The conversation between the two did not affect the students in the examination field; they were all fully energized, ready at any moment to overtake those ahead of them.
In the first segment of the course, the agile attack-type soul masters held every advantage—timing, terrain, and even teamwork.
They couldn't quite lend a helping hand to those struggling, but they could certainly enhance those already doing well.
Some even deliberately blocked others' paths to please Kong Long and You Xiyao; whenever someone behind tried to pass, they would accelerate and block again.
Currently, first place was still held by You Xiyao, an agile attack-type soul master. Second place belonged to the most likely winner of the assessment—Kong Long.
Although Kong Long was not an agile attack-type, his soul power reached level 29, far surpassing You Xiyao's level 27.
So wasting a bit of soul power at the start wasn't a problem—he just had to avoid making a bad showing, especially with his father watching from the mountain.
Third place was not Zui Wuqing, known for his shaved head, nor the mysterious little girl, but a man named Cai Xiang.
His soul weapon was a hummingbird, which also clearly belonged to the agile attack-type.
These three had already distanced themselves far ahead of the main group. As for those volunteers blocking others, nobody really knew who they were.
At the very back, the last runner was still Gu Yechen, who hadn't used even a sliver of soul power. He firmly believed that reasonable soul power allocation was more important than merely looking good while running.
Unexpectedly, even the bald-headed Zui Wuqing and the beautiful little girl had fallen to the back of the pack—second-to-last and third-to-last, respectively.
"Big brother! Why aren't you using soul power?" the little girl deliberately slowed her pace and ran alongside Gu Yechen.
"Then why aren't you using yours?" Gu Yechen asked.
He knew this little girl was tight-lipped—she wouldn't answer questions before the assessment, so he wasn't about to tell her his reasons.
"I'm a pure support-type soul master, and... I haven't fully developed yet, so of course my physical fitness isn't as good as theirs," the girl hurriedly explained, sounding like she was making an excuse.
Then she looked at Gu Yechen and said, "I told you my reason. Now you tell me why you chose to be last?"
Gu Yechen wiped his forehead, utterly speechless, but forced out, "Do I really need a reason to be last?"
The girl was puzzled. "No reason?"
Gu Yechen widened his eyes. "You think there's a reason?"
She waved her hand. "Sigh, I'm just curious. No need to be so serious."
"I'm not playing with you anymore. You run your race. I have to speed up now. That last place was supposed to be mine, but since you like it so much, I'll reluctantly let you have it."
With that, the air around the little girl rippled slightly, and a golden light shimmered around her body.
She looked full of vigor—it was clear she had just used soul power.
Her original plan was to stay last at first and then pull off a surprise comeback to win, shocking everyone.
But she found Gu Yechen's pace far too slow for that to work.
So she slowed down to wait for him and ran side-by-side, fulfilling the 'last place' role before accelerating.
Soon, she caught up with the main group, skillfully weaving through them—likely because of her small frame, no one ahead could block her, and whenever there was a chance, she used soul power to overtake.
Watching this little girl who looked like a cartoon character and didn't mind crawling under obstacles, examiner Sun Buyu frowned deeply.
This was a noble academy—such behavior was undignified. Yet, more than that, he was surprised by the little girl's performance.
Time passed quickly. You Xiyao, still leading, had reached the second segment, and the little girl had already surged to fourth place.
Curious, Sun Buyu asked, "What's the little girl's name? And who introduced her?"
Wang Li took out the statistics form, checked, and said, "Her name is Jiu Ying, introduced by the Spirit Hall's Platinum Archbishop, Salas."
"Salas? That's a powerful background," Sun Buyu mused, stroking his chin.
"No wonder I always thought this little girl was special—she has ties with the Spirit Hall," he added.
Wang Li was puzzled. "The Spirit Hall has its own specialized schools. Why send students to our Tian Dou Royal Academy? And this girl's talent looks excellent. Why would they be willing to send her out? Is there some hidden secret?"
Sun Buyu quickly interrupted, "Don't talk carelessly about the Spirit Hall outside. All soul masters in the continent must register there. Even though their relations with the Tian Dou Royal Family aren't good, it's still the birthplace of all soul masters."
"Understood!" Wang Li nodded. He naturally disliked the Spirit Hall, given the tension with the Tian Dou Empire.
Putting the matter aside, Sun Buyu's gaze returned to the running candidates.
Even Gu Yechen, last at first, had reached the second segment.
This segment favored strong attack-type soul weapons, especially strength-based battle soul masters—it was like adding wings to a tiger.
Gu Yechen was not yet out of breath and controlled his breathing well; after all, he had only run 10km, which was easy for a messenger like him.
Not far ahead was a simple shelter where a senior was stationed.
Seeing Gu Yechen approach, the senior cupped his hands and shouted loudly, "Choose one: copper-plated armor, iron sandbag, or stone backpack."
Without further explanation, Gu Yechen knew what to do—choose one item and continue running.
This was a weighted segment, very advantageous for strength-type soul masters. For Gu Yechen, a support-type, it would be a disadvantage.
Noticing Gu Yechen's pace slow slightly, the senior was surprised when Gu Yechen did not stop but picked up the copper-plated armor and immediately accelerated.
The senior was stunned. "Is he a monster?"
That copper armor weighed at least 40 kilograms, and even the senior found it heavy. How was Gu Yechen holding it so lightly, as if it were just normal clothing?
Gu Yechen was putting it on while running, wasting almost no time. This shocked the senior even more.
Previously, everyone else stopped to put on their equipment before continuing, but Gu Yechen didn't even pause and kept accelerating.
Clearly, Gu Yechen had activated his first soul skill—Crimson Lotus Weakening—a continuous release skill far stronger than just using soul power.
The copper armor's weight, originally 40 kilograms, was reduced to just 10 kilograms in his hands.
And with soul power boosting him, that 10 kilograms felt like holding a mere half-pound baton.
(End of chapter)
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