Black bros don't speak the same language, the Soul Tool Turret, the Hongchen Class selection tournament's final battle (4K)

The next day, Test Zone Zero.

The top sixteen in the combat assessment had just been decided. Next came Soul Tool fabrication and the comprehensive theory test.

Since actual combat accounted for fifty percent of the overall score, students who knew they had no hope of entering the Hongchen Class simply gave up their eligibility to take the exams.

At this point, only two kinds of students continued with the remaining assessments: those who had a chance to soar to new heights through the selection, and those who stubbornly held to the spirit of "we're already here" and refused to lose heart so easily.

The sky stretched high above wispy clouds, and the sun shone brilliantly. Soundproof Soul Tool Shields blocked outside interference, ensuring a peaceful, quiet examination environment.

Soul Tool fabrication had already ended. Jing Hongchen, the master of Mingde Hall, had assembled a panel of veteran teachers from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy to judge the results on the spot. Below the platform, the students were taking their theory test, their pens flying as ideas poured forth like springs.

"Bzz, bzz, bzz-"

A purplish-black sphere roughly a meter in diameter hovered overhead. Resembling a human eyeball, it looked down upon the students whose pens seemed divinely inspired, occasionally shifting position to record them from every angle.

The Eye of Fear, a Level 7 Soul Tool.

It was an early work of Starry Sky Douluo Ye Yulin. Its Fear Ray carried multiple negative effects and was exceptionally effective at striking from high above.

Of course, the Eye of Fear was not there to humanely destroy Sun Moon students who failed their exams, killing chickens to warn the monkeys and frighten future students into studying hard. It served as surveillance equipment, its elevated viewpoint eliminating every possibility of cheating.

Having a Level 9 Soul Engineer moonlight as an invigilator was undoubtedly using an ox-cleaving blade to kill a chicken. Any examinees who had been itching to try something immediately settled down, becoming gentler and more obedient than quails as they devoted themselves to reading and answering the questions.

"Question one: write the name of the current principal of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy in neat handwriting. One easy point in the bag!"

"Describe in detail the internal and external structure of a Level 5 biomimetic Flying Soul Tool. Compare it with the maximum speed of a ten-thousand-year Sharp-Tailed Swift and propose specific, reliable improvements."

"The Soft Bone Rabbit's Invincible Golden Body and the Golden Hawksbill Turtle's Invincible Shield are both hailed as the strongest shield. What is the difference between them... No idea. All I've heard is that Soft Bone Rabbit stewed with Blue Silver Grass is a classic dish."

"The Light Goddess Butterfly's mate-selection criteria... What the hell is this question doing outside the syllabus? What even is a Light Goddess Butterfly? Did they teach that in our Soul Beast classes?!"

The comprehensive theory test lived up to its name. From Soul Tool knowledge to questions about Soul Beast physiology, its contents covered everything. As time passed, troubled expressions gradually appeared on the Sun Moon students' faces, and their answering slowed.

Staring at the essay question, "Is the Man Faced Demon Spider an evil Soul Beast?", Keke ground her teeth in frustration. A military general had no grasp of literary principles, much less the ability to write a long, flowing essay.

She had already reached the top sixteen in the combat assessment anyway, and she had full confidence in her Soul Tool fabrication. A low theory score was fine.

She filled every available space for the questions she understood, then glanced at Ju Zi beside her, only to find her good friend transformed into a literary master, answering each question with complete concentration.

"Time is up. All examinees, stop writing."

Starry Sky Douluo called out, and the Eye of Fear swept across the entire area like a searchlight. Anyone still holding a pen received a blood-red crosshair between their brows.

The warning had an immediate effect. The Sun Moon students put down their pens with sheepish smiles, and their papers were delivered to the teachers on the dais for marking.

"How did it go?"

Lin Qing found Ye Guyi to confirm that his teaching credentials would not melt away like cream.

