Wu Zhangkong's voice was faint,
but her words struck Lu Chuan straight in the heart.
Lu Chuan felt as if someone had brought him a pillow just as sleepiness hit.
He wanted so badly to get into Shrek Academy,
to study forging there and plunder its countless rare metals,
to soak in Shrek Academy's Sea God Lake and absorb its boundless life force,
and to chop down Shrek Academy's ten-thousand-year-old Golden Ancient Tree,
beat Tang Hao to death,
take over as Plane Master,
and take over Tang San's grand plan for the next ten thousand years!
Whenever Shrek Academy came up,
Lu Chuan had so much to say and so much he wanted to do!
"Teacher, I'll work hard to get into Shrek Academy. I'll ride my dreams like a horse and make the most of my youth. I won't let the academy down, and I won't let you down!"
Lu Chuan was overcome with excitement.
Even Wu Zhangkong, who was usually so cool and detached,
couldn't help being touched by the burning light in Lu Chuan's eyes.
How could she have known
that meeting her
was just like a mischievous troublemaker meeting a wise mentor!
"Remember what you said today."
"Now come with me to the Martial Arts Arena. Release your Martial Soul and Soul Skills, then attack me. Let me see what you can do!"
Actual combat was always the best way to gauge a Soul Master's fighting strength.
At the same time,
it was also the best way for a Soul Master to improve that strength!
Eastsea Academy, Martial Arts Arena
By the time Lu Chuan arrived,
Wu Zhangkong was already standing ready in the center of the Martial Arts Arena.
At that moment,
she wore white robes as pristine as snow,
her long hair cascading like a waterfall,
her expression cold as frost.
That otherworldly air about her
made her seem nothing like a woman of this world!
Lu Chuan quietly snapped a picture to keep before walking over to face her.
"You can begin whenever you like."
Seeing Lu Chuan step onto the arena, Wu Zhangkong spoke in an unhurried voice.
Her voice was still cold.
Yet, without meaning to, she ignited the fire in Lu Chuan's heart.
It had been a long time since he'd had a proper fight!
Ever since Xiao Wuyue had brought him home,
aside from the occasional sparring match with her
and beating up a few Red Mountain Academy brats who had designs on her,
he'd devoted almost all his energy to forging and comprehending the Path of Creation!
Then today, he'd let loose and enjoy himself!
With the strength of a Soul Elder!
Lu Chuan took a deep breath. A faint golden glint flickered in the depths of his eyes.
It was the Golden Dragon King's instinctive stir,
for as the wielder of the Authority of Destruction,
battle was in his nature!
"Golden Dragon, possess me!"
Lu Chuan raised his hand, curling his palm as if gripping something.
A brilliant golden shape immediately soared out of his hand.
It was a gigantic Golden Dragon, several zhang long!
Its body coiled and twisted,
each scale seemingly cast from pure gold.
Its head rose high,
its golden eyes like two miniature suns,
looking down with disdain!
It radiated the majesty of a king!
"So this is the Golden Dragon Martial Soul?"
"They say Golden Dragon Soul Masters wield ultimate strength. I wonder whether you live up to the name!"
A keen light flickered in Wu Zhangkong's eyes.
This was her first time seeing the Golden Dragon Martial Soul.
So,
instinctively,
she felt that the battle ahead would be quite interesting!
"Teacher, forgive me."
Lu Chuan gave Wu Zhangkong a slight bow,
then immediately launched a fierce attack!
His purple First Soul Ring and Second Soul Ring flashed in turn.
He held absolutely nothing back,
as if he meant to vent everything he'd bottled up over the years
on Wu Zhangkong!
"First Soul Skill—Golden Dragon Body!"
Lu Chuan cried out.
Terrifying dragon might burst from within him.
Golden Dragon Scales began to surface beneath his skin,
spreading from his fingertips up his arms,
across his chest,
and up his neck,
until even his cheeks were covered in a thin layer of scales!
His pupils turned into vertical slits,
golden light swirling within them.
He looked every inch a Golden Sovereign!
Wu Zhangkong's eyes narrowed at the sight.
