Ji Juechen, with his unwavering devotion to the sword and persistent efforts, forcefully broke through the limitations imposed by his own talent.
He used his actions to clearly show everyone that there are no useless martial souls, only useless soul masters.
Initially, when Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy selected students for exchange studies, the standard set was for ages similar to Meng Hongchen and the others.
However, when Ji Juechen heard about this, he immediately took the initiative to apply to the academy, hoping to become an exchange student.
As the undisputed top student in the Combat Soul Tool Department, the academy naturally granted him corresponding preferential treatment.
The reason Ji Juechen was so eager to participate in this exchange study was entirely because of Jingliu.
In the Simulated Universe, driven by his fervor for combat, he had challenged almost every strong individual he knew.
One of the functions of the Simulated Universe was its ability to simulate matching opponents based on the user's requirements.
Ji Juechen fully utilized this feature, eagerly sparring with various powerhouses in the Simulated Universe, challenging almost every known strong individual.
He had even fought against the renowned Sword Douluo Chen Xin from ten thousand years ago, personally experiencing his world-shaking Seven Kill Sword.
Of course, the opponents provided by the Simulated Universe were all at the same level as the user, as the purpose was training, not to make the user suffer.
Among the many powerhouses, Ji Juechen had naturally also fought against Jingliu's data body.
After a clash of swordsmanship, he came to a conclusion: this current Snow Moon Douluo was truly at the pinnacle of swordsmanship, incomparably stronger in sword mastery than the Sword Douluo Chen Xin from ten thousand years ago.
For Ji Juechen, who was madly obsessed with the way of the sword, Jingliu's existence was undoubtedly a guiding light, showing him a higher level of swordsmanship.
From the moment he learned of Jingliu, he never challenged other powerhouses in the Simulated Universe again.
Thereafter, every time he logged into the Simulated Universe, he had only one opponent: Jingliu's data body.
And now, to have the opportunity to meet Jingliu in person, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Ji Juechen. How could he possibly miss it?
After all, fighting a data body, while yielding significant gains, could not compare to Jingliu's personal guidance.
Therefore, when he learned that becoming an S-rank student would give him the chance to receive personal guidance from Jingliu, Ji Juechen's eyes instantly blazed with astonishing battle intent. His fighting spirit was even higher than that of Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen.
Xiao Hongchen's motivation was primarily his unwillingness to admit defeat, while Meng Hongchen yearned for Lu Jingming to be impressed by her and pay more attention to her. In contrast, Ji Juechen's pure pursuit of swordsmanship stood out remarkably.
"Enter. I will activate the team challenge for you. During the challenge, your performance will be fully recorded to determine your student rank."
The current Holographic Strategy, after continuous development, was no longer what it used to be. Compared to the initial monotonous level challenges, it had become much richer and more diverse.
The one Zhang Lexuan activated for the exchange students this time was a team dungeon.
As long as they successfully defeated the monsters in the dungeon, the students would receive corresponding rewards. At the same time, the Holographic Strategy's AI would automatically rate them based on their specific performance in the dungeon.
After a slight spiritual disorientation, Meng Hongchen and the others quickly regained consciousness.
They were already quite familiar with this feeling, as it was not much different from logging into the Simulated Universe.
At this moment, they found themselves in a colossal ruined arena. The surroundings were somewhat dim, with dilapidated walls everywhere. Though the peculiar buildings were in ruins, their unique former grandeur could still be discerned.
However, they had no time to carefully observe their surroundings, because as they appeared, black shadows began to rapidly converge from the previously dim corners.
"Hey, Old Ji, I have a bad feeling about this!"
Beside Ji Juechen, a black-haired, good-looking woman wearing glasses approached Ji Juechen with a solemn expression, speaking softly.
"That just makes it more interesting, doesn't it?"
Ji Juechen keenly sensed an invisible pressure surging towards him like a tide. He slowly drew the iron sword from his hand, and in an instant, a sharp sword intent soared into the sky.
He turned to look at the black-haired woman beside him and said, "If you're scared, just hide behind me later."
"Joking! When have I, Jing Ziyan, ever been scared?" Jing Ziyan slightly raised her delicate eyebrows, her words carrying a defiant spirit.
Immediately after, a long whip appeared out of thin air in her hand, with purple currents intertwining around it.
Soon, a black tide swept over, and several terrifying figures appeared opposite Meng Hongchen and the others.
"What kind of monsters are these!"
Seeing the ferocious figures appearing opposite them, Meng Hongchen and the others couldn't help but gasp, their breathing instantly catching, and their faces simultaneously revealing solemn expressions.
