"So, you guys are done." Said Tang Wulin as he stared wistfully at his friends and girlfriends who were glaring fiercely at him in hate.
"One week...You allowed us to experience so much pain for one week!"Roared Mu Xi as she glared at her boyfriend who only twitches his lips.
"You got stronger at least." Said Tang Wulin causing them all to fall silent.
Getting stronger would be an understatement. Not only did those red marks caused them to improve their cultivation and push them all into the ranks of a Soul King. Or Soul Emperor for Mu Xi and Na'er.
But it also awakened some of their spirits or mutates them for the rest of them. While the pain was the worst thing, they ever experience in life, the benefit and reward were definitely worth it.
That didn't mean they wanted to willingly admit it to the devil in front of them.
"Well, at any rate, I need you all to do something for me." Said Tang Wulin causing all of them to give him a suspicious look.
"Don't worry, you all won't suffer. In fact, I think you all may just enjoy this." Said Tang Wulin but his words still put them on guard.
"Since, those guys should be done now."
'What is he planning?'
Represent their thoughts.
#
With accurate predictions, Tang Wulin was right about all of the youths passing and completing the pre-test of the maze. The constant struggle and justified fear of starving forced all of the youths to put their lives on the line in overcoming the maze.
To the shock of Wang Tong and all of the other people who observe them in the other room. Those youth's growth could be considered monstrous.
From them going from being able to barely block the hell storm of the Lacrima to them using everything and anything to block the storm. He saw those with weapons like the spear and sword gain enlightenment just to deflect the constant attacks raining down.
Once the first batch of people passes through the Maze and seeing that they didn't have to run the ten-kilometer run. This cause a surge of motivation in the others to hurry up and clear the maze at all cost. And they all cleared it on the seventh day they started, surprising Wang Tong.
Now all of the youths were brought into a massive tower that was recently built by the workers. The distinctive tower had multiple floors with classrooms on each floor. The youths were all shuffled into a class and floor depending on the number of rings they had.
For example, floor one would be the students with five rings, while on the fourth floor were those with only two rings. This was done because of the number of youths there was and how one room couldn't hold all of them.
"Welcome." A voice rang out causing all of the students who were on floor one to turn their heads.
Stepping inside the room was a gorgeous woman. She had long silvered hair that hung loosely on her back with purple eyes that shined serenely. Her lovely face was flawless to the point it made everything around her dulled and caused everyone in the room to get lost in a dazed.
"My name is Na'er. I will be your teacher for your time in this class." Said Na'er with a faint smile that captures everyone's hearts in the class, whether they were male or female.
"But before we get started with your lessons. I was told to inform you guys about some things, specifically your routine life and graduation." Said Na'er.
Her words caused everyone to come out of their daze and focus on her. When it came to this place, they knew they couldn't miss out on anything.
'I wonder what Wulin did, to make them so focus.' Thought Na'er.
"From now on, this will be your daily schedule. From the morning till the afternoon you all will be studying and learning about battle armor." Said Na'er causing most of the students to blink in surprise.
They all didn't think they would ever be learning about battle armor before they even became a Spirit Emperor. Heck, some didn't even think they would be able to gain battle armor in their whole lifetime.
"After that, you will be doing a class bonding exercise. It's pretty simple actually, all you guys have to do with the help of everyone on your floor is to make it pass the teachers on this floor and seize a special sphere. If you are able to do this, then you don't have to stay here for the whole night." Said Na'er with a faint smile.
Yet the faces of the students were far from happy.
What do you mean staying here for the whole night! What do you mean we have to get past the teachers! Isn't that just impossible!
"But there is also an alternative." Said Na'er causing the students to look at her with ultimate hope in their eyes.
"To escape this. You all have to run twenty kilometers."
They all froze.
"And only the fastest five percent are allowed food. The rest must go the day without food."
Their faces became pale.
"If no one tries to do either of them. Then they will go the week without food." Said Na'er causing the student's body to tremble but then.
"Of course there are rewards for doing all of this. Not only will you be excused from doing this exercise for the whole week, but you will be allowed to leave the academy early." Said Na'er causing the students to regain their hope in life.
"So what sphere are we seizing?" Questioned one of the students.
"You guys will be seizing a Lacrima." Said Na'er causing the students to become confused.
"Lacrima?"
"I will show you." Said Na'er as she held her hand out and a small sphere appeared in her eyes.
"This is a Lacrima." Said Na'er but then she blinks her eyes as she felt intense killing intent being directed at her.
'Wait a minute. It's not toward me...But the sphere?'
