Recruiting a Worker

That morning, in Class Zero's classroom.

Wu Changkong, dressed in white, walked into the classroom expressionlessly. His cold gaze swept over the five people below the stage, finally pausing on the figure in the last row who was slumped over the desk, scribbling haphazardly on a notebook.

The classroom fell silent instantly.

Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, Gu Yue, Zhang Yangzi, and Wang Jinxi sat upright, their eyes all fixed on Wu Changkong, waiting for him to speak.

Three months into the semester, each of them had a deep understanding of the intensity of the training in Class Zero. But the gains were equally outrageous; their abilities were completely transformed compared to when they first entered the school.

"Next week, the final exams for this semester will be held."

Wu Changkong's voice was clear and cold, getting straight to the point without uttering a single unnecessary word.

"Hmm..."

Zi JI, lying on the bed, frowned, her eyes still closed. Her voice, tinged with the languor and impatience of someone just waking up, was muffled as she said, "Bai Yushan! Aren't you annoying? Let me sleep a little longer!"

She didn't even need to look up; just from the electric heat emanating from him, she knew who it was. This kid had pulled this stunt every single time for the past three months, and she was already immune to it.

"Sleep? What's the point of sleeping? It's a complete waste of precious time."

Bai Yushan not only didn't stop, but instead gently pinched her, his tone incredibly irritating, "Get up, get up. My strength has improved again this week. Let's go outside and spar a bit. Today, let me test your true level!"

Zi JI suddenly opened her eyes, her clear purple pupils still hazy from just waking up. She was immediately amused and exasperated. She threw off the covers and sat up, glaring at Bai Yushan: "See my true abilities? You really dare to say that! You're just a defeated opponent of mine, what are you pretending to be?!"

"A scholar should be treated with new respect after three days of separation, do you understand?"

Bai Yushan took two steps back and raised his chin. "I've already unleashed my Second Soul Skill; things are different now."

He was determined to see what level Zi JI's Soul Power cultivation was today— Soul Douluo? Or Titled Douluo?

As he spoke, a thin, purplish-black bolt of lightning shot from his fingertip, crackling and crackling. As the arc of electricity danced, a small piece of the metal lampshade on the bedside table melted instantly, and the molten iron dripped down, burning small dents into the tabletop.

"Second Soul Skill, Lightning Refinement Shaping." Bai Yushan smiled. "It can melt metal and shape weapons; it offers a lot of variety in combat."

As Zi JI looked at the melting metal, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.

Having fought Bai Yushan for so long, she naturally knew how bizarre his power system was. It wasn't Soul Power, nor Soul Skill, yet its power was ridiculously great, and its self-healing ability was even more abnormal. Now, with the addition of a Soul Skill that could melt metal, his combat ability had definitely increased significantly.

"Interesting." Zi JI, now wide awake, rolled out of bed and stretched her wrists and ankles. "But I'll tell you, you're not good enough to measure me!"

She was originally of the bloodline of Hell Demon Dragon, and was naturally warlike. In the Star Dou Great Forest, she was either in seclusion cultivating or handling clan affairs, so she couldn't find such a suitable sparring partner.

Bai Yushan is invincible, recovers quickly, has strange moves, and improves every time. Fighting him is incredibly fun.

If Gu Yue hadn't warned her not to kill him, she sometimes got carried away and wanted to go all out to test the limits of this kid.

Hidden deep in the mountains outside Eastsea City lies a basin surrounded by three mountains.

The surrounding mountains and forests were lush and green, but this basin was barren, with scorched black soil and crisscrossing cracks everywhere. Even the rocks had been blasted into dust. Not to mention any living creatures, even the insects underground were dead beyond any hope of survival.

This place is Bai Yushan and Zi JI's weekly "monster-hunting dungeon".

They come here every week for a fight, every punch lands hard, lightning flashes, and demonic flames rage. After three months of fighting, this once beautiful valley has been blasted into a cratered, lunar-like landscape.

At this moment, the two stood facing each other at opposite ends of the basin.

There were no opening remarks, no harsh words, and they didn't even need to exchange glances for a second.

The battle erupted instantly!

Buzz--

A sudden burst of electricity erupted around Bai Yushan, Lightning Release Armor instantly covered his entire body. Crackling arcs of purple-black electricity danced wildly, and the air crackled with electricity. Almost simultaneously, his Electromagnetic Clarity was fully activated, and the surrounding airflow, energy fluctuations, and even the subtle tension in Zi JI's muscles were all clearly reflected in his mind.

Lightning Flash Step!

Lightning exploded beneath his feet, and he transformed into a blur, moving so fast that he was reduced to a streak of purplish-black lightning as he hurtled straight toward Zi JI!

