The battle on the Soul Dueling Platform was not yet over. Although Zhou Sicheng had crippled Dugu Xianmeng's Jade Phosphor Five Poisons, she still had combat abilities beyond her poison.
She was not willing to give up so easily. Even though she had recognized Zhou Sicheng's extraordinary abilities, she still wanted to take a gamble.
Dugu Xianmeng gently stroked the emerald-green snake-shaped earring on her earlobe, and in an instant, a jade-green snake-shaped longbow appeared in her hand.
This was a customized Grade 4 Soul Tool, capable of condensing her Jade Phosphor Snake Poison into sharp arrows, allowing her to launch long-range attacks! However, the soul power consumption was immense. At her current level, even in peak condition, she could only fire ten arrows at most.
Moreover, having already used four soul skills, more than half of her soul power had been consumed, leaving her with just enough energy to shoot at most three poisoned arrows.
She drew the bow and nocked the arrows. Her soul power depleted at an alarming rate, yet she still managed to form three poison arrows simultaneously, locking onto both the Ice Jade Scorpion and Zhou Sicheng.
As she fully drew the bow, the arrows shot out like streaks of venomous light, hurtling toward their targets.
However, Zhou Sicheng remained motionless, showing no intention of summoning another soul beast.
In front of him, A-Da slowly raised its majestic Ice Jade Scorpion pincers. With a swift motion, the three poisoned arrows were instantly caught between its crystalline claws. The power of Ultimate Ice erupted, freezing the arrows on the spot, preventing the poison from spreading even a single bit...
She was at a loss for words. Did she feel the frustration of failure? Yes, but strangely, it wasn't as intense as she had expected.
Because Zhou Sicheng had only used a single soul skill—to summon a nearly ten-thousand-year-old soul beast!
And everyone had noticed that he used his first soul skill, meaning he had at least two more soul beasts that were no weaker than the Ice Jade Scorpion.
Dugu Xianmeng put away her longbow, her emerald-green snake tail transforming back into her slender jade-like legs. As her soul rings retracted into her body, she flashed Zhou Sicheng a meaningful smile. "I lost."
Zhou Sicheng smiled slightly. "Thank you, Senior Sister, for going easy on me."
As he spoke, A-Da transformed into a streak of light and returned to the open page of his book, once again becoming a delicate illustration within the Golden Scripture. Zhou Sicheng closed the book, and the three purple soul rings around him faded back into his body.
"Going easy?" Dugu Xianmeng raised an eyebrow. "With your strength, I should be the one saying that."
At this moment, Du Weilun spoke in a slow yet firm voice, "Excellent! Excellent, Zhou Sicheng, you have passed the inner court examination. From today onward, you are the youngest genius of the inner court."
Behind the soul tool glass, Yan Shaozhe and Qian Duoduo were speechless with excitement.
Ultimate Ice, and at just the three-ring level! And that wasn't even counting the two contract soul beasts Zhou Sicheng hadn't revealed!
Was Shrek Academy finally about to usher in a new golden age, following in the footsteps of the past three great wielders of Ultimate Attributes?
And if they included the sect master's newly accepted final disciple from a year ago...
Wait a minute. That junior sister was also from Tianyuan City, wasn't she? And wasn't her recommendation letter written by Zhou Zhenxuan?
They had already confirmed Zhou Sicheng's identity—the direct grandson of Zhou Zhenxuan, the Lord of Tianyuan City.
Yan Shaozhe sighed with emotion. "Zhou Zhenxuan... That little brat who used to around back then. Who would have thought he'd raise such an extraordinary genius?"
Hearing this, Qian Duoduo couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia.
Zhou Zhenxuan's martial soul, Tome, was a decent support-type martial soul. However, Zhou Sicheng's mutated martial soul was completely beyond reason.
He had directly transformed from a support-type into a special contract-soul beast wielder? And such an overpowered one at that!
Zhou Sicheng had passed the exam with overwhelming dominance, yet no one felt that Dugu Xianmeng was weak.
