I've also recently started a new translation, please check it out and show your support! Douluo: Seven Kill Shock the World
------------------------------------------------------
On the continent, there were quite a few rare metals that could amplify metallic soul power, with Essence Gold being the most famous.
Instead of returning directly to Lan Ba Academy, Chu Chengzhou detoured to the Seven Treasures Trading Guild in the city and bought some preliminarily smelted ingots of Essence Gold.
Rare metals weren't cheap. After purchasing two hundred pounds of Essence Gold ingots, his wallet was significantly lighter. Once again, Chu Chengzhou couldn't help but marvel at how wealthy Ning Fengzhi truly was.
"Having a mine" was a phrase used to describe the rich, but Ning Fengzhi didn't just have a mine—he practically owned most of the mineral resources in the entire Tian Dou Empire! A true monopolistic giant.
Of course, for Chu Chengzhou, the richer his father-in-law-to-be was, the better—especially since it guaranteed that Ning Rongrong's dowry would be nothing short of extravagant.
Upon entering the academy, Chu Chengzhou was about to look for Xiao Wu when he spotted Liu Erlong, Flender, Zhao Wuji, Xiao Wu, and others on the training grounds.
At this time, they were preparing for one of the biweekly practical training sessions for the "Lan Ba Academy Team," and it seemed the session hadn't started yet.
"You're back just in time—come over and join the training!"
Seeing Chu Chengzhou, Liu Erlong called out immediately.
If there was anyone who cared the most about the Lan Ba Academy Team, it was undoubtedly Liu Erlong. Even Flender couldn't compare.
After all, Lan Ba Academy belonged to Liu Erlong, and with Chu Chengzhou and the others' impressive strength, there was a chance they could achieve good results in the upcoming Soul Master Tournament. As the academy's principal, Liu Erlong was highly invested.
"Principal Liu, I've only just returned. Can I skip this session?"
Chu Chengzhou tentatively asked.
To be honest, he had no intention of participating in the practical training.
The reason? The training followed the rules of the Soul Master Tournament, prohibiting any external tools, and Liu Erlong and Flender had also forbidden him from using his illusion technique.
Even without the Sun Chasing Bow or titanium armor-piercing arrows, he could still use his exceptional soul power control to form a bow made of pure soul energy and shoot soul-powered arrows. However, the effectiveness of his archery was undoubtedly greatly reduced.
Add to that the prohibition of his illusion technique, and facing opponents like Liu Erlong or Zhao Wuji—both Soul Sages—it was less a biweekly team training session and more like getting thrashed every three days.
Torturing others might be enjoyable, but being on the receiving end wasn't something anyone would willingly endure—unless they had peculiar tastes.
Unfortunately, students who hadn't graduated had no rights. In Lan Ba Academy, Liu Erlong was the ultimate authority, and her word was final. Protests were allowed but ultimately ineffective.
"Skip? No way! You're a part of the Lan Ba Team, and you're the captain to boot. It was fine that you weren't here earlier, but now that you're back, there's no excuse!"
Liu Erlong firmly shook her head.
"I'm doing this for your own good! You youngsters should appreciate it!"
Shrugging, Chu Chengzhou reluctantly walked toward the lineup.
"Huh? Principal Flender, what happened to your eye?"
Suddenly, Chu Chengzhou noticed something off about Flender. His face, already shaped like a shoe horn, now had a swollen right eye socket, and though he was still wearing black-rimmed glasses, Chu Chengzhou could tell they were a new pair.
Hearing this, Flender twitched his lips and glared at Chu Chengzhou irritably. "What's it to you?"
Chu Chengzhou: "..."
"Brother, let me tell you something. This morning, Principal Flender must've lost his mind and publicly confessed to Principal Liu in front of the entire academy outside the teaching building. Guess what happened?"
Xiao Wu, thrilled by Chu Chengzhou's return from soul hunting, eagerly whispered a juicy piece of gossip.
