Only then did he remember he was a member of Illustrious Virtue Hall too

One of the most outstanding disciples of the Illustrious Virtue Hall today.

Peak of Level 5 Soul Engineer.

Ghost Nana.

Strictly speaking, she can only be called a practical Soul Engineer. She does not create Soul Tool, but only uses them to fight and enhance herself. Just like the two short daggers she holds tightly in her hands, which gleam with a dark and cold light, seemingly capable of taking lives at any moment.

"It's her..." Lu Cheng said calmly. This girl was also a tragic figure. Her parents were killed by Evil Soul Master, and now she herself was also unable to escape their control, like a puppet on a string.

"Drink it!"

With a shout, the girl's fingers moved nimbly, gripping two short blades in her hands. Visually, she remained standing in the same spot, but according to Spiritual Detection, she seemed to have "disappeared" from the place.

"Speed increase, clone..."

Seeing the two Yellow Soul Ring rising from the girl's feet, Lu Cheng recited the characteristics of her skill, and like several figures, he pounced towards the young man opposite him, the sharp blade in his hand reflecting a cold light.

But the next moment...

The young man from the Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy flashed a bright smile, his pearly white teeth particularly striking. "Little junior, be careful."

The next instant, the surroundings resembled an iron fortress, with mechanical folds extending out into a dense array of Soul Cannon, all of them level-six Soul Guidance Ray, forming a solid and impenetrable defense.

The entire audience fell silent, staring in astonishment at the scene unfolding below the stage.

This guy's strength... could it be...?

The girl's pupils suddenly contracted. In her reflection, the young man grinned, revealing a contemptuous smile. A dark tube was pointed directly at her. Without the slightest hesitation, the third purple Soul Ring beneath his feet swung up, and his body suddenly became somewhat illusory.

The third Soul Skill, Ghost Possession, is somewhat similar to the Wu Yun's Soul Skill, allowing the user to Intangibility. However, its effect is naturally inferior to the Wu Yun's, lasting for less than a second.

"Boom!!!"

The earth-shattering Soul Tool roared, and if it weren't for the array of Soul Tool in the trial grounds blocking the damage, the audience below would probably have been affected.

When the dust settled, everyone saw a figure flying backward.

Her body crashed heavily onto the field, the girl coughing up blood, her face ashen. Even though she managed to reactivate her Invincible Shield a second after the Ghost Possession ended, she still couldn't escape the opponent's overwhelming firepower.

This fortress-type Soul Engineer is considered one of the mainstream types of Soul Engineer today.

They fully utilized the advantages of Soul Tool on the battlefield, especially against Soul Engineer whose strength was inferior to their own, it was a devastating blow. In the tiny arena, there was nowhere to run, and they could not escape the range of their firepower.

Therefore, even if Nana buys dozens more Invincible Shield, it won't make a difference; she'll just be ousted from the stage sooner or later.

When Soul Engineer reaches the Level 7 Soul Engineer, it is a watershed moment, just like when Soul Master advances to the Soul Saint level. Not only is their Spiritual Power amplified, but their Soul Power also increases dramatically, making their firepower and endurance virtually unstoppable.

To put it bluntly, even if Xiao Hongchen were here now, he wouldn't be able to defeat the other side.

"..."

The main viewing platform.

Jing Hongchen's eyes twitched; she sensed something was wrong.

Given this shameless old man's personality, if no one can really handle that kid this time, he'll probably be used as a bragging point by the other side for the rest of his life, and it could even be said to be a permanent stain on the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy.

"Hall Master Jing, what do you think of my generous gift?" The white-haired old man laughed heartily, clearly in a very good mood, especially seeing Jing Hongchen's increasingly strange expression across from him.

"It's a bit too early to laugh now," Jing Hongchen said, forcing a smile. He glanced at Lin Jiayi to the side, who hurriedly left, clearly to gather the elite troops of the Illustrious Virtue Hall.

But anyone with eyes to see knows that Ma Rulong is already over twenty years old, as are all the main team members who participated in the previous competition, and given this situation... even if they were called in, they probably wouldn't be able to win.

Just as expected.

In the following matches, the young man from the Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy won easily. Watching the figures being blasted off the stage in a sorry state, Jing Hongchen lost face and was about to leave in a huff.

Lin Jiayi was beside him, seemed to remember something and whispered a few words in his ear.

"Yes..."

Jing Hongchen slapped his thigh and turned to signal someone to go find it quickly, his complexion returning somewhat to normal.

Under twenty, right?

Genius, you have it, and so do I!!

"What, does Hall Master Jing have another trick up his sleeve?" The white-haired old man frowned slightly, his tone tinged with a hint of probing.

