Chapter 77: Shi Nuo's Cosmo, the Selection Begins
The moment Lin Beiya heard those words, his expression froze. Shi Nuo's statement genuinely shocked him. After all, when he first came into contact with telekinesis, it had taken him nearly an entire week just to realize that he could cultivate it. Could it be that Shi Nuo's talent in this area surpassed his own?
"You can already use telekinesis?"
"Huh? Of course not!"
Lin Beiya secretly let out a breath of relief. So it wasn't what he had feared. If it wasn't telekinesis, then it had to be some other kind of superpower—though he had no idea what type it could be.
"Oh? Then what kind of power did you awaken?"
The moment the new power was mentioned, Shi Nuo's eyes lit up with excitement. He raised his fist, fingers tightening as he spoke:
"These past three days, I've been trying to focus my mind—trying to lift a teacup with pure willpower—but it never worked."
"But during the process of concentrating, I realized I could gather all the strength in my body into a single point and then unleash it."
"I even went to the back mountain to test it. Even with a casual punch, using this method drastically increases the power."
Hearing this, Lin Beiya mentally reviewed every type of awakened ability in Saint Seiya, yet none matched what Shi Nuo had just described.
Still, no matter what this ability truly was, it was undeniably practical for Shi Nuo. Whether combined with the Taurus Cloth's combat techniques or his own soul skills, its destructive power would be immensely enhanced.
"Try giving me your strongest punch."
"Alright."
Shi Nuo didn't hold back. At Lin Beiya's request, he closed his eyes, gathered his strength, and sent a straight punch toward Lin Beiya's chest.
Pa!
His fist was caught by an upraised palm. Feeling the force spreading across his hand, Lin Beiya secretly nodded to himself.
Having watched Shi Nuo train regularly, he naturally understood where the boy's previous limits were. Setting aside the increased strength granted by awakening his Cosmo, this fully concentrated punch alone was nearly twice as strong as before.
Even Lin Beiya, who hadn't prepared for the impact, felt a jolt of pain in his palm.
After they separated, Lin Beiya shook out his slightly numb arm and smiled.
"Not bad at all. Your strength has a lot of room to grow. It's even possible you'll be able to multiply the power of your strikes someday. Since you've found a path that suits you, walk it with everything you've got."
"Don't worry, Beiya. Maybe I don't have confidence in telekinesis, but concentrating on my strength? That's what I'm best at."
"There are only ten days left before the tournament begins. Make sure to prepare properly."
Lin Beiya wasn't worried at all about Shi Nuo—someone who had awakened the Sixth Sense—failing in the tournament. But Yu Quan and Si Min… they were a different story. He could only hope they would be able to rely on the flight capabilities of their martial souls to pass the trials.
Ten days went by quickly, and soon, the day of the tournament arrived.
The training field of the Advanced Soul Master Academy was already packed to the brim. Many students whose strength wasn't particularly high still wanted to participate, simply for the experience. However, this left Ye Lüsuo—who was responsible for maintaining order—on the verge of collapse.
Even by just listening, Lin Beiya could hear hundreds of people trying to sign up. Seeing the overwhelming crowd, the pressure instantly fell upon Shi Nuo and the other two defenders. After all, among everyone present, their soul power ranks were at best mid-tier or even lower.
"There are… quite a lot of people."
When Lin Beiya arrived right on time, Ye Lüsuo practically saw him as a lifesaver. Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she said:
"Tell me about it. Once word got out that the team selection would be decided through this tournament, everyone wanted to give it a try. Even being chosen as a substitute is something they can brag about for years."
Lin Beiya nodded. Human nature gravitates toward excitement—soul masters are no exception.
But letting this many people challenge Shi Nuo's group one by one was clearly impossible.
Seeing Ye Lüsuo looking overwhelmed, Lin Beiya gave him a subtle signal with his eyes. He instantly understood. Clearing his throat, he raised his voice and drew everyone's attention.
"Alright, everyone, the tournament is about to begin! This is Lin Beiya, captain of the Spirit Hall team for this year's Soul Master Tournament. He will be arranging the competition procedures."
After speaking, Ye Lüsuo stepped back and stood beside Lin Beiya, giving him the spotlight.
Facing the nearly one thousand students gathered below the stage, Lin Beiya slowly began to speak:
"All of you here—our senior brothers and sisters—are outstanding talents of the Spirit Hall Academy. But the number of available spots on the tournament team is limited, which is why we must use this ruthless selection tournament."
"However, there are simply too many participants. Having everyone enter meaningless duels would only waste time, and I trust all of you are well aware of your own strength."
"So, anyone who can break through this wall by any means necessary may enter the next round of selection."
With a wave of his hand, Lin Beiya used his Cosmo to conjure a crystal wall at the entrance of the arena. Naturally, its strength had been deliberately adjusted to a reasonable level.
Otherwise, realistically speaking, not even the entire academy—and that included Ye Lüsuo—would be able to pass even this preliminary barrier.
By initial calculation, one would need at least the strength of a Soul Ancestor to shatter this crystal wall and step onto the arena.
Most of the students present also seemed to understand. After all, there were only a handful of spots available, but nearly a thousand students in the academy. If they were filtered one by one through duels, the selection would never end.
This fixed-defense test clearly favored soul masters with explosive physical strength. A sturdily built senior brother couldn't hold back any longer and stepped to the front of the crowd.
"Junior Brother Lin Beiya, we just need to break this light wall, right?"
"That's right. Anyone confident enough may start trying now."
"Great! I'll go first."
Before others could move, a thunderous tiger's roar echoed through the training field.
A Saber-Toothed Tiger martial soul—paired with the ideal two-yellow, one-purple soul ring configuration of a Soul Elder.
After completing his martial soul possession, the senior brother immediately activated his third soul ring. He was confident in his power, yet he did not dare to underestimate Lin Beiya, who had defeated Ye Lüsuo. As the saying goes, even a lion uses its full strength when hunting a rabbit.
"Third Soul Skill — Mountain-Crushing Claw!"
Violent power surged instantly into the tiger claws formed around his hands. Taking a single heavy step forward, he slashed toward the shimmering barrier.
But the next second, his confident smile froze completely.
The surface of the light wall rippled like flowing water, absorbing all the power from his claw strike. With a faint tremor of the barrier, the senior brother was blasted backward, sent flying tens of meters away before crashing to the ground. Clutching his chest, he stared in disbelief.
"How is that possible?!"
"Tch. What's impossible about it? Looks like you just aren't strong enough."
A tall, muscular man standing behind him mocked with a smirk, instantly turning the embarrassed senior brother's face red with anger.
"Shut up! If you're so capable, why don't you try it, you dumb wild bull? Stop flapping your lips!"
"Oh, I'll go. Let this lord show you what true absolute strength looks like."
As he spoke, a massive, pitch-black, horned bull appeared behind him, snorting steam. His soul ring configuration was also two yellow and one purple. After activating his third soul ring, he lowered his head and charged straight toward the crystal wall.
"Third Soul Skill — Savage Collision!"
His granite-like muscles rippled, showcasing his overwhelming physical strength. But reality slapped him mercilessly. What seemed like a devastating collision failed to break the barrier even slightly. The wall trembled faintly, and he was immediately sent flying like the last one.
When he landed roughly on the ground, the two senior brothers—now sitting side by side—could only stare at each other in shock.
—
End of Chapter