The preparation room door slowly swung open, and a striking emerald-green figure walked out at a leisurely pace.
Dugu Xianmeng's long, jade-green hair cascaded over her shoulders, with a matching serpent-shaped earring adorning her right ear. Her figure was undeniably breathtaking, accentuated by a high-slit cheongsam that revealed her flawless bare feet, each crystal-clear toe delicate enough to make one...
Zhou Sichen raised an eyebrow slightly, thinking to himself—she looked even more stunning in person than in the portrait.
That face, that figure...
She could even compete with his sister.
His sister had a celestial, noble aura, while Dugu Xianmeng exuded a dark, enchanting dominance—each possessing a unique and alluring charm.
As she stepped onto the battle stage, Dugu Xianmeng flashed him a dangerous yet seductive smile.
"Little brother, you're the first one to choose me. As your senior sister, I won't let you down."
Her honeyed voice was filled with temptation, but Zhou Sichen merely smiled warmly.
"I only ask that senior sister doesn't hold back."
Hearing their exchange, the four candidates who had already passed the exam were shocked.
"Did he just ask her not to hold back?"
Did this guy only look at her face and completely ignore how dangerous she was?!
Dugu Xianmeng's smile deepened.
Under everyone's gaze, Zhou Sichen calmly raised his right hand.
A golden book materialized, its radiant luster adding an elegant, scholarly air to his already refined demeanor.
Then, three soul rings appeared around him.
Purple! Purple! Purple!
The moment those three rings rose, the entire hall fell silent.
The watching students, the senior disciples in the waiting room, even Yan Shaozhe and Qian Duoduo, who stood behind the soul tool glass, all froze in shock.
Hearing about a thousand-year first soul ring was one thing—seeing it with their own eyes was an entirely different experience.
The oppressive aura radiating from his three purple soul rings wasn't something an ordinary thousand-year soul ring could ever produce.
"Zhou Sichen. Martial Soul: Contract Book. Rank 38 Battle Soul Elder. Please guide me."
His gentle, refined voice pulled Dugu Xianmeng back from her momentary daze.
"A thousand-year first soul ring? That's impossible!"
The smile vanished from her face, replaced by an unprecedented seriousness.
Though Zhou Sichen was a full ten ranks below her, his soul ring configuration was simply too terrifying.
Even Du Weilun, staring at him intently, couldn't believe his eyes.
"It's real... He truly is a once-in-a-lifetime genius."
Everyone else reacted similarly. Even Yan Shaozhe and Qian Duoduo, who had already heard the rumors, found themselves stunned.
Only Bei Bei remained relatively calm—after all, he had already seen this before.
Yan Shaozhe and Qian Duoduo exchanged glances.
The appearance of a prodigy like Zhou Sichen meant one thing—if they could keep him at Shrek Academy, the institution would thrive for at least another hundred years.
On the battle stage, Dugu Xianmeng bit her lip.
She hadn't expected her first opponent to be such a monstrous talent.
Fortunately, the soul power gap between them was large enough.
And more importantly, she had absolute confidence in her poison.
A brilliant green, diamond-shaped crystal appeared at the center of her forehead, and her emerald eyes turned into vertical pupils.
Her slender waist twisted, and her long, jade-like legs slowly transformed into a serpentine tail covered in intricate green scales.
At the same time, four soul rings—two yellow, two purple—rose around her, exuding the powerful aura of a high-rank Soul Elder.
"Dugu Xianmeng. Martial Soul: Jade-scaled Serpent. Rank 48 Control-type Battle Soul Ancestor. Let's begin."
As she released her martial soul, her enchanting presence became even more mesmerizing, yet no one dared to get close to her.
"Begin the examination!" Du Weilun announced.
The moment he gave the signal, Dugu Xianmeng lashed her serpent tail against the ground, surging forward at high speed.
She planned to crush this young genius with her absolute suppression.
As she advanced, her four soul rings pulsed in unison.
The spectators' expressions shifted dramatically.
This was the first time they had seen Dugu Xianmeng so serious—she was activating all four of her soul skills at once!
Even a Soul King might struggle against such an overwhelming offensive.
The Jade-scaled Serpent's venom was already notoriously lethal, and Dugu Xianmeng had taken it even further—she had cultivated her venom to an extreme level, fusing it with the legendary Jade Phosphor Five Poisons.
With this deadly combination, her poison was dozens of times more lethal than ordinary Jade-scaled Serpent venom.
A mere Rank 38 Soul Elder?
If he was struck even once, he would melt into a puddle of poison within seconds.
The five poisons included:
Jade-scaled Serpent Venom
Her four soul skills activated at once, fusing the five venoms into a deadly, multi-colored toxic mist.
The mist condensed into a sharp, venomous arrow, streaking toward Zhou Sichen at blinding speed.
"Jade Phosphor Five Poison Formation!"
Just as the poison arrow reached three meters from Zhou Sichen, it suddenly exploded, expanding into a deadly, rainbow-colored fog, engulfing the area instantly.
But—Zhou Sichen did not move.
He didn't even lift a hand in defense.
Instead, he calmly flipped to the first page of his golden Contract Book.
A magnificent Ice Jade Scorpion illustration shimmered on the page.
With a gentle tap of his finger, his first purple soul ring lit up.
A glacial blue light surged from the book, transforming into a three-meter-long Ice Jade Scorpion.
As soon as A'Da appeared, the temperature in the arena plummeted by at least twenty degrees.
Without needing any commands, A'Da's long scorpion tail gleamed with icy light, its Extreme Ice power surging forth.
A wave of frost shot out, colliding directly with the toxic mist.
Though Zhou Sichen's soul rank was ten levels below Dugu Xianmeng's, the quality of his soul power was far beyond ordinary Soul Elders.
Moreover, A'Da was already a peak 9,999-year soul beast, and with Extreme Ice—one of the strongest elemental affinities in existence—the result was inevitable.
Before Dugu Xianmeng's deadly venom could fully spread, it was frozen solid in an instant.
Dugu Xianmeng's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Impossible! Even fire and ice can't normally counter my Jade Phosphor Five Poisons!"
But this ice... was different.
It was colder, purer, and more absolute than anything she had ever encountered.
Even Du Weilun, who had been ready to intervene to save Zhou Sichen, was stunned.
He had been worried for nothing.
This boy's strength—it was already beyond what common sense could measure.
Behind the soul tool glass, Yan Shaozhe and Qian Duoduo's eyes widened.
"Extreme Ice! This Ice Jade Scorpion is already at the peak of the thousand-year threshold... and this is only his first soul skill?!"
Bei Bei nodded from the side. He had already explained it once before, but until they saw it with their own eyes, the two deans had found it hard to believe.
Now that they were witnessing it firsthand, it was even more unbelievable.
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