Beast Fighting Zone, Old Gong

"So this was the summoning system? A little overtuned..."

Dai Yueheng stared at Su Wen as though he had discovered a new continent, rubbing his chin as he spoke.

Aside from a very small number of people in the Inner Courtyard—Zhang Lexuan and Ma Xiaotao—most only knew that Su Wen's talent was heaven-defying. As for exactly how heaven-defying, that had remained rather vague. But today's battle had thoroughly made everyone recognize just what a monster Su Wen was.

"Why does this Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear seem just like the real thing?" Chen Zifeng walked over and, with great interest, stroked the fur of the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear that had forced him to admit defeat. The texture felt real, not like something condensed from Soul Power, nor like the special effect of a soul skill.

"..."

Little Gold was three meters tall. Standing there, he looked like a solid city wall, looking down at Chen Zifeng from above, his expression growing increasingly unfriendly.

Yet Chen Zifeng still had not sensed the danger and was grinning broadly.

"Little Gold!"

Su Wen gave a soft warning shout.

"Roar~!!!"

After Su Wen warned him, a helpless look flashed through Little Gold's eyes. He merely lowered his head and let out a long roar at Chen Zifeng.

Chen Zifeng froze on the spot.

He wiped the drool off his face, his expression gradually turning terrified. "What the hell? This Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear is real?!!"

"No shit. You're the only one who walked up to it like an idiot. If Xiao Wen hadn't stopped it, half your head would probably have been shaved off by one claw. This guy's vicious reputation is no joke—we've all experienced it long ago," Gongyang Mo mocked.

Chen Zifeng looked over and found that everyone had long since hidden far away. Only he, a fragile damage dealer, had still dared to go up and touch the bear's paw.

His expression went blank with shock, while waves churned in his heart.

He took in the disdainful look in the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's eyes ahead.

His throat bobbed.

Gongyang Mo was not joking. Unless one was a defensive-type meat shield, very few people dared approach a soul beast like this. At the same cultivation level, the latter's physique was far stronger than a human's. His Martial Soul was a sword, but it was only a flying sword—his own body was ridiculously fragile.

If that claw came down, with his strength after only recently advancing to Soul King, he would be done for. Guaranteed.

"Exactly. A summoning system naturally has its own way of fighting." Su Wen smiled faintly.

"But these soul beasts weren't summoned by me. They're all independent individuals. They can just enter these little balls and be carried around by me."

Once he started school, the matter of his Martial Soul could not be hidden. Besides, to these seniors from the Inner Courtyard, his own people, there was no need to hide anything...

"You're a freak. One soul beast per ring, and you can even share cultivation. When you become a Titled Douluo, won't you have nine Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts?" Dai Yueheng walked over and sized up the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear guarding Su Wen's side, his expression shocked.

"Eight, actually. But beating you would still be easy," Ma Xiaotao said smugly as she walked over in high heels. Her exposed half of a jade-like arm rested on Su Wen's shoulder, her pretty face raised high.

"That potential is truly terrifying..."

Chen Zifeng clicked his tongue.

If Su Wen reached the same cultivation level as him, just a single Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear—ten-thousand-year level—would be enough to grind him into meat paste, not to mention there were four other soul beasts, the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion, and also...

Chen Zifeng was taken aback.

"Hey, I remember a week ago, wasn't this thing just an Ice Jade Scorpion?"

"Oh, as their strength increases, these soul beasts will advance along with it..." Su Wen said with a smile.

Everyone: "..."

"Fuck this, I'm not playing anymore!" The corner of Yao Haoxuan's mouth twitched, and he turned to leave. "Let him go compete in the tournament. One man is an army—who can play against him? Freak!"

"Don't go~"

Ling Luochen said expressionlessly.

"Su Wen will be on our side for the next match."

Ma Xiaotao's pretty face stiffened. She glared angrily at Ling Luochen, and the latter met her with ice-cold pale-blue eyes, not giving an inch.

"Xiao Wen, come here."

Ling Luochen took the initiative to hold Su Wen's hand and pulled him over with a gentle force.

Su Wen raised an eyebrow.

He glanced back at Ma Xiaotao, who stamped her foot in anger, her crimson beautiful eyes full of irritation.

He was grinning when he suddenly seemed to crash into a soft wall in front of him. Silky long hair drifted around, and at such close range, the other party's faint bodily fragrance slipped into his nose.

"Be careful."

Ling Luochen looked back, a trace of shyness in her beautiful eyes.

Yet the slender jade hand holding Su Wen's remained firmly clasped, without ever letting go.

Over the next few days.

The entire Duel Arena was shrouded in lights of every color. The battles continued for an entire afternoon. The two teams fought one match, then changed members for the next. There were even times when Ma Xiaotao, Su Wen, and Ling Luochen all ended up on the same team.

However, as long as Su Wen was on a team, they won more than they lost.

Although his combat strength could not be called overwhelmingly powerful, his influence was not small. The Ice Sovereign's "Domain of Eternal Freeze" truly deserved to be called a Divine Skill for area control. Its boost to his own team and its weakening of the enemy were both quite significant.

Beast Fighting Zone.

Located south of the Soul Duel Zone, it was separated by a tall gray wall like a fortress. It was said that the wall itself was made from special materials, and even a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast would find it difficult to break through.

Generally, the Assessment for first-year students in their second semester each year was held here. They had to face the pressure of Soul Beasts directly, and this was also what most new Shrek students lacked. Soul Beasts that followed the most primal laws of combat were undoubtedly excellent whetstones.

However, most of the Soul Beasts here were ordinary breeds.

Though there were also ten-thousand-year ones, in terms of quality among their kind, they could only rank around the lower-middle level.

As for ones like the Auspicious Beast, or certain rare Soul Beasts, they were simply unheard of.

After all, the purpose of raising these Soul Beasts was only to let Shrek students receive better instruction—training their combat skills and courage—not to truly take root in the Soul Beast breeding industry.

Otherwise, even just an ordinary ten-thousand-year Soul Beast, setting aside the time cost, would require a whole series of funds to raise to ten thousand years—labor, feed, site maintenance, and so on—enough to make Shrek back down. Calling it a money pit would not be an exaggeration.

This was also why Su Wen went to the Land of Extreme North or the Star Dou Great Forest whenever he captured Soul Beasts, and never even gave this place a glance.

"Old Gong."

Su Wen nodded.

"Yo, what brings you here, kid? Didn't you look down on these precious Soul Beasts of mine?"

A white-haired old man was lying on a bench, basking in the sun. Seeing Su Wen arrive, he opened one eye and spoke with a rather smug air.

"The quality of the Soul Beasts you have here really isn't much."

Su Wen smiled.

"You..." Old Gong's eyes widened, and he glared angrily at Su Wen.

"If you don't believe me, why not let this Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear of mine test what they're made of?" Su Wen grinned and waved his hand. A dark-brown giant bear appeared beside him, its bear eyes staring warily at Old Gong.

It could sense the dangerous aura coming from the old man.

"Hm???"

Old Gong sprang to his feet, his pupils suddenly contracting.

"What a fine Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear!"

His gaze gradually grew heated, as if he were sizing up a beauty.

Su Wen folded his arms across his chest, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

He knew this man would definitely take the bait.

That was right. With the end of the Inner Courtyard Additional Training Tournament, Su Wen had fallen into a state where he had nothing to do.