"Gu Yue, the great Miss Gu Yue, I beg you, please help me."
Liuxing clasped his hands together and looked at Gu Yuena expectantly.
He really didn't want to go see Luan Yu while holding his broken Blazing Spear.
Over the past two years, Luan Yu had developed a peculiar obsession, dressing him and Liuying up in different outfits.
Liuying didn't mind; after all, most girls liked pretty new clothes.
But Liuxing? No, thank you.
Whether in his past life or this one, he had always been the kind of person content with just a few sets of clothes for daily wear.
He had no particular interest in fashion.
If that were all, it wouldn't be so bad. However, because he and Liuying looked very similar, Luan Yu once had the wild idea of making him wear Liuying's clothes.
Even worse, Liuying had looked at him expectantly, which left him in a real dilemma.
In the end, Liuxing managed to hold on to his dignity.
He was willing to do anything, but crossdressing? Over his dead body.
To prevent Luan Yu from using this against him, he could only pin his hopes on Gu Yuena fixing his Blazing Spear.
"No problem. The material of your spear is excellent. All I need to do is repair the soul-guided array on it and reconnect the broken section."
Gu Yuena didn't hesitate. She nodded confidently.
Even though she couldn't yet craft a level-5 soul tool, repairing one was no issue.
Besides, while the Blazing Spear looked badly damaged, it was mostly external.
The core soul-guided array only had minor damage.
"As expected of the Dragon Spear Goddess, the Silver Dragon Princess. I'll leave it to you."
Liuxing clasped his hands together in gratitude.
"If you keep calling me that, you can fix it yourself."
Gu Yuena's eyes turned cold, and she shot Liuxing a fierce glare.
"Pfft!"
Xu Tianzhen and the others covered their mouths, giggling.
In the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy, everyone knew of Gu Yuena, the genius who had become a Level-4 soul engineer in record time.
Because her martial soul was the Silver Dragon and she wielded a silver dragon spear, some nosy students had given her the nickname "Dragon Spear Goddess" or "Silver Dragon Princess."
After all, she had a noble, elegant air, as if she were truly a princess or a goddess.
But Gu Yuena wasn't fond of these titles, and she disliked it even more when Liuxing used them.
Liuxing even knew about the academy's so-called "Goddess Ranking," where Gu Yuena held the top spot.
Second place was Xue Nu, followed by Liuying, Meng Hongchen, Ye Guyi, Juzi, and even Nana.
Hmm! Xu Tianzhen wasn't on the list.
After all, for most guys, "Tomboy" was something they couldn't accept.
Don't ask how Liuxing knew. If you must, just say he overheard it somewhere.
Honestly, Liuxing wasn't very interested in this "Goddess Ranking."
It was just something his male classmates kept shoving in his face.
As far as he was concerned, if Liuying wasn't ranked first, then the ranking was meaningless.
His Liuying was the number one goddess in the world.
Liuxing only ever looked at these things with a critical eye.
Ye Guyi glanced at the shattered battle arena and then at her own hands.
She also used a sword, but compared to Ji Juechen, whose sword intent could pierce the heavens and annihilate all things, she hadn't even stepped onto the path of sword intent yet.
"What is my sword intent…?"
Ye Guyi murmured.
No one here was weak, and their hearing was exceptional.
Even her quiet mumbling didn't escape their notice.
Liuxing and Liuying exchanged glances, both feeling a bit helpless.
Sword intent and spear intent were things that could only be understood, not taught.
If it could be passed on, Liuxing wouldn't have needed Ji Juechen's help to comprehend spear intent, Liuying could have just taught him.
But Liuying couldn't teach him. He had to figure it out himself.
It was the same for Ye Guyi. She had to comprehend it on her own.
Only then would the sword intent truly belong to her, uninfluenced by others.
Other people's paths would always be theirs. The only way to reach the peak was to walk one's own path.
Xu Tianzhen, carefree as ever, wasn't interested in this whole sword intent and spear intent thing. She didn't use swords or spears, she used soul skills.
Nana touched the short blade at her waist. It was a soul tool her parents had bought for her after she was admitted to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy.
She glanced at Liuxing's back, her eyes shining with admiration.
So this is the path a real control soul engineer should take?
From Liuxing and Ji Juechen, Nana saw her own future.
If she followed in their footsteps, she, too, would become strong one day.
Then, she would be able to help everyone.
Liuxing and Ji Juechen's battle had influenced many people, shaking up the entire Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy.
The only downside? Liuxing had now completely attracted Ji Juechen, that sword fanatic.
The guy kept dragging him into battle on the soul dueling platform.
Fortunately, there was someone else interested in Ji Juechen's sword intent, Ye Guyi.
As a fellow swordswoman, fighting Ji Juechen would help her understand her own sword intent.
For the next three months, Liuxing and his friends spent more time on the dueling platform than in class.
In the end, even battle-loving Ye Guyi got tired of it. Ji Juechen was just too obsessed with fighting.
And when Ji Juechen found out that Liuying was even stronger than Liuxing, he naturally challenged her as well.
As a result, Ji Juechen ended up bedridden for half a month.
That was a relief for both Ye Guyi and Liuxing. At last, some peace.
