"Hmph~"
With Tang Wulin's cold snort, the mighty coiling dragon sculpture above abruptly dimmed. Such was the protagonist's halo—the Golden Dragon King blood's formidable might.
It didn't only affect Dragonkind; it repressed all soul beasts by its ancestral bloodline.
Xu Xiaoyan and the others returned to their senses, letting out long sighs. Obviously, for "ordinary people" like them with no hacks, facing Di Tian's black dragon blood pressure was a harsh experience.
"Not bad!"
Two figures stepped from the shadows: an elder in a black robe and Shen Yi.
The elder glanced at Tang Wulin in surprise. "He's full marks. The rest, eight points each."
"Alright~"
The students cheered.
Passing score was six—eight points was excellent.
Only Gu Yue gave Tang Wulin another long, cold glance, surprise flashing in her eyes.
A kindred spirit…
A sense of kinship lingered.
No wonder there was always an invisible thread in Shrek Academy pulling her in this direction—it was because of him.
Should she devour him in one bite?
And then advance to Dragon God, leading soul beasts to immortality?
Forget it.
Gu Yue shook her head deep down.
With her current power, she could probably forcibly leave after devouring Tang Wulin: outside the city, her backup, Zi Ji, was waiting. With her own formidable strength, she could break out before Shrek realized what happened and return to the Star Dou Forest to slowly refine him.
But…
She refused!
She wanted to approach the man slowly, get to know him, then… devour him.
Why?
She didn't know. It just felt like the underlying logic of the world, the only way to finish the fated confrontation.
"My name is Gu Yue."
The silver-haired girl spoke with pride.
"Tang Wulin…" the boy responded with a bright, beaming smile.
"Hmm. Be careful, though. There are many tests left." Gu Yue nodded coolly.
A hint of mockery glinted in her eyes—did he really think he was human? Well, fine. She wouldn't feel guilty when devouring him later anyway…
"Next."
Shen Yi led the four away.
Second, third, and fourth tests passed easily and with no pressure.
Until the fifth round.
Inside a testing ground.
An old woman with white hair sat upright, a sharp aura lingering in her features. Clearly, she'd been formidable even in her youth.
"Elder Cai, what do you think…" Shen Yi spoke respectfully.
"Begin," the old woman said flatly.
"Show us your best abilities."
Tang Wulin displayed astonishing, brute strength—the Golden Dragon Body—so extraordinary that even Cai Meier on the platform was shocked.
Gu Yue, on the other hand, revealed her unparalleled elemental control… Six elements at once.
To know the Martial Spirit world is to play with elements: purely elemental spirits are destined to shine, never mind one who could command six at once, and with perfect harmony—an utter prodigy.
The more Cai Meier saw, the happier she became.
"Your name is Gu Yue, yes? No need for further tests. Come straight to the Inner Court, I'll personally take you as my disciple. What Shrek needs most are prodigies of your caliber."
Hearing this, Xu Xiaoyan and the rest were all a little jealous.
No wonder Teacher Shen Yi had said so much.
This was what it was to ascend instantly—straight into the Inner Court.
They'd have to slog through the Outer Court for several years…
Of course, no one doubted Elder Cai's word. With the times, the stronger one's elemental control, the greater their potential as a Spirit Alloy Master—or, above all, as a future battle armor expert.
That's right, crafting battle armor had four main steps: metal forging, blueprint design, constructing soul tool cores and super-assemblies, and post-war maintenance.
Every Battle Armorer had to specialize in at least one.
Maintenance was the simplest, forging the hardest…
Building a Four-Word Battle Armor today required a mountain of Divine Forged metals, for even the smallest part needed such material.
That brought the topic to Divine Forging itself.
The core was to infuse the metal with the world's element forces and imprint it with laws via lightning.
At minimum, four elements must be channeled in. The more you add, the stronger the metal. Each element summoned triggers a tribulation lightning strike.
Given this, Gu Yuena was basically a natural-born… hammer wielder!
Even if Cai Yue'er took her as a disciple, the Inner Court's forging masters would surely race to send invitations.
Among today's master forgers, only one truly stood at the top—Zhen Hua, president of the Forger's Association. His position was so lofty because every Battle Armor Master needed divine-forged metal and had to begging him for help.
For years, Shrek had desperately wanted to produce a Level-9 Divine Blacksmith, but despite any amount of investment, only a handful of Level-8 Saints held it together…
Looking at Gu Yue, they saw hope.
And even if she never became a forger herself, her elemental talent made it highly likely she'd become a Battle Armor Master with her own Four-Word Armor! As a "mecha designer," her advanced elemental command would let her gear be imbued with multiple elements—her combat power through the roof!
With the right training, she could be the next Yun Ming!
"Good."
Gu Yue hesitated a moment, then nodded lightly.
Since she'd decided to infiltrate humanity, why not go all the way? Shrek's Inner Court was top-notch. If she could stand atop human society…
Together with Di Tian, soul beasts would eventually rule bottom to top!
"I! Do! Not! Agree!"
"Rumble—!"
Beyond the testing area, a loud crash echoed suddenly.
First, a dark green figure slammed through the wall, tumbling around before collapsing in front of Cai Yue'er, coughing blood, his face terrified.
"Elder Cai, a powerful enemy is invading Shrek Academy!!!"
"..."
Cai Yue'er's face darkened completely.
She shielded Gu Yue behind her and, after whispering to Shen Yi to take the injured man to the medical room, she turned back.
From her erupted the terrifying pressure of a 97th-rank Super Douluo, filling the test hall, sending invisible shockwaves out in all directions.
Instantly, the entire hall fell silent.
Everyone marveled at Elder Cai's power—and the audacity of someone coming to "wreck the place…"
"Who goes there?!"
Elder Cai demanded coldly.
Very soon, a white-haired girl in white strolled in atop the path the defeated teacher had left—her pace light, killing intent clear.
Behind her was a young man, eyes darting curiously.
This pairing stunned everyone—including Elder Cai.
These two were probably even younger than Teacher Shen Yi!
How dared they break into Shrek Academy?!!!
Only Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and the others recognized them—they'd met these two on the Soul Train…
Turns out everyone's destination was the same.
The difference?
They'd tested in.
The other pair… fought their way in.
But the most bewildered had to be Gu Yue who'd been shielded by Elder Cai, eyes dazed.
Why did this newcomer… look like her completed form?