Only Shrek Was Barely Worthy of Us (Testing the Waters, Please Keep Reading)

"Concept Severance."

The blade did not slash at the Shadow Ink-Patterned Leopard's body. Instead, it swept precisely through a small patch of space beside it.

There was no sound at all.

The instant the Shadow Ink-Patterned Leopard tried to shift its weight and counterattack, the force from its hind legs abruptly cut out. It felt as though something had severed the connection between its body and the act of "exerting force."

Its hind legs buckled, and its entire body lost balance, pitching forward.

Dong Qianqiu naturally did not miss the opening.

Her Ice Spear thrust straight in from the front, its tip wreathed in cold light, and pierced the Shadow Ink-Patterned Leopard's neck with perfect accuracy, sinking three inches into its flesh.

The Shadow Ink-Patterned Leopard let out a short, hoarse roar. Its limbs struggled briefly before it collapsed to the ground, convulsing. After two more shudders, it finally went still.

Silence settled over the forest clearing.

Ye Zhiqiu dismissed his Absolute Blade, walked over, and crouched down to inspect the Shadow Ink-Patterned Leopard's corpse.

"Not bad. The information said the Shadow Ink-Patterned Leopard's hide had decent resistance, but the gaps around its joints were still weak points." He stood up and dusted off his hands, then continued, "Although it was a thousand-year Soul Beast, it probably only just crossed that threshold. It was roughly equivalent to a Soul Master between rank twenty-nine and thirty-four, just within what we could handle together."

Dong Qianqiu also withdrew her Ice Spear and caught her breath. "That slash just now... was that Concept Severance? But what did you cut?"

"I cut the connection that let it exert force. Animals need all their muscles to work together to generate force. It was about to pounce, so in that instant, I severed the connection between its hind-leg muscles and the commands from its brain," Ye Zhiqiu explained.

Dong Qianqiu froze, astonished. "You can use it like that too?"

"Of course. Why else do you think my first Soul Skill is called Concept Severance? The key is the word 'concept.'" Ye Zhiqiu smiled.

Dong Qianqiu stared at him for three seconds, then turned away, the corner of her mouth twitching. "You really are a walking cheat."

"Thanks for the compliment."

"That wasn't a compliment."

Outside the Simulation Chamber.

The five teachers at the control console had all fallen silent.

In the enlarged image at the center of the main screen, Ye Zhiqiu was crouching beside the Shadow Ink-Patterned Leopard's corpse. Dong Qianqiu stood half a meter behind him, her Ice Spear already withdrawn into her body. Both of them looked perfectly normal.

They caught their breath when they needed to, talked when they wanted to, and even found time to trade a few barbs.

They looked nothing like people who had just survived a fierce battle.

The technical instructor's eyes were wide as saucers, one hand still hovering over the emergency exit button before he could press it.

The button was a round, red metal disc. A small label beside it read, "Emergency forced exit. For high-risk situations only."

When he had seen the Shadow Ink-Patterned Leopard pounce at the two students, he had already placed his finger on the button and nearly pressed it.

Then Ye Zhiqiu had made that single cut.

Then the Shadow Ink-Patterned Leopard had lost its balance and fallen, only to be finished off by one thrust from Dong Qianqiu.

Now the thousand-year Soul Beast's corpse lay motionless on the screen, so realistic that it made their scalps prickle.

The technical instructor slowly withdrew his hand from the emergency exit button, then turned to look at his colleagues.

The dean was silent too. His gaze lingered on the Shadow Ink-Patterned Leopard's corpse for a long time before he finally spoke.

"That... was a Shadow Ink-Patterned Leopard, wasn't it?"

"Yes," Xu Rang answered with a nod.

"A thousand-year Soul Beast?"

"Judging by its size and coat, a conservative estimate would put it at over twelve hundred years, close to fifteen hundred," Xu Rang replied.

The dean fell silent for a moment. "So two of my students, first-years, the stronger one at rank nineteen and the other at rank eighteen, one with a tool Martial Soul and one with a beast Martial Soul, took less than five minutes to bring down a thousand-year Soul Beast?"

Xu Rang nodded again, the corner of his mouth twitching as well. He did not want to believe it either, but the facts were right before his eyes.

"Dean, I've only just managed to wrap my head around it myself. How about we watch the replay from the beginning and confirm exactly what happened?"

The dean did not answer. He merely raised his hand slowly and told the technical instructor, "Replay it."

The technical instructor immediately operated the console, rewinding the main screen to a few seconds before the Shadow Ink-Patterned Leopard appeared.

