It must be said that Liu Erlong truly cared for Yu Xiaogang. Knowing that Shrek Academy's reserve team lacked strength, she directly introduced Tai Long and Jiang Zhu, the most outstanding disciples of Lanba Academy, to Flender.
Yang Xiong wasn't sure what had transpired between them, but eventually, Tai Long encountered Tang San, who revealed his second martial soul—the Hao Tian Hammer. Afterward, Tai Long became a loyal follower of Tang San.
Even Yang Xiong couldn't help but marvel at the unpredictability of fate. After all these twists and turns, the storyline seemed to have returned to its original course.
Time flew by, and more than a year passed. The Soul Master Competition was drawing near, as was the graduation timeline in Yang Xiong's mind.
After a year and a half of intense training, Yang Xiong had gained six levels, reaching Level 38—making him the one with the highest increase among everyone.
Compared to Yang Xiong, others also made significant progress.
Dai Mubai broke through to Level 42, becoming the only Soul Ancestor among them. However, Dai Mubai was already seventeen years old.
Tang San's soul power reached Level 39, just one level higher than Yang Xiong. Xiao Wu was at Level 38, matching Yang Xiong's soul power.
Oscar trained hard alongside Yang Xiong, reaching Level 36—a gain of four levels over the year.
Ning Rongrong was also at Level 36, though she had only recently broken through.
Zhu Zhuqing and Qin Shuang were both at Level 34. These two girls trained extremely hard, but their innate soul power was relatively low, making further advancement difficult in the short term.
Qin Shuang, in particular, loved training in the gravity simulation environment, spending even more time there than Yang Xiong. She even fought daily against Zhao Wuji, just like Yang Xiong. It seemed the gravity simulation environment was tailor-made for her.
In contrast, Ma Hongjun was at Level 33, the lowest soul power level among them. He had been surpassed by Qin Shuang and Zhu Zhuqing, leaving Flender feeling embarrassed since Ma Hongjun was his direct disciple.
Based on the cultivation speed of Shrek Academy's members, even by the finals, they would likely have only four Soul Ancestors at most—Yang Xiong, Tang San, and Xiao Wu had the potential to break through again, while the others lagged too far behind.
Without immortal herbs, Shrek Academy's group wasn't as outstanding as in the original storyline. However, in terms of talent and cultivation speed, they far exceeded their peers. By the next Soul Master Competition, having all Soul Ancestors or even multiple Soul Kings wouldn't be an issue.
However, this Soul Master Competition might only serve as a sideshow—they had no hope of winning the championship.
The day before the competition, all teachers and students of Shrek Academy's team from Tian Dou Imperial Academy gathered once more. Yu Xiaogang and Flender meticulously explained the rules of the Soul Master Competition, including all details of the preliminaries and qualifying rounds.
It was clear that teachers like Yu Xiaogang were quite confident. While they weren't aiming for the championship, finishing in the top five of the preliminaries was within reach. Most advanced soul master academies typically had only one or two Soul Ancestors, whereas the second team, despite having only one Soul Ancestor, boasted Yang Xiong, Tang San, and Xiao Wu, who possessed Soul Ancestor-level combat power. The rest of the team worked together seamlessly.
Moreover, compared to other teams, Shrek Academy's group had recently undergone training in the Sunset Forest, gaining rich combat experience and even witnessing bloodshed. They were far superior to ordinary teams.
The current Shrek Academy team couldn't afford to hold back as in the original storyline. Soon, the main lineup was confirmed.
The seven main members were Dai Mubai, Tang San, Yang Xiong, Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, Tai Long, and Oscar. The substitutes were Qin Shuang, Zhu Zhuqing, Ma Hongjun, and Jiang Zhu.
Tai Long's soul power had reached Level 38, matching Yang Xiong's level among the main members. After all, he had originally been the captain of Lanba Academy.
Despite Yang Xiong's efforts over the past year—even asking Lin Gong to create pressure—he still couldn't fully integrate his pair of Explosive Dragon Claws with his body. This made Yang Xiong realize just how extraordinary these dragon claws were. Fully fusing them wouldn't be easy—it was likely due to the overwhelmingly strong dragon lineage of the claws that made complete absorption impossible.
Yu Xiaogang continued following his own plan, letting Tang San handle the team's arrangements and tactical planning. After all, Tang San was the team's sole control-type soul master.
Yang Xiong didn't care much about these matters. He didn't take the Soul Master Competition too seriously—exerting seventy percent of his strength during the matches would suffice; the rest he wouldn't concern himself with.
In contrast to Yang Xiong's composure, Yu Xiaogang and Tang San were more tense—they wanted to showcase themselves.
Over the past year, Yang Xiong's soul power had steadily approached Tang San's, putting immense pressure on Tang San.
Originally, Tang San believed he was unparalleled in talent and trained diligently. Unfortunately, if both continued at this pace, Tang San risked being surpassed by Yang Xiong. At that point, his claim of starting with full innate soul power would become a joke.
