My Arts Evolve When Perfected

[Slaughter Drill x1]

[Slaughter Drill x1]

[...]

Over a dozen Transformed Great Demons and even several Spiritual Great Demons were unable to block the lethal power of [Dragon Shadow Flash Stab]. The tip of Chuyuan was like a knife piercing through paper.

Jiang Qiu’s flashing figure crashed through the bloody mist of his previous victims. The Fiery Flame Spirit Charm clinging to him retracted into his body, only for a dragon-shaped fire to erupt from his spear tip the very instant it reached his next enemy.

When he used [Dragon Shadow Flash Stab], which had undergone [Weapon Skill Fusion], it looked as if his figure vanished in an instant, only for a fiery dragon head to suddenly materialize dozens of meters away, biting through the body of a demon.

Most of the demons, busy dealing with the other students, had no time to react. They never imagined there was a Soldier Cultivator like Jiang Qiu on the battlefield with such explosive power. They were instantly shattered...

However.

BOOM—

A pillar of cyan wind suddenly erupted from Purple Kite’s beak a hundred meters away. A vast sheet of thin ice on the ground, already flattened by pressure, instantly cracked and shattered into dust.

THUMP.

Jiang Qiu’s heart hammered in his chest as a chill stabbed his spine. His body, having just come to a stop, had no time to execute another [Dragon Shadow Flash Stab]. He instinctively twisted, bringing his Chuyuan spear up to block in front of him as his Dragon Spirit—now as thick as an arm—unleashed a torrent of flames.

[Life and Death Drill x1]

In that instant, over five hundred people whipped their heads around to stare at him, their eyes wide with shock.

"Jiang Divine!"

Lin Wei, covered in blood, clenched his fists and screamed, watching helplessly as Purple Kite—an expert of the Spirit Communication Five Realms—unleashed a fatal attack. The Gale Spirit Charm completely engulfed Jiang Qiu’s figure, scraping the vast sheet of ice clean of all dirt and stone.

Hidden within the cyan light were blades of wind sharp enough to scrape bone. The ground in a ten-meter radius around Jiang Qiu sank before their eyes, and the swirling earth completely obscured the view.

Who could have predicted that a Ninth Rank Jade Sinew Celestial Pride, a talent seen only once in years, would meet his end like this on the way to the rookie tournament?!

A sharp pain seized Lin Wei’s heart, and the light faded from his eyes. It was as if he was watching the great sun fall from the sky.

But as the pillar of light gradually faded, Purple Kite’s red eyes flew wide. "That’s not right!"

BOOM—

Suddenly, a massive inferno erupted from the five-meter-deep crater. Wreathed in fire, Jiang Qiu leaped onto the surface in a flash. The flames wrapped around him like a humanoid Azure Dragon, and his vertical pupils, blood-red with golden patterns, locked onto the towering Purple Kite. "I *will* kill you!"

Purple Kite’s eyes went wide. The moment she met his gaze, they widened even further, and a shiver ran through her feathers. ’In his [Soldier Body Integration] state... he actually has the aura of the Lord Demon King?!’

WHOOSH—

It spread its wings and shot into the sky. A tremendous gust of wind, like a tsunami, swept away students and demon corpses within a thousand-meter radius. Yet, the flames enveloping Jiang Qiu merely roiled as his searing gaze followed it through the air, promising death.

[Fiery Flame Dragon Body]

[Soldier Cultivation Method: 3/3]

[Soldier Body Integration]

[Description: Temporarily merge with the Dragon Spirit in its current state, activating the potential of the Fiery Flame Dragon Body and greatly enhancing the destructive power of Spear Skills used with the Lifebound Weapon.]

"Die!"

Jiang Qiu roared in fury and thrust his spear. The fiery dragon at Chuyuan’s tip erupted forth, streaking across the sky after the fleeing Purple Kite.

"Monster!"

Purple Kite shrieked a curse. The gale it summoned couldn’t stop the pursuing Azure Dragon; the winds were dissolved as if they were made of cotton. It glanced back one last time, its blood-red pupils reflecting the head of the dragon, its maw wide open to devour it. The sheer pressure shattered its will.

BOOM—

A dazzling Fire Lotus bloomed the instant the Flaming Cyan Dragon swallowed Purple Kite, sending ripples of flame expanding for hundreds of meters on the still-howling winds.

The teacher, still holding back hundreds of demons several kilometers away, whipped his head around, shaken to the core. ’This level of [Soldier Body Integration]... to think it can be so perfectly harmonized? A peerless genius, enlightened in a single moment!’

Gritting his teeth, a determined light flashed in his eyes. Overdrawing on his power, he had his giant Flaming Ape Dharma Aspect sweep its staff, knocking back hundreds of demons as he fought with renewed and ever-increasing valor.

