Chapter 85: Xuan, Yue, Xing, Duo, and the two tag-alongs; Tang Men branch; we

A full two and a half minutes passed before the screams on the soul-fighting platform finally ceased.

Yuan Zhong lay sprawled on his back, the Black-Horned Mountain Boar having turned into a turtle flipped on its belly. He slowly rose, his heart still pounding with lingering fear, and cupped his hands.

"Many thanks to Brother Xuanzhen for showing mercy."

"It was nothing worth mentioning," Zhao Xuanzhen replied with a smile.

From the Spirit Erosion to the heavy, forceful elbow strike, the two had clashed for barely a single exchange before Yuan Zhong found himself flat on his back in an absolute disadvantage. This soul emperor-level blacksmith finally understood what it meant to have people beyond people, heavens beyond heavens.

A ten-year-old who stepped on the top five to reach the top of the Youth Genius Ranking versus a seventeen-year-old who had barely made the list once—Zhao Xuanzhen had ground Yuan Zhong into the dirt using nothing but combat techniques!

"The blacksmith you found isn't very good," Mu Ye muttered via telepathy as he watched the two juniors exchange courtesies. He was clearly dissatisfied with Yuan Zhong's performance; Zhao Xuanzhen could handle this level of mid-to-upper-tier soul emperor with ease, making it look like child's play.

Master Zhenhua rolled his eyes at his old friend. The average cultivation talent at the Blacksmith's Association was pitifully low; even a Divine Craftsman like himself had only reached Title Limit Douluo through medicinal aid. Finding someone like Yuan Zhong was already a stroke of luck.

Yuan Zhong's combat performance highlighted why Master Zhenhua valued Jiu Tian and Tang Wulin so highly. Beyond their innate blacksmithing talent, they also possessed exceptional cultivation potential.

Both were top-tier talents who would inevitably become Title Douluos, even in the monster-filled Shi Shi Laike Academy, and they had no need for drugs that would damage their foundations!

Because of Yuan Zhong's lackluster performance, the Body Limit Douluo Mu Ye had to step up himself to conduct a sparring session with Zhao Xuanzhen, teaching him Body Secret Methods.

It wasn't until late at night that the old man and the youth parted ways with great reluctance. Zhao Xuanzhen returned to the room he had stayed in three years ago for a night's rest, preparing to set off for the next city at dawn.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Three sharp knocks sounded, and Jiu Tian walked in with a dark expression, handing over a storage soul tool.

Zhao Xuanzhen took the tool, his Spirit Abyss-level spiritual power sweeping through it. Inside lay six pieces of forging metal, exactly one piece of Spirit-Forged alloy for each person.

"Jin Shui Jinshui Jinshui Xianghan—did you get it?" Jiu Tian asked concisely.

"It's not that easy."

Zhao Xuanzhen shook his head. Jin Shui Jinshui Jinshui Xianghan was priceless and rare; Leng Yaozhu had been using the resources of the Phoenix family to offer high prices for it, but there had been no news so far.

Jin Shui Jinshui Jinshui Xianghan was the key to fusing nine types of metal for Sky-Forging. Tang Wulin was Mu Chen's direct disciple and Master Zhenhua's nephew-in-law, and after a series of events, Master Zhenhua was willing to provide it. Zhao Xuanzhen, however, had no deep connection with Master Zhenhua, so it was unlikely the Divine Craftsman would voluntarily hand it over.

Zhao Xuanzhen wasn't about to covet the Divine Craftsman's private stash; he would rather put in the effort to search for it elsewhere.

Jiu Tian suddenly had an idea: "If it really doesn't work out, in three to five years, you can have the Boss, Teng She, and the others go together to strip the Four-Character Doukai off old Qian Gu. I'll extract the Jin Shui Jinshui Jinshui Xianghan from the Doukai."

Zhao Xuanzhen: (￣ー￣)

That sounded easy enough, but the Battle Limit Douluo Qian Gu Dieting's Panlong Staff was fierce; his performance of bending the divine Golden Dragon Spear with a single full-power strike was not something to be slandered.

