Protecting Gu Yue

Gu Yue's soul power was currently at rank twenty-one—above average for her age. Yet her spiritual power was exceptionally high, even comparable to that of some Soul King-level Soul Masters.

The basic tests were really just a formality. With Gu Yue's talent, Leng Yaozhu taking her as a disciple was practically a certainty.

Once the basic tests were finished, Leng Yaozhu led the two of them, accompanied by Di Qiu'er, to a room.

The room was spacious, constructed entirely from a special soundproof alloy. A hemispherical silver device floated in the center, surrounded by streams of silver light and giving off faint spiritual power fluctuations.

The surrounding walls were covered in densely packed sensing devices. At a glance, it was clearly a specialized setup used by the Spirit Pagoda for high-level combat evaluations.

"The final test: combat potential assessment."

Leng Yaozhu stood before the device, her tone stern and serious.

"The Spirit Pagoda's standard combat examinations only test basic combat strength. But what I want isn't your normal strength—I want to see the upper limit of your explosive power when you're driven into a desperate situation."

As she spoke, she raised a hand and waved. Two thin silver headbands flew out of the device and slowly descended before Lin Xun and Gu Yue.

"Put them on. These are virtual simulation devices. They replicate the combat strength, aura, pain, soul power consumption, and sensory experiences of real Soul Masters and soul beasts with one hundred percent accuracy. Everything will feel exactly like reality. They are absolutely safe and will not cause any real injuries."

"I have to be tested too?" Lin Xun asked as he accepted the headband.

"Why wouldn't you?" Leng Yaozhu asked with a light smile.

"Can I refuse?"

"Take a guess."

Leng Yaozhu kept smiling, but for some reason, that smile felt a little cold.

Lin Xun shuddered. A wise man did not fight when the odds were against him.

He picked up the headband and fastened it over his head. The icy metal pressed against his temples, and a faint spiritual connection was established in an instant.

Gu Yue obediently did the same, a touch of curiosity on her delicate little face as she carefully put on the device.

"Once you're ready, I'll activate the spatial projection."

As Leng Yaozhu's words fell, a wisp of dark red soul power condensed at her fingertips. She lightly tapped the core device.

White light suddenly erupted throughout the examination room.

The ground beneath their feet instantly dissolved. The surrounding walls and equipment all faded away, while the light and shadows before them shifted at high speed.

In the blink of an eye, the two of them found themselves within a dim, deep primordial forest.

Ancient trees towered overhead, vines twisted together, and dead branches and fallen leaves carpeted the ground. Chilling winds swept through the woods, while the dense aura of wild soul beasts permeated the vegetation.

The view, the air, the sensation against their skin—even the rustling of leaves in the wind—were almost indistinguishable from a real Soul Master forest.

"This is the Spirit Pagoda's exclusive virtual trial space." Leng Yaozhu's voice rang through the forest from nowhere, clear as though transmitted across empty space. "It is an independent plane, completely isolated from the outside world. All trial content is randomly generated by the system."

Lin Xun looked around, fully understanding what was going on.

This kind of high-level virtual trial was not meant to rack up accomplishments. It was meant to force people to reveal their hidden cards.

Just then, the ground suddenly shook.

Boom!

Heavy footsteps echoed from the depths of the forest. Dust flew from the ground as the surrounding grass and trees trembled violently.

A massive dark golden figure, its muscles knotted and bulging, smashed through layers of brush and strode brutally out of the woods.

It was a giant baboon nearly three meters tall. Its fur was dark gold, hard as iron armor. The claws on its five-fingered hands gleamed with a ghastly white chill, while its crimson eyes locked down the entire area with an instant burst of savage pressure.

[Millennium Soul Beast—Dark Gold Baboon]

A dense, bloody killing aura rushed toward them, its pure millennium-level pressure making even the air faintly stagnate.

Gu Yue subconsciously stepped half a pace forward. Soul power quietly circulated around her body as she prepared to defend herself at any moment.

