Chapter 38

In close combat, even if he faced two opponents, even if Xiong Da and Xiong Er's soul power levels were higher than Gu Xuan's, he handled it with ease.

One person suppressing two opponents, and Gu Xuan was the one taking the initiative to attack; this scene made all the watching spectators' blood boil.

However, there were also people who had bet on Xiong Da and Xiong Er cursing and grumbling, as the two still couldn't defeat a single opponent and were being pressed down and beaten.

Soon, Xiong Da and Xiong Er also fought with true fury, feeling frustrated! Despite being two against one, they were still suppressed; they thought Gu Xuan was a monster, yet they still had an advantage, after all, the Undying Bone Dragon combination had only Gu Xuan as its damage dealer.

After nearly three minutes of melee combat, Xiong Da and Xiong Er were both wounded, Gu Xuan also had several bloodstains on him, but clearly the one with the advantage was still Gu Xuan.

Xiong Da and Xiong Er gave Gu Xuan no chance to catch his breath; no matter how exquisite his combat technique, facing two opponents he would certainly consume more soul power than the two of them combined.

However, just as they launched their attack on Gu Xuan, the purple third soul ring on his body lit up.

"Third Soul Skill: Bone Dragon Purgatory!"

As Gu Xuan released his third soul skill, spine-like bones as sharp as swords sprang up one after another before him, directly covering Xiong Da and Xiong Er.

Facing this area attack, the two, being naturally melee fighters, could not dodge it immediately, but they had always been on guard.

When Gu Xuan unleashed his third soul skill, the purple soul rings on the bodies of the two also lit up accordingly.

"Third Soul Skill: Barbarian Bear's Fury!"

Xiong Da and Xiong Er's soul skills are identical; their third soul skill is an amplification skill, after using it their defense increases by 100% and their attack by 50%.

The two brothers jointly used their third soul skill to block Gu Xuan's third soul skill assault, but those spine-like bones, sharp as swords, had power far beyond their imagination; if they had chosen to dodge they might still have had a slim chance, yet they did not, instead opting to take the hit head-on! Evidently they overestimated their defense, as the bone spines protruded one after another, piercing their thick hides and causing them to bleed instantly; moreover, the bone spines did not stop there, but directly enveloped the two of them.

"Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!"

Xiong Da and Xiong Er were pierced through by the bone swords, the deep bone‑marrow pain making them involuntarily cry out; in just an instant the outcome was decided—they had lost.

"Lingling, heal!" Gu Xuan said lightly as he calmly retracted his martial soul.

As Gu Xuan's voice rang out, Ye Lingling's voice also sounded: "The crabapple is renowned, life endless!"

Purple petals fell in showers, covering Gu Xuan, Xiong Da, and Xiong Er's bodies; Gu Xuan's surface wounds healed instantly, while the bodies of Xiong Da and Xiong Er, pierced through, recovered at a visible speed.

When pierced by the bone swords they avoided vital spots, taking hits only to the arms and thighs; after being treated by Ye Lingling, their injuries stabilized, and by now they had scabbed over and were no longer bleeding.

Xiong Da and Xiong Er glanced at Gu Xuan and Ye Lingling with some admiration, then said in a low voice: "Thank you! We lost!"

As their words fell, the host's voice also sounded: "Undying Bone Dragon team versus Barbarian Bear brothers team, Undying Bone Dragon wins! Let us congratulate the Undying Bone Dragon team on their first victory!"

And the spectators at that moment burst into loud cheers, though naturally some were happy while others were upset; those who had bet on the Barbarian Bear brothers now all shouted curses, regretting their earlier choices……

Gu Xuan and Ye Lingling slowly stepped down from the Dou Hun Tai and returned to the resting room; at this time Yu Tianheng and Du Gu Yan were still engaged in Dou Hun, so Gu Xuan began meditating on his own to cultivate and restore his soul power.

Ye Lingling's consumption was not great, yet she also meditated alongside Gu Xuan; this battle once again refreshed her impression of Gu Xuan's strength—being able to defeat two opponents single‑handedly with such ease, his power already surpassed her imagination.

