"I'll do it!" Du Ze strode towards the strength testing stone.
Seeing Du Ze approach, Lu Piao rolled his eyes.
Just when he thought he was in the spotlight, now Du Ze was about to steal it.
It really made him unhappy!
Comparing himself to ordinary students, Lu Piao had much to be proud of as a thirteen-year-old bronze three-star demon spirit master.
But when he compared himself to Du Ze, the gap was simply too big.
Both of them started their training at the same time, but Lu Piao found that Du Ze had far surpassed him.
Du Ze stood in front of the strength testing stone, his mature face calm.
He clenched his fist tightly and struck the stone with all his might.
Boom!
A heavy thud resounded, echoing louder than Lu Piao's earlier strike, shaking the whole testing stone.
"The test results are bronze five-star, with a strength of five hundred," said the instructor in charge, gasping in surprise.
What was happening today? The students from the beginner martial artist class were all extraordinary.
Just moments ago, they had tested a thirteen-year-old bronze three-star genius, and now they had another who was bronze five-star.
The surrounding area fell into a stunned silence; Du Ze was actually more talented than Lu Piao!
From a distance, the students wore expressions of heartbreak, crushed by their own inadequacies.
They were even losing the courage to take the test.
Meanwhile, the academy higher-ups in the stands struggled to catch their breaths.
A thirteen-year-old bronze five-star—how long had it been since such a genius was birthed in Saint Spirit Academy?
"You can't steal him from me, he is my disciple!" Ye Sheng exclaimed excitedly.
"Vice Principal, how can you be so cruel? I'm confident that I can teach better than anyone else in martial arts! Let me handle it!" an elderly man with white hair urgently interjected.
"With such an outstanding talent, do you think his skills will be limited to martial arts?" Ye Sheng's eyes sparkled with radiance.
"No need for a second test," Du Ze said coolly as he turned to walk away, ready to test his demon spirit power.
"Really not testing a second time?" the instructor asked him, a hint of hope in his voice.
"If you do, perhaps you could break five hundred!"
However, he was only met with the youth's indifferent back.
Du Ze's voice echoed back, "This is already my maximum strength!"
"Is that so?" The instructor nodded slightly.
This was already an astounding figure.
If he were to grow stronger, wouldn’t he soon reach the silver level? A thirteen-year-old silver-level fighter would be simply unbelievable.
Du Ze picked up the soul crystal, infusing it with his soul force.
The crystal shone brightly, specks of white light gathering within.
The initial soul crystal resembled a blazing little sun.
Boom!
The initial soul crystal suddenly shattered, falling to the ground.
“Exploded?”
“Hiss! Too monstrous!”
“Strength reaching five hundred, and now the soul force is even more insane!”
"My goodness, this is just too incredible!"
The initial soul crystal could only bear six hundred soul force at most.
Beyond that limit, it would explode.
Normally, beginner class tests used initial soul crystals, and it seemed no one had ever experienced one shattering before—no even Ye Mo when he was thirteen had such astonishing achievements.
Everyone looked at Du Ze with entirely different eyes.
Had Du Ze broken their understanding? Was Glory City about to give birth to someone even more powerful than Ye Mo?
After a moment of silence, Vice Principal Ye Sheng said, "I will report this matter directly to the Director and Lord Ye Mo. Du Ze will be given special protection. A talent like this might be beyond even my teaching capabilities. I will consult with Lord Ye Mo personally about finding a suitable mentor for him!"
With a strength of five hundred and soul force exceeding that, Du Ze left everyone in shock.
"Vice Principal, should we switch the soul crystal?" the instructor in charge whispered, looking at Ye Sheng with trepidation.
"No need!" Ye Sheng shook his head.
"I will have those gentlemen personally test his soul power!" It was crucial to have Du Ze protected.
If the Dark Guild got word, it would spell trouble.
"Understood!" The instructor glanced at Du Ze respectfully and said, "Your test is complete!" Considering this young man, who knew how far his future achievements could reach? Would he become the second legendary demon spirit master?
Was the test really over? Du Ze was slightly surprised.
With a nod, he stepped aside.
Now, most of the students looked at Du Ze with awe.
This person had the potential to be the future legendary demon spirit master!
After a moment of shock, Shen Yue's expression darkened considerably.
He clenched his fists tightly, blood oozing from his palms.
After this test, he suddenly felt the gap between him and Du Ze growing wider.
He could no longer keep up with their pace.
"How are they improving so quickly?" Shen Yue's gaze deepened.
