In the instant Meng Hongchen was dazed, an invisible slash swept past her side.
It wasn’t aimed at her; it merely brushed the edge of her school uniform, severing a few strands of hair.
However, the oppressive force brought by that slash made the hair on Meng Hongchen’s entire body stand on end.
A second and third slash followed in quick succession, accurately cutting off the trajectory of her poison mist and completely sealing her attack routes.
Meng Hongchen didn’t even have time to react before she was forced back repeatedly by those slashes.
She tried to re-condense the poison mist, but it was severed by the invisible slashes every time, as if an invisible hand were controlling the entire battle.
Thirty seconds later.
Meng Hongchen was pushed to the edge of the competition stage, with the steps right behind her.
She bit her lower lip, wanting to struggle a bit more.
Then she felt a hand gently supporting her arm.
Lu Ren had walked up to her at some unknown point, one hand supporting her arm and the other placed between her and the edge of the stage to prevent her from falling.
Meng Hongchen was stunned.
She looked up at the face so close to her, her mind going blank.
Then Lu Ren applied a slight force, sending her down from the competition stage.
The moment Meng Hongchen’s feet touched the ground, she was completely dazed.
She stood below the stage, watching the back of the figure who had already turned to walk away, her face full of despair at the realization of their gap.
The gap was too large.
Her poison had absolutely no effect on him whatsoever.
And those slashes of his could have clearly defeated her easily, yet they only sealed her attack routes, and he even supported her off the stage at the end?
Comparing that to the treatment her brother Xiao Hongchen received—being sent flying by a single punch…
Meng Hongchen’s face flushed slightly.
“Tha…
thank you.”
She said softly, her voice as quiet as a mosquito’s hum.
Lu Ren didn’t turn back, merely waving his hand with his back to her.
Meng Hongchen stood in place, watching his back and lightly biting her red lips.
At the referee’s seat, Lin Jiayi paused for a moment before announcing:
“Lu Ren, winner.”
An uproar broke out in the stands once again.
“Meng Hongchen lost too?”
“She didn’t even last thirty seconds?”
“That Lu Ren hasn’t moved from his spot from start to finish, and he hasn’t even taken one hand out of his pocket!”
“What kind of monster is he!”
But this time, there were some different sentiments among the discussions.
“Though, he was quite gentle with Meng Hongchen…”
“Yeah, Xiao Hongchen was sent flying, but Meng Hongchen was helped down.
The difference in treatment is too obvious, isn’t it?”
“Nonsense, Meng Hongchen is a girl after all.”
“And Meng Hongchen is so beautiful…”
“Are you guys missing the point?
The point is that Lu Ren hasn’t even released his Spirit!”
The arena matches continued.
One challenger after another walked onto the stage, and then one after another was sent down.
Lu Ren’s opponents ranged from four-ring Level 4 Soul Engineers to five-ring Level 5 Soul Engineers, covering elites from every grade and field of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy.
No one could last more than a minute.
No one could make him move a single step from his original spot.
And certainly, no one could force him to use his Spirit.
His method of attack was always just two types: invisible slashes and the occasional Black Flash.
But just these two types of attacks were enough to crush everyone.
In the span of a morning, Lu Ren set a record of thirty-six consecutive victories.
In thirty-six matches, every single opponent suffered a total defeat without exception.
Continuous combat of such high intensity would leave anyone exhausted.
Yet Lu Ren stood on the stage with steady breathing and a normal complexion, without even a single drop of sweat.
It was as if these thirty-six battles were nothing more than thirty-six warm-ups to him.
In the stands, the initial shock had turned into numbness.
“Thirty-six consecutive wins already…”
“When exactly will he get tired?”
“Is this guy a perpetual motion machine?”
“Have you noticed?
He hasn’t used a single Spirit Ability from start to finish!”
“He hasn’t even opened his Spirit, okay!”
“Are his spirit rings just for show then?”
“spirit rings that are just for show can crush us?
Then what are we?”
At the referee’s seat, Xuan Ziwen had already given up on taking notes.
He just stared fixedly at Lu Ren, the fanaticism in his eyes growing stronger and stronger.
He absolutely had to figure out this kid’s secret.
On the rostrum, Lin Jiayi’s grin had reached his ears.
Thirty-six consecutive wins.
A crushing streak of thirty-six wins.
Pulling such a monstrous talent into the academy was an achievement he could brag about for a lifetime.
