Counterattack

A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he swiftly adjusted his stance. Just as the heavy sword finally descended, Su Luoheng managed to dissipate most of the force while using the momentum of the strike to quickly retreat. In Wenqu's incredulous gaze, Su Luoheng created a safe distance and freed himself from the gravitational field's influence.

Freed?

Ran Ruobing's beautiful eyes were full of surprise!

Su Luoheng had thought of the perfect countermeasure in just a few seconds and executed it flawlessly!

This child's combat experience and reflexes were extraordinary! Ran Ruobing's expression shifted to one of admiration as she looked back at Su Luoheng on the stage.

She then withdrew her gaze.

There was no need to keep watching.

The outcome was clear: Su Luoheng was the victor.

Her prediction was correct, but she had underestimated one thing—Su Luoheng's combat experience was not to be trifled with!

Although he had never officially sparred with a soul master of the same rank, he had fought and killed hundred-year soul beasts, and not just one! The accumulation of combat experience had greatly enhanced his reflexes in battle.

The moment he felt the gravitational pull, Su Luoheng had already adjusted his tactics.

He made the perfect response as the heavy sword came down—a skill honed through two years of training under his father.

Back on the stage.

With a loud "bang," Wenqu's heavy sword struck the arena floor. The impact of the blow was indeed immense, as the second-tier soul-guiding arena's surface cracked open, spreading dense spiderweb-like fractures across the surrounding area.

Wenqu had no idea what had just happened in that split second.

He only saw Su Luoheng, who was about to be hit by his sword, suddenly vanish, leaving his attack to strike the ground.

"How is that possible?!"

He couldn't help but exclaim, his eyes widening in disbelief.

Never had any soul master escaped his sword strike while under the influence of his gravitational field.

Never!

Yet, this time, it had happened right before his eyes.

At that moment, Wenqu panicked, his grip on his sword faltering.

Meanwhile.

Su Luoheng had keenly observed his opponent's reactions.

After several exchanges, he had already figured out Wenqu's abilities: his soul skill was an augmentation that could boost his speed, and his soul-guiding device imposed a gravitational restriction within a certain range.

Now, Wenqu was like a tiger without teeth, a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

It was time for Su Luoheng to counterattack!

As Wenqu stood frozen in shock, Su Luoheng raised his hand, sending out a cold sword aura to restrict his movements.

By the time Wenqu broke through the icy rain of sword energy, Su Luoheng had already closed in with his sword, the frosty blade gleaming as soul power surged into it.

Wenqu had no time to defend and could only raise his heavy sword in front of him.

Hastily, he couldn't even channel his soul power, and the outcome was inevitable: without soul power augmentation, the heavy sword was just a chunk of metal, unable to withstand such an attack.

With a crisp "crack," the sound of shattering echoed from Wenqu's sword.

Wenqu's first-level soul-tool, under immense pressure, was cleaved in two by Su Luoheng's Ice Rain Sword!

With one strike, the sword was broken in two, the two halves connected only by a thin piece of metal.

The dark heavy sword, now split in two, clattered to the ground.

But the power of the strike wasn't finished. The remaining sword aura, now unhindered, surged toward Wenqu's chest.

Buzzing—

Just as the blade was about to strike, a white light flashed. Wenqu's second-tier defensive soul-guiding device activated, forming a protective shield that absorbed the remaining force. The impact created ripples across the white barrier.

Meanwhile, Su Luoheng's expression shifted slightly as he glanced at the broken sword on the ground, lost in thought.

"You've lost."

As soon as he spoke, he turned and left the stage.

Storing his Ice Rain Sword, he walked off, while Wenqu remained standing there, stunned, his eyes still wide with fear.

It wasn't until Su Luoheng had completely left the stage that Wenqu collapsed onto the floor with a thud, staring at his broken soul-guiding weapon, panting heavily.

So close... just a little bit more…

He could still feel the chilling cold; he had almost been pierced through! If not for the timely activation of his defensive soul-guiding device, he might already be lying dead, just like that shattered sword.

"This guy... so terrifying…"

Wenqu couldn't help but shudder as he watched Su Luoheng's departing figure. His legs were shaking, and he didn't dare to move.

The fear of death lingered, and the impact of that sword strike had left a deep scar on his mind, almost becoming a shadow he would have to live with.

"The match on Platform Nine is over. The victor is Su Luoheng."

Ran Ruobing's beautiful eyes flashed with admiration. She hadn't expected Su Luoheng to break through the gravitational field using the unique properties of his Ice Rain Sword. She had to admit, his talent was truly remarkable.

With a sigh, Ran Ruobing recorded the scores of the two combatants and then shifted her attention to the other platforms.

A quarter of an hour later, the remaining matches also concluded.

Even though the assessment was officially over, the freshmen anxiously kept their eyes on Ran Ruobing, afraid she might announce some additional tests.

Ran Ruobing first closed her scorebook with an expressionless face. Then, under the tense gazes of the crowd, she smiled and announced, "The freshman upgrade assessment is officially over. Remember to gather your belongings and follow me out of the test area."

"As for your results, they will be posted on the notice board tomorrow."

"Finally!"

"It's over at last!"

"Teacher, what about the soul-toold we made?"

"You can keep them or dispose of them as you wish."

"…"

As soon as her words ended, all the freshmen breathed a collective sigh of relief. They could finally relax; this upgrade test was an unforgettable experience.

The academy had also been generous, allowing them to keep any soul-tools they made—assuming they had been able to make one, of course.

Among them, only Su Luoheng seemed lost in thought. He occasionally glanced at the Ice Rain Sword in his hand, clearly preoccupied with something.

…

A short while later.

After leading the freshmen out of the test area, Ran Ruobing left the group. The assessments for these new students were now complete; all that remained was for them to wait for the results tomorrow.

The students had free time for the rest of the day.

Gathering in small groups, they chatted about the just-concluded assessment. Naturally, this led to the formation of cliques, with those who had passed the soul-guiding device test and those who hadn't grouping together.

Su Luoheng didn't engage much in the conversations. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he quickly headed back to the dormitory, looking as if he had something important on his mind.

Once back in his room, Su Luoheng closed the door and sat cross-legged on the floor. He began replaying every moment of his battle with Wenqu, especially the clashes between their weapons. To his surprise, at the end of the fight, he had suddenly realized something: he had somehow grasped the core formation of Wenqu's heavy sword soul-guiding device during their encounter.