"Creak—"
The door opened, and a beam of bright soul guidance lighting cut through, adding a touch of brightness to the dim room.
Ye Guyi and Ning Tian stood at the doorway with their backs to the light source, a faint layer of golden glow resting on their hair.
The Thunder Beast perched on Ning Tian's fragrant shoulder, its plump body wriggling as it let out joyful cries. With a leap, it landed on Xu Zihuang's shoulder.
"Squeak squeak squeak!"
Only then did Xu Zihuang notice that the Thunder Beast's originally bright yellow fur had transformed into a brilliant golden color. Its entire body possessed a semi-transparent quality, extraordinarily divine and unusual.
"What is this?" Xu Zihuang's gaze sharpened, and he instantly understood something.
The Thunder Beast had successfully broken through to the hundred thousand-year level. Its lightning-attribute energy had reached saturation, causing its body to exist between material and energy form. It was precisely because of this special state that he hadn't sensed the change in the Thunder Beast right away.
At this moment, both Ye Guyi and Ning Tian approached Xu Zihuang with smiles on their faces.
Ning Tian asked Xu Zihuang softly, "Tianhuang, has it broken through to the hundred thousand-year level? A few days ago, it stayed in the hotel and slept. When it woke up, it looked like this."
"It has indeed broken through," Xu Zihuang nodded seriously.
"It seems that soul beasts like the Thunder Beast have special traits similar to the Thunder Hell Vine. Breaking through to ten thousand years doesn't even require undergoing a lightning tribulation."
"How about your condition?" Ye Guyi was more concerned with the gains from Xu Zihuang's deep meditation this time. After all, all their subsequent plans had to be built on the foundation of Xu Zihuang breaking through to rank 70 and gaining the ability of his martial soul true body.
As soon as Ye Guyi spoke, Ning Tian also lifted her head to look at Xu Zihuang.
Under the concerned gazes of the two women, Xu Zihuang smiled gently. "I also successfully broke through to rank 70. How far has the competition progressed?"
"Tomorrow is the quarterfinals. Our Shrek Academy match is the first one in the morning, against the Holy Spirit Team," Ning Tian said with a charming smile while gazing into Xu Zihuang's eyes. With Yu Tianhuang able to compete in the quarterfinals, the shadow cast by the Holy Spirit Team naturally vanished. She had never doubted Yu Tianhuang's ability.
"I'll go notify Senior Sister first. If Senior Sister knows that Tianhuang has finished cultivating and successfully broken through, she won't have to feel troubled anymore."
Xu Zihuang nodded slightly.
"It's no problem for me to compete in tomorrow's match, but I might be delayed a bit by other matters. Ning Tian, go directly and invite Senior Sister over. I happen to have some things I want to discuss with her."
"Mm!" Ning Tian gave a light response and walked out with brisk steps. The clear sound of her footsteps echoed in the room and lingered for a long time.
Only Xu Zihuang and Ye Guyi remained in the room. Their gazes met in midair, and both fell silent. The atmosphere felt somewhat strange.
"Squeak!" The Thunder Beast seemed to sense the change in mood as well. It tactfully jumped down from Xu Zihuang's shoulder and scampered away.
The corners of Ye Guyi's lips curved into a meaningful arc. She reached out her jade hand to gently stroke Xu Zihuang's cheek and drew her face closer.
Their heights were similar, so she hardly needed any extra movement.
The Ye Guyi, who usually displayed a cold and noble demeanor to outsiders, now had eyes like silk. Her golden pupils carried an almost sickly delight.
"Ning Tian and Senior Sister will be here soon." Xu Zihuang's face stiffened, but he could only respond to Ye Guyi at this moment. His lips still carried the moist sweetness unique to Ye Guyi.
Their foreheads touched. Ye Guyi looked at Xu Zihuang with a playful yet half-serious smile. "So you need to hurry up."
Xu Zihuang couldn't help but feel a wave of embarrassment. Even if he hurried as much as possible, some things simply couldn't be accomplished.
Fortunately, Ye Guyi wasn't truly demanding that he complete those things right now. The two simply immersed themselves in this brief moment of pleasure.
By the time Ning Tian brought Zhang Lexuan to the room, Xu Zihuang and Ye Guyi were already seated properly on the living room sofa.
There was no need for excessive courtesy among them. The elegant and poised Ye Guyi poured a cup of steaming, fragrant black tea for both Zhang Lexuan and Ning Tian.
Zhang Lexuan sat beside Ye Guyi, while Ning Tian leaned closely against Xu Zihuang.
Xu Zihuang greeted Zhang Lexuan with a gentle smile.
"Senior Sister."
"Ning Tian already told me everything," Zhang Lexuan said with a warm and graceful smile. "Tianhuang, is there something you need to do after breaking through?"
With Yu Tianhuang present, Zhang Lexuan no longer had to worry about casualties in the Shrek Team. After years of interaction, she knew very well how astonishing Yu Tianhuang's talent and strength were. Even Yan Feng, whom Bei Bei found difficult to handle, was nothing in front of Yu Tianhuang.
