The battle on the third-years' side had ended.
The melee between the first- and second-years was also nearing its end.
The second-years were routed!
Never mind Gu Yue and Na'er, those two freaks of nature. Just the fact that nearly every first-year had a piece of Battle Armor was enough, who could withstand that?
The battlefield was a scene of utter devastation.
The second-year students lay sprawled across the ground in every direction, their soul power so depleted they couldn't even lift a hand, their faces full of disbelief and frustration.
Never in their wildest dreams had they imagined that these first-year "juniors" could be so ferociously strong!
"What the hell kind of fight is this!" one second-year student pounded the ground, his voice cracking with despair. "Those two girls are absolute monsters! One controls the elements across the whole field, the other moves so fast you can't even see her, we couldn't lay a finger on either of them!"
"And the rest of them, almost everyone had a piece of Battle Armor. Our attacks landed like we were just tickling them!"
The words had barely left his mouth when a terrifying dragon flashed past. The student who'd been complaining vanished along with it.
"Old Ma!" a classmate cried out in shock.
All around, it was nothing but bad news.
"What do we do! I can't hold on much longer!"
"class president! Where's the class president? Help us!"
"Not good! Monitor Yuanen just got blown away too!"
"Huh! The monitor's passed out?!"
The words hit the second-years like a bucket of cold water. Those still struggling to fight instantly deflated.
Everyone turned to look, and there was Yuanen Yehui, lying motionless on the ground, before being teleported off the arena.
Na'er stood with her hands on her hips, nose tilted skyward.
Behind her, the golden dragon mimicked the pose, its head tilted up slightly, small gusts of wind stirring with each breath it exhaled.
Its expression matched hers exactly, radiating the same haughty, look-down-on-everyone air.
"A Titan Ape, hm. Not bad."
"Decent strength, I suppose."
The first-years cheered: "Sister Na'er is mighty!"
Some of the students' cheers lacked conviction, since they were recalling the moment they themselves had been sent flying, a memory that still throbbed faintly with pain.
Gu Yue walked over to her side, reached up and patted her on the head, saying helplessly, "That's enough playing around. It's over."
Seeing that the second-years had completely lost their fighting spirit, with no will left to continue,
Ya Li announced, "The melee has ended. First-years win."
The first-year students put away their Battle Armor one after another, smiles of victory on their faces, gathering in twos and threes to discuss the fight that had just ended.
The second-years, by contrast, hung their heads in dejection, too exhausted even to climb to their feet, able only to stare in the first-years' direction, their eyes brimming with envy and frustration.
They were all Soul Masters alike, so how could the gap be this enormous?
Up on the stage, the assembled elders were savoring what they'd just witnessed. "Arthur. His future is limitless. He's bound to be the leading figure of this generation."
"Future? I'd say he's already not to be underestimated right now."
One of the elders looked at Ya Li. "Your decision was the right one."
Of all of them, the happiest was the one who worked for the Body Sect.
Inwardly praising Mu Ye for finally doing something right.
Yet some of the elders wore inscrutable expressions. Arthur's potential seemed bottomless, they worried he might turn out to be another Yun Ming.
No, even Yun Ming didn't come close to him.
For some, this was unacceptable, a threat to their interests.
A man invincible under heaven must never be allowed to emerge.
The competition had ended.
Life returned to its ordinary rhythm, and time slipped slowly by.
Having thrashed the second-years and tasted the sweetness of victory, the first-years threw themselves madly into the great cause of Battle Armor crafting.
Inside the temporary training grounds Arthur had "invested" in, first-year students packed the space wall to wall. The clang of metal being forged, the hum of soul power pouring into Battle Armor, the crackle of elemental forces colliding, all wove together, and even the air itself seemed charged with feverish energy.
"A little more effort! Once this core is set into the chest plate, it's done!" A student, drenched in sweat, pressed both hands firmly against a core glowing with blue light, soul power flowing ceaselessly into the Battle Armor.
Not far off, in the forging area, sparks flew in every direction. Several students crowded around a massive forge, while Arthur wielded a forging hammer in each hand.
Clang, clang, clang.
An endless stream of spirit-forged metal poured out.
Gu Yue was surrounded by a crowd of students, patiently answering their questions about Battle Armor design.
Her fingertips traced across the blueprints on the holographic screen, densely marked with the pathways for soul conduction.
Na'er, who had nothing but raw strength to offer, went wherever help was needed.
Just then, Wu Changkong walked in.
"Everyone, hold on a moment."
His gaze swept across the room. "The first half of the semester's instruction is about to conclude. The final exam will begin shortly."
The cold words made every student's ears perk up, and as one they turned to look.
"Let me first announce the exam rules."
"This exam runs for a period of fifteen days. The core task requires meeting two conditions."
"First, over the entire round trip you must pass through at least ten cities, including the endpoint, Mingdu. Second, in each city you must defeat an opponent whose cultivation is at least five ranks higher than your own, and no outside assistance is permitted at any point along the way."
"Before departure, all students must hand over their storage soul tools, communication soul tools, and all personal resources and money, and undertake the exam completely stripped of belongings. The route for finding opponents, battle strategy, and itinerary planning are all to be arranged independently, the Academy will provide no guidance whatsoever."
"Scoring will be recorded by teachers following in secret, and the score will be determined by the strength tier of your opponents. But take note, the teachers are only there to record. No matter what mortal danger a student encounters, they will not intervene."
"Completing all tasks within fifteen days and returning safely counts as a pass.
Anyone who fails to return on time will automatically be marked as failing, and their final score will be cut in half. I hope you'll act within your means and refrain from challenging opponents beyond your ability."
Having finished laying out the rules, Wu Changkong added a reminder: "No forming groups. Everyone must set out alone. If anyone is found helping another, both will be marked as failing without exception."
At these words, the students who had been unconcerned a moment ago all turned as one to look at Arthur.
Oh no.
If there's no class president to lead us...
We can't do without him anymore.
Arthur said, "No forming groups, but we were never grouped to begin with."
Wu Changkong sighed helplessly. "You're splitting hairs."
"Never mind, that's not important." Arthur thought it over. "We just set out alone, and if we happen to run into each other later, what's the harm in that?"
"Oh?" Wu Changkong's interest was piqued. "And how exactly do you plan to 'happen to' run into each other?"
There were a hundred and one people in the class.
Setting out separately, even if they agreed on a route beforehand, there was no guarantee they'd meet up precisely.
After all, ten cities in fifteen days meant too many variables along the way, no one could guarantee they wouldn't be delayed by some unexpected turn of events.
"Then don't worry about it. Just watch me work when the time comes."
Early the next morning, preparations began for departure.
All the first-year students stood gathered on Spirit Ice Plaza.
Wu Changkong and Shen Yi began registering and collecting their storage soul tools. Aside from the clothes on their backs, they were not allowed to take a single thing with them during the final exam.
"class president, where should we meet up when the time comes?"
"Shh." Arthur raised a finger to his lips.
"Just go with your own instincts. Leave the rest to me."
Everyone looked puzzled, but nodded all the same.
After spending so much time together, they had absolute faith in their great and glorious class president!