“The Lunzi family truly is astounding. They have unearthed another genius,” Hao Ranhui commented as he watched Lunzi Brooks with shining eyes. He then glanced at Bu Lu out of the corner of his eyes as he remarked, “The Bu clan is fortunate to have such a loyal, powerful family in their city.”

Bu Lu’s gaze turned unnaturally frosty as he observed Brooks’ transformation. However, his lips remained in a tight smile as he stated, “The Lunzi family have been loyal for many generations. Their strength is our Bu clan’s strength—the strength of our proud nation Jiandao.” Though he said those words, Bu Lu had earmarked Lunzi Brooks for special attention.

Noble-ranked soul monsters were not easy to come by, especially on the Eastern Continent. Usually, these soul monsters were given to top officials in a family to raise, ensuring they became powerhouses shortly. No clan in their right mind would give such a valuable resource to a child who could die at any time while adventuring.

However, the Lunzi clan gave this Brooks child a noble-rank soul monster. It meant that he was either an unparalleled genius that the family guessed the risk was worth it, or he the family had enough noble-rank soul monsters to shoulder the risk.

Either option was already bad enough. Both were a disaster. The Bu clan could not permit any family under its rule to grow this strong. What if the Lunzi clan one day grew tired of their position and sought to usurp the ruling king?

“Oh? It seems he is about to make a move.”

Hao Ranhui’s words brought Bu Lu back to the present. He shook his head and then focused on the battle. His father would know what to do. With a snide smirk, he glanced at Rao Wu. ‘Well done exposing them. I’ll treat you very well once you’re mine.’

Rao Wu, oblivious to the Second Prince’s nefarious thoughts, brandished his spear as he glared at Brooks. With a smirk, he asked, “What will you do if you still lose?”

“Me? Lose?” Brooks lips curled in a cold sneer as he raised his dagger. “That will never happen.” The teenage Brooks suddenly disappeared, and then coldly said as he instantaneously appeared behind Rao Wu, “Void Strike!”

Brook’s blade hummed with a dull, dark glow as it quickly slashed down at Rao Wu’s exposed back. Despite the surprise attack, Rao Wu managed to position his spear behind him.

Clang! Metal struck metal, sending Rao Wu flying toward the charging Undead Knight. Rao Wu grimaced as a sharp pain racked his soul space. To his surprise, Brooks’ attack primarily focused on the soul – blocking it was useless.

“Die.” The Undead Knight coldly declared as it swung its sword at the child.

Rao Wu gritted his teeth, pushing back the pain as he dug his feet into the ground. Using the earth’s friction as a lever, he spun in place and then smashed his spear against the Undead Knight’s sword.

Bang! A mini-explosion rang out from the impact, sending Rao Wu and the Undead Knight skidding in opposite directions. Just then, Brooks once again appeared behind Rao Wu and stabbed down toward his skull.

Rao Wu, however, grinned as he bent back and looked into Brooks’ eyes.

Brooks’ instincts flared and he rapidly scanned his surroundings. “The fireball! Where is it!?”

Rao Wu answered Brooks’ question by teleporting behind the Undead Knight who was still in the process of skidding across the ground.

Without hesitation, Rao Wu once again unleashed Annihilation, stabbing out his spear at the soul pet’s exposed back.

“No!” The Undead Knight angrily roared as it felt the threat at its back. It quickly stabbed its sword into the ground to stop its momentum, and then turned around with its tower shield raised high.

Bang! Rao Wu’s spear struck the shield, resulting in an enormous blast that shattered the shield and destabilized man and soul pet. The Undead Knight, however, recovered first. It hastily grabbed its sword and then slashed at the out-of-balance Rao Wu.

Rao Wu gritted his teeth as he stared at the incoming sword. He could dodge the attack with the fox-fire, but he only had enough soul energy for four or five more teleportations. He preferred to use them for decisive moments when he could launch secret attacks to finish off the enemy. It felt like such a waste to use it for a quick escape.

Bang!

Fortunately, just before Rao Wu was forced to teleport, a sturdy staff appeared over him, blocking the attack.

Ju Tu roared as he pushed back the Undead Knight and then turned to look at Rao Wu. “I’ll deal with him. You should focus on your fight.”

Rao Wu chuckled as he spun in place and smashed his spear against Brook’s blade. He held back the pain as he grinned at the teenage Brooks. “Thanks partner! I’ll beat some sense into this bastard!”

“You!” Brooks’ eyes burned with anger, but within was a trace of shock and fear. [Void Strike] was no ordinary technique. It specialized in injuring souls and was widely regarded as an unblockable attack. Most children his age directly collapsed after facing one Void Strike. Rao Wu, on the other hand, only winced in pain but continued fighting despite having received three.