"I answered ninety percent. Thank you for tutoring me, Teacher Qing!" Ye Guyi's eyes curved into crescents. "I also drew the Soul Tool sword for fabrication, which is what I'm best at. I'm confident I can get into the Hongchen Class!"

"Hard work never fails a determined heart. You've earned your reward."

"Stay humble, stay humble. There's still a much longer road ahead..."

Everyone compared answers. Meng Hongchen and Lan Xiu walked over openly, while Nana kept her distance. For the time being, she needed to maintain some separation from Qing and Guyi at the academy.

As for Xiao Hongchen, constrained by his slogan that kings should never meet, he refused to join them himself. Instead, he stood nearby and pricked up his ears to eavesdrop with spectacularly affected nonchalance.

When Lin Qing explained that all Light Goddess Butterflies were female, and that their answers had to emphasize that they sought male mates from other species, both Hongchen siblings jumped on the spot!

Little Meng complained tearfully. She had assumed this species carried the bloodline of the Goddess of Light, only to discover that "goddess" referred quite literally to their sex. What a treacherous, cunning selection question!

"The top sixteen students from the combat assessment, please remain in Test Zone Zero to draw lots for the next round!"

At those words, the nearly dozing spectators instantly perked up. Watching people answer exam questions was far too dull. They wanted to see battles where every punch struck flesh!

With fewer contestants remaining, the draw changed from random matching on a Soul Tool screen to a plain, unadorned lot cylinder. The sixteen students drew in turn. Lin Qing reached inside and casually selected a long metal lot, with five small characters clearly engraved at its other end.

Upper bracket, number one.

Xiao Hongchen did not follow in Lin Qing's footsteps. He was number one in the lower bracket, meaning the two would only meet if both reached the final!

An uproar swept through the stands. Whether this was irresistible destiny or human manipulation no longer mattered. Heaven's will and the people's wishes had converged.

The spectators never feared a spectacle growing too big. They wanted to witness that fated battle: would ultimate metal prove invincible beneath heaven, or would the Three-Legged Golden Toad carry on the will of its divine-beast ancestor?!

"Zi Mu, I'm facing number one in the upper bracket, and you're facing number one in the lower bracket. Quite a coincidence..."

A burly man over two meters tall spoke in a deep, muffled voice. His imposing frame was as large as three Xiao Hongchens put together. His short reddish-brown hair hugged his scalp, and his skin was pitch-black. One glance marked him as a native of the Sun Moon Empire, possessing a noble black bloodline.

"You fight Lin Qing. I'll fight Xiao Hongchen."

Zi Mu smoothed his flowing golden hair and said, "Shaojie, the Hongchen Class selection tournament has spent three whole months tirelessly promoting the question of whether Qing or Xiao will rule the roost."

"But they seem to have overlooked something. Sixth-years have the highest cultivation outside Mingde Hall, and you and I are the only two Five-Ring Soul Kings in the top sixteen!"

"Who knows? We might be the ones advancing to the quarterfinals together!"

"Exactly."

A sneer stretched across his dark face as Wang Shaojie said in a low voice, "What damn good is an ultimate martial soul? At most, it's a slightly sharper knife. In the end, he'll still have to be a dog for our Sun Moon Imperial Family."

"Oh, and I heard he's from the Douluo Continent. Heh..."

Zi Mu did not pick up that thread.

He knew Wang Shaojie came from the imperial family and had an arrogant, overbearing nature. He had always looked down on the commoner Soul Masters at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, let alone those outsiders from Douluo. The local imperial family routinely pushed out anyone who did not belong.

In Wang Shaojie's world, an ultimate martial soul was, bluntly speaking, simply the dog that bit hardest. Its life and death rested in the imperial family's palm, with no respect involved whatsoever.

"Number-one contestants from both brackets, please take the stage!"

The referee called out.

"Let's see which of us wins faster. Three Level 5 Milk Bottles on it."

Both brackets began fighting together. The two sixth-year champions slapped palms heavily to seal their wager, then strode onto the competition platforms with heads high and chests out, ready to face Lin Qing and Xiao Hongchen, the two suns shining side by side.