Instantly, Chu Chengzhou understood.
So that's why Flender got beaten up—it was Liu Erlong, the female tyrannosaurus rex, who did it!
"Tsk tsk, Principal Flender really got it bad today! Principal Liu punched his eye so hard it swelled up like this!"
As soon as the topic came up, Ning Rongrong, standing nearby, chimed in excitedly, making a large circle with her hands to illustrate the extent of the swelling.
With someone breaking the ice, everyone immediately began gossiping animatedly—everyone except Dai Mubai, who was socially awkward, or rather, ostracized by the group.
"Cough cough, Erlong, let's start the practical training!"
Soul masters had excellent hearing, and even though everyone had lowered their voices, the gossip still reached Flender's ears. Feeling awkward, he quickly addressed Liu Erlong.
"Alright, stop discussing. You have one minute to prepare. The training will officially begin in one minute!"
As one of the main figures in the gossip, Liu Erlong was also feeling somewhat embarrassed and loudly announced the start of the session.
Everyone: "..."
Soon, the biweekly practical training of the Lan Ba Academy Team officially began.
At the start, Chu Chengzhou released his martial soul.
However, his strategy had changed. Instead of summoning all his summons as he usually did, only his second and fourth spirit rings lit up.
As soul power surged, the Light Lion summon, Xiao Bai, and the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear summon, Big Bear, materialized beside him.
Without size suppression, Xiao Bai—five meters long excluding its tail—and Big Bear, also five meters tall, were both massive creatures.
"Big Bear, Dark Gold Terror Claw, Rage Mode! Xiao Bai, Blessing!"
Immediately, Chu Chengzhou issued tactical commands to the two summons.
Once activated, Big Bear's two innate soul skills caused dazzling dark golden light to surge across his massive body. His enormous claws exuded terrifying sharpness, and his aura skyrocketed. His cold eyes grew even more ruthless.
Simultaneously, a white streak of light shot out from Xiao Bai and entered Big Bear's body.
In the next moment, Big Bear's already surging aura increased by another 50% across all attributes.
Though Big Bear's strength was formidable enough to rival an average Soul Sage, its age wasn't much higher than Xiao Bai's. Xiao Bai's supportive soul skill applied fully to Big Bear without any reduction.
"Roar—!"
Opening its massive jaws with a roar, Big Bear charged forward with thick bear legs, resembling a heavy tank, heading straight toward Liu Erlong.
"Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear? Martial soul, Possess!"
Recognizing Chu Chengzhou's fourth summon, Liu Erlong's pupils contracted slightly as she immediately unleashed her martial soul.
"First Soul Skill, Tyrant Dragon Fusion! Second Soul Skill, Dragon Arm!"
Two spirit rings on Liu Erlong's body lit up consecutively. Dragon-scale armor materialized, and the armguards on her arms became incredibly thick, causing her aura to soar.
"Third Soul Skill, Thunderfire Shockwave!"
With a shout, a massive fireball infused with intense energy fluctuations appeared above Liu Erlong's head.
Immediately, the violently explosive fireball shot forward, heading straight for the charging Big Bear.
But just as the fireball was about to hit Big Bear, a streak of golden light shot forward, striking the fireball first.
It was Chu Chengzhou, restricted from using external tools, relying on his extraordinary control to form a bow out of soul power and shoot a metallic soul-powered arrow.
Liu Erlong's third soul skill, Thunderfire Shockwave, was inherently unstable and explosively triggered upon impact. When the soul-powered arrow struck, a burst of thunder and fire erupted, creating a small sea of lightning and flames ten meters in diameter.
However, since it didn't directly hit Big Bear, and considering the limited power of a thousand-year soul skill from a Soul Sage without the True Body enhancement, Big Bear managed to withstand the attack thanks to his tough dark golden fur.
