A New Tang Sect

Three months later, south of Shrek City, in a secluded courtyard.

Wind howled as two Soul Beasts kicked up clouds of dust. The massive Earth Bear roared and pressed forward, while the Flame Demon Tiger prowled along the flank, blocking every route its prey might take to escape.

Gu Mingyuan stood at the center of their encirclement. Without using his Martial Soul, he wove through their attacks with only his physical strength and the Ghostly Shadow Trace Step.

"If you touch the hem of my clothes before sunset, you win." Gu Mingyuan shifted his footing and slipped past the Earth Bear's descending paw.

Not far away, Zhou Sichen watched the fight intently, a faint purple glimmer in his eyes. Across the courtyard, Cao Jinxuan searched for an opening to use his control ability, the same purple light flickering in his eyes.

It came from the basic version of the Purple Demon Eyes that Gu Mingyuan had taught them three months earlier. It was not his upgraded version, but its benefits to their mental strength were real.

With that enhanced vision, Zhou Sichen's control over his two Summoned Beasts had grown far more precise. The Earth Bear and Flame Demon Tiger worked seamlessly together now, no longer making elementary mistakes like blocking each other's view or getting in each other's way.

Cao Jinxuan, meanwhile, used his Martial Soul's time-based abilities to track changes in Gu Mingyuan's shoulders and center of gravity. From the slightest signs of muscle tension, he predicted where the Ghostly Shadow Trace would take him next.

"Old Cao, left!" Zhou Sichen shouted.

Gu Mingyuan had just sidestepped the Flame Demon Tiger's pounce and was about to force his way through the gap between tiger and bear.

Purple light flashed in Cao Jinxuan's eyes, and the Passage of Time Clock in his hand chimed. Rather than trying to restrain Gu Mingyuan's entire body, he aimed his Soul Skill precisely at the ankle of Gu Mingyuan's right foot, just as it was about to land.

A slowdown.

The pause lasted only an instant, but it broke the flow of Gu Mingyuan's movement. He wrenched his weight to one side, stirring a gust of wind that lifted the hem of his clothes.

Zhou Sichen reacted at once. He cut off the Flame Demon Tiger's attack command and let its momentum carry its jaws toward the fluttering fabric.

Riiip!

A small piece of white cloth tore free.

"Haha! We got you! Gu, you lost!" Zhou Sichen waved the scrap excitedly as the Earth Bear and Flame Demon Tiger dissolved into streaks of light.

Gu Mingyuan stopped and glanced at his torn hem. "Good control, and good timing. Those three months of practice weren't wasted."

"Gu, Cao, here's something to wipe your sweat."

A boy in plain gray clothes stepped out from behind a veranda pillar and handed them clean towels and warm water.

His name was Lin Yan, a rank twenty-one tool-type Soul Grandmaster whose Martial Soul was the Inscribed Pattern Pen.

Born a commoner, he had been recommended to Shrek Academy by a local city lord who admired his talent and diligence, and had been placed in Freshman Class One. Unfortunately, his mild temperament had cost him in a physical fitness test. He failed to meet his homeroom teacher Zhou Yi's merciless standards, was branded "useless," and was expelled.

Gu Mingyuan had found him while investigating the "third list" in the city. He promptly used funds supplied by the Holy Spirit Cult to rent this courtyard for Lin Yan to stay in, then brought him into his own Tang Sect.

What Gu Mingyuan valued was Lin Yan's Martial Soul.

If the Tang Sect was to grow, combining Hidden Weapons with Soul Tools was inevitable. What it lacked most was someone with this kind of potential for Soul Tool work.

Lin Yan now sorted medicinal herbs and repaired training equipment at this secret base. He also gathered bits of information for Gu Mingyuan around the city. He had truly put down roots in Shrek City.

Cao Jinxuan and Zhou Sichen took the towels. An unassuming wooden token hung at each of their waists, engraved with the character "Tang." They had officially joined the Tang Sect that Gu Mingyuan had founded.

As he wiped his sweat, Zhou Sichen rubbed his aching eyes and complained, "Joining our Tang Sect is great, but this eye-training technique is torture. I have to get up before dawn every day to stare at the sunrise. I haven't had a decent night's sleep in three months."

Cao Jinxuan took a drink and adjusted his glasses. "If you don't want to train, you can quit. Gu keeps up with extra training day and night, doesn't he? Hand over your token, and you can sleep as late as you like."

"No way!" Zhou Sichen immediately covered the token at his waist. "You have to suffer to get ahead. The Purple Demon Eyes have made such a difference to my control over my Summoned Beasts that I wouldn't quit if you killed me!"

Gu Mingyuan only smiled at their bickering and picked up a cup from the stone table.

Zhou Sichen pulled three crumpled forms from inside his clothes and spread them on the table. "Gu, Old Cao, hurry up and sign. The freshman assessment is tomorrow, and we have to hand these in today."

Cao Jinxuan picked up a pen and signed his name without hesitation.

"With teamwork like ours, the freshman assessment championship is as good as ours, right, Gu?" Zhou Sichen rubbed his hands together eagerly.

Cao Jinxuan did not disagree. Three months of combat training had left them utterly confident in their abilities.

Gu Mingyuan took the pen and signed the last form, then tossed it onto the table.

"We'll find out."

That afternoon, in the Freshman Class Nine classroom at Shrek Academy.

Their homeroom teacher, Mu Jin, stood at the lectern and looked over his spirited students. He tapped the desk, his voice ringing through the room.

"Everyone, head to the Assessment Area and draw lots at once! The freshman assessment officially begins this afternoon!"

After the dismissal bell rang, the students of Freshman Class Nine filed out of the classroom.

Mu Jin remained at the lectern instead of leaving as he usually did. He raised a hand and called out six names. "Gu Mingyuan, Cao Jinxuan, Zhou Sichen, Ning Tian, Wu Feng, Nanmen Yun'er. You six stay behind."

Once the classroom had emptied, Mu Jin took out two sets of documents and tossed one onto each team's desk.

"I put together a list of teams to watch based on the preliminary information submitted by each class." Mu Jin pointed at the pages.

"It only gives their names, classes, current Soul Power, Martial Souls, and general cultivation paths. You won't find their specific Soul Skills or hidden trump cards in a document like this. Once you're in the arena, you'll have to judge those for yourselves."

Zhou Sichen picked up the documents curiously and turned to the first page. His eyes stopped on a name.

"Huo Yuhao?" He pointed to an entry, baffled. "Teacher, is this a misprint? Rank seventeen Soul Power and a white ten-year Soul Ring? How did someone like that end up on the watch list?"

Wu Feng glanced over from where she sat and snorted. "What's so hard to figure out? He got lucky and latched onto Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao. A one-ring loser like him is just there to make up the numbers."

Ning Tian did not join in Wu Feng's mockery. She ran a fingertip down the team roster, thoughtful. "No. If he's just making up the numbers, why is his name listed first?"