The right hand forms a claw, a tiger's roar that Mountain-Howling Rock-Crushing Claw!

The claws, coated with lightning condensed to the extreme, were sharp enough to tear through fine steel, heading straight for Zi JI's face.

His attack was a deadly strike from the very first move, without any hesitation.

Zi JI stood still, her face calm, until the claw wind rushed towards her and lightning struck her, then she slightly turned her head. The moment she raised her left arm, dark purple dragon scales covered her entire forearm like a tide, gleaming coldly, as she took the claw head-on.

Bite--!

The sharp, metallic clang was so loud it hurt your eardrums, and sparks flew from the tips of the claws.

The instant she blocked, Zi JI swept her right leg out horizontally, the wind whistling and the air crackling, carrying a faint demonic heat, as it struck towards Bai Yushan's waist and abdomen.

It was fast and ruthless, giving the opponent no chance to react.

But Bai Yushan had anticipated this.

Electromagnetic Clarity locked down every muscle movement of Zi JI. The moment her leg moved, he had already unleashed the Deer Form: Wave-Skimming Mist-Treading Steps. His toes touched the ground, and his figure lightly and gracefully darted out, narrowly grazing the leg wind that swept past, tearing a gash in his clothes.

While in mid-air, he flicked his left hand, sending three Lightning Ball flying in a triangular formation straight towards Zi JI's face!

"A trivial skill."

Zi JI snorted coldly, opened her mouth, and spat out a ball of dark purple Hell Demon Flame to meet it.

Boom!

Lightning and demonic flames collided fiercely in mid-air, the blinding ball of light exploding instantly, the Impact sweeping in all directions, instantly blowing up a layer of dust from the ground, and sending pebbles flying everywhere.

Before the flames and smoke had even dissipated, a dark figure darted out from the epicenter of the explosion!

Taking advantage of the explosion as cover, Bai Yushan sprinted along the ground, his ape-like movements reaching their peak, elusive and unpredictable, circling around Zi JI at high speed. Lightning constantly shot from his fingertips, and he launched surprise attacks from time to time, targeting cunning blind spots like the heart, throat, and waist.

Jingle bells!

Zi JI stood rooted to the spot, her arms flailing wildly, her dragon scales gleaming coldly in the sunlight, deflecting every single attack.

After blocking more than a dozen attacks, she raised an eyebrow slightly.

This kid's speed, reaction time, and move execution have improved significantly since last week!

"Just hiding isn't enough!"

Suddenly, Zi JI spoke, her right hand forming a claw, demonic flames surging, and her speed instantly doubling!

With a claw that shot out so fast that only a blur remained, it headed straight for Bai Yushan's shoulder!

Bai Yushan's expression changed slightly.

In the Electromagnetic Clarity, the opponent's claw shadow instantly magnified, so fast that his nerves couldn't keep up!

He gritted his teeth, strained his waist, and twisted his body at an angle that defied the laws of the human body, but he was still a fraction of a second too slow.

Sizzle--

The dragon claw grazed across his chest, instantly tearing a large gash in his Lightning Release Armor. Scorching demonic flames seeped into the wound, sizzling as they burned his flesh, and a burnt smell instantly filled the air.

Despite the excruciating pain, Bai Yushan grinned instead.

The madness in his eyes didn't subside; instead, it burned even brighter!

"Good timing!"

Instead of retreating, he lunged forward, completely ignoring the injury to his chest. He clenched his right hand, leaving only his index and middle fingers together, and lightning surged wildly towards his fingertips!

The electric arc at his fingertips turned from purplish-black to deathly white, distorting the air itself— Hell Stab: Two-Finger Nukite!

The lightning blade, condensed to its ultimate form, instantly materialized, piercing straight towards Zi JI's heart with a shrill whistling sound that tore through the air!

After three months of grueling training, their skills far surpassed those of their peers. The first-year final exams were a piece of cake for them, posing absolutely no challenge.

Tang Wulin blinked, a little uneasy in his heart.

His Soul Power is currently at the peak of level 15, just one step away from reaching level 16.

When he first entered Eastsea Academy, he only had level eleven Soul Power. In less than half a year, he had increased by more than four levels, something he wouldn't have dared to dream of before. Not to mention his combat ability, the fighting experience he gained in the Spirit Ascension Platform was something that ordinary students couldn't compare to.

Gu Yue, needless to say, just broke through to level 22 a few days ago, becoming the fourth Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster in Class Zero. He has mastered the use of elemental power, controlling the six elements at will, and is almost unmatched among his peers.

Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi were no less impressive, both breaking through to level 23. However, for some reason, as their cultivation levels increased, the power of their Martial Soul Fusion Skill actually decreased slightly, as did its duration.

