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Outside Observation Room
"Are these Gu La's soul skills? Are they clones or illusions? Why do they have different martial souls?"
Shen Yi frowned, her fingers unconsciously tapping the metal railing of the observation platform. Through the one-way glass, she could clearly see the bizarre scene of three "Gu La" figures simultaneously displaying different abilities in the arena.
Though the three "Gu La" figures appeared to have different appearances and martial souls, for those who had been observing Gu La closely, it was clear that they were indeed him.
A flicker of surprise passed through Wu Zhangkong's icy blue eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. "This is his secret. It seems to be related to the Golden Ancient Tree spirit soul. Compared to the last assessment, these avatars look much more real."
He paused. "However, with Saint Spirit Hall overseeing the exam personally, there shouldn't be any issues."
As they spoke, the battle inside the arena grew even more intense. Shen Yi noticed how Wu Zhangkong's gaze remained fixed on the silver-haired avatar wielding flying daggers, silently noting this detail.
As teachers at Shrek Academy for many years, they had witnessed countless strange martial souls. But encountering someone like Gu La, capable of manifesting multiple martial soul traits simultaneously, was a first.
Had they known the truth about the Abyss Plane invasion, they likely wouldn't have remained so calm. Unfortunately, all intelligence regarding the Abyss Plane was classified as top-secret by the Federation, even beyond the reach of Shrek Academy's instructors.
Inside the arena, flashes of sword and dagger light intertwined into a web.
Ye Xinglan's Star God Sword carved dazzling trails in the air, each swing accompanied by a piercing whoosh.
Beads of sweat dotted her forehead, but her emerald eyes gleamed with excitement. The silver-haired avatar's flying dagger assault grew increasingly fierce. Nine willow-leaf blades danced through the air like living creatures, scattering and converging unpredictably, forcing her to focus entirely on defense.
The avatar, adhering to its main body's intent, grew more adept at controlling the daggers, their movements becoming smoother and more precise.
Whenever Ye Xinglan attempted to counterattack, the willow-leaf blades would combine to shield the avatar or split into multiple strikes to weaken the power of her sword qi.
"Star God Descent!"
"Star God Net!"
Ye Xinglan let out a sharp cry, her sword momentum shifting abruptly. Star-like sword qi wove into a net in midair, attempting to trap the elusive flying daggers.
However, the daggers, controlled by telekinesis, moved with extraordinary agility, always finding the most unexpected angles to break through the net. Her uniform was already torn in several places, revealing skin streaked with blood, but her fighting spirit only grew fiercer.
Gu La's main body stood at the edge of the arena, his gaze shifting between the two avatars. Watching Ye Xinglan gradually adapt to the flying dagger assault, he nodded in satisfaction before turning his attention to Gu Yue.
"My turn?"
Gu Yue crossed her arms, her purple eyes filled with curiosity. Her gaze lingered on the green-haired avatar, this newly emerged "Gu La" giving her a peculiar sense of familiarity.
"Of course."
Her response came from the youth with emerald-green hair.
As he spoke, the tips of his hair swayed gently as if alive, exuding a fresh, grassy scent.
This was the avatar hosted within the Jade Green Banyan Tree, originating from a timeline where the natural ecosystem had completely collapsed.
As the last Child of Nature of that world, he possessed the purest life energy.
Thus, upon awakening an elite innate martial soul, he naturally awakened the ultimate wood attribute and achieved a silver-level awakening. After joining the Body Sect, he successfully attained a gold-level awakening.
Celebi's uniqueness allowed Gu La to turn the possibility of this existence into reality.
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Gu Yue observed him silently. When he unleashed his martial soul, she keenly detected an aura similar to that of a Child of Nature, causing her to muse, "Another Child of Nature… What exactly is the plane consciousness up to?"
"Please instruct me."
The green-haired avatar's voice was gentle yet resolute. He took slow steps toward Gu Yue, leaving faint green halos on the ground with each step.
This was the effect of the Body Sect's innate secret techniques. Though not reaching the legendary Arhat Golden Body level, it had already made his physical strength far surpass that of ordinary people.
The Body Sect's secret techniques helped disciples develop their innate martial souls, forge an inviolable golden body, and eventually achieve the Arhat Golden Body state—immune to all negative states, unaffected by control-type soul skills of any energy type, purified of toxins, and resistant to poisons.
Among the five avatars, the green-haired avatar possessed the strongest defense and recovery capabilities. Moreover, wood and poison attributes were often intertwined, so his offensive power was no weakness either.
The green-haired youth calmly approached Gu Yue.
Gu Yue wasted no more time. With a graceful flick of her hand, the four elements—earth, water, fire, and wind—coalesced into a violent torrent of energy, completely engulfing the avatar.
The shockwave from the explosion caused the entire forest to tremble. Nearby, Xu Lizhi narrowly avoided being caught in the blast, though the Abyss Avatar saved him—though Xu Lizhi might not have appreciated being rescued.
When the dust settled, Gu Yue's pupils contracted slightly—the green-haired youth had emerged unscathed, save for a bit of dust clinging to his clothes.
What shocked her even more was the life energy emanating from him, rapidly healing the negligible damage.
"How interesting."
A cold smirk tugged at the corner of Gu Yue's lips. In her palm, she condensed an unstable elemental sphere, with the four elements mixed in precise proportions. As it flew outward, it voraciously absorbed ambient energy from the surroundings.
An elemental storm once again swept through the arena, its energy powerful enough to level a small mountain.
Yet when the storm subsided, what Gu Yue saw made her eyebrows twitch—the green-haired avatar bore only slight cracks on his skin, and those wounds were healing at a visible rate.
"How is this possible…"
Shockwaves churned within Gu Yue's mind.
She was well aware of the power behind her previous attack. Even a defensive-type Soul King couldn't have withstood it so effortlessly. What puzzled her even more was how Gu La had managed to create such powerful avatars.
"Unless…"
A wild thought flashed through her mind, but she quickly dismissed it.
Creating avatars at the cost of one's essence was akin to suicide. Gu La wouldn't do something so foolish. If not, then how could these four avatars, comparable to top-tier geniuses, be explained?
Gu Yue hadn't spent her time in human society idly. She could tell that the potential of these avatars was extraordinary, their talents rivaling her own sealed human form. If judged solely on specialized abilities, they even surpassed her in some ways.
Outside, neither Wu Zhangkong nor Shen Yi noticed that not far behind them, Cai Yue'er—the nominal Outer Court Dean—was thoughtfully observing the arena.
This Elder of the Sea God Pavilion furrowed her brows as she watched the match. She was privy to information about the Abyss and had even undergone training there for a period. Thus, upon seeing Gu La's Abyss Avatar, she immediately recalled the endless waves of Abyss creatures that were impossible to exterminate.
She had considered halting the session, but remembering Ya Li's warning against reckless behavior, she gritted her teeth in frustration. "I'll file a report this time. Let's see who dares accuse me of overstepping!"
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