Now that Yu Tianhuang had finished cultivating, the pressure she had borne these past days could finally be lifted. It was clear that her entire demeanor had become much more relaxed.
Xu Zihuang spoke straightforwardly without hiding anything.
"Senior Sister, to be honest, I plan to take this opportunity to continue fusing soul spirits."
"Fuse soul spirits?!" Not only Zhang Lexuan, but even Ning Tian widened her eyes in surprise.
"Yes, Senior Sister." As he replied, Xu Zihuang glanced sideways at the Thunder Beast lying on the table in front of him.
Zhang Lexuan looked deeply at Xu Zihuang but did not press further. She knew Yu Tianhuang carried many secrets. Compared to Xuan Lao and Yan Shaozhe, she always maintained an ordinary mindset toward Yu Tianhuang.
In her view, Yu Tianhuang was destined to inherit the position of Sea God Pavilion Master in the future and lead the academy to its peak. Confirming that was enough; she would not delve deeply into other matters.
Of course, ultimately, this was all based on Zhang Lexuan's absolute trust in Xu Zihuang.
"Tianhuang, how confident are you?"
"Ten out of ten," Xu Zihuang replied without the slightest hesitation. He had discussed the matter of fusing soul spirits with the Thunder Beast long ago.
With a slight perception, Xu Zihuang knew that after breaking through to ten thousand years, the Thunder Beast actually had even greater difficulty controlling the violent and restless lightning-attribute energy within its body. The fact that its body had transformed into a semi-energy form was the best proof.
The Thunder Beast possessed intelligence no less than a human's. If it wanted to survive, it had to stay by Xu Zihuang's side at all times. Becoming Xu Zihuang's soul spirit would not only allow it to survive in another special form but would also completely eliminate the risk of self-destruction.
During this period of相处, Xu Zihuang and the Thunder Beast had built a basic level of trust. With successful precedents like the Silver-scaled White Whale and the Thunder Hell Vine, it wasn't difficult for the Thunder Beast to weigh the pros and cons and make this choice.
As for the Tian Meng, there was even less to say. It couldn't wait to form a contract with Xu Zihuang and become a soul spirit as soon as possible.
The only thing Xu Zihuang needed to consider was that consecutively fusing with the Tian Meng and the Thunder Beast in one night might be a bit tight on time. With his current spiritual power level, fusing a hundred thousand-year soul spirit posed no pressure. Back when he fused with the Thunder Hell Vine, the entire process took less than half an hour.
But the Tian Meng was different. A million-year-level soul spirit would undoubtedly take more time to fuse.
However, with the previous experience of fusing with the Thunder Hell Vine, and comparing the spiritual power and soul power intensity of the Tian Meng, Xu Zihuang estimated that he would most likely complete the fusion before tomorrow at the latest. Even in the worst case, he could still make it in time for Shrek Academy's match. He had Ning Tian call Zhang Lexuan over precisely to prepare for any contingencies.
If any mishap occurred during the fusion and delayed him, Wang Qiu'er would need to step in temporarily.
Although Xu Zihuang was confident enough to handle those evil soul masters of the Holy Spirit Team even without fusing with the Tian Meng and Thunder Beast, considering that this was Sun Moon Empire territory, gaining control of these powers sooner would allow him to act with greater ease.
Simply put, he placed his own interests above the so-called glory of Shrek Academy. His original intention had never changed.
Of course, Xu Zihuang could not tell Zhang Lexuan his truest thoughts. He only mentioned some considerations regarding the time issue.
After pondering for a moment, Zhang Lexuan raised one extremely crucial point.
"With Qiu'er's strength, she can indeed handle one or two evil soul masters, but this tournament stipulates that both teams' members must enter the waiting area before the match for eligibility. If you don't make it in time, Tianhuang, the academy will have to face them with the original lineup."
"Senior Sister, I have already considered this point in advance," Xu Zihuang replied with a calm smile.
As he spoke, a flash of purplish-golden light passed through his eyes. A ball of golden light quietly detached from his forehead, transforming into a faint golden silhouette that then solidified. This silhouette, in both appearance and aura, was indistinguishable from Xu Zihuang's true body.
This was a spiritual clone carrying a strand of his soul power.
The greatest difference between the Materialized Formless and Materialized Tangible levels of spiritual power lay here: a Materialized Formless spiritual clone could only probe or observe, but could do nothing else. A Materialized Tangible spiritual clone, however, was an extension of the user's body. Within a certain range, it possessed part of the user's abilities. Recalling it required only a single thought from the main body.
"A spiritual clone?!" If it were merely an ordinary spiritual clone, Zhang Lexuan wouldn't have been so shocked. What astonished her was Yu Tianhuang's spiritual power level.
It really was the Materialized Tangible realm of spiritual power.
Ning Tian's small mouth also opened slightly in surprise. This was the first time she had seen Yu Tianhuang use the spiritual clone ability.
Ye Guyi, meanwhile, looked back and forth between Xu Zihuang and his spiritual clone, clearly intrigued. As for what exactly she was imagining using the spiritual clone's ability for, no one knew.
