Chapter 162: The Transfer Assessment is Underway (Part II)

Your recovery capability is truly remarkable. To bounce back so quickly from a Soul-Fixing Tremor that carried twenty percent of my full power—why, among all our students, only those at the very top of the rankings could manage that. Seeing Zhuang Xiaoyuan force herself up and regain control of her body, Luo Zhongtian’s eyes flickered with a mixture of surprise and appreciation. It seemed this transfer student was quite out of the ordinary.

Is that so? In that case, I suppose I rank near the top of the academy. Recovering from the numbness of her limbs under the white radiance of the Sword of the Promised Victory, she pulled herself to her feet. Keeping a cautious eye on Luo Zhongtian not far away, Zhuang Xiaoyuan voiced a claim she hardly believed herself.

The top? Hahaha. Little girl, if you want to reach the top, you had better defeat me first. As if he had just heard a terribly amusing joke, Luo Zhongtian suddenly burst into loud laughter.

Defeat you... To think someone this powerful actually exists. Narrowing her eyes slightly, Zhuang Xiaoyuan keenly caught the underlying meaning in Luo Zhongtian's words. If the top-ranked students of the Divine Vestment Academy could actually defeat a Mid-Tier Divine Blessing-class expert like Luo Zhongtian, just what divine power rank must those students possess?

If their rank was even higher, they could truly be called cultivation geniuses; but if their rank was lower, genius would no longer be a sufficient description. Imagining the prospect of living and studying in the future amidst such an assembly of powerhouses, Zhuang Xiaoyuan felt her heart burn with anticipation. Deep down inside, perhaps Zhuang Xiaoyuan also possessed a somewhat bellicose side.

Students capable of defeating the examiner—I certainly would love to witness that. Striding out from amidst the swirling, frozen snowflakes while wreathed in roaring flames, Wen Hui wore an expectant expression. Luo Zhongtian had not lowered his voice, and his words had clearly reached her ears.

If you wish to witness it, you must first pass the examination. Blizzard. Although Moxue’s facial expression remained as cold as frost, her voice was unexpectedly gentle. With those words, Moxue directed a blowing gesture toward Wen Hui. Following her movement, a freezing gale laden with tumultuous snowflakes surged from her lips, expanding rapidly as it bore down upon Wen Hui. If caught squarely by that attack, even the use of high-temperature flames to melt it away would make it impossible to break free in a short time.

Crimson Lotus of Blazing Fire. Turning the tip of her flame spear, Wen Hui thrust it directly into the ground. At her command, the fires surrounding her surged with increasing ferocity, suddenly erupting to form a giant floral lotus of fire about her person. This maneuver was not merely an offensive technique; it also served exceptionally well for defense, particularly when confronting the opposing element of ice and snow.

The howling wind carrying the snowflakes collided with the fiery lotus, canceling each other out in a rapid process of annihilation. White steam billowed upward, only to evaporate and vanish instantly as it neared the flames, while any vapor drifting close to the chilling gale immediately froze back into snowflakes and hurled themselves anew against the fire.

Soul-Fixing Tremor! Although Zhuang Xiaoyuan had managed to stand and had stalled for a considerable length of time with her words, she remained utterly defenseless against Luo Zhongtian's onslaught. Struck by a punch too fast for the naked eye to capture, Zhuang Xiaoyuan was sent flying once more, her body plunging into a state of paralysis for the second time.

Having suffered the Soul-Fixing Tremor a second time, Zhuang Xiaoyuan had begun to grasp the fundamental principle behind this battle skill, a secret already hinted at by its very name. The core of the technique lay in the concept of vibration, utilizing a jarring force that instantly diffused throughout the enemy's entire body, shaking their meridians and divine power to temporarily sever the use of their physical capabilities. It was a purely control-based technique, while its actual inflicted damage was remarkably negligible.

Heh, the same trick doesn't work on a Saint Seiya. Although he had deliberately increased the force and employed forty percent of the skill's potential, Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s recovery speed this time was actually faster than before. Bathed in the white brilliance of the Sword of the Promised Victory, she quickly rose to her feet.