He had a sinking feeling that the source of all this must be Nie Li; perhaps Nie Li had helped Du Ze, Lu Piao, and others find the right cultivation methods!
Of course, that was just Shen Yue’s guess; little did he know he was right on the money.
"Shen Xiu, why didn’t you report to us about such outstanding students in your class?" some higher-ups from the academy inquired sternly, relieved that they had tested Lu Piao and Du Ze first.
If the Dark Guild had heard the news first, the consequences would be unthinkable.
Shen Xiu opened her mouth but said nothing, feeling quite frustrated.
On the stands, her expression darkened further.
She knew Du Ze and Lu Piao too well; not long ago, their abilities were not that impressive, only to surge forward so quickly now.
There had to be something amiss! However, she wouldn’t share this with the academy’s higher-ups.
If they found out that Du Ze and Lu Piao's strengths had risen so rapidly, it would only draw more attention to them!
Meanwhile, outside the testing area, the junior demon spirit masters were chatting.
"I wonder how the junkies from the beginner martial artists' class did!" one of the junior demon spirit master students said with a smirk.
His name was Shi Hua, a standout student in the junior class, already a bronze two-star demon spirit master.
"With so many classes, only fifteen made it to the junior demon spirit master requirements to join us. I bet, aside from those two girls, the rest of the beginner martial artists have no hope!" Shi Hua said, eyeing Ye Ziyun and Xiao Ning'er with longing.
"I heard that Shen Yue isn’t too bad. I heard he's already reached the bronze one-star level!"
"Is that so?" Shi Hua scoffed, rolling his eyes.
Even if Shen Yue reached bronze one-star, he wouldn't care.
Just then, commotion erupted from other classes.
"How is this possible?"
"Could there have been a mistake in the test results?"
"Impossible, the strength testing stone has tested so many students and has never been wrong!"
"Oh my heavens, is this defying the heavens?"
Shi Hua frowned, glancing at several students from the junior class.
"What happened? What's going on with them?"
"Shi Hua, it's unbelievable!" one student still in shock replied, taking a deep breath.
"The beginner martial artists' class had two stunning results!"
"The beginner martial artist class? Even with good talent, they could at most reach bronze one-star. What's so surprising?" Shi Hua said dismissively.
"No, if it were just a bronze one-star, it wouldn’t cause such an uproar. Three students have completed their tests: one reached bronze one-star, one bronze three-star, and the other was even more astonishing! The initial soul crystal just exploded! Exploded! My heavens, this guy is just too monstrous!"
"The initial soul crystal exploded?" Shi Hua’s eyes widened in shock, mirroring the astonishment of the other students.
"Once the soul crystal shattered, the instructor didn’t let him continue testing. We don’t know how high his soul force reached!"
Shi Hua took a deep breath, his chest heaving, and asked, "Was it one of those two girls?"
"Not at all!" the student shook his head.
"The two girls haven’t tested yet; the ones who did were three boys!"
Shi Hua opened his mouth in disbelief.
Was this really the beginner martial artist class? How did such terrifying talents suddenly emerge? Being a bronze two-star, he was already a top student in the junior demon spirit master class, but compared to those two freaks, he was worlds apart!
Just then, other classes erupted into noise again.
"What now?" Shi Hua asked with vacant eyes.
"Just now, three more tested from the beginner martial artist class: Wei Nan, Zhu Xiangjun, and Zhang Ming. They are all bronze two-star, just a thread away from bronze three-star."
"Damn! Is this really the beginner martial artist class? Are you sure it’s not the genius class?" Shi Hua's mind was racing with frustration.
Before they could recover from their shock, more news came: Ye Ziyun and Xiao Ning'er had successively taken the tests, both causing the initial soul crystals to explode.
Silence!
A stifling heaviness filled the air!
Shi Hua felt an overwhelming urge to smash his head against a wall.
Before the beginner martial artist class began testing, as a standout in the junior demon spirit master class, he held some pride, thinking he might win over either Xiao Ning'er or Ye Ziyun.
But now, that pride was utterly shattered.
It turned out he wasn’t even in the same league as Ye Ziyun and Xiao Ning'er.
"A bunch of freaks!" Shi Hua muttered dazedly.
~~ Regarding talent, in his last life, Nie Li's abilities were the worst among his peers.
It was only by sheer luck that he survived the great catastrophe, eventually reaching the peak of martial arts due to the Temporal Demon Spirit Book.
Another week has passed; please cast your votes for Snail.
Snail is truly grateful.
(End of Chapter)