Na'er wouldn't know this because Tang Wulin opted to not tell any of his friends about the pre-test. So she wouldn't know the sphere in her hand was one of the biggest instruments that caused these students to experience hell.
"...Anyway, you all just need to seize this sphere and the floor will receive their reward." Said Na'er as she surprisedly saw eerie gleam and fierce lights in the student's eyes.
"Senior Na'er...Can we do anything to the sphere after we seize it?"
"Um, sure? If anything happens to the sphere, we will gladly replace it." Said Na'er not understanding the question.
But her answer caused the students to reveal beaming smiles on their faces, furthering bewildering her. Although Na'er went through the hell training, it wasn't the same one and so she wouldn't know the passionate hatred these students held for the sphere in her hand.
'Your dead.'
Was everyone thought as they gaze at the sphere as if it killed their families and lovers. Anyway, the explanation Na'er gave to them was given to all of the other classrooms and every floor.
Yet strangely enough to the teachers, they all showed the same expression and intent towards the Lacrima.
#
Yue Long should have known better than to think this academy would make anything easy for them.
BANG!
"Damn it! Where is he!"
SWOOSH!
Yue Long watches before him as a black and white streak swept past the hoards of students. Then like a row of dominoes, they all began to fall one after the other.
"Damn it! Isn't he only a little bit older than us!"
"Yet how is he so strong!
The visible streak of black and white struck against those who talk, causing them to fall over. Then a man appeared in front of the fallen bodies. It was Xie Xie but in his hands was a long dagger that had a black and white color, that mesh together similar to the Yin-Yang symbol.
"My silly little juniors." Said Xie Xie, causing all of the students to instantly freeze.
"Juniors...Wait! Are you telling me?"Question Yue Long.
"That is right! I too was trained similar to you but it was far worse." Said Xie Xie as he recalled his hell days with Tang Wulin.
"But never mind that my little juniors. You have a job to do or you will be here all night." Said Xie Xie with a charming smile.
This caused the students to roar and charge at him.
"Wait! The same thing is just going to happen again!" Yue Long cried out but it was too late.
Five Black Rings appeared behind Xie Xie.
'Ultimate Delay.'
The surrounding people around Xie Xie began slowing down to that of a turtle. With a smirk on his face, Xie Xie moved and in an instant, the people fell.
"Just what kind of bullshit skill is that!"
Yue Long gritted his teeth as he brought out his holy saber and grips it in his hands. Yet Xie Xie simply smiled as his sixth ring appeared behind him and slash down with his dagger.
'Spatial Slash.'
Blackness came to Yue Long in an instant.
Yet he could hear the last words of Xie Xie.
"My silly juniors, you all should have just charged at me together."
#
Meanwhile down the hallway from where Xie Xie was fighting.
Bang!
"What the hell kind of spirit is that!"
Bang!
"Is that a variation!"
Yet the person who asked that question received no answer as they were cut down by a black sword.
A person surrounded by a black aura was walking down the hallway of the Academy.
Simply walking, no rush or panic in their steps and yet. This simple walk terrified the crowd of the student as they stared at Yuanen Yehui in front of them who was different.
She had six glossy feathers like wings that held an aura of unfathomable darkness around her that gave off an ominous pressure and her scarlet eyes cause them all to stagger.
It was the Six-Winged Fallen Seraphim!
This was Yuanen Yehui fallen angel soul after she went through hell. Five purple-black soul rings flashed behind her.
'Devil Gleam.'
Yuanen eyes shined brilliantly with purple light as a black demon appeared prominently behind her and sent it piercing gaze through the crowd of students. One by one, they went frantic before her after being hit by her mental attack that pierces through their defense and causes them to panic.
Then a black sword appeared in her hand and became coated with black flames. Then she simply dashes through the crowds of panic students and began to simply hack them down.
Yet some of them were able to recover swiftly enough and do the intelligent thing of raining down attacks on the teachers.
Yet they would need to do even better than that.
'Fallen Starfall.'
A glowing sphere of black, purple, and blue energy began forming in Yuanen hands. After it had grown to the size of a basketball, she simply pushed it forward to the attacks that were coming towards her.
The students all witness the sphere melting down all of their direct attacks and heading towards them. Some of them tried running away from the sphere, while others choose to make barriers or simply keep on attacking.
Somehow, they were able to stop the glowing sphere from reaching them as it exploded prematurely before hitting any of them but then.
"Not bad."
"What about the other one?"
Before anyone could react the roof above them melted and a glowing sphere of raw energy smashes into them. Yuanen Yehui watch as a mighty pillar of raw energy envelops all of the students and her lovely voice rang out.
"Come now, you all must do much better than this."