The twenty percent boost was applied to his full level 68 strength, bringing him close to a Title Douluo's power. With that, there was absolutely no doubt—his strength had already surpassed conventional limits.
The moment his aura exploded outward, the martial soul fusion technique composed of golden leaves and peach blossoms instantly scattered.
Ye Shihong and Bai Hanying were both knocked unconscious by the force of the backlash.
The dazzling Golden Leaf martial soul vanished from the sky, and even the scent of peach blossoms could no longer be detected.
"Still want to fight?" Gu You cast a sidelong glance at the remaining opponents, violet energy swirling outward from his eyes.
"Surrender!"
"Yes, we surrender!"
Zhou Tian thanked the heavens he hadn't made a move—and also that Gu You hadn't looked his way. Still, his gaze was complicated. It had only been a few years, and the youth who once had only two soul rings had now grown to this level.
Qian Xingmo was still battling with Ye Xinglan and the others. His expression was anything but pleasant. These Soul Elders before him were proving far more difficult to handle than he had imagined.
Just as he was about to unleash his strongest soul skill, he happened to hear—
All his teammates had surrendered.
Qian Xingmo clenched his teeth. 'Why are those guys so useless? How could Gu You beat all six of them that easily?'
His attention wavered between Ye Xinglan's group and Gu You, just in time to meet Gu You's gaze.
"I surrender—I surrender."
Facing Gu You's violet-gold eyes, Qian Xingmo felt a strange, instinctual fear that made him unwilling to keep fighting.
"Class One of Year One, victory!" the referee's calm voice spread across the entire arena.
The previously quiet stadium erupted in a frenzy of cheers.
"Gu You!"
"Gu You!"
Standing at the center of the field, Gu You listened to the thunderous applause and praise. But his first reaction wasn't joy—it was a sense of emptiness.
'If I didn't have this power, where would I be now?'
After the class battle came the vocational competitions, with representatives from Class One facing off against top students from Sixth Year in their respective secondary professions.
Because of his position as class leader of the forging division, Gu You was also required to compete in a forging match.
Before long, the arena was reset, and two massive forging stations were rolled out.
"The forging exchange match will begin in three minutes."
Most of the remaining audience stayed for one reason—to watch Gu You. With his overwhelming strength, what kind of talent did he possess in a second profession?
Fueled by curiosity, the crowd held its breath and watched attentively.
Gu You walked toward the forging station. A forging match—he had no reason to back down.
In the instructor's section, Feng Wuyu proudly elbowed Zhuo Shi. "Just wait and see. I'll show you what true dominance looks like."
Zhuo Shi replied coolly, "That's my grand-disciple's own skill. What's it got to do with you?"
"I was his first forging teacher! How does it not matter to me?" Feng Wuyu retorted angrily.
"Then tell me, what level was my grand-disciple at when he arrived?" Zhuo Shi asked calmly.
Feng Wuyu paused. At that time, Gu You had already been performing spirit forging and producing high-quality results. He should've been a sixth-rank blacksmith.
"Sixth rank!" he answered without hesitation.
"And now?" Zhuo Shi asked.
"Still sixth—" Feng Wuyu froze mid-sentence, realizing too late.
Zhuo Shi scoffed. "He was sixth-rank when he came—that proves he's a forging prodigy. But the fact that he's still sixth-rank now just shows what a useless teacher you are. No improvement at all."
"That's nonsense! Becoming a Divine Craftsman isn't so easy, you know!" Feng Wuyu blew up, grabbing Zhuo Shi by the collar.
Zhuo Shi didn't resist. He simply snorted, "You dare raise your hand against your elder?"
Feng Wuyu roared, "You're calling yourself an elder?"
Zhuo Shi chuckled. "You're his teacher, I'm his teacher's teacher. You and I are a whole generation apart. You should at least call me 'Martial Uncle'. Laying hands on me is disrespecting your elders!"
"You two, out!" Ya Li turned and shot them a sharp look. Her eyes were already brimming with annoyance.
Feng Wuyu immediately let go and lowered his head as if nothing had happened. Zhuo Shi spread his hands innocently and zipped his mouth shut with an imaginary zipper, promising to stay quiet.
The two old dragons of Shrek finally went quiet. Cai Yue'er leaned toward Ya Li and whispered with a laugh, "Only you can rein them in. Even the Pavilion Master can't handle them like this."
Ya Li sighed and shook her head with a smile. "Those two are like overgrown children—lively treasures, the both of them."
At that moment, Gu You stepped onto the competition platform.
His opponent appeared to be a boy of about seventeen or eighteen. Plain-looking, average build—nothing outwardly special. But his hands were especially wide, and his forearms were thick and muscular. He carried a calm demeanor, and once on stage, kept his eyes focused on his forging station without glancing at Gu You once.
'Interesting.' Gu You raised a brow as he observed his opponent's poise.
The referee announced loudly, "First round, forging exchange. Task: Metal purification. Each of you will receive one piece of rare titanium crystal. You have thirty minutes. Whoever achieves the highest level of purification wins. The victor will receive 1,000 contribution points and academic credit. If Year One wins, the rewards will be increased by 30%."
Titanium crystal?
Upon hearing the name of that rare metal, Gu You felt slightly targeted. He'd never forged this material before.
Among rare metals, some were notoriously difficult to forge—either due to extreme hardness or unusual pliability. Making an impact during forging required an immense amount of skill and effort.
Titanium crystal was among the hardest of them all. Calling it a "rare metal" was generous—it was more like an unrefined ore. Extremely hard, yet brittle. Too much force, and it shattered. Too little, and it wouldn't budge. Very few blacksmiths willingly worked with it.
Yet once purified, titanium crystal became an incredible material with strong compatibility with nearly all other rare metals. Many high-rank blacksmiths used it in alloys to enhance overall strength.
It was also a strategic resource, strictly regulated by the Federation's military.
Titanium crystal was expensive—just one piece could be auctioned for twenty million Federation coins.
The referee added, "The winner will also keep the forged product and receive two extra pieces of titanium crystal from the Academy."
'Two extra pieces? That's the special reward?' Gu You was momentarily speechless.
The class team battle had ended—but the real competition was just getting started.
(End of Chapter)
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