Counterattack and Turn the Tide! [Please Recommend, Invest, and Bookmark!] / Grandpa, Why Not Give It to Me? [Please Recommend, Invest, and Bookmark!]

Once activated with Soul Power, it would trigger intermittently within a radius of half a meter, affecting everyone in range.

Although this ability made no distinction between friend and foe, Wen Qu, as its user, had surely already adapted to the added gravity. The effect on him would be negligible.

By contrast, Su Luoheng had been caught off guard, and the effect on him was considerable.

In Ran Ruobing's view, once he was caught in the Heavy Sword's field, it was only a matter of time before Su Luoheng lost. He had exceptional talent with Soul Tools, but his combat experience was far lacking.

Su Luoheng still didn't understand the other party's Soul Tool abilities, so his carelessness had let the field lock onto him with ease.

Perhaps she'd expected too much of him...

But he was only nine. What he'd accomplished so far was already quite impressive.

With that thought, she prepared to announce the result.

However.

Su Luoheng's response, from the perspective of someone who was sure to lose, was completely beyond Ran Ruobing's expectations.

Or rather, it was astonishing!

Su Luoheng suddenly drew back his right foot and bent his left leg slightly. At the same time, he turned his wrist and held the Ice Rain Sword, infused with Soul Power, horizontally before his chest. A chill radiated from the blade. Wen Qu, convinced he held an absolute advantage and that victory was within reach, failed to notice his own speed slowing.

With a clang of metal against metal,

the Ice Rain Sword collided with the Heavy Sword once more, sparks erupting violently where the blades met.

Wen Qu should have seized the moment to bring down another crushing blow and keep Su Luoheng suppressed.

But the chill had affected him, and he didn't swing the Heavy Sword down right away.

Those few seconds of delay gave Su Luoheng the chance to escape.

Chapter 34: Counterattack and Turn the Tide! [Please Recommend, Invest, and Bookmark!]

A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he immediately adjusted his stance. Just as the Heavy Sword finally came down, Su Luoheng had already shed most of its force. He used the momentum of the blow to propel himself rapidly backward. Under Wen Qu's disbelieving gaze, Su Luoheng put a safe distance between them and escaped the restraining effects of the Gravity Field.

He escaped??

Ran Ruobing's beautiful eyes filled with astonishment!

No matter how she'd tried to work it out, she hadn't thought of a way to break the deadlock.

Yet Su Luoheng had come up with one in just a few seconds—and executed it flawlessly, without the slightest mistake!

It was simply unbelievable...

She had to admit, she couldn't have done the same.

Looking once more at Su Luoheng on the stage, Ran Ruobing's expression shifted to one of admiration.

Then she looked away.

There was no need to keep watching.

The outcome was clear now. Su Luoheng would win.

Her assessment hadn't been wrong, but she'd misjudged one thing: Su Luoheng's combat experience was not weak at all!

Though he'd never formally sparred against a Soul Master of his own level, he had fought Hundred-Year Soul Beasts, which were stronger than Soul Masters. And more than one Hundred-Year Soul Beast had died at his hands!

Combat didn't just let him build experience; it also sharpened his ability to react in the moment.

The instant he realized his body was being affected, Su Luoheng had already changed his previous strategy.

The greatest thing he'd gained from two years of training with his father was the ability to respond perfectly the moment the Heavy Sword came crashing down.

The view returned to the arena.

With a muffled thud,

Wen Qu's Heavy Sword could only cleave into the stage. The blow was indeed devastatingly powerful. The stage's surface, made from the materials of a second-grade Soul Tool, split open, and countless cracks spread out around it.

Wen Qu, on the stage, had no idea what had happened in that split second.

He had only seen Su Luoheng, who was clearly about to be hit by his sword, suddenly vanish from the spot. His attack had struck the ground instead.

"How is that possible?!"

He couldn't help crying out, his eyes widening.

No Soul Master had ever escaped his attack after being locked down by the Heavy Sword's field.

Never!

And yet what he was seeing had truly happened.

Wen Qu panicked. He could barely even keep hold of the sword in his hand.

Meanwhile,

Su Luoheng had taken in every detail of his opponent's reaction.

After several exchanges, he'd gotten a rough idea of Wen Qu's abilities: his Soul Skill was similar to an enhancement, boosting his speed to some degree, while his Soul Tool exerted a gravitational restraint within a certain range.

Wen Qu was now like a tiger without teeth, a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

Now it was Su Luoheng's turn to strike back!

While Wen Qu stood there stunned, Su Luoheng flicked his hand and sent a streak of icy light toward him to restrict his movements.

By the time Wen Qu broke through the Ice Rain Sword's icy slash, Su Luoheng was already at his side, sword in hand. In an instant, Soul Power poured into the Ice Rain Sword, and a cold glint flashed across its blade.

