"Too late." A leisurely voice rang out behind Flender, giving him a start.
Before he could react, a scarlet streak of sword light slashed straight toward his back.
"Hiss, that fast?" Flender exclaimed in shock despite himself. He had only lost focus for a moment because of Xu Ran's unusual Soul Rings. He had never expected Xu Ran to get behind him in that brief span. And the power of this strike exceeded his expectations as well.
This left him somewhat horrified.
Xu Ran was far stronger than he had imagined. With this strength and such tricky attacks, even an ordinary Soul Emperor might meet a bitter end here. This fighting prowess simply should not have belonged to a Soul Elder.
In fact, even Xu Ran did not know that his strength was not merely at the Soul King level he had estimated. His actual fighting prowess was not much below that of a Soul Master who had just broken through to Soul Emperor. After all, Xu Ran had only recently arrived on the continent and did not understand the fighting prowess each rank should possess.
He had underestimated his own strength and overestimated a Soul King's fighting prowess.
Once the age of the Soul Ring for Bloodshed, his strongest single-target offensive Soul Skill, reached over three thousand years, his strength had soared even further. Bloodshed's attack power was absolutely enough to rival a Soul Emperor's attacks.
Such a powerful attack, appearing so suddenly, left even Flender not daring to take it lightly.
Flender's second Soul Skill flashed, and his arms instantly transformed into a pair of wings. His speed soared at that moment as well. His Martial Soul, the Four-Eyed Cat Owl, was a powerful agility-attack Martial Soul, and as a Soul Saint, his speed was naturally terrifying.
But at such close range, that streak of blood-red sword light still inevitably grazed his arm. A thin line of blood seeped out, which Flender quickly concealed.
The way Flender looked at Xu Ran changed instantly.
He knew very well what an extraordinary genius stood before him!
A rank thirty-two Soul Elder had actually wounded him after he released his Martial Soul. How could he not be shocked? If he told Zhao Wuji and the others about this, they would probably never believe it. A Soul Elder actually possessed such terrifying strength.
Granted, there were many reasons why Xu Ran had managed to wound him. They had been less than ten meters apart, and while Xu Ran's three purple Soul Rings had shocked him into a daze, Xu Ran had suddenly attacked from behind and caught him off guard.
But whatever the reasons, Xu Ran's true fighting prowess was enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with a Soul Emperor.
Without formidable strength, no matter how distracted Flender was or how close they stood, Xu Ran could never have wounded him.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, a genius like Xu Ran would achieve far more than even Sword Douluo in the future. Sword Douluo had not been this strong in his youth. When he was a Soul Elder, defeating a few Soul Ancestors with some luck would have been his absolute limit. How could he have been as terrifying as Xu Ran?
Xu Ran already possessed fighting prowess approaching that of a Soul Emperor!
"The younger generation is truly formidable," Flender said. He genuinely could not think of any other words to describe Xu Ran. Xu Ran's talent was unmatched in the world.
Not even the prodigies of Spirit Hall could possibly rival Xu Ran's talent.
Who could obtain a thousand-year Soul Ring as their First Soul Ring?
Probably no one.
At least, he had never seen anyone besides Xu Ran whose First Soul Ring was a thousand-year one.
"Dean Flender, does this mean we passed?" Xu Ran asked with a smile, returning the God-Slaying Sword to its sheath. At this moment, he had gained a deeper understanding of his own strength.
"Your strength passes the test. Your current strength rivals a Soul Emperor's. If even you couldn't pass, there would be no point in keeping Shrek Academy open."
"But there are still some procedures we have to follow at Shrek Academy," Flender said, his gaze growing fervent again. He gripped Xu Ran's arm with one hand and examined his bone age.
"Twelve years old, with terrifying physical toughness, almost on par with an ordinary Soul Emperor's body," Flender murmured, unable to suppress his astonishment. He had thought that, with such strength, Xu Ran should have been about Dai Mubai's age. He had never expected him to be only twelve. Possessing such terrifying strength at this age, even the word "prodigy" probably fell short of describing him.
After speaking, Flender turned his gaze to Xiao Wu, who readily extended her arm for him to examine.
"Twelve years old, a rank twenty-eight Soul Grandmaster," Flender said after completing his examination.
"You don't need to undergo any further tests. From now on, you're students of Shrek Academy. Oh, tell me your Martial Souls so I can register you," Flender said excitedly. At this moment, in his eyes, Xu Ran alone was worth more than all of Shrek Academy's teachers and students combined. Under these circumstances, why would he bother with any unnecessary tests?
A genius like this would draw the eyes of the world wherever he went. Getting him to come to Shrek Academy was already no easy feat. What if Flender made things difficult for him and angered him into leaving?
A genius naturally deserved sufficient respect.
"Xu Ran, twelve years old, rank thirty-two Soul Elder, Tool Martial Soul: God-Slaying Sword."
"Xiao Wu, twelve years old, rank twenty-eight Soul Grandmaster, Beast Martial Soul: Soft Bone Rabbit." The two gave their information for Flender to register.
Meanwhile, Ma Hongjun came straight over, all smiles, and said, "Brother Ran, Sister Xiao Wu, welcome to Shrek Academy. If you run into any trouble at Shrek Academy in the future, just come to me. My strength may be lacking, but I'm very familiar with the surrounding area."
He had merely dumped Dai Mubai at Zhao Wuji's place before hurrying back, and then he had witnessed that scene.
His teacher, Flender, a Soul Saint powerhouse, had suffered a setback against Xu Ran. His arm had been injured. Although he had concealed it very well, Ma Hongjun had still noticed.
Moreover, his teacher had said that Xu Ran's fighting prowess approached that of a Soul Emperor.
Such strength was enough to rival the teachers.
And Xu Ran was still so young. Breaking through to Titled Douluo in the future would definitely be effortless. If Ma Hongjun did not latch onto such a powerful backer early, he would be an absolute fool.
"Who's your Sister Xiao Wu? You weren't acting like this earlier," Xiao Wu said in her sweet voice, remembering that Ma Hongjun had been in league with Dai Mubai and had even called her "chick." That was absolutely intolerable.
"Sister Xiao Wu, I just look a little older. I'm actually only twelve. Though I might be a little older than you, strength commands respect in the Soul Master World. Sister Xiao Wu and Brother Ran are geniuses unmatched under heaven. It's only right that I call you brother and sister," Ma Hongjun said solemnly, looking at Xiao Wu without a trace of any other intent in his eyes.
Though he was lustful too, he would never dare provoke someone like Xiao Wu. If he angered Xu Ran, he would definitely die a miserable death. Some women could not be touched, no matter how beautiful they were. Otherwise, not only would he fail to touch them, he would also bring a whole heap of trouble upon himself. Xiao Wu was clearly such a woman.
Before you continue