Mh?! It seems this isn't a matter of mere recovery after all. That white light—did it immunize her against my tremors? Fascinating. In that case, let us try the full strength of a hundred-percent tremor; I won't hold back if you get paralyzed. Hah! Noticing the discrepancy between Zhuang Xiaoyuan's previous recovery and this one, and paying no mind to her mention of some strange entity called a Saint Seiya, Luo Zhongtian locked his gaze upon the white light enveloping her. That must be what neutralized his vibrational force. Since she possessed such a defense, he would drop all restraint and display a genuine measure of his true strength. Brownish-yellow fur flashed across his form for a split second, and Luo Zhongtian instantly closed the distance to Zhuang Xiaoyuan once again. At this moment, ten seconds remained until the three-minute limit expired.

The divine power flowing through her body rushed swiftly into her eyes. Though she had never learned any battle skill specifically designed to enhance vision, mere divine power alone could slightly heighten her eyes' dynamic perception. I see it! Her eyes, flooded with divine power, caught the fleeting trace of Luo Zhongtian's dash. Without the slightest hesitation, Zhuang Xiaoyuan forcefully suppressed the lingering sense of unease caused by her own decision and directly hurled the Sword of the Promised Victory in her hand straight toward the approaching Luo Zhongtian. Nine seconds.

The moment the Sword of the Promised Victory left her grasp, the white radiance shining upon Zhuang Xiaoyuan flickered and extinguished. Her action of discarding the weapon caught Luo Zhongtian by surprise, causing his footsteps to falter involuntarily as he dodged the flying blade. Eight seconds.

Taking advantage of that momentary hesitation from Luo Zhongtian, another card materialized in Zhuang Xiaoyuan's hand, bursting with golden light that enveloped her entirely. After a brief pause, Luo Zhongtian pressed forward once more. Though astonished by her choice, such a gesture of surrendered resistance was not enough to make him halt his attack.

However, owing to Zhuang Xiaoyuan's act of giving up her weapon and the vanishing white glow upon her, Luo Zhongtian instinctively restrained the vibrational force in his blow. To take a full-strength strike while completely unshielded might lead to unexpected disaster. A Soul-Fixing Tremor packing nearly eighty percent of his power roared toward Zhuang Xiaoyuan. Seven seconds.

Tai Chi Cloud Hands! Luo Zhongtian's tremor drew close to the golden radiance. From within the golden light that had yet to completely fade, a pair of delicate hands traced circles in the air, conjuring a black-and-white Yin-Yang Tai Chi diagram. Luo Zhongtian's tremor, freighted with dense oscillatory force, slammed directly into the center of the Tai Chi diagram.

Through the Tai Chi diagram's properties of deflection, twisting, and rebounding, Luo Zhongtian's vibrational force was split in two. The greater portion was reflected outward, neutralizing a fraction of the remaining momentum before surging back into Luo Zhongtian himself, while a minor portion broke through the diagram's barrier to continue acting upon Zhuang Xiaoyuan. However, the tremor, having been heavily diluted and countered, had completely lost its controlled nature and was converted into a sheer, unadulterated impact force.

Driven by the respective impact forces acting upon them, Luo Zhongtian and Zhuang Xiaoyuan flew backward in opposite directions, one after the other. Six seconds.

After all, the rebounding force had been substantially weakened, and Luo Zhongtian quickly absorbed the unexpected impact, landing firmly on his feet. Without a moment's pause, he drove his feet hard into the ground, stirred up his vibrational power anew, and charged toward Zhuang Xiaoyuan, who was still flying backward through the air. Five seconds.

Universe Wonder Great Gourd! The lingering impact carried Zhuang Xiaoyuan rapidly backward. While still suspended in mid-air, she channeled her divine power to summon a crimson magic gourd, uncorked its seal, and shouted out its name at the top of her lungs. (To be continued...)