Wen Qu had no chance to defend. He could only snatch up the Heavy Sword and hold it in front of himself.

There was no time to channel Soul Power in such a hurry. The outcome was obvious: without the enhancement of Soul Power, the Heavy Sword was nothing but metal. How could it withstand an attack like that?

A crisp crack rang out from the blade.

The pressure proved too much for Wen Qu's first-grade Soul Tool, and Su Luoheng's Ice Rain Sword cleaved it in two!

One strike snapped the sword, leaving its two halves barely connected.

The pitch-black Heavy Sword broke in two and fell to the ground.

But the force of that strike didn't end there. With nothing left in its way, the remaining sword light slashed toward Wen Qu's chest.

Bzz—

Just as the blade was about to reach him, a white light flared. A second-grade Defensive Soul Tool activated and formed a barrier, blocking the attack. The remaining force rippled across the white shield.

At the same time, Su Luoheng's expression shifted slightly as he studied the broken sword on the ground, lost in thought.

"You've lost."

As soon as he spoke, he turned and left the stage.

He put away the Ice Rain Sword, while Wen Qu remained rooted to the spot, terror still lingering in his eyes.

Su Luoheng had already stepped down from the stage before Wen Qu finally collapsed onto it with a thump. He stared at the broken Soul Tool and gasped for breath.

It was so close, so close...

He'd felt that chill. He'd almost been run through!

If the Defensive Soul Tool hadn't activated in time, he would probably be a corpse by now, just like his sword.

"That guy... he's terrifying..."

Looking at Su Luoheng's retreating figure, he couldn't help shivering.

His legs shook, and he didn't dare move.

The terror of standing on the brink of death wouldn't leave him. For a long while, he feared he wouldn't be able to shake off the effect of that strike. It had nearly become a shadow in his mind.

"Match on Arena Nine is over. The winner is Su Luoheng."

A glimmer of admiration flashed through Ran Ruobing's beautiful eyes.

She hadn't expected Su Luoheng to use the Ice Rain Sword's properties to break through the Gravity Field. She had to admit, his talent was truly exceptional.

Ran Ruobing sighed, recorded the two contestants' scores, and continued watching the other arenas.

A quarter of an hour later,

the remaining matches had also ended.

Although the examination was over, the new students all kept their eyes on Ran Ruobing, afraid there'd be another additional test.

First, she expressionlessly put away the Scorebook.

Then, under everyone's anxious gaze, Ran Ruobing smiled brightly and announced, "The new student advancement examination is over. Remember to take your things and follow me out of the Testing Zone."

"As for your results, they'll be posted on the noticeboard tomorrow."

"That's great!"

"It's finally over!"

"Teacher, what about the Soul Tools we made?"

"You can do whatever you want with them."

"..."

As soon as she finished speaking, all the new students breathed a sigh of relief.

They could finally relax. This advancement examination was certainly one they'd remember.

The academy was generous, too. They got to keep the Soul Tools they'd made.

Of course, that was only if you'd managed to make one.

Only Su Luoheng, following behind the others, still looked thoughtful. From time to time, he glanced at the Ice Rain Sword in his hand, clearly preoccupied.

A moment later,

after leading the new students out of the Testing Zone, Ran Ruobing left the group.

Their examination was over. All they had to do now was wait for the results tomorrow.

The rest of the day was theirs to spend as they wished.

The students gathered in groups of three or five, chatting about what had happened in the examination.

Small cliques naturally formed when everyone gathered together. The new students were already beginning to split into groups: those who had passed the Soul Tool examination and those who hadn't.

Su Luoheng didn't talk much with them. After saying goodbye, he hurried back to the dormitory.

He seemed to have something important to do.

Back in his dorm, Su Luoheng closed the door and sat cross-legged.

He began recalling every moment of his earlier battle with Wen Qu, especially when their weapons had clashed. Just as the fight had ended, he'd suddenly realized that at some point he had learned the core array pattern of Wen Qu's Heavy Sword Soul Tool.

His First Soul Skill was Analysis, so learning the core array pattern was perfectly normal.

But the problem was that throughout the entire battle, he had never used his Soul Skill on Wen Qu's Soul Tool.

So how had he learned the core array pattern without activating his First Soul Skill?

That was what he'd been pondering all the way back from the Testing Zone.

That was why he'd rushed back to the dormitory, to carefully recall every detail of the battle.

"Could it have been triggered during the fight?"

A glimmer of thought passed through Su Luoheng's eyes as he suddenly realized this possibility.

On closer consideration, it seemed entirely plausible in theory!

But he'd have to test it before he could know for sure.

He immediately took the Ice Rain Sword and another unanalyzed Soul Tool out of his bracelet. He'd bought it on a whim while out shopping the day before; after all, it wouldn't look good to browse without buying anything.

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