MTLNOVEL Chapter 183: The Black Tide Monsters
Ji Juechen, through sheer determination, had shattered the limits set by his talent.
He proved to all: there are no useless martial souls, only useless soul masters.
Initially, the Sun Moon Academy chose exchange students of similar age to Meng Hongchen and the others.
But Ji Juechen immediately applied for the exchange, and as the undisputed top of his class, he was accepted.
His sole reason for joining was to meet Jingliu.
In the simulation universe, he'd challenged nearly every strong opponent he could find.
The system allowed users to fight AI versions of any known expert.
Ji Juechen made full use of this, sparring against all he knew, even dueling the legendary Sword Douluo Chen Xin from ten thousand years ago.
Of course, the simulation always matched the opponent's strength to the player's, so it wasn't real danger.
Among all the strong, Ji Juechen had also sparred with Jingliu's data avatar.
After a duel of swordsmanship, he concluded: this Snow Moon Douluo was truly the peak of swordsmanship, far surpassing even the famed Sword Douluo of ten thousand years ago.
For Ji Juechen, obsessed with the sword, Jingliu was a guiding light to higher levels.
Since encountering Jingliu's data, he no longer challenged any other strong opponent in the simulation.
Each time he logged in, his only opponent was Jingliu's avatar.
Now, with a chance to meet Jingliu in person, he couldn't pass it up.
Fighting a data avatar was rewarding, but could never compare to real teaching.
Thus, when he heard S-rank students could get Jingliu's personal guidance, Ji Juechen's fighting spirit flared—no less intense than Xiao or Meng Hongchen's.
For Xiao Hongchen, it was pride; for Meng Hongchen, a desire to impress Lu Jingming. But for Ji Juechen, it was pure sword passion.
"Go ahead. I'll open a team challenge for you. Your performance will be fully recorded for your ranking."
The holographic system, now much evolved, offered far more variety than simple solo stages.
Zhang Lexuan opened a team instance for the exchange students.
Defeat the monsters, and get rewards and rankings based on your performance.
With a slight dizziness, Meng Hongchen and the others soon recovered—familiar with the sensation from previous simulation logins.
They found themselves in the ruins of a vast arena, dimly lit, surrounded by shattered buildings.
But there was no time to admire the scenery, for black shadows began to gather in the corners.
"Hey, Old Ji, I've got a bad feeling about this," whispered a bespectacled young woman with long black hair to Ji Juechen.
"Isn't that what makes it fun?" Ji Juechen sensed the mounting pressure, slowly drawing his iron sword as a sharp aura burst forth.
He glanced at her, "If you're scared, just hide behind me."
"As if! When have I, Jing Ziyan, ever been scared?" she retorted, brandishing a purple energy whip.
Suddenly, a black tide swept in, and six terrifying monsters appeared before them.
"What are these things!"
Seeing the hideous forms, everyone gasped, faces tense.
Thankfully, the system kindly displayed the monsters' names above their heads.
The first, a Dark Sun Gryphon, looked like a cracked black beast with molten light coursing through its body, a spinning orange core in its head.
Next, the humanoid Black Tide's Decrepit Bow, holding a sinister black bow, its arrows ready to kill.
Nearby, the muscular Black Tide Battle General wielded a massive black sword, glinting coldly.
The slender, dagger-wielding Black Tide Councilor had already vanished, lurking in stealth.
The hulking Black Tide Erode Demon, with dragon-like arms, conjured falling meteor stones behind it.
And the Black Tide Erode Axe, holding a giant axe as tall as a man, radiating destruction.
There were ten exchange students, but against these six monsters, their morale was low.
Each monster exuded madness and destruction, their killing aura so intense it made the students freeze up, unable to bring out their full strength.
Only Ji Juechen seemed unaffected, his fighting spirit burning even brighter.
Boom!
The Black Tide Battle General raised its sword, leaping and slamming down on the team.
A shockwave burst out, dust flying, and the battle began.
Sword light flashed—Ji Juechen's sword slashed like a storm at the Battle General.
But sparks flew—his attacks failed to break its defenses.
Xiao Hongchen and the others frowned. Ji Juechen was famous for his sword skills, and even he couldn't break through?
The others felt desperate. One monster was already so tough, and there were six!
But as elite students, they quickly adjusted and formed up.
As they dodged attacks, their soul tool turrets fired a colorful barrage at the enemy.
The Black Tide's Decrepit Bow fired energy arrows, intercepting many shots in midair with explosions.
The Erode Demon hurled meteor stones like shooting stars at the students.
The Councilor, hidden, silently approached for a deadly strike.
The Erode Axe swung a massive axe, unleashing an orange arc of destruction.
Explosions and roars echoed through the ruined arena.
…
Outside, Zhang Lexuan watched the battle calmly on the screen.
Meanwhile, their supervising teacher Xuan Ziwen was not watching the students at all.
He was lovingly stroking the equipment in the holographic room, eyes full of passion.
To a soul engineer like Xuan Ziwen, this room was a peerless treasure.
If not for a shred of reason, he'd have already begged Zhang Lexuan to let him live here for a month, just to study these advanced soul tools to his heart's content.