Ji Juechen

Just as Meng Hongchen fell into a daze, an invisible slash swept past her side.

It was not aimed at her. It merely skimmed the edge of her uniform and severed a few strands of hair.

But the pressure that slash carried made every hair on Meng Hongchen's body stand on end.

A second and third slash followed in quick succession, precisely cutting off the paths of the poisonous mist she released and sealing every avenue of attack.

Before Meng Hongchen could even react, those slashes forced her to retreat again and again.

She tried to gather her poisonous mist anew, but each attempt was cut short by an invisible slash, as though an unseen hand were controlling the entire battle.

Thirty seconds later.

Meng Hongchen had been driven to the edge of the competition platform, with the steps right behind her.

She bit her lower lip, still wanting to put up one last struggle.

Then she felt a hand gently steady her arm.

At some point, Lu Ren had already walked up to her. One hand supported her arm while the other stood between her and the edge of the competition platform, keeping her from falling.

Meng Hongchen froze.

She looked up at the face so close to hers, her mind utterly blank.

Then Lu Ren applied a little force and guided her off the competition platform.

The moment Meng Hongchen's feet touched the ground, she was completely dazed.

She stood below the platform, watching the retreating figure who had already turned and walked away, her expression that of someone with nothing left to live for.

The gap was too great.

Her poison had absolutely no effect on him.

And those slashes of his could clearly have defeated her with ease, yet he had only sealed off her avenues of attack-and even helped her off the platform at the end?

Compared with her older brother Xiao Hongchen, who had been sent flying by a single punch...

Meng Hongchen's face grew a little hot.

"Th-thank you."

She spoke softly, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum.

Lu Ren did not even turn his head, merely waving a hand with his back to her.

Meng Hongchen stood where she was, watching his retreating figure and gently biting her red lip.

At the judges' table, Xuan Ziwen paused in surprise before announcing:

"Lu Ren wins."

Another uproar rose from the stands.

"Meng Hongchen lost too?"

"She didn't even last thirty seconds?"

"That Lu Ren never moved from his spot the whole time. He didn't even take one hand out of his pocket!"

"What kind of monster is he?"

But this time, something different crept into the discussion.

"He was pretty gentle with Meng Hongchen, though..."

"Yeah, Xiao Hongchen got sent flying, but Meng Hongchen was helped down. Isn't that favoritism a little too obvious?"

"No kidding. Meng Hongchen's a girl."

"And she's so pretty, too..."

"Aren't you all missing the point? The point is that Lu Ren didn't even activate his martial soul!"

The arena matches continued.

One challenger after another stepped onto the competition platform, only to be sent off one after another.

Lu Ren's opponents ranged from four-ring Level 4 Soul Engineers to five-ring Level 5 Soul Engineers, encompassing elites from every year and every field at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.

No one could last a minute.

No one could make him move a single step from his spot.

Much less force him to use his martial soul.

He only ever used two forms of attack: invisible slashes and the occasional Black Flash.

Yet those two attacks alone were enough to crush everyone.

Over the course of a single morning, Lu Ren set a record of thirty-six consecutive victories.

Thirty-six matches, and every opponent suffered utter defeat without exception.

Such high-intensity consecutive combat would have exhausted anyone else.

Yet Lu Ren stood on the platform, breathing steadily, his expression unchanged, without even a drop of sweat.

It was as though those thirty-six battles had been nothing more than thirty-six warm-ups to him.

In the stands, the initial shock had already turned to numbness.

"Thirty-six wins in a row already..."

"When is he finally going to get tired?"

"Is this guy a perpetual-motion machine?"

"Have you noticed he hasn't used a single soul skill this whole time?"

"He hasn't even activated his martial soul!"

"Then are his soul rings just for decoration?"

"He can crush us with purely decorative soul rings? What does that make us?"

At the judges' table, Xuan Ziwen had already given up taking notes.

He simply stared fixedly at Lu Ren, the fervor in his eyes growing ever more intense.

He had to uncover this boy's secret.

On the main dais, Lin Jiayi was already grinning from ear to ear.

Thirty-six consecutive victories.

Thirty-six utterly crushing consecutive victories.

Having recruited such a prodigy into the academy was an achievement he could boast about for the rest of his life.

