Without a moment to mourn Xia Xuanchen's defeat, the next to arrive onstage was... Xiao Hongchen

Meng Hongchen said nothing.

She simply watched Lu Ren quietly in the arena, an unusual glimmer flashing through her large, aqua-blue eyes.

The boy stood in the center of the trial grounds, sunlight spilling over him, surrounded by the exclamations and chatter of over ten thousand people.

His expression was calm, as though he had done something utterly insignificant.

Meng Hongchen lightly bit her lower lip.

Just how strong... was this person?

At the judges' seats, Xuan Ziwen remained silent for a long time.

He studied Lu Ren anew, his gaze completely changed.

He had cast all his earlier impatience and disdain to the back of his mind.

"This kid..." he murmured to himself. "Interesting."

His gaze settled on Lu Ren, carrying a researcher's particular curiosity.

"I'm already starting to wonder what his Soul Skills are. What exactly was going on with those invisible slashes just now?"

His earlier irritation had long since vanished like smoke and scattered clouds, replaced by intense curiosity.

He had even begun designing Soul Tools in his mind that could defend against such invisible attacks.

On the dais, Lin Jiayi cleared his throat and announced:

"Next challenger, please enter the arena."

The entire venue fell silent for an instant.

Then everyone turned their gaze toward a particular spot in the stands.

Seated there were the two strongest members of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy's younger generation.

Without a moment to mourn Xia Xuanchen's defeat, the next to arrive onstage was... Xiao Hongchen!

At the sight, chatter instantly erupted among those nearby:

"It's Xiao Hongchen! He's finally making his move!"

"Xiao Hongchen is a rank forty-nine Soul Ancestor who specializes in Soul Tools, and he's the Hall Master's grandson, too. He's incredibly strong!"

"Now we're in for a good show! Xiao Hongchen will definitely expose that Lu Ren's tricks!"

"I bet Xiao Hongchen wins! His Soul Tools were specially made by the Illustrious Virtue Hall. They're much stronger than Xia Xuanchen's!"

Xiao Hongchen rose to his feet.

His movements were slow, but every step carried a fierce presence. The students around him instinctively cleared a path as he strode onto the trial grounds.

Every step landed heavily, as though he intended to crush the ground beneath his feet.

He stopped ten meters across from Lu Ren.

"Xiao Hongchen, rank forty-nine Soul Ancestor."

He paused, the corners of his mouth curling proudly upward:

"Martial Soul, Three-Legged Golden Toad."

Lu Ren glanced at him.

Xiao Hongchen was hailed by the Sun Moon Empire as its greatest genius in history.

Unfortunately, he had ruined himself later on by taking too many drugs.

"Lu Ren."

He gave a brief reply.

Xuan Ziwen's voice came from the judges' seats, breaking the silence:

"Second match, begin!"

The instant those words fell, Xiao Hongchen released his Martial Soul. Golden light flashed, and another leg actually emerged from his tailbone behind him.

That leg was gilded gold from end to end, gleaming brilliantly in the sunlight. Immediately afterward, vast golden Soul Power swept across his entire body like a tide, enveloping him completely.

With his Three-Legged Golden Toad Martial Soul in its three-legged form, Xiao Hongchen bent his knees into a slight crouch. Four Soul Rings-two yellow and two purple-slowly rose from beneath his feet, their flowing halos fully displaying his Soul Ancestor cultivation.

His back arched slightly, and countless golden bumps suddenly bulged beneath his robes, like dormant golden scales. They radiated a warm, dense golden halo, and the scent of metal rushed outward.

His first and third Soul Rings lit up simultaneously!

Xiao Hongchen flung out both arms. Over a hundred metal spheres gleaming with cold light flew out in response, then hovered around him, weaving an impenetrable metal barrier that protected him securely at its center.

The next second, thick metal cannon barrels actually grew out of thin air around each metal sphere, their walls gleaming with a cold metallic sheen.

