Chapter 225: The Body Sect Team
Thus, Du Qianjue was reluctantly appointed by Elder Du to be the coach for the Body Sect's team at the Soul Master Competition.
Coach...
Du Qianjue was speechless.
He wasn't even eighteen yet and already had to act as a team coach. Tactics were not his forte!
Moreover, the Body Sect didn't bother with any disguises this time. Forget about using the alias "Snow Demon Sect"—they went with their real name!
The sect didn't plot any raids on the Mind Hall this time around, so there were no feuds with the Sun-Moon Empire. The entire zero-cost arms deal from the Mind Hall and the Sun-Moon Empire's military arsenal was blamed on the Holy Spirit Cult instead.
Even using the Body Sect's real name to participate in the competition was of no great concern.
In the three months available, the Body Sect managed to assemble a formidable team. Even though recruiting disciples was challenging, every disciple they accepted was a genius with a unique body spirit.
Plus, the Body Sect's unique training methods meant that the younger generation within the sect was exceedingly strong, no less formidable than those from Shrek's inner court.
Once the team was assembled, Du Qianjue made a public appearance to meet everyone.
At the training grounds, he immediately noticed Wei na hugging a tall man. Several years had passed, and Wei na had grown from a little girl into a stunningly beautiful young woman. However, the way she looked at Du Qianjue was filled with unspoken grievances.
Since he had left the Dio Academy four years ago, he hadn't seen this girl.
It seems Wei na still harbored some feelings about the past...
"Young Sect Master!" The tall man gently extracted his arm from Wei na's embrace and saluted Du Qianjue with a fist.
This was Long Aotian, the strongest young genius of the Body Sect (aside from the exceptional Du Qianjue)! He also lived up to his name, seemingly having cheats enabled.
Even Du Qianjue, who regularly roamed around, had heard of Long Aotian's fame.
His soul ring configuration was impressive: Yellow, Purple, Purple, Black, Black, Black, and Black—breaking into the Soul Sage level before twenty and even mastering the unity of heaven and man, perfectly integrating the sect's battle techniques into his soul skills.
In the Douluo Continent version 2, Long Aotian undeniably held the protagonist's script.
Not only was his cultivation unmatched among his peers, but he also captured the heart of Wei na, a princess of the empire. Wei na was a genius herself, and Du Qianjue could feel that her soul power had also reached the Soul Emperor level.
Moreover, she possessed twin spirits.
However, including Long Aotian and Wei na, none of the seven dared to act out in front of Du Qianjue. Long Aotian wouldn't dare, and neither would the others.
Long Aotian was a genius, but Du Qianjue was an even bigger genius! His cultivation had reached these heights over four years ago, including owning a hundred thousand-year soul ring.
Long Aotian had no doubts that Du Qianjue was possibly on the verge of breaking through to the Titled Douluo level, ready to reach nine rings at any moment.
So, even Long Aotian maintained a respectful fear towards Du Qianjue.
"Ah, Brother Long, long time no see!" Du Qianjue laughed heartily, extending his hand to Long Aotian, who also smiled and shook it.
As geniuses, Du Qianjue and Long Aotian had met before, and Long Aotian had even challenged him once. That was when Long Aotian was still at the Soul King level, and Du Qianjue had suppressed him effortlessly without even releasing his martial soul.
That was why Long Aotian respected him.
"Well, you are the Young Sect Master, a very busy man. It's rare to see you in the sect," Wei na approached with a somewhat resentful tone.
Du Qianjue's mouth twitched heavily, and Long Aotian also looked a bit awkward.
"Still holding a grudge about the past? It's all old history now, why bring it up?" Du Qianjue shook his head in dismay.
After scaring the princess 'green tea' a while back, he hadn't seen her since, and Wei na had fallen in love with Long Aotian during her time in the Body Sect. Mentioning the past in front of Long Aotian was obviously not very appropriate.
Long Aotian was indeed uncomfortable with Wei na's tone of speaking to another man. It was a strange feeling he hadn't experienced before.
Wei na bit her lip and leaned closer to Long Aotian, realizing she might have been too harsh in her 'reunion' with Du Qianjue, which had brought back memories of the past.
She had even employed her ancestral tea ceremony skills back then, only to be outright ignored by Du Qianjue.
That was a huge blow to her pride.
Seeing Du Qianjue now, she couldn't help but be sarcastic.
