The air was thick with tension as the new students gathered on the barren training ground. At the center, a single incense stick burned slowly atop a stone altar, its faint smoke drifting upward in lazy spirals. Dai Mubai's voice cut through the silence, calm but firm.
"To pass this trial, you must outlast one burning stick of incense while facing Zhao Wuji," he said, locking eyes with each of them in turn. "This isn't a test of brute strength alone. Strategy, endurance, and control will decide who survives. When the incense burns out, the trial ends. Make every second count."
The students exchanged anxious glances. Zhao Wuji—a towering Spirit Saint ranked above 70—was the embodiment of raw power and terrifying skill. Facing him was daunting for even the strongest.
The group slipped behind a low ridge, gathering in a tight circle to plan.
Ning Rongrong stepped forward first, her voice steady with quiet authority. "My Martial Soul is the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. I'm an Auxiliary System Spirit Master with a Soul Power at Rank 26. I'll focus on supporting the team—buffing speed, and attack strength so we can stay one step ahead."
A ripple of surprise passed through the group. Ning Rongrong's auxiliary spirit was one of the strongest known, a powerful anchor for the group's strategy.
Next came Zhu Zhuqing, her voice cold and distant, cutting through the tension. "My Martial Soul is the Hell Civet. I'm an Agility Attack System Spirit Master. My Soul Power is Rank 27. I'll disrupt Zhao Wuji's offense with swift, precise strikes."
Tang San nodded and spoke with measured confidence. "My Martial Soul is the Blue Silver Grass. I specialize in binding and control techniques. Soul Power Rank 29."
Xiao Wu's soft voice followed, "My Martial Soul is the Soft Bone Rabbit. I focus on speed and assassination. Soul Power Rank 29."
All eyes then turned to Kazuki. He met their gazes without hesitation.
"My Martial Soul is the Eyes of Law. I'm on the Control System path. My Soul Power is Rank 36."
Gasps echoed in the circle. Ning Rongrong's eyes sparkled with interest, already imagining how Kazuki could strengthen her team. Zhu Zhuqing's lips curled in a rare sign of intrigue. Tang San and Xiao Wu exchanged uneasy looks—Kazuki had hidden his true power far longer than they had expected.
Dai Mubai stepped forward once more. "Remember, Zhao Wuji's greatest strength is his control over gravity and his ability to track his opponents with Position Trace. Stay sharp, and use your strengths wisely."
The incense flickered, and with the crackle of flame, the battle commenced.
Kazuki's first move was swift and precise. He invoked Verdant Veil Ensare, summoning thick mist and thorny vines that twisted across the battlefield. The air filled with damp fog, reducing visibility and restricting Zhao Wuji's movement.
Tang San immediately followed, sending Blue Silver Grass tendrils snaking out to reinforce the vines, binding Zhao Wuji's heavy steps and forcing him into slower, more deliberate motions.
In the chaos, Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu launched coordinated attacks. Zhu's Hell Rush Stab pierced with deadly precision, while Xiao Wu's charms disoriented their opponent, striking weak points in Wuji's defenses.
Ning Rongrong's chants filled the air, amplifying the team's speed and strength—her auxiliary buffs weaving a protective aura around them.
Kazuki's mind raced, calculating the next moves.
When Zhao Wuji activated Position Trace to lock onto Kazuki's movements, Kazuki countered with Temporal Delay Field, slowing Wuji's reaction time just enough to break the lock. Simultaneously, Vector Displacement bent the trajectory of Zhao Wuji's attacks, forcing him to strike at shadows and empty air.
Tang San reinforced the binding with Parasite, ensuring Wuji remained restricted despite his tracking.
But Zhao Wuji was relentless. He unleashed Gravity Crush, compressing the battlefield with overwhelming gravitational force designed to suppress Kazuki's mobility.
Kazuki responded instantly, casting Golden Gravitas Roar, creating a counter-gravity field that neutralized Zhao Wuji's pull. His Metallic Spatial Shield flared into existence, absorbing the crushing blows.
Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu timed their strikes carefully, darting in and out of gravity zones to land blows before Zhao Wuji could regain balance.
Suddenly, the ground trembled as Zhao Wuji activated his feared Sixth Soul Skill—a vast gravity domain warping space itself. The battlefield twisted under immense pressure, the air thick with oppressive force.
Kazuki gritted his teeth, unleashing Voidstep Claw to tear spatial rifts through the domain, creating momentary safe zones.
He layered Vector Displacement with Temporal Delay Field, distorting Zhao Wuji's attacks and slowing his movements until the giant's swings felt sluggish and off-balance.
Tang San seized the opportunity, striking with hidden weapons from unexpected angles, forcing Zhao Wuji into a defensive scramble.
Ning Rongrong's support buffs intensified Kazuki's control, ensuring his stamina held under the strain.
The battle began with a burst of coordinated attacks. Tang San and Xiao Wu moved with practiced grace, while Zhu Zhuqing struck with deadly precision. Together, they aimed to destabilise Zhao Wuji's overwhelming presence.
Tang San summoned thick strands of Blue Silver Grass, whipping them forward like living whips to entangle Zhao Wuji's legs. But Zhao Wuji's immense strength crushed the grass before it could fully bind him, sending splinters flying toward Tang San.
Xiao Wu leapt in, her Soft Bone Rabbit Martial Soul allowing her to dart and dodge effortlessly. She struck quickly at Zhao Wuji's exposed joints with her Charm technique, but Zhao Wuji's awareness and brute force deflected many blows. The heavy gravity pulled at her limbs, making her movements sluggish despite her agility.
