Douluo Continent: The Ruler of Time, Reigning Supreme

Chapter 74 Time and Space

Yin Chen simply nodded slightly and said nothing more.

His so-called "showing mercy" was merely a means to maintain his persona of being "calm, powerful, yet graceful."

In full view of everyone, especially under the scrutiny of the academy's higher-ups, resorting to excessively harsh methods against classmates would only leave people with the impression of being cruel, bloodthirsty, and uncontrollable. This runs counter to his long-term goal of entering the core of Shrek Academy and even competing for the position of Sea God Pavilion Master in the future.

Moreover, the rules for the new student assessment are clear: it is strictly forbidden to injure or kill an opponent. Turning someone into an idiot would also cross the line, and he didn't want to lose more than he gained.

On the viewing platform, Xuanzi's cloudy gaze swept over the two clearly distinct teams below, a satisfied smile appearing on his face as he commented:

"Time-type martial soul, exquisite control; Silver Dragon martial soul, top-notch elemental affinity, the pinnacle of dragon-type martial souls; Holy Angel martial soul, extremely high quality, combining offense and defense."

"Hmm, that little girl with twin martial souls is quite resilient, and that tomboy with the Goddess of Light Butterfly is a bit impulsive, but her talent and foundation are excellent. Hehe, this year's freshmen are indeed full of hidden talents, much more interesting than in previous years."

Upon hearing Elder Xuan's words, Wang Yan was taken aback at first, then his face showed anxiety.

He understood perfectly what Elder Xuan's words meant—this was a signal that he was selecting potential future core disciples and that they were being included in the next generation of Shrek Seven Devils candidates.

He quickly spoke up for Huo Yuhao, saying:

"Elder Xuan, what about Huo Yuhao? He has a unique physical spirit, one in ten thousand, and an extremely rare mental spirit. Although his cultivation is still shallow, his command and support role was crucial in the battle just now. In particular, his shared mental detection is a divine skill. In the end, he even used a powerful spirit fusion skill with Wang Dong. His potential is limitless."

Wang Yan was strongly recommending his favorite student. He couldn't understand why Huo Yuhao, who had such a brilliant performance, didn't seem to have caught Xuan Lao's eye.

Upon hearing this, Xuanzi merely shook his head dismissively, picked up his wine gourd, took a swig, and spoke with a touch of harsh reality:
"A spirit fusion skill? So what? As for his original spirit, a spiritual type... he doesn't even have the essence of his original spirit. He couldn't even unleash it under those circumstances. Ten years of spirit rings and only one ring of cultivation—his foundation is still too weak. In the history of spirit masters, when have you ever seen a spirit master whose first spirit ring was ten years old and who ultimately became a true powerhouse?"

In his evaluation criteria, innate foundation and current hard power account for a great deal of weight.

Huo Yuhao may have his special qualities, but his white ten-year soul ring and his soul power of only level seventeen are insurmountable weaknesses.

Among the geniuses he had encountered throughout his long life, such a starting point almost guaranteed that the upper limit of their future would not be very high.

Therefore, Huo Yuhao was not even on his radar at the moment.

Wang Yan opened his mouth, wanting to argue further, but seeing Elder Xuan's unquestionable expression, he could only let out a helpless sigh. His gaze returned to the boy struggling to stand up below the stage, his heart filled with regret.

Leaving the bustling assessment area and walking along the tree-lined path back to the dormitory area, Ye Guyi finally couldn't hold back any longer. She took two quick steps and blocked Yin Chen and Gu Yuena's path, hands on her hips, her pretty face filled with frustration, and her emerald eyes carrying a hint of accusation:

"Hey, you two, you both have teleportation soul skills and you run faster than anyone else, leaving me standing here stupidly to take that Golden Road. That's really not fair."

She complained angrily, recalling the terrifying power of the Martial Soul Fusion Technique. Although she had ultimately withstood it, she still felt a tightness in her chest.

Yin Chen chuckled as he looked at her. He could tell that Ye Guyi wasn't really angry; it was more like a friendly banter and reproach after a battle.

"Weren't you very excited at the time? Opportunities to directly confront a Martial Soul Fusion Skill are rare."

His tone was somewhat teasing. "I believe you can hold them off."

Gu Yuena's cool voice rang out from the side, and a rare, faint smile flashed across her purple eyes.

She understood Ye Guyi and knew the pride and fighting spirit deep within this companion who possessed the Holy Angel Martial Soul. This head-on, peak showdown was exactly what she craved.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have so decisively used spatial teleportation to avoid it, leaving the stage to Ye Guyi.

Otherwise, with her Silver Dragon Martial Soul's absolute control over the elements, even if she didn't dodge, she would have plenty of ways to deal with it.

"You two..."

Ye Guyi was rendered speechless by the two's back-and-forth banter. She pouted, but didn't dwell on it any longer, since that exchange of blows had indeed given her a satisfying feeling.

She changed the subject, looking at Gu Yuena with curiosity:
"No way, you guys have to treat me to dinner today to calm my nerves. Also, Gu Yue, when you teleported, your spirit rings weren't even lit up, right? That's not a spirit skill, is it?"

Gu Yuena nodded slightly and explained casually:

"That's my martial soul talent, elemental control. The silver dragon wields the elements, which naturally includes space. It allows for short-distance teleportation without the need for soul skills."

Her explanation was simple, yet it contained astonishing information.

The ability to teleport without using any soul skills is an abnormal talent.

Immediately, Gu Yuena turned her curious gaze to Yin Chen, her purple eyes filled with inquiry:

"And you? I'm very sensitive to space, and I can confirm that your movement method is definitely not spatial teleportation. There's no spatial fluctuation at all. How did you do that?"

She could sense that Yin Chen's movements were becoming even more unpredictable, as if he had skipped the process entirely.

A smile flashed in Yin Chen's eyes as he noticed Gu Yuena's change.

Given her aloof and distant personality, she would never have proactively asked such private questions that involved someone else's core competencies when they first met.

The fact that she's asking these questions now shows that she's starting to truly see them as trustworthy partners.

He didn't hide anything and frankly said:

"That's my third soul skill, Dream Shadow. Its effect is not to move in space, but to 'cut' and 'paste' my coordinates on the timeline in an instant, thus achieving a different kind of displacement. Essentially, it is a manipulation of the time factor, so it will not cause any spatial ripples."

In Douluo Continent, Soul Masters who reach the Title Douluo level can make initial contact with space. Super Douluo can tear space apart, while Limit Douluo can even use their own power to transfer space and condense a soul core with space attributes, such as the Beast God Di Tian.

Therefore, the fluctuations generated by spatial movement are like a beacon in the darkness to a true expert, making them difficult to use for sneak attacks.

(End of this chapter)