It was already enough to change a battlefield — not to mention her third ten-thousand-year attack-attribute skill after evolution, which no longer belonged to any pure assault-type Soul Master at all.
She was practically a little loli who could both fight and control.
After eating, he thought about many things. Gu You realized that it had been quite a while since he'd gone to see Feng Wuyu, and also a long time since he'd touched a forging hammer.
That night, when he returned and opened the door, he was greeted by two familiar figures.
Gu Yue and Xie Xie.
"Mm? Boss, you're back?" Xie Xie looked a bit miserable — his hair soaked with sweat and dust, plastered to his forehead, face pale, looking exhausted.
"What were you doing? What happened to you?" Gu You asked in confusion.
Xie Xie's eyes shone brightly. "Secret!"
Gu You just made a dismissive gesture, then chatted politely with Gu Yue for a while…
Xie Xie walked over to the water pipe, splashed his face clean, rinsed away the dust, then directly poured cold water over his head, feeling incredibly refreshed.
Ah, that felt so good! Being tortured felt so damn good!
He absolutely didn't want to recall everything he had been through in the past days — every day was like that.
Maybe it was because he'd run his mouth that day about someone's hair — but these last few days he had truly been abused to the point of wanting to die. And yet, he was still excited, because he could feel his own progress.
What thrilled him even more was that he discovered that his body and martial soul were actually a treasure trove, and in the process of continuous development, everything inside that treasure was gradually being revealed.
He wasn't born weak — it was just that he hadn't grasped the true essence of his martial soul, hadn't understood the true meaning of being an agility-type Soul Master, and therefore hadn't been able to unleash all his potential.
Through these days of guidance and training, he could clearly feel that his progress speed was like a thousand miles in a single day.
Yuanen Yehui stood at the window, peeking through the gap between the curtain and the glass, looking at Xie Xie washing his hair outside.
She didn't even know why, after hearing Gu You and Xie Xie talking, she had come here — just to watch him.
That guy… what exactly was he doing every day? She couldn't help being curious in her heart.
…
A new semester began.
The opening ceremony was as simple as ever. Six grades, six classes, and Elder Cai just said a few words, publicly commending the seventh years who had defeated the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy. The ceremony officially ended after that. Then each class's teacher took the students back to their classrooms for orientation. That was all that needed to be done on the first day of the new term.
It was a full day of lessons, and by afternoon, Gu You even met with Feng Wuyu.
The usual sparring, the same familiar feeling…
Academy life — ordinary, yet orderly…
— Sea God Pavilion —
All the key members were present, every gaze heavy and serious.
"Evil Soul Masters have been growing increasingly rampant lately. There's even been the emergence of Evil Soul Masters at the Super Douluo level. It has reached a point where decisive strikes are necessary. The Federation has also sent a request, hoping we can cooperate in cracking down on them. These Evil Soul Masters are unpredictable and elusive; we can only strengthen security measures in each city, while also deploying more military power to keep constant watch."
Yun Ming said: "Approve the Federation's request. Allow inner-court disciples to participate in the eradication operations. At the same time, contact Tang Sect, activate our entire network, and search for the whereabouts of Evil Soul Masters. The moment they are discovered, report immediately."
"Yes." The Elders responded in unison.
"Pavilion Master, there's another matter. The Star Luo Continent delegation has expressed a wish for us to send an exchange group to their continent to engage in academic and cultural exchange with their local academies. What do you think?" Elder Cai stepped forward to ask.
Yun Ming smiled faintly. "Agree to it. Send outstanding students from the first and second years of the outer court. Let's tentatively set the number at ten. Let Wu Zhangkong lead the team. The freshmen of the past two years are all quite good — especially the first-years. Don't forget to send Gu You; the Star Luo Empire has had its eyes on him for quite a while."
"Settled then. Yue'er, you select the candidates."
"Yes, Pavilion Master," Cai Yue'er responded respectfully.
Next, they discussed various measures and overall strategies for dealing with the Evil Soul Masters.
…
On the stage, Cai Yue'er looked down at the first-, second-, and third-year students below.
Today was a friendly match — similar to the previous first-year-versus-second-year challenge. But this time, the format was different: the first and second years would join forces to challenge the third years.
This match had drawn the attention of the entire outer court.
Generally speaking, if an outer-court student reached fourth year without entering the inner court, it was unlikely they ever would. Their best hope was to graduate by sixth year as a One-Word Battle Armor Master and receive a Shrek Academy diploma. But there were always exceptions: some powerful third- and fourth-year students would choose to keep studying, waiting until sixth year to attempt entering the inner court. By then, they'd just have turned eighteen, potentially able to participate directly in the Sea God Fate event. Entering the inner court too early had no real benefits — just more pressure, riskier missions, even life-threatening dangers.
In a sense, the third years were the strongest grade in the outer court. The most talented students of the upper years had already entered the inner court or gone out for inner-court assessments and trials.
It was rare to have such a lively competition. The sparring match hadn't even reached afternoon and the outer court students and teachers had already packed the arena.
There was no doubt: the students participating in this exchange match were all the most promising candidates for the inner court's future — representing the strongest of their generation.
The students of First Class of Year One and First Class of Year Two had arrived early, eager to witness a miracle. Meanwhile, the third-years appeared much more relaxed. From a power standpoint, this was just a friendly exchange. By any reasonable calculation, the combined first and second years had no chance of victory.
But they had overlooked one point: Gu You. Or perhaps they had heard of his feats — but as geniuses themselves, naturally they weren't inclined to care. A Soul Sage in their teens? Who would believe such a thing?
Powerful Soul Masters with outstanding martial souls could indeed challenge opponents of higher levels — but there were limits. Against a One-Word Battle Armor Master, whose combat strength was massively enhanced by their armor, victory was virtually impossible.
On the stage sat not only Cai Yue'er, but also Holy Spirit Douluo Yali and a group of outer-court teachers. From the inner court, both Red Dragon Douluo and Blazing Dragon Douluo were present as well.
"Is everyone ready?" Wu Zhangkong looked at the first- and second-year students standing before him, his icy face without expression.
"Ready!"
"One-on-one, first match: Yuanen Yehui, step forward."
(End of this chapter)