Chapter 205: The Shocking Soul Emperor

205. Chapter 205: The Shocking Soul Emperor

In the blink of an eye, the continent‑wide Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Competition has been raging for fourteen days.

Aside from meeting the first team of the Tian Dou Royal Academy on the first day, Lanba Academy has not encountered any other strong teams.

Their lineup remains Zhu Zhu Yun, Zhu Zhuqing, Yang Ruolin, Bai Chenxiang and Ye Lingling, while Duguyan and Ning Rongrong have never taken the field.

In terms of raw strength, in this Tian Dou competition zone, only the Thunder Academy's raw strength is somewhat stronger than those five, while the other strong teams such as the Divine Wind Academy, Tian Shui Academy, Blazing Fire Academy and Xiang Jia Academy are roughly on par with the first team of the Tian Dou Royal Academy, usually having only two to three Soul Ancestors, the rest being Soul Elders.

If Lanba Academy faces these academies, it might adjust its lineup accordingly.

As for the other academies, they are merely fringe participants in their eyes, not worth mentioning at all.

When they meet Lanba Academy, most concede without even making a move; at first there were two teams that didn't believe the odds, but after being defeated in less than a minute in two consecutive matches, those weak teams deeply realized Lanba Academy's invincibility. Since then, any team that encounters Lanba Academy, without exception, surrenders outright and makes no further struggle.

This is understandable, since with no chance of victory, refusing to surrender would only injure the members, affect subsequent matches, and expose their own strength, which is not worth the loss.

However, today Lanba Academy finally encountered a traditional strong team—the Xiang Jia Academy.

It is not like the Lanba Academy in the original, which was the predecessor of Shilake Academy, that encountered Xiang Jia Academy in the second match.

In the original, Shilake Academy, when battling the second team of the Tian Dou Royal Academy, revealed the strength of two Soul Ancestors, and with Ning Fengzhi's endorsement, attracted Sarras's attention, who wanted to test them and cause some trouble.

But for today's Lanba Academy, Sarras has already probed them once through the first team of the Tian Dou Royal Academy.

Further probing would be of little use, and he also doesn't think the other five‑element academies are stronger than the first team of the Tian Dou Royal Academy, so how much could he actually learn?

Moreover, he could still explain the first match as an accident, but if he deliberately arranges Xiang Jia Academy to target Lanba Academy again, it would have no effect and might give Yu Yuanzhen a reason to deal with him.

Could he commit such a foolish act? Definitely not.

Besides, Lanba Academy will eventually face those strong teams, so why would he offend Yu Yuanzhen?

Therefore, Lanba Academy only meeting Xiang Jia Academy today is simply the result of a normal draw.

"Preliminary round 13, match 8: Lanba Academy versus Xiang Jia Academy," the host's voice rang throughout the arena.

In the spectator seats, Ning Rongrong smiled brightly at Liu Erlong, "Sister Erlong, shall we stick to the previous lineup for this match? I also want to go up and have some fun."

Her gaze was full of anticipation.

Liu Erlong had not replied when Duguyan, chewing his chin, said, "Sister Erlong, why don't we both go up? I can skip the Soul Ring and just use Dragon Transformation. That makes me a standard strong‑attack Soul Master! With Rongrong's amplification and my own strong‑attack Soul Emperor, dealing with the meat‑heads of Xiang Jia Academy will be easier. Moreover…"

At that point, Duguyan flashed a playful smile, "We could also get a rise out of Tang San and his crew."

Liu Erlong smiled wryly, scanned everyone, saw each of them with expectant eyes, and then cheerfully nodded, "Fine, then the seven of you go up together."

They never intended to hide their strength; they just didn't want to reveal Duguyan's Soul Ring setup that exceeds the optimal ratio.

Since the first day, any match involving Lanba Academy has been scheduled on the central arena, and even if a match of the first team of the Tian Dou Royal Academy occurs at the same time, Lanba Academy must be given priority.

There is no other reason; Lanba Academy is powerful and beloved by the audience.

After the host announced the entrance, Duguyan led six women out of the rest area, and the entire audience erupted, wildly chanting Lanba Academy's name.

"Goddess, goddess, I love you!"

"Lanba Academy! Lanba Academy!"

"Goddess step on me!"

"……"

This sudden wave of cheers startled the seasoned Ning Rongrong, who was on stage for the first time and had never personally felt such a tidal roar of applause; she didn't expect her team to be so well‑received.