"Lowborn Douluo trash..."

Wang Shaojie mouthed the provocation from afar, making no attempt to conceal his malice.

After living at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy for three months, this was genuinely Lin Qing's first encounter with a brave soul who insisted on walking straight into the tiger's mountain. His hands hanging at his sides quietly clenched as he fixed his gaze on the snow-white teeth between Wang Shaojie's thick lips.

As everyone knew, black bros did not speak the same language. Besides, this fellow had a long record of misconduct.

During the exchange between the two academies, Huo Yuhao possessed ultimate ice, a body martial soul, and the status of a Shrek exchange student. If so much as a hair on his head was touched, the Hongchen siblings studying far away in Shrek City would receive the same treatment.

Then this dark-skinned imperial clansman threw his brain away, pulled strings, and had the Imperial Inspection Squad arrest Huo Yuhao and subject him to the Sun Moon torture device, the Dragon-Stripping Pillar...

It fit the outside world's stereotype of a black-haired baboon perfectly. Fortunately, Huo Yuhao had a few tricks up his sleeve, and Jing Hongchen and Xu Tianran came to his rescue in time, allowing the Hongchen siblings to escape disaster.

"Begin!"

"Clack, clack, clack-"

At the referee's command, a fierce series of metallic grinding sounds rang out all over Wang Shaojie's body.

Metal rods as thick as arms extended from his legs. Their pointed ends plunged deep into the ground and split into extremely stable triangular bases.

Then, starting from his calves, offensive Soul Tools attached themselves all over his body. Twenty-four metal cannon muzzles flipped out. In just two breaths, his massive frame nearly tripled in size, while a dark-gold concentrated-force Soul Cannon stood imposingly on his back.

Five Soul Rings rose and shone. Long guns and short cannons gleamed coldly beneath the blazing sun. Wang Shaojie resembled a metal fortress radiating destruction, thick, cold metal encasing his dark body without a single apparent opening from head to toe.

Soul Tool Turret Battle Tactics.

Turret Battle Tactics had distinct strengths and weaknesses. They sacrificed mobility and endurance, equipping high-explosive Soul Cannons to push a Soul Engineer's destructive power to its limit. Below the Seven-Ring Soul Sage rank, ordinary Soul Masters could not contend with a Soul Tool Turret of the same level.

Although Wang Shaojie belonged to the imperial family, he was far removed from its core and had failed to awaken the Sun Moon Dragon, one of the empire's three great inherited martial souls. His martial soul was entirely unremarkable, leaving him no choice but to become a traditional Soul Engineer.

However, he showed some talent on the Soul Tool path. Last year, he had advanced to Level 5 Soul Engineer, and his work had won the approval of Mingde Hall's Chief Researcher, making him the man's flute-blowing attendant.

Since entering the Hongchen Class selection tournament, Wang Shaojie had swept through his opponents with his Level 5 Soul Tool Turret. None could withstand his cannon barrage, and his undefeated advance to the top sixteen had sent his confidence swelling wildly!

The "Wang" in Wang Shaojie meant king-the king of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy! Mere Qing and Xiao? Watch me destroy them with one strike!

One trusty trick could carry a man across the world. Soul Power poured into the Soul Tool Turret, and every metal cannon on his body shone brilliantly, the Soul Tools blazing incandescent white.

Light swirled through over twenty Soul Cannon barrels, which spat out intense white beams. Fist-sized light projectiles converged into a raging tide of energy and shot toward Lin Qing without regard for the cost.

"Whoom-"

An iron-walled environment descended with a thunderous roar. Faced with this dark-skinned Sun Moon man who could not speak like a human being, Lin Qing naturally had to return his lofty respects.

His first Soul Ring shone. Machine element condensed a Machinery King Shield in midair, while the steel machinery domain amplified the defensive measure Lin Qing trusted most.

The gold element in the air seemed endless. The Machinery King Shield expanded continuously in every direction, erecting a moving Great Wall before him in an instant!

