built young man who looked perfectly suited to stand at the very front and soak up damage for his teammates.

"Mika, Level Fifty-Six, Level Five Soul Engineer."

"Xiao Xiafeng, Level Fifty-Two food-type Soul King, martial soul: Steamed Bun. Level Five Soul Engineer, specializing in Soul Tool turret tactics."

The chubby young man scratched his head, smiling somewhat bashfully.

"Chen Fei, Level Fifty-Five agility attack-type Soul King, martial soul: Flash Bird. Specializes in long-range firepower suppression."

"Chen An, Level Fifty-Four agility attack-type Soul King, martial soul: Flash Bird. Specializes in close-range bursts."

The twin brothers spoke at the same time, their movements nearly identical.

"Li Yan, Level Fifty-One assault-type Soul King, martial soul: Separation Fire. Level Five Soul Engineer."

With the Main Selection Team finished, it was the Preliminary Selection Team's turn.

Xiao Hongchen stepped forward, his tone as calm as ever.

"Xiao Hongchen, Level Fifty-Nine assault-type battle Soul King, martial soul: Three-Legged Golden Toad. Level Seven Soul Engineer."

Yes, he was already a Level Seven Soul Engineer. In fact, his Soul Tools themselves were all above Level Seven. Using Thousand Refinement metal as material significantly reduced the difficulty of crafting them.

The expressions on the Main Selection Team members' faces froze at once. Level Fifty-Nine? A Level Seven Soul Engineer?! You called this a Preliminary Selection Team? With that lineup, they could probably clear out more than half the academy on their own.

Meng Hongchen continued with a smile.

"Meng Hongchen, Level Fifty-Two assault-type Soul King, martial soul: Vermilion Clear Ice Toad. Level Five close-combat Soul Engineer."

"Ye Guyi, Level Fifty-Two assault-type Soul King. Level Five close-combat Soul Engineer."

"Xu Tianzhen, Level Forty-Six assault-type battle Soul Ancestor, martial soul: Sun."

Xu Tianzhen lifted her chin, refusing to be outdone.

"Nana, Level Forty-Two agility attack-type Soul Ancestor, martial soul: Ghost. Level Four close-combat Soul Engineer."

"Lan Xiu, Level Forty-Five control-type Soul Ancestor, martial soul: Spiritual Power. Level Four Soul Engineer."

The elegant young man gave a slight nod, looking every bit like a nobleman's son.

"Shi Xing, Level Thirty-Eight assault-type Soul Elder, Level Three Soul Engineer..."

The final young man was clearly a little nervous, and even his voice had grown much quieter. After all, he had the lowest level in the entire group. Standing among this bunch of monsters, he looked like a rookie who had wandered into a high-level match by mistake.

After the introductions ended, the members of the Main Selection Team exchanged glances, and something in their eyes gradually changed.

Three Soul Kings, three Soul Ancestors, all before the age of fifteen...

By the next tournament, wouldn't these people all be Soul Emperors?

Jing Hongchen stood in the center, sweeping his gaze across the crowd before nodding in satisfaction.

"Very good. Next, your two teams will spar. The rules are simple."

He paused, and a meaningful smile suddenly curved his lips.

"If the Main Selection Team can hold out against the Preliminary Selection Team for twenty minutes without losing, you win."

Lin Xi was the first to lose it.

"Hall Master, did you get that backward?"

"No," Jing Hongchen said flatly.

The Main Selection Team: "?"

Question marks instantly seemed to fill the air.

Come on, we're all Soul Kings here, plus a Soul Emperor!

The other side might be absurd, but based on their listed information alone, we were still much stronger.

The way you said that made it sound like we were the challengers.

Yet Jing Hongchen could not be bothered to explain. He merely looked at Ma Rulong.

"If you can't even last twenty minutes."

"Then Xiao Hongchen will have full authority over tactical arrangements for this Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament."

The moment those words were spoken, everyone on the Main Selection Team changed expression.

They had trained together for years, and every one of them had hoped to prove themselves on the tournament stage.

If Xiao Hongchen truly took over their tactics, their opportunities to appear would inevitably be reduced. For them, who only had one chance to participate in this tournament, that was unacceptable.

Ma Rulong nodded solemnly.

"Understood."

The two teams slowly spread apart toward opposite sides of the Training Ground, and the Main Selection Team quickly entered a battle-ready state.

