"This guy never saw us as worthy opponents from the start. Kong Long, you came looking for a fight with me, but you picked the wrong person—he is our real rival."
Wang Ba stared at the gleaming bald head in front of him, feeling inexplicably irritated—just like he was looking at one of the marinated eggs he often ate.
"What are you spacing out for? Go get him!"
Kong Long, with his martial spirit activated, charged after Zui Wuqing. Normally, he wouldn't dare attack, but here in this blind spot between the iron walls, he could at least try to teach the guy a lesson.
After all, he wanted to make Wuqing understand who the real boss of the freshman class was. As for that injured little beauty ahead of them—she was no threat anymore.
As the dominant figure in the beginner-level Soul Master Academy, Kong Long had gone toe-to-toe with sixth-year students as a first-year. So going up against peers? No problem.
And if he couldn't win? He'd call his father. If his father couldn't handle it? Then his grandfather would come. Simple as that.
Soon, they all entered the second arrow obstacle zone. Kong Long led the charge, with Wang Ba slightly behind.
Zui Wuqing's eyes narrowed mid-run. His sixth sense warned him of impending danger. Instantly, he twisted his left shoulder and performed a midair side-flip—landing 10.8 meters away in a flash.
Kong Long's Tyrant Dragon Stomp, launched midair, completely missed—frustrating him.
His spirit power was now nearly depleted. He couldn't afford to expend more, or he wouldn't be able to compete during the final support-type segment of the trial.
"Tch. Lucky bastard."
He cursed under his breath, thinking: Just wait until the support phase—I'll blow past all of you.
The reason for Kong Long's confidence? He already knew the structure of the exam. He was well aware of the strengths and weaknesses across all five segments. For the final one, he was certain he could seize the top spot.
Heh. That's the benefit of connections.
But truth be told, who at the Royal Academy didn't have some kind of background? Most students here had parents with at least a baron title in the empire.
And a baron? That was considered low status.
Some students came from far more prestigious families. Their fathers might be military ministers, public security officials, or even someone like His Majesty Xue Ye, the Emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire himself.
Kong Long's father was a military official who had personally led troops to crush rebel forces—a hardened war veteran. Just earlier, he had even exchanged words with Teacher Sun Buyu, asking him to look after his precious son.
While Kong Long silently celebrated his privileged background, Gu Yecheng, a boy with no background at all, appeared in the distance behind him.
Gu Yecheng was born a commoner. He had no status or power—only the favor of fate and the guidance of a mentor who changed his life. Without that, he would have remained anonymous forever, never even gaining the right to train as a soul master.
Now, as he ran, Gu Yecheng raised his arms to block incoming arrows. With his Red Lotus weakening skill, any arrow attack around 40 points in power was reduced to about 20.
And since his soul power was just over level 20, he could tank those hits. Still, the physical sting from getting hit by arrows wasn't pleasant.
That's why he relied on the Xuan Iron bracers gifted to him by Teacher Qin Ming to absorb the brunt of the impact.
These bracers were a type of defensive soul tool. Not a high-end one, but practical. They could store up to one cubic meter of items. Unlike the fancy belts or jade rings that symbolized nobility, they were basic but effective. Even Teacher Qin Ming wore them himself.
The world's blacksmithing technology was still limited, so even this low-tier soul tool wasn't cheap. Combining both storage and defense into one tool required a master-level smith.
"Thank you, Teacher Qin Ming."
Gu Yecheng knew that this was a small but meaningful shortcut offered by his teacher. With a defensive soul tool and his own weakening martial spirit, he was now functioning like a defense-type soul master.
Passing by one injured student after another, Gu Yecheng shook his head. With their wealth, they could have bought similar bracers.
But their pride and overconfidence led them to rely solely on storage-only jade rings—symbols of status that held up to ten cubic meters of items, but offered no defense.
Overconfidence easily turns into arrogance.
Gu Yecheng now held fifth place, closely trailing Kong Long and Wang Ba.
Up ahead, Jiu Ying and Zui Wuqing had already reached the fifth segment—the domain of support-type soul masters. But neither of them was one.
As she ran, Jiu Ying could feel the numbness in her right leg worsening. No matter how strong her willpower, her body was no longer cooperating. Her steps looked uneven and awkward.
Gritting her teeth, she pressed on. Despite her petite figure, her determination was second to none.
"Damn it…"
She glanced back at Zui Wuqing, who was rapidly closing the distance.
Jiu Ying cursed under her breath:
"You damn bald freak! Stay away from me! If I were at full strength, I'd crush ten of you by myself!"
Behind her, Zui Wuqing seemed to glide through the air—almost like he had mastered light-foot techniques. It had to be related to his martial spirit; otherwise, how could he be running in the air?
The fifth segment was notorious: in a temporary shed stood several injured horses. This phase was a chance for support-type soul masters to turn the tables—heal the horses, and they could ride them.
Spirit-powered horse-riding?
Once mounted, a soul master could move at speeds close to a fully activated Soul Exalt (level 30)—only the healing process would cost a bit of time.
Unfortunately for Gu Yecheng, he wasn't a healing-type support soul master, but a weakening-type.
Though both belonged to the support category, their functions were entirely different. That meant Gu Yecheng couldn't take advantage of this stage.
A serious miscalculation. He had hoped to make his final push here—only to discover it was the worst possible match for him.
Man plans, but heaven decides. He was still too young, too inexperienced.
Indeed, support-types like his Hellfire Red Lotus were virtually unheard of. Not even the three exam proctors had accounted for such a rare class. That was the one percent margin of error.
As for amplification-type supports, those were more common. The most famous example: the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, which could boost all attributes. Such supports were highly versatile.
They could enhance speed, defense, even strength—making them effective across any phase of the trial.
But the fifth phase? That was strictly for healing-type supports.
Gu Yecheng simply couldn't bring his full strength to bear here.
As the exam continued and the hourglass steadily emptied, Gu Yecheng remained in fifth place.
Meanwhile, the muscle-bound favorite to win it all—Kong Long—began his comeback.
Stopping near the stables, he halted his sprint and gathered every bit of remaining soul power. It was clear: he planned to ride.
A green light flashed in his eyes, and his entire body glowed—a forgiving shade of green, no less.
He gently slapped a horse's hindquarters. A surge of deep green energy poured from his palm into the animal's body.
In an instant, the injured horse perked up. Its wounded legs healed at a visible rate, and a smile crept onto Kong Long's face.
On the viewing platform, Wang Li noticed Kong Long's actions and hurriedly asked Teacher Sun Buyu:
"Teacher Sun, is Kong Long cheating? He's not a support-type soul master!"
Sun Buyu nodded thoughtfully. No wonder he was so confident—he even asked about rewards ahead of time. He must've had this trump card all along.
Before the trial, Sun Buyu had only given him a private tip about the five phases. But success still depended on his own strength.
To Wang Li's question, Sun Buyu waved it off and said seriously:
"He's not cheating. That's a soul bone—a healing-type arm soul bone."
"Wang Li, remember this: a soul master's strength isn't just soul level or ring configuration. Soul bones are part of the equation too. So no, he didn't cheat."
Wang Li stared at Kong Long in stunned envy.
He himself was a level-40 Soul Sect and didn't have a single soul bone… but Kong Long, a mere level-29 Grandmaster, already had one?!
No wonder he had used his spirit power so recklessly in the earlier stages—he had been saving this ace.
(End of Chapter)
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