You cheated.
Wu Zhangkong's cold voice came from the side as he held up a Thousand Refined Cloud Titanium vest—clearly Xie Xie's. It had been removed during his physical examination.
Tang Wulin's expression instantly turned a bit awkward.
"Teacher Wu, I don't think that counts as cheating, right? I just didn't want anyone to suffer the same kind of injury that Jinxi went through, so I…"
Wu Zhangkong handed him the vest with a flat tone:
"You did well. So, you've already reached Thousand Refinement?"
"Huh?" Tang Wulin froze for a moment.
"Indeed."
Wu Zhangkong continued,
"For the first part of the final exam, Nan Fusheng, Gu Yue, Xie Xie, Zhang Yangzi, and Wang Jinxi all received full marks.
As for you, since you led the cheating and encouraged others to join in…"
He paused.
"You get... 99 points."
"Huh?"
Ninety-nine?! Is that really that different from a hundred?
Tang Wulin hadn't even processed it when Zhang Yangzi raised his voice:
"Teacher Wu is the best!"
Wu Zhangkong coolly replied,
"Don't celebrate too soon. There's still a second part to the final exam. Only after passing that will the test be truly complete."
Meanwhile, the staff used equipment to stabilize Xie Xie's condition, stimulating his nerves with a form of controlled electricity to reduce the aftereffects of the Spirit Ascension Platform.
Fortunately, Xie Xie's trauma wasn't too serious. After just a dozen minutes, he recovered and stood up, flexing his left hand repeatedly.
Everyone was now fully recovered and simply waiting for Xie Xie.
On the way back to the academy, Xie Xie learned that even though Nan Fusheng had lost a leg and Tang Wulin was cut apart by the Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear, neither of them suffered much after they exited the platform.
"That's not fair!" Xie Xie grumbled.
"You both got sliced too—how come you feel nothing?!"
Nan Fusheng replied, annoyed,
"Don't ask me! I came out just fine. Maybe it's got to do with our physical durability."
Tang Wulin shrugged.
"Your body's just too weak. Why not join me for morning runs? If you build up your endurance, it should get better."
Xie Xie narrowed his eyes and said with mock innocence,
"Sure—just in time to 'accidentally bump into' that senior girl again, right?"
Tang Wulin's face turned red.
"W-What senior girl? Don't talk nonsense."
Gu Yue's gaze instantly shifted toward him.
Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi looked over, clearly curious.
"Nothing like that! There are lots of seniors out running every morning," Tang Wulin said quickly.
Nan Fusheng grinned,
"Funny. I remember there being just one senior girl…"
"Ahem! That was just a coincidence, totally accidental," Tang Wulin stammered, trying to cover it up.
Back at the academy, Wu Zhangkong ordered,
"Everyone rest. We'll have a debrief meeting tomorrow. Tang Wulin, come see me in my dorm later."
After their brutal trial, everyone was exhausted. They exchanged simple goodbyes and returned to their dorms for rest.
Nan Fusheng, upon returning to his room, immediately began reviewing the day's battle.
There was no doubt—he had achieved his objective. The Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear was now his, and so was the external soul bone… or it would be soon.
Of course, obtaining it wouldn't be easy.
After all, the Spirit Transmission Tower staff weren't fools. If that soul bone went missing, they'd review the monitoring footage.
He had learned from the memories of the Tower personnel that powerful soul beasts like the bear were carefully monitored, as they were essentially the guardians of the platform.
"Which means... I can't just walk in and claim the soul bone.
Do I stage a 'tough battle' with Tang Wulin and the others, then earn the soul bone as a 'reward'?
But if so, how do we fairly divide it afterward?
Or maybe… I act out a scene where the Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear is so impressed by me that it pledges loyalty and becomes my soul spirit?"
Nan Fusheng pondered the possibilities.
After all, Tang Wulin had once used his Golden Dragon King bloodline to turn a tyrannosaurus into his soul spirit. Why couldn't he do something similar?
"Forget it… the Dream Thief potion is nearly digested.
Time to find the next 'lucky host' to be chosen by yours truly."
The next day…
Yesterday's test yielded impressive scores.
The most important reason was that each of you performed your role flawlessly.
These three months weren't wasted—you're now a true team."
Though Wu Zhangkong was complimenting them, his tone remained as cold and sharp as ever. It was hard to tell if he was actually proud or just… being himself.
"But you absorbed too much soul energy.
Once the exams conclude, we'll run full-body diagnostics to determine your tolerance thresholds.
Remember: never try to exceed your limits."
He then began reviewing each battle from the day before.
As soon as the Spirit Ascension Platform was mentioned, the six members of Class Zero practically lit up with excitement.
Especially the fight against the Man-Faced Demon Spider—even now, it felt surreal to them.
Meanwhile, Gu Yue had successfully broken through to become a two-ring Soul Grandmaster during the chaos of the platform's riot.
"Tang Wulin," Wu Zhangkong suddenly asked,
"When you were planning to fight the Man-Faced Demon Spider, did you consider that its poisonous web would later help you kill other soul beasts?"
Tang Wulin shook his head.
"At the time, I just thought—if we let it finish laying its web, it might lower its guard.
And the webs could at least serve as a barrier to protect us.
I never imagined they'd kill so many beasts and let us absorb that much soul energy."
Wu Zhangkong nodded.
"Your layered control was excellent.
Always remember—the essence of a control-type battle soul master is to never let the enemy understand your true goal.
You did that well. You used real threats to mask your setup and create openings."
Tang Wulin scratched his head, a little embarrassed.
"But," Wu Zhangkong added,
"Your calm was lacking. When Xie Xie was being chased by the spider, your composure shattered.
If Nan Fusheng hadn't stepped in, you might've all been taken out one by one."
"To control your enemies, you must first control yourself.
This advice also goes to you, Nan Fusheng.
Staying behind to cover your teammates—is that supposed to be heroic?"
"You did well to protect your team from the Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear, and as your teacher, I'm proud.
But next time, don't take such unnecessary risks.
Death inside the platform can lead to serious side effects… even a coma."
"And during your retreat afterward, your coordination was sloppier.
Compared to before, your group cohesion fell apart.
Don't tell me… after gaining all that soul energy, you've grown complacent?