Morning.
As usual, Nan Fusheng walked toward the cafeteria. Also, as usual, he saw two familiar figures running on the school field—but something felt off.
Right. Xie Xie wasn't there watching them like usual.
Unfazed, Nan Fusheng stepped into the cafeteria as if nothing had changed. In truth, the departure of Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi really didn't affect him at all.
Still, it was a bit of a pity. After all, those two had a martial soul fusion technique between them. They were high-quality potential targets for parasitism in the future. Now that they were gone, he couldn't help feeling a little reluctant.
But it was fine. Zero Class would probably welcome new teammates soon. Xu Xiaoyan, with her rare "Absolute Control" ability, was also a very attractive host for parasitism.
Of course, parasitizing her would have to wait until he reached Sequence Four, the "Demigod" level. For now, his priority was to build up power—to prepare for something big down the line.
As expected, the second phase of the final exam was also held outside the academy.
Wu Zhangkong led the remaining four—Nan Fusheng, Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, and Xie Xie—out of the school. This time, they didn't walk but rode a soul-powered minibus straight to the outskirts of town.
"Teacher Wu," Xie Xie asked with a fawning smile, "can you give us a hint about what we're doing today?"
Wu Zhangkong gave him a side-eye. "You'll know when we get there. It's similar to the Spirit Ascension Platform—but not quite the same."
"Oh…" Xie Xie nodded, trying not to press further.
The minibus drove far out of the city, into unfamiliar territory. Though the roads were still lined with buildings, the landscape grew increasingly sparse.
Eventually, they got off at a large tech park—the Eastsea Soul Technology Park.
The park had vast green zones and a collection of buildings, each with a unique architectural style. Most were made of metal and gleamed under the sun.
"Do you know this place?" Tang Wulin whispered to Xie Xie.
"I've heard of it," Xie Xie replied. "Most of Eastsea City's high-tech companies are based here. I think they even have mecha manufacturing plants."
"Mechas?" Nan Fusheng's eyes narrowed at the word. A final exam and a mech facility? Seemed like Wu Zhangkong had brought them to a Tang Sect base.
The park was huge. They walked for over half an hour. While that wasn't too exhausting for soul masters, Nan Fusheng still wanted to complain: Couldn't they install some electric scooters or something? Do they know how annoying a thirty-minute walk is?
Finally, they entered a separate inner zone—its own park within the tech park.
They saw a large green field, and in its center, a small building. Compared to the others, it seemed modest, almost tiny. Especially given how massive the rest of the park was, it looked completely out of place.
It had no signage—just a deep blue, mirror-like facade made up of connected glass panels that shimmered with reflected light.
No one guarded the entrance. The glass door remained sealed.
Wu Zhangkong stepped forward and placed his hand on the door.
A flash of blue light scanned over him.
A somewhat playful voice sounded: "Yo, long time no see, Eastsea's Little Zhangkong."
Wu Zhangkong replied coldly, "Open the door."
The voice sighed, "You're still no fun."
Ding! The door opened with a soft chime.
Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue blinked in confusion. Eastsea's Little Zhangkong? What the heck?
Inside was a sleek, white interior with deep blue walls and soft lighting—immaculate and sterile. A floating metal tray hovered over with four metallic wristbands.
"Put them on," Wu Zhangkong instructed.
Xie Xie asked, "Teacher Wu, what are these for?"
"Identification. Wearing them will keep the facility's defense systems from mistaking you for intruders—and obliterating you."
"Whoa, high-tech stuff," Xie Xie muttered in awe.
Wu Zhangkong said nothing more. He led them deeper through another set of blue-glass doors.
Another scan. The light on their wristbands blinked, then faded.
A hallway. They turned several corners, entered one more door—and then, in a flash of light, Wu Zhangkong vanished.
The four students froze. "Was that…?"
"Space technology?" Xie Xie gasped. Coming from a wealthy family, he was well-versed in the state of the continent's tech. Spatial transmission tech was still in experimental stages. To see it in actual use…
"Step forward," Wu Zhangkong's voice echoed from all directions.
Nan Fusheng walked forward without hesitation. As he entered the zone, a strange sensation wrapped around him. A moment later—he vanished.
The others quickly followed.
Nan Fusheng found himself in a vast blue space—white ground, no sky, no horizon.
A synthetic voice sounded:
"Welcome to the Hall of Heroes. Initial trial. Difficulty: Intermediate.
Name: Nan Fusheng.
Age: Ten.
Trial One: Survive for 30 seconds."
A flash of light, and a new figure appeared in front of him.
A handsome, scholarly young man with long dark-blue hair and a lazy smile.
"Begin!"
The figure's brow lit up with a bolt of electricity. Purple-blue lightning snaked around his body like serpents. Two yellow soul rings rose beneath his feet.
He rushed straight at Nan Fusheng.
First ring lit up—a lightning dragon claw condensed, slashing forward.
"Steal!" Nan Fusheng cast his first soul skill.
BOOM! The ground exploded. Nan Fusheng reappeared some distance away, looking grim.
"Damn, I forgot—he's not a real person. Just a construct. No consciousness to steal."
He had to switch tactics. The opponent rushed him again, this time using Controlling Crane, Capturing Dragon, a Tang Sect technique, to pull him forward.
Nan Fusheng's eyes flashed. "Steal!"
This time, he targeted the opponent's mobility functions, and it worked! The projection glitched and collapsed to the ground, momentarily paralyzed.
"So it's just data… if I change my target, I can still use 'Steal' effectively."
"Thirty seconds elapsed. Trial One: Passed."
"Trial Two: Defeat your opponent—or survive another thirty seconds."
The projection rose again.
…
Light flashed.
Nan Fusheng stumbled out, pale and clearly drained.
"I'm out," he muttered. "Two stages, advanced difficulty. The final stage was brutal. First round nearly drained me."
Xie Xie ran up. "You passed two?! I only got one on intermediate difficulty…"
Tang Wulin: "Two. Intermediate."
Gu Yue: "Same as you."
Xie Xie looked crestfallen. Some people really do make others look bad…
Wu Zhangkong approached. "Follow me."
They did. As they walked, light once again enveloped them, whisking them away into another spatial jump.
They reappeared in a spacious office—about 200 square meters, clean and modern. Leather sofas lined one side, and a massive desk sat at the far end.
"Sit. There are things we need to discuss," said Wu Zhangkong.
They obeyed, still puzzled.
Wu Zhangkong looked at them seriously.
"For today's exam, you may have felt it was strange. All the opponents you faced were soul masters who once existed in history."
"Because they're simulations, their power is capped at about 70% of their peak. Based on that, how do you feel you compare?"
Real people?
Tang Wulin immediately thought of the twin-souled soul master he had faced.
Xie Xie remembered a tall, gorgeous girl with the flexibility of a longbow.
Gu Yue saw a black-haired boy whose very presence was terrifying—his final opponent, who had easily overwhelmed her.
Nan Fusheng, meanwhile, just smiled to himself.
Seventy percent? Heh. Yeah right. You think I believe that?