As far as Zhao Xuanzhen knew, Qian Gu Dieting had been in seclusion on the 108th floor of the Spirit Pagoda for decades. If he sent the Eight Deceptive Gods to storm the Spirit Pagoda headquarters, they would have to face all the Title Limit Douluo powerhouses guarding it, making the outcome too unpredictable.

"Let's not talk about Jin Shui Jinshui Jinshui Xianghan for now. I plan to build a Black-level mecha. Find some time to forge some Jade Silver; you don't need Divine Base Alloy, 90% fusion is enough."

Jiu Tian gasped, his chest heaving for a long time before he spoke sternly: "If you keep exploiting me like this, I'm going to revolt."

The five-sided youth had been busy day and night; under the arrangements of the Qimen Master Zhao Xuanzhen, the dignified Eight Deceptive Gods' Qian Jin Zhixiang had been reduced to a dark-skinned slave at the forging table.

"Remember to finish forging the metal before you revolt; I need it urgently."

Zhao the Skinflint was cold-blooded, showing no regard for his employee's resentment. How could one rest at this age!

Jiu Tian looked depressed as he dragged his heavy feet away. Zhao Xuanzhen sat cross-legged on the bed, happily immersing himself in meditation.

After a peaceful night and a delicious breakfast, Zhao Xuanzhen bid farewell to Master Zhenhua and Mu Ye. As he stepped out of the Blacksmith's Association headquarters, a series of familiar faces appeared in his field of vision.

One tall, slender figure was extremely eye-catching—her face was breathtakingly beautiful, her long black hair dancing in the wind. Her pitch-black eyes highlighted the girl's unique, tranquil temperament, untainted by the vulgarity of the mortal world.

There was only one girl on the Limit Douluo Continent with such a unique temperament: Gu Yue.

Beside Gu Yue, Ye Xinglan wore a bright yellow dress, her jade-white legs looking exceptionally dazzling. Her blonde hair was tied into a neat high ponytail, and her cold, aloof expression contrasted sharply with the smiling Xu Xiaoyan on the other side.

Youming Wu Siduo stood with her arms crossed, her tight outfit accentuating her fiery figure, a flash of unreadable light flickering in her eyes. Dark Bear Yang Nianxia waved excitedly:

"Hi, Squad Leader! Surprised? Unexpected?"

"Did the rules change to team-based?" Zhao Xuanzhen asked Gu Yue with a smile.

Gu Yue replied gently, "The appearance of the Evil Soul Masters disrupted Shi Shi Laike Academy's plans. The train you saved was the target of a terrorist attack by Evil Soul Masters.

For safety, Shi Shi Laike Academy decided to temporarily change the final exam plan. It's no longer an individual battle, but forming small squads to jointly challenge soul masters whose average strength is five levels higher than the team's.

We six are now a squad, with Instructor Shen Yi responsible for guarding us in secret. She said you entered the Tiandou City Blacksmith's Association yesterday noon, so we arrived early to wait for you."

"A squad..."

Zhao Xuanzhen swept his gaze over his five teammates—Gu Yue, Ye Xinglan, Youming Wu Siduo, Xu Xiaoyan, and Yang Nianxia—before his eyes lingered for two extra seconds on Xu Xiaoyan and Yang Nianxia. His pupils narrowed slightly.

Two tag-alongs, huh? Interesting.

From Shi Shi Laike City to Mingdu, Tiandou City was the best transfer station. Shi Shi Laike students chose to come to Tiandou City, and Shi Shi Laike organized them into various squads.

The three most important squad leaders and the "Lao Jiumen" were divided into two teams. Team One was Xuan, Yue, Xing, Duo, plus the two tag-alongs, with Shen Yi guarding them.

Team Two consisted of Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, Xu Lizhi, Luo Guixing, Xu Yucheng, and Zheng Yiran, with the "Heavenly Ice" Wu Changkong acting as their bodyguard.

