High in the air, dozens of glowing orbs drifted unsteadily. Under the crimson glow of the Fire War God, all the transparent orbs were tinged with a layer of red.
"That's a common fire-type ultimate move—Flame Shield."
Flame Shield could usually only be cast on oneself, but the Fire War God effortlessly applied it to the orbs, dozens at a time. The strength of a quasi-monarch level was evident. Liu Ren, who specialized in fire, watched and couldn't help but exclaim in awe. He glanced at the Fire Crow and asked, "Can your Fire Crow cast Flame Shield on others?" After all, his own turtle couldn't. Su Hao pondered for a moment and replied, "The Fire Crow never uses Flame Shield..." "Caw caw~!" The Fire Crow flapped its wings, indicating that its crow life only carried blades, not shields.
...
Inside the vast, empty examination hall, facilities built into the walls on both sides stirred up a fierce wind. The dozens of orbs in the air spun rapidly, as if tossed into a washing machine. Some crashed into the ceiling, over ten meters high, and bounced back. Instructor Sun Gao'ang pointed at the orbs, which varied in color from pale red, orange-red, to deep red, and said, "The depth of the color represents its defensive strength. Pale red orbs can be broken with roughly entry-level advanced power, orange-red require elite-level initial power, deep red..." He continued, "There are fifty orbs total. You can assign any spirit to attack, with thirty seconds to strike... Now, proceed in order."
Beside Instructor Sun, a mentor Su Hao didn't recognize swept his gaze over. "Who is Pu Zhiwen?" he urged. "Hurry up, there are many people behind." An ordinary-looking male student stepped forward. "I, my battling spirit is this Giant Cannon Lobster." The Giant Cannon Lobster, as large as a small car, strode forward on its sturdy legs, making clanging sounds on the metal floor. It raised its pincers, not in a claw shape, but like two massive hand cannons, silently aimed at the orbs ahead. "I'm ready," the student quickly said. The unnamed mentor picked up a timer and announced, "3, 2, 1... Begin!"
In an instant, basketball-sized water bullets appeared at the muzzles of the Giant Cannon Lobster's pincer cannons, one, two, three... countless in number. They blasted at the orbs in the air one after another. Boom~! A pale red orb shattered. Two water bullets missed. Another struck the side of an orange-red orb, but didn't explode, only slightly dimming the Flame Shield's color. After thirty seconds... "Stop!" The timing mentor scanned and reported, "Beginner level 17, intermediate level 5, advanced level 0, attack rating 'C minus'."
...
The second person stepped up; his spirit was a Steel Armor Eagle, a first-stage evolution, but also elite-level, with a wingspan longer than the current Fire Crow. It was a flying spirit skilled in close combat. It charged straight in, wings glowing gold as it twisted and turned in midair, slashing down repeatedly. It seemed to have a higher hit rate, but efficiency was poor, constantly chasing the orbs. The timing mentor checked and said, "Beginner level 10, intermediate level 5, advanced level 0, rating 'D'." A, B, C, D, and failing were the five exam levels. D was barely passing, with no further subdivisions. The student left dejectedly.
...
One by one, the examinees went. Spirits skilled in long-range or area attacks had an advantage in the attack test. Those used to close combat, unable to fly, or support-type spirits were at a clear disadvantage. But exams had always been this way. The three tests—attack, speed, and defense—were designed to ensure students developed comprehensively. No spirit good at attacking? Why not contract and train one? In extreme environments or against enemies, no one cared what you specialized in!
"Next, Liu Ren," the mentor called. A massive Lava Dragon Turtle was summoned, shuffling forward slowly like an old man. Moments later, flames filled the sky, shattering one orb after another. After thirty seconds, "...Rating 'C'." The two-story-tall Lava Dragon Turtle continued its slow retreat, then was carried out of the exam hall by a mentor's spirit—it took up too much space. Big-faced Liu's score was average. Over the semester, most students had trained at least one elite-level spirit, with only a few failing to break through. They were the rare failures. In Su Hao's Guanhu Court, there were two such cases. The highest rating was only 'C plus'. "I was just a bit off from the top score," Liu Ren boasted. Being too cocky wasn't good for health. For his friend's sake, Su Hao had to remind him, "I haven't gone yet." Liu Ren: "..."
It seemed the mentors saved the more promising ones for last. Liu Ren noticed several with notable records hadn't gone yet.
...