"Huh? Why are there two goddesses today?"

"Isn't having two better? If a goddess could step on our feet… just thinking about it gets me excited, hehe!"

"You, the one in front who wants to be stepped on, I've tolerated you for a long time!"

"……"

In the VIP seats, Yu Yuanzhen, Chen Xin and Ning Fengzhi watched the entire Lanba Academy team deploy; although they found it a bit odd, they were still in good spirits, but the meat‑mountain sitting beside them—Hu Yan Shock—looked uncomfortable, his face as dark as a pot bottom.

Hu Yan Shock was towering—perhaps "massive" is more apt. Standing over 2.5 meters tall, he occupied three seats by himself, making the nearby Sarras look like a child; indeed, he was like a mountain of flesh!

His eyes were as big as oxen's, bulging round, his whole skin was dark as ebony, glittering under the sun.

It was Hu Yan Shock's first time watching a match; as the head of the Fourth Lower Sect and an 89‑level Title Douluo, he barely qualified for a front‑row seat.

Ning Fengzhi gave him a glance, instantly grasped his intention, and with a smile said, "Master Hu Yan actually came to watch today's match; he must value it highly."

"A Li is the most outstanding disciple of our Xiang Jia Sect in centuries; his talent surpasses mine by a head," Hu Yan Shock said gravely.

Although he felt today's match was precarious, losing a person but not a formation, the momentum must not weaken, lest Ning Fengzhi mock him, "In the future he will certainly surpass me and become the first Title Douluo of our Xiang Jia Sect." Hu Yan Shock was originally confident in his grandson; while Lanba Academy has a Soul King‑level participant, that member is an agile‑attack type, and the other members, though all Soul Ancestors, include only one strong‑attack type, the rest are either support or agile‑attack types, and the support type is pure healing with no amplification. Coupled with a numerical disadvantage, facing their Xiang Jia Sect's top‑tier martial soul—a Diamond Mammoth Elephant that combines defense and power—Xiang Jia Academy can be said to have the advantage.

But he never expected Lanba Academy to value Xiang Jia Academy so much, deploying all seven members. While being valued is pleasant, it also made him feel his own sect was in danger.

The leading Duguyan, though he had never seen her in action, could guess with his toes that she wouldn't be simple, after all, she is Dugubo's granddaughter, and their Diamond Mammoth Elephant martial soul has no specific defense against toxins.

Moreover, with Ning Rongrong's support, the soul skill of the Seven Treasure Glass Tower martial soul, though publicly known in the Soul Master World, is terrifying; because it is widely known, he fully understands its horror. With Ning Rongrong's aid, his grandson's team may struggle to fend off the opponent's agile‑attack Soul Masters.

Glancing at the Snow Night Emperor, Hu Yan Shock thought, "Fine, being embarrassed again won't be worse than the Tian Dou Royal Academy's first team being embarrassed."

Regarding the outcome of this match, Hu Yan Shock no longer held hope, only wishing that Xiang Jia Academy's participants, especially his own grandson, would not suffer serious injuries in this match.

On the other side, the Tian Dou Royal Academy's first team, having finished their match, were watching the other teams' bouts in their private viewing room. Their luck was also good; aside from the loss on the first day, they hadn't faced any strong teams, confirming that it wasn't their first team that was weak, but that Lanba Academy was too strong.

At this moment, everyone in the Tian Dou Royal Academy's first team's private room wore grim, extremely resentful expressions.

In what way is Xiang Jia Academy stronger than them?

Don't they only have three Soul Ancestors?

Moreover, their team composition is more reasonable, unlike Xiang Jia Academy where everyone has the same martial soul, the Diamond Mammoth Elephant.

Lanba Academy's actions are unacceptable to them.

"Hmph, looking down on people like a dog, I'll make sure these people look good later," Xiao Wu snarled.

"Next time, we'll prove ourselves with strength," Tang San said lightly, his voice a bit sharp.

In the past ten days, whenever Tang San had free time, he would go find that bunny girl to play, because he discovered his Xuan Tian Gong's circulation speed had become slightly faster than usual, and just yesterday he had already broken through to level 37.

Moreover, the bunny girl's intense reaction greatly boosted Tang San's confidence; he was certain he was still formidable, definitely stronger than Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun.

In his view, being short isn't a flaw but a virtue; as the saying goes, short and powerful.

