Top Soldier Pursued by a Beauty

Xiao Qitian strode to the Ten Thousand Spirit Stone and shot a disdainful glance at Zhao Dong. "Kid, how about I let you go first?"

"There's no need," Zhao Dong said with a faint smile. "I'm afraid that after my turn, you won't have the confidence to take yours."

"What a joke! *Me* lose my confidence? I'm worried it'll be *you* who loses the nerve to try after I'm done!" Xiao Qitian's eyes dripped with disdain.

Zhao Dong just shrugged, saying nothing, but the playful look in his eyes was that of someone watching a fool.

This time, the crowd didn't join Xiao Qitian in mocking Zhao Dong. For one, Zhao Dong's performance in the first trial had been truly outstanding. More importantly, this second trial tested the intensity of one's Spiritual Energy, which had nothing to do with innate talent. No one would know what Zhao Dong was capable of until he actually made his move. Only Xiao Qitian, driven by the grudge between his Xiao Family and Zhao Dong, seized every opportunity to be aggressive.

"Hurry up and hit it. Don't waste time," the young man supervising the test said, growing impatient with Xiao Qitian's incessant chatter.

Xiao Qitian didn't dare to defy him. After an awkward laugh, he immediately turned back to face the Ten Thousand Spirit Stone. He gathered Spiritual Energy into his right fist.

BOOM!

The full-force strike of an eighth-level Great Grandmaster was terrifying to behold! The violent shockwave alone forced the surrounding spectators back several meters! At the same time, a beam of white light shot toward the sky.

"A perfect score! It's actually a perfect score!"

"Xiao Qitian truly is a genius of the Xiao Family, second only to Xiao Hongtian! With such talent and that level of Spiritual Energy intensity, it'll be hard for him not to take first place in these trials!"

"Exactly! He's only two points behind Zhao Dong right now. As long as he takes first in the second trial, he'll tie the score. Then he'll barely have to try in the third trial!"

"Isn't that the truth? That Zhao Dong has no chance now!"

The crowd exclaimed one after another. Even the masters from the Qingyun Sect at the very back wore expressions of admiration.

"Scared now, kid?" Xiao Qitian taunted as he strode past Zhao Dong on his way back.

Zhao Dong remained silent, still looking at him as if he were a fool.

"Go on, pretend! Keep up the act for me! I'd like to see how long you can keep it up!" Xiao Qitian was absolutely furious.

At this, Zhao Dong walked up to the Ten Thousand Spirit Stone. He first reached out and touched the stone, then took a step back and began gathering Spiritual Energy in his right fist.

BOOM!

As he threw the punch, a violent shockwave erupted outwards.

"Damn, this kid must be at least a fifth-level Great Grandmaster, right? The force of that punch is also terrifying!"

"It's terrifying, indeed, but it's still a far cry from Xiao Qitian's."

"Wait! Look at the stone! Why is it barely glowing?"

After their initial shock at the power of Zhao Dong's punch wore off, the crowd all turned their gazes to the Ten Thousand Spirit Stone. Just as they said, the stone was only giving off a faint glimmer of light.

"Hahahahaha... I'm dying of laughter! Is this what you meant? That you were afraid I wouldn't dare strike it after your turn? You're going to make me die of laughter!" Xiao Qitian laughed so hard he doubled over.

"Heh, I never should have had high hopes for this kid!"

"With talent that pathetic, what kind of powerful Spiritual Energy could you expect from him? I bet he just brute-forced his way through the first trial!"

"So what if he was strong in the first trial? He's getting eliminated in the second, so all his points are for nothing!"

"Get off the stage, kid! I'm embarrassed for you!" the crowd jeered relentlessly.

Even the young man supervising, who had been somewhat optimistic about Zhao Dong, shook his head in disappointment. The Qingyun Sect masters at the back sighed repeatedly.

"It's true that no one is perfect. His comprehension and perseverance are top-tier, but how can his talent and Spiritual Energy intensity be so poor?"

"It seems his cultivation was just forcibly raised through external means."

"It's like pulling up a seedling to help it grow—he's ruined his own future."

In the crowd, Lin Qingyun's face was etched with worry. "Brother Dong, come on! You can't lose, you absolutely cannot lose!"

Lin Rulong, however, shook his head. "It seems I overestimated him. If he can't even compete with Xiao Qitian, how could he possibly be a match for Xiao Hongtian? Alas..."

"I want to try again!" At that moment, Zhao Dong suddenly turned to the young man beside him.

"Just give up," the young man said, waving his hand. "Your Spiritual Energy intensity is what it is. No matter how many times you try, the result will be the same."

"No! It won't be the same! I want to try again!" Zhao Dong's eyes were firm with determination.

The young man sighed helplessly. "Fine. If you insist on trying again, then go ahead."

"Has this kid gone mad? Wasn't being humiliated once enough for him? He wants to go through it again?"

"Heh, just watch. The result of trying again will be the same as that big guy from the beginning—he'll be skulking off to the side to cry!"

"A man ought to know his own limits. Why bother?"

Zhao Dong ignored the crowd's ridicule, his focus entirely on the Ten Thousand Spirit Stone once more. His brow furrowed. This Ten Thousand Spirit Stone, just like the Cultivation Stone, seems unable to detect the Spiritual Energy from my golden Dantian. I just drew Spiritual Energy directly from my Dantian, and the stone didn't react at all. In that case, I'll try drawing the Spiritual Energy from my limbs and meridians instead!

He immediately put his plan into action. Spiritual Energy gathered once more. This time, the force emanating from Zhao Dong's fist was obviously much weaker, only fluctuating at the level of a first-level Great Grandmaster.

"How is he getting weaker with each punch?"

"Heh, he didn't take any elixirs to recover his Spiritual Energy. It's no surprise he's running on empty."

"This is ridiculous. Trying again without even recovering his energy? Is he some kind of clown?" the crowd jeered.

However, in the next instant…

BOOM!

When Zhao Dong's fist landed on the Ten Thousand Spirit Stone, the mocking expressions on the faces of the crowd instantly froze. A blinding white light shot up into the sky!

"A perfect score! It's actually a perfect score?!"

"How... how is that possible?! Others have struck it multiple times, but their result was always the same as the first. How could he get two different results?!"

The crowd was so stunned their jaws dropped. Xiao Qitian was utterly dumbfounded. "No! Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Is there something wrong with the stone?"

The young man had the same thought and rushed forward to inspect it. But his conclusion was… "There's no problem!" the young man announced in shock. "The stone is fine! A perfect score! That's top-tier intensity!"

With that, the crowd erupted into an uproar. Tears of excitement streamed down Lin Qingyun's face. The Qingyun Sect elders were beside themselves with amazement.

Yet, at that moment, Zhao Dong suddenly asked, "Can I try one more time?"

"Again?" The young man was taken aback. "You've already achieved a perfect score. Why try again?"

Zhao Dong nodded firmly. "I feel like I didn't perform that strike correctly. I want to try one more time."

"But the stone is already at its limit. It's pointless even if you do better," the young man tried to dissuade him.

Zhao Dong shook his head. "I just want to test a theory. Please!"

"This..." The young man was hesitant.

Suddenly, one of the Qingyun Sect masters stood up. "It's fine. If he wishes to try again, then let him try again!"