The person whom Juzi called "teacher" and who was also an eighth-level Soul Engineer was, of course, Gu Yuena's teacher, Xuan Ziwen.
"A teacher naturally has to come and watch when their student is competing," Xuan Ziwen said calmly, adjusting his glasses.
"Then, teacher, you have to watch carefully. Gu Yue is very strong," Juzi said proudly as she looked toward Gu Yuena's position below.
"Oh? Is that so?"
Xuan Ziwen was well aware of Gu Yuena's talent in soul tools.
He had watched the soul tool competition yesterday and was quite satisfied with her performance.
However, he had no idea how capable she was in actual combat.
…
To facilitate the students' matches, the competition venue had been divided into multiple small arenas, ensuring that each duel would not interfere with the others while still maintaining a good viewing experience for the audience.
To be honest, given Liuxing's current cultivation level, participating in a first-year competition was practically bullying.
But since they had not taken the advancement test, they were technically still first-years.
This year, over four hundred first-year students had signed up for the competition.
To ensure efficiency, the Soul Master competition was divided into eight groups.
Each group would first determine its own champion, and then the eight group winners would redraw lots and compete in three final rounds to decide the ultimate victor.
Since there were too many first-year students, this was the fastest method.
By the time the contestants arrived at the Soul Tool Trial Grounds, the grouping lists had already been posted on the notice board at the entrance.
Anyone entering the trial grounds could see them at a glance.
Liuxing quickly found his own grouping, Group Two. Liuying was in Group Three.
"What? I'm in the same group as Liuying? I'm doomed!"
Xu Tianzhen clutched his head in despair, looking up at the sky in frustration.
Liuxing glanced at the other groupings. Apart from Liuying and Xu Tianzhen being in the same group, Nana and Ye Guyi were also grouped together.
As for himself and Xue Nu, they were each in separate groups.
From this setup, it looked like they would meet in the quarterfinals.
This knockout-style tournament was designed to speed things up rather than ensure fairness. Given Nana and Xu Tianzhen's strength, they had no problem reaching the quarterfinals.
After all, this was just the first year!
Most of the students were still first-level Soul Engineers!
Upon entering the trial grounds, the teachers directed them to their respective competition areas.
Standing on the arena platform, Liuxing looked at his opponent, a boy in black clothes. The boy's face was filled with despair. "I'm fighting against Liuxing? Is this for real?"
Soon, the referee stepped onto the stage and announced the match rules.
After both parties introduced themselves, the match officially began.
Although the boy in black was a Soul Tool Department student, he had heard of Liuxing's reputation.
Without hesitation, he decided to strike first. He quickly ran to the edge of the arena.
Extending his arms, two pitch-black metal barrels emerged with a clanging sound. Without wasting a moment, he fired a series of soul tool beams toward Liuxing.
Maintaining distance and attacking from afar, this was the standard strategy of a Soul Engineer.
Liuxing smirked, feeling a bit bored with this match.
Like a flash of lightning, he instantly crossed dozens of meters.
Without even releasing his martial soul, he placed a hand knife against the black-clothed boy's neck.
The audience barely had time to react before the match was over.
On the high platform, Jing Hongchen shook his head and said, "This was a mistake. We shouldn't have let them participate in the first-year competition."
Beside him, Lin Jiayi rolled his eyes, speechless.
"Forget first-years, even if you let him fight against fifth- or sixth-years, except for the members of the Illustrious Virtue Hall, wouldn't he just crush them too?"
"He was already capable of defeating Ji Juechen as a Soul Elder. Now that he's a Soul Ancestor, I wouldn't be surprised if he could take on a sixth-level Soul Engineer."
The first-year opponents were simply too weak. Liuxing didn't even release his martial soul throughout the match.
He advanced to the next round as the champion of his group with ease.
…
After another half an hour, the other seven groups had also finished their matches.
As Liuxing expected, Xue Nu, Liuying, and Ye Guyi all advanced.
This was only natural. If it weren't for internal battles, two more from their class would have made it to the quarterfinals as well.
"Hey, you're not holding back this time, are you? I've been wanting to have a proper fight with you for a long time," Liuxing said seriously as he stood on the arena, looking at Xue Nu.
This tournament had been too boring for him so far.
Only Xue Nu could make him excited for a match.
