If Ray didn't know better, he would have sworn this was revenge for arriving late to the match.

Yet no matter how miserable it was, the results were undeniable. His progress was terrifyingly fast. What once felt impossible slowly became instinctive. This was pain wrapped in growth, suffering coated in reward. Pain and joy, woven together.

The news of class zero spread through the academy like wildfire. Overnight, the five students became well-known figures. Naturally, they revealed nothing about their lessons, and after a few days, curiosity faded, and life returned to its usual rhythm.

But class zero was different.

Alfred taught them personally, restructuring their curriculum entirely. Theory was deeper. Combat training was harsher. Resources were poured in without restraint. Nourishing meals, top-grade facilities, exclusive instruction. Everything President Fenris promised was delivered, without compromise.

Ten days later, Ray finally gained companions in his suffering.

Raziel Phoenix, Barbara, and Volt had recovered enough to join combat training. From that day on, agonized screams echoed daily from class zero.

They had once laughed while watching Ray get beaten.

Now they understood.

Alfred did not believe in mercy. Every strike pierced straight into the bone marrow. And yet, not a single injury remained afterward.

"Only pain makes lessons unforgettable," was his cold verdict.

Volt endured better than most. His Bone Dragon King martial soul granted him exceptional toughness. Barbara and Raziel Phoenix, however, were miserable. One was agility-control, the other pure agility. Speed had never required durability. Now it demanded payment.

Only Lily escaped the worst of it. Whether because she was female or because Alfred exercised restraint, his strikes toward her merely numbed rather than crippled.

Then came salvation.

"Today, combat training is suspended," Alfred announced upon entering the classroom.

The room nearly erupted in relief.

Only Ray felt a flicker of disappointment.

Over the past ten days, he had realized something astonishing. His body was still assimilating the Golden Dragon King's soul. Each beating accelerated the process. Pain faded quickly, bruises vanished, and his recovery speed defied reason. More than that, his soul power cultivation seemed to increase after intense physical trauma.

He felt close to another breakthrough.

The golden scales had become natural to him. While the Golden Dragon Claw consumed too much soul power to use freely, the scales alone were economical and devastating. His right arm had become his greatest weapon.

Alfred led them into a room filled with cold metallic sheen. Silver walls reflected light endlessly. Rows of strange machines hummed softly.

"Spiritual power testing," Alfred said. "Raziel Phoenix, first."

Raziel Phoenix's result was steady. Two points higher than last time.

Volt followed. His reading stopped at eighteen.

"Too low," Alfred said flatly. "Improve it, or your future spirit soul fusion will suffer."

Volt nodded silently.

Barbara went next.

"Forty-one," Alfred said. "Decent. With effort, you might reach Spirit Connection within a year."

Then came Ray.

Barbara's gaze sharpened. Of the three opponents from that match, Ray was the one he resented most. Broken legs were not easily forgotten.

Ray sat inside the machine. The visor lowered.

The scale climbed.

Twenty.

Thirty.

Forty.

Barbara's eyes widened.

Forty-three.

It surpassed him.

And it didn't stop.

"Fifty!" Volt suddenly exclaimed.

The scale turned yellow.

Spirit Connection.

The room froze.

Spirit Origin was the foundation. Spirit Connection was a leap. It meant true control over spiritual power. It meant supporting two yellow spirit souls or even one purple spirit soul.

For a first-grade student?

Impossible.

Yet the numbers continued.

Sixty.

Sixty-six.

The reading stopped.

Silence swallowed the room.

Raziel Phoenix's jaw dropped. Barbara stared as though reality had betrayed him. Even Volt's usually blank expression fractured.

Ray himself was stunned.

He had expected growth. Not this.

Spirit Connection in first grade. A realm countless advanced-division students never reached. The benefits were immeasurable. Control. Fusion. Precision. Everything would become easier.

Alfred recorded the number without comment, but his eyes lingered on Ray for a heartbeat longer than necessary.

Sixty-six.

A monster in the making.

And Ray, standing there in quiet disbelief, had no idea how far this path would take him.

The final student to undergo testing was Lily.

A sudden thought struck Barbara.

Does the order Teacher Alfred arranged us in actually mean something?

Aside from Raziel Phoenix at the beginning, every result afterward had climbed higher and higher. Spiritual power was Lily's specialty… Could it be—

Before he could finish the thought, the machine answered for him.

Lily's spiritual power surged past the white line and plunged straight into the yellow zone. In the blink of an eye, it crossed one hundred.

And it didn't stop.

Barbara and Volt stood frozen as the number continued to skyrocket.

The final value displayed was 153.

For a moment, no one could breathe.

How was this even possible?

Even ignoring West Ocean City, Barbara was certain that across the entire continent, there were almost no Soul Masters this young with spiritual power this terrifying.

Spiritual power normally grew with age, peaking around forty. Only Soul Masters could continue cultivating it until sixty. Lily was barely nine years old, yet she had already stepped firmly into the Spirit Connection realm with over one hundred and fifty points!

At this rate, reaching the Spirit Sea realm before graduating from the intermediate division wouldn't be a dream at all.

Spirit Sea.

That was the realm where spiritual power became vast and boundless, the true foundation of experts.

Whether Mecha Masters or Soul Masters, those who stood at the peak all possessed Spirit Sea-level spiritual power. At that level, one could support five yellow spirit souls, three purple ones, or even a single black spirit soul. More importantly, it allowed cultivation toward six or seven soul rings.

Silence filled the room.

Alfred, however, appeared unsurprised. After Lily stepped down, he simply said, "Next, the strength test."

Once again, the order was peculiar.

"Lily, first."

The strength test measured punching force alone. Carrying capacity and endurance were irrelevant. For Soul Masters, only attack power mattered.

Bang!

Left fist: 115 kilograms.

Barbara nearly lost his balance.

She's an elementalist! She's nine! How does she have this kind of strength?!

Bang!

Right fist: 143 kilogramsT.

Barbara and Raziel Phoenix both felt their hearts crack.

Is she even human? Or is she secretly a female tyrannosaurus?!

Alfred's eyes flickered briefly with surprise. "Next, Barbara."

Bang!

Left fist: 61 kilograms.

Bang!

Right fist: 69 kilograms.

As a two-ring Soul Grandmaster, this result was respectable. Barbara had never thought his physical strength lacking.

Until now.

Standing beside Lily's results, his numbers felt painfully small.

"Raziel Phoenix!"

Bang!

Left fist: 153 kilograms.

Bang!

Right fist: 164 kilograms.

Raziel Phoenix wiped his brow and let out a relieved breath. At least in raw strength, he barely surpassed Lily. His twin martial souls nourished his body far more than ordinary agility-type Soul Masters, which explained why Ares had struggled against him in the tournament.

"Volt!"

The slim Volt stepped forward. He inhaled deeply, then subconsciously glanced at Ray.

How big is the gap between us, really?

Bang!

Left fist: 423 kilograms.

Bang!

Right fist: 468 kilograms.

The numbers stunned everyone.

This was already comparable to a pure Power System Soul Master. The combined strength of his arms was approaching a thousand kilograms.

"Good!" Barbara exclaimed loudly, venting the frustration building in his chest.

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