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Four teams stood at the four cardinal points of "Douluo Continent": Tian Dou in the east, Star Luo in the south, Divine Wind in the north, and Spirit Hall in the west.
Everyone was waiting for Bibi Dong's command, especially Xu Xing, who was becoming anxious. His soul power was surging within him, and if he didn't release his spirit soon, he might explode from the pressure.
"Championship Role-Play!"
"Start now!"
Bibi Dong's voice finally rang out, resonant and steady, both pleasant and authoritative.
"I am the Lord of the Stars!"
Xu Xing shouted excitedly, raising his hands high as a three-tiered starry crown appeared above his head, symbolically crowning himself. Dai weisi and Zhu Zhuqing couldn't help but cringe at the sight.
However, everyone quickly distanced themselves from Xu Xing, knowing that his domain didn't distinguish between friend and foe. Perhaps this was the arrogance of being peerless?
The Spirit Hall team, including Hu Liena, ran swiftly to avoid Xu Xing's domain. Having experienced it before, they knew how disorienting it could be—the sense of disorientation and powerlessness was not something they wanted to relive.
The Divine Wind Academy also didn't want to face that bizarre domain.
"You all move back. I want to test this starry domain and the so-called Zhoutian Star Battle Formation," Tang San instructed the others to keep their distance. He intended to personally explore the energy flow patterns within this domain and, together with Electrolux, record the trajectories of the Zhoutian Star Battle Formation, making note of any gaps or uncharted areas.
"The captain is quite bold," Huo Wu remarked, seeing Tang San willingly step into the domain. A hint of admiration flickered in her eyes. She then turned to the others, saying, "Since the captain is busy, I'll take command. Can we handle six versus twenty?"
Xiao Wu's spirit was attached to her, her rabbit ears twitching with vigor. "Of course! Let's give it our all!"
Zhu Zhuqing's Dark Magic Bone Armor appeared, with energy surging around her, causing a slight distortion in the surrounding air. She nodded and said, "Let's go."
"Any specific tactics we should use?" Yu Tianheng asked.
"Tactics?" Huo wu laughed lightly. "We don't really need them. Just focus on protecting Ning Rongrong and Ye Lingling, and let the rest of us shine."
"Nine Treasures, Nine Orifices, and Nine Suns!" Ning Rongrong called out. A Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda floated above her hand, with one yellow and three purple soul rings glowing brightly. Four streams of light circled the tower.
A soft jingling sound accompanied the spectacle. The pagoda seemed to become translucent and larger, enveloping Ning Rongrong and Ye Lingling.
"Spirit Avatar!" Ning Fengzhi exclaimed in surprise. He closely examined the pagoda but then shook his head and calmed down. "It's not an avatar, but rather a similar ability. Did Tang San help Ning Rongrong develop this self-created soul skill?"
"Nine Treasures, Nine Orifices, and Nine Suns Formation!" Ning Rongrong's voice echoed as four beams of light shot from the pagoda's tip, forming a unique pattern above the tower. This pattern spread over an area of nearly 100 meters, centering on the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
Yu Tianheng, Huo Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, Ye Lingling, and Ning Rongrong all received enhancements from the formation, boosting their strength, speed, defense, and soul power by over 40%.
Additionally, four glowing discs appeared behind each of them, floating gently in the air. The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda then retracted into Ning Rongrong's body, and the pattern in the sky slowly faded, but the six energy discs persisted behind each individual.
This was Ning Rongrong's self-created soul skill: the Nine Treasures, Nine Orifices, and Nine Suns Formation.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda spirit had a unique characteristic: regardless of which soul beast was added, the first seven soul skills had fixed attributes, although the order could be rearranged. Even after Ning Rongrong's spirit evolved into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, the first seven soul skills remained unchanged. Through Tang San's spiritual sensing, they discovered that even though the soul rings lit up when activated, the energy flow pattern was actually inscribed within each level of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, not in the soul rings themselves.