As the team leader and Tang San's teacher, Yu Xiaogang firmly believed Tang San was unmatched under his tutelage. But now, it seemed his disciple might be overtaken by a teammate—wouldn't his special training then become a laughingstock?
However, Yang Xiong had never revealed his soul skills. They had no idea what his soul rings or abilities were or which spirit beasts they came from. Despite analyzing Yang Xiong many times, they remained clueless.
Yu Xiaogang even dropped various hints to Yang Xiong, but Yang Xiong pretended not to notice. After all, Yu Xiaogang had no real power to force him.
Rumors circulated outside that combining Tian Dou Imperial Academy's two teams could make the squad stronger. Even Qin Ming, the leader of Team One, expressed similar sentiments.
Unfortunately, these rumors died out. Team One's internal dynamics were already complex, with each member having their own background. If the two teams merged, coordination might suffer. Moreover, the three Elder Committee members valued Team Two's potential more than its current strength.
Finally, the day of the Soul Master Competition arrived. The renovated Great Spirit Arena in Tiandou City looked even more impressive, with over ten smaller arenas added inside.
The entire city was bustling with people, especially around the Great Spirit Arena, where crowds gathered in droves.
Shrek Academy's team, clad in silver battle robes, walked among all the teams.
First to enter the arena was Team One from Tian Dou Imperial Academy, followed by Tian Dou Imperial Academy's Shrek Academy team. Originally, they should have been called Team Two of Tiano Imperial Academy, but out of respect for Shrek Academy, the three Elder Committee members and Crown Prince Xue Qinghe specially named them thus.
If the area outside the Great Spirit Arena was packed with people, the interior was overflowing. Cheers erupted sporadically.
Sitting at the center of the VIP section was Emperor Xue Ye, flanked by Ning Fengzhi and a high-ranking official from the Spirit Hall. This official was likely Platinum Bishop Salas of the Spirit Hall's Tiandou region and the true host of this competition.
Though Yang Xiong had participated in many soul master duels, he had never taken part in a match watched by the entire continent. No wonder Yu Xiaogang and others placed such importance on it.
After Salas drew lots, Tian Dou Imperial Academy's Shrek Academy team's opponent turned out to be Lanba Academy, leaving Yang Xiong speechless.
Lanba Academy was already at the bottom of the rankings in the Tiandou region. Now, with their captain poached by Shrek Academy, their combat strength was laughably weak.
As soon as the match began, Shrek Academy overwhelmed them, defeating the entire team within half a minute. Before Yang Xiong could even act, all opponents were knocked off the stage.
Following Tang San's strategy, Yang Xiong took the field but stood toward the back of the formation, primarily serving as a defensive soul master to protect auxiliary members Oscar and Ning Rongrong. During combat, he acted as a surprise element, as his speed allowed him to function as an agility-based offensive soul master.
Yang Xiong was content to remain idle. He had no intention of turning the tide single-handedly—displaying seventy percent of his strength was enough to honor the team.
He did, however, pay special attention to Liu Erlong. Despite Lanba Academy's crushing defeat, their principal seemed completely unconcerned, focusing all her attention on Yu Xiaogang. Yang Xiong couldn't help but shake his head. The Douluo Continent truly lived up to its reputation as the "Love Continent"—why did these women prioritize romance over ambition?
Yang Xiong also found another peculiar issue. Normally, Xiao Wu shouldn't participate in such competitions, especially with Sword Douluo and other Title Douluos possibly present in the audience. Yet Xiao Wu appeared fearless, boldly joining the matches. This made Yang Xiong suspicious.
In the following days, Tian Dou Imperial Academy's Shrek Academy team achieved consecutive victories. Several battle soul masters shone brightly, while Yang Xiong, positioned at the back of the team, performed relatively modestly.
Though Yang Xiong wasn't particularly interested in the tournament, the surrounding discussions piqued his curiosity. He ended up watching other teams' battles.
The Five Elements Academies lived up to their reputation as veteran powerhouses. Each team performed brilliantly, especially their captains, whose strengths generally reached the Soul Ancestor level. Their soul ring skills were also impressive, showcasing a depth far beyond what Shrek Academy's members could match.
Yang Xiong even saw his older brother, Yang Wei, take the stage. Though only a substitute for Zixing Academy, Yang Wei now had Level 35 soul power. His Iron Sword martial soul was exceptionally powerful, making him a rare weapon-type soul master in the competition.
It was well-known that cultivating weapon-type martial souls in the early stages was far more difficult than beast-type martial souls. Though Yang Wei's soul power level was average, he had benefited from numerous resources provided by the sect, resulting in excellent physical fitness. Additionally, the sect's specialized sword techniques were far beyond what ordinary soul masters could achieve.
Yang Xiong reflected privately. After all, this was his elder brother and one of the closest people to him in the world. Should he focus more on him and perhaps plan for his future? This elder brother had treated him well during his childhood. However, Yang Wei had his own cultivation methods and their father's guidance, so they hadn't communicated much about cultivation matters.
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