Chapter 181: The Competition Begins

While Yu Tianyun is training, the whole continent's Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Competition is about to commence.

At the Blue Overlord Academy, in a luxurious mansion, Yu Tianyun's beloved wives gathered together.

Ning Rongrong looked at Duguyan and asked, "Sister Yanyan, why hasn't Brother Tianyun returned yet? The competition starts tomorrow; does he not intend to participate?"

The other women also wore faces mixed with anticipation and worry. They had all heard Yu Tianyun say that this competition was a mission given to him by his grandfather.

Duguyan wore a helpless expression; she also didn't know why Yu Tianyun was delayed. He had clearly promised to go train at the Ice‑Fire Dual Eye for a while and would definitely return before the competition began.

But now, evidently something unexpected happened; otherwise, Yu Tianyun's character wouldn't be so untimely.

At this point, she could only reassure the women, saying, "Don't worry, my grandfather is also at that treasure land, so Tianyun certainly won't have an accident. He must have made a major breakthrough, which is why he's been slow to return."

After a brief pause, Duguyan's expression became confident again, and in a sweet voice she said, "Besides, even if Tianyun doesn't come back, does that mean we can't win the championship?"

The women were startled at first, then all agreed that Duguyan's words were spot on. With the strength of their sisterhood, winning the championship was more than achievable.

This wasn't arrogance, but their power truly was formidable. Among them, the lowest‑ranked Bai Chenxiang, if placed in another seeded team, could become a core or main member.

It should be noted that in previous competitions, most participants were only at the Soul Elder level. Only the Five‑Element Soul Master Academy fielded several Soul Ancestor contestants, and usually no more than three.

And their strength? Duguyan, 21, martial soul: Azure Phosphorus Poison Dragon, Level 62 Soul Emperor.

Zhu Zhuyun, 21, martial soul: Nether Spirit Cat, Level 53 Soul King.

Ye Lingling, 19, martial soul: Nine‑Heart Crabapple, Level 47 Soul Ancestor.

Yang Ruolin, 17, martial soul: Soul‑Breaking Spear, Level 47 Soul Ancestor.

Ning Rongrong, 14, martial soul: Nine‑Treasure Glazed Tower, Level 43 Soul Ancestor.

Zhu Zhuqing, 14, martial soul: Nether Spirit Cat, Level 44 Soul Ancestor.

Bai Chenxiang, 14, martial soul: Sharp‑Tail Swift, Level 41 Soul Ancestor.

In the past year and a bit, Yu Tianyun had Yang Ruolin and Bai Chenxiang take the Immortal Herb, causing their cultivation to skyrocket.

Now, the seven of them form a team whose strength is undeniably formidable, filling them with confidence.

At this moment, Liu Erlong, the dean and eldest sister, spoke, "Alright, stop worrying about Tianyun. Yanyan is right; with Dugubo guarding, Tianyun certainly won't have an accident. Next, I'll explain the rules of this competition."

The women, hearing this, gathered around Liu Erlong in a circle, quietly listening to her explanation.

Liu Erlong cleared her throat and said, "The continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Competition is initiated and hosted by the imperial families of the two great empires, Tian Dou and Xing Luo, and co‑organized by the Spirit Hall. It is the largest martial soul competition in the Soul Master World…"

Although Liu Erlong rarely handles affairs, over the years Blue Overlord Academy has participated in several competitions, and as dean she naturally has the rules down pat.

After a short while, Liu Erlong detailed all the rules to the women.

At this point, before Liu Erlong finished speaking, she paused and continued, "However, this morning Yin Shu told me that the preliminaries will have six qualifying spots, apparently because a team from the Tian Dou Imperial Academy gave up its guaranteed slot."

"Gave up the guaranteed slot? Are they stupid? Aren't they afraid they won't even pass the preliminaries?" Duguyan immediately asked, and Ye Lingling also cast a concerned glance. After all, the two had lived at the Tian Dou Imperial Academy for many years and still cared about their former teammates.

After Duguyan, Ye Lingling, and Yu Tianheng left, the two realized that the Royal Dou Team's strength would sharply decline. Even if three replacements filled the gap, given the Tian Dou Imperial Academy's student level, they'd be three Soul Elders, and not particularly strong ones.

Moreover, the four remaining members are at most at the initial Soul Ancestor stage, roughly Level 41 or 42.

