Qian Renxue Calls Out a Name

The short-haired man raised his hand and lifted the covers of five black boxes. There were no Spirit Beast materials inside, nor weapons, only five different iron plaques. Strength, Speed, Cognition, Defense, Snatch. Within a quarter of an hour, the second rounds of the remaining groups also ended one after another. Twenty people entered the second round, and in the end only twelve stood here. The short-haired man pointed at the five wooden boxes. "The third round is a solo assessment, with a maximum of three people per category." "Strength, see if you can break the limit. Speed, see if you can clear the course within the specified time. Cognition, find the hidden target. Defense, protect the thing in your hand." His finger landed on the last wooden box. "Snatch, take an item from the examiner." "Once chosen, it cannot be changed." Lu Yuan and the other three had priority in choosing. Zhou Qi did not think much, directly taking "Strength". Luo Qing stared at the five plaques for a long time, finally choosing "Speed". Hu Liena picked up "Cognition", spinning it on her fingertips. Lu Yuan reached out and took the last plaque. "Snatch." Hu Liena turned her head to look at him. "I thought you would choose Cognition." "Why?" "Aren't you quite good at observing things?" "There are many places to look, no need to all squeeze into one path." Hu Liena let out a laugh. The people behind began to choose plaques. "Speed" and "Cognition" quickly filled up with three people, and two who arrived a step late had to choose again. When everyone finished selecting, the short-haired man raised his hand and pointed at five different small arenas. "The third round ends, leaving eight." "Begin." Lu Yuan took the "Snatch" iron plaque and walked to the far right. The person in charge of this event was a youth in his twenties, very tall, with a black cloth belt tied around his waist, from which hung a palm-sized wooden plaque. Two yellow Spirit Rings rose from beneath his feet. A Great Spirit Master. The youth lowered his head and glanced at the iron plaque in Lu Yuan's hand. "Snatch?" "Mm." "Then let's keep it simple." He raised his right hand, placing his left hand behind his back. "Both feet must not leave the white circle, and I will only use one hand." "Within twenty breaths, if the wooden plaque on my waist ends up in your hand, you pass." "You can use Spirit Skills, and you can fight." The youth paused. "But if you actually crash and injure yourself, don't blame me." Lu Yuan summoned the Dark Iron Spear. Several people quickly gathered around. Hu Liena had not had her turn yet, and also stood not far away watching. Under the corridor, Qian Renxue likewise did not leave. "Begin." As the youth's voice fell, Lu Yuan did not charge immediately. The two were separated by less than three zhang. The opponent's right foot was slightly forward, his right hand hanging naturally, looking full of openings everywhere. Yet that wooden plaque hung right on his right waist. Lu Yuan moved one step to the left. The youth turned half a body length along with him. To the right again. It was still the same. Although the white circle was not large, it was enough to keep the wooden plaque hidden behind his right hand the whole time. "Fifteen breaths." The deacon in charge of timing reminded them. Lu Yuan moved. The Dark Iron Spear went straight for the youth's right shoulder. The opponent didn't even use a Spirit Skill, raising a hand to swat the spear tip away. Lu Yuan took advantage of the momentum to lower the spear shaft, shifting the spear tip toward the side of the waist. The youth acted as if he had been waiting for this move all along, his five fingers closing to directly grab the spear shaft. Snap! The Dark Iron Spear stopped abruptly. Lu Yuan's hands sank. The difference in strength was too great. With his current strength, it was completely impossible to forcefully yank the spear back. The youth's mouth just moved, and the yellow Spirit Ring beneath Lu Yuan's feet already lit up. Piercing Edge! "Still coming?" The youth's right hand exerted sudden force. The next instant, his palm suddenly emptied. The Dark Iron Spear vanished. Lu Yuan proactively retracted his Martial Soul. Piercing Edge was forcibly interrupted, but the momentum of his body charging forward hadn't completely stopped. Taking advantage of the moment the youth grabbed at empty air, he had already rushed into the edge of the white circle. The youth's expression changed for the first time. His right hand immediately pressed toward his waist. Still a beat too slow. Lu Yuan grabbed the wooden plaque and pulled hard. Rumble! The black cloth belt was pulled crooked. The wooden plaque had already fallen into his palm. The ringside was quiet for a moment. The deacon in charge of timing lowered his head and took a look. "Eleven breaths." The youth looked at his empty hand, then looked at Lu Yuan. "You just directly withdrew your Martial Soul?" Lu Yuan re-summoned the Dark Iron Spear. "If I didn't withdraw it, the spear would still be in your hand." The youth was silent for two breaths, then suddenly laughed. "Fine." He lifted his chin toward the person in charge of recording at the side. Hanging plaque number one, passed. Lu Yuan withdrew the Dark Iron Spear and retreated to the edge of the arena. Hu Liena stood not far away, her amber eyes brightening slightly. "You can even play it like this?" Lu Yuan looked at her. "Aren't you going to test Cognition?" "Going right now." Hu Liena turned and ran off. The third round did not drag on for long. Zhou Qi's strength assessment was to shatter a specially made stone slab. Relying on the strength brought by his Beast Spirit to smash it hard three times, his final punch finally caused the stone slab to crack open a seam, and he successfully passed. Luo Qing was not so lucky. The speed arena required consecutively passing through three mechanism doors. He caught up on the first two, but fell short by just half a step on the final one, the wooden door slamming shut heavily right in front of him. Luo Qing stood there dazed for quite a while, in the end only able to droop his head and walk toward the elimination area. Passing by Lu Yuan, he sighed. "Had I known, I would have chosen Defense." "Choosing Defense doesn't mean you'll necessarily pass." Luo Qing turned his head and glared at him. "Can't you comfort me with a single sentence?" "Next time." Luo Qing rolled his eyes, laughing to himself first. On the other side, Hu Liena also walked out of the "Cognition" arena. She held a brass buckle pinched in her hand. "Passed?" Lu Yuan asked. "Hidden under the fake flowerpot." Hu Liena tossed the brass buckle. "Slower than you." "As long as you passed." She glanced at Lu Yuan. "That sentence sounded almost human." When the final event ended, the twelve people were left with only eight. The short-haired man called the people who passed together to re-register their names. Lu Yuan stood at the front, with Hu Liena right on his right side. "Starting today, the eight of you enter the Elder Hall Youth Special Training roster." The short-haired man closed the roster. "Mao hour tomorrow morning, gather here as before." "Those who are late will return to their original Branch Hall on their own." Someone finally couldn't help showing a smile. Just as everyone prepared to go collect their lodging plaques, the short-haired man suddenly spoke. "Lu Yuan." Lu Yuan stopped. "Stay behind for a moment." Several people nearby also turned their heads along with him. Hu Liena's footsteps slowed a little. Lu Yuan looked at the short-haired man. "More tests?" "It's not me looking for you." The short-haired man lifted his chin toward the corridor. Qian Renxue had already stood up. She walked down the stone steps, her white-gold robe hem gently brushing across the steps, and soon stopped a few steps away from Lu Yuan. The short-haired man stepped aside. "The Young Lord is looking for you." The few people who had just passed the assessment all looked over. Hu Liena didn't walk far either.