Then Lin Jiayi came to Hall Master Jing Hongchen’s side and whispered:
“Hall Master, do we need to arrange for people from Mingde Hall to fight him?”
Hall Master Jing Hongchen stood by the window with his hands behind his back, overlooking the entire Trial Ground.
His expression looked calm enough, but his slightly trembling fingers betrayed his inner state.
“It seems that Level 4 and Level 5 Soul Engineers are completely no match for him.
In that case, send in the disciples of Mingde Hall; let the Level 6 Soul Engineers test his waters.”
Hall Master Jing Hongchen tried his best to make his voice sound calm enough.
“Understood, I will go arrange it immediately.”
Lin Jiayi withdrew.
Meanwhile, Hall Master Jing Hongchen took a deep breath.
Thirty-six matches, all wins.
And this kid is still in peak condition.
Hall Master Jing Hongchen had taught for decades and seen countless geniuses.
But a monster like Lu Ren—forget seeing one, he hadn’t even heard of one.
“As expected, I didn’t misjudge him.”
…
The competition continued until the sunlight over the Trial Ground gradually tilted westward, and the golden glow through the dome’s spirit tool windows stretched Lu Ren’s silhouette long and slender.
The seventy-seventh challenger clutched his chest and stumbled out of the arena, the Soul Power overflowing from his mouth carrying a faint burnt smell.
The Level 6 defensive spirit tool he was so proud of had been sliced like scrap metal by an invisible slash, and even his protective Soul Power had been shattered.
“Lu Ren, winner!
Seventy-seven consecutive wins!”
The impatience in Xuan Ziwen’s voice had long since vanished, replaced by an irrepressible fanaticism.
He stared fixedly at Lu Ren, his pen tip gliding rapidly across the recording board, filling it with dense notes like “invisible slash,” “black glow suspected to be spatial distortion,” “zero-consumption endurance,” and so on.
Even the dark circles under his eyes seemed to fade slightly due to excitement.
Right now, he was like an average man seeing a great beauty, or a Soul Engineer seeing the rarest spirit tool blueprints—full of curiosity and a desire to investigate Lu Ren.
The audience had long stopped their initial exclamations, leaving only a numbed sense of shock.
From early morning to afternoon, Lu Ren stood in the center of the arena, taking on seventy-seven challengers.
From six-ring Level 6 Soul Engineers down to four-ring Level 4 Soul Engineers, all without exception were defeated.
What was even more terrifying was that he hadn’t opened his Spirit once, hadn’t shown a single spirit ring, and hadn’t even had his breathing disturbed throughout the entire process.
Those high-intensity battles that would be enough to exhaust ordinary Spirit Masters seemed like a leisurely stroll to him.
The Black Flash on his fists remained sharp, the invisible slashes remained precise, and that faint look of composure always hung on his face, without a trace of fatigue to be seen.
“Is he even human?
He’s been in continuous high-intensity combat for a whole half-day, yet he’s completely fine?
There’s not a single sign of fatigue or weakness!”
“Is his Soul Power infinite?
Even a Spirit Emperor couldn’t hold out through such dense combat!”
“Did you notice?
He hasn’t even sweated!
When that Level 6 Soul Engineer’s soul cannon blasted near him just now, he didn’t even dodge, and the shockwave couldn’t even seem to touch him!”
Discussions buzzed, yet no one dared to question him anymore; only pure awe remained.
On the rostrum, Hall Master Jing Hongchen stood with his hands behind his back, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing his cuffs.
The stormy waves in the depths of his eyes had already settled, replaced by a bottomless solemnity and wild joy.
Zero-consumption endurance and crushing combat power—even though he only had four rings, even Level 6 Soul Engineers were no match for him.
This was the result even after he later chose to send Mingde Hall disciples to face him; the situation remained the same.
This wasn’t just a genius; this was clearly a God of War bestowed upon the Sun Moon Empire by the heavens.
It seemed he truly had the confidence to be arrogant; no wonder he dared to make a deal with him.
“Lin Jiayi.” Hall Master Jing Hongchen’s voice was low, yet carried an unquestionable majesty.
“Your subordinate is here!”
Lin Jiayi hurriedly bowed, having long lost his initial composure.
“Call Ji Juechen over.”
Hall Master Jing Hongchen’s gaze fell upon that figure in the field who remained standing firm.
“It’s time to let him have a try as well.”
“Yes.”
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