Lin Xun merely narrowed his eyes slightly. His expression remained calm, utterly unfazed by the aura of a millennium soul beast.

Leng Yaozhu's voice echoed through the forest, clear and orderly.

"Your opponent for this trial is a millennium Dark Gold Baboon. I'll give you the standard answer directly: based on your current real soul power and soul skill configurations, if you confront it head-on, you have almost no chance of winning."

"Its theoretical combat strength completely crushes yours. The gap is enormous."

Lin Xun raised an eyebrow at that.

Leng Yaozhu continued in a deep voice, "I know your foundations."

"This Dark Gold Baboon is a flawless millennium specimen whose data I personally verified. Its offense, defense, speed, and explosive power have all been pushed to the limit. Among those of the same level, it is an exceptionally powerful specimen."

"If the two of you join forces and use conventional tactics to confront it head-on, defeat is inevitable."

"I did not start this trial to make you win, nor am I testing your ability to kill monsters."

Her voice paused before revealing the true purpose of the test.

"What I want to see is what kind of potential, coordination, adaptability, and hidden cards you can unleash when you are trapped in a hopeless situation—when your combat strength is crushed and there is no chance of victory ahead."

"Geniuses cannot be judged in favorable circumstances. Only desperate situations determine their limits."

"Make your move. Give it everything you have. Show me all you're capable of."

Inside the observation room, Leng Yaozhu nodded to Di Qiu'er beside her and explained, "Don't worry. This is even safer than the Spirit Ascension Platform. Even if they are completely torn apart inside, there will not be any negative effects."

Di Qiu'er did not answer. She merely stared intently at the image on the screen.

But the person she was watching was not Gu Yue—it was that young man.

The thousand-year Dark Gold Baboon's eyes flared with savage light as its thick legs violently kicked off the ground.

The earth exploded into a shallow crater. Wrapped in howling wind and violent murderous aura, the gigantic beast lunged at the two of them with terrifying speed!

The gale roared. The Dark Gold Baboon's vicious giant palm, carrying the brute force of a thousand pounds, crashed down before them with an explosive boom that tore through the air. Its ferocious pressure was nearly suffocating.

At that critical moment, Gu Yue's gaze sharpened, and her brows drew together slightly.

In an instant, she had devised their coordinated battle plan. Soul power gathered beneath her feet, ready to burst forth. She was about to signal for Lin Xun, standing in front of her, to withstand the first impact and restrain the baboon's assault while she followed up with the power of the six elements as their decisive damage.

But the moment the thought arose, the space before her was empty. Lin Xun had already vanished without a trace.

The empty forest wind swept past, leaving only fallen leaves drifting down with a rustle.

Gu Yue froze, then instinctively turned around.

At some point, Lin Xun—who should have been on the front line taking the hits—had already slipped away and silently retreated behind her. He stood there leisurely, without the slightest hint of panic.

He had long since put her in front to shield him!

Before Gu Yue could react, a gentle yet irresistible force suddenly struck her from behind.

His soul power gave her a light push, precise and controlled, sending the caught-off-guard Gu Yue stumbling half a step forward—right into the Dark Gold Baboon's frontal killing zone.

The young man's crisp, infuriating voice rang out leisurely:

"Gu Yue, you go first! Geniuses should lead the charge. Show us what you can do!"

At that moment, the gale hit her head-on. The vicious beast's enormous palm was right before her eyes, its overwhelming murderous aura firmly locked onto her.

Gu Yue was completely dumbfounded.

She had imagined fighting side by side, coordinating offense and defense, enduring pressure in desperate circumstances.

But she had never imagined that her teammate would retreat at the last moment, then shove her out to solo a top-tier thousand-year soul beast!

After that brief daze, a surge of furious anger instantly rushed to her head.

Even the ever-calm Silver Dragon King could not hold it together.

Her exquisite, cool little face tightened at once, a thin layer of anger rippling in her eyes as she gritted her teeth and snarled:

"Lin Xun! You bastard!"