The next second, emerging from the thunder and flames, Big Bear charged forward, raising its terrifying dark golden claw and slamming it down toward Liu Erlong.
"Not good!"
Feeling the unstoppable sharpness emanating from Big Bear's claws, Liu Erlong's expression changed.
"Sixth Soul Skill, Explosive Fire Dragon Strike!"
At close range, unable to dodge, Liu Erlong's sixth spirit ring lit up. Instantly, dragon flames erupted from her right arm, and she threw a punch like a meteor.
Boom—!
Claw met fist, fire clashed with golden light, and a loud explosion rang out as both parties were forced back several steps.
Although it was a powerful sixth-tier offensive soul skill from a Soul Sage versus Big Bear's passive Dark Gold Terror Claw mode, it seemed neither side gained the upper hand.
However, the forces were mutual. After the strike, the tremendous force spread throughout Liu Erlong's body, leaving her right arm numb.
Big Bear, on the other hand, let out a roar and charged forward like nothing had happened, swinging its claw down again.
How could a human soul master's body match the endurance of a soul beast? Especially Big Bear, a brute-force muscle-bound bear-type soul beast.
This was evident from the fact that Liu Erlong's height didn't even match one of Big Bear's arms.
The terrifying dark golden claw swung down again. The thick dragon-scale armguard on Liu Erlong's right arm shattered instantly, and the claw continued its momentum, landing on the dragon-scale chest armor.
Bang— Liu Erlong's figure flew backward.
Just as Big Bear was about to press its advantage, Chu Chengzhou hastily cut off the soul power supply to Big Bear, stopping its next move.
Liu Erlong wasn't an enemy, and it was enough to make a point—there was no need to go overboard.
In truth, if we were to talk about raw strength, Liu Erlong wasn't necessarily weaker than Big Bear. If she played it safe and exhausted Chu Chengzhou's soul power, she would inevitably win.
Though her martial soul was mutated, it wasn't a malignant mutation—just a change in attributes. Its quality wasn't inferior to the so-called strongest beast-type martial soul, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.
However, Liu Erlong hadn't activated her True Body, so her strength wasn't at its peak. Meanwhile, Big Bear had utilized two innate soul skills, unleashing its full potential, and with Xiao Bai's blessing providing a 50% boost to all attributes, the scales tipped heavily in Big Bear's favor during their direct clash.
This practical training session saw Chu Chengzhou completely abandon teamwork.
But this was intentional. At this point, his strength had far surpassed the others.
If he were to focus on teamwork, it would only limit his abilities, rendering the training meaningless.
If possible, he wouldn't participate in these biweekly sessions anymore.
Or, he could still attend, but only summon the Sky Azure Tree and stay in the back, acting as a support role, specifically healing his teammates.
"Erlong!"
Seeing his beloved goddess sent flying by that monstrous bear, Flender, who had been watching from the sidelines, immediately rushed over to check on her.
"Erlong, are you alright?"
Looking at the shattered armguard and cracked chest armor formed by her soul skills, and the trickle of fresh blood at the corner of her mouth, Flender was heartbroken and quickly expressed his concern.
Before Liu Erlong could respond, a life-filled streak of green light descended from the sky.
It was Chu Chengzhou, who had summoned the Sky Azure Tree.
Liu Erlong's injuries weren't severe. Though the effectiveness of Xiao Qing's healing skill was somewhat diminished due to the vast difference in levels, her minor wounds were still healed.
"I'm fine!"
Waving her hand, Liu Erlong stood up.
"Not bad, lad! I didn't expect your Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear summon to be so strong!"
Losing a practical training session to a student—especially being defeated by Chu Chengzhou's bear—didn't bother Liu Erlong. She glanced at the robust Big Bear, full of admiration.
A strong student was a good thing.
With the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear's strength rivaling a Soul Sage, looking at the upcoming Soul Master Tournament, who could stand against him in a single bout?