Qian Renxue ignored those gazes and only looked at Lu Yuan.

"Why did you suddenly retract your martial soul just now?"

"He grabbed the spear."

"So you just retracted it directly?"

"Yeah. If I didn't retract it, I couldn't pull it out."

Qian Renxue looked at him for two breaths.

"Your soul skill was already activated, retracting your martial soul midway, weren't you afraid something would go wrong?"

"Afraid."

"Then you still dared to do it?"

Lu Yuan said, "It's still better than standing there and competing in raw strength with a Great Spirit Master."

A slight ripple stirred in the depths of Qian Renxue's eyes.

Right at that moment, the gray text appeared in Lu Yuan's field of vision once again.

[Qian Renxue]

[Crucial Destiny Node: Nine years old, leaving Spirit City]

[Heading to the Heaven Dou Empire]

At the very bottom, the originally blurry location became a bit clearer.

[Living on under another name]

Lu Yuan's gaze paused for a split second.

Qian Renxue suddenly spoke.

"Tomorrow afternoon, come to the Outer Courtyard of the Consecration Hall."

Lu Yuan looked up.

"What for?"

"The timing of when you retracted your martial soul just now."

Qian Renxue looked at him.

"Tomorrow afternoon, try it again."

Lu Yuan was somewhat surprised.

"Are we still looking for that examiner?"

"We'll change to someone else."

Qian Renxue's tone was very ordinary.

"He knew you were trying to snatch the token just now, so he might not fall for it a second time."

This sentence actually made Lu Yuan take the matter a bit more seriously.

"Alright."

Qian Renxue nodded, turned around, and left.

The short-haired man looked at Lu Yuan with a somewhat strange expression in his eyes for the first time.

Hu Liena also walked over from behind.

"Just met?"

"Now we can consider ourselves a bit acquainted."

Hu Liena stared at him and looked for two breaths.

"I believe it even less now."