"..." Jing Hongchen smiled without saying a word.

"It looks like the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy is going to be thoroughly humiliated by the other side this time." Lu Cheng shook his head with a sigh as he watched another figure dressed in red and black, wearing the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy uniform, crash into the sidelines.

Meanwhile, in the spectator stands...

Although the Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy disciples were few in number, their momentum surged wave after wave, with cheers and applause ringing out incessantly. In stark contrast, the Royal Soul Engineer Academy all looked dejected, staring at the heavy, solid figure on the field, like a mountain, blasting away the numerous Heaven Dou Imperial Academy disciples who rushed forward one after another, giving them no opening or chance whatsoever.

Although everyone was angry, there was nothing they could do.

A loss is a loss, even if it means being ridiculed by the Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy for decades to come...

"Well done! Give them a good... crush them! They're nothing but a bunch of trash. Do they even deserve to be enrolled by me?!" Xu Tianzhen's face flushed with excitement as she clenched her fists. Clearly, this talented young man's entry into the Soul Engineer Academy was largely due to his influence.

At this age, she was at a rebellious age, and her favorite thing to do was to go against the old emperor. The old emperor wanted her to go east, but she insisted on going west. Therefore, being able to let Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy defeat the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy was also a kind of victory for her, and it was something she had always pursued.

She could already foresee her father's angry face.

"Boss, keep a low profile, keep a low profile. This is someone else's territory after all..." A male student looked embarrassed, glanced at the angry, murderous glares directed at him by the many Heaven Dou Imperial Academy disciples opposite him, and said in a low voice.

"I'm afraid?!" Xu Tianzhen scoffed, glancing disdainfully at the crowd.

"Let them try to lay a finger on me!"

The male student was on the verge of tears. These people definitely wouldn't dare to touch you, but as for us... well, that's another story. The elites of the Royal Soul Engineer Academy are all gathered here; they might just get a beating if they were caught.

Xu Tianzhen turned around, her eyebrows dancing with excitement, and continued to cheer.

A spectator stand.

A strikingly handsome young man, sword in hand, surveyed the arena, his brow slightly furrowed. Watching yet another Level 6 Soul Engineer be defeated by a disciple of the Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy, he shook his head. "They're going to lose..."

"Sword Fanatic, why don't you go up and give it a try?" someone nearby urged.

"I'm over twenty, otherwise I would definitely have gone up and tried," Ji Juechen shook his head, his expression calm. "Although even if I went up, I might not be able to beat him."

"Those despicable bastards!" A plain-looking woman beside Ji Juechen gritted her teeth and roared, "It's a pity I'm too old, otherwise I would have taught them a lesson!"

"You're no match for him." Ji Juechen shook his head and said seriously, "Even if you're under the age limit, you'll only get beaten up if you go up against him."

Jing Ziyan: "..."

No wonder he's Sword Fanatic.

"..."

"How despicable!" Ke Ke exclaimed indignantly.

They only take advantage of people's misfortunes...

"But we have nothing to say, right?" Ju Zi popped a segment of orange into her mouth and leisurely rested her chin on her hand.

With Xu Tianran behind her, she naturally knew the inside story. This Princess Xu Tianzhen, as the only daughter of the current emperor, was naturally the darling of her brothers. This exchange competition was probably orchestrated by her; otherwise, how could Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy have recruited a genius of this caliber?

However, even if the other party humiliates the Hall Master Jing, they will not receive any real punishment.

Who told her to be Xu Tianzhen? Even a narrow-minded guy like Xu Tianran regarded her as a treasure. The struggle for the throne among the nine princes did not affect her status in the slightest.

That's truly enviable.

"Give me Ju Zi." Ke Ke gritted her teeth, snatched a few Ju Zi from her companion's hand, and swallowed them hard, seemingly treating the Ju Zi as enemies, crushing them mercilessly.

"Does Grandmaster want one?" Ju Zi seemed to remember something and glanced at Lu Cheng with a slightly apologetic look.

"Give me one." Lu Cheng nodded with a smile.

Try the taste of Ju Zi.

Upon tasting it, a look of amazement flashed in Lu Cheng's eyes. As expected of his own Martial Soul, it was sweet but not cloying, with a strange fragrance that lingered in his mouth for a long time. No wonder Ke Ke always pestered him to Ju Zi.

"So, are we really going to lose?" Zi Mu asked with regret in his eyes.

"There's really no chance of winning." Lu Cheng shook his head.

"They clearly came prepared..."

However, just as everyone was feeling regretful and indignant, a voice rang out. "Next act, Illustrious Virtue Hall... Cheng Lu."

"..."