Even if the other six members were just filler, Chu Chengzhou alone could likely dominate the entire tournament.
At this moment, Liu Erlong could already envision her Lan Ba Academy winning the championship of this Soul Master Tournament!
"Principal Liu, since my Big Bear is so strong, do you think I can skip future practical training sessions?"
Chu Chengzhou tentatively asked again.
"Big Bear? What kind of name is that? But this bear's strength is indeed absurd!"
After criticizing the name, Liu Erlong had to admit that Chu Chengzhou's strength was far beyond the norm. Including four-ring Xiao Wu, the other six members of the team were nowhere near Chu Chengzhou's level.
But before Chu Chengzhou could smile in relief, Liu Erlong continued, "From now on, during practical training, you're not allowed to summon this bear… Actually, don't summon the lion or the bird either. Just summon the tree."
After banning external tools like armor and bows, as well as his illusion technique, Liu Erlong now banned Chu Chengzhou's second, third, and fourth soul skills, forcibly bringing his strength down to a level comparable to the others.
Chu Chengzhou: "..."
---
Six days later.
Spirit City, Hall of the Pope.
Bibi Dong sat on the papal throne, her slender fingers tapping the armrest, her brows revealing traces of worry.
One could say that compared to her biological daughter Qian Renxue, Hu Liena, her disciple, was her true daughter. All her maternal love was poured into this disciple, who had lost her parents at a young age.
Earlier, Ling Yuan Douluo had returned to the Spirit Hall with Xie Yue and Yan, reporting that Hu Liena had been taken hostage by Dugu Bo and a youth. In her anger, Bibi Dong had immediately slapped Ling Yuan across the face.
"I sent you to take my disciple to the Great Star Dou Forest for training, and you come back telling me she's been kidnapped? What use are you? Why bother coming back at all? Why don't you just die?"
Fortunately, Ju and Gui Douluo had been present to plead for Ling Yuan's life, or Bibi Dong might have fed her to her second martial soul, the Soul Devouring Spider Emperor.
You see, in this world, there were only two and a half people Bibi Dong truly valued: Hu Liena, whom she treated as her own daughter, Yu Xiaogang, her first love, and her biological daughter Qian Renxue received only half.
As for others, in Bibi Dong's eyes, even Title Douluos were merely pawns.
The Spirit Hall had plenty of Elder Titled Douluos—it wasn't short of one Ling Yuan.
If anything happened to her precious disciple, Ling Yuan's ten lives wouldn't be enough to compensate!
Had it not been for Grand Elder Qian Daoliu intervening and having the Worship Hall restrain her, Bibi Dong would've gone straight to Tian Dou City to demand Dugu Bo release her disciple.
After calming down slightly, Bibi Dong realized that Dugu Bo wouldn't dare harm her precious disciple. With this realization, she suppressed her anger and refrained from storming Tian Dou City to settle the score.
After anxiously waiting for two days, Salas, the Platinum Bishop of the Tian Dou Holy Spirit Hall, brought good news: her precious disciple Hu Liena was safe and on her way back to the Spirit Hall. This finally put Bibi Dong's mind at ease.
Still, until she saw Hu Liena return in person, Bibi Dong couldn't help but feel some lingering worry.
After all, her disciple was a young woman—who knew what might have happened along the way?
Suddenly, the voice of a guard knight echoed from outside the hall: "Pope Bibi Dong, Hu Liena requests an audience!"
"Let her in!"
Hearing this, Bibi Dong's furrowed brows relaxed, and she quickly gave the order.
Soon, the sound of footsteps approached, and Hu Liena entered the hall.
"Nana pays respects to Teacher. I've worried you!"
Hu Liena bowed respectfully.
"Good, it's good that you're back!"
Seeing her precious disciple return unharmed, a smile finally graced Bibi Dong's exquisite face.
"Nana, tell me what happened during these days."
Pulling Hu Liena up, Bibi Dong spoke with deep affection.
