Chapter 122: The Final Victory
"Congratulations to Di Ao Academy for winning this championship!" Huang Jin Xu's voice, amplified by soul power, reverberated throughout the venue, instantly igniting the emotions of all spectators. There were those who cheered joyfully, those who were disheartened, and those who cursed loudly. The jubilant ones were mostly Du Qianjue's fans and the citizens of the Tianhun Empire. The disheartened were gamblers who had blindly bet on Shrek Academy to win at the start of the tournament. The ones cursing were fans of Shrek Academy.
They had traveled from far and wide to Star Luo City to watch Shrek compete, only to see Shrek perform disastrously and then surrender in the final match. This left them not only furious but also deeply disappointed in Shrek. The prestige of this sanctuary of soul masters was crumbling.
The members of Shrek, red-eyed and tearful, heard the spectators' insults but had no words to counter them. A loss was a loss.
Xiaoxiao stood quietly in the corner, feeling upset, yet unable to truly empathize with them anymore. There wasn't much left to pack at the hotel; her belongings were mostly in her storage soul guidance device, and she didn't plan to return. Without saying goodbye to anyone, she left the Shrek team.
Back in the Di Ao Academy's waiting area, everyone was shouting and cheering. They rushed onto the stage and tightly hugged Du Qianjue, who was still posing with his hands behind his back. Then, in a moment of unified action, they lifted him and threw him into the air.
"Hooray, we won!"
"We are the champions!"
The crowd was infected by their joy, spontaneously shouting two names:
"Di Ao Academy!"
And...
"Du Qianjue!"
High above, hidden from view, Du Busi watched with relief as his teammate Du Qianjue was tossed into the air by his team.
"Not bad. Though it was expected, it's finally a face-saving victory for my Du family and the Body Sect!" Du Busi nodded in satisfaction, then gazed wistfully at the distant sky.
"Big brother, if only you could see this moment... You would be satisfied with Qianjue, right?"
Du Busi walked on clouds, facing the sunset alone in his sorrow.
After everyone brought Du Qianjue down from the air, they walked off the stage, laughing and talking. The Soul Master Tournament had lasted over a month and was finally coming to an end. Du Qianjue had gained a lot, including two valuable dragon pills that made the time spent worthwhile, even if it had taken several times longer.
Now, he was waiting for Xu Jiawei to present the champion's rewards before he could leave.
Back in the waiting area, a delicate and soft voice caught Du Qianjue's attention.
"Can I join the Body Sect?" Xiaoxiao turned around, standing in front of Du Qianjue with a somewhat nervous tone. She was worried about not being accepted into the Body Sect because she didn't have a native martial soul.
"Join our Body Sect? Why?" Du Qianjue was surprised. "Shrek Academy is willing to let you go?"
"That doesn't sound like them. They don't seem like the type to give up on a talent like you."
Hearing this, Xiaoxiao looked a bit dejected.
"I've already withdrawn from Shrek Academy."
Upon hearing this, Du Qianjue stroked his chin, intrigued. She had withdrawn on her own from Shrek Academy?
That's interesting.
Then, Xiaoxiao explained the whole situation, leaving Du Qianjue utterly stunned and forcing him to revise his understanding of Wang Yan's unscrupulousness. He had thought Wang might cheat a little but didn't expect this level of manipulation.
"Then I should thank your Teacher Wang for sending a twin martial soul talent to our Body Sect," Du Qianjue laughed and ruffled Xiaoxiao's hair.
"You agree?" Xiaoxiao looked up, her large eyes sparkling.
"Welcome to the Body Sect," Du Qianjue smiled, extending his hand. "Once you join the Body Sect, we're family. If you don't mind, you can call me 'brother.'"
"Family, huh..." Xiaoxiao murmured softly, looking at the hand Du Qianjue extended, and with a bright smile, she placed her slender hand in his.
"Brother~"
Great, +1 for the loli sister.
During the final award ceremony, Du Qianjue intended to let Wei Feng go up, but Wei Feng adamantly refused, insisting that without Du Qianjue, there would have been no victory. He then pushed Du Qianjue onto the stage.
Du Qianjue stood somewhat foolishly on the high platform, watched by hundreds of thousands. Normally, this would be a proud moment—the kind of spotlight previously reserved for Shrek's champions. But Du Qianjue felt uncomfortable under the gaze of so many, akin to a monkey on Mount Emei facing the tourists.
Xu Jiawei, who was particularly fond of speaking, went on and on. Couldn't he learn from Xu Tianran to keep things simple?
Suppressing the urge to punch Xu Jiawei in the face, Du Qianjue endured the torturous ceremony and casually picked three soul bones with the strongest energy fluctuations from the ten provided. Then, he quickly made his escape. After all, while all the soul bones were top-quality millennia-old artifacts, none were exceptionally strong, and Xu Jiawei wasn't foolish enough to give away treasures from the imperial vault.
After returning to the hotel, Du Qianjue casually handed two of the soul bones to Wei Feng and prepared to leave with Xiaoxiao. Wei Feng had intended to give all three to Du Qianjue, but Du Qianjue refused, having initially wanted none. However, considering the value of soul bones and his significant efforts in the competition, he decided to keep one strength-type soul bone.
"Don't forget to prepare my reward, Your Majesty. I brought the championship back," Du Qianjue reminded Wei Feng before leaving.
Soul bones might be optional, but the wool from the Tianhun Emperor must be sheared!
Under Wei Feng's resigned gaze, Du Qianjue spread his pitch-black wings, scooping up Xiaoxiao and soaring into the sky towards the outskirts of Star Luo City.
Du Busi should be waiting for him outside the city by now.
Du Qianjue needed to find Du Busi and entrust Xiaoxiao to him to take back to the Body Sect. Only then could Du Qianjue comfortably head to the Northernmost Land in search of the Xue Linglong. He had planned to go there right after the tournament, not wanting to waste a moment.
A month without seeing her was too long.
Once he found the Xue Linglong, Du Qianjue planned to take her on a journey across the continent.
The black streak of light that was Du Qianjue paused in the sky outside Star Luo City, and Du Busi 's figure instantly appeared before him.
"You this..."
(End of Chapter)