The crucial point is that among the four, two are defensive Soul Masters and two are agile‑attack Soul Masters. Such an unbalanced lineup, with the added strong‑attack and control slots filled by Soul Elders, would sharply reduce their team's combat power and create major weaknesses due to insufficient offense and control.

Liu Erlong shook her head and said, "I'm not clear on the details; Yin Shu mentioned it seems they changed their leader."

Changing tack, Liu Erlong looked at the two women and continued, "But we should first take care of ourselves!"

This time Liu Erlong's gaze fixed solely on Duguyan, her expression unusually serious, and she said, "Yanyan, during the preliminaries, with many eyes around, your Soul Ring configuration should not be exposed, otherwise it could cause trouble. Though your grandfather is a Title Douluo, open attacks are easy to dodge while hidden ones are hard to defend; someone will inevitably take a risk."

Duguyan's Soul Ring configuration is Yellow, Yellow, Purple, Black, Black, Black; combined with her terrifying soul power cultivation, it will surely attract the attention of schemers—that's what Liu Erlong worries about.

The fourth Soul Ring, at twenty‑one, already reached Level 62 Soul Emperor, a rarity in this era. Even if the Spirit Hall doesn't actively trouble Duguyan, other factions will still covet her.

Although Dugubo's reputation is impressive, it's not enough to deter those people. In Liu Erlong's view, the best solution is to hide first.

"Alright, Sister Erlong." Duguyan naturally understood the reasoning and nodded in agreement.

Liu Erlong gave a slight nod, then turned to the other women and continued, "The upcoming competition is just you. You should be able to handle it easily. When Tianyun returns, let him fight alone."

"No problem, Sister Erlong." The other women all nodded in agreement.

Yet Liu Erlong's words did not stop; she looked at the two minor supports and said, "Now we'll arrange the lineup." Ning Rongrong's eyes flashed with doubt, and she asked, "Sister Erlong, what's there to arrange? Can't the six of us just go together?"

Liu Erlong shook her head and said, "If Yanyan doesn't take the field, your team lacks a control‑type Soul Master. And Zhu Zhuyun, Zhu Zhuqing, Yang Ruolin, and Xiangxiang—the four of them aren't good at protecting teammates, so they can't look after you and Lingling. Therefore, only one of you two can go."

Liu Erlong's point was valid; aside from Duguyan, the other four women are agile‑attack and strong‑attack types. The agile‑attack ones need no introduction—low defense, certainly not protectors. The only strong‑attack left is Yang Ruolin, but as a member of the Breaking Clan, she's an extreme‑type who doesn't know what protection means, only brute attacks, so she's also unsuitable for guarding teammates.

With two support teammates, the amplification and recovery effects would be great, but the pressure would also increase, easily giving the opponent a breakthrough. So fielding only one person actually reduces pressure.

"So Sister Erlong knows so much Soul Master knowledge!" Ning Rongrong's teasing gaze turned to Liu Erlong.

Liu Erlong's mouth twitched, and she thought, "Little brat, you're being cheeky now; when Tianyun returns, I won't help you anymore. Then see how you beg for mercy!"

Thinking that, Liu Erlong felt much better, let out a light hum, and said, "Little Rongrong, first decide whether you'll go on stage or let Lingling go."

Liu Erlong emphasized the word "little" with a bite, and Ning Rongrong's face flushed bright red. Looking at the towering, snow‑capped peaks of the surrounding women—though she wasn't small herself, she felt dwarfed, her lips trembling, unable to speak a word.

For a moment, the room filled with teasing laughter; none of the women comforted her, because they knew this little witch's temperament—she wouldn't be crushed by such a blow, typical of being both weak and playful.

After some joking, the women's mood relaxed. Ning Rongrong let out a light snort, and said defiantly, "Hmph, it's only a bit older than me. When I grow bigger, I'll definitely be stronger than all of you."

Liu Erlong smiled and shook her head, saying, "Alright, stop messing around and decide quickly who will go on stage."

Ning Rongrong and Ye Lingling exchanged glances; Ning Rongrong thought and said, "Sister Erlong, I think the two of us should go based on the lineup. My Nine‑Treasure Glazed Tower can provide strong amplification, boosting everyone's attack against heavily defended opponents. And Sister Lingling's Nine‑Heart Crabapple can continuously heal teammates, ensuring safety against those with explosive strength."

Ye Lingling nodded slightly and said, "Rongrong is right; the two of us will choose who goes based on the opponent."