The exam continued. The floor opened below, releasing new orbs to replenish. The Fire War God kept casting shields. Then, the tool mentor spoke. "Next, Bai Hongzhen." A figure in white stepped out. Su Hao looked over, and the person glanced back... He seemed familiar. "Oh, it's the Ice Six-Tails' spirit master." But behind Bai Hongzhen now wasn't the small Ice Six-Tails, but a spirit standing over a meter tall, with nine fluffy white tails waving freely behind it. Arctic Nine-Tails! Its gaze also swept over, and upon seeing the un-evolved Dream Butterfly atop Su Hao's head, it shook its head and walked forward step by step. "Gu nuo~" Die Xiaodie asked if it had been looked down on.
...
The Arctic Nine-Tails elegantly moved to the front, a faint white frost rising around it. The tips of its nine long tails sparkled with crystalline light. At the mentor's command, it lunged forward, its nine tails dancing, whipping up an ice storm! The sheer force made many examinees instinctively retreat with their spirits, fearing being caught in it. The ice storm howled, engulfing a large area ahead. Countless sharp ice shards shot out, and one by one, the pale red orbs' Flame Shields dimmed and shattered. The Arctic Nine-Tails then used the airborne frost to condense ice blades around itself. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—it slashed at the deeper-colored orbs. With booming sounds, orbs exploded one after another. Moments later, "Beginner level 20, intermediate level 20, advanced level 4, rating 'B plus'!"
By then, the ice storm had dissipated, leaving only six deep red orbs scattered across the exam area. Seeing this, the examinees erupted in murmurs. Too strong! Although Bai Hongzhen was a big shot with an elite-level spirit from the start of the semester, they found the gap hadn't narrowed but widened, bitterness in their hearts. The big shot was still the big shot. They watched Bai Hongzhen and the elegant, powerful Arctic Nine-Tails. Bai Hongzhen looked back, his gaze fixed on Su Hao. His lips moved slightly. He was issuing a challenge.
After Bai Hongzhen, only three remained. The two before Su Hao scored 'B' and 'B minus' respectively. The last one... "Next, Su Hao." The voice rang out. Not only the mentors but also the other examinees almost simultaneously turned their heads, fixing their eyes on him. Su Hao, the legendary figure who accomplished the impossible in the opening challenge. Over the semester, there wasn't much news about him. They wanted to know if the legend had fallen or still shone brightly. "Please select your battling spirit."
...
All four of Su Hao's spirits were present. The Fire Crow tilting its head to stare at its wing. The Water Scale Beast lifting and lowering its hooves. The Electric Bear carrying its prop 'tablet'. And Die Xiaodie, perched high atop Su Hao's head. "Who's going?" Su Hao looked at Die and the Crow. In terms of attack power, the Fire Crow was far stronger. But Die Xiaodie had its own advantages. "Gu nuo~!" Die Xiaodie glanced at the flashy Arctic Nine-Tails and called out. It volunteered to go?! Su Hao had no objections. For just an attack test, the Fire Crow's 'Scorching Sun Stance' wasn't needed. The dull-headed Crow let out a "caw" but dared not object.
...
"It's that Dream Butterfly, not the Fire Crow." Bai Hongzhen observed this and shook his head slightly. In the past, the Dream Butterfly was Su Hao's ace... but it was a new evolution type, lacking a follow-up path, its future uncertain... Especially since it was a spirit skilled in illusions. He thought Su Hao's choice was unwise.
...
Die Xiaodie fluttered forward, three orbs spinning around it. "Ready?" the mentor asked. "Gu nuo~!" The mentor's gaze lingered on Su Hao. "Gu nuo~!" it called again. "Oh, ready," Su Hao, the translator, said. "Then 3, 2, 1... Begin!" As the words fell, a faint light shone in Die Xiaodie's big eyes. In an instant, the orbs, blown by the wind and drifting chaotically, froze in place. It launched energy balls. Five per second. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom~! Five or six orbs shattered, but the shockwaves from the explosions jostled the remaining ones. Die Xiaodie saw this wasn't working well. The highest-level deep red orbs had high defense—energy balls needed charging to break through. Time was tight. It changed tactics.