---
"We were only gone for half a month, right? Why is the academy suddenly so lively?"
Having just returned with their fourth soul rings, Liuxing and Liuying looked around the bustling, banner-filled Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy, confused.
"You forgot? The annual assessment competition is in two days. Everyone's getting ready."
Meng Hongchen looked at them in surprise. How could they forget something so important?
"Huh? The assessment competition?"
Liuxing was baffled, and Liuying looked equally puzzled. They really hadn't known.
Meng Hongchen massaged her temples, her expression strange. "Don't tell me you two never read the academy handbook?"
Liuxing and Liuying exchanged guilty glances.
Meng Hongchen sighed. "Seriously, is battle and training all you two care about? Liuxing, aren't you the type who likes to read? Why didn't you read it this time?"
Liuxing twitched. He had assumed the handbook only contained rules, history, and background information, so he'd ignored it.
Who knew such an important event wouldn't be announced by teachers but was just written in the handbook?
Left with no choice, Meng Hongchen gave them a brief rundown of the competition.
---
The competition lasted three days.
Each grade competed separately, and there were no penalties for participating.
Instead, outstanding performances earned academy rewards.
If a student performed exceptionally well, they could even skip the advancement exams and directly move up a grade the next year.
With rewards and training resources on the line, of course, everyone wanted to do their best.
For the first time, the competition also served as an entrance test for the Illustrious Virtue Hall, the academy's elite training ground.
The competition had two parts: Soul Tool Examination and Combat Examination.
The Soul Tool Examination was for soul engineers, while the Combat Examination was for combat soul engineers like Liuxing.
---
When the day finally arrived, thousands of students gathered at the academy's training grounds, eager and excited.
"Everyone, quiet down."
On the high platform stood Illustrious Virtue Hall's leader, Jing Hongchen.
Dressed in golden robes adorned with the Sun and Moon emblem, he addressed the crowd with a strong and commanding voice:
"The annual academy competition is about to begin. I hope all of you achieve great results!"
After a series of speeches from academy leaders, the grand event officially began!
On the first day, the Soul Tool Master assessment was held, and Liuxing and his friends could only cheer for Gu Yuena from the stands.
Due to becoming a Grade 4 Soul Tool Master, Gu Yuena had already participated in the promotion assessment long ago.
She was now in the fifth grade, officially making her Liuxing's senior.
Although she had just recently advanced to a Grade 4 Soul Tool Master, she still stood out as the best among the fifth-grade students.
Under the astonished gazes of the examiners and spectators, she completed six perfect-grade Level 4 core formations in just six hours, securing first place with overwhelming dominance.
As soon as the rankings were announced, the academy's students once again erupted into heated discussions.
With the Soul Tool assessment concluded, the next event was the combat assessment.
As the name suggests, the combat assessment tested a Soul Master's actual combat abilities.
The assessment followed a one-on-one battle format.
Since the students of Sun Moon Royal Soul Tool Academy were all outstanding Soul Tool Masters, soul tools were naturally an essential part of their combat abilities.
Of course, to ensure fairness, the academy prohibited students from using soul tools that exceeded their own level by two tiers.
For example, Liuxing's Blazing Spear, if he had not advanced to the Soul Ancestor level, he would not have been allowed to use the Level 5 Blazing Spear in this competition.
However, his Blazing Spear had already been upgraded to Level 6.
After his breakthrough to the Soul Ancestor realm, Luan Yu had helped him enhance it.
That said, most students were incapable of wielding soul tools that exceeded their level by two tiers, as their soul power reserves and intensity could not support the consumption of high-level soul tools.
Only individuals like Liuxing, who possessed an Ultimate Martial Soul with soul power quality far superior to his peers, could wield soul tools two levels higher than their own.
Some noble children, however, had means to lower the usage requirements for high-level soul tools, and the academy's prohibition was mainly aimed at these individuals.
Apart from this, the use of any level of fixed-installed soul tools was strictly forbidden.
On the morning of the first day, the first-grade students' matches began.
Although it was still early, the entire Soul Tool Trial Arena was already packed to capacity.
Even though the number of participants was lower than in the previous day's Soul Tool Master assessment, the number of spectators had increased significantly.
Compared to the tedious process of crafting soul tools, Soul Master combat was far more thrilling to watch.
As a result, students from both higher and lower grades flocked to the arena to witness the matches.
Of course, spectating required a ticket priced at one gold soul coin.
However, since most of the academy's students were Soul Tool Masters, a single gold soul coin was a mere trifle to them.
The academy also placed great importance on this tournament. Jing Hongchen, the head of Illustrious Virtue Hall, Lin Jiayi, the director of education, and other Level 8 Soul Tool Masters from the academy had all come to watch.
Their seats were positioned at the center of the spectator stands, the best viewing area in the entire Soul Tool Trial Arena.
"Teacher, you've never been particularly interested in these competitions. What made you come to watch this time?"
Juzi curiously glanced at the middle-aged man beside her.
He appeared to be in his thirties, with an ordinary appearance and a warm demeanor, but his bright eyes exuded vitality.
On his chest, he wore the official Level 8 Soul Tool Master insignia of Illustrious Virtue Hall.