The following matches of the advancement tournament were quite uneventful. Perhaps due to the strength Li Xun had displayed, none of the other thirteen teams dared to confront him in the subsequent matches.
Faced with continuous forfeits, Li Xun was more than happy to enjoy the leisure. Since he wasn't allowed to leave the hunting grounds, he had to find other things to occupy his time.
After giving Ning Rongrong a good scolding, he returned to his room and created five wooden clones to begin his cultivation.
This was an old trick of his. Although these clones were different from his main body, the energy they fed back to him after meditation could still amount to one-third of the Soul Power he gathered each time.
His Soul Power had now reached level 55. If he continued at this pace, Li Xun felt that he wasn't far from breaking through to level 56.
But the functions of these clones went far beyond that. Their strongest feature was actually their learning ability. Although the clones shared the same thoughts as him, they were still different individuals. Operating them was like using a multi-core algorithm.
While Li Xun's main body focused on cultivation, the clones practiced illusions and various Ninjutsu.
Time passed quickly, and as expected, the Heavenly Dou Royal Team secured the first place in the tournament with an undefeated record.
The second place went to the Blazing Fire Team, which had merged with the Divine Wind and Heavenly Water teams, while the third place was taken by Thunder Academy.
However, since the advancement tournament was only meant to showcase talents for the empire and wasn't an elimination system, the other participating teams, despite their losses, still retained their eligibility to compete in the finals.
By this point, all the participating teams knew deep down that they had no chance of securing a spot in the final rounds of the Soul Master Competition. But for the sake of their academies and their own futures, they had no choice but to continue.
After all, even if their rankings were low, being able to participate in the Soul Master Competition already placed them among the rare geniuses on the continent. This experience was crucial for most civilian Soul Masters.
Following an impassioned speech by the Crown Prince, the advancement tournament came to a close. Due to Emperor Xue Ye's severe illness and the fact that Xue Qinghe was the only remaining member of the royal family, Ning Fengzhi would represent the Heavenly Dou royal family on the journey to Spirit City.
Of course, Li Xun speculated that this might also be due to the increasingly strained relationship between Qian Renxue and Bibidong.
Ever since Yu Xiaogang was taken away by the Chrysanthemum Douluo, the mother and daughter had been openly and secretly at odds with each other. To those unaware of the truth, it almost seemed as if the Heaven Dou Empire was about to go to war with the Spirit Hall.
Before heading to Spirit City for the finals, there was a three-day break. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Li Xun and the members of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School returned to their sect with great enthusiasm.
"Haha, you're finally back!" Sensing their presence, Dugu Bo darted out from a room and appeared before Li Xun and the others.
"Judging by the look on the Poison Enshrined's face, things must have gone smoothly," Ning Fengzhi chuckled.
"Smooth? That's an understatement! You have no idea how smug this old man has been in front of me these past few days. I should've just let him stay at the sect and gone to capture that Soul Beast myself," Bone Douluo sighed, quickly venting his grievances.
"A 100,000 Year Soul Beast is indeed a rare find. It's only natural for the Poison Enshrined to be excited for a while after capturing one," Ning Fengzhi shook his head.
Li Xun was also in high spirits at this moment: "Grandpa Dugu, where did you lock up that Soul Beast?"
"I gave that Soul Beast some medicine, and it should still be asleep now," Dugu Bo turned around and led everyone toward the room he had just come out of.
"You have no idea how anxious I've been waiting for you these past few days. I didn't dare lock her up alone, and keeping an eye on her has worn me out."
"What should we do with her next? We can't keep someone watching her all the time. If she accidentally escapes one day and the medicine I gave her takes effect, wouldn't it be a loss if she dies outside?"
Li Xun frowned. This was indeed a problem.
Although a Soul Beast reaching a hundred thousand years could grant a Soul Master two powerful skills, he had never intended to obtain Xiao Wu's Spirit Ring.
After all, he felt that the skills Xiao Wu could offer were quite useless—one was "Void," and the other was "Eight-Segmented Fatal Slam," which didn't align with his combat style. They were far less powerful than the skills from the Titan Giant Ape or the Titan Snow Demon King.
Only the invincible golden body and teleportation from the Soul Bone skills were somewhat useful.
However, the current situation forced him to reconsider. It was better to secure such things sooner rather than later.
Li Xun pondered for a moment, "I'll go and absorb her later. But if I do that, the condition I promised Qian Renxue might have to be postponed until the seventh Spirit Ring."
"Xiao Xun, you've reached level 60?!"
Everyone was shocked, looking at Li Xun in astonishment. In their memory, Li Xun had just obtained his fifth Spirit Ring not long ago.
Li Xun shook his head, "Not yet. I'm at level 55 now, but the Blue Silver King's Head Soul Bone has given me an illusion skill that can affect others' minds with spiritual power. I'll try to see if I can get that Soul Beast to sacrifice itself to me."
"Can your body handle it? After all, you took a huge risk when you absorbed the Blue Silver King last time," Sword Douluo frowned deeply.
At this point, Dugu Bo also remembered how Li Xun had shattered his limbs to disperse the energy, "Xiao Xun, don't push yourself. It hasn't been long since you last absorbed a Spirit Ring, and your physical condition definitely hasn't improved. If it's too risky, I can keep an eye on her for a while longer. There's no need to take such a risk."
"Sword Grandpa, Grandpa Dugu, actually, there are different types of sacrifices. This time, I want to use the illusion skill to make that Soul Beast perform a more domineering sacrifice."
"This type of sacrifice involves offering its soul along with the sacrifice, allowing the Soul Master to perfectly absorb the full power of a hundred thousand year Spirit Ring," Li Xun explained to everyone.
"Is there really such a method?" Everyone was dumbfounded.
Li Xun nodded, then pushed the door open and entered the room.
The medicine Dugu Bo had administered was potent, and Xiao Wu was sound asleep on the bed, not even waking up when a large group of people entered the room.
"Grandpa Dugu, can you undo the medicine you gave her?" Li Xun stepped forward to check and found that although he could undo it, it would take a considerable amount of time.
"You kid, I was planning to test you, but it seems that as your cultivation has increased, you've slacked off in your knowledge of medicine!" Dugu Bo laughed heartily and took out a pill, stuffing it into Xiao Wu's mouth.
Li Xun smiled without saying anything. After all, this was just his previous persona. At this point, it didn't matter if it collapsed.
The antidote provided by Dugu Bo took effect quickly, and Xiao Wu soon woke up groggily. As her vision gradually cleared and she took in the situation inside the room, her pupils suddenly contracted. She quickly assumed a defensive stance, only to realize her legs were still weak. She hurriedly backed toward the corner.
"Li Xun? Was it you who captured me? Let me go immediately, or else..."
Xiao Wu was both frightened and agitated, but halfway through her threat, she realized there was no one who could stand against the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
Li Xun chuckled, "Or else what?"
"..."
"Or else... my third brother won't let you off!" Xiao Wu put on what she thought was a fierce expression.
"Tang San can barely protect himself right now, and you still expect him to avenge you?"
(End of Chapter)