Ma Rulong quietly arranged their tactics while the other six formed a circle and stacked their hands together.

"Victory!"

On the other side.

Meng Hongchen poked Xiao Hongchen.

"Big brother, say something too."

"There's no need."

The next instant, an enormous metallic roar suddenly rang out.

A humanoid Mecha Soldier over three meters tall was slowly released by Xiao Hongchen from his storage Soul Tool.

Everyone's gaze was drawn to that metal creation.

The Mecha Soldier was woven from silver-gray and gilded gold, streamlined armor covering its entire body. Its shoulder plates rose high and sharp, like the wings of a hunting falcon. Behind it, six feather-like propulsion wings unfolded layer by layer, pale golden Soul Tool patterns flowing along their edges.

At the core of its chest, a golden energy ring slowly rotated, emitting a deep hum.

Standing there, the entire Mecha Soldier resembled a weapon of war awakened from ancient myth, its oppressive presence overwhelming.

The chest armor split open to either side, and Xiao Hongchen leaped inside in a single step.

Clack, clack, clack.

The armor closed. Golden mechanical eyes slowly opened, and Xiao Hongchen flexed his mechanical arm, moving it as nimbly as if it were his own.

The only drawback was that, while inside the Mecha Soldier, his fifth soul skill had become useless. That left him, who had mastered Idle Death Gamble to perfection, somewhat dissatisfied.

"Let me show you the results of my research from this past year."

Meng Hongchen's eyes lit up.

Although she had already seen the design blueprints, seeing the actual machine activate still gave her an indescribable sense of shock.

Xiao Hongchen said smugly,

"Well? Isn't your brother handsome? I told you to get one too, but you refused. Regretting it now, huh?"

Meng Hongchen curled her lips.

"Tch, it's only so-so. And stop bragging, big brother. Building this thing nearly fried your brain, didn't it?"

That hit right where it hurt, little sister.

Only he knew the hardship of the past year.

Xiao Hongchen rubbed his head with the mechanical arm, looking rather comical.

Xu Tianzhen, however, had already gone completely starry-eyed.

"Brother Xiao! I want one too!"

She stared at the Mecha Soldier, her eyes shining as brightly as Xiao Hongchen's did when he saw a limited-edition figurine.

So it was not that she disliked Soul Tools. She simply disliked ugly ones.

"I told you not to call me that."

Xiao Hongchen had a headache. Ever since this little princess had transferred over, her clinginess had nearly broken through the heavens.

Ji Juechen only started hovering around him again when his sword intent got the better of him.

Xu Tianzhen, on the other hand, operated around the clock, specializing in real-time tracking.

Yet Xu Tianzhen was not angry in the slightest. Instead, she blinked with a smile.

"Once Brother Xiao agrees to date me, you can make me call you whatever you want~"

After saying that, she deliberately threw him a flirtatious wink.

Xiao Hongchen: "?"

No.

Wouldn't your figure suit the sweet-girl route just fine? Why did you have to force yourself into the succubus version?

Ye Guyi beside them was expressionless, but a cold sentence surfaced in her heart: Little bitch.

However, the atmosphere on the other side of the Training Ground had completely changed.

After the Main Selection Team recovered from their initial shock, their emotions rapidly turned into anger.

They were over there passionately swearing victory, while the other side was chatting and flirting without even giving them a proper glance.

The damage was minimal, but the humiliation was immense.

Mika was the first to lose patience, letting out a low shout.

"Brothers, summon your martial souls!"

Soul rings rose one after another.

A large number of Soul Tool cannon muzzles lifted in unison as energy began to gather. Deep humming sounds rose and fell, and the oppressive pressure in the air abruptly surged.

Ma Rulong remained calm, because he was the only one who had truly fought Xiao Hongchen head-on.

Only those who had faced him knew just how ridiculous that monster truly was.

Inside the Mecha Soldier, Xiao Hongchen slowly raised his head. He could clearly sense the Soul Power fluctuations rushing toward him from the opposite side.

The next second, he suddenly spoke.

"Don't move."

Meng Hongchen and the others were all stunned.

"Let me keep all the experience for myself."

It seemed he intended to face the Main Selection Team's firepower alone.

The Preliminary Selection Team exchanged looks, then wisely retreated to both sides of the Training Ground.

Believe first, then believe again.