An unbroken roar resounded throughout the arena.
A thick plume of gunsmoke rose into the sky like a black mushroom cloud, clearly visible even from a hundred miles away.
It drew the attention of the entire Sun Moon Imperial Academy, and curious gazes turned toward it.
Several minutes later.
Only when the dense smoke cleared did the scene emerge.
Countless spectators finally caught sight of what lay inside the arena.
The two stood facing each other from afar.
Yet despite that roaring barrage, not even the hems of their clothes had been torn or dirtied. They looked as pristine as before, seemingly unaffected in the slightest.
Only Xiao Hongchen wore a complicated expression.
He knew he had lost.
Just moments ago, he had activated the Invincible Shield his grandfather had given him, a Level 7 self-charging soul tool. It was meant to save his life in a crisis, yet he had used it here ahead of time...
And more coincidentally still.
Xu Cheng's assault had lasted only three seconds, and he had cut off every attack the instant the Invincible Shield broke.
It was as though Xu Cheng had seen through every fallback he had.
Ever since he had been crowned a genius, this was the first time anyone his age had made him feel this way...
Perhaps before, he had felt a little shaken only in the field of soul tool research and manufacturing. Now, however, he had been utterly defeated.
Jing Hongchen watched his grandson nervously.
The current situation was delicate. If his grandson threw a childish tantrum and disrupted his plans, the losses would far outweigh the gains.
Although he also knew that having Xu Cheng deal the boy a blow today, teaching him that beyond every master stood another and beyond every sky lay a higher heaven, was not a bad thing, but...
Fortunately.
The next instant, his heart finally settled.
"Whew..."
Watching the two bump fists and walk off the stage together, laughing and chatting without any resentment between them, Elder Cheng chuckled. "See? I told you Xiao had the heart of a true powerhouse. He's nowhere near as petty as you imagined..."
"You're quite right, sir."
In excellent spirits, Jing Hongchen smiled and agreed.
"Never would've guessed, you rascal. You really kept your cards hidden." Xiao Hongchen glanced at Xu Cheng and sighed.
He had thought that even if there was a gap between them, it should not have been this large.
But Xu Cheng's performance today had practically pinned his fellow peer to the ground and scrubbed the floor with him.
"There's a trick to it. I'll tell you later."
Xu Cheng chuckled.
"..."
Xiao Hongchen froze, then whipped his head toward Xu Cheng.
He knew that the move Xu Cheng had demonstrated today had to involve some core soul tool technology. Whether Xu Cheng had developed it himself or learned it from a teacher, its importance went without saying.
Anyone else would probably have guarded it with everything they had, terrified that someone might learn it.
But Xu Cheng actually...
"We're all buddies..."
Xu Cheng smiled.
"..."
Xiao Hongchen fell silent. Only after a long while did he look solemnly at Xu Cheng. "Aren't you afraid I'll learn it and become stronger than you?"
Xu Cheng gave Xiao Hongchen an odd look.
He said nothing, but his eyes said it all.
Xiao Hongchen: "..."
"You fucking..."
A gentle breeze drifted past.
The Sun Moon Imperial Academy's plaza.
Only major events were usually held here, such as the opening ceremony or the presentation of prizes to the top twenty after the assessments.
Countless teachers and students stood below, gazing enviously at those on the stage.
It was not just the honor. More importantly, there were tangible prizes.
They were provided by the wealthy Mingde Hall, and naturally, Jing Hongchen presented them personally.
"Twentieth place, Baike. One Level 6 soul tool."
"..."
"Tenth place, Ji Juechen..."
When he reached the sword fanatic, Jing Hongchen paused.
He handed him a longsword.
Then he kindly patted his shoulder. "Your talent is exceptional. This path is difficult, but once you break through, it will become a broad road stretching before you. I entrust this Level 7 melee soul guidance tool, the [Spirit Sword], to you. You could say it was tailor-made for you. It is an adaptive soul tool that automatically adjusts itself to the optimal configuration according to its wielder's soul power..."
The sight made quite a few people green with envy.
Some could not understand it.
Ji Juechen was certainly strong, but this treatment... wasn't it a little excessive?
Were there not nine others in the entire year stronger than him?
Xu Cheng, however, understood.
Jing Hongchen had a keen, seasoned eye. He had surely seen how extraordinary Ji Juechen was.
He was already this formidable with only a single soul ring. In the original story, once he wielded the "Sword of Destruction," he could rival at least a peak Soul Saint, or even a Soul Douluo, while still a Soul Emperor.
That showed just how freakishly talented he was.
A scaling hero.
Xu Cheng thought to himself.
Investing early-Jing Hongchen had done the same in the original story.
Unfortunately, he had failed to thaw this sword fanatic's heart.
The man had still gone over to the other side.
Of course, the root cause was that he had never forged a bond.
In the original story, his bond with the Tang Sect, although bolstered by the protagonist's halo, had indeed allowed Ji Juechen to feel the warmth of home later on.
By contrast, sometimes pouring in both money and effort only turned someone into a groveling simp...
So, to win over someone like Ji Juechen, thinking like Cao Cao alone was not enough. One also had to think like Liu Bei and become a succubus...
"Mm..." Even before such an influential figure, Ji Juechen remained cold-faced and unruffled. The only difference from his usual demeanor was a nod.
His class teacher could only cover his face.
"Ninth place..."
Jing Hongchen did not mind Ji Juechen's aloofness. Clearly, he already knew his temperament.
Then came the next person.
Nana received a pair of short daggers, the [Nether Daggers]. They increased movement speed and attack speed by thirty percent each and also carried a poison effect. They were Level 7 soul tools, likewise adaptive models.
The teachers below the stage watched with burning envy.
Adaptive soul tools like these were absolutely top-tier, core-level assets even in the Sun Moon Empire, let alone the other three nations or Shrek Academy.
Only Mingde Hall produced them.
Yet Jing Hongchen handed them out as though they cost nothing.
Then came Tang Ya in fourth place.
When she faced Jing Hongchen, she was visibly ill at ease, her hands clenched behind her back.
As the Tang Sect's heir, she had actually been quite averse to soul tools. But after getting to know Meng Hongchen recently, she had gradually shed a little of her prejudice and begun to accept them.
Now, standing before the unfathomably powerful master of Mingde Hall, her identity as the Tang Sect's orphaned survivor left her feeling rather awkward.
But soon, she felt a cool touch against the back of her hand.
She glanced aside in slight surprise, only to find Meng Hongchen holding her hand and offering a faint smile, as if to reassure her.
"..."
Warmth filled Tang Ya's heart.
Her feelings toward the Sun Moon Empire instantly grew much warmer.
At least she had friends here...
As for her father's dying instruction that she go to Shrek Academy, she had hesitated when the term first began. But with the kindness shown to her by Meng Hongchen, her roommate and close friend, she had never gone.
Seeing this.
That old fox Jing Hongchen also smiled as he handed over a soul tool.
"A Level 7 soul tool, the Invincible Golden Body Shield. It can withstand an all-out strike from a Soul Douluo or anyone below that rank, but once charged, it can only provide three seconds of protection..."
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