"I'm not a student at Eastsea Academy. I came to enroll."
The girl's voice was clear and pleasant. As she spoke, her gaze first fell on Wu Zhangkong, then unconsciously shifted toward Lu Chen beneath the shade of the tree.
"But the gatekeeper said enrollment ended ages ago and wouldn't let me in."
Yet after only a glance, she quickly withdrew her gaze, as though afraid Lu Chen might notice something. A faint blush quietly crept up the tips of her ears.
Wu Zhangkong's face remained expressionless, his tone as icy as ever. "This is a soul master academy, not somewhere just anyone can come whenever they please. If you want to enroll, you'll have to prove your ability."
"Then I can take the entrance exam!" The girl's eyes lit up, a confident smile spreading across her face as she spoke with absolute certainty.
Wu Zhangkong nodded slightly and asked casually, "What's your name?"
"Gu Yue," the girl answered brightly.
"Good." Wu Zhangkong nodded, then turned and tipped his chin toward the shade of the tree. His voice was quiet but perfectly clear. "Lu Chen, get over here, kid."
Lu Chen was leaning against the tree trunk, resting with his eyes closed. At the call, he lazily opened his eyes, casually tossed his empty water bottle into his Soul Guidance Device, and strolled over.
Wu Zhangkong looked at him, then turned back to Gu Yue and announced the rules evenly. "If you can last fifteen minutes against him, you win. I'll make a special exception and admit you."
Lu Chen raised an eyebrow and looked Gu Yue up and down, an amused smile curling his lips. "Sure. I'll play with you."
Lu Chen knew he was Na'er, but even more than that, he was the Silver Dragon King.
So he had no psychological burden about it, but he knew he had to go all out. He couldn't let Gu Yue Na suppress him throughout the fight the way she had Tang Wulin, though going all out right from the start wouldn't be quite right either.
Gu Yue said nothing. A trace of cunning merely flashed in her eyes as she lightly stamped her foot, and the air around her abruptly grew turbulent.
As for Gu Yue, others might not know about Lu Chen, but she had Na'er's memories and naturally knew what was unusual about him.
Seven different elemental powers instantly swirled around her: metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, and lightning. Seven-colored light intertwined and flickered, drawing cries of amazement from the surrounding students.
All-element Elemental Control? She's got a few tricks. Lu Chen clicked his tongue inwardly, but didn't take it seriously in the slightest. He wasn't even in a hurry to release his Martial Soul.
Standing to one side, Wu Zhangkong's eyes flickered with a hint of excitement.
Gu Yue struck first. With a sweep of her right hand, three water dragons as thick as barrels roared into the sky, bearing tremendous force as they crashed viciously toward Lu Chen.
At the same time, several earthen walls suddenly rose from the ground, blocking every route of retreat, while scorching fireballs rained down.
"Just what I wanted!" Lu Chen growled. Rather than retreating, he advanced, stamping hard against the ground as his figure darted forward like a phantom. He chanted rapidly, a brief sequence of syllables spilling from his lips. "Word Spirit: Dustless Land!"
Invisible wind blades instantly burst outward around him. The water dragons struck an invisible barrier, while the fireballs never even got close.
Gu Yue's gaze sharpened. Her left hand rapidly formed seals, and the earthen-yellow light around her suddenly surged.
Gu Yue's gaze sharpened. Her left hand rapidly formed seals, and the earthen-yellow light around her suddenly surged.
The ground shook violently. Countless sharp stone spikes burst from the earth, sweeping toward Lu Chen like a dense forest. At the same time, golden light condensed into sharp spears that shot toward his vital points with a piercing whistle.
"The warm-up's over." Lu Chen's gaze grew slightly colder, and he finally stopped holding back.
A deep dragon's cry abruptly resounded across the grounds. Ink-black Martial Soul power surged wildly, and the phantom of a fearsome black dragon slowly emerged behind him.
It was none other than Nidhogg!
This was also the first time he had fully released his Martial Soul.
He finally understood what made this Martial Soul so formidable: it could devour heaven and earth. Yes, how could that terrifying being capable of devouring the World Tree possibly be unable to devour the elements between heaven and earth?
An excited gleam finally appeared in Wu Zhangkong's eyes. What a powerful draconic Martial Soul.
As for the devouring attribute of his Martial Soul, he could sense that it did not harm vitality, which meant it was not an Evil Martial Soul.
That draconic might from the abyss descended in an overwhelming wave. Gu Yue felt her entire body stiffen, and even her control over the elements slowed by half a beat.
The incoming golden spears had barely touched the presence spilling from the black dragon's phantom before they shattered inch by inch with a crack.
The stone spikes were reduced directly to dust three meters away from Lu Chen.
The ultimate power of devouring spread from Nidhogg's phantom. The fire elements under Gu Yue's control were sucked completely dry the moment they approached, leaving not even a spark.
At the sight, Gu Yue did not panic. Instead, she smiled.
Her hands danced rapidly, the seven elemental powers intertwining wildly. Lightning serpents writhed, fierce winds howled, and wooden vines coiled toward him like venomous snakes. Water and fire mingled into scorching steam, while metal elements condensed into an enormous shield before her.
"Word Spirit: Chi!" Unwilling to keep trading moves with her, Lu Chen growled again. A blinding light suddenly exploded outward, several times stronger than when he had dealt with the senior students earlier.
Gu Yue's pupils contracted. She instinctively closed her eyes, instantly raising an elemental barrier around herself.
But just then, Nidhogg's phantom behind Lu Chen suddenly opened its enormous jaws. A terrifying suction erupted, and Gu Yue's elemental barrier actually began to crumble inch by inch, slowly eaten away by that devouring power.
Lu Chen's figure had already appeared behind her like a phantom, his finger lightly touching her barrier.
The black dragon's phantom extended its head along with him, dragon breath gushing out with a bone-corroding chill.
Gu Yue reacted extremely quickly. With a sweep of her left hand, a violent surge of wind elements pushed her away. At the same time, her right hand condensed a blade of lightning and slashed it toward Lu Chen.
Lu Chen turned sideways to evade it. Nidhogg's phantom whipped its tail, the pitch-black dragon tail lashing out like a steel whip and smashing the lightning blade to pieces.
Their figures crossed rapidly across the training ground. Seven elemental powers danced through the air, and the black dragon phantom's roars shook everyone's eardrums painfully.
The surrounding students watched, dumbstruck, forgetting even to breathe.
Wu Zhangkong stood to one side with his arms folded, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.
Time ticked by, and in the blink of an eye, fourteen minutes had passed.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on Gu Yue's forehead, and her breathing had grown somewhat hurried.
Her Elemental Control was formidable, but Lu Chen's Word Spirit combined with Nidhogg's devouring draconic might was simply too troublesome.
That black dragon phantom, in particular, was practically the bane of elements. No matter what attribute a power possessed, it was devoured on contact. It defied all reason.
"One more minute!" Gu Yue gritted her teeth, a trace of ferocity flashing in her eyes.
She abruptly pressed her palms together. The seven elemental powers surged wildly and actually began to fuse, forming a seven-colored beam that shot toward Lu Chen.