Chapter 110: Our Team Deploys Du Qianjue First! (Two-in-One)
"Greetings to Senior Du," Yan Shaozhe said with a slight bow.
Du Qianjue, being from the same generation as Mu En and having even broken through the limit, commanded respect, and Yan Shaozhe's greeting was perfectly appropriate.
"No need for formalities," Du Qianjue waved his hand dismissively, not a fan of such outward displays.
"You're here on Mu En's behalf, right?"
"Yes, my master is indisposed and cannot travel. This is a gesture of apology to the Body Sect from him," Yan Shaozhe nodded, retrieving a wooden box containing the Dragon Pill from his storage soul device.
"My master asked me to convey a message: Du Qianjue, Xu Sanshi was in the wrong, and we at Shrek acknowledge this. I will certainly discipline him, but I hope this doesn't affect the relationship between Shrek and the Body Sect."
Du Qianjue snatched the wooden box from Yan Shaozhe's hand through the air, not bothering to open it but stashing it directly into his storage soul device. He trusted that if Mu En had decided to hand it over, there wouldn't be any tricks. Otherwise, Du Qianjue was always ready to make a personal visit to Shrek.
The decision wasn't Mu En's to make—it was his, Du Qianjue's.
Mu En wouldn't dare to play any tricks with the Dragon Pill. At most, he might annoy Du Qianjue a bit, but the ensuing conflict would surely escalate into a war between the two powers. Mu En, intent on placating Du Qianjue, wouldn't act so foolishly.
Mu En was no fool like Xu Sanshi.
"I had thought about visiting Shrek to have a chat with Mu En after the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Competition," Du Qianjue remarked, looking at Yan Shaozhe with an indifferent tone.
Sweat beaded on Yan Shaozhe's forehead. He was well aware of what Du Qianjue implied with his words. Facing a Limit Douluo like Du Qianjue, one who had a second awakening of a golden core body spirit, could spell disaster if unleashed in Shrek.
No wonder his teacher had sent him personally to Star Luo City.
Was it so hard to just stay in Shrek and not cause trouble? Shrek could certainly afford to keep him!
Two outings had nearly led to catastrophe for Shrek—once almost annihilating the official team and another time almost bringing about their total destruction by a Limit Douluo...
A group destruction engine?
Yan Shaozhe seriously doubted whether Xu Sanshi ever considered himself a part of Shrek. If not for growing up in Shrek, Yan would suspect Xu was a spy sent by another power.
(Body Sect: Indeed, it's our great elder!)
Du Qianjue ignored Yan Shaozhe's inner turmoil, stating, "Since Mu En doesn't really want to see me, I won't go. Let's consider the matter with Xu settled."
"However, if there is a next time, don't blame the forces of the Body Sect for descending upon Shrek."
"Senior Du, please rest assured, we at Shrek have no intention of starting a war with the Body sect," Yan Shaozhe replied, managing a strained smile.
Both being Limit Douluos, Mu En was more restrained, whereas Du Qianjue was domineering and unrestrained. The pressure Du Qianjue exerted on Yan Shaozhe was far greater than any his teacher Mu En could impose.
"Hmph," Du Qianjue snorted and vanished from the spot.
Seeing Du Qianjue finally leave, Yan Shaozhe couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
"I thought being a level 96 soul master made me one of the continent's top powerhouses, but I stand no chance against a real powerhouse," Yan Shaozhe said with a bitter smile, his gaze hardening.
"I am not strong enough yet. Level 96 is far from sufficient!"
Perhaps this was also why Mu En had sent him. Having never really faced adversity, Yan Shaozhe had developed a stubborn and somewhat indecisive character. Shrek had made him, but also limited him.
The so-called glory of Shrek was what prevented him from seeing higher vistas. Only by letting go of that immediate glory could Yan's resolve truly solidify, and his determination to grow stronger emerge.
Only a truly transformed Yan Shaozhe would qualify to support Shrek in the future.