Liu Erlong looked satisfied at the two and said, "Good, that's settled. Now you should use the time to adjust your condition and prepare for tomorrow's competition. Though your strength is great, don't be complacent. This competition gathers elite academies from the whole continent, so there will surely be many formidable opponents."

The women all nodded, their hearts filled with fighting spirit. They knew this competition was not only for themselves but also to prove to Yu Tianyun that they were not mere ornaments and could aid him beyond the body! They would greet Yu Tianyun's return with victory, making him proud of them.

The next morning, sunlight bathed the Blue Overlord Academy campus; the women rose early and changed into specially commissioned splendid team uniforms.

The uniform's material was the epitome of luxury: the outer layer was meticulously tanned from millennial ice‑fox hide, feeling delicate and emitting a unique noble sheen.

The inner layer featured a lining woven from millennial ice‑silkworm silk, its comfort astonishing, as if merging with the skin.

Their uniforms not only displayed luxury in material but also in design, crafted by the most renowned fashion designer from Tian Dou City.

The ultra‑slim cut further accentuated the women's already flawless aura, making them look even more dashing.

The overall style was a blue‑white cloud‑patterned one‑piece leather dress, featuring a majestic Blue Electric Tyrannosaur motif, vivid as if ready to leap out at any moment.

Under Ning Rongrong's 'lascivious might', as this little rich lady, naturally, no matter how expensive, they'll come.

When the girls put on these uniforms, their stunning looks and noble bearing complemented each other, instantly becoming a beautiful scenery that was hard to look away from.

However, at this time they are still at Blue Tyrant Academy, the disturbance they cause is not yet big. Because in the few days before the opening ceremony of the tournament, all Soul Master academies will be on vacation, and the students basically all go to the Heavenly Fight Grand Soul Arena to join the fun.

Heavenly Fight City also presented a spectacular sight of the streets emptied as crowds surged like tides into the Heavenly Fight Grand Soul Arena. Starting a week ago, all hotels in Heavenly Fight City were fully booked, and the city's population nearly increased by fifty percent. This shows how popular the continental elite Soul Master academy tournament is.

In order to maintain order at the scene, the Heavenly Fight royal family had to mobilize a full five thousand city defense troops, barely avoiding causing a riot.

"It's really lively!" As the girls arrived near the Grand Soul Arena, even Ning Rongrong, a young lady accustomed to big scenes, couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

"Don't look, stay close to me!" Liu Erlong furrowed her brows; she usually didn't like this noisy atmosphere, and there were many gazes nearby that she disliked.

She, who already had a bad temper, suddenly had her eight Soul Rings burst out from her body; the mighty aura of a Soul Douluo instantly shocked the surrounding crowd, and they then lowered their heads, making way for the girls from the heart.

Ning Rongrong stuck out her tongue, obediently staying by Liu Erlong's side; the other girls also disliked this noisy environment, and they closely followed Liu Erlong's steps into the Grand Soul Arena.

Their attire and bearing exuded nobility everywhere; seeing this, the staff of the Grand Soul Arena immediately came over and respectfully led everyone to the resting area inside the main arena specially provided for the competing academies.

At this time, there weren't many people here; the resting area was also spacious, with over a thousand seats divided into sections, making it convenient for each academy to rest and wait.

Although there weren't as many people here as outside, they still became the focus as soon as they entered. Although they had picked a secluded corner, they still attracted much attention.

However, the quality of Soul Masters was much higher than that of ordinary civilians outside; although many people couldn't help but sneak glances, basically no one stared openly at the girls. They merely whispered in private, discussing which academy this was, that it was even more pleasing to the eye than Heavenly Water Academy.

Yin Shu also came along with the girls, but his main purpose here was to register everyone for the competition. Once the participants were registered, no further additions or substitutions could be made in the subsequent matches. Therefore, Blue Tyrant Academy had eight registered participants, Yu Tianyun naturally among them.

"Sister Yan Yan, if Yu Tianyun didn't make it to the tournament, would we just have taken the championship? What expression would he have?" Ning Rongrong asked softly while looking around curiously.

Duguyan shook her head, then said with meaning: "Rongrong, I don't know either, but he will surely reward you well."

"Hey, which academy is this? All female students, so pretty—could it be that they're relying on their looks to compete?" At that moment, a mocking remark came from nearby.

(End of chapter)