Early the next morning, the morning mist had not yet completely dispersed.
The area around the No. 1 Main Soul Fighting Arena of the Heaven Dou Royal Junior Soul Master Academy was already surrounded by crowds who had come to watch the matches.
Aside from the several hundred students of the junior department, just as Mo Lei had said yesterday.
Several extraordinary figures sat prominently on the high sections of the spectator stands.
A few Heaven Dou Grade teachers from the Heaven Dou Royal Academy wore calm expressions.
Beside them, two commanders of the Imperial Knights clad in heavy armor sat upright, their gazes sweeping across the martial arts arena below.
Such a scene made the usually pampered young nobles break out in cold sweat on their palms.
In the waiting area, Ning Rongrong tugged at the corner of Meng Chen's sleeve, her small face all scrunched up.
"Meng Chen, do you think if I draw a Power Attack System soul master later, I'm going to get beaten up?"
"You can forfeit if you can't beat them."
"Forfeit?"
Ning Rongrong widened her eyes and said, "Where would this young lady's face go!"
"Then get beaten up."
"You!"
Furious, Ning Rongrong raised her foot to step on him, but Meng Chen had been prepared and dodged aside, completely avoiding it.
At that moment, Mo Lei walked up to the podium.
"Quiet."
He glanced down at the crowd and said in a deep voice, "This freshman grand competition is divided into three rounds. The first round is a written theory test. The second round is a soul power test. The third round involves group draws based on the scores of the first two rounds for head-to-head duels on stage."
As soon as those words came out, those young masters in the audience who usually slept or daydreamed during class now had expressions that looked as ugly as could be.
"Didn't they say we were going to fight arena matches? Why is there a written test!"
"I'm finished. I didn't remember any of the martial soul theory the teacher taught in class at all."
Mo Lei looked coldly in their direction, and a few of the noble youths who had spoken the loudest immediately shut their mouths.
Ning Rongrong, who was beside Meng Chen, also wilted. "We're done for. When Teacher Mo was lecturing, I spent half my time looking at you."
As she spoke, Ning Rongrong discovered that this guy actually looked completely relaxed, and she instantly became displeased.
"Hey, how come you don't look nervous at all?"
"What's there to be nervous about? It's just a test."
Meng Chen replied casually, though inside he was blooming with joy.
He already possessed the comprehension ability of an adult, so a written assessment at the junior level was simply a piece of cake.
The two-hour written theory test ended quickly amidst an oppressive atmosphere.
A grading group composed of several senior instructors graded the papers publicly, and their speed was very fast.
In less than half an hour, two stewards hung the score rankings high on the large screen of the No. 1 Soul Fighting Arena.
Almost everyone's gaze in the entire arena converged at once.
Two names tied for the very top spot.
First place: Meng Chen, a perfect score of 100!
Tied for first: Gu Yuena, a perfect score of 100!
The waiting area fell quiet for a second, followed immediately by a burst of whispered murmurs.
"A perfect score? That guy with the rabbit martial soul?"
"Isn't he dragged around by Ning Rongrong every day? When did he have time to read?"
Ning Rongrong looked at Meng Chen's score on the rankings and instantly lifted her chin, acting as if she had scored it herself.
"Hmph, consider yourself lucky for not making this young lady lose face."
"What did you score?"
"N-None of your business."
Ning Rongrong's face turned red, and she turned her head away.
Meng Chen smiled. Naturally, he had seen Ning Rongrong's score, but asking about it now was just to make her embarrassed so she would stop coming over to bother him.
His gaze crossed the crowd and landed on Gu Yuena in the corner.
The silver-haired girl was still standing quietly there.
Seeming to sense Meng Chen's gaze, she turned her head slightly, a flash of unusual emotion passing through her purple eyes.
The written test concluded, immediately followed by the second link that would determine the matchup order: the actual soul power test.
In the center of the main soul fighting arena, a testing platform carved from white jade slowly rose.
A high-grade soul-testing crystal ball rested atop it.
"Second round: soul power test. Step forward in order of student ID."
At Mo Lei's command, the students went up one after another.
"Level 10."
"Level 8."
"Level 9."
The crystal ball's radiance flickered dimly, with most people falling between level 8 and level 10.
The student next to Meng Chen whispered, "We've only awakened for two or three months, so reaching level 10 is already pretty good. Who could possibly be a One-Ring Soul Master already?"
"Ning Rongrong, step forward for testing."
Ning Rongrong took a deep breath, walked up the steps in small strides, and placed her small hand on the crystal ball.
Immediately, seven-colored precious light surged toward the sky.
Clear soul power ripples appeared inside the sphere.