Mu En had indeed worried extensively about Shrek's legacy...
Aside from him, everyone seemed to drag Shrek down. It wasn't easy for Mu En.
After completing his mission, Yan Shaozhe had no intention of lingering in Star Luo City. The change in his mindset had already loosened his cultivation bottleneck, and he needed to return to Shrek to break through it.
When Yan Shaozhe reemerged, he would likely be a level 97 powerhouse.
Du Qianjue, who had also been strolling through the streets, vanished on the spot as Du Qianjue abruptly took hold of his fate's nape, unnoticed by anyone.
Du Qianjue, grasped by fate's nape: ?
"Great-uncle, what are you doing—ouch!" Du Qianjue held a candied haw in his left hand and cotton candy in his right, giving Du Qianjue a grievous look.
"The thing you wanted, Shrek has delivered," Du Qianjue rolled his eyes.
Really? Still eating sweets at your age?
"Oh? Is it the Dragon Pill?" Du Qianjue's eyes lit up, tossing the candied haw and cotton candy into a nearby bin and rubbing his hands eagerly at Du Qianjue.
Though he already possessed a more powerful Bright Dragon King's Pill, who would complain about having too many good things?
Seeing Du Qianjue's greedy appearance, Du Qianjue couldn't help but chuckle.
He casually took out the box made from the trunk of the Golden Tree and tossed it to Du Qianjue, who clumsily caught it.
"Hey, great-uncle, be careful with throwing it. What if it broke?" Du Qianjue cradled the box, grinning.
"Come off it, if you can't catch it as a Soul Sage, you might as well dig a hole and bury yourself," Du Qianjue scoffed, "I'm leaving. Handle the Dragon Pill yourself."
On his way to find Du Qianjue, Du Qianjue had already checked the Dragon Pill. Although he could trust Mu En not to play any tricks, it was still safer to check it himself.
Du Qianjue nodded, opened the box, and the radiant golden Dragon Pill shone with a soft golden light, instantly warming him with its rich aura of light.
Dragon Pills were indeed marvelous. Though the energy contained might not match that of the Ice Bear King, the purity of its dragon essence was far more enticing than the bear's raw power.
It was a difference in quality and quantity.
It hadn't been in vain that Du Qianjue had gone to such lengths to extort this treasure from Mu En. Even if he didn't absorb it himself, using it to boost the Body Sect's power—potentially elevating Jin Peng to a limit level by bringing him to level 98—made it worthwhile.
Jin Peng's spirit was his torso, currently a level 97 ultra Douluo. Once he broke through to level 98 and absorbed the Dragon Pill, he stood a real chance of reaching the limit.
What was the strongest aspect of a dragon? Magic? Spirit?
No! It was the body—or in other words, the torso!
This Dragon Pill had a high chance of enhancing and evolving Jin Peng's spirit, possibly even achieving a second awakening of a golden core body spirit.
Du Qianjue stroked his chin, decided on the Dragon Pill's destiny.
Although useful, the Dragon Pill had limited benefits for him. Already possessing a Bright Dragon King's Pill, another of the same light attribute would merely serve as a reserve of energy.
And energy was what Du Qianjue least lacked.
Better to use it to strengthen the Body Sect's foundations. A sect with two limit-level forces would make even those from Heaven Dou Sect think twice before engaging.
Du Qianjue didn't care if Heaven Dou Sect had withdrawn from the world. As long as it was under Tang San, he'd cover the map and strike without hesitation!
"Thinking about it, Great Uncle Jin Peng has also made significant contributions. It's about time he received his due rewards," Du Qianjue thought, remembering Jin Peng dealing with sect affairs back at the Body Sect, his hair visibly thinning.
"Right, I've decided. I'll find a way to help Great Uncle Jin Peng reach level 98 first, then let him absorb the Dragon Pill to break through the limit."
"As for the sect's affairs… isn't there still a sect leader? Not my problem!"
"After the competition ends, I'm taking Xue'er on a journey across the continent. Absolutely not sticking around as a workaholic sect member!"
