"The arena matches begin now!"
Lin Jiayi's voice rang throughout the venue through the Amplifying Soul Tool.
"Students who wish to challenge him, please register to the left of the main platform. Challenges will proceed in registration order."
As soon as he finished speaking, the stands erupted into a stir.
"I'll do it!"
"Count me in!"
"Let me go first!"
In no time, a long line formed at the registration desk.
Although many had heard about Lu Ren knocking Wang Shaojie down with one punch yesterday, few had actually witnessed it.
More of the students merely thought he was just a specially admitted freshman. However strong he was, how strong could he possibly be?
On the main platform, Lin Jiayi looked at the long registration list, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
Soon, the first challenger stepped onto the trial grounds.
He was a youth of fifteen or sixteen, with an average build and ordinary looks.
The badge on his chest identified him as a Level 4 Soul Engineer.
At that moment, however, he looked rather nervous.
"Xia Xuanchen, Level 4 Soul Engineer, Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy."
The youth gave Lu Ren his name, curiosity and eagerness in his eyes.
Lu Ren glanced at him.
Xia Xuanchen... that name sounds a little familiar.
Oh, now I remember. One of the nameless extras Huo Yuhao beat up in the original story.
But that won't happen for another two or three years.
"Lu Ren."
He gave his name briefly.
Xia Xuanchen took a deep breath. His nervousness gradually subsided, giving way to excitement.
If I can beat this much-hyped special admission student in the very first match...
Hehe, how could the class beauty not see me in a new light?
Maybe I could even get straight into the Illustrious Virtue Hall for advanced study!
"Both contestants, retreat to your standby areas."
A languid voice rang out.
Lu Ren turned to look. Sitting in the referee's seat was a man in his thirties, his hair a mess and pronounced dark circles beneath his eyes. His whole being had the lifeless air of a corpse with nothing left to live for.
Xuan Ziwen.
A Level 8 Soul Engineer of the Illustrious Virtue Hall and one of the Sun Moon Empire's foremost Soul Tool researchers.
Right now, "I don't want to be here" was written all over his face, and he made no attempt to hide the impatience in his eyes as he looked at Lu Ren.
Jing Hongchen had forcibly dragged him here to referee, saying something about "helping this old man take a good look at what's so special about this boy."
What's there to look at?
A fourteen-year-old brat. However strong he is, how strong could he possibly be?
A waste of time.
The areas had already been marked out on the trial grounds, with a hundred and fifty meters between the two standby areas.
This was to give Soul Engineers room to work.
Xia Xuanchen turned and walked away, his steps light, his blood practically boiling.
Lu Ren, however, kept both hands in his pockets and slowly walked backward, looking as though he had come for a stroll.
Watching this, Xuan Ziwen frowned even more deeply.
The instant both contestants stepped into their standby areas, he called out:
"Begin!"
Hearing his voice, Xia Xuanchen instinctively turned to face Lu Ren.
It was an instinctive human reaction, but that turn and pause cost him a full two seconds.
Two seconds was enough for a Soul Engineer to complete the entire process of aiming, charging, and firing.
But Lu Ren did nothing.
He even yawned, standing lazily in place and looking listless.
Xuan Ziwen's brows drew into three deep vertical creases.
He hated self-important people like this.
He had inadvertently given Xia Xuanchen a two-second opening to close in, yet Lu Ren had not appreciated it at all.
That sort of arrogance would get him killed sooner or later.
Xuan Ziwen shook his head and withdrew his gaze.
He truly could not understand why the hall master had specifically asked him to observe this fellow up close to see what was special about him.
From what he could see now, he was nothing but a mediocrity.
But while Xuan Ziwen was lost in thought, he heard the sound of metal being sliced apart.
Xuan Ziwen jerked his head up, instinctively looking toward the arena.
The Soul Tools Xia Xuanchen had just brought out, his Soul Guidance Ray, and his defensive shield had all split in two at the very same instant!
The cuts were smooth and even, as though something extraordinarily sharp had sliced through them in a single stroke.