By around six in the afternoon, Yu Tianheng and the others had also finished their individual and team Dou Hun matches; it is worth mentioning that, because Ye Lingling and Gu Xuan had teamed up, Du Gu Yan ended up pairing with Yu Tianheng as well. This was something Gu Xuan had previously overlooked, since he had originally only intended to bring Ye Lingling along and simply forgot this detail; otherwise he would certainly have teamed up with Du Gu Yan.

After all, "those near the water get the moon first"; when the time comes, a hero‑saves‑the‑beauty scene will unfold on the Dou Hun Tai—just ask which girl could withstand it?

Gu Xuan now wished he could give himself a big slap; overconfidence is never a good thing, as it sometimes makes him lose himself, and this incident has given him a lasting lesson.

When everyone's Dou Hun matches ended, aside from Gu Xuan and Ye Lingling, the others were somewhat fatigued, because they had never undergone such high‑intensity training before.

Even Qin Ming had never pushed them this hard before; unexpectedly, now because of Gu Xuan they are forced to tighten up on themselves.

To be frank, the members of the Royal Battle Team have talent and martial souls that are not weak; however, they are somewhat complacent, lacking a sense of urgency, thinking they only need to cultivate step by step.

If it were ordinary times, their thinking would pose no problem, after all, in life, being relaxed and happy is most important.

But Gu Xuan knows that within ten years, turmoil will surely arise; if they continue to remain this complacent, they will definitely be eliminated in the future.

To speak truthfully, compared to the Shrek Seven Monsters, these few of them are no inferior in background or talent to the Shrek Seven Monsters of the original story; however, those guys understand effort—each either an orphan wanting to win a rich beauty, or a prince forced to become strong to survive, each possessing a sense of crisis.

Even if I have the aid of immortal‑grade herbs, their own later efforts are still the most important; if Yu Tianheng and the others can now awaken, their future achievements need not be spoken of as each becoming a god—reaching the rank of Titled Douluo is absolutely no problem.

If their mental disposition can pass the test and earn Gu Xuan's approval, in the future Gu Xuan will give each of them one immortal herb; for this they will not need the achievements of the original Shrek Seven.

Of course, this is all for later; after all, the Ice‑Fire Yin‑Yang Well currently has no major connection to Gu Xuan, and he has only spent a few days with them.

Although Gu Xuan previously revealed his talent, strength, and some secrets to gain their trust and approval, these are not the most important, since such things will eventually be exposed anyway, whereas immortal‑grade herbs are limited in quantity.

Since Gu Xuan intends to make use of them, he naturally wants to place the finest steel on the blade's edge; otherwise it would be a loss outweighing the gain.

After the Dou Hun matches ended, everyone went to the Dou Tian Villa to enjoy themselves for an evening, playing from seven o'clock until eleven before returning to the Tian Dou Royal Academy.

The next morning at six o'clock Gu Xuan was already up; this time nobody fell behind, all followed him in rising to begin training, appearing punctually at the cafeteria at seven to eat, and then arriving at the training hall at eight forty to start training.

Starting today, Gu Xuan directly gave one‑on‑one instruction to Shi Mo and Shi Mo on some techniques of using the Xuanwu Flying Shield; although Gu Xuan himself lacks that special ability, drawing on his experience from two lifetimes, he passed on some principles and methods to them, and in their own experiments they gradually found the feel.

It must be said, Gu Xuan's proposal is indeed very good for the two of them, and he also passed on to them the training method for divided attention control.

Divided attention control is not considered a secret among major powers, but only the Seven Treasure Glazed Sect's version is the most perfect and complete; Gu Xuan is willing to share it, which once again affirms his standing in their hearts.

It must be said, Gu Xuan has a firm grasp on people's hearts; although he has only been with this small group for a few days, he has already become its backbone, to the extent that even Yu Tianheng cannot help but admire him.

Although Gu Xuan has subtly taken his place, he feels no jealousy in his heart, only deep admiration and envy.

Therefore he too has resolved to train diligently, no longer to drift along aimlessly, but to demand rigor of himself—not necessarily to surpass Gu Xuan, but at least not to be left far behind.

ps: Typos will be corrected later.

(End of chapter)