Then Lin Jiayi approached Jing Hongchen and spoke quietly:

"Hall Master, should we arrange for someone from the Illustrious Virtue Hall to fight him?"

Jing Hongchen stood before the window with his hands clasped behind his back, overlooking the entire trial arena.

His expression appeared reasonably calm, but his slightly trembling fingers betrayed what lay within.

"It seems Level 4 and Level 5 Soul Engineers are no match for him whatsoever. In that case, send in the Illustrious Virtue Hall's disciples. Let the Level 6 Soul Engineers test his depth."

Jing Hongchen worked to keep his voice sounding sufficiently calm.

"Understood. I'll make the arrangements immediately."

Lin Jiayi withdrew.

Jing Hongchen took a deep breath.

Thirty-six matches, every one a victory.

And the boy was still in peak condition.

Jing Hongchen had taught for decades and seen countless geniuses.

But he had never so much as heard of a prodigy like Lu Ren, let alone seen one.

"Indeed, these old eyes did not misjudge him."

The matches continued until the sunlight in the trial arena gradually slanted westward. A golden glow streamed through the dome's soul tool windows, stretching Lu Ren's silhouette long and slender.

The seventy-seventh challenger clutched his chest and stumbled out of the ring, the soul power spilling from his mouth carrying a faint scorched smell. The Level 6 defensive soul tool he took such pride in had been sliced into scrap metal by invisible slashes, and even his protective soul power had been shattered.

"Lu Ren wins! Seventy-seven consecutive victories!"

The initial impatience had long vanished from Xuan Ziwen's voice, replaced by irrepressible fervor.

He stared fixedly at Lu Ren, his pen racing across his writing board, densely covering it with phrases such as "invisible slashes," "black light suspected to be spatial distortion," and "sustained combat without depletion." Even the dark circles beneath his eyes seemed to have faded a little with excitement.

He was now like an ordinary man who had caught sight of a stunning beauty, or a soul engineer who had discovered the rarest soul tool blueprints, brimming with curiosity about Lu Ren and the desire to study him.

The audience's initial cries of astonishment had long disappeared, leaving only numb shock.

From early morning until the afternoon, Lu Ren had stood in the center of the ring and faced seventy-seven challengers.

From six-ring Level 6 Soul Engineers down to four-ring Level 4 Soul Engineers, every one of them had lost without exception.

More terrifying still, he had not activated his martial soul once, revealed a single soul ring, or even disturbed the rhythm of his breathing.

Those high-intensity battles, enough to leave ordinary soul masters utterly spent, seemed to him no more than a leisurely stroll through a courtyard.

The Black Flash on his fists remained fierce, his invisible slashes remained precise, and that faint composure never left his face. There was not a trace of fatigue to be seen.

"Is he even human? He's been fighting nonstop at high intensity for half a day, and he's still completely fine? He doesn't look the least bit tired or weak!"

"Is his soul power endless? Even a Soul Emperor couldn't hold out through so many battles in such quick succession!"

"Did you notice? He hasn't even sweated! When that Level 6 Soul Engineer's soul cannon blasted right beside him, he didn't even dodge. It was as though the shock wave couldn't touch him at all!"

A buzz of discussion rose, but no one dared question him anymore. Only pure awe remained.

On the main dais, Jing Hongchen stood with his hands behind his back, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing his cuffs.

The storm-tossed waves in his eyes had long subsided, replaced by unfathomable gravity and wild joy.

Sustained combat without depletion, overwhelming fighting strength-even with only four rings, he was more than a match for Level 6 Soul Engineers.

This was the result even after he had chosen to send disciples of the Illustrious Virtue Hall to face him. The outcome remained the same.

How was this a genius? He was plainly a god of war bestowed upon the Sun Moon Empire by heaven.

It seemed he really did have the confidence to back up his arrogance. No wonder he had dared strike a bargain with him.

"Lin Jiayi." Jing Hongchen's voice was low, yet carried unquestionable authority.

"At your service!"

Lin Jiayi hurriedly bowed, his initial composure long gone.

"Fetch Ji Juechen."

Jing Hongchen's gaze settled on the figure in the arena who had remained standing throughout.

"It's time to let him have a try as well."

"Yes."