Test Zone Zero.
A steel behemoth rose from the ground, its four enormous mouths facing east, south, west, and north swallowing and disgorging endless streams of people.
This was the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy's largest soul tool testing area. It was rarely activated, but had now been requisitioned for the Hongchen Class Selection Competition.
With unprecedented enthusiasm for the Hongchen Class Selection Competition and applicants from all six years, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy had temporarily divided Test Zone Zero into thirty-six equally sized metal arenas to speed up the early rounds.
The testing area's interior resembled an enormous plaza. Rows upon rows of spectator seats extended around it, their tiers climbing upward in concentric circles. Each row stood half a meter above the one in front, ensuring an unobstructed view.
A transparent curtain of light separated the spectator stands from the battle platforms. The Sun Moon Empire's proud linked defense system had been employed here: a hundred small soul tools embedded in the front railings were linked together, forming a super-sized protective barrier over all of Test Zone Zero.
It was still early, with morning mist hanging in the air, yet every seat in Test Zone Zero was occupied.
The first-years' youthful faces were full of excitement, while the sixth-year veterans held insulated cups and leisurely sipped goji berry tea, wearing the composure of people who had seen it all.
Jing Hongchen had resolved to establish the Hongchen Class and elevate it into the academy's symbol for a new era. The talented students selected would effectively receive guaranteed admission to Mingde Hall and a generous share of the academy's resources, setting them on an expressway toward becoming top soul engineers.
To demonstrate its commitment, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy had suspended classes for an unprecedented full week, allowing all teachers and students to attend.
The students had long been itching with anticipation. Daily academy life was as bland as water; an academy-wide battle crackling with excitement was unheard of. They yearned to witness the one king who would rise above the rest.
Even Mingde Hall's disciples had come out, taking seats in the stands to enjoy their juniors' dazzling performances.
The teachers were equally curious. Hidden dragons and crouching tigers lurked throughout the vast Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy. What unexpected upsets would the Hongchen Class selection produce?
Three full months of heavyweight publicity had driven enthusiasm for this combat assessment to its peak today.
Chattering voices echoed ceaselessly through Test Zone Zero as everyone eagerly analyzed the seeded competitors from each year. Some students privately opened betting pools on who would fight their way through. Ai Xiao caught wind of it, swiftly raised some funds, and went all in on Xiao Hongchen!
Brother Xiao would never let them down!
On the northern rostrum, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy's senior staff took their seats. Lin Jiayi raised an amplifying Soul Tool Loudspeaker, and his deep voice drowned out the clamor:
"Quiet, everyone.
"Before this Hongchen Class Selection Competition begins, please welcome His Excellency Jing Hongchen, headmaster of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy and hall master of Mingde Hall, to deliver an address."
"Greetings, students."
The rotund hall master waved to the students on all sides, instantly triggering cheers like mountains roaring and seas surging. Quite pleased with his own influence, Jing Hongchen narrowed his eyes to slits and said:
"The Hongchen Class is a plan the academy has spent a century preparing. As a headmaster whose true duty is to teach and nurture, I hope to cultivate more outstanding young disciples. With them standing guard over our future, the Sun Moon Empire will achieve its great rejuvenation!"
"Roooaaar-"
The thunderous cheers nearly blew the roof off Test Zone Zero. Jing Hongchen pressed both hands downward. Once the world ceased its noisy tumult, he continued, "Speaking of fairness, the headmaster must naturally lead by example.
"As I'm sure you all know, my grandson and granddaughter attend the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, and both have applied for the Hongchen Class.
"In the interest of fairness, I will withdraw from the tournament's judging committee. The position of chief referee will instead be assumed by the empire's Number One in Aerial Warfare, who is also one of the Hongchen Class's designated instructors: Starry Sky Douluo Ye Yulin!"
The next instant, brilliant starlight descended from the sky and transformed into a balding old man beside Jing Hongchen. A gleaming Level 9 Soul Engineer badge hung on his chest. His torch-bright gaze swept the stands, eliciting another wave of exclamations.
Starry Sky Douluo Ye Yulin was a Level 9 Soul Engineer who specialized in high-altitude soul tools, earning him the renowned title of Controller of the Starry Sky.
