Gu La strolled through the dappled shadows of the forest, the dry leaves beneath his feet crunching softly with each step. He raised his hand to catch a falling leaf, sensing the soul power flowing within it, and a faint smile played on his lips.
Gu La didn't rush to eliminate others. Instead, he contemplated draining all the energy from this space and wondered if Shrek Academy would make him pay for it.
"Probably."
Regretfully abandoning his plan to freeload, Gu La continued to leisurely walk through the forest.
After less than a minute, Gu La crushed a few fern leaves with the tip of his shoe, his golden pupils scanning the score bracelet on his left wrist.
Suddenly, he sidestepped to avoid three razor-sharp wind blades that whizzed past his face. In the instant his white robe's hem was sliced, nine azure vines erupted from the ground. The venomous thorns on the vines shimmered with a cold blue glow in the sunlight, shielding two figures darting out from the trees.
After a month of interaction, the students had already formed familiar teams and had chosen to collaborate instinctively during the competition.
Both were Soul Masters, with two yellow and one purple soul ring configuration. Their martial souls—the Azure Vine and Wind Dome Bird—were top-tier, and their coordination as a pair was impeccable.
The Wind Dome Bird soul master hovered in the air, and as the third soul ring lit up, hundreds of wind blades converged above Gu La, forming a birdcage-like structure. On the ground, the girl controlling the Azure Vine moved her fingers deftly, turning the venomous vines into a cage that sealed off all escape routes.
However, Gu La simply walked through the middle of their combined attack as if strolling through a garden.
An abrupt gravity field descended, exerting forty-five times Earth's gravity. Any soul master outside the Beast Martial Soul realm would almost certainly be unable to withstand it for even a second.
Groudon's spirit soul had also reached eighty thousand years over the past three years. Centered around Gu La, an invisible energy field spread out rapidly.
The towering ancient trees groaned and snapped with a sound that made teeth ache, and amidst the rising dust came the sharp crack of bones breaking.
Under the immense pressure, the bodies of the two Soul Masters twisted and deformed. The phantom of the Wind Dome Bird let out a mournful cry before dissipating, while the Azure Vines crumbled into particles of light. The surrounding vegetation was instantly flattened.
The two crashed to the ground, most of their lives extinguished.
"Cough… you…" The girl coughed up blood mixed with fragments of her internal organs, staring at the figure emerging from the dust in shock.
The boy's dark-patterned combat boots stepped over her gradually transparent body, and the number on the score bracelet jumped from 0 to 200.
In the distance, Luo Guixing was searching for teammates. His spatial element martial soul leaned more towards control in the early stages and lacked offensive power, requiring teammates to maximize its value.
He looked toward the direction of the noise. "What was that? An earthquake?"
Luo Guixing weighed the pros and cons and ultimately suppressed his curiosity, heading in the opposite direction.
Unfortunately for him, he soon encountered Tang Wulin and Xie Xie.
"Bad luck."
He was about to use teleportation to escape since he wasn't a match for two against one.
"Wait!"
Tang Wulin stood still, indicating he meant no harm. "Let's form an alliance. None of us can defeat Gu La alone. He's a four-ring Soul Ancestor with twin martial souls, each paired with a ten-thousand-year spirit soul perfectly suited to them."
Luo Guixing's confident expression faltered, and he paused mid-soul skill release. "Are you joking? How could a four-ring Soul Ancestor handle two ten-thousand-year spirit souls? Even one requires Spirit Abyss-level spiritual power. He's our age—it's impossible!"
But Tang Wulin and Xie Xie's serious expressions told Luo Guixing they weren't lying.
Luo Guixing took a deep breath to calm himself. "I'll temporarily believe what you're saying. But why are you telling me this? Aren't you acquaintances?"
Tang Wulin gave a bitter smile. "Even if we're companions, I want to win against him at least once—even if it's just sparring with you. Besides, this is just a regular combat class."
Luo Guixing frowned. "You really don't have to make teaming up with me sound so reluctant."
Despite his words, being someone who excelled at weighing pros and cons, he didn't leave. If what Tang Wulin said was true, cooperation was indeed necessary.
After some thought, he suggested, "Let's find more people first. I heard a loud noise from the south earlier—it might be Gu La. Let others test him first so we can rally more classmates to join forces."
So they went to find others to team up with. Upon hearing about Gu La's strength, many found it incredible but were willing to check it out.
With high standards, Luo Guixing sought out the strongest few in the class, including several members of the Genius Youths Rankings.
Yang Nianxia crossed his arms. "He'd better be as strong as you say, or I'll make you regret deceiving me."
His Duskgold Bear martial soul seemed to give him a perpetually straightforward appearance, but beneath that facade lay a petty and cunning nature.
Tang Wulin: "I guarantee, Gu La is even stronger than I described."
Wu Siduo's sharp gaze cut through the air. "Enough talk. Where is he?"
Luo Guixing, playing peacemaker, eased the tension. "Let's discuss tactics for dealing with Gu La first."
"Xu Yucheng's Dark Demon Scythe can ensure penetration, Yang Nianxia's Duskgold Bear can withstand pressure, Zheng Yiran's Jade Phosphorus Poison can create chaos, and the class president's self-fusion technique will be the final blow."
"Others with control-type soul skills should try to restrain him together. If we can control him for even a second, preventing the release of his ten-thousand-year soul skills, it'll be as if he has none."
As they spoke, the sound of trees collapsing came again from the southwest.
Xie Xie, who had been scouting ahead, returned to the group, his Shadow Dragon Blade glowing with soul power. "He's here."
Deep in the forest, Gu La was gazing at the score bracelet on his wrist. The points had already reached 1400, representing that he had eliminated fourteen people.
He turned to look northeast, a dangerous curve forming on his lips. "More than ten people gathered… Finally, things are getting interesting."
His white robe fluttered without wind, and every step he took left molten footprints on the ground. The towering ancient trees parted automatically to either side, as if afraid of this walking disaster.
The entire forest suddenly fell into an eerie silence. Thirty-meter-tall iron birch trees began trembling in unison, their leaves falling like rain, leaving them bare in the blink of an eye. Then, branches and trunks started bending and snapping.
"They're all here. Saves me the trouble of looking for you."
Gu La's lips curled upward, and in the eyes of Luo Guixing and others, he appeared like a devil emerging from the depths of the jungle, declaring his dominance over the brave.
Tang Wulin's Golden Dragon Scales emerged uncontrollably, and he stared at the Golden Dragon Claw that automatically manifested in his palm. He finally understood that perhaps the essence of Gu La's martial soul was no weaker than the Golden Dragon King within him—if there was any difference, it was negligible.
"I'll give you a chance. Come at me together."
Only when facing Gu La directly could they truly feel the overwhelming pressure. Most of them possessed Beast Martial Souls, and their very souls trembled instinctively, making them involuntarily consider surrendering.
Outside Observation Room
Shen Yi asked Wu Zhangkong, "Senior Brother, who do you think will win?"
Wu Zhangkong didn't hesitate for a moment. "Gu La."
"Why?"
Wu Zhangkong didn't answer but switched the arena environment to nighttime. "Just watch."
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