The atmosphere suddenly fell silent.

Many Heaven Dou Imperial Academy students exchanged bewildered glances. Who was Cheng Lu?

Any disciple with even a modicum of skill wouldn't be buried in the Illustrious Virtue Hall. Could it be that the Illustrious Virtue Hall has completely run out of tricks up its sleeve, and even this nameless nobody has been selected?

Wouldn't that be incredibly embarrassing?

Many Heaven Dou Imperial Academy students were already disheartened and got up to leave.

Ju Zi, Ke Ke, and the others were stunned for a moment, then their pupils widened suddenly. "Grandmaster, how could we forget about you?!"

"You seem to be... Level 7 Soul Engineer as well, right?"

"..."

Lu Cheng's eyelids twitched. To be honest, he had really forgotten... he seemed to be a disciple of the Illustrious Virtue Hall as well, even though he had only joined a few months ago.

I subconsciously watched the drama unfold, but ended up getting caught in the crossfire.

It seems that Jing Hongchen has truly run out of options.

His skill in crafting Soul Tool is quite good, but his combat ability... has never been demonstrated.

What if he's a combat failure like Teacher Xuan?

"Go, Grandmaster!!!" Ke Ke clenched her fists, ignoring the Ju Zi in her mouth, and shouted excitedly.

A strange glint also flashed in Ju Zi's beautiful eyes.

So far, they have never seen Cheng Lu in his battle form, and they don't know what the usually gentle and refined Grandmaster would look like when he switches to his battle form.

"Hmm... okay."

Lu Cheng nodded slightly, and without hesitation, he stood up and jumped down.

It's necessary to show off in public sometimes, as it can save a lot of trouble. Besides, he's not afraid of revealing anything. After all, he never used Soul Tool during the competition. He relied on the overwhelming power of his Martial Soul to crush everyone. Probably few people in the entire continent know that he is also proficient in Soul Tool.

Upon seeing Lu Cheng appear, Jing Hongchen and Lin Jiayi both breathed a sigh of relief.

Regardless of whether they can win or not, all we can do now is trust Cheng Lu...

"Illustrious Virtue Hall, Cheng Lu."

Lu Cheng smiled and slowly spoke.

"Xu Song, Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy." Upon seeing Lu Cheng, the young man's previously contemptuous expression softened, and his face gradually became more solemn.

He could feel the pressure Lu Cheng was putting on him.

Didn't they say that there are no strong individuals under the age of twenty in the Illustrious Virtue Hall?

So where did this guy come from?

The many disciples watching the match clearly sensed the unusual atmosphere and began asking each other about Lu Cheng. When they learned that he was Level 7 Soul Engineer, smiles appeared on their faces, and cheers and encouragement gradually increased. Even the disciples who got up to leave hesitated and chose to watch a little longer.

"Where did these random cats and dogs come from? Crush them all for this princess!" Xu Tianzhen was clearly annoyed, because she also noticed the seriousness on Xu Song's face and his attitude towards him, which was completely different from that towards the other disciples.

Unbeknownst to her, her seemingly flawless plan appeared to have a slight flaw.

Feeling a vague unease, he clenched his fist and roared.

"The match begins!"

With a shout from the referee.

Xu Song, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes slightly. Unlike the previous matches, he did not summon the Iron Fortress fighting style. Instead, he conjured a giant sword in his hand and stared intently at Lu Cheng.

This is his true trump card.

It was also a level seven melee Soul Tool specially forged by the princess with a huge amount of funds. It contains Destruction power, and once it is taken out, even Soul Engineer of the same level would find it difficult to withstand.

It's similar in function to the Sword of Judgment that Ma Rulong carried in the previous competition, although it's slightly inferior in grade, but it's still enough to deal with this guy.

Xu Song showed no mercy and shot out with lightning speed.

However, Lu Cheng on the other side remained calm, as if he had only taken out a level 7 Soul Cannon. This was the most common model, so basic that it couldn't be more so. Even if it was Level 7 Soul Tool, it was nothing special in Xu Song's eyes.

"Looks like another clueless idiot who can't fight."

Xu Song chuckled softly.

With a touch of arrogance, it maintained its speed.

But the next instant, the cannon barrel suddenly burst into flames and headed straight for him.

Xu Song instinctively dodged, but his pupils suddenly contracted. The trace of the Soul Cannon seemed to have anticipated his movements, moving in sync with them and heading straight for him.

There's no way to avoid it...

Something's not right!

Xu Song held the greatsword horizontally in front of him, slightly bent his knees, and forcefully withstood the roar of the level seven Soul Cannon. However, even though the greatsword withstood the attack, his body still slid backward several meters.