Li Qingming's Strength

Dai Huabin fell silent as he spoke.

Listening to him, Zhu Lu stared blankly at him. Seeing the urgency in the young man's eyes, along with the anger and malice he could no longer hide, she felt a chill run through her.

Yet under Dai Huabin's gaze, she remained silent for a long while before finally nodding.

"Alright. I'll go. I'll choose a thousand-year soul beast."

Zhu Lu's voice was soft, and her fingers trembled slightly.

Two fingers on her slender hands were tightly intertwined, while her eyes held a quiet stillness.

As she stepped onto the stage and likewise chose a thousand-year soul beast, the teacher was clearly stunned. He had not expected Class One of the first year to be so strong—the first four students had all chosen thousand-year soul beasts.

Watching this scene, the uninformed students looked curious. Even Huo Yuhao, standing nearby, watched her with some curiosity.

However, Huo Yuhao was clearly speaking with the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm at that moment, and he was evidently very interested in the wager between the two sides.

After all, Dai Huabin was the enemy who had killed his mother. At this stage, Huo Yuhao was equally filled with malice toward Dai Huabin.

Seeing the bet between Li Qingming, Wang Dong, and Dai Huabin's group, Huo Yuhao was naturally interested. Or rather, he had been watching this side all along.

As Zhu Lu stepped onto the stage, a small flying bird appeared.

The appearance of this bird surprised quite a few people.

It was not the terrifying top-tier assassin known as the Demon Kingfisher, but this soul beast was called an Evil Soul Bird. It was also renowned for its speed and strength, and was definitely stronger than an ordinary thousand-year soul beast.

Looking at the bird, Zhu Lu clenched her fists slightly. Two soul rings lit up around her.

Seeing that Zhu Lu only had two soul rings, many students were stunned.

The Evil Soul Bird was a thousand-year soul beast. Even an ordinary three-ring soul master would find it difficult to defeat.

Yet Zhu Lu, a two-ring soul master, dared to face an Evil Soul Bird. To these students, this was baffling.

"Has Zhu Lu gone crazy?"

"Her martial soul is only the Netherworld Spirit Cat. It barely counts as a top-tier martial soul, but it's at the very bottom among them. It can't compare to the Evil-Eyed White Tiger at all."

"If Dai Huabin fought that tiger at two rings, it might still be possible. But Zhu Lu? No chance."

"Who knows? I heard they're gambling against each other. Has Zhu Lu gone mad trying to win?"

"Wang Dong has broken through to three rings, and Li Qingming has too. How could they possibly win?"

Listening to the girls chattering around her, Zhu Lu felt their hostility. Girls often found it harder to feel goodwill toward other girls, so they had never thought highly of her to begin with.

Moreover, hearing the disapproving words around her and seeing the Evil Soul Bird launch a sudden attack, fear flashed through Zhu Lu's eyes.

Her second soul ring lit up, and her Netherworld Claws swept out fiercely. Her claws were fast, but the Evil Soul Bird was faster.

In the blink of an eye, the Evil Soul Bird had darted forward and pierced straight through her shoulder.

As flesh was torn away, Zhu Lu let out a miserable cry. The next second, the Evil Soul Bird's claws were already about to strike again.

It had happened too quickly. Even Zhou Yi, standing nearby, had not reacted in time, as she was still arranging the students below.

Normally, teachers believed their students knew their own limits. They should know whether they could handle a thousand-year soul beast or not.

Thus, they had not expected Zhu Lu to lose so quickly, nor to lose so thoroughly.

The Evil Soul Bird also had a habit of feeding on brains. If they failed to react in time, Zhu Lu's head could be pierced through and she could die on the spot.

At this thought, Zhou Yi's expression changed drastically. Just like the scene in the original timeline where Huo Yuhao faced a thousand-year soul beast, the teachers simply did not have time to stop it.

Seeing the Evil Soul Bird about to strike, Li Qingming's gaze flickered for a second. He hesitated for only an instant before finally raising his hand.

Six wings appeared behind him, and his third soul ring lit up in an instant.

Then, just as Zhu Lu closed her eyes and prepared to die, a crisp hum rang out, and the Evil Soul Bird's body was knocked away.

The next second, Zhu Lu opened her eyes blankly and looked at the shield before her, entirely wrapped in wings.

Feeling the light energy and sacred energy flooding through it, she instinctively turned around and looked at Li Qingming, who stood there with his soul skill already activated.

Her gaze remained fixed on Li Qingming. Dai Huabin, who had been standing there moments ago, rushed out as well, terror written across his face.

He had nearly lost Zhu Lu completely just now. That sight had frightened him too.

Although he disliked Zhu Lu and regarded her only as his subordinate, she was still his woman, his fiancée. He could not possibly watch her die before his eyes.

As Dai Huabin rushed over, Li Qingming calmly raised his hand and withdrew his third soul skill, Sacred Shield.

As Dai Huabin held her tightly and the smell of blood filled her nose, Zhu Lu's eyes shifted slightly to the side, her gaze fixed on Li Qingming.

However, Li Qingming was no longer looking at her.

The young man still stood there like a god high above. What he had done earlier seemed no more than a god casually lowering his gaze and granting her a moment of mercy.

That realization made Zhu Lu's body tremble slightly.

Then Dai Huabin held her, and the two of them walked directly off the arena.

Yet as they left, Dai Huabin glanced at Li Qingming. Though his eyes were filled with killing intent, he said nothing provocative. After all, Li Qingming had saved Zhu Lu's life.

Li Qingming did not care about that. He calmly stepped forward, and the powerful aura of the Six-Winged Angel burst forth from his body in an instant.

"Teacher, I also choose a thousand-year soul beast."

Li Qingming's voice was soft.

Hearing Li Qingming's words, the teacher hurriedly nodded.

He raised his hand, and a terrifying force suppressed the Evil Soul Bird, tossing the soul beast back. Then another soul beast appeared in the arena.

It was a massive black ape, its eyes locked tightly onto Li Qingming. The instant it appeared, it charged at him.

Yet Li Qingming's expression remained perfectly calm as he looked at it.

The young man raised his hand, pressed two fingers together, and made a downward slashing motion toward it.

The next second, the second soul ring behind him lit up. Twelve Angel Divine Swords merged into one in an instant, transforming into the Angel Greatsword.

Then the Angel Greatsword slashed out in an instant. The terrifying strike fell, leaving a massive wound across the ape's body.

As the ape was heavily wounded and fell to the ground, many female students around them cried out in surprise. Li Qingming's move had simply been far too handsome.

Yet despite the cries around him, Li Qingming did not finish off the ape. He merely turned around and left calmly.

On top of a tall building elsewhere, Yan Shaozhe stood there. Feeling the ultimate sacred power emanating from Li Qingming, his expression remained as excited as ever.

Although Huo Yuhao was his target this time, he was equally interested in this ultimate sacred power.

Moreover, in his view, compared to Huo Yuhao, who had already joined the soul tool department, even if Li Qingming did not become his student in the future, he would still become one of the core members of their martial soul department.