Deep in the dense forest, branches and leaves screened out the sunlight. Flecks of light spilled through the gaps onto the ground as Xiao Chen flitted through them like a phantom.
Traces of battle were everywhere in the woods, and a scorched smell hung in the air.
There was no need to look to know Gu Yue had unleashed her map-wide bombardment.
In an instant, Xiao Chen reached the clearing where Na'er and Gu Yue were fighting.
His gaze swept over the two slender figures facing off, leaving him speechless.
In the clearing before him, Na'er and Gu Yue stood opposite each other, one on either side.
They clearly shared the same origin, essentially two independent personalities split from a single soul.
Yet, to his surprise, they had dragged out this death match in the Spirit Ascension Platform for so long. Both bore clearly visible injuries, and neither was in good shape.
Na'er's pale dress was torn in several places. Wounds from ice blades covered her fair arms, and shallow bloody cuts from wind blades marked her shoulder.
Her long, silvery-white hair was disheveled, her chest rose and fell slightly with her heavy breathing, and her soul power was all but exhausted.
Although Na'er's soul power level was firmly above Gu Yue's, giving her the advantage in raw numbers, and she had held the initiative throughout the fight,
she had still failed to truly suppress Gu Yue from beginning to end, despite their prolonged battle.
On the other side, Gu Yue was not faring well either.
Gu Yue had never expected that, after spending so long playing the pig to eat the tiger, she would actually become the pig when she faced Na'er.
Neither her level nor the ages of her soul rings matched Na'er's. With insufficient stats, she could only compete through skill.
To avoid Na'er's direct assaults, Gu Yue had used Spatial Transfer nonstop throughout the fight to maneuver and keep her at a distance.
Spatial Transfer consumed tremendous amounts of spiritual power and soul power. By now, she had overdrawn much of her spiritual power, and exhaustion filled her brow.
Na'er's Silver Dragon Spear had also wounded one of her shoulders, sending stabbing pain through her nerves from time to time.
Throughout the battle, she had taken "kiting" to its limit, repeatedly opening up distance with Spatial Teleportation, then pouring out an unbroken barrage of fireballs, ice spikes, and wind blades from afar. Bit by bit, she had worn down Na'er's stamina and soul power, forcibly dragging the battle out until Xiao Chen arrived.
Was this the left and right halves of the brain fighting each other? How terrifying.
The Silver Dragon King really had a knack for civil war, beating her own other half to death, Xiao Chen grumbled inwardly.
Still, now that he was here, this battle should end.
The instant Xiao Chen's foot touched the ground, Na'er, whose nerves had remained taut, was the first to sense his soul power.
Her tense little face immediately relaxed, all the wariness faded from her eyes, and she looked toward Xiao Chen as though a great weight had been lifted:
"Brother, you're finally here."
Seeing Xiao Chen completely unscathed, Gu Yue, who had been standing alert nearby, felt her heart lurch and went on full guard.
Although she did not know how strong Xiao Chen was, judging by how he had dealt with Tang Wulin, who possessed the Golden Dragon Claw, without suffering any injuries, he was a talented human.
If the two joined forces, she would have absolutely no chance of winning in her current exhausted, injured state.
Damn it.
What had Tang Wulin gone off to do? Had he taken the Golden Dragon King Divine Core for nothing?
He had the Golden Dragon Claw and still let his opponent win without a scratch. Did he even know how to fight?
With things as they stood, Gu Yue swiftly collected herself, her mind racing as she weighed the situation.
She had come to pass the assessment and join the Spirit Pagoda, not necessarily to settle who was stronger between her and Na'er.
Leng Yaozhu had sent Xiao Chen and Na'er into the Spirit Ascension Platform to verify her talent and aptitude. As long as those two agreed that her aptitude met the requirements, she would pass this assessment without trouble.
She was not worried about Na'er. Although this silly other half opposed her every time, no matter what, they were both halves of the Silver Dragon King, shouldering the shared mission of restoring the soul beasts.
As long as she invoked the greater cause of the soul beasts, appealed to reason, and moved her with emotion, Na'er should consider the bigger picture and let her pass. Probably...
As for her prolonged fight with Na'er just now, she had merely wanted to use their exchange to dampen the other's arrogance and establish her own dominance. That was perfectly normal. What dominant personality did not do that?
The true key to whether she could pass the assessment smoothly was the boy named Xiao Chen before her.
She had never had any dealings with Xiao Chen and could not fathom his thoughts or temperament at all.
The most direct and reliable way to secure approval of her qualifications was to defeat Xiao Chen herself, leaving him nothing to criticize through genuine combat strength.
Having made up her mind, Gu Yue ignored Na'er beside her and raised her eyes, fixing them on Xiao Chen a short distance away. Her tone was resolute. "I want to fight you."
No sooner had she spoken than Na'er stepped forward, blocking the space between them. She looked at Gu Yue with puffed cheeks and protested reluctantly:
"Hey, hey, hey, we haven't finished our fight yet! You're not allowed to trouble my brother!"
Gu Yue furrowed her brow. With the important matter right before her, wasting more energy on Na'er was meaningless. Suppressing her impatience, she replied flatly:
"You and I are evenly matched. Are you satisfied now?"
"Hehe, yes."
Gu Yue's eyes instantly turned cold.
Seeing Gu Yue's expression change, Na'er simply waved a hand and said very casually, "Fine, then you pass. There's no need to put my brother through any more trouble."
"Happy now, little sister Gu Yue?"
But when those words reached Gu Yue's ears, they nearly infuriated her to death.
Here she was, seriously weighing the situation, intent on gaining a foothold in the Spirit Pagoda for the soul beasts, while Na'er cared only about bickering with her like a child. Was this really her other half?
And what did she mean, little sister Gu Yue?
Damn Na'er. She might as well anger her to death.
Gu Yue forcibly suppressed the anger churning inside her. Not bothering to argue with Na'er any further, she turned her gaze back to Xiao Chen.
Looking at the pale, injured Gu Yue, Xiao Chen reminded her:
"Are you sure you want to fight now? You're not exactly in good shape."
"You're no match for me."
Hearing this, Gu Yue merely assumed Xiao Chen was looking down on her, and her pride instantly seized control of her mind.
In her eyes, Xiao Chen was ultimately nothing more than a human soul master. Only the simple-minded Na'er would foolishly keep calling this human her brother.
She was the Silver Dragon King, born beyond comparison with ordinary humans. Even in her diminished condition, she still had more than enough strength to deal with him.
She straightened her back, and elemental soul power slowly rose around her. Ice, fire, wind, and other kinds of soul power intertwined around her as she said firmly, "Of course."
The instant those words fell, Gu Yue was ready for battle. She resolved that she had to defeat Xiao Chen head-on, and it had to be a crushing victory.
That would settle the result of this talent verification in the Spirit Ascension Platform. It could not end so perfunctorily on the strength of a casual remark from Na'er.
Otherwise, she really would become little sister Gu Yue, and wouldn't Na'er turn the world upside down?
Looking at the openly hostile Gu Yue, Xiao Chen wasted no more words on her.
With Gu Yue hissing at him, he might as well start fighting.
"In that case, let's fight."
Before you continue