Both Ye Yulin and Jing Hongchen were Level 9 Soul Engineers who ranked among the Sun Moon Empire's Four Beams and Eight Pillars, each possessing his own strengths.
The extraordinary gifts of his golden toad martial soul allowed Jing Hongchen to control a thousand soul tool cannons simultaneously, giving him the most ferocious heavy firepower among Level 9 Soul Engineers. Calling him a one-man army was no idle boast.
Starry Sky Douluo's terror, meanwhile, lay in precision bombardment from high altitude. His Level 9 Soul Tool, the Sun Divine Needle, had once fired from an extreme distance and killed a rebellious imperial general in a single strike, cementing his exalted position as the foremost figure in the Sun Moon Empire's skies.
His imposing presence swept across the venue. With his hands clasped behind his back, Ye Yulin said unhurriedly, "It is a great honor to serve as chief referee for the Hongchen Class Selection Competition. I pledge my title of Starry Sky Douluo as a guarantee of its fairness. Now, I declare the Hongchen Class Selection Competition officially open!"
As his words fell, the atmosphere reached its absolute peak. Teachers and students alike eagerly anticipated the spectacular battles. The Soul Tool Screen scrolled rapidly, randomly matching students for the first round.
"Old Ye, thank you for your hard work this time. Once the Hongchen Class is established, you'll also need to come in as a guest instructor now and then," Jing Hongchen said solicitously.
"Would I dare refuse?" Ye Yulin snorted. "That day, the instant I spat out the word 'no,' you slapped a great big label on my head: a reactionary obstructing the empire's reforms!
"If I'd actually thrown you out, you probably would've run straight to His Majesty to lodge a complaint against me."
"You're mistaken. I'm thinking of these adorable students. One lesson a week won't take much of your time," Jing Hongchen declared confidently.
"If it weren't genuinely beneficial to the next generation's development, do you think I'd hold my nose and put up with that fat face of yours?" Ye Yulin said resentfully. "Old toad, I've heard Master Kong has been visiting the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy every other day. He seems to have taken an interest in a youngster. Have you heard anything?"
"..."
At the mention of Silver Moon Douluo Kong Deming, Jing Hongchen's left ear inexplicably began to ache. He transmitted his voice: "Keep it down. Master Kong might be hiding in some nook or cranny, watching the matches.
"That student is named Lin Qing. His martial soul is the uniquely blessed ultimate metal. Master Kong already considers him in the bag!"
"Ultimate metal?" Ye Yulin abruptly raised his head and sighed. "To tell you the truth, I still have no successor for all these skills of mine.
"High-altitude soul tools are the key to seizing the initiative in wars between nations. Ultimate metal would surely wield my newly developed Sun Moon Divine Needle to perfection. Move too slowly, and the genius will be gone! Watch me steal him while Master Kong isn't looking!
"...Ow! Where did that pebble come from?!"
In the competitors' Waiting Area, the participants stared fixedly at the Soul Tool Screen, anxiously awaiting their matchups.
Soul tool construction and theory tests carried relatively little weight, making the combat assessment crucial. Before the round of sixteen, the tournament used double elimination to minimize accidents and ensure the capable prevailed. Once someone reached the top sixteen, selection for the Hongchen Class was practically in the bag!
Lin Qing stood amid the competitors, with Ye Guyi and Meng Hongchen on either side, quietly watching the first-round matchups appear.
Lin Qing's verdict on life at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy was that it was rock-solid. Talented people were everywhere, everyone spoke so nicely, and he had eaten himself into a carb coma in the Metal World. His soul power had swiftly climbed to rank forty-four.
Advancing two ranks in three months would have been rapid progress even for an ordinary soul master. For a Soul Ancestor with an ultimate attribute, it was practically cheating. The only downside was that Hall Master Hongchen often sank into contemplation over the ever-growing expenditure reports.
Meanwhile, Lin Qing's soul engineer level had naturally advanced to Level 5. His own hard work undoubtedly accounted for ninety-eight percent of the credit, but that did not erase his homeroom teacher Zhou Qin's diligent instruction, or...
The librarian's guidance that added the finishing touch!
