"Ah…" Wu Ming shot Su Wen a surprised glance.
"Xiao Wen's that fierce? How did I not know?"
With her seven-ring Soul Sage cultivation, plus ring distribution and martial soul advantage, she could challenge other ordinary Sages four or five levels above herself. But the Sun–Moon team were elite like her. If she had to take them alone, it would be easy to slip up.
And Yan Shaozhe said it was a rout…
Su Wen's reputation as the Inner Court's "demon king" had been circulating for a while; she'd heard a bit—his strongest fight felled three peak Soul Douluo with one dead and one seriously injured. But later Inner Court disciples investigated the causes: those two still had ample soul power in their bodies—they'd gotten too close and took the brunt head-on—and the technique used was a martial soul fusion with Wang Dong'er, implying some element of the enemy underestimating him and some trickery.
In their eyes, it wasn't that mystical.
They didn't deny Su Wen was monstrous, but a Soul Ancestor taking down a peak Soul Douluo? No matter how you looked at it, that was absurd.
"I actually wanted to include myself…" Zhang Lexuan cast Su Wen a wistful look.
She knew Su Wen had a blood feud with the Holy Spirit Cult.
But she didn't want him to enter the Inner Court so soon. She hoped he'd study a while longer in the Outer Court. Once he joined the Inner Court, he'd have to carry out missions to eliminate evil soul masters. As a senior who had experienced countless life-and-death missions, she knew how vile and vicious they were. If he fell into their hands… life would be worse than death.
"Is it really that serious, Senior Sister?!!" Wu Ming gaped.
"It is. Let's begin."
Yan Shaozhe's face was blank.
With a wave of his hand,
The three were tossed onto the arena.
"Sorry, Junior Brother Su Wen. Since Dean Yan wants us to serve as your assessment, we can't pull our punches…" Han Ruoruo smiled gently at Su Wen.
"Hah!"
Wu Ming simply unleashed her martial soul true body.
A three-legged Golden Crow soared up, its blazing fire lighting the whole arena. Seven soul rings rose under her feet as she charged straight at Su Wen.
"Junior brother, careful!"
Han Ruoruo took a deep breath. She didn't want to bully the young, but the dean had his requirements—and the usually stingy dean had promised them a reward: if they defeated Su Wen… he'd introduce them to partners!
With Dean Yan's connections, that had to be more reliable than the Sea God's Fate matchmaking festival!
The Dazzling Golden Rope floated at her side like a golden silk ribbon, rippling like water. Seven rings rose at her feet as she headed toward Su Wen.
Yan Shaozhe nodded, satisfied.
A Soul Sage and a peak Soul Sage.
That should give Su Wen a headache, right?
This was no tournament stomp. He'd even invited Han Ruoruo, the Inner Court's top controller—showing how seriously he took this.
"Lexuan, what do you think… who wins?" Wang Yan propped his chin, pondering.
"Ten minutes," Zhang Lexuan said coolly.
"Ten minutes?!!" Yan Shaozhe blurted. "Su Wen won't last even ten minutes?"
"No. I mean… Ruoruo and Wu Ming will probably be thrown out within ten minutes," Zhang Lexuan said softly. As his "pillow-side" companion, she knew Su Wen's growth best.
Since returning from the tournament, Su Wen had been visiting her often. Having tasted sweetness, he kept coming; half push, half pull, she accepted. In close company, she learned things about him that Yan Shaozhe didn't know.
"Then why didn't you say so earlier?" Yan Shaozhe's mouth twitched.
"You wouldn't let me on the field…" Zhang Lexuan replied evenly.
Yan Shaozhe: "…"
The next instant,
A deafening boom from the arena snapped his head around.
At Su Wen's side, a breathtaking woman in a white gown stood silently. She raised a palm in tandem with Su Wen, aiming at the onrushing Wu Ming. An extreme cold of frost and snow surged forward like a tide.
Wu Ming's once-proud, confident face suddenly changed, edging into panic.
Behind her, Han Ruoruo spat a mouthful of golden blood, staring at Su Wen in disbelief.
In the arena stood a nearly thirty-meter-tall behemoth, its muscles bulging like hills. It snapped Han Ruoruo's Dazzling Golden Rope and stepped forward, sending the entire platform heaving like a tide. The metal arena, normally sturdy enough to withstand a full-strength strike from a Soul Douluo, cracked inch by inch. The monstrous force radiated in all directions.
Then the massive body leaped, casting a shadow over Han Ruoruo and Wu Ming and their terrified faces.
"Stop!!!"
Yan Shaozhe flashed into place above the two.
The Light Phoenix sang behind him.
A golden barrier blocked the Behemoth's hammer blow. Ripples spread from the point of impact, churning the entire arena into a cauldron. The closed windows rang sharply and then exploded into shards.
"…"
The Behemoth glanced at the two women with contempt, then vanished.
The Snow Empress at Su Wen's side vanished as well.
Only the shaken pair and a dumbfounded Yan Shaozhe remained.
"So that's… the Behemoth?!!"
"Mm. I didn't even use skills," Su Wen said, spreading his hands.
Truthfully, against the two women, bringing out his two trump cards was already giving them face. Otherwise, with just the Gale and the Ice Emperor, he could have had them running for cover.
Of course, part of it was displaying his strength—
To earn more trust from Yan Shaozhe and Zhang Lexuan. Stop treating him like a kid.
Naturally, Senior Sister Lexuan had experienced Little Su Wen's prowess in one sense; his monstrous side, she had yet to witness fully.
"So, Dean, this should count as passing the Inner Court assessment, right?" Su Wen grinned.
"Scram! You just wasted my time!" Yan Shaozhe barked.
He'd taken it seriously, but the assessment still turned into child's play.
In truth, for most Inner Court disciples, this level of difficulty wasn't just an entrance test—this would be hard even as a graduation exam…
"I can understand how the contestants felt this year," Wu Ming muttered, crestfallen, like a defeated rooster, still shaken.
"Meeting Su Wen is both their luck and their misfortune…"
"With someone this terrifying, it could shatter your Dao heart."
Han Ruoruo looked desolate. Her romance seemed to have fallen through…
"Don't worry, I'll use every connection I have to introduce you. Worst case, I'll call back some of the graduates," Yan Shaozhe waved it off.
"But you, kid—just you wait!" Yan Shaozhe huffed.
"When you graduate from the Inner Court, I'll test you myself! I want to see whether you can surpass me in just a few years!"
"Ah?!!" ×2
Han Ruoruo and Wu Ming stared at Yan Shaozhe in shock.
The Dean of the Martial Soul Department would personally administer the test?!!