However, regardless of the circumstances, any one of the five students in Class Zero could easily outperform an entire class in the same grade. Under such circumstances, their final exams would be practically meaningless.

"It needs to be done."

Wu Changkong spoke calmly, as if discussing a trivial matter, "Your final exams consist of two subjects. The first subject is the Spirit Ascension Platform assessment."

As he spoke, his gaze shifted back to the back of the classroom, and his voice rose a few decibels. "Bai Yushan, you're participating too."

"Ah?"

Bai Yushan, who was scribbling on the table, slowly raised his head, blinked blankly, and then chuckled as if he had heard a joke, "Me? Primary Spirit Ascension Platform? Wu Changkong, are you kidding me?"

He addressed her by her first name, showing no respect whatsoever for this cold-faced teacher.

The classroom fell silent instantly.

Tang Wulin and the others twitched their lips; they were already used to it.

In the entire Class Zero, only Bai Yushan dared to speak to Teacher Wu like that. Anyone else would have been dragged out for special training until they questioned their existence. But Teacher Wu was always exceptionally tolerant of Bai Yushan. Even though he was always slacking off in class and calling her by her first name, she would at most give him a cold look and never actually punish him.

There's no way around it; their strength is undeniable.

When Bai Yushan first came to Class Zero as a sparring partner, he could hold his own against Teacher Wu. Now, three months later, no one knows just how strong this monster has become. Even if Wu Changkong doesn't fight seriously, he might not be able to beat him easily, so there's no reason for him to act like a teacher.

Wu Changkong veins throbbed, and his face visibly darkened.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to punch someone. Getting angry with this lawless brat would only make him miserable.

"This was personally decided by Dean Yu Zhen," Wu Changkong said coldly. "Moreover, this is not an ordinary Primary Spirit Ascension Platform."

"You can even make the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform more interesting?"

Bai Yushan scoffed, leaning back lazily in his chair, twirling a pen between his fingers. "Aren't Soul Beast still the same old bunch, the kind that only appears once every thousand years?"

He was thinking that he would be better off spending this time playing a couple more matches with Zi JI, which would have increased his skill level much faster.

Of course, he didn't say that aloud.

He's certainly not afraid of Wu Changkong now, but that's all he's got. If Wu Changkong were to unleash his full power and don his Battle Armor, he definitely still wouldn't be able to beat him. There's no need to constantly engage in direct confrontation; just venting his frustrations is enough.

Wu Changkong was too lazy to argue with him, so he turned his gaze back to Tang Wulin and the other four, and continued his explanation:

"This time you've entered the Spirit Ascension Platform during the Riot Period."

"The Spirit Ascension Platform during the Riot Period?"

Xie Xie was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but raise his hand to ask, "Teacher, what does this mean? The Spirit Ascension Platform can also riot?"

"The Spirit Ascension Platform experiences two Riot Period each year. Initially, these were caused by unstable energy during its construction, but they were later controlled and transformed into a special training ground."

Wu Changkong spoke slowly and explained clearly, "Riot Period, the Soul Beast in the Spirit Ascension Platform will be unusually active, their numbers will double, the probability of Hundred-Year Soul Beast appearing will increase significantly, and even Thousand-Year Soul Beast may appear. The danger will be much higher than usual."

"During each Riot Period, each of the eighteen pillars of the East Sea Spirit Pagoda only has three hundred places available. This time, the academy went to great lengths to secure six places for you. This is a rare opportunity, so cherish it."

The eyes of several people in the classroom lit up.

The numbers have doubled! And there are even Thousand-Year Soul Beast!

This means there will be even more Spirit Power within, and their Soul Power will increase even faster after being absorbed! For them, this is no ordinary exam; it's an opportunity delivered right to their doorstep!

"The support team for the Riot Period can enter, with a maximum of seven people. Your group makes a perfect team, and you'll be teleported directly to the same area," Wu Changkong continued. "The assessment requirements are simple: survive inside for a full hour to pass."

"Of course, given the vast difference in strength between Bai Yushan and you, Bai Yushan will enter the Spirit Ascension Platform alone during the Riot Period. You, on the Spirit Ascension Platform, will also need to evade Bai Yushan's pursuit."

But I need to remind you of a few things.

"First, there are not only Soul Beast inside, but also Soul Master teams from other academies and forces. They are here to compete for Spirit Power, just like you, and to you, they are just as dangerous as the Soul Beast."

"Secondly, there are special rules Riot Period: the absorption time of the Spirit Power aura generated after hunting Soul Beast is extended by one hundred times, meaning it takes a full one hundred seconds to be fully absorbed. If the absorption process is interrupted or the person is forced to leave the Spirit Ascension Platform, the remaining Spirit Power will be stolen by the nearest Soul Master."