The next morning marked the start of the final exam.
In the outer courtyard dean's office.
"The final exam arrangements have been made?" Cai Yue'er asked with a smile as she looked at Shen Yi.
Shen Yi nodded. "Everything's ready."
Cai Yue'er said, "We also need to collect Gu You's things—don't leave anything behind. Be thorough with the body search too. That kid is smart enough to come up with all sorts of tricks."
Shen Yi laughed, "Don't worry. Everything has been arranged properly."
Cai Yue'er chuckled too. "The first final exam for each batch of freshmen always brings us surprises—and sometimes leaves us laughing or crying. I wonder how far your class can go this time."
Shen Yi left. Cai Yue'er sat alone in the dean's office. After a while, she stood up and walked to the window, gazing far into the distance. In the direction she looked stood a towering building reaching into the clouds.
…
"Cai Yue, Gu Yue is my disciple. Don't harass her anymore."
"You're saying I'm harassing her?"
"You think I don't know what you're after? But she's already joined the Spirit Transferring Tower and has formally taken me as her master. I believe she'll gain more from learning with me than with you."
"Sky Phoenix!"
"We've crossed hands many times—when have you ever won? Alright, for the sake of our old acquaintance, let's end it here. If you're not convinced, let him come find me. Once Gu Yue graduates from the outer courtyard, I will naturally take her away."
Taking a deep breath, Cai Yue'er narrowed her eyes, pushed open the window, and stepped out—vanishing into the void in a flash.
In a dormitory for Shrek Academy's working students—an empty room.
Gu You stretched his lazy waist. Tonight should be a joyful one—he was about to break through to Soul Sage and unlock the stylish skill of Martial Soul True Body.
He couldn't imagine what size his dragon form would reach when both the Martial Soul True Body and Dragonification were activated.
Gu You placed both hands on his knees and sat in meditation.
Gradually, he entered deep contemplation.
"You've arrived?"
Looking up at the massive Dragon God in the sky, Gu You was curious. Every time the Dragon God reached out to him, it had something to say.
"What is it this time?"
"It's about your breakthrough," the Dragon God said calmly.
"My breakthrough can cause issues?" Gu You was confused.
"That's right. Remember the evil thought I told you about?"
"I remember." Gu You used to be quite afraid of this "evil thought." The Dragon God said it would be harmful to him, but after all this time, Gu You hadn't felt any real danger.
"Because you've lifted two seals, my power has temporarily increased, and I can suppress it for now. But my strength is limited—sometimes I can't hold it back. That's when it depends on you."
Gu You didn't quite get it. "You mean… this breakthrough might require me to fight your evil thought?"
"Sharp thinking. Exactly," the Dragon God praised him.
"Is there anything I should be cautious about? What kind of confrontation will it be?"
"Keep your will strong. I don't know the exact form it will take. Only when you are truly at the threshold of becoming a Soul Sage will we both find out."
Gu You opened his eyes and glanced at his hands.
"Then let's do it. I want to see just how strong this so-called Dragon God's evil thought really is."
Soul power surged around him, mixed with life energy, all converging toward a single point—his chest.
Gradually, the final barrier was about to break.
Almost there! Just a little more!
Gu You gritted his teeth. Just then, his mind suddenly went blank.
His consciousness was pulled away by some mysterious force to an unknown place.
"Where is this…?"
When he regained awareness, Gu You looked around in shock.
He was in space!
Massive asteroids rushed past him at speeds close to 4,000 km/s.
The large ones were manageable, but the smaller asteroids constantly slammed into his body.
One strong impact sent Gu You flying, slamming into a bigger asteroid.
Touching the area hit by the impact, Gu You felt his blood boil.
Four blood-energy soul rings emerged one by one.
Purple-Gold Dragon Armor!
His third blood-energy soul ring glowed brilliantly.
Covered in purple dragon scales, he pulled himself out of the asteroid.
Now floating in the void, the small asteroids couldn't do much harm anymore. This starry sky was stunning—nebulae drifting, asteroids framing the scene, and a perfectly formed planet with gorgeous rings slowly rotating.
What kind of challenge am I facing? Gu You wondered. He could clearly feel that this starry sky was artificially created. It felt too fake—he could even breathe.
BOOM!
A massive asteroid exploded in the distance.
The blazing light formed a massive fireball. With his Purple Demon Eyes, Gu You saw something unbelievable. His hands trembled.
What did he see?Someone who looked exactly like him.
But that version of him lacked reason, shrouded in black light, giving off an evil aura. Black scales covered his body, and a terrifying presence radiated outward.
Now Gu You understood. To become a Soul Sage, he must defeat himself.
Neither held back. Soul rings rose at their feet—level 69 pressure surged, even slowing nearby asteroids.
Dual-God Annihilation Domain—activate!Life Domain—activate!
He skipped the Ice and Snow Domain—it would be ineffective in this fake space.
Aaahhh!Dark Gu You let out a roar, a black aura expanding from him. The surrounding asteroids shattered on contact.
In his hands appeared a black halberd—its aura screamed Super Artifact, putting massive pressure on Gu You.
This fight wouldn't be over quickly.
Gu You summoned his Purple-Gold Dragon Halberd. His aura skyrocketed, the clash of energies making the void tremble and the starry sky fracture.
Fight!
Gu You wielded his halberd and slashed toward his dark self. A brilliant purple light beam shot out, cutting across the universe.
At least 100 meters in diameter, it resembled a deadly cosmic ray, annihilating everything in its path.
But Dark Gu You didn't dodge. Soul rings rose beneath his feet—identical in setup. His left arm's dragon claw grew massive. He reached out and grabbed Gu You's attack.
A shocking sight—Dark Gu You's single claw crushed the light beam into pieces.
Gu You swallowed hard.
Why does it feel like he's even stronger than me?
Dark Gu You charged forward...
(End of Chapter)