"It's not over yet!" Cheng Xiao growled in his heart, feeling the increasing pressure from the overwhelming soul power. He clenched his teeth, the Shadow Power within him churning wildly. Zhi Lin, who was observing him, was equally stunned by the boy's sheer tenacity.
As black smoke slowly enveloped Cheng Xiao's body, Zhi Lin's expression grew solemn. For some reason, in those purple-glowing eyes of the young man, he sensed an overwhelmingly terrifying aura of death.
Before Zhi Lin could think further, a bone-chilling aura of death erupted from Cheng Xiao's body, and the black smoke began to spread outward, covering the entire room in darkness.
Seeing this, the three Deans and Sun Buyu were all shocked. What was happening in front of them was beyond their comprehension.
"What's going on?" Bai Baoshan stood up abruptly, feeling a chill run down his spine as he could see nothing but darkness. The eerie situation made him uneasy.
Even Zhi Lin, who had been exerting soul pressure on Cheng Xiao, was startled, as he realized that the soul pressure he had been placing on Cheng Xiao had suddenly dissipated on its own!
In the eyes of the onlookers, the spacious and well-lit room was now shrouded in darkness. But more disturbingly, their soul power was being constantly eroded, and the rate of its dissipation was increasing rapidly.
Just as everyone was about to release their Martial Souls to save themselves, the darkness receded like a tide, and within moments, the room was once again filled with light.
Bang!
A dull thud resounded. Everyone turned toward the source of the sound, and they saw Cheng Xiao, who had been undergoing the test, now sitting cross-legged on the floor. His body was still surrounded by wisps of black smoke. Judging by the fluctuation of soul power emanating from him, it was clear that he had leveled up.
"Is this kid really only a Soul Elder at around level thirty?"
"This boy is terrifying. If his soul power level were just a bit higher, I fear that the soul power of us old fellows would have been completely dissolved."
Looking at Cheng Xiao, who was meditating, the three Deans and Sun Buyu all smiled bitterly. The boy recommended by His Highness the Crown Prince was truly a monstrous talent.
...
A while later, after finishing his cultivation, Cheng Xiao's soul power had already broken through to level thirty-five. Sensing the abundant Shadow Power within him, a faint smile appeared on his face.
After Zhi Lin's test, it seemed that the divine energy left by Qian Renxue within him had completely fused with his Shadow Power. Now, Cheng Xiao possessed the ability to dissolve his opponents' soul power, and he even discovered that he could control the divine energy.
However, the amount of divine energy was very limited. If used three times, it would completely dissipate.
Having passed the test, there was no doubt that Cheng Xiao had become a member of the Emperor Battle Team.
But to his disappointment, the Emperor Battle Team members were not currently at Heaven Dou Imperial Academy. They had gone to the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena for a spirit battle.
Thus, Cheng Xiao, led by Sun Buyu, went alone to attend classes at the academy.
The next day at noon, a middle-aged man came to see Cheng Xiao.
He looked to be in his thirties, with handsome features, simple black hair, and modest attire. There was a deep fiery gleam in his bright eyes.
From this man, Cheng Xiao sensed a strong fire element, indicating that his Martial Soul must be fire-based.
"Hello." Cheng Xiao smiled politely at the middle-aged man.
The man introduced himself, "You must be Cheng Xiao, the student that Teacher Sun Buyu mentioned. I've heard about your situation. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Qin Ming, the leader and instructor of the Emperor Battle Team. My Martial Soul is the Fiery Wolf, and I am a level sixty-two Battle Soul Emperor of the attack system."
Cheng Xiao nodded slightly. "Nice to meet you, Teacher Qin Ming."
"Come, I'll introduce you to the members of the Emperor Battle Team. For the next few years, you'll be working closely with them." Qin Ming smiled, patting Cheng Xiao on the shoulder, then led him toward one of the academy's teaching areas.
Hearing this, Cheng Xiao nodded lightly and followed. As they walked along several small paths and then down the main road, many students noticed the young man following behind Qin Ming, their eyes filled with curiosity.