That old man was practically a hidden master sweeping the floors. He could always pierce straight to the heart of Lin Qing's confusion, casually drawing upon wildly imaginative soul tool theories. It was breathtaking.
Oddly, there seemed to be two librarians. The other one was actually quite good, but he could not compare with the old man.
After two and a half minutes of pondering the librarian mystery, Lin Qing reached a conclusion: the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy's employee benefits were leagues ahead of everyone else's. Even the librarians worked one day on, one day off!
Most of the time, his studies and daily life proceeded smoothly, with only occasional ripples-such as the night Qing and Meng first toured Mingdu together.
Having finally taken the initiative to show off her charm, only to be mistaken for being sarcastic, Ye Guyi had gloomily reflected on herself without arguing.
Only after their extra lesson, when the angel young lady was about to return to her room to meditate and rest, did she suddenly remember the Gray Juice on the table. Feeling a little thirsty, she unsuspectingly gulped the whole thing down, then let out a piercing shriek!
"You damned evil soul master! You dared disguise yourself as Lin Qing and poison me!"
Beside herself with fury, Ye Guyi had used the harshest term in the Angel Lineage's dictionary, denouncing her companion as inhuman. How could a human be even worse than an evil soul master?!
Having dragged his companion into sharing his suffering, Lin Qing received his deserved punishment. He was forced to agree to a series of unequal treaties with the holy angel, such as extending the Aurora Sword's warranty.
The story was far from over. A prison-style chamber appeared in Zhanghua Garden's underground space. Lin Qing took one look and felt a chill at the back of his head as an ominous premonition welled up.
The angel young lady is so petty. Never mind. Long life to the angel young lady...ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!
"The first-round draw is complete. Students participating in the first matches, please enter the arenas!"
A mechanical female voice sounded through the loudspeaker. Everyone searched for their own names. Among the first matchups, Lin Qing happened to find himself facing a girl who looked rather adorably vacant.
Battle Platform 24, first match: fifth-year Class One's Lin Qing versus fifth-year Class Three's Ju Zi.
On the other side of the Waiting Area, the girl widened her beautiful eyes in mild bewilderment. A thin veil of mist seemed to cover them, lending her a dazed look, as though someone had just dragged her out from under her blankets.
Looking at her opponent's name, she rubbed her eyes in disbelief, her expression turning to horrified doubt about life itself.
"Go, Sister Ju Zi! Believe in yourself! You can do it-at least hold out for a minute!" A petite girl clenched her fists to cheer on her best friend.
Those words only made Ju Zi more despondent. Looking soft, sweet, and pitifully vulnerable, she said weakly, "Keke, Lin Qing is a seeded contender for the combat assessment championship. Xiao Hongchen publicly acknowledged him as his archrival.
"I'm not even a combat-oriented soul engineer. Holding out for a minute...you think far too highly of me."
"Don't bolster someone else's spirit and crush your own!" Keke turned into an encouragement machine. "Aren't you planning to enlist after graduation? Pretend Lin Qing is the enemy marshal. Soldiers must never retreat on the battlefield. Charge bravely, beautiful General Ju Zi!"
"Beautiful? That sounds like an incompetent general who gets captured, then repeatedly humiliated and tortured."
Ju Zi narrowed her eyes, suspecting a hidden meaning in Keke's words. Still, she would not back down no matter what. At worst, she would lose and fight in the Losers' Bracket.
With the resolve of someone marching forth never to return, the girl puffed out her chest and headed toward Battle Platform 24.
"Both students, enter the arena," the referee called.
"Ju Zi. Please go easy on me."
"Lin Qing. Likewise."
At the center of the arena, they greeted each other amicably. Only up close did they discover how astonishingly beautiful the other was.
Ju Zi's icy, snowy skin was so pink and delicate that she hardly looked real. It was exceptionally supple, as though a pinch would break it. Lin Qing could not even make out a single pore. Morning light fell on her naturally innocent, lovely face like light falling on a freshly peeled egg, reflecting a soft halo.
I'm always hearing classmates say Meng Hongchen chases Lin Qing around all day, following him from the library to the Mimicry Training Grounds. This face really is much prettier than Xiao Hongchen's. No wonder...