"Alright, alright, I'll let you off this time," Wei na held Long Aotian's hand and smiled charmingly at Du Qianjue.
Hmph, little man, you don't want me, but others do!
Long Aotian, helpless against his girlfriend's quirky and tender exterior, indulgently ruffled her hair.
"Congratulations to you both. Remember to invite me to your wedding!" Du Qianjue cheerfully offered his blessings.
"Definitely!" Long Aotian nodded earnestly.
Wei na blushed slightly. After spending years with Long Aotian, she understood that her initial feelings for Du Qianjue were just admiration, not true love. Long Aotian was the one who had truly entered her heart.
Another love-struck fool, no doubt.
"And you, when will you introduce us to the Young Sect Master's wife?" To hide her shyness, Wei na smiled and asked Du Qianjue in return.
"She?" Du Qianjue rubbed his chin, casually replying, "Maybe some other time. Let's focus on official matters for now. The Sect Master has appointed me as the coach for this competition. Brother Long, introduce me to the team members."
He hadn't forgotten why he was here—it wasn't to catch up with Long Aotian and Wei na but to review the Body Sect's selected team members.
Long Aotian nodded and gestured to five people standing not far away.
The five, who had been chatting at a distance, approached upon seeing Long Aotian's signal. They had obviously felt it inappropriate to interrupt the conversation among Du Qianjue, Long Aotian, and Wei na.
Wei na, somewhat surprised, asked Du Qianjue, "You're not participating this time? Just accompanying as a coach?"
Du Qianjue glanced at her and dryly tugged at the corner of his mouth, "If I were to compete, what would be left for you? Participating in such a competition would just be outright bullying. It's so boring, I'm not interested in thrashing the weak on the stage."
Thrashing the weak?
Wei na looked at her boyfriend, who had just achieved the Soul Saint level, and then at herself, a twin-soul Soul Emperor genius. Her mindset just collapsed.
"What level are you at now?" Wei na pulled at her sleek hair, looking at Du Qianjue as if he were a ghost.
"Eighty-nine," Du Qianjue said nonchalantly.
Thud—
The five people walking towards them went dark before their eyes, stumbling into a heap.
Even Long Aotian, typically stoic and composed, couldn't help but sway a little, feeling a bit weak in the knees.
"Eighty-nine?!" Wei na's voice went up by eight octaves, her usually gentle and pleasant voice becoming somewhat shrill.
"If I'm not mistaken, you're about my age, right? I just broke through to Soul Emperor, and you're about to break through to Titled Douluo?!"
"Basic operations, don't worship me, I'm just a legend! In all of Douluo Continent, there's only one badass like me!" Du Qianjue waved his hand low-key.
The five who had fallen scrambled up, one of them suddenly darted forward to Du Qianjue, rubbing his hands and smiling, "Young Sect Master, why don't you join after all? As long as you don't take action normally, and only step in when we encounter an unbeatable opponent, wouldn't that be fine?"
"Who are you?" Du Qianjue looked at this overly familiar figure, raising an eyebrow.
"Hehe, I'm Wang Yanfeng!" Wang Yanfeng grinned.
"Oh—you're the one with the arms as your spirit, right? Not bad, you've broken through to Soul Emperor!" Du Qianjue smiled and shook his hand.
This guy was also a member of the Body Sect team in the original story, the first to compete in the one-on-one round of the quarter-finals, unfortunately blown away by Huo Yuhao.
But he was still commendable in strength.
"Compared to Young Sect Master, it's nothing." Wang Yanfeng was a bit embarrassed by Du Qianjue's praise, scratching his head awkwardly.
To be honest, among their generation of young people, Du Qianjue was almost a common idol, even though he wasn't often at the Body Sect. But almost all young members of the Body Sect knew they had a uniquely talented Young Sect Master.
Finally seeing his idol in person, how could Wang Yanfeng not be excited?
Not just him, but the four behind him also looked at Du Qianjue with admiring eyes.
"You don't trust Brother Long's strength? With Brother Long's abilities, he's more than capable of blasting through this competition," Du Qianjue teased Wang Yanfeng.
Du Qianjue's words successfully ignited Long Aotian's spirit, his fierce gaze instantly directed at Wang Yanfeng, making the outspoken member sweat profusely.
"Cough, cough, not at all! I absolutely trust Big Brother Long, but isn't it even more secure with Young Sect Master here?" Wang Yanfeng wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, laughing apologetically.
