Chapter 122: Battle, Part 1
It was Tianxing Academy's first participation in the All Continent Advanced Soul Master Tournament, and it left all the spectators with a clear picture of what it meant to obliterate the competition. Whenever one of Ye Wen's personal disciples entered the arena, they didn't even need to reveal their soul rings; a self created skill was enough to wipe out the opposing academy team in a one versus seven clean sweep. Even the team from Spirit Hall was effortlessly bested, reduced to third place before the finals even began.
With both remaining teams hailing from the same academy, the gathered powers sat in silence, trying to grasp the true strength of Ye Wen's three personal disciples. They hadn't once been pushed hard enough to require using their martial souls, soul techniques, or even their soul rings.
Stepping forward, Huo Quan turned to face his opponent, Dao Ba, and spoke, "Dao Ba, how about we settle this one on one? Let's finish the battle we started last time. I know it's been eating at you that you lost before just because your level was lower than mine. I'll give you the opportunity to prove yourself now. Let's not involve the juniors and make them suffer."
Dao Ba gave a feral grin and nodded. "Sounds good! I've been wanting to see just how strong my senior brother is. Don't go crying if you lose this time, though!"
"Cocky as ever, Dao Ba. Even now, my soul power is still higher than yours!" said Huo Quan with a confident grin, summoning his martial soul avatar.
A brilliant golden projection of his body shimmered behind him, glowing with an intense light, the avatar's eyes radiating strange flashes of blue and red. The audience gasped.
"What is that?"
The soul masters in the crowd sat up, eyes wide, unable to look away from Huo Quan's martial soul projection. Every beast martial soul user saw the image flash before merging with the host's body, signaling the start of the battle.
"Is this the legendary 'Martial Soul Essence' that Master Ye Wen spoke about? As it was named, 'the martial soul that becomes the self,'" they murmured.
The announcer explained Huo Quan's martial soul was called Golden Body of Ice and Fire, a result of his evolved martial soul essence. Since Ye Wen's theory of "Soul Source" had spread, young soul masters across the continent had begun to experience martial soul evolutions.
As the projection solidified, Huo Rui, Huo Quan's sister, stood unfazed by her brother's soul power, signaling to her teammates to step down from the stage. Since it was an internal battle among Tianxing Academy members, any unnecessary injuries should be avoided.
The juniors looked at the Huo siblings with awe. "They're monsters! They're not much older than us, but their power is on another level."
Dao Ba gave a lazy yawn, appearing unimpressed. He looked over at Huo Quan, now transformed by his Golden Body soul, and said, "Is that it? Seems like you've been slacking."
Ignoring Dao Ba's taunt, Huo Quan's team stepped off the stage as well, with Chen Youyu reminding him to stay safe. Dao Ba grinned darkly, gripping his Demon Blade of Chaos tightly.
"Just don't die on me!" he shouted.
Without another word, Dao Ba charged forward, his movements wild but carrying a distinct rhythm. Huo Quan's excitement mirrored his as he dashed to meet his opponent. The higher he progressed in cultivation, the more he found himself craving the thrill of battle.
"Don't look down on me, Dao Ba! This time, I'll put you out of commission for at least two weeks!" he laughed, lunging forward.
Dao Ba's sharp blade clashed with Huo Quan's unbreakable fists, each blow tearing into the wide arena floor, leaving countless marks and craters.
"Unbelievable! These are the abilities of our young generation?" gasped the crowd.
"Absolutely terrifying! So this is what it means to be a personal disciple of Master Ye Wen!" another spectator murmured. "If these two don't fall along the way, they're bound to become Titled Douluos. Imagine if we could bring them into our faction Heaven Dou and Spirit Hall would be defeated in no time!"
"If Master Ye Wen is still accepting disciples, even a third of their strength would let me die without regrets."
Ye Wen ignored the audience's wild speculations. Now that he had fully established himself, aside from those rare individuals at the 99th level, who could truly pose a threat to him?
Up in the VIP section, Emperor Dai Tian of Star Luo looked at Ye Wen's disciples with eyes shining in admiration. Star Luo Empire valued martial prowess above all, and they held the strong in the highest regard.
"Master Ye Wen, these disciples of yours are indeed extraordinary. Would they perhaps consider serving the empire? If they're willing to join us, I'd grant them noble titles equivalent to an earl's, with the potential for further promotion to marquess or even duke if they earn enough merit."
Understanding the emperor's intentions, Ye Wen responded, "I'm afraid I don't make such decisions for them, Your Majesty. I always tell my students they're free to shape their own future; I'm simply here to guide them in their cultivation."
"Is that so? Then don't be surprised if I try to recruit them myself, Master Ye Wen," Dai Tian replied with a smile, his eyes still glued to the duel unfolding in the arena.
Ye Wen watched him, slightly exasperated. There was no mistaking the emperor's transparent intentions, his avarice for power written all over his face.
Did he honestly believe a mere noble title would be enough to entice his disciples? Even though most of them were commoners apart from Du Gu Xin, years of studying under Ye Wen had taught them the underlying truth of the soul master world: while nobility held social perks, true power was what determined a soul master's standing.
The duel on the stage was now in full swing.
"Your Majesty," Ye Wen advised quietly, "I recommend having the barrier reinforced by Soul Sages. These two are about to go all out, and the current strength of the barrier might be insufficient to contain the impact, possibly endangering the audience."
Though Emperor Dai Tian had yet to reach Titled Douluo, his rank as an 89th level Soul Douluo and his royal upbringing granted him keen insight. Observing the fight, he noticed both Huo Quan and Dao Ba were concealing much of their full strength, despite having shown power on par with Soul Emperors. Understanding Ye Wen's warning, he nodded to the attendants to strengthen the barrier, then leaned forward to watch the two with increasing interest.
If these young soul masters could already challenge the might of Soul Sages, they were even more worth pursuing.
The sudden swap of barrier casters had not gone unnoticed by the audience, who exchanged puzzled glances.
(End of Chapter)
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