"Big bro, that kid's from the Spirit Hall. Why's he even attending a regur academy? Doesn't the Spirit Hall have its own elite training system?"

  Now that Gu Han had walked off, the nky ape-faced student finally voiced his confusion.

  "Idiot!"

  Zhu Ganglie smacked him on the back of the head with a meaty palm and snapped, "The Spirit Hall Academy is on par with noble academies like Heaven Dou and Star Luo. You think just anyone can get in?"

  "Besides, letting students study at other academies doesn't mean they won't be trained properly."

  "Yeah, and this way, it saves a lot of money too."

  The ape-faced student nodded thoughtfully, though the vacant look in his eyes—perhaps a result of being smacked too often—still gleamed with pure and unfiltered ignorance.

  "Exactly. Now you're starting to get it."

  Zhu Ganglie csped his hands behind his back, wearing the smug expression of a teacher satisfied with his pupil.

  After shaking off those two idiots, Gu Han returned to his dorm to get settled. It had to be said—Spirit Hall's reputation was extremely useful. By invoking its name, he'd managed to secure a single-person dorm.

  Of course, this was also due to his talent and potential. If he had only been a one-ring Soul Master at age twelve, even if he were from Spirit Hall, he wouldn't have received any special treatment.

  Just like st time, Gu Han had transferred midway into the term. For all the csses he'd missed, he took the initiative to approach the instructors, ask questions, and visit the academy's library to study on his own.

  Compared to junior academies, advanced soul master academies offered a far more comprehensive collection of books and knowledge.

  Once he'd completed all his preparations, Gu Han set off for the Spirit Arena of Dragon City.

  At the registration counter of the grand arena, he submitted his identity and basic information, signing up under the codename "Mister Sword."

  He even bought a somewhat comical smiley-face mask. He didn't really expect it to conceal his identity.

  Powerful factions could identify a soul master's identity simply by analyzing their martial soul and combat traits.

  His concern wasn't about those people—it was the average spectators or unknown individuals on stage that he wanted to stay hidden from.

  A twelve-year-old at Rank 22 was considered a pretty remarkable talent. If anyone who bore a grudge against Spirit Hall discovered his identity, it could spell unnecessary trouble.

  Since Gu Han usually operated alone, he only signed up for solo matches.

  His first opponent was a Rank 25 power-attack-type Soul Grandmaster whose martial soul was a rge ice-element hammer.

  Naturally, Gu Han pced his entire wager on himself—he had absolute confidence in his strength.

  The match was to be hosted by a young dy with a Butterfly Martial Soul. She hovered above the arena, holding a mic and announcing the match lineup.

  "Up next: Mister Sword vs. Du Jun."

  "Now revealing the participants' martial souls and soul power levels."

  Mister Sword: Martial Soul – Frostbde Sword. Rank 22, Power-Attack-Type Soul Grandmaster.

  Du Jun: Martial Soul – Coldiron Hammer. Rank 25, Power-Attack-Type Soul Grandmaster.

  "Contestants, please enter the arena!"

  Wearing his mask, Gu Han stepped onto the ptform. Across from him stood a two-meter-tall brute.

  "Heh, kid, not only are you hiding your face, but you picked such a me, childish mask."

  Du Jun burst out ughing as he mocked Gu Han's ridiculous smiley-face disguise.

  The comment sent waves of ughter rolling through the crowd.

  But beneath that mask, Gu Han's eyes turned cold. He never provoked others, but he would never tolerate being provoked.

  "Referee, may we begin the match?"

  His voice was calm, unaffected by the ridicule. He raised his eyes toward the referee floating above the arena.

  The young referee turned to Du Jun and asked the standard question, "Du Jun, are you ready?"

  "Heh, of course. Watch me beat this little brat so bad even his parents won't recognize him!"

  With a heavy cng, Du Jun summoned a massive iron hammer and smmed it against the ground. He clearly didn't consider Gu Han a threat.

