Why don't you die

The white-robed young man watched the old man's departing figure.

The young man in white looked out the window, a cold glint flashing in his eyes as he murmured, "Xu Jinyu... my dear cousin... why can't you just die obediently?"

"…"

"Forget it, I'll let you off for now. After all, the old prince won't live much longer."

The young man seemed to think of something, and the smile on his face became even gentler.

The Four Guardian Legions of Soul Guidance, the throne of the Sun-Moon Empire, and everything else in the Sun-Moon Empire would all be his and could only belong to him.

No one, and no one ever would, be able to take it away.

Brothers, friends, enemies—anyone who stood in his way would perish!

Aside from the strongest Royal Sun-Moon Soul Guidance Legion, the Sun-Moon Empire's most elite forces were the four Guardian Legions: Royal Dragon, Fearclaw, Fire Phoenix, and Evil Tyrant.

The Royal Sun-Moon Soul Guidance Legion was directly under the emperor's command, and no prince could interfere with it.

Thus, the only ones he could vie for were these four Soul Guidance Legions, which held significant influence in the struggle for the throne.

The Jinyu Prince's Mansion had never offended him.

But an innocent man may be guilty simply for possessing a treasure.

And the Fearclaw Soul Guidance Legion was precisely that treasure.

The Jinyu Prince's Mansion was already in decline and no longer had the power to protect the legion.

At this critical moment in the battle for the throne, they remained indecisive, sealing their fate as the first sacrificial lamb in this fierce struggle!

Even if he didn't make a move, other brothers would still fight for it.

So why not strike first?

...

...

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, three months had passed.

These past few days, the Royal Sun-Moon Soul Engineering Academy had been particularly lively.

Because it was a special period: the academy's grand assessment competition, involving all grade levels simultaneously, was just two days away!

This was an annual event that lasted for two days.

The Royal Sun-Moon Soul Engineering Academy held an assessment competition every semester. Su Luoheng hadn't participated in the third-year advancement assessment because he was waiting for this competition.

There were quite a few students in his class like him.

They had all reached the level of a second-rank soul engineer, waiting for this competition.

After all, being able to join the Royal Sun-Moon Soul Engineering Academy already meant exceptional talent, and being placed in the top class of each grade was reserved for the geniuses among geniuses.

Reaching the second rank within a year was not difficult.

The reason for waiting was due to the competition's rules.

The Royal Sun-Moon Soul Engineering Academy's assessment competition was conducted separately for each grade level. Regardless of the ranking achieved, there was no punishment; outstanding performances were even rewarded by the academy. If someone's performance was particularly exceptional, they could even skip the advancement assessment and directly move up to the next grade when the new semester began.

With training resources and rewards at stake, of course the students wanted to give it their all.

Motivating the students was precisely the academy's goal in organizing the competition.

At the same time, this was also when the Illustrious Virtue Hall's examination period began. The one-in-a-thousand admission rule there was far less cheerful than the atmosphere in the other five grade levels.

The competition was divided into two types: soul tool assessments and soul master combat assessments.

These two assessments were held on the first and second days, respectively, so students could choose to register for both competitions.

A few years ago, the Royal Sun-Moon Soul Engineering Academy only held the soul tool assessment. However, as they increasingly valued the abilities of soul masters, they added the soul master combat assessment.

As the head teacher of Class 1 in the second grade, Ran Yuming had also passed on this information.

Immediately, the entire class was in an uproar.

But none of this mattered to the teacher-student duo; they had already returned to the laboratory.

"Teacher."

Su Luoheng rubbed his hands together, his eyes filled with anticipation as he looked at Ran Yuming. "If I win first place, what reward will I get?"

"Core student treatment."

"This…"

Su Luoheng looked slightly disappointed.

It wasn't that the reward was bad; it was just that he was already a core student, so even if he received it, it wouldn't be of much use to him.

"What are you thinking, kid?"

Ran Yuming immediately saw through Su Luoheng's thoughts, smiling lightly. "Don't worry, as long as you win first place, the academy will definitely give you other rewards. Our academy never lets its students suffer when it comes to rewards."

Hearing this, Su Luoheng began to feel excited.

The other students felt the same.

Only with strength could one step onto a broader stage!

From first-year to fourth-year, students of all grades, even the freshmen who had just enrolled, were actively preparing for the competition!

...

...

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, two days had passed, and it was the day when the academy's grand assessment competition began.

Early in the morning, thousands of students gathered at the academy's training field, their faces beaming with excitement and anticipation, eager to show their skills.

They were the future of the soul engineering world!

"Everyone, please remain quiet."

Standing on the high platform was Jing Hongchen, the head of Illustrious Virtue Hall.

He wore a golden robe adorned with sun and moon patterns as he stood before all the teachers and students, his voice loud and powerful. "The annual academy competition is about to begin. I hope you all achieve great results!"

"…"

After an impassioned speech from the academy leaders, the annual assessment competition of the Royal Sun-Moon Soul Engineering Academy finally began!

...

The soul tool assessment was held on the southern side of the testing area.

To ensure the smooth running of the competition, the academy specially cleared out six large testing grounds for the event, with designated areas for the first through fourth years.

As long as you had talent, you would receive nurturing.

For outstanding students, this was the best stage to showcase their abilities.

"All first-year students…"

"Attention, all second-year students, attention: Classes 1 through 5 are in the fourth testing ground, and Classes 6 through 10 are in the fifth testing ground. Please note the testing ground numbers. There are only ten minutes left to enter; those who are late will be considered to have forfeited this assessment."

"All third-year students…"

"…"

The loud broadcast echoed throughout the academy, the sound reaching every corner of the testing area. Students of the Royal Sun-Moon Soul Engineering Academy followed the signs along the paths to their respective grade-level assessment areas in an orderly manner.

Su Luoheng followed the second-year group to the fourth assessment area.

The layout of the assessment area was similar to the advancement assessment he had taken before, but the space was expanded to more than five times its previous size. Moreover, every twenty experimental tables were separated by partitions, with each compartment the size of a classroom. There were about a dozen such compartments, each marked with a numbered sign at the entrance.

The subdivision into smaller testing areas made it easier to manage.

Su Luoheng was assigned to the tenth testing area, located on the far right side, making it easy to find.