As she backed away to establish their starting distance, Ju Zi could not help expressing her approval.
"Begin!"
At the referee's command, the clash between fifth-years erupted. Ju Zi took a deep breath, and an orange-red glow instantly flared in her eyes.
Four soul rings rose-yellow, yellow, purple, purple. Balls of orange-red light flew from Ju Zi's palms one after another, round and plump: actual oranges. They traced tricky arcs through the air, some flying straight and others curving.
"Wow, they're fighting! They're fighting!" Keke cried excitedly in the Waiting Area.
"Sister Ju Zi's only means of attack is to fling out her martial soul oranges as a distraction, mixing in loads of orange-shaped soul tools!
"Don't underestimate her just because she focuses on theoretical research. Her soul tools are universally praised. Every one of those oranges is a Level 4 high-explosive incendiary bomb!"
"Could Ju Zi actually beat Lin Qing?" someone asked skeptically.
"She has a chance if she finishes everything in one strike. If this orange storm doesn't instantly take out her opponent, Sister Ju Zi will be in a very passive position afterward," Keke said seriously.
Having long heard of Lin Qing's reputation, Ju Zi had chosen a tactic that matched Keke's thinking perfectly. Orange-red bombs filled the sky, dense as rain. The oranges formed a crimson torrent that bombarded Lin Qing, howling like a tornado sweeping through.
"Boom!!!"
An orange struck the ground and exploded. A brilliant fireball rose, scorching waves of air sweeping outward. A chain of explosions followed, their flames joining into a blazing wall.
"Bang-"
A silver figure shot like a meteor straight into that sea of explosions. Orange-red flames burst continuously as shock waves surged from every direction.
Yet Lin Qing was like a machine of ultimate precision, every component polished to perfection. With a thought, the machine element covered his body, granting astonishing instantaneous power. Passing through the orange bombardment was like crossing a street in the early morning!
Under Ju Zi's utterly horrified gaze, Lin Qing strolled through the sea of flames as though wandering through a courtyard. The machine element formed a cone that gently tapped her between the brows. Then he casually brushed past her, slipped around her body, and walked off Battle Platform 24.
"Everyone else came to compete, and you came to stomp beginners. Isn't that ridiculous...?"
Keke indignantly condemned Lin Qing, unable to bear looking at the dumbfounded Ju Zi on the screen.
Battle after battle raged in full swing. To the spectators, the so-called sixth-year seniors were merely a bunch of veteran slackers who could neither enter Mingde Hall nor graduate.
The Hongchen Class spots rightfully belonged to the fourth- and fifth-years, who possessed outstanding talent and higher soul engineer levels. The fifth-years did not disappoint: like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each displayed their own powers.
Lin Qing defeated Ju Zi with effortless ease. Meng Hongchen casually poisoned her opponent into collapse. Xiao Hongchen sent his classmate flying with a single cannon shot. Lan Xiu became a king of torment through Nine Radiances' Rebound Ray and Repulsion Halo. Even Tang Gang shone brilliantly, using lone bamboo to pole-vault before following up with rapid gunfire, catching his junior completely off guard.
"Battle Platform 24, second match: fifth-year Class One's Ye Guyi versus fifth-year Class Two's Nana."
The student taking Lin Qing's place was none other than Ye Guyi. Her opponent, Nana, had delicate features and a slender, well-proportioned figure. Her wheat-colored skin gave her an exotic air, and her eyes were sharp, like a sleek cheetah locked onto its prey.
Facing each other, they cupped their fists in greeting, then slowly moved apart.
There's lingering evil energy on this girl. Has she recently been in contact with an evil soul master?
Beep, beep, beep-the Angel Radar's alarm blared!
As the sternest mother evil soul masters could ever face, the holy angel possessed a sensitivity to evil attributes that ordinary soul masters could not comprehend.
Evil creatures and petty villains had nowhere to hide before holy light. In just a brief instant, the angel young lady smelled the evil soul master stench lingering around Nana.
Her golden eyes turned cold and sharp as a divine blade leaving its sheath. Ye Guyi murmured, "An innately evil organization of evil soul masters...
"Has it already infiltrated the continent's foremost soul engineer academy without a sound...?"
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