Invincible Golden Body

The shattered barrier of light condensed once more. Even more strangely, this time it was a brilliant gold.

"Invincible Golden Body!" Xiao Wu, knocked back by the rebounding energy and falling into Tang San's arms, recognized the skill at once and cried out in shock.

At the same time, Zhu Zhuqing closed in again, pressing a dagger against Zhao Wuji's throat.

What Xiao Wu failed to notice was that Tang San's expression darkened immediately as he supported her. Where had Zhu Zhuqing gotten Red Dust Blessing at a time like this?!

In an instant, Tang San thought of that person—the one who had stabbed him in the back at the most crucial moment!

Why had he given Red Dust Blessing to Zhu Zhuqing?!

Was he trying to test me?!

No, he absolutely could not reveal any flaw. With his current strength, facing a soul tool would mean certain death.

"Little girl, you got lucky. You won. Consider yourselves to have passed this test." Zhao Wuji was straightforward about it. Though his underestimation of them had played a part, a loss was a loss.

Zhu Zhuqing jumped down from Zhao Wuji's shoulder and landed on the ground, shaking her head. She had not expected this necklace to truly withstand an attack from a Soul Sage. Even if he had not attacked with full force, it was still astonishing.

It left her with even more questions about the young man.

Defensive soul tools were rare, but soul bones capable of resisting a Soul King could still be acquired if the Dai family and Zhu family searched carefully enough.

But Zhu Zhuqing had never heard of a defensive soul tool that could withstand a Soul Sage's attack. Soul bones of the same grade were treasures among treasures even in the imperial family, and she could even sense that this was not the limit of this defensive soul tool!

That also made her understand why the young man had sounded so casual when he said that with this, she would not lose.

Fifteen seconds—an entire fifteen seconds of Invincible Golden Body. Complete defense in every direction. Unless Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun could instantly unleash combat power at the level of a Soul Douluo, she absolutely could not lose.

"Teacher Zhao, you were the one who held back. If you had attacked with your full strength, we would have had no way out but death," Zhu Zhuqing replied politely despite her shock.

Seeing this, Dai Mubai immediately went over, his eyes filled with both surprise and delight.

"Zhuqing! You actually obtained a soul bone!" Dai Mubai was brimming with excitement.

With a soul bone skill that could withstand a Soul Sage's attack, they would definitely not lose against Dai Weisi and the others. He had not expected that after only a few years apart, Zhu Zhuqing would bring him such a huge surprise.

As for whether someone from her family had given it to her, Dai Mubai believed that whoever obtained a soul bone of such quality would absorb it themselves immediately. Since it had ended up in Zhu Zhuqing's hands, she could only have acquired it through a fortunate opportunity of her own.

Thinking this, he unconsciously stepped two paces closer.

Hearing Dai Mubai's voice and seeing his expression, Zhu Zhuqing frowned and retreated three steps. She looked at him coldly. "This has nothing to do with you. Please stay away from me, and do not call me by my name like that."

Naturally, Tang San had also noticed the conversation between Zhu Zhuqing and Dai Mubai, but Xiao Wu was the most important thing right now.

"Xiao Wu, how are you? Xiao Wu?" Tang San asked worriedly. Ever since earlier, Xiao Wu had looked completely out of sorts.

"Damn it!" Xiao Wu's eyes were full of resentment and unwillingness. Clinging to Tang San's arm, she forced herself to calm down.

She looked up at Tang San, whose eyes were full of concern for her, then let out a soft breath and explained.

"I'm fine. I was just a little surprised. I'm a close-combat assault-type soul master, so I've always been watching for soul beasts with similar soul skills. This skill was also my ideal target for the soul ring I planned to obtain in the future," Xiao Wu explained quietly.

Yet the hand covering her chest silently clenched tight. Soft-Boned Rabbits did indeed possess this skill, but Soft-Boned Rabbits capable of producing a soul bone of this level were all of considerable age, and soul bones were not easily born in the first place.

At once, all of Xiao Wu's favorable feelings toward Zhu Zhuqing from their earlier fight side by side vanished completely.

As for Tang San, he had originally wanted to stand up for Xiao Wu. But because Red Dust Blessing had suddenly appeared on Zhu Zhuqing, he decided to observe for the time being.

Zhu Zhuqing, meanwhile, kept glancing toward Tang San, seemingly intentionally yet not quite.

From the battle just now, Zhu Zhuqing had seen many similarities between Tang San and the young man: flexible and ever-changing combat methods, equally elusive footwork, and the way they threw weapons.

Without a fight between Tang San and Zhao Wuji, the group quickly completed their enrollment procedures together.

There were three girls in total. Since Ning Rongrong helped Tang San look after Xiao Wu, the two naturally ended up sharing a room, while Zhu Zhuqing stayed by herself.

That evening, Zhu Zhuqing was sitting cross-legged in meditation when she heard a knock at the door.

"Zhuqing, are you asleep?" Dai Mubai's voice was low. Zhu Zhuqing had not wanted to pay him any attention, but thinking of the injured Xiao Wu next door still recuperating, she opened the door.

"I told you not to call me that," Zhu Zhuqing said coldly.

"If I can't call you Zhuqing, what should I call you? You're already my..." Seeing Zhu Zhuqing's cold expression, anger immediately rose in Dai Mubai's heart.

"Shut up!" Zhu Zhuqing snarled. She did not want to hear those three words from Dai Mubai's mouth.

"If you only came to say this, then excuse me." With that, Zhu Zhuqing shut the door.

Listening to Dai Mubai's footsteps as he stalked away in anger, Zhu Zhuqing pressed her lips together without saying a word.

Her hand, however, unconsciously touched the necklace at her chest.

She was somewhat lost in thought. Where could he have gone?

After Huo Yuhao left the clinic, he had not expected the first problem he encountered to be one of identification.

The Balak Kingdom lay along the border between two nations, while Soto City was an important grain-producing region.

However, due to the presence of special people such as soul masters, movement between the two nations was extremely frequent! Thus, Soto City followed a policy that was lax on the outside but strict within.

Entering and leaving the city was easy, but as long as one remained in the city, all necessities—food, clothing, lodging, and travel—required proof of identification. Ordinary civilians used household registration documents, while soul masters used soul master certificates issued by Spirit Hall. Huo Yuhao had neither.

The only reason he had been able to buy medicinal ingredients at the pharmacy earlier was because Zhu Zhuqing had carried him there. To save trouble, the clerk had registered him under Zhu Zhuqing's information.

After hesitating for a long time, Huo Yuhao finally came before a grand building.

Atop its spire-shaped structure were a sword, a hammer, and a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.

The doors stood open, and the interior was crowded with people. Huo Yuhao hesitated only briefly before walking inside.

It was somewhat different from the solemn and proper place Huo Yuhao had imagined. It could even be said to possess the noisy bustle of the common streets.

Standing in a corner, Huo Yuhao quietly listened to the conversations of the civilians passing by.

Soto City was a large city with a vast population, so Spirit Hall set aside one day every month for children of the proper age to awaken their martial souls.

Today happened to be Soto City's monthly day for awakening the martial souls of children in the city.

In addition, one extra day was added each year for the Pope's birthday, as a display of respect for Spirit Hall and the Pope.