Xie Xie hadn't even consciously thought he could dodge that punch — his body's reflexive reaction alone had pushed him to an almost unnatural burst of speed.
Planting his feet firmly, his first soul ring flared to life.
The Light Dragon Blade shot toward his opponent, and Xie Xie himself darted to Gu You's other side. When Gu You moved to dodge the flying blade, Xie Xie was already there, forcing him to face a direct punch. No matter how you looked at it, Xie Xie believed this was a battle Gu You had already lost.
Such attack techniques — even the usually cold Wu Zhangkong secretly nodded to himself. Though Xie Xie was the weakest in Zero Class, it was clear he had begun to understand the essence of agility-type combat soul masters.
Tang Wulin watched intently. As a bystander this time, he could more deeply appreciate how hard Xie Xie had been working these days. Honestly, when he himself had defeated Xie Xie before, it was largely because of the strange golden scales on his arm. In terms of pure strength and skill, Xie Xie was stronger.
Just as everyone thought Gu You would dodge the Light Dragon Blade and face Xie Xie's punch head-on, he simply stood there, unmoving.
Wu Zhangkong's brow furrowed. 'This kid's too cocky.' He prepared to intervene at any moment, ready to use his soul power to save Gu You if the Light Dragon Blade struck. But even so, the strength Gu You had displayed so far made Wu Zhangkong genuinely curious. If Gu You went all out — just what kind of power did he hold? Regardless of whether he passed the test or not, Wu Zhangkong had already decided he would allow Gu You into Zero Class. He had personally witnessed how powerful dragon-type martial spirits could be. And judging from the bloodline suppression he saw earlier, Gu You's martial spirit was certainly no ordinary one. Even if he lacked combat technique now, Wu Zhangkong believed that under his teaching, Gu You could become an unrivaled powerhouse.
Suddenly, a surge of powerful soul energy radiated outward from Gu You.
A purple-blue soul ring rose at his feet, and an overwhelming bloodline dragon aura instantly shattered the incoming Light Dragon Blade, forcing Xie Xie to retreat.
The entire scene fell silent. Everyone stared at the glowing soul ring under Gu You's feet, stunned.
'What… what is that color?!'
But it was still a fight — there was no time to question, no time to interrupt.
Wu Zhangkong, having seen much in his life, recalled that while red ten-thousand-year soul rings weren't unheard of, anything beyond that was extremely rare. Some historical records even hinted at stranger soul ring colors, though they were practically mythical. But this purple-blue glow… this was a first even for him. Just from this, Wu Zhangkong thought, Gu You could be called a true genius, someone who had broken a miracle, who had created a legend. No matter what his future achievements would be, just this soul ring would go down in the Federation's history.
Xie Xie calculated his next step carefully, landing less than a meter away — the perfect distance to strike. Facing such a strong opponent, his potential surged to its limits.
But inside, he could only feel bitter.
Gu You had obviously been holding back.
Before Xie Xie could react, Gu You's fist came flying in — too fast to see, too fast to dodge.
"In battle," Gu You warned calmly, "don't waste time thinking. Every second can decide your life or death."
Even as he pulled back his strength, his fist still struck Xie Xie's right cheek with a tearing gust of wind.
Smack!
Xie Xie was sent flying. Thankfully, Gu You had deliberately held back; otherwise, his face might've been crushed.
This battle had been decided in a single exchange. Gu You's bloodline dragon aura alone was enough to suppress Xie Xie's martial spirit completely. But for the sake of a meaningful match, Gu You had suppressed his own aura partway through, just to make it last longer.
Tang Wulin clenched his fists as his heart pounded.
'Gu You is so strong… even with just one ring.'
What Tang Wulin didn't know was that the glowing soul ring he saw wasn't a soul beast-derived ring at all — it was a special blood qi ring. Gu You's actual soul power level had already reached the Soul Elder rank.
Gu Yue's face remained composed, but her eyes were full of questions as she stared at Gu You.
"I lost, Teacher," Xie Xie said calmly, holding his swollen right cheek. His tone was flat, but Wu Zhangkong knew the boy had been deeply shaken by this defeat.
'Next time, I can't let him take the lead in these matches,' Wu Zhangkong thought, giving Xie Xie a light nod.
"Don't be so down," Gu You said, walking over. "Your combat skills are really impressive. If we had the same martial spirit, I probably wouldn't be your match."
Wu Zhangkong narrowed his eyes at Gu You.
"Enough with the empty words. Thanks for the comfort, but strength is strength, and I'm just not strong enough. I'll just have to train harder," Xie Xie said with a wry smile. It wasn't that his mental resilience was weak — it was just that his face kept ending up the punching bag in every fight!
Tang Wulin hurried over to support him. "Are you hurt badly? Should we go to the infirmary?"
Xie Xie shook his head.
"You really look like a big, bloated pig right now," Gu Yue remarked with a grin as she walked up, eyeing his swollen cheek.
"You're the pig! Your whole family's pigs!" Xie Xie snapped, instantly bristling.
"Ha! If you want to fight, go ahead. I don't mind making the other side of your face match," Gu Yue sneered.
"You…!"
"Enough, all of you," Wu Zhangkong cut in calmly. 'They really are just like me when I was their age,' he thought to himself. 'Those were good times.'
Turning back to Gu You, he asked, "What's with that soul ring of yours?"
"This is my blood qi soul ring," Gu You explained. "It's not from a soul beast — it's condensed from the blood energy inside my body. Like a soul skill, it comes with its own ability, and it's perfectly attuned to my martial spirit. Its power is at least two hundred times stronger than a normal soul skill."
"I see," Wu Zhangkong nodded slightly. "Congratulations — you're officially part of Zero Class. What's your current soul power level?"
Not just Wu Zhangkong, but even Zhang Yangzi and the others were curious now. Someone who could easily defeat a two-ring Soul Master — they had to be at least level twenty-five or above, right?
Gu You looked at everyone, his eyes briefly flicking toward Tang Wulin before he spoke.
"Let me introduce myself," he said calmly. "My name is Gu You. I'm nine years old, from Tianhai. My martial spirit is the Purple Gold Dragon Emperor. My soul power is at the Soul Elder level — thirty."
It was as if a bomb had gone off in the plaza.
Nine years old, and already a Soul Elder?
In just three years, even with innate full soul power, he had raised his level by nineteen. By that pace, wouldn't he reach Title Douluo rank by age twenty?
A genius!
That was the only word echoing in Wu Zhangkong's mind. Not even the peerless prodigies of Shrek's history could compare. And yet… why hadn't someone like Gu You appeared in any of the national genius rankings? Was it simply because Wu Zhangkong hadn't been paying attention online? Or… had the times already changed?
Tang Wulin's heart pounded hard in his chest. His fists clenched tightly.
For the first time, he felt a deep sense of inadequacy — an overwhelming pressure radiating from Gu You's extreme talent — and within him, a stubborn defiance began to rise.
(End of Chapter)
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