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The referee scanned both teams and spoke in a deep, measured tone.
"State your names."
"Freshman Class Five—Dai Huabin."
Dai Huabin stepped forward, his voice icy. Years of ruthless training, a killer's instinct honed through soul beast hunts, and an ingrained ferocity radiated from him as an invisible killing intent—meant to overwhelm Chen Junting before the match even began.
"Zhu Lu."
"Cui Yajie."
At the same time, Chen Junting felt Dai Huabin's aura—but his heart remained utterly calm. In fact, he almost wanted to laugh.
Just this level of killing intent? It's nothing compared to the Seven Kill Sword.
"Freshman Class Nine—Chen Junting."
As the words left his lips, Chen Junting's eyes flickered faintly. Dai Huabin's expression instantly darkened—he could feel his own imposing aura being crushed beneath an invisible, far heavier pressure.
Only after Qin Lan and Gao Ming finished their introductions did that suffocating weight lift from Dai Huabin's shoulders.
His eyes burned with renewed fury.
The referee raised both arms, signaling the teams to retreat to opposite edges of the arena. Throughout, Dai Huabin's venomous gaze never left Chen Junting for a second.
From the spectator stands, Headmaster Yan Shaozhe kept his focus primarily on Arena One. In his mind, he weighed the odds: which team truly held the advantage?
But more than victory, he hoped Dai Huabin's famed fusion skill would force Chen Junting to reveal his full current strength.
Just then, a booming voice cut through the air.
"Lao Yan, you've got time to spare, huh?"
Yan Shaozhe didn't turn—he already knew who it was.
"Qian Duoduo, you've got the nerve to call me idle? You, the Vice-Dean of the Soul Engineering Department, coming to watch our Martial Soul Department's freshman trials?"
"What? Not allowed?"
The newcomer was a burly man whose face showed no signs of age, though his steel-needle hair was streaked with white, hinting at years of hardship. Towering over two meters tall, his body was carved like granite—dense, powerful, and unyielding.
Beside him stood Fan Yu, looking utterly exhausted.
Zhou Yi's downfall had clearly taken its toll.
Yet he seemed to have recovered—mostly.
Du Weilun immediately bowed in greeting, but Qian Duoduo waved him off with a laugh. After gesturing for Fan Yu and Du Weilun to speak privately, he strode over and sat beside Yan Shaozhe.
"Lao Yan, I'll be blunt," Qian Duoduo said, his usual shrewdness replaced by uncharacteristic bluntness. "I'm here to claim a freshman from your department. What do you say?"
"Oh?" Yan Shaozhe's eyes narrowed slightly. Qian Duoduo's uncharacteristic directness raised his suspicions. Playing it cool, he replied, "Every one of the Top Four is elite talent in our Martial Soul Department. Do you really think I'd agree?"
"Relax—I'm not after your prized elites."
Qian Duoduo glanced down at Chen Junting's team, a flicker of envy in his eyes. But when he turned to Yan Shaozhe, that envy twisted into disdain, as if to say, 'I know you too well.'
Yan Shaozhe, however, remained unfazed—smiling gently, as if he held all the cards.
"Tch—" Qian Duoduo scoffed, then pointed toward Arena Two. "I want that kid. Surely he doesn't count as 'elite' in your eyes?"
Yan Shaozhe followed his finger—and saw Huo Yuhao, marked by only a single ten-year soul ring. Indeed, as Qian Duoduo said, Huo Yuhao was beneath his notice.
But the shrewd Yan Shaozhe wasn't about to yield so easily. Instead, Qian Duoduo's eagerness piqued his curiosity.
"You're interested in him?"
"Our Soul Engineering Department has different standards," Qian Duoduo waved dismissively. "Besides, this boy was originally brought by the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect to audit our classes. Later, Fan Yu discovered his exceptional talent with soul tools—even deemed him worthy of Core Disciple status in our department. Since your Martial Soul Department doesn't value him, why not let us have him?"
Core Disciple in Soul Engineering!?
Yan Shaozhe's brow twitched inwardly.
Is Old Qian serious this time?
Seeing Qian Duoduo's earnest expression, Yan Shaozhe fell into thought. Sensing his hesitation, Qian Duoduo played his trump card:
"Lao Yan, you know the higher-ups' expectations. If you don't support our work, next time I'll have Lin'er raid your Inner Sect's Martial Soul Department for talent—and I'd like to see you try to stop her."
At the name "Xian Lin'er," Yan Shaozhe paused—then nodded slowly.
"If that's the case…"
"Wait."
A voice interrupted him.
Qian Duoduo, who'd thought the deal was sealed, shot to his feet in alarm. "Who's ruining my—? Ah… Elder Xuan!?"
He'd been about to snap—until he saw a disheveled old man standing behind them.
Neither Qian Duoduo nor Yan Shaozhe dared show the slightest disrespect.
This was Xuan Zi—the Level 98 Taotie Douluo, one of the Sea God Pavilion's revered Elders.
Beside him stood Wang Yan.
"Elder Xuan, what are you doing here?" Qian Duoduo grumbled, frustrated that his plan was being derailed.
Xuan Zi merely chuckled, munching on a chicken leg while taking a swig from a purplish-red gourd. Between bites, he mumbled, "Shaozhe, you're really going to hand that boy over so easily? That kid's clearly valued by the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's heir—doesn't that strike you as odd? And a Body Martial Soul, no less! At the very least, you should observe him more closely before deciding."
"You're absolutely right, Elder Xuan," Yan Shaozhe said respectfully, offering no argument.
Qian Duoduo, now thoroughly ignored, seethed inwardly—but could do nothing. He shot Wang Yan a glare, well aware that Elder Xuan rarely cared about freshman trials. His presence here could only mean one thing: Wang Yan had dragged him along.
Wang Yan awkwardly scratched his nose under Qian Duoduo's scowl—but inwardly, he sighed in relief. Had Elder Xuan not come, a rare talent like Huo Yuhao, with his Body Martial Soul, might have been lost to the Soul Engineering Department, where his true potential could never fully bloom.
After a seat was brought for Elder Xuan, Yan Shaozhe sat beside him and asked curiously, "Elder Xuan, what brings you to watch the freshman trials today?"
"What? Can't an old man show some interest?" Xuan Zi waved his chicken leg impatiently. "Don't bother me—I'll watch what I please."
His eyes flicked toward Arena Two—then quickly shifted to Arena One.
Compared to Arena Two, Arena One held far greater allure: the Seven Kill Sword, unseen for ten thousand years, and the legendary Netherworld White Tiger. As for the Body Martial Soul…
To him, it warranted only a sliver of attention.
"I'll see how Ye's personal disciple fares," he muttered through a mouthful of meat, his cloudy eyes glinting with faint curiosity.
Can he truly shoulder the future burden of Chief Guardian Douluo of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect?
But beneath that curiosity lay something deeper—
Dismissal.
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