The day dawned with a heavy weight in the air, a sense of inevitability that made the soul energy around Shrek Academy hum more sharply than usual.
Today was the day I would test everything.
Not against random students. Not against simple beasts. But against one of the strongest figures within Shrek Academy — Dean Xian Lin'er herself.
Unbeknownst to me, several figures of immense power gathered within a secluded balcony overlooking the arena. Elder Mu En, Elder Xuan, Elder Yan Shaozhe, and Elder Cai Mei'er — members of the Sea God Pavilion — had come to witness the trial personally, drawn by whispers of my unprecedented rise to Level 3 Soul Engineer in just a few short months.
Preparation for the Trial
I rose early, heart pounding with anticipation and a touch of excitement. Standing before the polished mirror of my personal quarters, I carefully donned my specialized combat attire: a flexible, shock-resistant battle uniform laced with light armor plating. Across my waist hung the holsters for my twin energy handguns. Slung across my back was the newly finished Soul Rifle Mk-I.
My gauntlet, the Phantom Gauntlet Mark I, locked onto my arm with a satisfying hiss of magnetic clamps. Embedded within it were the collapsible energy sword and the circular energy shield — compact, efficient, and deadly.
I flexed my hand, feeling the latent hum of soul power flow seamlessly into the weapon.
Today, it wasn't just about showing my progress. It was about proving that soul tools could be an extension of martial combat — not just clumsy machinery, but elegant, devastating partners in battle.
Arriving at the Soul Tool Department's Grand Arena, I found Dean Xian Lin'er already waiting.
She stood at the center of the field, calm and imposing. Clad in a white battle robe trimmed with violet, her Azure Flame Dragon aura lightly surrounded her, making the air shimmer with heat.
Several instructors and elder students had gathered discreetly at the perimeter. Word had spread.
A test unlike any seen before was about to take place.
Above them, unseen by most, the Sea God Pavilion Elders observed in silence, their expressions unreadable.
"Are you ready, Xiao Tian?" Dean Xian Lin'er asked, her tone cool and professional.
I inhaled deeply, steadying my mind.
"Yes, Dean."
"Good."
She raised one hand, igniting a delicate formation array that shimmered across the entire arena — a barrier to contain the battle, to prevent collateral damage.
"This will be a live-combat spar," she announced. "Use only your soul tools. Martial spirits, soul skills, and contracted beasts are prohibited. If you violate this, the test is immediately void."
Her eyes sharpened.
"Show me the future you wish to forge."
Commencement of Combat
"Begin!"
The instant the words left her lips, she vanished.
No theatrics. No warning.
Pure speed.
I barely caught her movement with my heightened perception, diving to the left as a blade of azure flame slashed through the space I had just vacated.
Activate: Phantom Gauntlet Primary Function.
A surge of power gathered in my palm. A brilliant pulse of compressed energy discharged with a deep boom, aimed precisely at her afterimage.
But Dean Xian Lin'er twisted in midair, evading with an elegance that seemed to mock gravity itself.
Her counterattack was immediate — a lance of blue fire shot toward me.
I triggered the gauntlet's secondary function: the circular shield expanded instantly over my forearm, catching the lance mid-flight. Instead of taking the full force head-on, I angled the shield precisely, deflecting the brunt of the blow while absorbing the residual energy. The impact pushed me sliding backward across the arena floor, my boots carving shallow grooves into the tiles as I stabilized my stance.
Sliding backward across the arena floor, I drew my twin energy handguns, crossing them at chest level.
Synchronize Targeting Arrays. Lock-on Mode: Manual Priority.
The HUD inside my visor flared to life, marking Dean's moving form with a red outline.
I unleashed a flurry of precision shots — energy bolts snapping toward her at high velocity.
From the balcony, Elder Xuan chuckled under his breath. "Good targeting discipline. He's not wasting ammunition."
Elder Cai Mei'er leaned forward, eyes gleaming. "He's reading her movements in real time... impressive for his age."
She moved like a wraith, dodging with supernatural grace, her robes barely disturbed by the barrage. But I wasn't aiming to hit her — not yet.
I was testing.
Analyzing.
Watching how her soul energy fluctuated, how she displaced air with each step.
Learning.
Adapting the Strategy
Dean Xian Lin'er came at me again, faster this time, a spiraling spear of flames forming in her hand.
Switching tactics, I slammed my fists together — the collapsible energy sword on my right gauntlet hissed into existence.