There were three possibilities for this occurrence: the first and least likely was that Rao Wu had some sort of defensive item to protect his soul. This was the very least likely possibility because soul-defensive items were tremendously expensive. Practically no one below Soul Soldier level would ever come in possession of one except they came from an extremely rich family.

The second possibility was that Rao Wu had learned a soul technique that protected his soul from attacks. Brooks had no way of confirming if this was the case because he did not sense Rao Wu activating any techniques during his strikes.

The final and scariest possibility was that Rao Wu’s soul was too powerful and vast. Void Strike forcefully severed parts of a person’s soul energy. However, if that person’s energy was large enough, it would be like taking a bucket of water from an ocean. The soul trainer might feel the sting, but it wouldn’t overly affect them.

Brooks desperately refused to believe it was the last option. That kind of soul strength at his age meant that Rao Wu’s potential was near endless!

Rao Wu, oblivious to Brooks’ pondering, cursed as he once again suffered the Void Strike’s sting. He recalled a Soul Technique in the Test Chamber that protected souls from attacks, but it had been too expensive. Seeing as he ‘fortunately’ did not face any attacks that targeted souls, he assumed he wouldn’t need one urgently and would instead look for it in the outside world.

Just his luck then, that one of the first enemies Rao Wu faced upon exiting the Test Chamber was precisely the kind of monster that primarily targeted souls.

Rao Wu giritted his teeth as he powere on with his attacks. Fine then. If he could not block Brooks’ techniques, he would use brute strength to overpower the child. Rao Wu was very confident in his physical strength.

Bang! Bang! Clash!

Rao Wu and Brooks clashed around the arena, exchanging numerous deathblows in short spans. The crowd sweated as they watched the clash, wondering who would emerge the victor. One small mistake and either child would end up dead! That was how intense their battle had gotten.

Bang! Surprisingly, the soul pets’ battle ended before the childrens. The Undead Knight fought well against Ju Tu, utilizing exquisite battle technique to deal a few significant injuries with its sharp sword.

Unfortunately, Ju Tu proved too powerful in the end. Without its shield, the Undead Knight failed to block the Silver Primate’s rapid onslaught once he went on the offensive. The crowd watched in disbelief as Ju Tu danced around the Undead Knight with the grace of a martial arts fighter, denting the Undead Knight’s armor with deadly strikes that further and further wore down its strength.

Then, finally, Ju Tu struck with its Pillar Battle Technique. The Undead Knight managed to block the first two pillars, but Ju Tu then unleashed the third pillar, crushing the Undead Knight’s sword and then burying it in the ground. Miasma leaked out of the flattened Undead Knight’s shattered armor, revealing just how weak it had become.

Following Rao Wu’s example, Ju Tu placed his foot on the Undead Knight’s head as he watched Brooks and Rao Wu’s fight. Ju Tu’s warning was clear: He would crush the Undead Knight’s head if Brooks attempted to call it back.

Brooks’ eyes nearly went mad with anger as he glared at the fallen Undead Knight. “That useless—” Bang!

“Don’t you dare call your soul pet useless!” Rao Wu drove his spear shaft into Brooks’ nose, shattering it. “It fought its hardest! Don’t you disrespect that!”

“Shut up!” Enraged, Brooks ignored his injury and flung his dagger at Rao Wu face. “A mere hybrid dares lecture a human!?” Brooks sneered as Rao Wu quickly bent his head to the side. The blade cut a deep gash across the child’s cheek, Brooks was not done. “You tools should know your place!” Bzzt! A thin line attached to the blade’s handle suddenly reeled it back, sending the dagger slashing at the back of Rao Wu’s neck.

“We are not tools!” Rao Wu roared as he swung his spear, back and over his head. The sharp blade tore the line, sending the dagger flying in a random direction as the spear crashed down onto Brooks.

Brooks, as if expecting this, sneered as dark energy materialized around his left hand. He then punched upward, releasing a giant bony hand that smashed into the spear.

Bang!

“Argh!” Rao Wu grunted in pain as the impact forefully tore the spear from his hand and then sent it flying to the edge of the arena.

Within the stands, an old man thoughtfully stroked his beard, a thin smile on his face as he observed Brooks. “Hehe. It seemed the child finally mastered it after all.”

Within the arena, Brooks’s gaze narrowed as he stared at his fist. His soul energy exploded as he merged even deeper with the King Wraith. Within seconds, a thin skeleton frame appeared over his body, with two gigantic bony arms that almost looked like wings. “So, I finally mastered it… Wraith Armament.”

