In an instant, Arthur was already pressed right in front of the gloomy youth.
At the age of nine, almost all Soul Masters rely on Martial Soul Abilities for combat. If their Soul Power is exhausted and they cannot release Martial Soul Abilities, they are rendered helpless, knowing next to nothing about physical techniques.
On one hand, it's a limitation of mindset, being too reliant on Martial Soul Abilities. On the other hand, there are physical reasons; they are too young, their bodies are not fully developed, and they cannot fully utilize physical techniques.
Only someone like Arthur, a vessel for the Holy Sword, could use any physical technique with ease by relying on his Intuition.
At this moment, Arthur's speed caused the gloomy youth's heart to panic. He wanted to do something, but his hands and feet couldn't keep up with his thoughts, becoming a disorganized mess.
He swung his fist toward Arthur's face like a headless fly.
Arthur didn't move his feet; he tilted his head slightly to let the wind of the punch pass, while simultaneously stepping half a pace forward, slipping right into the opponent's embrace.
The opponent's other hand swung wildly again, but as soon as it moved, Arthur used a burst of force to shove him aside, making him lose his balance and leaving his defenses wide open.
Arthur didn't take the opportunity to throw a punch; he simply pressed his elbow lightly against the opponent's chest. He didn't use force, but it was just enough to disrupt the rhythm of the other's breathing.
At this moment, if he had used force with this Heart-Piercing Elbow, the opponent would have been seriously injured at the very least. Arthur didn't do so, as the opponent's offense didn't warrant such a penalty.
The gloomy youth let out a muffled groan, and all his movements instantly went limp, causing him to stagger back several steps. He had never experienced such a battle before; he was too panicked and only remembered to use his Spirit Ability after catching his breath.
His first spirit ring flashed with light, and his figure suddenly became illusory, surrounded by a series of afterimages that made it hard to distinguish the real from the fake.
"Quite a nice Spirit Ability, but unfortunately, you met me."
Shaking his head, Arthur reached out casually based on his feeling and accurately grabbed the youth's true body. He then flipped him over and slammed him to the ground.
"What's your name?" Arthur pinned him to the floor.
The gloomy youth didn't answer, instead asking fiercely, "How did you see through me!"
At the same time, his eyes inadvertently swept behind Arthur, where a green snake sat—it was his soul spirit.
The little green snake was a vibrant jade-green color, with a pair of slightly transparent green wings on its back. Although small in appearance, its aura was extremely powerful.
Watching from the side, Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi were just about to shout a warning when the little green snake shot out like a bullet, heading straight for Arthur.
"Ha..." The gloomy youth's triumphant laughter was cut short as soon as it started.
Under the guidance of his Intuition, Arthur didn't even turn his head. He reached back and grabbed the green snake in one hand, calmly asking for the second time, "Name?"
"Wei... Wei Xiaofeng," came the stuttering reply. Wei Xiaofeng stared with wide eyes, unable to believe the scene before him.
"Wei Xiaofeng, is it? I'll let it slide this time. We're all roommates, so let's get along well in the future, understand?"
Patting Wei Xiaofeng's face, which was starting to swell, Arthur decided to end it there.
This battle had ended too quickly to make any noise, and no teachers had discovered it or rushed over. Otherwise, he would have to go to the teaching office again in a moment.
"Okay... okay."
Meeting those indifferent sacred cyan pupils, a chill rose in Wei Xiaofeng's heart.
Although he still had a second Spirit Ability he hadn't used, looking back at the entire fight, he knew that even using it would be useless.
The opponent hadn't even used his Martial Soul!
The person in front of him was a true monster!
Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi were dumbfounded. Simulating the fight in their minds, they realized that if they replaced Wei Xiaofeng, it wouldn't be any different; they would meet the same end.
The way they looked at Arthur again was noticeably different; it was the reverence one has for the strong.
In the time that followed, Wei Xiaofeng sat slumped in his chair with vacant eyes, nearly drooling. He was questioning his very existence.
The praise he once received from relatives and friends felt so piercing to his ears now.
Am I really a Genius?
Meanwhile, in their subsequent small talk with Arthur, Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi unconsciously lowered their own status.
Their Martial Souls were suppressed by Arthur; if they really fought, they would only lose even more miserably.
Now, the dormitory was a picture of harmony, everyone loving one another.
Truly worth celebrating... Time passed, and the deadline for freshman registration soon arrived. The next day was the opening ceremony.
The ceremony was held on the massive plaza of East Sea Academy. This was the only time each year when students from the High-Level Division would gather with those from the Intermediate Department; usually, they rarely saw each other.
On the Intermediate Department's side, each grade had about a hundred people, with six grades in total.
The High-Level Division side was completely different, with fewer than two hundred people in total.
"Hello, students. Today is our annual opening ceremony. Next, let us welcome Dean Yu to speak. Let's have a round of applause!"
Amidst enthusiastic applause, Dean Yu slowly walked onto the stage. He was a white-haired elder wearing glasses, exuding a scholarly air.
"Hello, students. Every year at this time, I feel somewhat sentimental."
"A group of students graduates to face their future paths. At the same time, new students arrive at East Sea Academy."
...The Dean's speech was full of emotion and inspiring.
Arthur listened with interest at first, but after a while, he began to doze off and his mind wandered.
There was no helping it; it was an old habit.
Fifteen minutes later, the Dean gradually wrapped up. Next was the most important part: class placement.
The nearby freshmen began to get restless. Arthur snapped back to his senses at this moment, feeling somewhat surprised.
This Dean is actually pretty good; he finished speaking in only ten or so minutes.
The students exited in order. Only the First Year freshmen remained in the Intermediate Department, while the High-Level Division freshmen returned to their own campus area for placement.
The placement process was transparent. The freshmen's information was very clear to the academy. Based on their Soul Power, Martial Soul, records, and so on, they were assigned to classes in order after a comprehensive evaluation.
Class one was the best, while class five was the worst.
Arthur didn't care much about this; he was already researching his future opponent in class five.
The opponent didn't refer to other freshmen, but to Wu Zhangkong.
Wu Zhangkong could be considered a true Genius. In the original story, even though he had lost a lot of golden Cultivation time,
he eventually achieved no small amount of success.
None of his peers were a match for him, and Agravaine was too strong and often cheated; fighting him was pure suffering.
Fighting a Genius from the previous generation like Wu Zhangkong—now that would be a truly exhilarating battle!
"Finally, the list for class five..." The teacher on stage called out names one by one.
Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi, who had come with Arthur and were standing to one side, were already stunned. They heard Arthur's name called for class five.
But the most dumbfounded was Wei Xiaofeng. He recalled the previous battle, and his body still ached slightly.
Arthur's overwhelming power had made him feel despair.
And now you're telling Wei Xiaofeng that he's in class one while Arthur is in class five?
Wait, am I even worthy?
At this moment, Wei Xiaofeng suddenly wondered if the teacher had made a mistake. Was class five actually the best one?
"Don't be so surprised. I requested this myself. You'll understand why later." Facing his roommates' incredulous gazes, Arthur explained casually.
He couldn't exactly say he was going there to pick a fight with the teacher of class five.
No one would believe him.
The teacher on stage finished calling the names.
The freshmen in the playground subsequently dispersed into their respective groups.