Zhu Zhuqing appeared beside Xiao Wu, her Hell Civet Martial Soul flickering like shadow flames. She unleashed her Hell Rush Stab, aiming for Zhao Wuji's vulnerable points. Yet, every strike met with the crushing force of Wuji's arms or his battlefield-altering gravity. The pressure forced her to retreat repeatedly, breath ragged, her attacks growing less precise.
Despite their efforts, Zhao Wuji's Position Trace fourth soul skill tracked every movement. With a sudden, explosive motion, he shattered Tang San's Blue Silver Grass bindings and landed a punishing blow to Tang San's side. The impact sent him sprawling backward, wind knocked out of him.
Xiao Wu tried to shield Tang San, but a gravity surge from Zhao Wuji's Gravity Crush pinned her to the ground, her limbs heavy and unresponsive. Her strikes slowed, her breathing labored.
Zhu Zhuqing fought fiercely, but even she could not avoid a brutal sweep that knocked her off balance. The gravity field sapped her speed, and with a sharp clang, her Hell Civet spirit was forced into a defensive stance.
One after another, their coordinated offense faltered. Tang San struggled to keep focus, his concern for Xiao Wu distracting him, his usually sharp mind clouded by worry.
In a desperate move, Tang San launched a risky attack without proper setup, breaking his own concentration. Zhao Wuji exploited the opening mercilessly, knocking Tang San down.
Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing tried to recover and assist but were overwhelmed by the relentless pressure. Slowly, their strength drained, and they collapsed, unconscious from exhaustion and bruises.
Kazuki remained standing alone.
The battlefield was swallowed in thick mist, swirling like ghosts around the tangled web of thorny vines that Kazuki had summoned with Verdant Veil Ensare. Each step taken was muffled in the damp fog, limiting visibility to mere meters. Zhao Wuji's imposing figure moved cautiously, muscles tense beneath his heavy armor as he attempted to pierce through the haze.
Kazuki's eyes narrowed behind the mist, his senses heightened. He knew Zhao Wuji was a Spirit King with overwhelming power—but his control over laws gave Kazuki an edge in manipulation and subtlety.
With a flick of his wrist, Kazuki bent reality subtly. His Vector Displacement shifted the trajectory of Zhao Wuji's first massive swing. The blow whooshed through empty air as vines and mist cloaked Kazuki's actual position. Zhao Wuji grunted, adjusting his stance as he realized his strikes were being toyed with.
Kazuki pressed the advantage. He activated Temporal Delay Field around Zhao Wuji, creating a distortion that slowed the Spirit King's reaction time. Zhao Wuji's eyes blinked in frustration as his powerful punches seemed to drag through thick syrup.
Kazuki seized the opening and launched a quick barrage of spatial strikes, claws tearing at the fog itself with Voidstep Claw, slashing at the edges of reality to create small rifts that shimmered like broken glass in the mist. Zhao Wuji stumbled, his balance briefly lost as his senses warped.
But Zhao Wuji was no novice.
He roared, activating Position Trace—a glowing rune appeared over his brow, mapping Kazuki's subtle shifts in the battlefield. Despite the smoke and distortions, Zhao Wuji's eyes tracked the faintest movements, preparing to counter Kazuki's elusive dance.
Kazuki's smirk faded. He raised his hands, summoning a deep rumble as Golden Gravitas Roar surged outward—a sphere of counter-gravity blossomed, pushing back Zhao Wuji's advancing force. The Spirit King's powerful attempts to close the distance were met with an invisible wall that tugged and twisted his momentum.
But Zhao Wuji adapted quickly. His voice thundered as he called forth Gravity Crush—the ground beneath Kazuki cracked and buckled as an oppressive gravitational field locked him in place. Every muscle burned as if crushed by an unseen giant's hand.
Kazuki's defenses flared instantly. He activated his Metallic Spatial Shield, a shimmering barrier that absorbed the massive force. Sparks flew where Zhao Wuji's blows struck, but Kazuki remained steady, muscles coiled like a spring.
The air pulsed with energy as Kazuki darted, using Vector Displacement again to misdirect Zhao Wuji's follow-up strikes. Zhao Wuji growled, swinging with brutal power, each blow threatening to break through the spatial defenses.
With a roar of fury, Zhao Wuji unleashed his Sixth Soul Skill—the battlefield itself seemed to warp. Gravity twisted unnaturally, the air thickened, and the ground beneath them rippled like liquid metal.
Kazuki's heart pounded. He reached deep into his connection with space itself, unleashing Voidstep Claw again. Spatial rifts tore open like jagged scars in the warped reality, providing fleeting safe zones amid the chaos.
Kazuki layered Temporal Delay Field over Vector Displacement, creating double distortions. Zhao Wuji's movements slowed, his attacks curved unpredictably through the space-time shifts.
The Spirit King's face contorted in frustration as his usual overwhelming power was countered not by brute force, but by Kazuki's mastery of subtle law manipulation.
Tang San's hidden weapons struck from a distance, forcing Zhao Wuji's focus to split, while Ning Rongrong's buffs kept Kazuki from exhausting his stamina.
The exhausting battle pushed both fighters to their limits. Zhao Wuji's punches landed with earth-shaking force, but Kazuki's shields held. Kazuki's spatial claws tore at Wuji's defenses, delivering precise hits that disrupted the Spirit King's flow.
Kazuki's voice was calm yet unwavering. "I will not fall today."
He summoned every ounce of strength, intensifying Golden Gravitas Roar, compressing space around Wuji and weighing down his movements like an invisible prison.
Zhao Wuji's fists slowed, his stance faltered.
Kazuki pressed forward with a final flurry—each strike a blend of law manipulation and raw power, forcing Zhao Wuji back step by step.
Then the incense burned out.
The battlefield fell silent.