Brooks looked up and then coldly glared at Rao Wu. “Do you see? This is humanity’s power! It’s not something an uncivilized hybrid like you could ever understand.”

Rao Wu looked at his bloody hands and then at Brooks. “I asked you before. What will you do if you lose?”

Brooks, however, sneered in reply, “And I told you, I will never lose to a mere hybrid.”

“Mere hybrid, eh?” Rao Wu grunted as he partially transformed his hands, so his nails turned into pronounced claws. He then took a step toward Brooks as rampant soul energy began bubbling within him. “It’s time this hybrid gave you a little eductation.” With those words, Rao Wu’s aura exploded as he activated Overdrive.

Both children knew this was the pivotal moment. They had each utilized their trump cards and were now in their strongest states. However, neither could maintain their states for long. So, without much words, they quickly clashed in a flurry of desperate blows and ground-breaking explosions.

Brooks held nothing back as he attacked Rao Wu. The bony hands unleashed endless blows, looking to crush Rao Wu’s bones, but the jungle boy was too tenacious. Rao Wu traded blow for blow as he fought to reach Brooks hidden within the skeleton shell.

Unfortunately, this only resulted in more injuries for Rao Wu as he chipped at the tenacious skeleton.

Brooks’ gaze trembled as he watched Rao Wu’s tenacious gaze despite the piling injuries. Feeling irritated, he shouted, “Why don’t you just give up? You can’t reach me!”

“Give up?” Rao Wu smiled as his powerful gaze pierced Brooks. “My soul pets fought hard to get me here. I can never give up while they watch. That would be disrespecting their hard work.”

“Disrespect?” Brooks sneered. “You cannot disrespect tools, idiot!”

Rao Wu coldly smiled as he declared, “And that’s why you’ll never win.”

“What did you say?”

Rao Wu snorted as he traded blows with Brooks. “Soul pets are more than our companions. They are a part of us from the moment we make a contract. As soul trainers, our greatest duty is to ensure our soul pets become the strongest they can be. Do you think you are capable of doing this when you view them as easily discardable tools?”

Brooks’ eyes narrowed as he angrily spat, “What are you trying to say?”

“I’m saying you’re not fit to be a soul trainer.” Rao Wu glared at Brooks as he spoke, and then disappeared from sight. “You must first learn respect!”

“Bullshit!” Brooks roared as he spun around and clawed at the hanging fox-fire. “Did you think I would miss that? Idiot!”

“No. I was counting on it, actually.”

“What?” Brooks shivered as he heard a cold voice whisper into his ears. He quickly turned to see Rao Wu standing within the skeleton armor. “How!?”

“Your armor has a lot of shadows.” Rao Wu smirked as he reared his hand back and then punched Brooks square in the stomach.

The devastating blow caused Brooks to double over in pain, nearly vomiting in the process. The Wraith Armament shattered to pieces as Brooks lost control of his soul energy, leaving him utterly defenseless.

Bam!

Rao Wu drove his knee into Brook’s nose, yanking the bloody child upright. As Brook’s teethered, Rao Wu clenched his fist and then glared at the semi-conscious child. “Remember this. Hybrids and Beastkin are not inferior to humans. Soul pets are definitely not tools you can mess around with. You must treat your soul pets with respect if you ever want to be the best.”

Brooks’ brain sloshed around his skull as he struggled to remain standing. The youth’s bloody eyes glared at Rao Wu with unshakeable conviction. “You may have beaten me today, but that is because I am trash. No true human will ever lose to a hybrid.” He then closed his eyes and spread out his hands, “Now, kill me.”

Rao Wu cursed as he glared at Brooks. This brainwashing went too deep. It was not something he could change in a day or two. In the end, Rao Wu sighed as his clenched fist flattened out into a palm. He then walked up to Brooks’ side and said, “I’m in no rush. There’ll be plenty of opportunities to educate you in the future.”

Brooks’ heart trembled, and he quickly opened his eyes. “What di—” Thwack! Brooks collapsed to the ground, unconscious, after Rao Wu decisively knocked him out.

Rao Wu sighed as he looked at the fallen child. Why were humans so devout? Rao Wu could not figure it out, but he made a decision to practice his reeducation with Brooks. If he could change that stubborn youth’s way of thinking, he could change anyone else’s.

At least, that was the plan. First, he had to win this competition.

Rao Wu’s lips curled upwards in a wry smile as the final human competitor walked onto the arena. Two years might have gone by, but he easily recognized those blazing locks, and the proud, gold eyes. “Hey, there. It’s been a while.”