Although Lucy had heard of them before, seeing their spirit rings in person still shocked her.
"Ahem." Lucy paused for a moment before saying, "Now, I'll assign the matchups. Luo Chen and Gu Chen will team up against Hu Liena and Xie Yue; Xue Youyou and Feng Xiaoyu will team up against Yan and Xuan Mo; Feng Ming and Gu Yuena will team up against Hua Qingluo and me. I'll limit my strength to rank 41."
Hu Liena looked at Gu Chen and Luo Chen in surprise. She hadn't expected that in this combat lesson, she would actually face them.
"Nana, that Gu Chen's spirit rings are terrifying. Let's unleash our Martial Soul Fusion Skill at the very beginning of the battle," Xie Yue whispered to Hu Liena.
"Alright, brother." Hu Liena nodded, her expression growing serious.
With Lucy's command, the three battles began simultaneously.
A pair of crescent-moon-shaped blood-red blades suddenly appeared in Xie Yue's hands—his Martial Soul.
Hu Liena moved, leaning forward and colliding with Xie Yue. At that moment, a red light curtain suddenly appeared and expanded. As soon as the two made contact, the red glow wrapped around them.
Instantly, the red light exploded outward, covering a third of the training field.
Because of Hu Liena and Xie Yue's actions, the other two battles had to be put on hold, and the others retreated to the far end of the training ground.
"What's going on with Xie Yue and Nana? Why are they using their Martial Soul Fusion Skill right at the start?" Yan frowned.
Lucy replied, "Gu Chen's spirit ring configuration is extremely powerful. If they want to defeat him, their only option is to seize the initiative."
Xie Yue and Hu Liena's Martial Soul Fusion Skill—Enchanting Phantom, activated!
A flickering red light enveloped them, and in an instant, the two merged into one being—a figure with flowing hair, appearing neither male nor female.
"Yo, isn't this a Yin-Yang person?" Gu Chen immediately taunted.
"You!" Enchanting Phantom was enraged, and the red mist thickened, brimming with hostility and illusionary energy.
By now, Gu Chen had already activated his Golden Dragon King Possession. Scales covered his body, his eyes radiated golden light, and within the red mist, he locked onto Enchanting Phantom's position.
Behind him, Luo Chen started chanting softly. Words like "Secret Recipe Fried Rice," "Delicious and Filling" floated around him.
"Second Soul Skill—Secret Recipe Fried Rice!" Luo Chen shouted. A bowl of fried rice drizzled with golden-brown sauce materialized and was thrown toward Gu Chen.
"Gu Chen, this is my second soul skill—Secret Recipe Fried Rice. It helps clear the mind and has some detoxifying effects," Luo Chen explained, making another portion for himself.
"Got it!" Gu Chen caught the fried rice with his claw and threw it into his mouth, even crunching through the bowl. Since it was formed from soul power, eating it wouldn't harm his body.
A cool sensation spread through him, and Gu Chen felt exceptionally clear-headed. A faint blue energy layer covered his skin, repelling the invading mist.
"First Soul Skill—Fragrant Fried Rice!" Luo Chen chanted again, creating another bowl of fried rice and tossing it to Gu Chen.
Gu Chen caught it and stuffed it into his mouth.
At that moment, a crescent blade slashed fiercely toward his back.
Gu Chen didn't even turn around. His Golden Dragon Claw shot backward, grabbing Enchanting Phantom's weapon.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Gu Chen exerted force, and the crescent blade emitted fracturing sounds. A few seconds later, it shattered completely.
"Urgh…"
Xie Yue suffered a severe backlash from his damaged Martial Soul, wincing in pain.
But Gu Chen didn't let up. His Golden Dragon Claw swiped toward Enchanting Phantom's face, his first soul ring lighting up. A Golden Dragon Phantom surged from his claw toward his opponent.
Sensing danger, Hu Liena quickly maneuvered Enchanting Phantom downward, trying to slide under Gu Chen's legs to escape.
However, Gu Chen abruptly halted his movement mid-air without suffering any backlash. At the same time, his right foot stomped heavily on the ground, activating his second soul ring.
Golden Dragon Quake!
Eight dragon phantoms burst upward, crashing onto Enchanting Phantom's back as they slid along the ground.
Boom!
Enchanted Phantom was launched into the air, coughing up blood.
Both Xie Yue and Hu Liena suffered damage from the backlash.
Gu Chen didn't stop. His fourth soul ring lit up—a terrifying black-and-red glow radiating immense power.
Fourth Soul Skill—Golden Dragon Claw!
A massive dragon claw, filled with an overwhelming aura, slowly reached toward Enchanting Phantom.
Xie Yue and Hu Liena felt suffocated. The oppressive force was so overwhelming that they couldn't even speak, let alone resist.
The Golden Dragon Claw moved agonizingly slow, like a turtle's crawl, yet its immense pressure locked Enchanting Phantom in place, as if Buddha himself had suppressed them beneath a mountain.
Just as the claw neared their throat, it suddenly stopped.
No doubt, this was the Fragrant Fried Rice's effect.
Finally, the Golden Dragon Claw merely tapped lightly on Enchanting Phantom's throat, instantly dispelling the Martial Soul Fusion Skill. The two separated, falling onto the ground and spitting blood, their breath weak.
When they looked at Gu Chen, their eyes were filled with fear!
"Gu Chen and Luo Chen win!" Lucy announced. Thanks to her first soul skill—Clairvoyance, she had seen through the red mist clearly, just like Gu Yuena with her powerful spiritual sense.
Lucy praised, "Gu Chen, your combat ability is excellent, and your soul skills are extremely powerful. What you need now is to spar with higher-level soul masters. I'll arrange for a few Soul King instructors to practice one-on-one combat with you."
"Teacher!" Gu Chen objected. "I—"
"With your spirit ring configuration, Soul Kings won't be able to gauge your true strength. Your next opponents will be Soul Kings, no discussion." Lucy interrupted.
"Actually, I'd like to spar with a Soul Emperor or even a Soul Sage," Gu Chen said.
"What? What did you say? A Soul Emperor or Soul Sage?!" Lucy was stunned.
Gu Chen nodded. "Before I even became a Soul Ancestor, I killed a Soul Emperor. But that Soul Emperor had terrible spirit ring compatibility. I want to find a strong Soul Emperor or Soul Sage as a sparring partner."
Hearing this, everyone—including Lucy—was dumbfounded.
A Soul Grandmaster killing a Soul Emperor? That was crossing three major realms! Just how powerful was Gu Chen?!
"Are you serious? Fine. I'll ask our instructor, Teacher Lin—he's a rank 73 Soul Sage—to personally spar with you," Lucy agreed after some thought.
"Teacher," Gu Yuena spoke up, "I'd like you to fight me at full strength."
"What?" Lucy was startled. Gu Chen was already monstrous enough—was Gu Yuena just as terrifying?
"Teacher, Na'er's strength isn't below mine," Gu Chen stated.
Lucy's expression turned serious. She nodded, "Alright. I'll go all out. But this is just a sparring match—we'll stop before things go too far."
"Three, two, one—begin!"
The moment Lucy finished speaking, space elements fluctuated, and Gu Yuena vanished.
The next second, she reappeared behind Lucy, a sword of light forming in her hands, stabbing straight for Lucy's neck.