"Teacher, during our time in the Great Star Dou Forest, I…"
Aside from the incident where Chu Chengzhou kissed her in the illusion before leaving, Hu Liena briefly recounted the events.
She omitted the kiss because it was too embarrassing—even thinking about it made her blush. It was something she preferred to keep to herself.
After hearing her account, Bibi Dong thought for a moment and said, "Dugu Bo is a guest elder of the Tian Dou Imperial Family, so we can't openly act against him. However, this youth named Chu Chengzhou is fair game. Nana, I'll send people to capture him."
A mere Soul Ancestor dared to kidnap her precious disciple and lock her in that "black room"? He clearly had a death wish. He needed to be taught a lesson and brought back for punishment.
Of course, it wasn't just about avenging Hu Liena.
Bibi Dong had two life goals: becoming a god and annihilating the Angel Family.
She was already undergoing the trials for the God of Slaughter's inheritance. Ascending to godhood and reaching level 100 was only a matter of time.
As for her second goal, the plan was underway.
By consolidating all power within the Spirit Hall, establishing the Spirit Empire, unifying the continent, and eradicating the Angel Family's influence within the Spirit Hall, she would achieve her goal.
When Qian Daoliu sacrifices himself to pave the way for Qian Renxue's ascension to godhood, the Angel Family would lose one of its last two members, leaving only Qian Renxue.
And once someone reaches level 100 and ascended to godhood, they would leave the mortal plane. At that point, Qian Renxue, now a god, would naturally look down on any mortal man.
Thus, after Qian Renxue ascended to the godly realm, the Angel Family would fade into history.
No, the victors could rewrite everything, including history. Passing the throne of the Spirit Empire to her disciple Hu Liena and controlling public opinion, after a few generations, how many would still remember the once-famous Angel Family?
To achieve this goal, gaining complete control of the Spirit Hall was crucial. Cultivating loyal and powerful followers was necessary.
This youth named Chu Chengzhou, with his talent and strength, and not from a major faction, fit the bill. After disciplining him, offering him a chance to join the pope's faction wasn't out of the question.
"Teacher, please don't!"
Hearing her teacher's plan to capture Chu Chengzhou, Hu Liena hesitated.
While she wanted to punish the youth who had taken advantage of her, the method she envisioned wasn't involving her "parent"—she wanted to defeat him fairly in the future.
Hearing this, Bibi Dong's delicate brows furrowed slightly, and she looked at Hu Liena in surprise.
Her disciple pleading for the "kidnapper"? What was going on?
"Teacher, I'll prove myself with my own strength!"
Meeting Bibi Dong's surprised gaze, Hu Liena declared with determination.
The subtext was clear: seeking help from her teacher didn't count as skill. She intended to rely on her own strength to reclaim her honor.
As for what she truly felt inside, only Hu Liena herself knew—or perhaps, she didn't even know.
The hearts of young women were unpredictable, even to themselves.
"Alright, that's fine!"
Nodding, Bibi Dong didn't press further. She trusted her capable disciple.
A temporary setback wasn't important. What mattered was rising again from where you fell!
After chatting for a while, Bibi Dong dismissed Hu Liena from the Hall.
After all, it wasn't just her as a teacher who had been worried about Hu Liena's safety.
After Hu Liena left, Bibi Dong thought for a moment and summoned Oba, the red-robed bishop in charge of intelligence at the Light and Shadow Hall.
Chu Chengzhou, with a soul power level of 40 and a non-mental-type martial soul, had used his illusion technique to control Hu Liena—a Level 48 Soul Ancestor with a mental-control-type martial soul. Moreover, according to Hu Liena, Chu Chengzhou looked younger than her despite his unknown age. This was enough to catch Bibi Dong's attention.
Never mind the rest—first, find out everything about this Chu Chengzhou!
------------------------------------------------------
Double Chapters Chapters Ahead: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)