As the object of others' envy, Kong Long was certainly aware of the attention. He could imagine the jaws dropping among those watching the assessment tournament.
At this moment, he was already riding on horseback, raising his proud chin as he gazed toward the distant high platform where Sun Buyu stood. A smug sense of satisfaction welled up in his heart—so this was the level of the new students this year? It seemed the championship would be his for the taking.
At the same time, he glanced toward the mountain peak. Though it was far away and crowded with spectators, he knew that among them was his father.
The soul bone he now possessed had been given to him by his father. Although it was a healing-type soul bone and didn't perfectly match his Tyrannosaurus Rex martial soul, Kong Long was more than satisfied.
After all, soul bones were incredibly rare. The odds of one dropping were minuscule, and finding one that truly matched one's martial soul was even harder. Though this auxiliary soul bone didn't enhance his power directly, it significantly boosted his endurance—which was still a considerable advantage.
Meanwhile, watching the mounted Kong Long from behind, Gu Yecheng's eyes narrowed slightly. He also desired one of the top four rewards, but this final leg of the route gave him no advantage at all.
"What should I do?"
Doubt crept into Gu Yecheng's heart. Was his auxiliary martial soul truly of the Emperor rank? The weakening ability didn't seem as powerful as he had imagined.
"If I had chosen the Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum or the Lovesick Heartbreak Red instead, maybe I wouldn't be in such a passive situation now."
"But this is an Emperor-ranked martial soul! It shouldn't be this weak. Lingling's Nine-Hearted Begonia is only King-ranked, but its soul essence is—'Undying.'"
"Mine should be stronger than hers. So what exactly is the essence of my Hellfire Red Lotus?"
"Is it really just a weakening ability?"
The so-called "weakening" reduced the impact of external forces. Whether applied to himself or to an enemy, his attack, defense, and speed remained unchanged. In this sense, his martial soul was even less practical than the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, which could at least enhance one's strength or speed. In contrast, the Hellfire Red Lotus merely preserved his own state while weakening everything else.
He remained eternally unchanged—while the world changed around him.
As he ran, Gu Yecheng began reflecting deeply:
"If the outside world is weakened, then relatively speaking, I'm strengthened. But how do I use this weakening power… to make myself faster?"
His cheeks flushed slightly from the sweat dripping down. More sweat beaded up, trickled down his jaw, and fell straight to the ground.
Ignoring the discomfort and the rising heat in his body, Gu Yecheng kept pondering the same question—
What is the true essence of his martial soul?
Sweat pooled on his forehead, eventually forming a large droplet that streamed down and stung his eyes, making it difficult to keep them open.
He wiped at his face with a sweat-soaked arm, only to make the sting worse.
The path ahead blurred, and his mind began to drift.
He shook his head violently, forcing himself to stay focused and not succumb to exhaustion.
"I really want to rest—but I can't. I want to become the strongest Soul Master. I want to buy Lingling the most luxurious gift. I want to gift my mother a modest but beautiful estate."
And the first step to achieving all that was to earn his own recognition. And to do that, he had to finish in the top four. That was the goal he had set for himself.
In a daze, his vision flickered—and suddenly, he found himself back in that strange forest.
Looking around at the lush greenery, everything felt too real. He murmured,
"Why am I here again? What's going on? I'm supposed to be in the assessment."
A wave of confusion overwhelmed him. Was this an illusion? Or reality? He couldn't tell what was real anymore.
Suddenly, a loud voice echoed from the heavens:
"Heh… After so long, I've finally found someone with decent talent."
Gu Yecheng called out, "Who's speaking?"
The voice chuckled:
"Me? You can just call me the Flower Deity."
"Flower Deity?"
Gu Yecheng froze in shock. Wasn't this the same scene from a few days ago when he inherited his martial soul?
And sure enough, the same scenario began replaying—Gu Yecheng involuntarily repeated the exact words he had spoken before:
Gu Yecheng: "I want the strongest martial soul!"
Flower Deity: "Can we stop obsessing over having the strongest one? How about I give you the second strongest?"
Gu Yecheng: "No. I must have the strongest. You seem to need me—so if you help me, I'm willing to pay any price."
Flower Deity: "Fine, fine! I'll give it to you! Stop nagging me—I'm not senile yet!"
...
"Alright, it's time for you to go," the Flower Deity said, raising a hand gently toward Gu Yecheng.
Gu Yecheng made sure to pay close attention to this moment.
So that's what it was!
The scene from a few days ago, when he inherited his martial soul, had replayed in this hazy dream. Now, as he ran, his eyes suddenly snapped open, and he muttered in shock:
"I understand now… the true essence of the Hellfire Red Lotus!"
A faint smile tugged at his lips as ripples of red energy surged out from his body, spreading across the entire fifth segment of the track. Gu Yecheng unleashed every bit of soul power within him—nothing held back.
A strange sense of utter depletion came over him.
In the blink of an eye, his steps became light, his entire body seemed to float. With every stride, he flashed forward ten meters—his speed was nothing short of terrifying.
Ten meters per step—ten steps to overtake a single opponent. Within moments, Gu Yecheng caught up to the burly Wang Ba.
Wang Ba was stunned:
"Who the hell is this guy? That speed… is he even human?"
Gu Yecheng chuckled:
"I told you… don't let me see you again. But since I did, I'll have to give you a parting gift."
Pointing a finger at Wang Ba, he smiled and said:
"From this moment on, your speed is reduced by 30%, and your soul power is also reduced by 30%."
Ka-ka—!
As Gu Yecheng's finger tapped the air, Wang Ba felt his legs grow heavy. Not only could he not increase his speed—he was actually slowing down. His already limited soul power began draining rapidly.
Wang Ba cursed loudly:
"What the hell is this? What did you do to me?! You damn bastard! I'm reporting you!"
Gu Yecheng only smiled and ignored the ranting. This was simply the power of his martial soul—not cheating.
He continued flashing forward—and soon, he had caught up with Kong Long on horseback.
Kong Long turned his head and was shocked to see Gu Yecheng behind him—floating, his feet not even touching the ground.
"That looks a lot like Zui Wuqing's movement style. Is this some kind of special martial soul?"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
Three consecutive flashes later, Gu Yecheng was already ahead of him, stepping through the air as if walking on invisible steps—completely ignoring Kong Long.
Kong Long cursed under his breath:
"What the hell is up with their martial souls? How can they walk in mid-air—and this guy can even teleport?"
"What kind of family did this brat come from? Did he save the universe in his past life to deserve a martial soul like this?"
"Damn it, I'm not giving up that easily. Damn horse! Get moving! Hyaa—hyaa!"
(End of Chapter)
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