For most people, soul rings act as "switches" for using skills and as the "circuitry" for soul power flow. Both elements are essential.
For Ning Rongrong's Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, and for all soul masters with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda spirit, the first six soul skills are fixed up to the Soul Saint level, except for Spirit Avatar. The only variable is the order of the enhancement skills.
So when Ning Rongrong asked Tang San about the best way to optimize the energy flow in her pagoda's layers, he shared some basic soul guide rune combinations, allowing her to experiment with creating her own patterns. Even with his Purple Demon Eye, Tang San's understanding couldn't match Ning Rongrong's personal experience with her own spirit.
After receiving Tang San's guidance, Ning Rongrong spent the pre-tournament period experimenting. With additional insights from Tang San and Guangling on soul guide circuits and runes, she finally developed the Nine Treasures, Nine Orifices, and Nine Suns Formation. By combining four energy-enhancing circuits, she created a pattern that could be imprinted on the backs of others.
With this arrangement, Ning Rongrong didn't need to constantly enhance her allies—once the pattern was established, it could last for four hours. This wasn't just four minutes or forty minutes, but four full hours! Additionally, the pattern was composed of light energy, making it difficult to destroy unless the opponent had a counter attribute or immense power.
However, there were drawbacks. After using this formation, Ning Rongrong's soul power was nearly depleted. The good news was that she could apply the pattern to herself, allowing her soul power to recover more quickly.
Ideally, if Ning Rongrong's soul power and spiritual energy were stronger, she could apply the formation to each person without needing such a large-scale display. Unfortunately, her spiritual power wasn't sufficient, so she had to create an oversized pattern and then stamp it onto each team member.
While this process sounds slow, it actually happens in an instant.
"Phew," Ning Rongrong exhaled deeply, her hand on her hip. To everyone except Yu Tianheng and Ye Lingling, she said, "You're all enhanced—go for it!"
Her stance was confident and authoritative. If people didn't know she was from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, they might have mistaken her for a battle-hardened general.
"Watch how awesome Xiao Wu is!" Xiao Wu took the lead, her legs seemingly crackling with electricity, moving almost 50% faster than usual. In the blink of an eye, she breached Divine Wind Academy's territory.
This part of "Douluo Continent" was a grassy field.
"Just one?" Yu Tianxin sneered, thinking Xiao Wu had come to challenge him alone. "Aren't you underestimating me a bit?"
"Oh, don't get the wrong idea," Xiao Wu said, raising one finger while shaking her head. "It's not that I look down on you; I just don't think any of you are worth my time."
This statement immediately enraged everyone from Divine Wind Academy.
"You're quite bold, aren't you?" Feng Xiaotian replied with a grin. "You share the same name as Huo Wu, but you're a lot more flamboyant."
"Isn't that the truth?" Xiao Wu placed her hands on her hips, leaving herself wide open, seemingly unconcerned about the seven opponents potentially attacking her. "My strength is my confidence."
Whoosh!
Before Xiao Wu could finish her sentence, Yu Tianxin suddenly lunged at her, aiming a clawed strike at her neck without a hint of mercy.
However, Yu Tianxin's claw merely passed through Xiao Wu's neck without any sensation of contact.
"Afterimage!"
Yu Tianxin quickly realized he missed and instinctively turned, swinging his right arm behind him with force.
Xiao Wu had already moved to his rear, jumping slightly with her legs bent as if about to kick him.
"Do you want to test your strength against mine?" Yu Tianxin became enraged and unleashed a powerful attack with his right arm, infused with thunder energy, aiming to clash with the Soft Boned Rabbit.
However, Xiao Wu had no intention of engaging in brute force. Instead, she made contact with his right arm, then dropped into a crouch to avoid his attack, only to rapidly extend her legs, propelling herself away.
Boom!
Taking advantage of Yu Tianxin's thunderous attack, she used her fourth soul skill, "Electric Flash," which caused her to shoot forward like an arrow, aiming straight for Feng Xiaotian and his allies.
