Ye Yingluo and Qian Jue arrived at the athletic field.
No classes were having PE, so the field was wide open and perfect for a simulated battle.
Word of the duel spread through the academy in no time. Besides the students from the first-year Class One and Class Five, plenty of students from other grades had come to watch.
They all wanted to see how a first-year newcomer would defeat a Five-Ring Soul King who taught a class.
"Hey, how much are you betting?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'm betting on Teacher Ye. I heard the other one is an auxiliary Soul Master."
"An auxiliary type? Then what's there to watch? He's just asking for a beating. Teacher Ye is a famous agility-attack master in our academy."
"Exactly. Back then, she nearly passed the Shrek Academy entrance exam. It's just a pity she ran into a quirky examiner, who rejected her for a ridiculous reason."
Ye Yingluo paid no mind to the murmuring crowd. Like a proud white swan, she stood before Qian Jue.
"I won't bully you. How about this: if you can force me to take three steps back, you win."
As soon as Ye Yingluo said this, the crowd began buzzing.
A Five-Ring Agility-Attack Soul King against a Two-Ring Auxiliary-Weapon Soul Grandmaster—she could stand still and give up the absolute advantage of her agility-attack style, and an auxiliary Soul Master still wouldn't be able to hold a candle to her.
"Good." Qian Jue readily agreed. This was exactly the outcome he wanted.
He had already figured out what kind of person she was. Someone as proud and arrogant as her wouldn't take him seriously.
That carelessness and contempt were exactly what Qian Jue wanted.
Wu Zhangkong acted as the referee for the match. At his command, both sides promptly released their Martial Souls.
Jade Green Bird!
A wave of green light surged as a pair of azure wings slowly unfurled behind Ye Yingluo. Her eyes narrowed, glinting with a hint of emerald.
Three yellow and two purple Soul Rings revolved around her, and the power of a Soul King swept across the field.
Qian Jue was no less impressive. The Dragon Rising Pillar stood tall, and though he had fewer Soul Rings than Ye Yingluo, his two black rings surpassed hers in age.
"Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings! Is this kid some kind of freak who was born in the Spirit Sea Realm?"
"Too bad. The gap between a Battle Soul Master and an auxiliary Soul Master isn't something one or two high-quality Soul Rings can make up for."
Some upperclassmen voiced their opinions. Wu Zhangkong made no comment for the time being.
He chose to trust his student.
Even though the kid had thrown him a curveball with his tactical arrangement on the very first day...
Qian Jue didn't hesitate. He activated his first and second Soul Skills, and the two boosting skills instantly raised his Soul Power to the level of a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor.
Ye Yingluo felt the surge of violent, surging Soul Power too. Delight and approval rose in her eyes.
That kind of terrifying boost was every bit as powerful as the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, once known as the greatest auxiliary Martial Soul in the world... No, it was even stronger!
With Qian Jue in her class, how could they ever lose a future competition?
She would prove herself to Wu Zhangkong and to Shrek.
But what could you do with Soul Power alone and no way to attack?
Qiangu Qingfeng sat atop the teaching building, concealing his presence as he watched the hastily arranged duel from afar.
Suddenly, the two black Soul Rings vanished.
A long staff crowned with a dragon's head appeared in Qian Jue's hand.
Twin Martial Souls!
The entire crowd cried out in shock.
Twin Martial Souls were no longer so rare in this era. In fact, because of Soul Spirits, they had become somewhat less common. But they were still proof of exceptional talent.
"Go, boss!"
"I'll go three days without eating if it means Qian Jue gets one chance to win..."
Tang Wulin had only just finished muttering to himself when an incomparable staff aura rose from Qian Jue's Coiling Dragon Staff. But that was far from his limit.
Qian Jue closed his eyes and recalled his past life.
How he had risen from humble beginnings, and how he had once stood above the world.
Gradually, an unyielding will surged out of Qian Jue.
It was like one person facing the whole world. Compared to the boundless universe, he was tiny, yet he dared to face it all.
The crowd heard him recite softly:
"Though the road twists and ends, the heavens and earth are narrow; calamity upon calamity, life and death hang by a thread."
"My body drifts like willow catkins on the wind; whether high as clouds or low as mud, my will remains one."
An untimely cry rang out from the crowd:
"Is that the embryo of Intent?!"