Meeting her charge, I sidestepped and parried the flame spear with my blade, the clash creating an explosion of shockwaves and scattered embers.
It was like blocking a dragon's breath.
I spun, releasing a low kick aimed at her midsection. She blocked it effortlessly but was forced to retreat half a step.
A small victory.
No time to celebrate.
I disengaged, sprinting backward and holstering my energy guns in one fluid motion.
Slamming a command rune on my belt, I deployed my latest device:
Prototype Support Drone: Aegis Unit.
I retrieved a small orb from my storage space ring, tossing it into the air where it unfolded midair into a spinning drone that projected a secondary energy barrier around me.
The double-layered defenses gave me breathing space.
"Interesting," Xian Lin'er murmured, her voice carrying even through the clash. "Layered defenses, adaptive targeting. But..."
She surged forward, this time with a visible burst of soul power that made the air ripple.
"...can your creations withstand real power?"
She unleashed a barrage of flame lances.
The drone absorbed the first salvo before exploding in a shower of light — a programmed failsafe to create cover smoke.
From above, Elder Mu En's serene gaze sharpened slightly. "Adaptive countermeasures under pressure. He doesn't freeze."
I used the opportunity.
Activate: Soul Rifle Mk-I.
I retrieved the Soul Rifle Mk-I from my storage space ring, dropped into a kneeling position, and peered through the targeting scope.
Her silhouette flared in infrared.
Single shot.
Breath steady.
Finger tightening.
Fire.
The charged beam lanced out, striking directly at her shoulder.
In a blur of motion, she redirected the impact with her palm, the beam dispersing into sparks.
But she was slowed.
Elder Yan Shaozhe stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Innovative. His real-time analysis is astounding for his rank."
Pushing Beyond Limits
"Good," she said. "Very good."
The next instant, she vanished again, and suddenly she was everywhere.
Multiple afterimages. Each one radiating a slightly different soul signature.
A high-level movement technique. Perfected.
I had no time to think. Only react.
Activate: Phantom Gauntlet Energy Beam Mode.
Luminous lenses formed simultaneously on the backs of both my gauntlets where the swords would usually extend. Twin searing, concentrated laser beams erupted from my palms, moving in sweeping circular motions as I spun on the spot, targeting and slicing through all the afterimages scattered across the battlefield. Not aimed to destroy — aimed to reveal the real opponent hidden among the illusions.
The real Dean Lin'er flinched ever so slightly.
Found you.
I lunged forward, crossing the distance in a single heartbeat, energy sword leading.
She met my charge with a flaming blade of her own.
The impact rattled my bones, the shockwave cracking the arena tiles beneath us.
But I stood my ground.
Pushing.
Forcing.
My systems screamed warnings — soul power reserves dropping, structural strain rising.
I ignored them.
This was what I had built for.
The Final Clash
With a battle cry, I disengaged, flipping backward to create distance.
Activate: Gauntlet Overcharge — Energy Blade Mode.
The sword in my hand flared, doubling in intensity, the blade vibrating at a frequency high enough to shear through steel.
Dean Xian Lin'er smiled—an expression rarely seen.
"Then come," she said.
We clashed again.
Blade against blade, shield against flame.
No spectators spoke. No one dared.
Every strike, every movement, every explosion of power carved new marks into the battlefield.
It was no longer teacher against student.
It was craftsman against master.
The Aftermath
Minutes later, both of us stood breathing heavily, the arena around us a ruined landscape of scorched tiles, shattered barriers, and smoking craters.
I knelt on one knee, exhausted, gauntlet sparking faintly from overuse.
Dean Xian Lin'er lowered her weapon.
"Enough," she said.
She approached and extended a hand.
I clasped it without hesitation.
"You have passed," she said simply. "Not just as a soul engineer. Not just as a soul master. But as a pioneer."
Around us, the spectators broke into stunned applause.
High above, the Sea God Pavilion Elders exchanged glances.
"He's not just the future of the Soul Tool Department," Elder Xuan said, voice gruff with pride. "He is our future. Our Xiao Tian has grown splendidly."
Elder Mu En's aged eyes gleamed with rare intensity. "There is no need to recruit him. He has always been ours. He is family. And we shall continue to raise him into the pillar Shrek will one day need."
Their resolve solidified.
And so did mine.
I had proven it to myself.
My soul tools were not mere weapons.
They were extensions of my body and mind.
And this was only the beginning.