They didn't know who the boy was, but they knew Qin Ming. As the leader and instructor of the Emperor Battle Team, Qin Ming was a revered figure throughout the academy. He only taught members of the Emperor Battle Team, and regular students were not qualified to receive his instruction.
Now, seeing the boy following Qin Ming, many students speculated that a new member might be joining the Emperor Battle Team.
While these students were silently guessing the background of the new arrival, Cheng Xiao and Qin Ming were on their way to the Emperor Battle Team's usual training area.
"The captain of the Emperor Battle Team is Yu Tianheng. His Martial Soul is the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, and he is a level thirty-nine attack system Battle Soul Master."
"The vice-captain is Dugu Yan, whose Martial Soul is the Jade Phosphor Serpent. She's a level thirty-eight control system Battle Soul Master..."
As they walked, Qin Ming shared plenty of information about the Emperor Battle Team, and Cheng Xiao listened quietly, without making any comments.
Seeing Cheng Xiao's calm demeanor, Qin Ming smiled and said, "Most of the team members come from prestigious clans across the continent. They are proud individuals, so when you meet them, they may say some unpleasant things. But don't take it to heart. The Emperor Battle Team has always respected strength. Once they see your true ability, they will accept you."
"Why shouldn't they be the ones earning my acceptance?" Cheng Xiao muttered jokingly after a moment of contemplation.
"Hm?" Qin Ming was taken aback for a moment, but then shook his head with a smile, "It seems I've underestimated you. Well, we'll see once you get to know each other better."
As they spoke, the two of them arrived at the Emperor Battle Team's training area. Being the team's exclusive training grounds, this part of the academy was particularly quiet and much more spacious than other training areas.
That made sense—after all, the Emperor Battle Team was the academy's pride and would represent them in the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament. Their privileges were naturally greater than those of ordinary students. Moreover, in terms of personnel, the Emperor Battle Team was composed of the academy's best and brightest.
Qin Ming's steps halted in front of a lavishly decorated door. Inside, the room was over two hundred square meters in size. A massive leather sofa, over fifteen meters in length, could seat more than a dozen people. The entire room was predominantly decorated in gold—golden chandeliers, golden wallpaper, everywhere one looked was gilded.
In front of the enormous leather sofa stood a crystal coffee table, adorned with exquisite pastries and drinks.
Currently, there were seven people in the room, each with their unique characteristics. They all appeared to be in their twenties, already entering adulthood, unlike Cheng Xiao, who was still a teenager.
Sitting at the center of the sofa was a man in his early twenties with black hair. His features weren't particularly handsome, and he wore a blue outfit with golden dragon-shaped shoulder guards. His expression was cold and indifferent, giving off an unapproachable vibe.
Beside the black-haired man sat a woman resting her head lazily on his shoulder. She had short, deep purple hair, exuding an air of boldness. The most striking feature about her was her green eyes, which gave her an eerie appearance.
"Yan, I heard that a new member has joined the Emperor Battle Team. It seems he was recommended by the Deans and has some connection to His Highness the Crown Prince. Do you know who he is?" the black-haired man asked indifferently.
"How would I know who he is?" the purple-haired woman responded casually. "But to join the Emperor Battle Team, isn't it customary to rise from the second team?"
"Maybe he's exceptional in some way," the black-haired man said nonchalantly.
"Captain, I bet this kid just got in through connections," another young man spoke up. He was handsome, of average build, and leaned against the large window, fuming. "Damn! I worked so hard to make it to the first team, and this kid sneaks in through the back door? When he gets here, I'll teach him a lesson!"
This young man's name was Yu Feng. His Martial Soul was the Wind Chime Bird, and he was a level thirty-six agility system Battle Soul Master.
Hearing this, the purple-haired girl glanced at him and reminded, "Let's see what he's capable of first. Since he was sent by His Highness, he must have some skills."
"But if he's all show and no substance, he'll have to go back where he came from."