She hadn't expected
that Lu Chuan could strengthen his body to such an extent
with the strength of a three-ring Soul Elder!
She was surprised, but didn't make a move.
Instead, she quietly waited for Lu Chuan to grow even stronger!
And Lu Chuan didn't disappoint her.
With the release of his Second Soul Skill,
his aura surged once more!
A golden-red aura slowly condensed around him,
like a translucent dragon-shaped suit of armor,
enveloping his entire body!
Lifelike dragon patterns flowed across the surface of the aura.
Each one seemed alive,
coiling and circling around Lu Chuan.
Wu Zhangkong could clearly sense that the golden-red aura was no ordinary thing!
Second Soul Skill, Tyrant Dragon Aura!
Once activated, a shield of vitality formed around Lu Chuan, and he entered a state of dominance.
While the shield remained, it could reflect 50% of all damage he suffered!
It was an incredibly overpowered Soul Skill,
and yet it was only one of Lu Chuan's many abilities!
Wu Zhangkong finally moved.
Or rather, Lu Chuan's Soul Skills had piqued her interest.
The Heavenly Frost Sword appeared in her hand.
A streak of icy-blue sword energy roared toward Lu Chuan.
Although she'd only used thirty percent of her strength in that strike,
its power was still nothing to scoff at.
It was more than enough to pierce the defenses of an ordinary Soul Ancestor!
Of course,
she had no intention of hurting Lu Chuan.
But if he couldn't even withstand this attack,
she would be very disappointed!
The sword energy tore through the air
and crashed into the dragon aura with a muffled boom.
There was a saying:
Where there's smoke, there's no injury;
the louder the bang, the smaller the splash.
So, with that theory backing him up,
Lu Chuan felt a chill run through his body,
but nothing more.
The moment the sword energy touched the dragon aura, half of it was deflected.
The remaining force pierced through,
but Lu Chuan still had a layer of Dragon Scales covering his skin.
By the time the strike landed, all it left was a faint white mark.
"Is this Golden Dragon the wielder of ultimate strength, or ultimate defense?"
Wu Zhangkong furrowed her brow, a little startled by Lu Chuan's turtle-shell defenses.
But before she could figure it out,
Lu Chuan had already launched his attack!
"Third Soul Skill—Golden Dragon Roar!"
Lu Chuan opened his mouth
and let out a deep growl.
The sound wasn't loud at first,
but it carried a strange penetrating force,
as if it struck directly at the depths of the soul.
Wu Zhangkong felt her mind ring.
She had an urge to drop to her knees and sing "I Will Survive"!
A rare blush spread across her pretty face.
If she hadn't urgently activated the Purple Demon Eye,
She was afraid she was about to do something humiliating!
"Golden Dragon Roar... This kid's mental strength must be impressive!"
Wu Zhangkong narrowed her eyes slightly, her gaze fixed on Lu Chuan and not moving for a long time.
This young man before her,
from the very beginning of the battle,
had remained calm and composed,
a faint, almost imperceptible smile always playing at the corners of his mouth.
He didn't look like he was fighting at all,
yet he could easily fend off her probes,
and even counterattack!
Wu Zhangkong had a feeling
that Lu Chuan wasn't being tested by her at all.
Instead, it was more like an adult playing with a child,
controlling her strength with ease,
afraid she might accidentally hurt the other person.
Wu Zhangkong didn't know why she had this feeling.
But somehow, it seemed to be true.
She hurriedly shook her head,
suppressing the absurd thought,
and regained her composure.
"Is that all?"
Lu Chuan grinned, showing a mouthful of pearly white teeth.
"Teacher hasn't really made a move yet. How could I dare use all my strength?"
He said it casually, but Wu Zhangkong's heart gave a sudden thump.
She fell silent for a moment,
then suddenly raised her hand,
spreading her five fingers.
In an instant, ice-blue Soul Power gathered in her palm, forming a crystal-clear long sword.
Frosty air coiled around the sword.
The moment it appeared,
the temperature all around dropped several degrees.
The sword had a name: Sky Frost!
It was Wu Zhangkong's Martial Soul!
This time, she was really going to get serious!
Before you continue