Gu La's words struck directly at Yun Ming's vulnerabilities—the two things he cared about most were destined to be destroyed. What choice was he left with?
Even the usually unshakable Yun Ming, whose composure remained steady even in the face of a collapsing mountain, felt his heart waver. Recalling what Zang Xin had said about Gu La's strength, he ultimately refrained from stopping him.
A distant voice echoed in Gu La's ear: "After entering the academy, go to cultivate beneath the Golden Ancient Tree on Sea God Island."
The corner of Gu La's lips curled up as he responded, "Then I thank you."
Back in the examination hall, Tang Wulin and the others had already passed the fifth trial. This trial tested physical strength—Tang Wulin's forte.
When Gu La arrived at the fifth trial, the tungsten force-asuring column was still smoking. Gu La's strength surpassed Tang Wulin's, and he delivered a single strike on the spare force-asuring column.
A deafening boom erupted as the column shattered. The proctor wiped away cold sweat while recording the results: "Fifth trial, Gu La, palm force of 138,000 jin—perfect score."
Gu La wasn't surprised. He then proceeded to the sixth trial, where he found Tang Wulin feasting voraciously and the examiner staring in disbelief.
The sixth trial was filled with the rich aroma of dough. A mountain of stead buns had already piled up before Tang Wulin.
The boy's cheeks bulged like a squirrel's, golden blood essence coursing beneath his skin in dragon-like patterns. When he grabbed three more buns, stacking them into a tower and shoving them into his mouth, the proctor's scoring board cracked with an audible snap.
Gu La smiled faintly. Such an incredible glutton could scare anyone just by watching him eat.
The female examiner snapped out of her daze and brightened upon seeing Gu La. She discarded the broken scoring board and explained the rules: "You are not allowed to use soul power to digest food. Finishing all the buns earns a perfect score, but your teammates can help share the load."
"Understood."
Gu La's appetite wasn't small either, though he typically relied on earth-based energy for sustenance and didn't need to eat constantly. However, when he let loose, his appetite rivaled Tang Wulin's.
The pile of buns, towering like a small mountain, would make an ordinary adult burst. Moreover, these buns contained special energy.
Xie Xie, already stuffed to the point of rolling his eyes, couldn't manage even half the stack.
Gu La elegantly undid the silver button at his collar, revealing sharp collarbones. Mimicking Tang Wulin, he devoured one bun after another, his teeth razor-sharp, his stomach churning as his blood essence circulated to digest the food.
This trial appeared to test appetite, but it was actually observing the students' blood essence—a domain in which they excelled.
Xie Xie crouched in the corner, massaging his bloated stomach, suddenly wide-eyed. As Gu La ate, the angle of his jaw opening far exceeded human limits, and faint golden fangs glinted in his mouth. Even more terrifying was that every ti a bun entered his stomach, hexagonal red patterns appeared on the back of his neck, greedily absorbing the violent energy within the food.
"Another one…" Xie Xie groaned, clutching his stomach. Was he fated to be surrounded by gluttons?
Gu La's expression remained unchanged. To him, these energy-rich buns were inferior compared to magma energy—they were nothing more than low-grade food requiring chewing.
"Burp—" Tang Wulin suddenly let out a golden-hued belch. The specially-made buns had helped awaken so latent bloodline power, and he awkwardly scratched his head. "Teacher, can I take so to go?"
As if releasing gas from his belch, his entire digestive system roared like a rushing river.
The two proctors exchanged glances, simultaneously awarding full marks on their scorecards. The female teacher widened her eyes and asked:
"You can take them to go, but… can you really still eat more?"
Tang Wulin sheepishly scratched his head and nodded.
The proctor stared blankly as Tang Wulin packed away another large bag of buns.
"Monsters."
---
"Seventh trial: Assessnt of secondary professions."
"Thousand-refined grade one—perfect score."
"Level-four designer—perfect score."
"Level-two manufacturer—seven points."
---
"Eighth trial: Comprehensive combat."
Ya Li had returned to the examination hall at so point. "Before you are ten students from last year's Shrek Academy class. You may challenge any one of them, and your scores will be based on your performance."
On the bronze platform stood ten young n and won clad in Shrek's dark green uniforms, each with varying expressions.
Tang Wulin carefully observed the ten individuals and whispered, "This trial tests both our combat ability and our judgnt. Choosing a relatively weaker opponent will naturally result in better performance for us."
Xie Xie eagerly jumped in, "That tomboy over there looks good. She seems frail and weak, so she must not be very strong."
Tang Wulin followed Xie Xie's gaze to a short-haired, slender boy—or rather, after closer inspection, a girl.
"That's a girl, isn't it?" Tang Wulin squinted.
But Xie Xie wasn't listening. He leapt onto the stage. "I challenge you!"
He pointed at the frail-looking girl, who shot him an impatient glare.
The other students snickered among themselves: "He's dood. He picked the class president right off the bat!"
Xie Xie, however, remained oblivious to his impending misfortune.
"Make your move," the girl said emotionlessly, showing no interest in introductions.
"Please guide ."
Facing a senior student, Xie Xie didn't dare to be careless. He flashed a charming smile, but the girl remained cold, as she was rely here to complete a task—who knew she'd be chosen?
Before his Shadow Dragon Dagger could leave its sheath, Xie Xie employed his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Steps, attempting to seize the initiative. However, to the girl, his movents were painfully slow.
Her slim figure suddenly expanded, transforming into a ferocious giant ape. One fist alone was larger than Xie Xie's head.
Martial soul: Titan Great Ape. A top-tier beast martial soul, no weaker than true dragon martial souls.
?
A question mark seed to hover over Xie Xie's head. He barely dodged the first attack, but as the girl shifted her stance and swung her arm, a powerful blow struck his side, sending him flying off the stage.
"She didn't even use her soul skill—just her martial soul's manifestation. The gap is too vast."
Tang Wulin's expression turned serious. If all ten opponents were this strong, he doubted he could achieve a high score.
But then he relaxed slightly. "Fortunately, we've already secured enough points earlier—at least everyone will pass smoothly."
"Xie Xie, one point."
Upon hearing his score, Xie Xie collapsed to the ground, unwilling to get up. It was too humiliating to be instantly defeated. He guessed that if he hadn't dodged the first attack, he wouldn't have even earned that one point.
"Who's next?" Tang Wulin prepared to step forward, intending to eliminate one opponent for the team.
Xu Xiaoyan quickly shook her head. "I'll go last. It's almost nightfall outside, which suits my abilities."
"Alright, I'll try to stall for ti."
Tang Wulin nodded, proposing a plan to delay the battle. This was a legitimate strategy, and both Gu La and Gu Yue agreed.
Watching Tang Wulin step onto the stage, Gu La observed with interest as he selected a four-ringed Soul Ancestor with a sub-dragon martial soul. Using the oppressive aura of the Golden Dragon King, Tang Wulin forced his opponent to bow their head.
"It's practically cheating-level bloodline power."
Gu La carefully chose his own opponent. Among the ten, the strongest was Yuanen Yehui, with her Titan Great Ape martial soul, but even she failed to pique his interest—it was all rather dull.
In that case, he might as well fight all ten of them.
------------------------------------------------------
40 Chapters Ahead: patreon/EpheralShadow
There's sothing for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)
Reviews
All reviews (0)