The noise from the stands did not affect the battle between Cao Yu and Ji Juechen in the slightest.
His gaze remained fixed on his opponent, then suddenly he gathered his strength and swung his Ji Juechen at an extremely fast speed. He followed the path of a close-combat Soul Engineer, and his fighting style was not much different from that of Martial Soul Master.
"Second Soul Skill, Wind Break!"
Ji Juechen's Second Soul Ring lit up instantly, and then he swung his sword, slashing towards Cao Yu's left arm with a sharp sword aura.
However, in terms of speed, he was far inferior to Cao Yu. Shaking his head, Cao Yu muttered, "Too slow."
Upon hearing this, Ji Juechen visibly panicked, but his hands remained nimble, almost unaffected by his mind or body, as if it had become an instinctive reaction.
The sharp blade was about to touch the panel when it reached Cao Yu's left arm, but it was tightly gripped by two fingers.
Ji Juechen's face was filled with disbelief. This was the first time he had been outpaced in speed, and the first time someone had caught his sword blade.
"Could it be that you're Agility Attack System Battle Spirit Master?"
This was the only explanation he could come up with to convince himself, but then he saw Cao Yu shake his head, rejecting his idea.
"This can only be attributed to the uniqueness of my Martial Soul; it has nothing to do with anything else."
The blade was firmly fixed in place, and Ji Juechen couldn't think of a way to solve this problem for a moment.
He then stopped hesitating, still gripping the sword hilt tightly with both hands, and kicked Cao Yu hard in the abdomen with his right leg.
Cao Yu hadn't expected him to do something like this, but he reacted quickly and kicked him in the inside of his shin.
Out of pain, he had no choice but to retract his right leg. Although the pain was intense, Ji Juechen gritted his teeth and endured it without crying out.
This amused Cao Yu, who couldn't help but tease, "If it hurts, just yell it out."
His words almost broke Ji Juechen, and taking advantage of that moment, Cao Yu forcefully snatched the sword from his hand.
Teacher Li was watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but nod. "I really didn't expect him to use such a move. It seems that Ji Juechen has lost completely. Not only is he inferior to him in speed, but he has also been utterly defeated in strength."
"Their cultivation levels are the same, so why is there such a big difference? As expected, the Martial Soul Master trained by Shrek are all monsters."
Many male students in the stands sighed in disappointment. Compared to them, Meng Hongchen and her group were extremely happy.
" Cao Yu, you're awesome!"
" Little Yu, hurry up and finish your work. I'll make you something delicious."
Ju Zi and the others waved their hands in acknowledgment, and Cao Yu glanced at them.
Then he looked at Ji Juechen and laughed, "Without your sword, what will you use to fight me?"
At this moment, a look of panic appeared in Ji Juechen's eyes. Just as Cao Yu had said, without his sword, he would have no power to fight.
His opponent was Martial Soul Master from the Shrek Academy, and his experience in individual combat far surpassed his own. He himself had only achieved some success in swordsmanship, but Ji Juechen still said, "Since I'm going to lose, let me lose decisively! Come on!"
Cao Yu, of course, didn't hold back either, delivering a sharp backspinning kick aimed directly at his jaw.
Without that sword, Ji Juechen was indeed in a very difficult situation, but he still managed to find an opening. He pressed down with both hands to block Cao Yu's kick, and then used the momentum to fly into the air.
His right leg stretched out, and it came crashing down on Cao Yu's head like an arrow.
Cao Yu suddenly smiled; this was exactly the effect he wanted. Instantly, he used his First Soul Skill, Shadow Evasion.
With lightning speed, Cao Yu reached out and grabbed Ji Juechen's ankle. By then, it was too late for Ji Juechen to change direction, and because there was no foothold in mid-air, he was caught by Cao Yu.
Then he slammed down hard, and Ji Juechen felt his body suddenly lose its balance before crashing heavily to the ground.
At this moment, Teacher Li had been watching from the sidelines, rushed over and stopped them.
The moment Ji Juechen was rescued, he knew he had lost. Not long after, Teacher Li announced loudly, " Cao Yu wins!"
The crowd erupted in cheers, the noise echoing throughout the arena until it gradually subsided a minute later.
Ji Juechen was a real man; he picked up the sword he had thrown on the ground, walked up to Cao Yu, and handed it to him.
"Here, take it." Although it pained him, Ji Juechen still kept his promise.
Cao Yu sheathed the sword, then turned and walked out of the arena.
Ji Juechen watched his departing figure until Cao Yu reached the door, at which point he heard Cao Yu's voice coming from not far away.
Come see me again tomorrow at noon; I have something to discuss with you.
"Understood." Ji Juechen didn't ask any further questions and responded loudly in return.
The crowd gradually dispersed, and the arena returned to its usual tranquility.
Before long, news of Cao Yu's victory spread throughout the entire campus.
Of course, Cao Yu, as the protagonist of this story, accompanied Ju Zi and Ke Ke to a dinner party outside.
The two women kept praising Cao Yu throughout the journey, but Ke Ke couldn't contain her curiosity and asked, " Cao Yu, how did that guy find you?"
"This guy was deliberately staking out outside the Mingde Hall; it seems he'd been planning this for a long time. It's true what they say, fame brings trouble, just as pigs fear growing fat."
At this moment, Ke Ke said with a mischievous grin, "Are you saying you're a pig? Hahaha!"
Ju Zi laughed and said, "You're such a gluttonous pig, isn't Little Yu?"
Cao Yu couldn't help but roll his eyes at them and said, "What nonsense! You're the pigs, you're all big fat pigs."
"You're asking for it! Ke Ke, don't let him get away!"
The next day at noon, Ji Juechen arrived on time as promised, and the two sat on the steps outside the dormitory building.
Only then did Cao Yu hand the black iron sword back to Ji Juechen.
Meeting his surprised gaze, Cao Yu asked, "What level of Soul Engineer are you now?"
"Level 7. I failed the Level 8 Soul Engineer exam at the beginning of the semester, so why did you return this sword to me?"
Cao Yu looked into the distance and said, "I have no use for this sword. How about we change our terms?"
"Change the terms? Okay, go ahead." Just two days ago, Ji Juechen was heartbroken about losing the sword, but now that it's back in his hands, he's naturally very happy. So he didn't refuse Cao Yu's idea of changing the terms.
"From now on, work for me. After graduation, you don't need to stay in the Sun Moon Empire. Besides, I've established a research institute in Star Luo City, and we're currently in dire need of talent like you. What do you say? Want to consider it?"
Cao Yu watched him silently. After several minutes, Ji Juechen still didn't speak. Just when Cao Yu was about to give up, he finally said, "Okay, but you have to agree to one condition."
After a pause, Ji Juechen continued, "I want to challenge you once a year. If you agree, I'll follow you from now on."
Cao Yu couldn't help but laugh, "Good heavens, you're always thinking about rebellion, aren't you?"
"This isn't a rebellion; I just want to surpass you."
"Alright, welcome to the team!"
(End of this chapter)