With the display of Xu Zihuang's Materialized Tangible spiritual clone ability, Zhang Lexuan's last doubts were completely dispelled.
…
Two days of rest were given to all eight quarterfinalist teams.
Today, the quarterfinals of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Youth Tournament would officially begin.
Early in the morning, the entire Mingdu became lively. Large crowds surged out of the city. Even before the matches started, the spectator stands were already packed with people.
When the first light of dawn appeared in the distant east, the eight quarterfinalist teams—gathering the top young elite soul masters of the current continent—walked toward the venue outside the city, escorted by walls of soldiers.
Not only were the four teams from the upper bracket heading to the venue, but the four teams from the lower bracket had also risen early.
During the round-robin stage, one could ignore other teams' matches and focus solely on oneself. But in the quarterfinals, learning as much as possible about potential opponents' abilities became the top priority. At the same time, it allowed early adaptation to the match atmosphere and rhythm.
The Shrek Academy representative team walked at the very front. Leading them were Zhang Lexuan and Xu Zihuang.
At this moment, however, Xu Zihuang had his eyes tightly closed. Paired with his indifferent expression, he gave off an arrogant air as though he disdained to pay attention to the other teams. This drew frequent glances from many people.
Almost every captain and leader of the eight quarterfinalist teams was paying attention to Xu Zihuang.
Worth mentioning was that Xiao Hongchen would officially return in today's quarterfinal match.
Xu Zihuang wasn't deliberately acting aloof; he was simply trying to prevent others from noticing anything unusual about this spiritual clone. The eyes of the spiritual clone had subtle differences in luster compared to the main body, and the spiritual fluctuations couldn't be completely concealed. A powerhouse of Zhong Liwu's level might still detect it.
Moreover, his true body was currently fully focused on fusing with the Tian Meng and Thunder Beast, leaving him unable to spare any attention.
To cope with the increasingly intense quarterfinal matches, the competition stage had been specially reinforced. The thick metal floor glimmered with faint light under the sun's reflection.
The eight quarterfinalist teams each took their seats in their respective rest areas.
Although there were fewer people in the rest area now than before, the atmosphere was extremely tense, filled with a sense of mutual hostility.
On the rostrum.
Xu Tianran gazed at Xu Zihuang, who appeared to be meditating with closed eyes, and his eyes narrowed slightly. After a moment of silence, he withdrew his gaze and turned to Jing Hongchen on the other side of Ju Zi. "Hall Master Hongchen, how is your grandson doing?"
"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness," Jing Hongchen lowered his head and replied respectfully. "His injuries weren't too severe, and with the imperial physicians and Douluo you sent for treatment, he has basically fully recovered. He is fully capable of going all out in today's match."
Xu Tianran sighed softly in praise. "Failure does not negate everything about him. It is precisely because of this painful lesson of defeat that his future path can become more correct. Looking at his eyes, it seems he has already understood this principle. I hope he can lead our people to shine in today's match."
After saying this, Xu Tianran suddenly changed the subject.
"State Preceptor, what do you think are the chances that the Holy Spirit Team will win against the Shrek Team?"
"Ten out of ten," Zhong Liwu lifted his head. Though his expression couldn't be seen clearly, he spoke indifferently.
A thick look of surprise immediately appeared in Xu Tianran's eyes, but it quickly returned to calm. Although he knew this State Preceptor had always been extremely arrogant, he hadn't expected that even after Yu Tianhuang displayed such strength, he would still give a conclusion of ten out of ten.
It seemed his perception had been correct. The true cultivation levels of those two female evil soul masters were probably…
Xu Tianran began to ponder the deeper meaning behind the words the State Preceptor had once spoken.
"The bone age really does not exceed twenty years."
At that moment, Zheng Zhan, the referee for the final stages, ascended the competition stage and announced loudly, "Quarterfinals, first match: Shrek Academy Team versus Holy Spirit Team. Both sides' members enter the waiting area. First individual elimination match contestant, step onto the stage."
From the Shrek Academy side, the seven who stood up were Wang Qiu'er, Dai Huabin, Nanmen Yun'er, Wu Feng, Xiao Xiao, Ning Tian, and Xu Zihuang.
However, as the captain of the Shrek Team, Xu Zihuang walked at the very back. After entering the waiting area, he sat calmly on the sofa in the waiting zone, showing no sign of agitation.
Wang Qiu'er directly leaped onto the competition stage, representing Shrek Academy as the first to appear. From her expression and eyes, there was not the slightest trace of fear.
On the Holy Spirit Team side, the first to appear was Jili, who had previously displayed bizarre abilities and cruelly stripped Jiang Nannan's soul bone. Jili's sinister small eyes sized up Wang Qiu'er opposite him, revealing a chilling smile.
"Both sides, state your names."
"Shrek Academy, Wang Qiu'er."
"Holy Spirit Team, Jili."
"Both sides, prepare." Seeing both retreat to the edges of the competition stage, Zheng Zhan did not waste words and shouted solemnly.
"Match begins!"
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