Ding! Congratulations to the host for slaying a Level 72 Soul Saint! Reward: 1,123 lottery points!
Hearing the notification, Xiao Tianyang couldn't help but frown. "This is way too stingy, isn't it?"
"Killing a Soul Saint only gives a little over 1,000 lottery points? I'd earn more just wandering around the Star Dou Forest."
Of course, no one could answer his question—not even the system.
With a sigh, Xiao Tianyang turned his attention to the spoils on the ground.
His gaze fell upon a crystalline skull, its surface smooth as if carved from crystal. He curled his lips in disdain.
"My minimum standard is a 10,000-year soul bone. Isn't this thing way below par?" After a moment of disgust, he reluctantly picked it up and stored it in his Youhai Ring.
"This thing is practically useless—too tasteless to absorb, yet too wasteful to discard. The best use for it might be gifting it away."
But gifting a soul bone to a close friend would only make them feel awkward about accepting it. And giving it to an outsider? That would just invite unnecessary greed.
That was why, despite having over a dozen soul bones in his possession, none of them had found a suitable recipient.
Including a 99,000-year soul bone.
A soul bone of that caliber could provide a massive boost to any Soul Master. Take Zhou Cheng, for example—his current defensive power could nearly withstand a full-force strike from a peak-level Soul Emperor!
This particular spirit bone would be invaluable to Ning Rongrong, Fei Xue, or even Tang San.
But one principle remained unchanged:
Until his strength reached a certain threshold, Xiao Tianyang would always remember this truth—never flaunt your wealth, lest you invite disaster!
Just like that cookbook incident—who would've thought it would cause such an uproar?
After carefully scouting the area to ensure nothing was missed, Xiao Tianyang finally left.
To be honest, the entire ordeal hadn't taken more than ten minutes.
So much so that by the time Saber and the others noticed his sudden disappearance, they had already returned to the academy.
With no clue where he'd gone, aimlessly searching would've been a waste of time.
Besides, they had training today. How embarrassing would it be if Xiao Tianyang returned only to find no one around?
As expected, Xiao Tianyang reappeared at Shrek Academy shortly after.
He didn't explain his whereabouts—just exchanged a quick greeting before diving straight back into his brutal training regimen.
And so, the days passed, one after another.
During this time, the only real challenges Xiao Tianyang (playing as "Edward") faced were one or two stubborn opponents.
After crushing them effortlessly, they were left questioning their life choices. The rest simply forfeited before the match even began.
This saved him a lot of trouble, giving him more time to spectate other matches.
While these fights held no real significance for him, they were entertaining enough to kill time.
Especially the matches featuring Tianshui Academy and Blazing Academy.
Why?
Because both teams had beauties.
The former's captain, Shui Bing'er, was a vision of elegance—her slender figure perfectly proportioned, her skin fair and flawless, her features delicate and refined.
But what truly caught his eye was her ice-blue hair.
Honestly, it was the first time Xiao Tianyang had ever felt his heartbeat quicken just from a girl's hair.
Of course, that was as far as it went.
He wasn't some pervert who'd strike up a conversation with every pretty face he saw.
His appreciation was purely aesthetic.
That didn't mean he had no thoughts—just that rationality still held the upper hand.
As for the latter, Blazing Academy's vice-captain, Huo Wu, was as fiery and proud as ever, seemingly unaffected by her previous defeat.
But those with a keener eye would notice she had become more cautious, taking her opponents more seriously.
She had also started communicating with her teammates, discussing tactics—a sign of growth, even if her strength hadn't drastically improved.
And of course, this newfound maturity only amplified her charm.
…
Rest Area
"Today's match lineup is out." Xiao Tianyang waved the sheet in his hand at Tang San and the others.
"There's good news and bad news. Which do you want first?"
Ma Hongjun grinned. "Good news! I'd rather be happy before worrying."
The others didn't mind—hearing one before the other wouldn't change the outcome anyway.
"The good news is… your opponent today is Blazing Academy." Xiao Tianyang smirked.
"Is that supposed to be good news?" Oscar groaned, rubbing his temples. "If we can't even field a full team and have to beat them with just five people, it won't be easy!"
"Not my problem." Xiao Tianyang shrugged.
Dai Mubai sighed. "Then what's the bad news?"
"The bad news is… Blazing Academy's martial soul combination skills have been upgraded."
Xiao Tianyang tapped his temple. "At least twice as strong as before."
"Hiss—"
Everyone except Saber sucked in a sharp breath, Tang San included.
Originally, dealing with that Flame Hell had already been a nightmare.
The ability to split enemy formations, disrupt coordination, and forcibly create terrain advantageous to their side was borderline unfair.
For Tang San and the others in their current state, it was a major problem.
After all, they weren't on Xiao Tianyang's level.
And aside from Ma Hongjun, the rest of them had abysmal fire resistance. Especially Tang San.
Blue Silver Grass was practically useless in this scenario.
Ning Rongrong bit her lip. "Is there… anything else you're not telling us?" She didn't know why, but the way Xiao Tianyang was smiling now sent a chill down her spine.
Last time he smiled like this, the price of pork skyrocketed…
"Well, since you asked…" Xiao Tianyang's grin widened.
"The worse news is—Huo Wu's martial soul evolved yesterday."
"As for the specifics, I'm not entirely sure. They've kept it tightly under wraps."
"Her martial soul evolved?!" The shock this time dwarfed the previous two combined.
They had been through enough to have strong mental resilience, but this?
Martial soul evolution wasn't just about finding the right heavenly treasure—it required immense luck and perfect conditions.
Even with all their resources, Dai Mubai and the others had barely managed theirs under heavy protection.
And now, the control-type Soul Master—the core of Blazing Academy's team—had undergone an evolution?
What did that mean?
It meant Blazing Academy's combat strength had just skyrocketed!
To put it simply: What was once a 'Normal' difficulty had just jumped to 'Hard'…And then straight to 'Nightmare'!
…
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