Meanwhile, Yu Tianxin, caught off guard by the sudden shift in momentum, spun in place three to five times before stumbling backward seven to eight steps, barely managing to regain his balance. By the time he looked up, he saw three of his teammates already incapacitated.
The entire clash between Yu Tianxin and Xiao Wu lasted only five seconds. As soon as Feng Xiaotian realized Xiao Wu's target, she had already "flown" toward them.
Despite Feng Xiaotian's shout for everyone to scatter, the weaker members of the team couldn't react quickly enough.
As a result, Xiao Wu effortlessly took down Lu Renjia and Xiao Bingyi, gripping them by the neck with her arms and slamming them to the ground. The impact rendered them unconscious, their eyes rolling back from the force.
The third target was Huo Wushuang.
After incapacitating the first two, Xiao Wu quickly used her momentum to whip her braid at Huo Wushuang, who was charging toward her. The braid wrapped around his neck, and she yanked him, utilizing his own forward momentum to spin him in the air before striking him in the stomach with her foot, forcing him to release her braid.
Then, she activated her first soul skill, "Waist Bow."
In a flash, Huo Wushuang was spun into a half-circle in the air and then smashed to the ground, receiving even harsher treatment than the previous two.
"From start to finish, it's only been fifteen seconds..." Feng Xiaotian swallowed nervously, a drop of cold sweat forming on his cheek.
The girl before him used purely physical techniques, but each move was flawless. She provoked them verbally to throw them off-balance. She dodged Yu Tianxin's sudden attack, leveraging his force to launch herself at the rest of the group. She swiftly took down the weakest opponents and then utilized her braid and first soul skill to defeat Huo Wushuang before he could even use his soul skills.
All this happened in a flash.
Was this Tang San's girlfriend?
She was remarkably strong!
Moreover, her soul power seemed very robust.
Challenging, to say the least.
Feng Xiaotian considered using his self-created soul skill, but the battle area was too large, and Xiao Wu's speed was too fast. He needed to lock on to his target first, or else he would waste his soul power without any effect.
"Spirit Fusion Skill! Snowflakes Drifting, Ice Phoenix!"
Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er embraced, and their soul power merged seamlessly, creating an intense cold that forced Xiao Wu to retreat.
"Breaking a Spirit Fusion Skill isn't easy," Xiao Wu glanced at Yu Tianxin and Feng Xiaotian, noticing they wouldn't leave this area, which made her feel slightly more at ease. "But I'd like to see what you can do with your fusion skill."
Meanwhile, Zhu Zhuqing headed toward the Star Luo Royal Team.
This part of the arena had a river.
"Hey, little sister, want to duel with big sis?" Zhu Zhuyun teased, her stance seductive.
"Actually, I'm interested in a match with Netherworld White Tiger," Zhu Zhuqing replied calmly. Although her voice was even, her confidence surprised both Dai weisi and Zhu Zhuyun.
"Alright, let's see how strong you've become," Dai weisi signaled the other four to take on Yu Tianheng, Ye Lingling, and Ning Rongrong, planning to join Zhu Zhuyun for a little fun.
After all, Zhu Zhuqing was his sister-in-law, so he had to give her some respect.
"I hope you give it your all, because if Netherworld White Tiger loses to a Soul Ancestor, that'd be quite embarrassing." Zhu Zhuqing's voice was cold as she disappeared from their sight like a phantom.
"Such speed!" Zhu Zhuyun wondered if her 48th-level soul power could match that kind of agility. What kind of soul beast was the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger?
No one answered Zhu Zhuyun's question.
As she felt a gust of wind near her ear, Zhu Zhuyun instinctively turned to avoid Zhu Zhuqing's claw. However, when she attempted to counterattack, the other party vanished again, leaving only an afterimage.
This wasn't a mental-type soul skill but rather sheer speed, so fast that Zhu Zhuyun was left with only echoes.
Zhu Zhuyun and Dai weisi were forced to stand back-to-back.