The six exchanged a few words. They had all defeated their assessment opponents in Tiandou City yesterday and secured their first "head" for the final exam. However, Zhao Xuanzhen had killed an Evil Soul Emperor and saved the train, earning two extra heads, so they had to head to the next city today.

The terrorist attack had put the train station into a temporary lockdown, and soul trains were suspended. In fact, even if they weren't, Zhao Xuanzhen didn't want to take a soul train again.

After some discussion, the group arrived at a soul car dealership, intending to buy a car to start a road trip.

The sensor doors with glowing logos slid open automatically. The scent of cold fragrance mixed with leather hit them. The displayed models were varied and dazzling.

"This one looks good."

Youming Wu Siduo pointed to a new white soul car. Seeing the six of them had an extraordinary temperament, the salesperson enthusiastically invited them for a test drive.

Zhao Xuanzhen sat in the driver's seat, Gu Yue naturally accompanied him in the passenger seat, while Ye Xinglan, Youming Wu Siduo, and Xu Xiaoyan entered the back row one after another, leaving only a dumbfounded Yang Nianxia.

Little Yang pointed a finger as thick as a radish at himself, weakly asking:

"Then... what about me?"

Looking at the three beautiful girls in the back row whose disgust was written all over their faces, Zhao Xuanzhen fell into thought before slowly saying:

"My rearview camera seems to be blocked. You go help me check it first."

Yang Nianxia: (⊙ω⊙`)

"Squad Leader, how about we buy it? I'll reimburse you double when we get back," Yang Nianxia said with a mournful face.

"Just kidding. We're close friends; how could we abandon you?"

Zhao Xuanzhen got out of the car and patted Yang Nianxia's sturdy shoulder earnestly.

Taking advantage of the time Zhao Xuanzhen was paying, the four girls chose a luxury six-seater SUV priced at 4.8 million Federation coins. Under the matte paint, nebula-like spots surged, and the car body resembled a crouching steel beast, exuding the momentum of a roaring tiger when stationary.

"I'll be the driver!"

Yang Nianxia took the driver's seat. 4.8 million Federation coins was a drop in the bucket, and he didn't care about double reimbursement, but he was afraid Zhao Xuanzhen would forget his friends for the sake of beauty. Who wouldn't want to travel with four beauties!

The next second, a scene that dealt a spiritual blow to Yang Nianxia occurred: none of the five wanted to sit in the passenger seat. Finally, Xu Xiaoyan, the other tag-along, lost the rock-paper-scissors game and accepted the punishment with a pouting mouth.

Ye Xinglan and Youming Wu Siduo sat in the second row together, and the space in the last row belonged to Zhao Xuanzhen and Gu Yue.

"Let's go!"

Yang Nianxia stepped on the gas, the tail of the car spewed blue light, and the SUV shot westward like an arrow off a bowstring.

"Such strong acceleration!" Xu Xiaoyan instinctively grabbed her seatbelt.

"Fast cornering is the real speed; who can't accelerate in a straight line?"

Yang Nianxia was carried away by his own success, performing an extreme cornering maneuver on the spot, turning the SUV into a mountain rally car.

Zhao Xuanzhen glanced at Yang Nianxia, who was grinning from ear to ear. Tag-along number two's driving skills were passable; he could serve as a driver for now.

"Where are we going to find people to fight next?" Ye Xinglan suddenly asked.

"Spirit Pagoda?" Xu Xiaoyan turned her head and raised her hand to speak.

This was a method Tang Wulin had thought of on the night before the final exam. The Spirit Pagoda had branches in every city, usually gathering a large number of soul masters, so they would definitely be able to find opponents to challenge.

"The Spirit Pagoda is too crowded and noisy. We can't give others an excuse to slander Shi Shi Laike Academy."

Zhao Xuanzhen spoke righteously. A wisp of clear wind formed into substance, and after a few taps, a red destination appeared on the car's navigation screen.

Xu Xiaoyan said sluggishly: "Isn't... isn't this place bad!?"