In the space of a breath, Xiao Hongchen had become a metal hedgehog bristling with cannon barrels, his intimidation pushed to its limit.

"I don't know what your ability actually is."

Xiao Hongchen's voice emerged through the gaps between the metal cannon barrels, carrying an almost deranged excitement,

"But as long as I strangle you in the cradle right at the start, everything will be fine!"

He threw back his head and laughed wildly, bloodthirsty fighting spirit churning in his eyes as he roared:

"Let me see what you're really capable of!"

His second and fourth Soul Rings lit up right afterward.

Countless tiny golden motes abruptly appeared in the air, surging madly toward Xiao Hongchen like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea.

The instant each mote touched his body, a ring of pale golden flame burst alight. Dense metal Soul Power instantly boiled, as though he had stirred all the metal energy in the trial grounds.

As the motes merged into him, the hundred-plus cannon barrels all blazed with dazzling golden light. There were exactly one hundred and twenty-eight of them, each a Grade 4 Soul Cannon, with power far exceeding ordinary Soul Tools.

Clank...

The screech of metal scraping rang out as the barrels aligned. Every barrel automatically locked onto Lu Ren; even those behind Xiao Hongchen bent on their own to aim precisely at their target. This supreme control over metal had long since surpassed the bounds of ordinary Soul Engineers.

A smile of certain victory spread across Xiao Hongchen's face.

This was his first time revealing his full strength before the entire academy. This strike represented the pinnacle of his current cultivation; even a Soul King absolutely could not withstand it head-on.

He was absolutely confident that Lu Ren could not block it!

Even if he did, he would probably suffer serious injuries.

As the greatest genius in the Sun Moon Empire's history, he was not merely skilled with Soul Tools. His own Martial Soul was far from as weak as those of ordinary Soul Engineers.

The Three-Legged Golden Toad, an extremely rare Beast Martial Soul, possessed a very special ability: control over metal.

No matter what kind of metal it was, he could control it.

He could even absorb the energy within rare metals to aid his own cultivation.

Rare metals were what the Sun Moon Empire lacked least.

"Goodbye, Lu Ren!"

Xiao Hongchen shouted with a savage grin.

One hundred and twenty-eight cannon barrels lit up simultaneously, their dazzling radiance converging into a golden ocean.

Yet the very next second, every cannon barrel was sliced in half at the same instant.

The cuts were smooth and even, as though an invisible blade had swept horizontally across them.

The severed sections of the one hundred and twenty-eight barrels slid off in unison, striking the ground with a crisp clatter.

The golden light went out.

Xiao Hongchen's smile froze on his face.

He looked down at the half barrel left in his hand, then up at Lu Ren, then down again at the metal fragments scattered all over the ground.

How... was this possible?

Those invisible slashes again?

How did he do it?!

The entire venue was silent as the grave.

The next second, Lu Ren moved.

He was so fast that a single flicker brought him directly before Xiao Hongchen.

Xiao Hongchen's pupils abruptly contracted.

Before he could even see how Lu Ren had reached him, he saw a fist rapidly expanding in his field of vision.

Then dazzling black light exploded, and the fist slammed squarely into Xiao Hongchen's face. His delicate features instantly caved inward, the crack of his nose breaking clearly audible.

Black Flash!

As though struck by a cannonball, Xiao Hongchen's feet left the ground, his body bending like a bow as he flew backward.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

He crashed through three rows of seats, fragments scattering everywhere, before finally embedding himself in a seat back in the fourth row of the spectator stands. His entire body lay sunk amid the wreckage, utterly silent and motionless.

Dead silence filled the venue.

The trial grounds, holding over ten thousand people, were so quiet that the sound of wind passing across the dome could be heard.

Everyone's gaze fell on the boy standing in the center of the arena.

Lu Ren withdrew his fist, glanced down at the lingering black light on his knuckles, and shook his hand.

Then he raised his head and looked toward Xiao Hongchen, embedded in a seat back in the spectator stands, his expression calm.