Patreon Status: Completed
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Tomorrow is the final match. While others might be tense, Han Li's courtyard was quite relaxed. Even Ye Lingling, who had been eliminated from the competition, had joined them a few days ago, choosing a room to stay in.
Unlike the others, Ye Lingling had certainly made a name for herself during the Soul Master Tournament. Faced with Skywater Academy's dual Martial Soul Fusion techniques that nearly wiped out the arena, she displayed exceptional healing abilities, managing to keep her teammates alive without needing intervention from the referee. They were merely knocked unconscious but suffered no serious injuries.
Though still only a Soul King, her healing skills surpassed even some Soul Sages, naturally drawing widespread attention. Upon Han Li's enthusiastic invitation, she became the designated healer for the finals and the championship match. Even though she was no longer competing, she remained a prominent figure.
"Lingling, thank you for your hard work. I promise tomorrow is the last day."
Han Li noticed that Ye Lingling seemed a little tired. He approached her and skillfully removed her veil, beginning to massage her head.
"It's not that bad..."
Ye Lingling felt the somewhat uneven massage and blushed slightly. The main reason was her good friend, Dugu Yan, who was giving her a teasing look, making her feel a bit embarrassed. Even though this wasn't the first time, she was still the most shy among them.
"Tomorrow, I'll assist you with mental sharing."
Han Li looked at Ye Lingling, whose furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and spoke softly.
"Mm."
Ye Lingling closed her eyes, whether to avoid the gaze of others or because she was genuinely enjoying it.
Han Li's hands continued to move, but his thoughts wandered elsewhere.
Ye Lingling becoming the tournament's designated healer had been somewhat spontaneous, or rather, it could be said she volunteered for the role after seeing the results of healing Dai Mubai and the others.
As a member of the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, with their team only having one food-type Soul Master (Oscar), whose healing abilities were limited to his first soul ability, Ye Lingling, with her Nine-Hearted Begonia from the Heaven Dou Battle Team One, naturally became their best option for healing.
Though their opponents weren't as formidable as some of the more challenging teams, they were still strong enough to make it to the finals. As assault-type Battle Soul Masters, it was inevitable that they would get injured.
Dai Mubai and Tai Long became frequent visitors for treatment, even refusing healing from Spirit Hall's official healers. Tang San also took the opportunity to receive treatment once.
It was during this treatment that Ye Lingling noticed something unusual.
Due to Han Li's influence, she had been paying attention to Tang San.
She discovered that her healing could interact with the gray-black mist inside Tang San's body. The mist actively absorbed life energy, growing stronger. Ye Lingling knew exactly what this was: the soul beast aura that had taken root in their bodies after their bone transplants.
After checking Dai Mubai and Tai Long's bodies, she found the same phenomenon. After several healing sessions, the soul beast auras inside them had also grown stronger and had become more entwined with their auras.
She noted this discovery and reported it to Han Li.
After confirming and comparing observations, Han Li was amused.
From his perspective, after absorbing life energy, the auras of Tang San and the others increasingly resembled Xiao Wu's. Of course, this was only noticeable when they weren't concealing it.
Tang San's case was especially significant. Perhaps because the soul beast bloodline he had obtained was stronger, or because he had undergone the bone transplant earlier than the others, not to mention the time he fell into a state of blood rage during his battle with Zhu Zhuqing in Heaven Dou City, Tang San's soul beast aura was now only a hair's breadth away from Xiao Wu's.
Upon realizing this, Han Li decisively abandoned the blood comparison he had originally prepared. After all, this seemed more like a carefully orchestrated plan, and he had a better method now, so why bother?
Thus, under Han Li's guidance, Ye Lingling began post-match treatments. It didn't matter if they were injured or not; everyone had to receive a round of treatment. Even minor scratches warranted a session under her Nine-Hearted Begonia's healing.
Ye Lingling earned plenty of praise. Even if there were no injuries, a session with her left people feeling refreshed.
Unbeknownst to them, thanks to her deliberate efforts, the soul beast auras within the group had fully matured and were now on the verge of erupting. Yet, the individuals themselves only felt that their condition was improving and were immensely grateful to Ye Lingling.
Of course, Ye Lingling was also quite exhausted. Though she could replenish her energy by drawing from the ambient energy of the world, the fine control required considerable mental effort. Not to mention, just within Heaven Dou Battle Team Two alone, there were three members requiring treatment, and she also had to perform regular healing for the others who were injured.
This was why Han Li was giving her a head massage now. Although it was more for psychological comfort than effectiveness, both of them enjoyed it.
However, after tomorrow, it won't be necessary anymore. All she would need to do then was wait for Han Li's signal and release all her healing power.
After chatting for a while, the women knew that Han Li had been planning for tomorrow for a long time. They all retired early, and Han Li didn't refuse them.