"How is that possible?"
Even Wu Zhangkong looked astonished.
His own swordsmanship had only reached this very realm. Yet he was seeing it in a child who had awakened his Martial Soul only recently. Even if it was merely an embryo, it was still enough to shake him.
High above, Qiangu Qingfeng could barely hide his joy.
He had entered the realm of aura yesterday, and today Qian'er had already formed the embryo of Intent. Qian'er was only six years old. Calling his future promising was practically an insult.
And he had never taught Qian'er the Indomitable Staff Technique. Yet Qian'er had comprehended it on his own, forging an indomitable will that belonged to him alone from his own understanding.
Qiangu Qingfeng was in high spirits. If things continued at this rate, it wouldn't be a problem for the Qiangu Lineage to produce another Sky Pillar.
No, Qian'er would surpass Yun Ming by far!
Below, Ye Yingluo was also unsettled by the overwhelming aura surging toward her.
What was this?
She had a Beast Martial Soul and had never studied the deeper development of Weapon Martial Souls. She only felt as if the heavens and earth themselves were rejecting her as she faced Qian Jue.
After switching to the Coiling Dragon Staff Martial Soul, the Dragon Rising Pillar did not disappear.
With his powerful mental strength and control over his Martial Souls, wielding two at once was no problem.
The boost hadn't faded, and his indomitable will had reached its peak.
Now was the time to break through the enemy!
Qian Jue took one step, then shot toward Ye Yingluo like an arrow loosed from a bow.
Ye Yingluo was still in shock, but that indomitable strike, carrying the will to Battle Heaven Fight Earth and seemingly capable of tearing apart the heavens and earth, was already coming down.
At that moment, the Coiling Dragon Staff seemed to grow infinitely larger in Ye Yingluo's eyes. There was nothing else in the world but that single strike.
"One staff sweeps across the sky, heaven and earth overturned; an unbending backbone, fighting on—only I!"
With a furious roar, Indomitable Staff Intent surged forth and easily shattered the Soul Power barrier protecting Ye Yingluo.
The overwhelming will left Ye Yingluo dazed, and she failed to unleash a Soul Skill in retaliation right away.
At the last instant, Qian Jue changed his attack and forcibly twisted the Coiling Dragon Staff's trajectory. Instead of smashing into Ye Yingluo's face, he changed the downward strike into a sweeping blow and hit her in the abdomen.
Boom!
With a muffled thud, Wu Zhangkong sprang into action. He barely tapped his foot against the ground before catching Ye Yingluo, just before she could fly into the crowd.
Ye Yingluo collapsed into Wu Zhangkong's arms, her eyes unfocused.
Her Martial Soul had already withdrawn on its own.
She stared blankly at Wu Zhangkong's icy face. As if finally letting go, she wobbled to her feet and announced before everyone that she had lost.
The whole crowd fell silent.
Then came a deafening roar of cheers.
Gu Yue flew to Qian Jue's side at once, shielding him from the "ill-intentioned" upperclassmen.
The little dragoness was declaring her claim.
Qian Jue walked up to Ye Yingluo and offered her his hand:
"You let me win."
Ye Yingluo stared blankly for a moment, then took Qian Jue's hand and slowly rose to her feet.
She turned to the students in her class and shouted, "I lost. Wang Jinxi, Zhang Ziyang, as agreed, the two of you are transferring to Class Five."
The two of them had a rare Martial Soul Fusion Skill. It would be a shame to split them up.
Since one student had to leave anyway, she might as well do them a favor.
Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi exchanged a glance, walked up to Ye Yingluo, and bowed deeply. Then they went over to stand beside Wu Zhangkong.
"Greetings, Teacher Wu."
Good. The Bone Dragon King was in the bag!
As for Zhang Yangzi, he was just an extra.
"Good, good, the young always surpass their elders! This child must join my Shrek!"
An untimely voice rang out, drawing everyone's gaze.
Cai Yue'er came strolling in through the academy gates, with a flustered Lan Muzi beside her. Her face was full of arrogance.
Though one of Qian Jue's Martial Souls was the Coiling Dragon Staff, so he was probably from the Qiangu Lineage...
As long as they brought him back to Shrek Academy and won him over with kindness, he might become the key figure in rebuilding the bridge between their academy and the Spirit Pagoda.