Only Xiao Hongchen and the other three earned A-rank; the rest were B-rank—their performance made that their limit.
In terms of talent pool, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy indeed falls short of Shrek Academy.
Most of Shrek's inner court disciples would earn at least an A-rank, showing their depth of talent.
On St. Freya Academy's training grounds, Ji Juechen wielded his iron sword with agile form, sword shadows weaving like a storm toward Jingliu.
His eyes burned with passionate fire, every strike full of sword devotion.
Jingliu stood calmly with hands behind her back, sword qi quietly gathering at her fingertip.
Unhurried, she effortlessly parried every attack.
Each clash of sword and finger rang with a clear, metallic sound throughout the grounds.
Ji Juechen grew more and more excited. Having a swordmaster of Jingliu's caliber to spar with was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Every exchange subtly improved his swordsmanship, fueling his obsession.
The iron sword's gray Desolation Sword Intent grew denser, the energy compressing into a giant gray sword.
The massive blade tore through the air with a sharp howl, carrying the force to cleave everything, striking fiercely at Jingliu.
Sensing the power in this blow, Jingliu nodded slightly—a rare sign of approval for Ji Juechen's recent progress.
She then extended a finger, sending out a dazzling sword light like a meteor.
A crisp shattering sound followed as the giant sword broke, and Ji Juechen was sent flying like a broken kite.
"Old Ji!" Jing Ziyan rushed over to catch the battered, bleeding Ji Juechen.
Despite the wounds, Ji Juechen's eyes shone with unprecedented brightness.
"Thank you, Teacher!" he said, ignoring his injuries and bowing deeply to Jingliu.
Though Jingliu hadn't formally accepted him as a disciple, she had taught him swordsmanship without reservation, earning his heartfelt respect.
At first, Ji Juechen expected that as a student from the Sun Moon Academy, even if he could consult the Snow Moon Douluo, she would only offer some perfunctory advice.
To his surprise, Jingliu cared nothing for his background; she taught him meticulously, sparred personally, pointed out his flaws, and taught him ways to hone both sword intent and technique.
He even learned some swordsmanship transcending the world's norms.
Jingliu's grandeur and vision won Ji Juechen's utmost admiration.
Besides Ji Juechen, Meng Hongchen also learned some swordsmanship from Jingliu.
She used twin swords and was highly interested in the art, though not as purely obsessed as Ji Juechen, so she learned less.
Nevertheless, she gained much, especially as Jingliu was also an expert in the Dao of Ice, which matched Meng Hongchen's ice-attributed soul power.
Jingliu was quite satisfied with Ji Juechen; his sword talent was excellent, and his dedication admirable.
Though his soul master aptitude wasn't superb, his willpower compensated, promising future achievement in Sword Dao.
By contrast, a certain pink-haired girl had even greater sword talent but lacked devotion, much to Jingliu's regret.
…
"Achoo!"
In Heaven Dou City of the Heavenly Soul Empire, March 7th suddenly sneezed. Frowning, she muttered, "Ugh, who's talking about me?"
"March, are you alright?" Princess Weina looked at her with concern.
Robin and Firefly also glanced over, eyes full of inquiry.
They were in a high-end restaurant, invited by Princess Weina.
Robin, together with Firefly and March 7th, traveled the continent, experiencing local customs and helping the weak.
After arriving in Heaven Dou City, they met Princess Weina, who quickly became a close friend.
"I'm fine, don't worry!" March 7th waved it off and turned her attention back to the elaborate food.
Meanwhile, in the flower fields behind St. Freya Academy, Castorice sat hugging her knees, gazing gently at the meditating figure of Lu Jingming.
Suddenly, purple ripples appeared in the air beside her, like a stone dropped into a calm lake.
A giant purple dragon head slowly emerged from the void.
"Shh, quiet, Pollux!" Castorice gently stroked the dragon's head, her voice soft, reminding it not to make noise and disturb Lu Jingming.
Pollux understood, enjoying her touch and nuzzling Castorice, obediently silent.
As they interacted, soul power surged rapidly within Lu Jingming, compressing and purifying until an invisible bottleneck was instantly breached.
The next moment, Raiden's figure appeared behind Lu Jingming, gently hugging him from behind.
At the same time, the Thunder Stigmata on his left hand shone with dazzling red light.
The Black Abyss Spear appeared in his hand, its body gleaming mysteriously.
Two purple, two black, one red—five soul rings encircled the black spear, radiating powerful energy.
As the Thunder Stigmata continuously channeled thunder power into the Black Abyss, a blood-red soul ring with golden lightning patterns began to form on the spear.
Strong soul power rippled outward, affecting the real world.
Nearby flowers shook under the surge, nearly destroyed.
At the last moment, Lu Jingming opened his eyes, and the powerful aura vanished instantly.
He smiled at the new red-and-gold-ring on his spear.
For him, the barrier to Soul Emperor was as thin as paper; the breakthrough came naturally.
Thanks to the Thunder Stigmata, he didn't need to hunt a hundred-thousand-year soul beast for a soul ring.
His Thunder Stigmata's quality far exceeded ordinary hundred-thousand-year rings, almost on par with a fierce beast ring.
His soul ring color was still blood-red, but the golden lightning pattern revealed its extraordinary nature.
Feeling accomplished, Lu Jingming stretched and stood up.
Months had passed since his trip to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Now, not only had he advanced to Soul Emperor, but his plans were progressing smoothly—everything was on track.
As he broke through, Pollux withdrew into the void—her exclusive death domain, inaccessible to the living.
"I told you, Castorice, you're my lucky star. I broke through here last time too."
Lu Jingming grinned, gently pulling Castorice to her feet and embracing her.
Castorice's cheeks flushed red, embarrassed by both his words and the warmth of his hug.
Looking at the shy, lovely Castorice in his arms, Lu Jingming felt a surge of affection and couldn't resist lowering his head to gently kiss her soft lips. As their mouths met, he daringly slipped his tongue between her parted lips, tasting her sweetness.
Castorice's body tensed at the unexpected intrusion, but she didn't push him away; instead, she closed her eyes and shyly responded, her own tongue tentatively meeting his in a sensual dance.
In the beautiful, quiet flower field, their entwined figures seemed to be the whole world. Lu Jingming's hands roamed her back, pulling her closer as their tongues explored each other's mouths with increasing fervor.
They melted into each other, lost in sweetness and warmth, oblivious to everything else. Soft moans escaped Castorice's throat as Lu Jingming's tongue caressed hers, sending shivers down her spine.
"Castorice, Xiao Ming, you—?!"
Meng Hongchen, holding a lunchbox, stopped dead at the sight of the intimate pair, her face filled with shock and disbelief.
Startled by her voice, Castorice's eyes flew open, full of embarrassment and panic, wanting to break free. But Lu Jingming only held her tighter, as if to merge her into himself, continuing the deep, passionate kiss. His tongue delved deeper, tasting every corner of her mouth.