Under precise psychic control, all remaining orbs were grabbed by invisible hands and neatly lined up in a row, from light to deep colors. "Impressive control," Instructor Sun Gao'ang commented. Psychic power wasn't a move; it was a combination of external spiritual and mental energy from a spirit, creating an ability. But it was hard to control, and pure psychic power was weak. That's why experts developed Psychic Shield and Psychic Strike, basic psychic moves. Students in Guanhu Court had psychic spirits, but theirs couldn't do this. Couldn't arrange them so neatly. "And the Dream Butterfly doesn't even have a psychic attribute! Its psychic power can withstand the explosion's aftermath!!!" Someone noticed one orb near an energy ball's explosion point; its orange-red glow had faded, but it only wobbled before stabilizing. Unbelievable! Not scientific! Not spiritual either! "But even lined up, it needs enough attack power, and the Dream Butterfly..."
At that moment, after lining up the orbs, Die Xiaodie still didn't launch energy balls. It extended its hands forward, and the three orbs flew before it, forming a triangle. Emerald green light radiated from the orbs in rings, green threads connecting them into a tripod. Then, the tripod rotated clockwise, faster and faster. Meanwhile, on the side facing the exam area, countless green light particles converged. Move: Wood Spirit Shockwave! An advanced wood-type move! After charging for two or three seconds, a solid emerald green beam shot from the tripod before Die Xiaodie. Dazzling. It blasted straight through the row of orbs. Boom~!!! The brilliant green beam pierced through orb after orb, rings of smoke exploding, shockwaves spreading. The Wood Spirit Shockwave broke through all pale red, orange-red, and two deep red orbs before exhausting its power and dissipating. By then, the spreading shockwaves stirred up a storm, and Die Xiaodie's psychic control couldn't hold; the remaining orbs scattered. It waited calmly for two or three seconds until the aftermath weakened, then used psychic power to gather the remaining orbs and line them up again. Wood Spirit Shockwave! Line them up! Wood Spirit Shockwave! Three times in total, all orbs were obliterated. Bai Hongzhen and the others were stunned. "Such a tactic?" But even if they saw it, could they imitate it? No! Especially those three orbs... a move? an ultimate? or what? They had no idea! Su the Great was still Su the Great! Only the Arctic Nine-Tails let out a few "woo woo" sounds, somewhat unconvinced. Bai Hongzhen looked at it and said, "Alright, after the finals, I'll take you to challenge Su Hao."
...
"Beginner level 20, intermediate level 20, advanced level 10, rating 'A'." The mentor announced. Die Xiaodie was a bit miffed it wasn't 'A plus', but seeing the Arctic Nine-Tails' sulky glare, it felt happy. A spirit's joy was that simple and never boring.
...
The second test assessed speed and evasion. Su Hao and the other students followed the mentor to another venue. Looking ahead, a transparent, winding snake-like passage appeared. "This snake path is 200 meters long, equipped with gravity and various extreme weather restrictions..." Instructor Sun explained as the passage was activated. A humming sound emerged, revealing areas filled with flames, others with ice and snow, wind blades like knives... and invisible gravity effects. "Have your spirits break through the snake path, scored by time, with deductions based on injury level." The snake path was familiar to Su Hao and the others—a common training facility at Whale Island University. But difficulty depended on the mentor's settings. Especially since many had aces weak in speed, unsuitable for this test. Completely different from the previous one! They had no confidence. Liu Ren was one; his Lava Dragon Turtle couldn't even fit through the entrance. "This is discrimination against large spirits! I protest!" "So, what will you do? Use the Giant Tide Frog?" "No, I'll use the Flame Bat." Liu Ren referred to his third spirit, now trained to entry-level advanced, near its limit. "My Giant Tide Frog is elite-level, but it's not agile enough in the snake path. I'll gamble with the Flame Bat. Worst case, I fail! Since it's total score, one failure isn't a big deal... not." He still sounded nervous. Then he asked, "Old Su, which one are you using?" "Yeah, which one?" Su Hao rubbed his chin, looking at his spirits. Die Xiaodie, Fire Crow, and Water Scale Beast were all fast and agile. Even the Electric Bear, using Meatball Thunder Leap, wasn't slow. But it was too weak. "Ao ao?" The Electric Bear, holding its tablet, felt someone calling it, looked up, then lowered its head to stare at the screen. Su Hao sighed. This bear was hopeless. For other spirits, he could have Die Xiaodie supervise, but the Electric Bear... Su Hao felt the two would just game together. "So, which one will you send?" "Yeah, which one? Sometimes too many choices are a hassle." Su Hao looked up at the ceiling and sighed. Making choices was hard.
(Two chapters combined, one more update later)