After a long, arduous, and painstaking period of diligent cultivation without a thought for food or sleep, Lin Yu and his companions finally achieved remarkable and eye-catching progress.
Standing in the training grounds with the Sword of Time and Space gripped tightly in his hand, Lin Yu wore a look of intense focus and determination. He took a deep breath and began to circulate the spirit power within his body. A brilliant flash of light immediately erupted from the Sword of Time and Space, and he softly uttered, "Time and Space Slash!" A ferocious blast of sword Qi, accompanied by distorted power of time and space, instantly shot forward, leaving a deep gouge in the ground.
Gazing at the fruits of his labor, Lin Yu revealed a satisfied smile and muttered to himself, "I'm getting more and more comfortable wielding the Sword of Time and Space martial soul." Sophie, standing off to the side, said with envy, "Lin Yu, your self-created Soul Skill for the Sword of Time and Space is simply amazing. When will I ever be able to possess a self-created Soul Skill like yours?"
Lin Yu smiled and said to Suming, "Suming, your Flame Leopard martial soul is extremely powerful as well. You know, as long as you keep up your diligent cultivation, you're bound to make huge progress in the future." Hearing this, Suming nodded vigorously, his eyes filled with determination and fighting spirit, and he replied, "Mhm, Lin Yu, I'll definitely do my best! I believe I can become stronger."
With that, Suming began to release his Flame Leopard martial soul. In an instant, his body was tightly enveloped by scorching flames, seemingly forming a fiery barrier. Suming let out a loud shout: "Flame Leopard First Soul Skill—Flame Impact!" Immediately following this, an incomparably huge fireball shot forward from before him, rushing into the distance with an unstoppable momentum before finally exploding violently far away. It unleashed immense power, and the scorching heat felt as though it could incinerate everything around it. Seeing Suming's fierce flame attack, Lin Yu could not help but nod inwardly, thinking that Suming's strength had indeed improved significantly once again.
Meanwhile, the other companions were also working hard within their respective martial soul Domains, fully displaying their unique talents. Some companions excelled in defense; standing their ground, they condensed a thick layer of spirit power shield before them like an indestructible fortress. Others excelled in support, continuously releasing rays of light from their hands to bestow various buff effects upon their peers. Everyone was striving to improve themselves while also learning from one another and progressing together.
As a comprehensive assessment by Spirit Temple approached, Lin Yu and the others appeared exceptionally excited and nervous. Looking at everyone with a solemn expression, Lin Yu said, "My friends, this assessment is an important moment to test the results of our cultivation, and it's of great significance to each and every one of us. Everyone must give it their all!"
One of the companions replied, "Lin Yu, don't worry, we all know the importance of this assessment and will definitely do our absolute best!" Another companion chimed in, "That's right, we won't let everyone down, nor will we let our hard work go to waste." Suming followed up immediately, saying, "Right, we're going to prove our strength in this assessment and let everyone see our growth and progress." Everyone chimed in one after another, encouraging each other, their eyes filled with anticipation and confidence for the assessment.
"Alright, then let's work hard together and fight for our goal!" Lin Yu encouraged them.
"No problem!" everyone shouted in unison. Their voices echoed in the air, seemingly declaring their determination and courage. As the time for the assessment drew closer, everyone immersed themselves even more intently in their final preparations, looking forward to turning in an outstanding performance during the evaluation.
During the spirit power test, the trainees stood in a line, stepping up to the testing platform one by one. Everyone waited for the results with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation. When it was Lin Yu's turn, he took a deep breath and released his spirit power to the fullest. As he exerted his effort, the numbers on the testing instrument began to climb steadily, flashing rapidly as though racing against time.
In the end, the number settled at an astonishing height—Level 20! Exclamations rang out from the trainees present, and the instructors all wore looks of astonishment. They had originally thought Lin Yu was just an ordinary student, but now they discovered that his spirit power rank was actually this high.
"Whoa, Lin Yu, your spirit power rank is way too high. You're only about eight years old, yet your spirit power has actually reached the twentieth rank!" a student could not help exclaiming.
Lin Yu smiled slightly and stepped down from the testing platform. He knew this achievement was not easily won, but he did not let it make him arrogant or complacent. He understood that only through continuous effort could he better unleash his true strength.
Next, the other companions also performed brilliantly. Their spirit power ranks far surpassed those of other students in the same cohort, displaying formidable potential and talent. These stellar results caused the instructors to place even higher expectations upon them.
In the actual combat assessment, the trainees were divided into groups. Each group needed to complete a series of tasks, including combat, puzzle-solving, and cooperation. Lin Yu led his group into the simulated battlefield, where they had to face various challenges and difficulties.
"Everyone be careful, stay alert!" Lin Yu warned.
"Understood!" the companions answered in unison.
Not long after entering the battlefield, they encountered a simulated attack from a pack of powerful Soul Beasts.
"Prepare for battle!" Lin Yu shouted, charging forward first. Wielding the Sword of Time and Space, he instantly shuttled into the pack of Soul Beasts and unleashed a fierce assault. Suming was not about to be outdone; controlling his Flame Leopard martial soul, he released intense flames that engulfed the Soul Beasts. The other companions also coordinated closely, each deploying their skills to jointly combat the Soul Beasts.
"Lin Yu, a very strong Soul Beast is rushing over from this side!" a companion shouted.
"I'll handle it!" Lin Yu said, utilizing the power of time and space to instantly appear before that Soul Beast and slaying it with a single sword strike.
In the heat of battle, they continuously communicated and collaborated.
"Suming, watch out for the Soul Beast on the left!"
"Got it, I see it!"
Following a fierce battle, they finally succeeded in beating back all the simulated Soul Beast attacks.
Next, they faced various tactical puzzles. Some required them to formulate offensive strategies, while others required them to set up defensive layouts. Lin Yu gave full play to his leadership skills, leading his companions to handle the situations calmly.
"We'll split into two groups: one responsible for the frontal assault, and the other to flank from the side," Lin Yu commanded.
"No problem!" the companions responded one after another.
Through their joint efforts, one tactical puzzle after another was successfully resolved.
Their brilliant performance drew intense interest from the higher-ups of Spirit Temple. The elders and instructors sat in the spectator stands, watching their performance and nodding repeatedly.
"This batch of trainees has a lot of potential," an elder remarked.
"Especially that Lin Yu; his Sword of Time and Space martial soul is truly a rare sight," another elder chimed in.
Spirit Temple decided to grant them more resources and opportunities. When this news reached Lin Yu and the others, they were all thrilled.
"That's great, we have more resources and opportunities now!" a companion cheered.
Lin Yu calmly said, "This is the result of our hard work, but we cannot become arrogant or complacent. We must keep striving and go further on the path of cultivation."
"Right, we cannot let down the expectations of Spirit Temple!" Suming said firmly.
From then on, Lin Yu and his companions solidified their convictions even further. Every day, they cultivated diligently to continuously elevate their strength.
"We must achieve even greater success on our future cultivation path and fight for the glory of Spirit Temple!" Lin Yu vowed silently to himself.
Outside of cultivation, they would also share their cultivation insights and experiences together.
"I think we need to pay even more attention to seamless coordination in battle," Lin Yu said.
"That's right, we can conduct more practical combat drills to improve our team collaboration skills," Suming suggested.
"Good idea, let's start tomorrow," Lin Yu said with a smile.
Thus, they encouraged and supported one another, pressing forward on the path of cultivation and striding toward loftier goals. Their future was filled with infinite possibilities, and they would use their sweat and hard work to write their own glorious chapter.