Content with his plans, Du Qianjue stored the box in his Starlight Sapphire storage ring and tore through space to return to his room.
The next day, the fourth round of the competition.
The previous round had seen them facing a Soul Guidance School from the Sun-Moon Empire, who had luckily made it to the top 32 with their powerful soul guidance devices despite only having one Soul King.
Unfortunately, they had come up against Diao Academy.
Even without Du Qianjue, who was in seclusion, the luxurious lineup of one Soul Emperor and six Soul Kings from Diao Academy had swiftly crushed the insignificant Soul Guidance School.
Now came the round of sixteen.
The sixteen teams would be drawn into two brackets: the upper and lower halves.
Each bracket of eight teams would take turns battling; each team was guaranteed at least three fights, with a maximum of five.
And at this stage, the competition format would no longer just be single combats. There would be one-on-one, team fights, and triple-threat matches to contend with.
Victories in each would accumulate points: a win in both the one-on-one and team fights would secure a straight victory over the opposing team, tallying three points.
Surrenders were treated similarly.
If a team won one match but lost two in the three scheduled fights, the victory would still add points.
A team winning two out of three would accumulate two points.
After the round-robin, the top four teams by points would advance to the quarter-finals, while the bottom four would be eliminated.
When Du Qianjue first saw these rules, his head buzzed.
Such a simple competition process, yet made so complicated. Why not just state that unbeaten teams would claim the championship?
When Du Qianjue voiced this, the team leader explaining the rules just froze, then earnestly nodded in agreement.
"Yes, Du, you're right. Just keep winning; the rules really aren't that important."
Your power speaks the truth!
The team leader grinned outwardly but inwardly cursed.
Because what Du Qianjue said was indeed true! With his strength, both one-on-one and team fights were guaranteed wins; the triple-threat match wasn't even necessary for a clean sweep.
Are the rules important?
Not at all!
Thus, the Diao Academy's team leader gave up. This might be the most relaxed he had ever been in any Soul Master competition.
There was no need to think about possible hidden cards from opponents or discuss tactics.
Just one strategy: deploy Du Qianjue, end the match!
Wei Feng and Lin Weivei, along with the others, thought about it and realized it made sense. With Du Qianjue leading, they were like a battleship. They might as well join in doing nothing.
Only Wei Feng, the team captain, couldn't slack off because he had to represent Diao Academy at the draw.
On the stage.
Emperor Xu Jiawei of Star Luo prattled on and on, while Diao Academy's members joked and laughed below, Lin Weivei even peeling grapes for Du Qianjue.
Wei Feng stood on the stage, feeling numb.
The captains of the other fifteen teams eyed him warily; to them, if their teams wanted to win the championship, the biggest obstacle was Diao Academy!
Their vigilant stares almost made Wei Feng feel like an enemy of the entire world.
I'm not the protagonist, look at Du Qianjue down there dancing and enjoying himself!
Wei Feng internally roared in frustration.
After Xu Jiawei's lengthy speech, the drawing of lots finally began.
The sixteen team captains formed a circle with a soul guidance device in the center, which featured a small round hole at the top. The half-bracket placement for the top sixteen would soon be ejected from this hole.
Everyone watched intently, waiting for the draw to start.
"This season's top sixteen placement draw begins now!"
The referee shouted and pressed a button beside him. The soul guidance device instantly ejected sixteen opaque balls into the air.
The captains leaped up, each grabbing the ball they eyed.
Upon opening the balls, they would see their final placement.
Battle zones: Upper half: Shrek Academy, Sun-Moon Royal Soul Guidance Academy, Sky True Academy, Thousand Spirit Academy...
Lower half:
Diao Academy, Star Luo Royal Academy, Fighting Spirit Academy... First match of the upper half:
Shrek Academy vs. Sky True Academy.
First match of the lower half:
Diao Academy vs. Fighting Spirit Academy!
(End of Chapter)