Setting aside her reputation as the Poison Enchantress, just that Ice Jade Scorpion alone was something no other student present could contend with.
Even though they were all at least at the Soul Ancestor level, facing a near-ten-thousand-year-old top-tier soul beast—especially one with Ultimate Ice—most of them wouldn't even have the courage to stand their ground!
Du Weilun, barely able to contain his excitement, picked up a soul tool amplifier and announced, "Come out, all of you."
Soon, several inner court disciples, including Li Runrun, emerged from the waiting room.
They had been staying there not only to recover their soul power but also to avoid putting additional pressure on the examinees.
But after watching the final battle, they suddenly wondered...
With Zhou Sicheng's strength, could he actually take on all five of them at once?
He had subdued the Poison Enchantress with just one contract soul beast. What about three?
Du Weilun addressed the crowd, "Congratulations on passing the examination. From today onward, you are officially inner court disciples."
"It's already late. Follow your senior brothers and sisters to Sea God's Island. You can ask them about inner court uniforms and other matters later."
Zhou Sicheng, along with four other newly admitted inner court students, responded in unison, "Understood."
Du Weilun nodded in satisfaction. "Dismissed!"
Before leaving, he took one last deep look at Zhou Sicheng but said nothing further. He then turned and headed toward the second floor of the training hall.
The inner court seniors each picked a junior to escort to Sea God's Island—the true heart of the inner court and the real Shrek Academy.
As expected, Zhou Sicheng ended up following Dugu Xianmeng. A group of ten left the training hall and made their way toward Sea God's Lake.
Compared to the bustling daytime, the outer court was exceptionally quiet at night. The new students had finished their enrollment, and the senior students were meditating in their dormitories, diligently cultivating their soul power.
Along the way, they encountered no other students—only the occasional patrolling instructor.
After about fifteen minutes, they arrived at Sea God's Lake. The surface of the lake rippled gently, its clear waves reflecting the serene night. The fresh air made them feel refreshed and clear-headed.
Unlike the sapphire blue of daytime, the lake at night—bathed in the glow of soul-powered lamps—exuded a quiet and mysterious beauty.
Standing at the lakeshore, Dugu Xianmeng swept her gaze over the five new students and smiled. "You're all inner court disciples now. Crossing Sea God's Lake should be nothing difficult, right?"
One of the new students quickly replied, "Senior Sister, you underestimate us!"
As soon as he spoke, he spread his soul wings and shot forward in a streak of light, clearly eager to impress the beautiful senior sisters.
Of course, this definitely did not include the Poison Enchantress, Dugu Xianmeng.
The others followed, using their martial souls and soul tools to cross the lake.
Soon, only Dugu Xianmeng and Zhou Sicheng remained.
Zhou Sicheng glanced at her. "Senior Sister, are you waiting for me?"
Dugu Xianmeng nodded without hesitation. "I want to see how you plan to cross Sea God's Lake."
Zhou Sicheng chuckled. "I might disappoint you. I don't have anything too special."
He then rubbed the soul tool on his right middle finger, summoning a long sword imbued with the Light Attribute.
The sword was four feet three inches long, with a hilt measuring one foot four inches. It was double-edged, and at the base of the hilt, a luminous pearl of light radiated a holy glow.
Zhou Sicheng tossed the sword lightly, and it hovered beside him as if it had a will of its own. He stepped onto it, and as he channeled his soul power, ethereal wings unfurled from the sword's hilt.
With a surge of energy, he soared across the lake like a divine being, leaving a brilliant trail over the water.
In just the blink of an eye, he had overtaken everyone and was the first to reach Sea God's Island.
Everyone here was now an inner court disciple and at least at the Soul Ancestor level. So why did none of them look as effortless and composed as Zhou Sicheng?
Watching his figure disappear into the distance, Dugu Xianmeng leaped high into the air. As she plunged into Sea God's Lake, her slender jade-like legs transformed into a long, elegant snake tail. With a terrifying burst of speed, she shot forward like an arrow.
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