Qiang Ming followed Chen Yi through another series of winding corridors within the heart of Shrek Academy, each step echoing faintly through the polished stone floors. The tension of earlier had passed, replaced by a sense of momentum—a gathering pace as he passed trial after trial. Yet even as his body remained calm and limber, his mind wandered.
"So…" Qiang Ming asked, keeping his voice even, almost casual. "Did my classmates manage to enter the academy?"
Chen Yi's steps didn't falter, but her answer came curt, clipped. "You'll know if you manage."
He didn't press further.
They walked in silence for a bit longer before finally arriving at the next trial site. The room was wider than the last, and much taller, with a series of six metallic gates aligned in a straight corridor. Each gate glinted under the white lights, and above each one, mechanical contraptions whirred softly with latent menace. Guillotine blades, thick and sharp enough to cleave through soul beast hide, rested high within the tracks, prepared to descend with merciless speed.
A digital clock appeared in the corner of the far wall. It ticked ominously, a warning and a countdown both.
"Six gates," Chen Yi explained. "Each equipped with a descending blade. Once the test starts, you'll have thirty seconds to reach the other side. Every three seconds early gives you one bonus point. Every three seconds late, one negative point. Timing matters. Some… lesser minds panic here."
Qiang Ming didn't look impressed.
"I can see lesser people panicking here," he echoed with a dry smirk.
Then, without further word, he burst into motion.
The Blackstone Abyss Hammer appeared in his hand in a flash of violet-black light, summoned with his usual fluidity. Its weight didn't hinder his movement—in fact, it seemed to power it. His first steps were thundering and confident, each stride calculated.
Gate one—he ducked and rolled cleanly under the blade just as it dropped with a hiss.
Gate two—a sidestep and a surge forward, the hammer extended to slap the descending blade upward just enough for him to slip through.
Gate three, four, and five followed in swift rhythm—his steps measured, his perception sharp. He was calm, not rushing like a fool, but never hesitating.
Gate six—the final one—descended faster than anticipated. There was no time to pass it by speed alone.
But Qiang Ming had planned for that.
Without missing a beat, he threw the Blackstone Abyss Hammere forward, jamming its monstrous head into the gap just as the blade began its descent. The impact of the Martial Spirit against enchanted steel shook the hallway, but the hammer held.
Qiang Ming passed beneath it like a shadow, dragging his hammer behind him just as the blade clanged down fully.
He stood upright on the other side, unscathed.
Chen Yi, watching from the sidelines, merely nodded.
"Ten points." she said, as if this had been the expected outcome all along.
With a gesture, she beckoned him onward. "Next."
They entered a quieter room, built like a council chamber. Three examiners waited—two middle-aged men in high-ranking uniforms, and an elderly woman, her hair silver, her eyes sharp as blades. Elder Cai.
"Now we test what you specialize in," she said in a voice that bore command even when calm.
Qiang Ming looked thoughtful for a moment, rubbing his chin as if truly contemplating the weight of his existence. And then, with complete honesty, he answered:
"I hit hard."
The old woman snorted, clearly unimpressed. "I've heard that before. A thousand times."
She stood up, her form wiry but not frail. She stepped forward and extended one palm, steady and open. "Hit my hand. As hard as you can manage. Use everything you have."
"Everything?" Qiang Ming asked again, his tone low, wary.
"Everything," she confirmed without blinking.
"Okay then."
Qiang Ming stepped back, rotating his shoulder slowly. He planted his feet, exhaled, and let the world narrow down to this singular act. The Blackstone Abyss Hammer appeared in his hands once again. It wasn't summoned with flair or drama—just quiet intent.
He closed his eyes for a heartbeat.
When they opened again, the test was already over.
In a single bound, he surged forward. His entire body moved like a spring releasing tension. The Blackstone Abyss Hammer flashed downward in a full-powered SoulQuake Blow, condensed purple force brimming along its head. The hammer didn't glow—it screamed as it hit.
The blow landed on Elder Cai's outstretched hand.
And though SoulQuake Blow bypassed defense as always, she met the force with a sudden surge of Soul Power, her body glowing faintly as she absorbed and redirected the shock.
Still—she took two steps back.
Her eyes widened.
"Ten points," she said without delay. "And very impressive, young man. You may call me Elder Cai."
Qiang Ming offered a small nod of thanks, but the grin on his face showed more satisfaction than surprise. That was the kind of recognition he'd come here for.
Chen Yi once more guided him onward, this time into a nearby forge room. There was already a Bluesteel ingot resting on the anvil. Beside it stood the same set of elders, now observing in silence.
"This is the fifth test," Elder Cai said. "Your second profession."
Qiang Ming scratched the back of his neck.
This… this was the part he hadn't prepared for.
He was decent. Functional, even. But in truth, blacksmithing had taken a backseat during his time in the Barony, where fists and grit had meant more than tools and refinement.
"Problem?" Elder Cai asked, her tone laced with mockery now. "Confidence dried up?"
Qiang Ming rolled his shoulders and exhaled. "Been a while since I picked up the hammer for anything other than smashing heads."
"Oh? Grew bored of it, did you?"
"I was busy killing," he said simply, not as a boast but as fact. The Arena Champion Amulet at his chest shimmered faintly in agreement.
That shut her up.
With no more hesitation, Qiang Ming his hammer and began the process.
He heated the Bluesteel, shaping it with precise force. His rhythm was different from the other students—not elegant, but primal and efficient. Each blow rang with practiced weight. It wasn't art—it was conviction.
And somehow, as if instinct and raw strength replaced what finesse he lacked, the metal bloomed beneath his hands. He completed a proper thousand-refinement for the first time in his life.
When it was done, he stepped back and exhaled.
Elder Cai looked it over. Her fingers touched the finished work.
"Nine points," she said after a long pause.
Qiang Ming merely shrugged. "Can't get 'em all."
Chen Yi gave a tiny snort of laughter before gesturing again. "Next room."
And so the trials continued.
But now, more eyes were watching than ever before.