"Zhuqing has grown incredibly powerful." Zhu Zhuyun remained vigilant, trying to detect the airflow in the area, her hand wiping a cut on her cheek as her heart sank.
"I think she's trying to make you pay for the trouble you caused her before," Dai weisi said, guessing at the truth. "Even though you two have made amends, women can be quite petty. They don't easily forgive and forget. This tournament might be the only opportunity she has to get back at you, so she's taking full advantage."
Zhu Zhuyun gritted her teeth. "If that's the case, she really is my good little sister!"
As they spoke, Zhu Zhuqing had attacked them more than ten times, inflicting minor cuts. Although each injury was small, the persistent pain of these cuts was more disturbing than a single heavy blow, which could render someone temporarily incapacitated and unable to think. These continuous minor injuries were more of a constant sting, capable of wearing down one's composure.
Left with no choice, they decided to use their Spirit Fusion technique.
Every time Zhu Zhuqing wounded them, a trace of soul power with attributes of darkness, thunder, and wind seeped into their bodies. This power was highly corrosive, requiring additional soul power to counteract it. The more she cut them, the worse their position became...
In the volcano and lava area, Huo Wu faced Hu Liena, Yan, and Xie Yue by herself, while the rest of her team sought out trouble for Yu Tianheng and his group.
Still, Huo Wu was confident that with Ye Lingling on their side, Yu Tianheng wouldn't have to worry about injuries. As long as they managed their soul power carefully, they should be able to handle eight Soul Ancestors—four from Spirit Hall's team and four from the Star Luo Royal team.
At worst, they could hold their ground.
Thus, the battle in "Douluo Continent" had split into five distinct engagements:
Huo Wu against Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan, unable to secure a quick victory.
Xiao Wu against Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er's Spirit Fusion, while defending against Yu Tianxin and Feng Xiaotian, struggling to escape the situation.
Zhu Zhuqing facing Dai weisi and Zhu Zhuyun's Spirit Fusion, Netherworld White Tiger, a challenging fight with no clear outcome.
Yu Tianheng, protecting Ning Rongrong and Ye Lingling, fighting against eight Soul Ancestors, four from Spirit Hall's team and four from the Star Luo Royal team.
Finally, Tang San, inside Xu Xing's domain, engaged in a one-on-one duel with a Soul Saint-level Xu Xing.
"Tang San, you actually stepped into my domain. You're quite brave, aren't you?" Xu Xing seemed sure of his victory and wasn't in a hurry to activate the Zhoutian Star Battle Formation. As long as he didn't waste soul power, his Star Crown spirit could last for quite a while, allowing him this leisurely approach.
"I just wanted to see what's so special about your Zhoutian Star Battle Formation," Tang San replied nonchalantly, surveying the domain while recording its energy flow patterns with Electrolux. His gaze eventually settled on Xu Xing's star crown—that was the heart of the domain.
Using his spiritual sense, Electrolux quickly and accurately replicated the energy flow within the star crown, filling in gaps from previous recordings.
"Tsk, you're so confident," Xu Xing said, irritated by Tang San's laid-back attitude. He asked coldly, "Why so bold? Is it because you crossed over?"
"Yep, that's right." Tang San nodded. "Anyone who's seen 'Douluo' and crosses over here would know it's not like a typical fanfic where you can rely on cheats and system upgrades. Here, you can't use those same tricks without a solid understanding of this world's foundation."
"For example, when it comes to absorbing higher-level soul rings, the bigger your starting clan or organization, the less likely your elders will let you take risks. For a sect, the most important thing is ensuring the continuity of their lineage."
"Beast-type spirits might fare better because certain soul rings can boost the spirit's bloodline."
"But for tool-type spirit masters, from what I've observed, the level of a soul ring doesn't matter much. What's crucial is the soul skill. High-level soul rings can boost soul power and physical strength, but without compatibility and useful soul skills, it's just a way to save time in training."
(End of chapter)