Unusually, Han Li didn't cultivate that night. He lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling for a long time before drifting off to sleep.
...
The next morning, he woke up to the sound of Xiu'er opening the door.
As usual, he did his morning exercises. But unlike other days, he summoned his Martial Soul this time. His long-dormant Martial Soul seemed to sense his excitement, trembling eagerly in response to his call.
After finishing his routine, Han Li and his group enjoyed an exceptionally lavish breakfast before heading to the competition venue.
The venue and its surroundings were buzzing with excitement. Everyone knew that today marked the climax and conclusion of the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament.
Though the schedule suggested tomorrow would be the final day, it was possible everything would end today.
The schedule for this Soul Master Tournament had been accelerated due to the emergence of an unbeatable team, Skywater Academy, in the finals.
According to usual practice, if a team forfeited, the match would be postponed until the following day. However, for this tournament, the rules were altered—if a team forfeited, the subsequent matches would proceed immediately.
It was said that His Highness, the Holy Son, had made this special adjustment to enhance the audience's viewing experience. If they had followed the previous rules, the actual finals would have been held a week later.
As spectators, the audience welcomed this change. As a result, the venue was packed early, not only for the matches but also because people wanted to witness one of the legendary treasures of the Soul Master world: soul bones.
Today, Her Majesty the Pope would publicly display soul bones, a treasure most people would never see in their lifetime.
In the venue, after bidding farewell to five people, Han Li walked toward the stands and took his seat to the right of Bibi Dong.
On the stands, aside from Bibi Dong, other important figures had already arrived. However, their expressions were not pleasant, as the seats originally reserved for Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo had been taken.
Guang Ling, Azure Luan, and Dugu Bo were sitting boldly in the middle, brazenly sizing up the others. It was obvious that Sword Douluo and Yu Yuanzhen were both quite tense.
Among them, Dugu Bo, who was familiar with several of the people present, greeted them with a cheeky smile. However, the responses were lukewarm, with only Ning Fengzhi and Xue Qinghe occasionally replying to him.
The three were invited guests, and the elders from the Worship Hall—except for Qian Daoliu—remained hidden in the shadows. No one had expected these three to stroll out so casually. But when Guang Ling winked at Han Li, he knew this was his master's idea.
After greeting the three of them, Han Li ignored the glance from Ning Fengzhi and closed his eyes, waiting for the match to begin.
It didn't take more than ten minutes before the sound of cheers erupted, spreading from the outskirts of the venue toward the stands. Han Li opened his eyes.
He knew that Bibi Dong had arrived.
Amidst the loud cheers, Bibi Dong ascended the high platform and displayed the three soul bones that were to be awarded to the champions. Under the sunlight, the radiant bones gleamed brilliantly, drawing everyone's attention.
After announcing the start of the tournament, Bibi Dong made her way to her seat. As expected, her gaze briefly landed on Guang Ling and the others. However, after a slight pause, she resumed her usual composure and sat down as if nothing had happened.
Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo exchanged glances and quietly moved to the back row. They didn't dare to compete with Guang Ling for seats. Ever since he had broken through to the rank of Ultimate Douluo, he hadn't caused any trouble. The two of them didn't want to become his entertainment, especially in such a public setting.
Ignoring Dugu Bo's provocative gaze, Yue Guan (Chrysanthemum Douluo) inwardly conceded. As long as he didn't acknowledge it, it was as though he hadn't been provoked. Anyway, ever since Dugu Bo's breakthrough, the power dynamics had shifted. It wasn't worth making a fuss over.
At the bishop's call, the three competing teams ascended the stage, and, as expected, the most eye-catching team was Skywater Academy, with only four members.
But this was Wuhun City. Everyone knew this was the Holy Son's team, and the cheers for them were even louder than those for the Spirit Hall team.
On stage, Hu Liena looked at the lot she had drawn—Skywater Academy—and glanced toward the stands, feeling somewhat frustrated. She raised her right hand.
"We forfeit. We voluntarily enter the losers' bracket."
As her voice rang out, the venue fell silent for a moment before resuming its usual buzz. No one was particularly surprised. After all, this was Skywater Academy. Everyone understood the situation. It was, after all, a team from Spirit Hall, and they had probably sparred in private already.
Listening to the murmurs of the crowd, Hu Liena tightened her grip on the lot. She had wanted to compete against them, but her teacher's orders had to take priority. Thinking about how they would need to wait for Skywater Academy to fully reveal their strength before defeating them left her feeling stifled.
She didn't understand why her teacher cared so much about a direct descendant of the Clear Sky Clan, but she had no choice but to comply.
At least, if they won in the end, they would still face Skywater Academy.
As expected, she soon heard Tang San, the captain of Heaven Dou Battle Team Two, make the same decision.
"We forfeit as well and will also enter the losers' bracket."
It was clear that the other side also thought they were an easy target.