Ruins Street, Part Two

"Jodio Joestar." Dai Mubai found the name awkward to say. Was Jodio a surname like "Dai"? But why would anyone have a name like that?

"Nice to meet you. I'm the examiner for your second test. No, it'd be more accurate to say I am your second test. If you pass, you can take Teacher Zhao's test or skip it."

Jodio folded his arms and explained with a gentle smile. Flender landed beside a tree, folded his wings, and stroked his thick beard as he watched. The moment Ma Hongjun saw him land, he hurried over to flatter him, hoping to get out of afternoon training. Flender mercilessly grabbed him by the ear and refused.

"Senior Jodio, what exactly is the second test?" Dai Mubai asked, puzzled. His instincts told him the boy was younger than he was, but his height suggested otherwise. The guy was clearly already 1.6 meters tall, a full head taller than him.

"Do you know how this sea of flowers was made?" Instead of answering, Jodio crouched to admire it. At last, the seeds he had planted three years ago had borne fruit. It was finally time for the third stage to begin.

"Planted—wait. Why did you say made?" Dai Mubai asked warily.

"That's the power of my Gold Experience. It's also what I've been pursuing."

Jodio gently brushed a flower with his hand. It withered at once, and the blight swept across the sea of flowers like a spreading plague. Every blossom shriveled at terrifying speed. It looked like a disaster.

"Is that...?! A poison-type spirit skill!" Dai Mubai's expression changed. He activated Martial Soul Possession and leaped back to put distance between himself and Jodio. What kind of senior used a poison skill the moment they met? But why were the burly kid and the bearded old man fine?

"Look closer. What are these flowers made of?" Jodio straightened, rested one hand on his waist, and let the other hang at his side as he looked at Dai Mubai.

"Flowers..."

Rumble!

"They turned into bricks?!" Cold sweat broke out across Dai Mubai's skin. The flowers were rapidly wilting into broken bricks. He looked up at the astonishing transformation and discovered that almost the entire sea of flowers had changed. Ruined walls littered the ground; only the stone path through the middle remained intact. It was just like—

"Perhaps this is what this place will look like in ten thousand years," Jodio said softly.

"Ruins Street."

The darkness within began to reveal its evil. Jodio had found his path and no longer felt lost about the future. This time, he would not wait for the cryptic message to emerge. He would take control of his destiny and bring it about himself.

"Ten minutes. Hold out against me for ten minutes, and you pass," Jodio said calmly.

"Gold Experience."

Jodio's second Spirit Ring lit up, and a golden humanoid appeared behind him. It punched the ground, creating a slender orchid shaped like a goose's beak. From the moment it appeared, the flower slowly began to wilt and lose its luster. Dai Mubai knew it was the timer for this trial. Once it withered, he could leave.

"Dai Mubai. Martial Soul: White Tiger. Level twenty-six assault-type Soul Grandmaster. Please guide me." Dai Mubai took a fighting stance.

"Jodio Joestar. Martial Soul: Stand Arrow. Level thirty-one battle Soul Elder. Please guide me." Jodio nodded, dismissed Gold Experience, and summoned Silver Chariot.

Dai Mubai activated his first spirit skill without hesitation. White Tiger Vajra Barrier increased his attacks, strength, and defense by fifty percent, making it one of the finest enhancement skills. A ring of white light spread around him, and his already sturdy frame swelled further. Against Jodio, who was five levels above him, he could not afford to be careless.

"Do you believe in gravity?" Jodio asked, slowly circling closer.

"I admire the first person who ate a mushroom. It might have been poisonous, after all."

"What are you talking about? If you don't attack soon, I might just run out the clock," Dai Mubai shot back.

"Your name is Dai Mubai, right? You're twelve, and your Martial Soul is the White Tiger." Jodio spoke as casually as ever. His hand hung at his side as he felt the energy of the earth, like a plant-type Soul Master sensing nearby plants—or an office worker strolling back to work after a pleasant afternoon tea. To him, this seemed less like a trial than a game.

"White Tiger Fierce Light Wave!"

Dai Mubai could bear it no longer. When they were within ten meters of each other, he activated his second spirit skill, gathered his Soul Power, and fired a ball of light the size of a dog's head at Jodio. Jodio continued his leisurely stroll. The Silver Knight behind him moved instead, thrusting its sword so rapidly that it stopped the White Tiger Fierce Light Wave head-on!

The ball of light exploded. The Silver Knight immediately spun its sword, sweeping every scattered beam aside. Unscathed. It was completely unscathed!

"How is that possible..." Cold sweat ran down Dai Mubai's forehead. With White Tiger Vajra Barrier boosting it, his White Tiger Fierce Light Wave was tremendously powerful. How had it failed to break through a few casual sword flourishes?

"You've revealed both your spirit skills. Do you know what that means?" Jodio stopped and pointed at Dai Mubai. "It means you're at a complete disadvantage. I know exactly what your skills can do, while you know nothing about mine. What a fool. Is that what your teacher taught you?"

Silver Chariot vanished, and a blue humanoid appeared behind Jodio. Dai Mubai immediately sensed trouble. Its muscles were far more powerful than those of the Silver Knight or the golden humanoid. He instinctively raised his arms to guard, and a tremendous force slammed into his forearm. He staggered, nearly sent flying!

"Hmph! Hmph!" Stone Free landed three heavy punches that left Dai Mubai grimacing. He realized he could not simply take the blows. Using their force to retreat, he swept out a leg and followed with a flurry of kicks. But Jodio had already darted back to a safe distance with Stone Free, avoiding every direct hit.

"Want to compare raw strength?" Jodio asked with a grin.

"Then again, a weakling like you probably doesn't dare come at me again."

Dai Mubai suddenly froze. Then his anger flared even hotter. This time, he decided not to hold back. He would seize Jodio and finish him in an instant!

← To Be Continued

Currently available information:

Level 30 Stand: Gold Experience

Holder: Jodio Joestar

Spirit Ring: Yellow — 210-year Dragon Horse Beast

Destructive power: C; speed: B; range: D+; stamina: D; precision: C; growth potential: A+

Stand ability: By striking an inanimate object, Gold Experience can turn it into a plant or animal. It can use this ability to create antibodies, rendering most poison-type spirit skills ineffective. It can also create organs to heal its user or others. In addition, the life it creates seems inclined to "return to the place where it was born."

Repeated strikes can inject a target with excessive life force, sending their consciousness briefly out of control. If the target has sufficiently strong mental power or a Soul Power Level several times higher than the user's, however, the effect is greatly weakened and lasts only a second or two.