What's going on?
Xuan Ziwen's pupils abruptly contracted.
He snapped his gaze toward Lu Ren, only to find him still standing where he was, his hands still in his pockets, having done nothing.
"Th-this is impossible!"
Xia Xuanchen looked down at his Soul Tools, split in half, his mind blank.
He had not seen what had happened at all.
Where had those invisible slashes come from?
If they had been aimed at him...
That single attack would probably have killed him!
A chill shot straight up his spine to the back of his head.
But the next second, Xia Xuanchen clenched his teeth.
No, I can't admit defeat just like this!
He raised both arms. With two metallic clangs, a pair of pitch-black cannon barrels covered his forearms.
These were no ordinary Soul Cannons, but special Soul Tools that enclosed his arms directly, firing thirty percent faster than handheld models with twice the accuracy.
Two balls of differently colored light instantly shot from the muzzles.
The Soul Cannon on the left fired a yellow ball of light-a Soul Guidance Vibration Cannon.
The Soul Cannon on the right fired a red ball of light-a Single-Target Directional High-Explosive Shell.
One from the left and one from the right, they hurtled straight toward Lu Ren!
Everyone held their breath at the sight.
That was a high-explosive shell!
Even a Soul Emperor would suffer badly from a direct hit.
Not even a Level 5 Soul Tool Shield could withstand the extreme heat it generated in an instant.
Yet Lu Ren did not so much as glance at the two shells and yawned again.
So boring.
The red ball of light arrived first.
The instant before it struck Lu Ren, an invisible slash appeared again.
At a tricky angle and with precisely controlled force, it acted like an invisible racket, batting the high-explosive shell away.
Boom!!
Several dozen meters behind Lu Ren, a burst of orange-red light suddenly erupted.
The violent explosion made the entire trial grounds tremble slightly, and a small mushroom cloud slowly rose.
He... deflected it?!
The entire venue fell silent for a full three seconds.
In the stands, everyone's mouths hung open in an O.
Xia Xuanchen froze in place, his brain completely shutting down.
He deflected a high-explosive Soul Cannon shell...?
What kind of move was that?
As for the other shot from the Soul Guidance Vibration Cannon, Lu Ren used the same method to deflect it with a slash. Then, without giving Xia Xuanchen time to react, he raised a hand and lightly swept it to the side.
A slash appeared out of thin air and struck Xia Xuanchen square in the chest.
Thud!
Xia Xuanchen flew backward, landed outside the standby area, and slid several meters before coming to a stop.
Clutching his chest, he struggled twice but failed to get up.
Yet there was no wound on his body.
The slash had carried just enough force to knock him out of bounds without injuring him.
Lu Ren lowered his hand and turned toward Xuan Ziwen in the referee's seat, his tone flat.
"Time to announce it."
Xuan Ziwen opened his mouth.
His mind was still processing everything he had just seen.
Without moving from his spot or even taking his hands out of his pockets, Lu Ren had sliced apart every Soul Tool on Xia Xuanchen.
Then he had deflected two Soul Cannon shells before casually waving a hand to knock his opponent out of bounds.
He had not used a Soul Skill throughout.
He had not even activated his Martial Soul.
What level of combat was this?
"...Lu Ren wins."
Xuan Ziwen's voice was somewhat dry.
The instant his words fell, the entire venue exploded into an uproar.
"What just happened? How did he deflect those shells?"
"I didn't see anything. Are his attacks invisible?"
"He sliced those Soul Tools apart! Those were Level 4 Soul Tools!"
"He didn't even activate his Martial Soul! His hands never left his pockets the whole time!"
"That guy... just what kind of monster is he?"
In the stands, Xiao Hongchen straightened his back.
He uncrossed his legs, and his folded arms shifted to brace against the armrests as he leaned forward.
His eyes were fixed on the languid boy in the arena, his pupils contracting slightly.
"How is that possible..."
He murmured, a trace of shock in his voice that even he had not noticed.
"He deflected a high-explosive Soul Cannon shell outright?"
Before you continue