He now fully believes Yu Xiao Gang's words, and even his hatred toward Yu Xiao Gang has unknowingly lessened a lot.

At the same time, Tang Hao fell into self‑doubt, wondering whether male‑female union can truly boost cultivation; yet Tang San's actual cultivation had indeed risen, so he also looked at Yu Xiao Gang with higher regard.

In fact, even Yu Xiao Gang himself was a little confused; he knows his own family's affairs, and he is well aware that he was just spouting nonsense to restore Tang San's confidence, never expecting it to actually promote cultivation.

Nevertheless, Yu Xiao Gang enjoyed it as a pleasant surprise, planning to incorporate this information into his own theory and, when his fame skyrockets, publish it to the world.

Consequently, Tang Hao and Yu Xiao Gang placed no obstacles on Tang San's increasingly frequent trips to the Fireworks Land; if it can raise cultivation, why not? In truth, Tang San's sense of accelerated cultivation comes entirely from the technique he practices—Mysterious Heaven Skill!

Mysterious Heaven Skill is the orthodox technique of the Profound Sect; although it is unclear how the Tang Sect obtained it, there is no doubt that the skill conforms to Daoist yin‑yang balance.

Tang San is only fourteen, an age of vigorous blood‑qi; his internal yang naturally overwhelms his yin, and male‑female union happens to bring him to yin‑yang balance, thus his cultivation speed quickens.

If he used the meditation method from Douluo Continent, this effect would not occur.

Of course, such indulgent behavior will not continuously boost cultivation; it is only a short‑term effect. Over time, when his kidneys become weak, his cultivation speed will naturally drop, and because Tang San already lacks a component compared to ordinary people, his decline will be even faster.

Amid the audience's cheers, Duguyan led six women onto the central arena and saw the seven meat mountains opposite them.

All seven members of Xiangjia Academy wore black; even the shortest stood just over two meters, while the tallest, Hu Yanli, had already caught up with his grandfather, exceeding two‑and‑a‑half meters. Standing before the Lanba Academy women, they were a stark contrast of beauties and beasts.

Compared with height, their weight was even more terrifying. Duguyan estimated that even the lightest among them weighed at least five hundred jin. Seven people side by side resembled a thick wall, giving onlookers a sense of helplessness.

Hu Yanli saw that the opponent also fielded seven members, felt a sudden heaviness in his heart, yet stepped forward, spread his legs, and with two booming sounds the arena floor trembled. A pair of small eyes narrowed, and in a deep voice he said, "Xiangjia Academy team, captain Hu Yanli, forty‑three‑level Defense‑type Battle Soul Ancestor, please advise!"

Is this a probing? Duguyan sneered inwardly; the captains of the Five Elements Academy have long been sparring, and their soul power levels have already been fully assessed, so reporting them is meaningless.

But Duguyan is different; she has not fought any outsider in two years, and even this competition is her debut. Moreover, as the current captain of the Lanba Academy team, it is hard to gauge her soul power level.

"Lanba Academy team, captain Duguyan, sixty‑two‑level Control‑type Battle Soul Emperor!" Duguyan said casually.

Xiangjia Sect is merely a lackey of the Spirit Hall; Hu Yanli's question is surely meant to be forwarded to the Spirit Hall so the Golden Generation can prepare, but Duguyan doesn't care—what can the Golden Generation do even if they know? Beat her? Or beat her man?

"Sixty‑two‑level…" Hearing Duguyan's words, Hu Yanli's mouth slightly opened, looking utterly stunned.

Soul Emperor? Have any Soul Emperors appeared in past continental elite Soul Master academy contests? It seems not; only Soul Kings have shown up, and never more than three at a time.

She is not even twenty‑five, yet her soul power level is so high? Can merely eating and drinking increase soul power? That's absurd!

The whole venue fell silent instantly, only the sound of gasps.

Not only Hu Yanli doubted life, but besides Yu Yuanzhen, Chen Xin, Ning Fengzhi and Liu Erlong who were in the know, every spectator and competing team began to question their existence, especially those who only reached Soul Emperor at an advanced age; even Qin Ming, the so‑called second‑youngest Soul Emperor, wondered whether all these years he had only been cultivating a dog's body.

Saras sighed inwardly, "It seems the Golden Generation will find it hard to claim the championship; we must quickly send another letter to the Pope."

Hu Yanzhen's face darkened further, his worries deepened, and he almost had to concede defeat on behalf of Xiangjia Academy. (End of chapter)