  In his mind, the boy was just a Rank 22 rookie. Du Jun had fought over a hundred battles in the Soul Arena already. Crushing a newcomer like this should be a walk in the park.

  "Begin!"

  As the referee announced the start of the match, two yellow century soul rings rose beneath their feet.

  First Soul Skill: Frostbde Sword *Qi!

  *(TL/N - I Will use Qi, instead of Aura from now on.)

  The moment the words left his mouth, Gu Han's first soul ring lit up, and an icy, razor-sharp energy enveloped his sword.

  With a single ssh, he unleashed a chilling arc of sword qi straight at Du Jun. A trail of frost formed across the arena floor in its wake.

  Du Jun's expression shifted immediately—he dared not be careless. His second soul ring fred up without hesitation.

  Second Soul Skill: Rage of Gcial Iron!!

  With a roar, his hammer suddenly expanded until its head was the size of a grown man's torso. He swung it down with full force to intercept the incoming sword qi.

  "AAAAAHHHHH!!!"

  Gu Han's strength—refined over the years thanks to the mysterious cultivation method granted by the Nameless Technique—had reached terrifying levels. Even this casual ssh of sword energy forced Du Jun, despite his higher soul power, to go all out just to block it.

  BANG!!

  Du Jun burned through nearly 80% of his soul power just to shatter that single arc of sword qi.

  "Huff... huff..."

  He gasped for breath, his broad chest heaving as he struggled to recover.

  But Gu Han gave him no chance.

  In the very next instant, Gu Han was already in front of Du Jun, the tip of his Frostbde Sword pointed directly at the man's throat.

  "Wha—?!"

  Du Jun's eyes widened in disbelief. The chilling aura and lethal sharpness emanating from the sword made his entire body freeze.

  "I—I surrender…"

  He didn't dare move an inch. His voice trembled as he admitted defeat.

  Only then did Gu Han retract his sword.

  "Watch your mouth next time."

  The words struck like a cold sp. Du Jun colpsed, unconscious before he even hit the floor.

  Silence.

  The entire arena was dead still.

  Even the butterfly-souled referee hovered mid-air with a stunned expression, her mouth agape. If flying weren't second nature to her, she might have dropped out of the sky.

  "Referee. You can announce the result now, can't you?"

  Gu Han raised his head to look at her calmly.

  "Ah—right, yes!"

  Startled back to her senses, the referee nodded quickly, then raised her mic and decred loudly:

  "I announce that the winner of this Soul Duel is… Mister Sword!!"

  Hearing the result, Gu Han withdrew his martial soul and turned to leave the stage.

  BOOM!!!

  The crowd erupted.

  "Du Jun actually lost!"

  "No way!"

  "Du Jun is one of the top Soul Grandmaster around! He even had a ten-win streak once! How did he lose to someone with lower soul power?!"

  Everyone was shocked. Sure, Du Jun wasn't undefeated—but to lose like this?

  No one expected him to be completely outcssed. From start to finish, the match hadn't even sted half a minute.

  "Two moves. Mister Sword only needed two moves to beat Du Jun!"

  Those with sharp eyes saw it clearly. Gu Han unleashed one arc of sword qi, then vanished like a phantom and reappeared in front of Du Jun, his sword already at the man's throat.

  "Is Mister Sword really only Rank 22?"

  Someone voiced doubt, wondering if Gu Han had falsified his soul power level.

  But that idea was quickly dismissed.

  "Impossible. The Spirit Arena has strict registration protocols. Everyone's level is tested with a Soul Power Measuring Orb during sign-up."

  With that expnation, the crowd had no choice but to accept that Gu Han truly was a Rank 22 Soul Grandmaster.

  "Hiss—"

  Someone drew in a sharp breath.

  "He actually beat Du Jun—who's three levels higher and has loads more combat experience—with ease?"

  "This kid… is terrifying."