**Chapter 74: It's Been a Long Time**
"Damn it!"
"That blasted announcer, how does he know about this?"
"And mentioning all this information in public..."
At this moment, Tang Hao's face was indeed extremely displeased.
Although the Haotian Sect had benefited greatly from the Tang Yuehua incident, Tang Hao felt like they were humiliating the sect every time this matter was brought up in public.
The Haotian Sect, which held the title of the top sect in the world, had failed to resolve the seemingly simple issue of the sect leader's daughter's inability to cultivate. In the end, it was resolved thanks to a kid who wasn't even part of any faction at the time.
Tang Hao felt a great sense of shame whenever it was brought up.
Furthermore, Gu Ziyi had now become one of the two personal disciples of the Martial Soul Hall's Pope, giving the impression that the Haotian Sect had received favors from the Martial Soul Hall, in the eyes of outsiders.
Especially after hearing the voices from the crowd calling the Haotian Sect stingy, Tang Hao was even more infuriated.
At this moment, he truly wished he weren't so powerful that he could overhear those voices disparaging his sect.
"Die!"
"Soul Skill (Piercing Art): Nine Absolutes of Clear Sky!"
Enraged, Tang Hao unleashed his strongest attack, using the soul skill (Piercing Art) Nine Absolutes of Clear Sky to strike the defensive formation of the Elephant Armored Team with his hammer.
Boom—
Tang Hao, driven by anger and attacking with full force, was still lethal, immediately breaking through the Elephant Armored Team's defenses.
Ultimately, the members of the Elephant Armored Team were defeated one by one by his powerful blows.
The price of this burst of power was the severe exhaustion of his Soul Power, which might make the next battle more difficult!
However, he was still confident of his victory, and with his little sister's assistance, there was nothing to worry about.
Besides, even if the Haotian Sect forfeited a battle or two, they could still advance, so their qualification would not be in jeopardy.
"How about it? Are you confident in defeating Tang Hao?"
After seeing Tang Hao's attack, Gu Ziyi smiled and asked Bibi Dong beside him.
To defeat the Haotian Team, Gu Ziyi knew it was useless to rely on himself and could only depend on Bibi Dong.
"He's very powerful. With Tang Yuehua's help, no one on the team can face him head-on!"
"But that's what makes it fun, isn't it?"
"It would be boring if our opponents were too weak."
After hearing Gu Ziyi's words, Bibi Dong's expression remained unchanged, though she found it very interesting.
She admitted that Tang Hao was strong, but she was no weakling herself!
And even if her team lost, she didn't see it as anything to be ashamed of. The worst outcome would be waiting until the next competition.
By then, no one could stop her from leading her team to victory.
"Younger brother, whether we can defeat them depends on what your fourth soul skill will be!"
Then, Bibi Dong lightly patted Gu Ziyi's arm, smiling.
"Alright, let's wait and see what my fourth soul skill will be!"
Gu Ziyi smiled faintly, quite pleased with Bibi Dong's positive attitude, and felt that the possibility of defeating the Haotian Team might indeed depend on his fourth soul skill.
Let's see what soul skill options he would have when it was time to condense his new Soul Ring.
Then Gu Ziyi continued to accompany the lively Bibi Dong to watch the qualification rounds.
There were many teams participating in these qualifiers, and it would take several days to select the five final teams from this Soul Master Competition.
These would then participate in the promotion competition with ten teams from other parts of the Tiandou Empire.
In the final round, the top-line teams from both Empires and the Martial Soul Hall Team would come into play.
Although he hadn't seen any familiar faces in this competition, he saw many familiar teams and their iconic formations.
For example, the Five Elements Academy Team had the same team style as its future counterpart, easily identifiable at first glance.
"Gu Ziyi, it really is you, isn't it?"
Just as Gu Ziyi continued to enjoy watching the matches, a female voice suddenly called out behind him. He and Bibi Dong both turned their eyes in the direction they were being called.
"Bai Lu! It's you; it's been so long!"
When Gu Ziyi turned around and saw who called him, he immediately recognized her and responded with a smile.
It was Bai Lu, whom he hadn't seen in many years. Bai Lu was just like Tang Yuehua, her appearance hadn't changed much since her youth, except that she had become more mature and beautiful.
Looking at Bai Lu in front of him, Gu Ziyi couldn't help but glance slightly downward. Her long legs were even more dazzling, truly living up to her name. (N/E: In Chinese, his name means Heron, hence this phrase)
"It really is you, Gu Ziyi!"
"What brings you here?"
Upon hearing Gu Ziyi's confirmation, Bai Lu became even more excited, asking curiously why he had come.
She had already spotted him in the stadium across from her. When she saw Tang Yuehua on the ring looking in his direction, she followed her gaze and found him sitting there.
As an old friend, of course, she wanted to confirm it was really him.
"Younger brother, who is she?"
At this moment, Bibi Dong stood up, positioning herself between Gu Ziyi and Bai Lu, asking who Bai Lu was.
"Bai Lu was also one of my classmates back then!"
"Bai Lu, this is my senior sister, whom you may have heard of!"
Gu Ziyi first answered Bibi Dong's question and then introduced her to Bai Lu.
The two women exchanged glances after hearing him.
Bibi Dong immediately recognized Bai Lu upon hearing her name, knowing she was Tang Yuehua's cousin, though she didn't expect her to be so beautiful, which made her feel inexplicably tense.
After hearing Gu Ziyi's introduction, Bai Lu became energetic, looking at Bibi Dong with keen interest.
"So, you're Bibi Dong, the one with twin Martial Souls!"
"You're incredible! I've heard so much about you, but I didn't expect you to be so beautiful."
Then Bai Lu happily looked at Bibi Dong, praising her.
She really envied Bibi Dong for her exceptional talent.
"Sister Bai Lu, you're beautiful as well!"
Upon hearing Bai Lu's words, Bibi Dong gave a small smile. "Sister Bai Lu, aren't you participating in this Soul Master Competition?"
"Yes, I'm participating, but our team doesn't have a match today!"
Bai Lu replied with a smile upon hearing her compliment, then added with a hint of regret: "Our team is just here to take part; it's impossible for us to qualify!"
"Sister Bai Lu, can't you join the Haotian Team? You're Tang Hao and Tang Yuehua's cousin; they're both team members."
"What Team Haotian is doing is truly despicable!"
When Bibi Dong heard what Bai Lu said, she immediately felt sorry for her.
"No, no..." Bai Lu quickly waved her hand. "The Haotian Team never adds any disciples from the affiliated sects."
Upon hearing Bibi Dong's comment on the Haotian Team, Bai Lu explained quickly.
Although she felt Bibi Dong had a point, she couldn't say it herself!
"Hmph, I think they just look down on you!"
Bibi Dong continued, displeased.
"Uh…"
Bai Lu didn't want to talk further about the Haotian Team's issues, so she simply stopped discussing it and made a request to Bibi Dong.
"Your Highness, may I have a private conversation with Gu Ziyi?"
…
(End of Chapter)
N/E: Guys, I use chatgpt to correct some translations so that the text is correct, but recently I noticed that it is disappearing part of the text when editing for me. That is why I ask that if you see any error in the text or inconsistency, please comment, I read all the comments made by you.
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