Cannon fire filled the arena as the Level 5 Soul Tool Turret unleashed its full power. Silent and coldly stern, the Machinery King Shield confiscated the shells and rays hurtling through the air, advancing at a steady, ponderous pace.

Wang Shaojie's Soul Power drained rapidly. Just as sweat covered his head, the steel beast suddenly opened its enormous maw, and a silver-white figure shot out at extreme speed.

He saw the chill in Lin Qing's silver-gray eyes and dared not let him get close.

However, the Soul Tool Turret's cumbersome nature held him back. With nowhere to dodge, Wang Shaojie could only squeeze out his Soul Power desperately, abandoning some of his guns and cannons to supply the powerful large barrels with everything he had!

A short, thick metal tube rose from each shoulder. Under the precise control of his muscles, their muzzles swiftly adjusted to target the charging Lin Qing.

At the same time, the concentrated-force Soul Cannon on Wang Shaojie's back finished charging. Fiercely bright Soul Tool heat gathered at its muzzle, twisting the light into chaotic distortions. The instant it spat out an incandescent white sphere, the air over the entire competition platform became violently turbulent.

Wang Shaojie gritted his teeth and stared at the roaring concentrated-force shell. The Soul Tool Turret had exhausted all his Soul Power. His only hope of victory was for it to break through every obstacle along the way and defeat his opponent in a single strike!

"Boom-"

An arrogant, rampaging dragon shattered the dark-skinned noble's unrealistic fantasy. The Dragon Devourer opened its bloody maw and crushed the concentrated-force shell in one bite, sending layers of smoke billowing through the sky!

Wang Shaojie realized the situation had turned dire, but Lin Qing had already anticipated his movements. The steel machinery domain contracted, and machine element silently attached itself to the Soul Tool Turret, forcibly seizing control of every inch of metal!

Watching below the platform, Lan Xiu secretly wiped tears from the corners of his eyes. His Nine Radiances, which he cherished like a beloved wife, had also been forcibly seized by machine element. Wang Shaojie was the second Soul Engineer to lose his own Soul Tools!

After taking control of the Soul Tool Turret, machine element immediately activated its ultimate talent, Gold-Eating Beast!

Devouring the metal energy with relish, machine element mercilessly drained the Soul Tool Turret. As its origin of gold vanished completely, the turret let out a frail groan and exploded into black dust that filled the air, exposing Wang Shaojie's utterly incredulous face!

The insufferably arrogant noble watched helplessly as a dark silhouette passed through the metal debris. Silver-white element coated an elbow, half a body pivoted, and a powerful strike burst forth!

"You dare?! I'm an imperial roy-"

The air detonated, abruptly cutting off the blustering shout that concealed his cowardice.

An elbow reinforced by ultimate metal made intimate, point-blank contact with his pitch-black head. The vicious elbow strike jammed his voice back down his throat, replacing it with the crisp crack of a shattered nasal bone and a spray of bloody foam!

Wang Shaojie flew off the platform and hit the ground, vomiting bloody teeth with a retch. Not far away, Zi Mu was blasted sprawling by the Three-Legged Golden Toad and landed right beside Wang Shaojie, his long hair scorched black and curled.

The two sixth-year champions, OUT!

The medical team arrived and hurriedly carried away the two unconscious men.

The selection tournament continued in orderly fashion.

"Lan Xiu is defeated. Xiao Hongchen wins!"

"Keke is unable to continue fighting. Lin Qing wins!"

"Sister Ju Zi, I'm stronger than you. At least I lasted a minute..." Keke shakily gripped Ju Zi's hand.

The semifinals.

"Contestant Ye Guyi forfeits. Lin Qing wins automatically!"

"Meng Hongchen forfeits. Xiao Hongchen advances to the final!"

Tomorrow at noon, Lin Qing would face Xiao Hongchen. An ultimate martial soul against a divine-beast bloodline. At last, king would meet king!