The dark Gu You charged at him, the black halberd in his hand radiating faint streams of gray energy, forming a murky field around him. Within this gray field, everything seemed to come to a halt, as though time itself had been frozen.
Gu You raised his Dragon God Halberd to meet him head-on. With both of his domains active, he couldn't allow himself to be intimidated.
Clang! Clang!
Their halberds clashed again and again, the immense force of each strike causing airburst-like shockwaves to explode around them.
Their speed grew faster and faster, the clashing of their halberds ringing endlessly through the starry void.
Each swing drew arcs of brilliant light, so fast that the radiance couldn't even keep pace with the speed of Gu You's arms.
Trapped within the gray field, Gu You felt a suffocating pressure tightening around him.
In the blink of an eye, he activated the soul bone skill from his right leg—Ice God Kick!
An ice dragon phantom burst forth, shooting like lightning toward the dark Gu You. But to Gu You's shock, the enemy seemed to already know what was coming. His right leg flashed with light, and a black dragon shadow collided with the ice dragon.
Boom!!
A powerful impact sent both of them flying in opposite directions.
Gu You gripped his halberd and swung it downward. His feet braced atop it as he landed on a massive asteroid. Using the halberd's anchor-like hold, he finally stopped himself.
Even the Dragon God Halberd bent slightly under the force of the stop—an indication of just how fierce the impact had been.
The dark Gu You wasn't so lucky. He smashed through asteroid after asteroid, each one exploding violently, until finally his body flickered with black light and he came to a stop.
"Domain—activate," he said coldly.
Behind him, two black divine rings shimmered into existence. Identical domains to Gu You's appeared.
'Just as I feared…'
Gu You fell into brief confusion. The opponent not only possessed his exact powers, but even seemed to predict his moves as if reading his mind. How was he supposed to win against this?
But after thinking it through, he shook his head.
'If this guy was truly a perfect replica of me, down to my every thought… then that's honestly terrifying.'
He remembered the Dragon God's words—he needed to believe in himself.
From the moment he awakened the Purple-Gold Dragon Emperor martial soul, his path had been set.
'I walk the road of invincibility. Even if I must face myself, I'll remain undefeated!'
Gu You raised his halberd and emptied his thoughts, letting his mind become a tranquil sea.
He was testing the dark Gu You—testing if it truly could read his thoughts and predict his next move.
Sure enough, with nothing to latch onto, the dark version hesitated. He didn't dare move forward because he couldn't anticipate Gu You's next step.
Seizing the opportunity, Gu You's eyes shot open.
A soft purple glow spread from his chest as his blood surged to a boiling pace.
Deep within his heart, a small violet crystal core emerged without a sound.
It was like a second heart… or even another mind.
In the same moment, Gu You's fifth bloodline soul ring appeared—not the previous purple-gold from the Golden Dragon King, but a purplish-blue hue.
Even now, Gu You's thoughts remained silent. His new "second mind" had taken over the thinking for him.
His real heart remained, but inside it pulsed this new organ—one that amplified his bloodline transformations and let it think in place of his conscious mind.
The fifth bloodline soul ring lit up.
"Dragon Emperor's Shatter—Heaven and Earth Overturn!"
Gu You raised his hand, his gaze suddenly growing ancient and profound.
Behind him, a massive shadow spanning ten thousand meters took shape.
The dark Gu You roared again and began transforming—his body elongating into a dragon nearly a kilometer long.
Even though he didn't know what tricks Gu You was playing, just seeing the shadowy titan behind him made it clear—he had to go all out.
Under the dragon's might, the world itself tilted.
Gu You let out a deep, aged cry. The colossal dragon behind him released a blinding purple divine radiance that spread outward.
Everything in its path was obliterated. Even distant stars...
Wherever the purple divine light passed, heaven and earth collapsed.
This entire illusionary universe, fabricated for the trial, was utterly annihilated.
As for the other Gu You—he likely didn't even know how he died.
Gu You felt himself returning to his real body. His soul power surged at last toward level seventy.
When the final traces of violent soul fluctuations faded, the seventh soul ring condensed into existence.
Gu You finally exhaled in relief.
'I wonder what kind of ordeal I'll have to face when I break through to level eighty,' he thought.
He rose to his feet and touched the center of his chest.
Just as he suspected, a small violet core emitted a faint glow from within his heart.
He didn't dwell on it. Anything that could help him would be studied later.
Right now, he needed a good night's sleep… and to prepare for Shrek's brutal final exam.
—
Morning.
At dawn, the entire Class One of Year One had assembled in the Spirit Ice Plaza, ready and waiting.
Nearly every student who had passed Shrek Academy's entry exams possessed storage soul tools for everyday use. Upon arriving, Wu Zhangkong and Shen Yi began collecting these items—no one was allowed to bring a single possession into the exam aside from the clothes on their backs.
"Can't we work out a deal?" Gu You gave Shen Yi an awkward smile.
"In your dreams." Shen Yi rolled his eyes.
"When did you learn to curse? Look, I've got some seriously good stuff. Don't lose any of it," Gu You grumbled.
"Trust in the character of Shrek's teachers," Shen Yi said solemnly.
"Fine."
Gu You reluctantly handed over his storage ring.
Shen Yi gave it a once-over and showed a flash of shock in his eyes, but said nothing.
Body searches still had to happen, of course. Procedures were procedures. The searches were thorough, with male and female students separated. Most cooperated, though a few tried to be sneaky. But once a teacher with an eye-based martial soul—and a soul skill called X-Ray Vision—showed up, all that wishful thinking was crushed.
Outside the academy gates, the wind blew cold.
With their strong physiques, Shrek students shouldn't have felt it, yet many still shivered.
"So clean… it hurts!" one student wailed.
"See you in fifteen days." Luo Guixing waved to Gu You, then turned to leave, wasting no time. The two had bonded a bit in recent weeks and could now be considered friends.
"Good luck, everyone. Don't get eliminated. When next semester starts…"
(End of Chapter)
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