Fortunately, the Holographic Strategy was quite thoughtful, clearly displaying the names of their opponents above the monsters' heads, allowing Meng Hongchen and the others to at least know who their enemies were.
They saw monsters resembling black griffins, their bodies covered in cracks, as if they could shatter at any moment. Yet, within the cracks, magma-like substance flowed, emitting an orange glow.
This monster, named Black Sun Gryphon, stood firmly on all fours, its head revealing a rapidly rotating orange energy core, emitting waves of chilling aura.
Also having bodies formed of black substance and covered in cracks were the humanoid Black Tide Decayed Bow, wielding a black longbow that emitted an eerie light, as if it could shoot fatal arrows at any second.
Beside it, the Black Tide Battle General, wielding a massive black sword, was burly, and its black sword shimmered with a cold gleam in the dim environment.
The Black Tide Counselor, holding short blades, had a tall, slender figure but exuded a sinister aura. At this moment, his figure had already vanished from his spot, entering an invisible state.
The burly Black Tide Erosion Demon, with arms like dragon claws, was spreading its arms, condensing orange meteoric rocks behind it, preparing to launch an attack.
And there was the Black Tide Erosion Axe, wielding a giant battle axe that was taller than a person, its blade emitting an aura of destruction.
There were ten students from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy who came for this exchange study. Although they had a numerical advantage over these six monsters, they were completely suppressed in terms of aura.
The six monsters exuded an aura filled with madness and destruction. The terrifying killing intent permeated the air like a tangible substance, making Meng Hongchen and the others' bodies slightly stiff, likely preventing them from fully unleashing their strength.
Only Ji Juechen seemed largely unaffected, his eyes burning with an undiminished fighting spirit.
"Boom!" The next second, the Black Tide Battle General raised its giant black sword high and delivered a swift leaping slash, smashing down towards Meng Hongchen and the others.
Accompanied by circular airwaves spreading outwards like a shockwave, dust instantly billowed, immediately initiating the battle.
Sword light flashed like lightning, instantly cutting through the billowing dust. Ji Juechen, holding his iron sword, unleashed surging sword qi that raged like a torrential storm, frantically slashing at the Black Tide Battle General's body.
However, only a series of clanging sounds were heard, and sparks flew everywhere, but the Black Tide Battle General's body sustained no substantial damage.
Seeing this scene, Xiao Hongchen and the others' eyebrows couldn't help but twitch.
They were naturally very familiar with Ji Juechen, the "Sword Obsessed" who was renowned in the academy. Xiao Hongchen himself wasn't entirely confident in defeating this senior, who was highly skilled in swordsmanship.
But even with someone as formidable as Ji Juechen, his sword qi couldn't even break through the Black Tide Battle General's defense. This made them secretly wonder, how were they supposed to fight this?
The other students were even more tearful. Just one such monster already made them feel incredibly troublesome, and now they had to face six equally terrifying beings!
However, being elite students carefully selected by Jing Hongchen, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy members quickly adjusted their state and swiftly formed their formation.
While evading attacks, the soul tool cannon array had also rapidly deployed.
"Boom boom boom!" Accompanied by a series of deafening roars, colorful soul tool炮彈 rained down like a deluge, sweeping towards the Black Tide monsters in a magnificent display.
Seeing this, the Black Tide Decayed Bow simultaneously shot out a dozen energy arrows. The arrows' speed far surpassed the soul tool cannons, intercepting a large number of them mid-air and triggering a series of explosions.
The Black Tide Erosion Demon also refused to be outdone, spreading its arms and condensing orange meteoric rocks behind it. Those rocks instantly transformed into beams of light, shooting out like meteors towards Meng Hongchen and the others.
The Black Tide Counselor, utilizing its invisibility advantage, quietly approached the students, preparing to launch a fatal blow.
The Black Tide Erosion Axe also raised its massive battle axe high, powerfully cleaving out a huge axe light, like an orange lightning bolt, slashing horizontally towards the students.
For a moment, explosions and roars intertwined, reverberating throughout the ruined arena.
Outside, Zhang Lexuan stood with her arms crossed, quietly observing the Holographic Strategy scene projected on the screen in front of her.
Meanwhile, Xuan Ziwen, the leading teacher of Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, had no thoughts about the struggling students.
He was obsessively caressing the various instruments and equipment of the Holographic Strategy, his gaze as if he were staring at his dream lover, filled with fanaticism and longing.
In the eyes of a soul engineer like Xuan Ziwen, who was obsessed with soul tool technology, this Holographic Strategy Room itself was an unparalleled rare treasure.
If it weren't for the last shred of his sanity reminding him, he would probably have immediately suggested to Zhang Lexuan that he live in this Holographic Strategy Room for the next month, so he could fully research these advanced soul tool devices.