Heavy Sword Domain [Please Recommend, Invest, and Collect!]

"Alright, next."

"..."

The remaining new students continued their tests.

Although Ran Ruobing was curious about the Soul Tool Su Luoheng had forged, she still carried out the tests carefully, without letting her curiosity affect the examinations of the new students who came after him.

Just as she had said earlier, the students who came later weren't very confident.

If they didn't even have faith in the things they'd made themselves, the actual quality of their Soul Tools was easy to imagine.

Sure enough.

The later the new students were tested, the more likely their Soul Tools were to fail. The success rate had practically flipped compared to the students at the beginning.

After about half an hour, all the new students had finished testing.

Thirty-three new students had taken part in the second round of Soul Tool testing. After the Soul Tool detector had screened them, another fifteen were eliminated.

Their final results were the same as those of the twelve new students before them.

More than forty students had taken part in the examination, but now only eighteen new students remained who had made a qualifying Level 1 Soul Tool. The terrifying failure rate was worthy of the new-student advancement examination's reputation as the second-hardest test at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy.

The examination for advancing from the ordinary first year to the second year was much easier. Students were given an extra hour just to make their Soul Tools.

Incidentally,

the hardest examination at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy was the Mingde Hall examination.

According to the stories passed down by the older students who had experienced it, the examination was no less difficult than the Level 6 Soul Engineer advancement test. It could be called hell-level! In some years, not a single participant had made it through; Mingde Hall had eliminated every one of them.

Those who passed the Mingde Hall examination were the elite of the elite.

Most of the finest Soul Engineers in the entire Sun Moon Empire had come from Mingde Hall.

"..."

The Soul Tool testing came to an end.

The remaining eighteen new students looked at one another, excitement, surprise, and relief showing on their faces. No one had expected more than half of the forty students to be eliminated. Those who remained were relieved to have made it this far. They didn't know how they'd done on the written test, but they still had a chance to succeed.

"Alright, congratulations on passing the Soul Tool test."

As soon as she spoke, the successful new students visibly relaxed.

But before they had much time to celebrate, Ran Ruobing's next words made many of them go pale.

"However..."

She paused, then pointed to the arena behind her.

"Your tests aren't over yet."

"Huh?"

Everyone looked confused and startled. What did she mean?

Following the direction of her finger, Su Luoheng guessed that it probably had something to do with the arenas.

After all, arenas that had appeared so suddenly had to serve some purpose.

The other new students weren't fools, either. Most of them had realized the same thing.

Their guess was soon confirmed.

Ran Ruobing looked at the new students who had made living-use Soul Tools, and a hint of amusement flickered in her eyes. Her normally even tone took on a teasing edge.

"The third test is a practical combat examination."

The next moment, the new students stared at one another in bewilderment.

Hadn't they been told there would only be a written test and Soul Tool crafting? Where had this combat test come from?

How many tests were there going to be?

Before the new students could recover, Ran Ruobing began explaining the rules.

"The practical combat test will be one-on-one, with opponents chosen at random. The same rules as before apply: you can't bring your own Soul Tools. However, you may use the Soul Tools you made earlier to fight. I'll also give each student a Level 2 Defensive Soul Tool shortly. The match will end when one side gives up or a Defensive Soul Tool is triggered."

"Teacher, didn't you say there would only be two tests?"

His question was everyone's question. All the new students looked at Ran Ruobing, waiting for an explanation.

The new students who had crafted living-use Soul Tools were especially concerned. If there really was a practical combat test, they'd have one fewer Soul Tool than everyone else. They'd be at a disadvantage before the fight even began.

"This test is an additional examination. Those who perform exceptionally well can earn extra points."

"Any other questions?"

As she spoke, Ran Ruobing calmly looked over the group.

The practical combat test hadn't been her idea on the spur of the moment. It had been arranged by the academy for the second-year students, and every year was the same. The additional test changed from year to year, and this year it happened to be practical combat.

"N-no... no questions."

The new students' replies came out unevenly.

Chapter 33: Heavy Sword Domain [Please Recommend, Invest, and Collect!]

No one had expected this practical combat test to be added. Some students were brimming with confidence, while others looked worried. For a moment, their faces showed every possible emotion.

The most troubled of all were the new students who had made living-use support Soul Tools.

This additional test was like a bolt from the blue for them.

Just as they'd thought, their Soul Tools were useless in battle. Their Soul Power was more or less the same, so the strength of their Soul Tools would be enough to determine the outcome.

Now they had one fewer Soul Tool than the others. How were they supposed to fight?

They wore long faces, already regretting their choices.

