After senior Wang Li arranged the students participating in the assessment in their positions, Sun Buyu finally reminded them, "Please get ready. The assessment will officially start the moment the gold Soul Coin in my hand hits the ground!"
He tossed the gold Soul Coin high into the air, and the moment it landed, the examiner Sun Buyu's voice rang out: "The assessment begins!"
"Charge~~!"
Everyone transformed into wild horses running at full speed toward the front.
Although most of these noble-born students looked down on the so-called prizes, they still had to make some effort to get into the advanced class, since staying in the lower class was quite a disgrace.
Watching the running figures ahead, especially his favorite—Kong Long's capable nephew—Sun Buyu nodded slightly. If nothing unexpected happened, the first place would certainly belong to him.
At that moment, Kong Long was in second place, while leading in first was a girl with a decent appearance whose Martial Soul was the Ghost Cat, a swift-attack type. The first segment of the course naturally favored her, and she understood how to seize the opportunity, taking the lead right from the start.
Sun Buyu then glanced back to check on the last few participants and was stunned—the expression of shock was clear on his face. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open, wide enough to fit a steamed bun.
"That kid…"
Sun Buyu was shocked to find Gu Yechen still standing there meditating.
"Why are you just standing there? Run!" Sun Buyu urged.
Gu Yechen's hesitation worried Sun Buyu deeply; such a passive attitude was unacceptable. Was he not planning to enroll? Even though this was a noble academy, once the three heads of the Education Committee approved, a student could still be expelled.
In truth, Gu Yechen was thinking about how best to allocate his Soul Power. According to his estimate, his Soul Power level was around level 20.
As Examiner Sun Buyu had just said, the entire test track was 50 kilometers long, divided into five segments. Each segment affected different types of Soul Masters differently.
Each segment was 10 kilometers, and knowing how to apply one's strengths to wield Soul Power effectively was a skill.
Running the whole course using Soul Power at level 20 was impossible, but he figured he could sprint with Soul Power during two segments.
Sharpening the axe won't delay the cutting of wood, Gu Yechen pondered which two segments he should use Soul Power on.
He decided the last segment, the support section, definitely required using Soul Power because it was the most advantageous stretch to shake off competitors.
For the other segment, he decided on the one suitable for strong attack types, since his Martial Soul was a hybrid of support and strong attack.
After making up his mind, his eyes suddenly snapped open, and without using Soul Power, he began running forward.
Watching Gu Yechen already lagging several hundred meters behind, Examiner Sun Buyu turned to Wang Li beside him and asked, "What's that kid's name?"
Wang Li glanced at the roster, matched the name, and replied, "His name is Gu Yechen."
Sun Buyu asked again, "Who introduced him?"
He really couldn't understand how someone so passive and lazy was recommended.
What he didn't know was that Gu Yechen was the first to arrive at the test site, and this was clearly a misunderstanding.
Wang Li scanned the statistics table, swiped his finger, then answered, "Ye Yuhan."
"Her?"
Sun Buyu fell into thoughtful silence. That woman was no simple character—it was better not to provoke her.
"Teacher, do you know her?" Wang Li, as Sun Buyu's direct disciple, was curious why his teacher looked so wary.
Wang Li had always followed his teacher closely; for other courses in the Royal Academy, he studied casually, mostly relying on himself for training. No matter how good the theory, it was just flashy moves without real power.
So he seldom attended lectures, mostly learning social skills from Sun Buyu outside class and only occasionally training on his own when necessary.
"Know her? Not exactly. I just recognize her."
Sun Buyu was silent for a moment before saying, "Wang Li, you have been with me for three years now. I've basically taught you everything about cultivation."
"But some people have backgrounds we can't afford to offend. Setting aside who Ye Yuhan's husband is, just her Martial Soul—the Nine Heart Begonia—is something every noble knows about."
"The Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul is passed down through a single bloodline. If it weren't such a unique Martial Soul, and if they were a big family, they would likely be poised to replace the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect as the strongest support faction."
"You should have heard of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. The name of the top three sects is well-deserved. Their Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Tower Martial Soul is unrivaled in the world. But among support types, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Tower isn't the strongest; stronger is the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul."
Sun Buyu sighed as he recalled a historic figure who once possessed the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Tower Martial Soul—their existence laid the foundation for the sect's current dominance.
Perhaps only the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Tower Martial Soul could surpass the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul among support types. However, owners of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Tower Martial Soul couldn't even break through to the Soul Douluo level, let alone become a titled Douluo.
So it was inevitable that the Nine Heart Begonia overtook the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Tower in later times.
Wang Li scratched his head. "Nine Heart Begonia? There's a student in Teacher Qin Ming's class who has that Martial Soul. Could she be Ye Yuhan's heir?"
"That… how could that be?"
"Teacher Sun, I can believe the Nine Heart Begonia is on par with the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile, but you saying it's stronger might be an exaggeration. The Nine Heart Begonia is just a healing-type Martial Soul."
Indeed, the Nine Heart Begonia's specialty was healing, while the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Tower was about amplification. Relatively speaking, the latter had absolute advantage in a team.
A level 60 Soul Emperor under the amplification of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Tower could potentially battle a level 70 Soul Saint.
Sun Buyu explained, "Heh, just healing? Have you heard of the Unyielding Secret Technique? Absolute healing—the degree of healing can be controlled at will."
"Absolute healing?"
Wang Li looked puzzled. "What does that mean, teacher? I don't quite understand."
Sun Buyu smiled, "It means all her Soul Rings and Soul Skills are related to healing. Each additional Soul Ring multiplies her healing power."
"Suppose your opponent is a level 40 Soul Ancestor whose Martial Soul is the Nine Heart Begonia. Even with your level 44 Soul Power burst, you still couldn't hurt him because the healing from all the Nine Heart Begonia Soul Rings can activate simultaneously. Imagine the cumulative healing amount."
"To kill a Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul owner, you have to fight a war of attrition—wait until their Soul Power is depleted, then strike."
"So as long as their Soul Power isn't drained, they are effectively immortal."
"Immortal?" Wang Li nodded, clearly impressed.
Sun Buyu then looked at Wang Li with satisfaction and said, "But you're not bad yourself. If you weren't a year over the age limit, you'd definitely have a spot on the Royal Academy's team this year."
Wang Li shook his head bitterly. He wasn't strong enough yet. The people from the Spirit Hall were too monstrous.
In the last all-continent Soul Master Elite Competition, he only got to play as a substitute for the Royal Academy team.
Those trained by the Spirit Hall were unbelievably strong. Aside from watching the battles, he also experienced firsthand what it was like to get beaten up.
Looking at his fist, which was as small as a sandbag, he realized his power was insufficient—both in burst power and Soul Power level.
At this rate, sooner or later he'd be surpassed by a new batch of students. The new waves push the old, and the old die on the shore. He was unwilling.
Wang Li had been at the Royal Academy for several years. If not for working under Sun Buyu, he might have already graduated and left.
(End of Chapter)
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