Miriam, standing to the side, let out a cold snort. At least this kid knew his place—if he dared to agree, she would absolutely make his life a living hell.

Natasha nodded apologetically. She had just taken over as club president and it wasn’t easy for her to openly contradict senior Miriam.

“All right, if you don’t want to join the club, get out of here! This isn’t a supermarket!” Amelia had already started shooing people away, and the first one she targeted was Miriam.

Miriam glanced at Amelia. “You’ll regret your decision today. President, let’s not waste any more time here.”

Once the goddess left, the entrance to the Oddball Club was empty again. Originally, with Amelia joining, attracting a few people wouldn’t have been a problem, but after this commotion, the Oddball Club wouldn’t last much longer. Everyone knew senior Miriam’s nickname was “the venomous old maid”—if she set her sights on you, nothing good would come of it. Even Natasha had to give her some leeway.

Amelia had just arrived at the academy as a special recruit, so there were still a series of enrollment procedures and in-depth tests to complete. Mark Brooks hurried to pack up, afraid someone else would try to poach members. Even if he had to pay for it, he’d make up the numbers. With Amelia’s strong addition, his Oddball Club finally saw a glimmer of hope.

John Carter was, as usual, hanging out in the library, but today he couldn’t quite calm his mind. He could feel something different about himself. This bit of soul power might not mean much to most people, but for John Carter, it was a whole different story.

After putting away his books, he headed to the OP training building next to the library.

The OP system stood for “Over Perfect.”

Igniting soul power was only the first step—the most important thing was forging a Heroic Soul. Once the Heroic Soul took shape, soul power would skyrocket, and you’d gain powerful explosive Soul Dominance skills. If a Heroic Soul Academy had a forging success rate of ten percent, it was considered top-tier. In recent years, Tianjing’s rate hovered around eight or nine percent, which was a bit concerning. For students who failed to forge a Heroic Soul, the chance to become an elite was lost—they could only join the regular army or work in logistics after graduation.

To forge a Heroic Soul, every student had to hone their soul power and skills in various ways, waiting for that moment when the Heroic Soul would coalesce. There was only one way: battle!

Here, one must mention a great scientist of the Free Federation, Charlton Copernicus. This genius once dreamed of becoming a superhero, but due to mediocre combat talent, no one wanted to spar with him. Lacking real combat experience, he ultimately failed to forge a Heroic Soul. For the sake of “people like them,” Charlton gave up martial pursuits for science. Using old-era virtual reality technology as a foundation and integrating rune power, he sought to create a battle simulator. In the process, he accidentally discovered the “Fifth Dimension,” commonly known as the “Soul Space,” which is now the carrier of the “OP system.” He became, after Gran Grasso, another great scientist who changed humanity.

OP is realized based on the “Fifth Dimension” plane, and the entire maintenance and energy system is jointly built by the five super consortia of the Free City Federation, making it convenient for students in the soul-forging period to hone their combat skills and achieve the best Heroic Souls.

Chapter 7: Battle of the Rookies

Soul power is the key to entering the OP world. This is a paradise for Heroic Soul apprentices. The law of the Fifth Dimension is that the combat experience is as real as it gets, but you won’t actually die. Of course, the completely real sensations and some of the trauma from “death” are definitely not pleasant.

Back then, faced with the barbaric rise of the great empires, the relatively conservative Federation began to decline. The empires had long coveted the resources inherited by the Federation, but the birth of the OP system saved the situation and created a balance.

To this day, the OP system is absolutely the undisputed No. 1 in the hearts of young people.

John Carter had been using OP for over a year now, with a rather dazzling record. In a year, he’d fought ninety-nine matches—not exactly diligent, but enduring ninety-nine consecutive defeats was a whole different story. The reason he struggled in every match was that only when his opponents unleashed their proudest, most powerful peak skills could the Roulette of Fate absorb the essence of their souls.

“King of Trash Talk” was John Carter’s ID in OP. He actually chose this name full of hope, because Simba was always talking about the path of kings, so John Carter picked such an aspirational name. The result… it became a huge joke, just like in the academy.

John Carter activated the rune array, soul power surged in, and he entered the Fifth Dimension. The ID “King of Trash Talk” appeared in the system.

“Ah, guys, look! The King has arrived—hurry up and worship!”

“Damn, King, why didn’t you show up yesterday? Not seeing you for a day feels like three years!”

“Too bad, our records can’t compare to the King’s.”

“How could you losers be worthy of fighting the King? A bunch of scrubs—hurry up and kneel!”

The OP system had a very convenient instant messaging platform. After more than a year of battles, “King of Trash Talk” had become a clown-like figure. Many newcomers to the OP system found confidence and a sense of presence by defeating him. People often say a good start is half the battle—so in a way, John Carter had done a lot of good, though he himself had suffered for it.

John Carter was used to all the teasing around him and went straight to opponent matching. When it came to the all-important weapon selection for Heroic Soul warriors, he still chose random, because every weapon was the same to him—always had been, always would be.

“King is still as aloof as ever, just like always!”