"Enough, no need to persuade further. I'm not interested in participating in this competition, just work hard on your own," Du Qianjue shook his head, his tone casual but his words clearly resolute.
"Introduce yourselves!"
"Young Sect Master, my name is Gu Tong, my spirit is my eyes, a psychic control system Soul King, my body spirit is silver grade, second awakening." A somewhat shy and delicate-looking young man spoke first. His eyes were particularly bright, shining like stars, a feature of his spirit.
"Young Sect Master, my name is Jiang Yixi, my spirit is my palms, an aggressive system Soul King, my body spirit is bronze grade, second awakening." Jiang Yixi had a striking appearance and an energetic aura, most noticeable were her jade-like pristine white, slender palms.
"Young Sect Master, my name is Chen Lv, my spirit is my calves, an aggressive system Soul King, my body spirit is bronze grade, second awakening." Chen Lv, true to his name, appeared very stable. His spirit, the calves, was also different from others, being longer but as thick as his thighs.
"My name is Wang Yanfeng, my spirit is my arms, my body spirit is bronze grade, second awakening, aggressive system Soul Emperor!" Wang Yanfeng also patted his chest.
After the five introduced themselves, Long Aotian also spoke: "Long Aotian, my spirit is my skin, my body spirit is silver grade, second awakening, aggressive system Soul Saint."
Royal Flush!
Once Long Aotian spoke, the air changed.
Wei na, who had calmed down, returned to her usual gentle demeanor, softly saying, "Wei na, my spirits are the snow lotus and the brain, dual system of support and psychic control, currently five soul rings with the snow lotus and six with the brain, my body spirit is silver grade, second awakening."
Wei na's introduction was the longest and most explosive, nearly rivaling Long Aotian in terms of shock.
Du Qianjue knew the colors of her second spirit's soul rings—all six were black, ten-thousand-year soul rings. If her second spirit's soul skills were mostly psychic attacks, then she would be one of the top powerhouses in this competition.
This was the Body Sect's team: one Soul Saint, two Soul Emperors, four Soul Kings, three silver grade second awakenings, and four bronze grade second awakenings.
Without Huo Yuhao, this team from the Body Sect was more than capable of dominating the entire Soul Fighting competition.
Of course, if the Holy Spirit Cult also participated, the Soul Saint Ye Feng could still be quite oppressive, and the Bone Dragon spirit was very powerful.
It might even give Long Aotian a run for his money.
As for Xiao Hongchen, who also potentially broke through to Soul Saint by burning his potential?
While he might have some strength, in a competitive match, he was far from Long Aotian's match. If it came down to it, Long Aotian could teach Xiao Hongchen a lesson with a single Wild God Slash.
"I might as well introduce myself too," Du Qianjue also smiled and joined in.
They were all listing their spirits and cultivation like announcing their menu items. If Du Qianjue didn't show off a bit, it seemed a bit out of place!
"Du Qianjue, cultivation at the eighty-nine level Soul Douluo, my spirit is myself, gold grade, second awakening." Du Qianjue smiled lightly, releasing his spirit briefly. The powerful aura swept out, instantly increasing the pressure on Long Aotian and the other seven.
Yellow, Purple, Purple, Black, Black, Black, Red, Red!
Just by releasing his spirit, Du Qianjue quickly retracted it.
Wang Yanfeng grimaced, still not giving up, and asked him again, "Young Sect Master, are you really not participating? If you join, our sense of security would greatly increase!"
Even Long Aotian subconsciously nodded along with the others.
He couldn't guarantee his invincibility; if Du Qianjue could surpass him so much at the same age, it meant that others might be stronger than him too.
A person could be proud, but not arrogant or dismissive of everything.
Long Aotian indeed hoped to lead the Body Sect to victory in the competition. Such a chance to shine for the sect was not something he wanted to miss due to his own shortcomings.
With Du Qianjue there, it would add a layer of insurance for the Body Sect. Even if it meant losing the captain's position to Du Qianjue, he wouldn't hesitate.
"I'll think about it. Isn't there still three months?" Du Qianjue was a bit helpless; winning or losing the competition really wasn't that important to him. Shrek was gone, and participating in the competition wouldn't allow him to strike at Shrek with full force.
Why else would he participate in the competition?
(End of Chapter)
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