"The two major forces are as close as brothers. What's wrong with helping Shi Shi Laike students pass their final exam? When the time comes, we'll do this... and that..."

Hearing this, the expressions of the people in the car gradually became strange. Xu Xiaoyan felt even more guilty, feeling like she was caught in the middle, and also experienced how inappropriate it was to have Zhao Xuanzhen challenge the Spirit Pagoda.

The car moved quickly and smoothly. Without the umbrella of the soul train, there was no rain outside. Three hours later, they arrived in Tianyang City.

Tianyang City was of medium-to-large scale. The cities the six arrived in had to be medium-sized or larger.

Eastsea City was one of the Eighteen Pillars, a major city on the Limit Douluo Continent. However, the dean of the Eastsea Academy, the first soul master academy, was only a level 60 Soul Emperor, and the captain of the mecha brigade was also only a level 60 Soul Emperor. One could imagine the distribution of soul masters on the Limit Douluo Continent—it was a case of the parched dying of thirst and the flooded drowning.

Small cities had too few soul masters, making it too difficult to find soul masters stronger than them, while medium-to-large cities were completely different.

According to the predetermined plan, the six would challenge one city a day, completing all tasks in ten days, and spend the remaining five days slowly driving back to Shi Shi Laike City.

Tianyang Soul Guidance Technology Park.

The park had large areas of greenery and stood with buildings of various styles, each with its own characteristics, most of which were built of metal.

Xuan Shi Tang Men Technology Group, also known as the Tang Men Tianyang City branch, had glass curtain walls that refracted diamond-like spots in the sunlight, blooming with a strange beauty.

The SUV braked steadily, and six figures filed out of the car. Seeing them walk toward the Tang Men branch, Shen Yi in the sky was so shocked that her jaw almost dropped. Zhao Xuanzhen was truly a talent; he was leading Shi Shi Laike students to challenge the Tang Men!?

This was definitely not a situation Shi Shi Laike Academy was willing to see. The final exam was an action to show off their muscles to the whole continent. At this time every year, Shi Shi Laike freshmen would unscrupulously challenge innocent passersby, and the number one victim was the Spirit Pagoda, which gathered soul masters!

The Spirit Pagoda had grievances they couldn't voice. A group of fourteen or fifteen-year-old children, most of whom had extraordinary talent and deep backgrounds, and who hadn't caused serious consequences, could only be reprimanded and released, forcing them to swallow the bitter pill.

The tables had turned. As a core disciple of the Spirit Pagoda, Zhao Xuanzhen naturally had to protect the interests of the Spirit Pagoda and directly diverted the disaster to Shi Shi Laike's good brothers, the Tang Men!

Ye Xinglan and Youming Wu Siduo took out two long bamboo poles and silently set up a banner.

The banner was unfurled, with more than twenty silver-hooked, iron-painted characters written on it. The two beautiful girls held their pretty faces cold, full of bravery, and held the banner high, immediately attracting the attention of many passersby.

The security personnel inside the Tang Men read out: "We are from Shi Shi Laike Academy, challenging the strongest youth team under twenty-five in the Tang Men."

They were here to smash the place!

And they were smashing the Tang Men!

"What are you little brats doing? Don't play around near the Xuan Shi Tang Men Technology Group, go home!"

The security captain walked out of the Tang Men angrily. Having a military background, he carried a bit of majesty, and this shout was full of momentum.

"Shi Shi Laike and Tang Men are one family; we are here for a friendly exchange!"

Tag-along number one, Xu Xiaoyan, actors take your places!

"We've come a long way, and it really hasn't been easy!"

Tag-along number two, Yang Nianxia, followed closely. The Dark Bear's loud voice was no joke, and the sound rolled like a thunderclap.

Hearing this, the Tang Men security captain looked at the luxury SUV and clicked his tongue, his eyes complex as he looked at the six extraordinary talents.

Excuse me, where exactly has it not been easy for you!?

(End of chapter)