Meanwhile, the students all stood with their heads tilted back, utterly dumbfounded as they watched Purple Kite’s enormous body plummet from the sky like a meteor, a long trail of black smoke and fire in its wake.

The yellow glow that had just lit up on Niu Yao’s body dimmed once more. His heart hammered against his ribs, and he could barely swallow. ’Purple Kite... was insta-killed by Jiang Qiu?!’

Of all the Soldier Cultivators present, not a single one could compare to Jiang Qiu, who had only just enrolled in the academy.

No wonder Grand General Luo had valued him so highly. No wonder he’d shattered the Test Stone during the Spirit Fusion Test. So he really did possess a heaven-defying talent!

Niu Yao clenched his fists so tightly they creaked. Gritting his teeth, he recalled his attitude when he first met Jiang Qiu, and his face flushed crimson. ’Who was I to size him up? It’s only been two months, and he can already take down a demon celestial pride that I couldn’t even kill!’

THUD...

As Purple Kite’s massive body crashed to the ground, the flames around Jiang Qiu dissipated. While everyone’s attention was still on the fallen demon, he casually pulled a pair of pants from his Storage Ring and slipped them on. He took a deep breath. ’The [Soldier Body Integration] state really is powerful.’

Through his [Dragon Eye], he saw the Dragon Spirit that had returned to his body curl up into an egg. As its flames receded, it condensed into a crimson Golden Patterned Dragon Egg. A massive amount of Fiery Flame Spirit Charm was then converted from it, replenishing his depleted reserves.

[First Realm of the Bright Soul]

[0/10000]

He had now officially stepped into the Bright Soul Realm. [Fiery Flame Dragon Body] was retained as a [Bloodline Talent], while [Soldier Body Integration] was now listed as a state, just like [Great Dao Imperfection].

Jiang Qiu’s gaze swept over the field of demon corpses and the distant figure of the teacher, who was still holding his ground. His fists clenched, creaking audibly.

Of the seven hundred-odd demons being held back, more than half were now dead or wounded. Whenever any tried to cross the line the teacher was holding, they were immediately smashed to death.

But the teacher was also drenched in blood, and the shadow of his Dharma Aspect was growing increasingly faint. He was clearly severely injured.

’I now have the strength to slaughter ordinary Spiritual Great Demons. Why should I run?’

"SCREE—"

A sudden shriek from overhead stopped Jiang Qiu in his tracks. The blood that had been boiling in his veins instantly turned to ice. He looked up, his gaze meeting Feng Li’s from within the Thunder Cage. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"You killed Purple Kite, the celestial pride of my Demon Race, along with all those Transformed Demons! The Northern Wilderness will be your grave!"

The enraged Feng Li unleashed an overwhelming pressure, his massive, manifested true form straining against the Thunder Cage. The teacher from the Spirit Control Academy coughed up a mouthful of blood. His muscles bulged, shredding his upper clothing as lightning flashed in his eyes. "Go! Now! The Grandmaster stationed at North Border City is already on their way to back you up!"

VMMMM—

The Thunder Cage strained to contain Feng Li’s true form. Dark clouds roiled for kilometers in every direction, and thunder cracked incessantly. A cold, oppressive aura weighed down on the students, making their chests feel tight.

Click.

Jiang Qiu gritted his teeth and threw an arm in the air. "All of you, head north!"

THUD THUD THUD...

Over nine hundred students responded as one, following his lone figure as they sprinted north with all their might, like a pack of wolves bounding across a world of ice and snow.

The frigid wind cut like knives into their bleeding wounds. A trail of chaotic footprints was left in their wake, only to be quickly buried by the furious blizzard descending from the high heavens.

On the endless snowfield, the contours of hills gradually began to rise in the distance.

Jiang Qiu panted, his hot breath pluming in the air as his pace slowed. His aching legs plowed through waist-deep snow as the faint flames he produced melted the snow for five meters ahead of him.

"Jiang... Jiang Divine, we’re out of Spirit Charm."

A student from the Soldier Cultivation Academy suddenly waved and called out for him to stop. Jiang Qiu turned to see a large number of students swaying, on the verge of collapse. Looking back, a long stretch of the several-kilometer path they had trampled through the earth was still visible, not yet buried by the snow.

They had run at full speed for so long that they’d lost track of how far they were from the crash site. All they knew was that they could no longer see the dark clouds roiling with thunder, nor the lone figure holding back hundreds of demons.

The group of nine hundred was like a handful of black beans scattered across a vast, white sheet of snow—completely isolated and helpless.

"We’ll rest here for a moment."

Jiang Qiu exhaled a puff of white mist. The moment he took the Compass out of his Storage Ring, his heart seemed to stop, and his very soul felt like a great bell struck by a wooden mallet.

WHIRRRR...

The compass spun wildly, its needle turning chaotically.