Then the footage played again at normal speed.

The Shadow Ink-Patterned Leopard burst from the bushes and pounced at Ye Zhiqiu.

Ye Zhiqiu sidestepped and slashed across the Shadow Ink-Patterned Leopard's shoulder blade, with limited effect. The leopard counterattacked, only for the pair's crisscrossing footwork to force it toward the rocks.

The Shadow Ink-Patterned Leopard gathered a wind blade in its mouth and launched a ranged attack at Ye Zhiqiu.

Dong Qianqiu froze the ground, the Shadow Ink-Patterned Leopard's hind legs slipped, and then Ye Zhiqiu's first soul ring lit up.

A flash of yellow light followed.

His Absolute Blade traced a gentle arc through the air, not toward the Shadow Ink-Patterned Leopard's body, but toward the patch of air beside it.

Immediately afterward, the Shadow Ink-Patterned Leopard's hind legs suddenly lost their strength, and its entire body pitched forward.

Then Dong Qianqiu drove her spear straight in from the front, ending the fight.

The technical instructor pressed pause.

The image froze on Ye Zhiqiu's slash.

The dean stared at the strike, its path almost impossible to discern, and his pupils contracted slightly. After a moment, he said, "In that instant, he severed the mechanism that allowed the Shadow Ink-Patterned Leopard's body to exert force, making it lose its balance at the most critical moment."

The technical instructor watched the replay carefully once more before speaking slowly. "His Soul Skill... seems to act directly on certain concepts associated with his opponent. With that slash, he cut just one thing, and the Shadow Ink-Patterned Leopard lost its ability to resist."

The dean opened his mouth. After thinking for a long while, he finally managed to squeeze out a single sentence.

"A first-year, rank nineteen, and his first Soul Skill can already do this?"

Xu Rang stood beside him with a complicated expression.

He had indeed known that Ye Zhiqiu's Soul Skill was unusual, but this was his first time seeing Concept Severance used on a truly powerful, ferocious Soul Beast. Its effect could only be described as maxed out.

A Shadow Ink-Patterned Leopard capable of taking on a three-ring Soul Master alone could not even keep its footing after the connection that allowed it to exert force was severed.

"This Soul Skill of his... works on Soul Beasts too?"

Xu Rang answered with a wry smile, "Apparently so, and the effect is extremely clear."

The dean remained silent for a long while, then turned to the technical instructor. "Save this replay and encrypt it. Set the access permissions to my clearance level. Also, flag Ye Zhiqiu and Dong Qianqiu's assessment records in red and archive them separately."

"Understood." The technical instructor immediately complied.

Meanwhile, in the Simulation Forest.

Ye Zhiqiu and Dong Qianqiu had already left the valley and were following the stream deeper into the forest.

They walked side by side, Dong Qianqiu half a step ahead and Ye Zhiqiu just behind her to one side.

Dong Qianqiu suddenly slowed and turned her head toward Ye Zhiqiu. "That slash you used just now—can you do it every time?"

"Yes, but using it repeatedly takes a lot out of me. Also, the higher someone's Soul Power, the more of my own Soul Power it takes to sever something connected to them," Ye Zhiqiu answered honestly.

Then he added, "But against Soul Beasts or Soul Masters like this, without Soul Power protecting their bodies, the effect is still very consistent."

Hearing that, Dong Qianqiu thought for a moment. Whatever good idea had occurred to her, she suddenly stopped and turned to face him, her gaze utterly serious.

"Then if we run into something stronger later, can we fight it the same way? You do the cutting, and I land the finishing blow?"

Ye Zhiqiu looked at Dong Qianqiu and considered it. The suggestion did seem workable, so he nodded.

"Sure."

At that, Dong Qianqiu immediately turned around, her ponytail swinging in an arc, and continued forward. But no matter what she did, she could not suppress the slight upward curve of her lips.

Teaming up with this big idiot really was as seamless as a heavenly robe!

That was right—they were the Twin Autumn Duo!

"Ye Zhiqiu."

"Hmm?"

"Do you think we'll go to Shrek when we turn twelve?"

"Why are you asking all of a sudden?"

"I just... felt like asking."

"We will."

Dong Qianqiu turned her head, looking at him with her deep-blue eyes. "You're that sure?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Because we're the greatest geniuses. Shrek is barely worthy of us, and it's the only place in the Douluo Federation that even comes close. Where else would we go?"

Dong Qianqiu froze at his words and mulled them over seriously. Why did that sound so strange? Then, whatever had crossed her mind, a faint smile curved her lips, and she cursed at him:

"You narcissist."