Seeing this scene, Mo Lei's rigid face finally revealed a smile, and he loudly announced.
"Ning Rongrong, Martial Soul: Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, Soul Power Level 11, One-Ring Soul Master."
Following the sound of his voice, a chorus of gasps erupted from the audience.
"As expected of the eldest young miss of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."
"A one-ring at six years old-some people really make you want to die of envy."
Ning Rongrong walked down with her chin raised, and as she passed Meng Chen, she even flicked her eyebrows at him.
"Did you see that? This young lady isn't someone who takes a free ride."
"Saw it, saw it, the young miss is the most formidable."
"That's more like it."
Meng Chen returned a smile, and then heard Mo Lei call out the next name.
"Gu Yuena, step forward for testing."
As soon as that name was spoken, the atmosphere in the arena grew quiet once more.
Even the instructors on the spectator stands and the commanders of the Knights directed their gazes toward the silver-haired girl.
Gu Yuena walked up to the crystal ball and pressed her palm lightly against it.
The crystal ball vibrated, and silver light soared into the sky.
It directly overwhelmed the seven-colored precious light that Ning Rongrong had previously produced, and the ripples inside the sphere surged all the way up, finally locking onto the thirteenth ring of light.
Mo Lei's face twitched fiercely, a trace of shock flashing in his eyes.
"Gu Yuena, Martial Soul is White Silver Dragon, Soul Power Level 13, One-Ring Soul Master."
One of the Knights' commanders on the stands immediately sat up straight.
"Six years old, level 13?"
The commander beside him frowned and said, "And a dragon-type martial soul. Where did this child come from?"
"A specially enrolled student."
An instructor flipped through the files in his hands and smiled bitterly, shaking his head.
"Almost nothing is written on the file."
Such terrifying talent was extremely rare even on the Douluo Continent!
The noble youths in the audience also drew in a cold breath, some of them secretly celebrating in their hearts that they hadn't spoken any disrespectful words earlier just because the other party wore tattered clothes.
While the shock of the entire audience had yet to dissipate.
Mo Lei read out the last name that everyone was paying close attention to.
"Meng Chen, step forward for testing!"
What was bound to come had finally arrived, and Meng Chen walked onto the testing platform with a calm expression.
Facing the complex expressions of the people around him, Meng Chen raised his right hand, pressed it steadily onto the crystal ball, and poured in his soul power.
Boom!
Accompanied by a humming sound, an explosion of golden light erupted within the soul-testing crystal ball.
The golden light circulated, forming layers upon layers of energy halos that increased upwards layer by layer at an extremely fast speed.
One, two, three... until the thirteenth halo completely formed.
"Level 13?"
"Level 13 again!"
Mo Lei rubbed his eyes, and after confirming the value on the crystal ball once more, his voice trembled slightly.
"Meng Chen, mutated Soft Bone Rabbit Martial Soul, Soul Power Level 13, One-Ring Soul Master!"
On the high platform, the commander of the Imperial Knights flashed a trace of disbelief in his eyes.
They could let the girl slide since they weren't familiar with her, but they had a deep impression of this rabbit-eared boy before them.
In their eyes, this fellow was just a kid heavily sheltered by Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, a noble pet who had sneaked in by relying on connections.
Unexpectedly, the other party's strength was not the least bit inferior to that genius girl.
Down below, Ning Rongrong covered her small mouth in even greater astonishment.
This lazy guy all day long had actually been sneaking behind her and cultivating to this realm!
"Good, very good!"
Mo Lei let out a long breath, turned around, and said to all the students, "According to the grand competition rules, One-Ring Soul Masters with high comprehensive rankings in the written theory test and soul power test can directly advance to the special duel seats!"
"Among this year's freshmen, there are only five people who meet the standard of a One-Ring Soul Master."
"Next, we will conduct the first round of the draw!"
A steward walked over quickly, holding a specially made dark-wood drawing box.
All the students in the arena and countless gazes from the VIP viewing seats quietly watched Mo Lei on stage.
Mo Lei reached into the box and withdrew two jade tablets engraved with serial numbers.
When he saw the names, he froze completely.
After a good while, he cleared his throat: "First round of the special arena battle: Meng Chen, versus, Gu Yuena."
As soon as the draw positions came out, the previously quiet soul fighting arena instantly boiled over.
"They collided in the first round?"
"Two level-thirteens, and both got perfect scores on the written test. We're in for a good show now."
Ning Rongrong's little face turned pale, and she tightly grabbed Meng Chen's sleeve.
Meng Chen looked at Gu Yuena in the distance, and Gu Yuena was also looking at him.
Meng Chen smiled bitterly in his heart.
Sure enough, whatever you fear the most is what comes.
Before you continue