If they'd known there would be an additional examination, they would have made combat Soul Tools. Why had they ended up in this helpless situation?

Why hadn't anyone told them sooner?

Then again, even if they'd made combat Soul Tools, there was no guarantee they would have succeeded.

No matter how everyone felt, the additional test would go ahead.

There were ten arenas in the testing area, and eighteen new students remained. There were enough arenas for everyone to fight at the same time.

"Pair up in twos. When I call your names, step onto the arena."

"Lan Wu, Qu Yu, Arena One."

"Wu Xi, Quan Ou, Arena Two."

"..."

"Su Luoheng, Wen Qu, Arena Nine."

Ran Ruobing assigned an opponent to every new student. Aside from Su Luoheng and his opponent, the others had indeed been paired at random.

She hadn't done it to target Su Luoheng.

She simply wanted to see how he performed in a real fight, so she'd chosen Wen Qu, an opponent of comparable strength.

Wen Qu was eleven years old and had seventeen levels of Soul Power.

Su Luoheng had some impression of him.

First, because he'd been near the front of the line, and second, because he'd been the first new student to have his Heavy Sword Soul Tool tested.

Ran Ruobing had carefully chosen this opponent.

Among this group of new students, Wen Qu ranked third in Soul Power. He had also forged a sword-type melee Soul Tool, making him the best opponent for Su Luoheng.

"..."

Under Ran Ruobing's direction, the remaining new students soon stood in pairs on the arenas.

Before stepping onto the arenas, they had each received a Defensive Soul Tool. These were all Level 2 Soul Tools, more than capable of withstanding a Soul Grandmaster's attacks.

Su Luoheng's arena was the last one.

His opponent, Wen Qu, was half a head taller than him, with a lean, muscular build and the typical complexion of someone from the Sun Moon Empire. The muscles on his arms stood out slightly. From his appearance, he was clearly the sort of person no one would want to mess with.

He had already raised the Heavy Sword Soul Tool he'd forged himself, his legs bent and his stance set as he gathered strength.

Seeing this, Su Luoheng grew more serious.

He couldn't afford to let his guard down in a fight. He had to remain vigilant at all times.

This was his first time fighting a Soul Master of the same level. A rush of excitement surged through Su Luoheng. He bent his knees slightly, gripped his sword, and prepared to strike.

Wen Qu was just as ready. He believed in his own strength, too.

His opponent wasn't weak, but he was stronger. A fierce fighting spirit filled the space between them.

"Su Luoheng."

"Wen Qu."

After exchanging names, the atmosphere suddenly tensed.

"The match will end when one side admits defeat or a Defensive Soul Tool is triggered. This is a training exercise. Deliberately injuring your opponent is forbidden. Anyone who breaks the rules will receive a major demerit."

"Do you understand?"

"Understood."

"..."

Ran Ruobing repeated the rules, then had everyone check that their Defensive Soul Tools were working properly. These new students were the future of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy. Losing even one of them to an accident would be a tremendous loss.

"Begin!"

At Ran Ruobing's command, the matches officially began!

The instant she spoke, battles broke out on nearly every arena at once.

Ran Ruobing stepped aside. Apart from her usual rounds, most of her attention was fixed on Arena Nine. She was eager to see how Su Luoheng performed in combat.

The two struck almost simultaneously, their swords slamming together!

A deafening clang rang out as the two blades collided.

Sparks scattered in every direction.

The Ice Rain Sword and the Heavy Sword clashed again. Neither gained the upper hand in the brief struggle, and both men retreated a step to open some distance.

They now had a rough sense of each other's strength.

Wen Qu tightened his grip on the Heavy Sword and charged at Su Luoheng again.

"Come on!"

With a loud shout, he suddenly accelerated.

At the same time, the First Soul Ring beneath his feet lit up with an earthy yellow glow. As Soul Power poured into the enormous sword in his hand, it took on a dark, glossy sheen and grew even heavier. A pale yellow halo spread across a radius of nearly half a meter around him.

"Whoosh!"

The Heavy Sword cut through the air with a sharp whistle, moving at incredible speed!

In the blink of an eye, it was upon him.

Su Luoheng was about to retreat and avoid the brunt of the attack when he suddenly felt his body grow heavy, as if an unseen force had increased the gravity around him. His speed was severely restricted.

This greatly affected his agility. He could no longer dodge the attack.

Facing Wen Qu's Heavy Sword, all he could do now was meet it head-on.

At the same time,

Ran Ruobing saw what was happening from outside the arena.

She secretly shook her head, a trace of disappointment flashing in her beautiful eyes.

The special ability of Wen Qu's Heavy Sword Soul Tool was Gravity Field.