As for Liuying, he would just forfeit when the time came.
"Do you really think you can win against me?"
Xue Nu' expression turned cold. As the ruler of the Extreme North, her pride was unquestionable.
Just because she had lost her origin power and suppressed her aura to blend into human society didn't mean that Liuxing could underestimate her.
"Don't get me wrong. I know you're strong. I'm just curious, how strong are you, exactly?"
Liuxing smiled gently, but to Xue Nu, it was a provocative smile.
"You'll see soon enough."
Xue Nu clenched her silver teeth, determined to show Liuxing her true power and teach him a lesson.
Just because he defeated Ji Juechen didn't mean he was invincible!
To be fair, Liuxing had indeed become a bit arrogant. After comprehending the concept of Destruction Spear Intent, creating his own soul skill, "Annihilation Spear," and acquiring a powerful fourth soul skill, he was eager to test his newfound strength.
As they spoke, the referee stepped onto the platform.
"First-Year Soul Master Tournament, Quarterfinals, Liuxing vs. Xue Nu. Match, begin!"
As the referee's voice fell, the audience erupted into applause.
Liuxing's aura surged, flames bursting around him.
The Molten Knight materialized on the stage.
Against Xue Nu, he wouldn't be careless. In their past battles, he had never gained the upper hand, even though he had yet to comprehend spear intent back then.
Xue Nu's eyes gleamed coldly as her noble and beautiful Snow Lady Martial Soul emerged behind her.
At the instant her martial soul appeared, an icy chill spread through the air.
Even the referee, a seventh-level Soul Engineer, shivered from the cold and had to retreat a few steps to avoid the freezing zone.
"So cold! What kind of martial soul is that?"
"It's so beautiful! Absolutely stunning!"
On the high platform, Jing Hongchen's eyes filled with awe. "So this is the power of Ultimate Ice? Even Xiao Meng's ice attribute pales in comparison."
On the stage, Liuxing remained unaffected by Xue Nu' martial soul.
After all, she wielded Ultimate Ice, but he wielded Ultimate Fire!
Red flames surged, clashing against the frost. The stage transformed into a battlefield of ice and fire.
One half blazed in red; the other was shrouded in blue. The referee had no choice but to jump off the stage, neither extreme heat nor cold was bearable for him.
Then, both competitors released their soul rings.
Compared to Liuxing's two purple and two black soul rings, Xue Nu' rings seemed much more ordinary, two yellow, one purple.
Though it was the optimal ratio, Liuxing couldn't help but feel it was beneath her talents. Xue Nu should have had much higher ring ages.
But her first two soul rings had been obtained before she was brought back by Luan Yu. What's done was done.
Xue Nu herself didn't care about the age of her rings. Soul ring limits meant nothing to her.
Even though many students and teachers already knew Liuxing's soul ring configuration was ridiculous, seeing it in person still left them speechless and awestruck.
"Blazing Spear."
"First Soul Skill, Ice Shard Twin Swords."
Liuxing retrieved the Blazing Spear from his soul tool. After its upgrade, the spear's body was as red as fire, appearing to be made entirely of flames rather than metal.
At the same time, Xue Nu held two swords forged from pure ice.
A sword aura filled with chilling energy surged from her, causing a stir in the arena.
Sitting in the stands, Ji Juechen's eyes snapped open, a strong battle intent flashing within them as he looked at Xue Nu.
"I never expected Xue Nu to be hiding so much. She actually possesses sword intent!"
Jing Ziyan also looked at Xue Nu in shock. She was familiar with her and had even sparred with her before, but Xue Nu had never revealed any hint of sword intent.
"This is more like it."
Liuxing gripped his Blazing Spear, his entire body ablaze with raging flames as he charged toward Xue Nu, who wielded her ice swords.
"Clang!"
Spear and sword clashed, unleashing a fierce gale.
The Flame Spear roared as it tore through the air, while the Ice Swords danced with the wind.
The two weapons collided violently, sending fiery sparks scattering like fleeting embers of life.
In terms of range, the spear had the advantage, longer reach meant greater control. However, that also meant slower attacks.
Every time Liuxing thrust his spear, there was a brief opening.
Unless his spear techniques reached the divine realm, the inherent flaw of his weapon type would always exist, and he could only mitigate it as much as possible.
