As the massive figure of the diamond elephant-man thundered across the arena, creating ear-splitting booms with each step, Xiao Wu in the stands was so excited that she completely forgot about her image.
She leaned fully over the railing, her pink braided pigtails bouncing in the air like happy arcs, while her crystal-like eyes reflected the dazzling glow of colliding soul skills.
"Look at that big guy! His trunk is going to reach the sky!" Xiao Wu tugged excitedly on Zhu Zhuqing's sleeve, her slender fingers exerting enough force that Zhu Zhuqing had to hold onto her clothes to avoid exposure.
"The wings of that Lei Yu got completely twisted! Beat him! Beat him!"
Gu La awkwardly covered half his face with his school uniform sleeve, wishing he could change out of it to prove he didn't know her. Several students from Zixing Academy had already moved to seats further back.
Zhu Zhuqing helplessly tugged at Xiao Wu's hem, her obsidian-like eyes reflecting the disapproving glances of the surrounding audience. To their left, a noblewoman in gold-rimmed glasses covered her nose with a feather fan, while behind them, several youths in Tian Dou Imperial Academy uniforms pointed and whispered.
"Xiao Wu, try to be more ladylike. A lot of people are looking at you."
"Huh?"
Xiao Wu snapped out of the match, belatedly realizing that many around her were giving her disapproving looks. Perhaps it was because they were wearing uniforms from a prestigious soul master academy that no one said anything.
At that moment, a sudden surge of soul power on the stage diverted everyone's attention.
Huyan Shan's crystalline trunk sliced through the air, accompanied by a piercing shriek as it slammed heavily into Lei Yu's lightning wings.
"Captain!"
The deputy captain of the Thunderclap Team's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. Just as he was about to unleash his lightning chain, he was intercepted by a triangular formation of three Elephant Armor Sect members.
Huyan Shan's colossal body suddenly began spinning rapidly on the arena. His Mega Evolved form, now nearly five meters tall, transformed into a diamond hurricane. The arena floor cracked in a spider-web pattern, and three Thunderclap Team members were flung away by his long trunk.
"Hmph, overestimating themselves!"
Huyan Shan exhaled heavily. After super evolution, his massive body required an immense intake of air, producing sounds akin to a bellows being pulled violently.
Bam! Bam!
The enormous elephant-man charged across the arena, each step causing the platform to tremble incessantly.
The deputy captain of the Thunderclap Team made one last effort, his third and fourth soul rings flashing.
"Paralyzing Lightning Net!"
"Thunder Lock Heaven Array!"
Crack!
Huyan Shan's crystalline skin shimmered as he broke through the control of the electrified net. A few blue arcs of electricity danced along his legs, but he quickly adapted to the paralysis.
Offstage, Ning Fengzhi's eyes narrowed in thought. If the disciples of the Elephant Armor Sect, after super evolution, formed a heavy cavalry phalanx, it would be an absolute meat grinder on the battlefield.
As long as their soul power cultivation was sufficient to sustain ten minutes of super evolution and they were clad in heavy armor, even a soul master legion two levels higher wouldn't emerge unscathed from a single charge.
His slender fingers traced battle formations in the air, as if envisioning a steel flood crushing through the defenses of the Star Luo Empire.
"Oak alone has inadvertently changed the dynamics of the battlefield."
Ning Fengzhi sighed inwardly. Unfortunately, the four major sects, including the Elephant Armor Sect, were rather insular, making it difficult to send spies among them.
Currently, the Elephant Armor Sect had an ambiguous relationship with the Spirit Hall but hadn't fully pledged allegiance yet. They still leaned toward the Tian Dou Empire.
"Lord Huyan," the emperor's voice, infused with soul power, echoed throughout the VIP section. Huyan Zhen, who had been cheering for his disciples, stiffened momentarily.
"Your sect's disciples are truly formidable. Would any of them be willing to serve as instructors in my Imperial Guard? Salaries will be equivalent to those of a duke."
Huyan Zhen cursed inwardly. Instructors? More like dogs to be ordered around, destined to lead charges on the battlefield and serve as cannon fodder...
How much does a duke's salary amount to anyway? Nobles still relied on fiefs and trade guilds to make real money. Let whoever wants to go, go!
He knew his own affairs well. The disciples of the Elephant Armor Sect had muscles sharper than their wits. If sent into the court as officials, they'd be treated like monkeys without even realizing it. They weren't cunning enough to see through such schemes.
"Your Majesty's kindness is deeply appreciated on behalf of the children."
Huyan Zhen's voice, resonant as a bronze bell, caused the decorative pieces on the crystal vases to jingle. His palm, as large as a fan, pressed against the railing, leaving deep imprints in the steel.
"Our Elephant Armor Sect consists of rough men who prefer real combat in the arena. The intrigues of the court are not for us."
Before he finished speaking, a deafening roar erupted from the arena.
Everyone turned to see Huyan Shan using two Thunderclap Team members stacked together as a war hammer, swinging them full force at the last control-type soul master.
The diamond elephant-man emanated a mist-like soul power resembling blood fog. His heavy breathing, amplified by sound-conducting soul-guiding devices, reverberated throughout the venue, akin to the roar of an ancient war elephant.
Above the stands, medical soul masters had already activated healing halos. Blood was scattered across the arena floor—the brutality of this match far exceeded ordinary soul master duels.
Yet the ferocious spectacle elicited loud cheers from the audience, drowning out the few voices of condemnation.
In the VIP section, Huyan Zhen's outright refusal came as no surprise to others.
It wasn't a big deal. If the Star Luo Empire governed through nobility and the military system, the Tian Dou Empire was governed jointly by nobility and sects.
Emperor Xue Ye, as the ruler, could only seek to win over sects; he couldn't forcefully demand their allegiance.
This had been the custom for hundreds of years. Sects had an unspoken understanding—they wouldn't send large numbers of disciples to support the royal family, lest the emperor develop ambitions.
Emperor Xue Ye nodded slightly, appearing nonchalant, as if it were merely a casual suggestion.
Ning Fengzhi exchanged a glance with Sword Douluo. Among the high-ranking officials of the Tian Dou Empire, only they knew that Xue Ye, previously stuck at level 88, had now broken through to level 90.
Had he not been the emperor, unable to personally hunt souls, Xue Ye would have broken through long ago, becoming the sole Title Douluo of the Tian Dou Empire.
Ning Fengzhi sighed inwardly. "What turbulent times we live in. Even Xue Ye can't remain idle. I hope Huyan Zhen's rejection will make him realize that ambitious rulers never meet good ends."
At the same time, Ning Fengzhi felt a twinge of envy. As fellow auxiliary-type soul masters, Xue Ye's martial soul was the swan. Due to old age and declining strength, normal breakthroughs were impossible. Yet Xue Ye's resolve was astonishing—he sacrificed an elderly imperial family member nearing the end of their lifespan, extracting bones to craft a custom mega evolution device for himself.
The genes of the soul bone stimulated his dormant bloodline, combined with treasures from the Tian Dou Imperial Family's thousand-year-old reserves, including a fifty-thousand-year-old Ginseng King, allowing Xue Ye to break through two levels consecutively.
If Xue Ye knew what Ning Fengzhi was thinking, he would have been greatly shocked. If even the details of his breakthrough were known, what else could possibly remain hidden?
Ning Fengzhi's thoughts drifted further. The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect possessed gemstone-type soul bones that could be used to create mega evolution devices. However, unlike beast-type martial souls, there were no significant changes. Forget about breaking through level 80.
"Oak has taken so much advantage of our sect. I wonder if he's developed any evolution plans for the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect."
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