On the other hand, Xue Nu's swordsmanship was unexpectedly powerful, far beyond what a mere Soul Elder should possess.
It was inconceivable for a twelve-year-old girl to display such mastery.
In Liuxing's eyes, her swordsmanship was leagues above Ji Juechen's, they were simply not on the same level.
Seizing the openings in Liuxing's attacks with pinpoint precision, she steadily closed the distance, bringing him into the deadly range of her twin swords.
Xue Nu took another step forward, using the most minimal movements to control her swords, deflecting Liuxing's spear thrusts.
Sensing danger, Liuxing swiftly retreated two steps, barely dodging the sword aura slashing toward him. However, a grin of excitement crept onto his lips.
This was exactly the kind of fight he lived for, the thrill of close combat, the pure clash of sword and spear techniques, the sensation of being on the razor's edge where a single mistake could lead to a fatal wound. His blood boiled with exhilaration.
"Xue Nu, you're truly amazing!"
Hearing this, Xue Nu's expression darkened, her eyes filled with killing intent.
She raised her twin swords again, pointing them at Liuxing.
Liuxing likewise lifted his Blazing Spear, eyes brimming with fighting spirit.
The spectators were left dumbfounded by this battle that defied their expectations.
Ji Juechen clenched the hilt of his iron sword tightly, itching to jump into the fight himself and join the fray.
The intensity of the battle far surpassed a typical soul engineer duel of firepower suppression or a soul master's dazzling display of soul skills.
This was a contest of raw strength and speed, of willpower and skill.
Compared to flashy techniques, this kind of combat was far more brutal and perilous, one wrong move could lead to severe injury or even death.
The clash of metal sent powerful shockwaves through the arena. Every step they took shattered the ground beneath them. Every missed spear strike or sword slash left deep scars on the platform.
Weaker students could no longer follow their high-speed exchanges.
All they could perceive were the aftershocks of their strikes as the two warriors clashed and countered with relentless precision.
The air howled with their movements, the atmosphere itself seeming to wail under the immense pressure. The entire arena trembled under their duel.
A bead of sweat rolled down the referee's forehead as he fixed his gaze on the combatants, his nerves taut.
He couldn't afford to let either of them suffer a fatal injury, both were treasured students of the academy. If anything happened to them, the academy would be heartbroken.
And if a tragedy truly occurred, he would be held accountable first.
In the audience, Jing Hongchen unconsciously sat upright, his focus razor-sharp.
He was ready to intervene at a moment's notice. If either fighter reached their limit, he would immediately step in.
"He's improving... too fast."
Gu Yuena murmured to herself.
The spear techniques Liuxing displayed now were far stronger than in his battle against Ji Juechen.
There was no way he had been holding back then, which meant that in just a few months, he had grown significantly stronger.
In terms of pure spear technique, Gu Yuena believed that Liuxing would eventually surpass her.
Though she wielded the Silver Dragon Spear, her primary focus had never been on spear arts.
That said, she was once a God King.
Even without specializing in spear combat, her techniques already exceeded the limits of humanity.
If she believed Liuxing could surpass her, then that meant his spear techniques had the potential to reach the divine realm.
If his spear arts reached god-tier, then he might even have a chance of ascending to godhood through his spear alone.
Of course, that possibility was slim, but even the slimmest chance was still a path to godhood. In a world where the path to godhood had been severed, it was a glimmer of hope.
Ice froze the ground, only to be shattered by raging flames.
Liuxing's spear thrust relentlessly, the spearhead weaving through the air at blinding speeds, pushing both his strength and velocity to the limit.
Xue Nu, despite using her exquisite swordplay to block all of Liuxing's attacks, was ultimately at a disadvantage.
Her lower cultivation level and weaker physical attributes placed her at a significant disadvantage.
Compared to most soul masters, her body was already incredibly strong, but against Liuxing, it wasn't enough.
She raised her twin swords to parry Liuxing's rapid thrust, tilting her head slightly to the right to avoid the blazing spear tip.
However, even with her sharp reactions, the razor-sharp spear aura still managed to sever a few strands of her silver hair.
Clenching her teeth in frustration, Xue Nu felt utterly stifled.
In terms of skill, she was superior. But in terms of strength, speed, and raw physical ability, Liuxing had the advantage.
For someone as proud as her, this was unbearable.