novelhk Chapter 22 "He who gains the master gains the world"
Chapter 22 "He who gains the master gains the world"
"You little brat, I'll kill you!"
Liu Erlong's boundless rage exploded like thunder on the field.
The light blue flame soul power no longer just swirled around her, but surged out of her body like a volcanic eruption, making her look like a female war goddess reborn from the flames.
Her eyes were fixed on Yang Teng, who was still standing in the same spot, with an expression so calm that it was almost tangible.
"Seventh Soul Skill, Crimson Dragon True Form!"
With an almost screaming sound, the seventh jet-black ten-thousand-year soul ring beneath her feet suddenly erupted with a profound light.
He merged with the blue fire dragon phantom behind him, and his body rapidly expanded in the blazing red light!
In the blink of an eye, a much larger dragon, its scales engulfed in raging flames, took Liu Erlong's place on the arena!
This is the signature Martial Soul True Form of a Soul Saint! Its power is vastly different from its normal state!
Many viewers were so overwhelmed by the sheer force of the atmosphere that they turned pale and could hardly breathe.
In the VIP section, many powerful figures also changed their expressions slightly. Liu Erlong's fearsome reputation as the "Horn of Slaughter" was indeed not an exaggeration!
Gu Yuena's silver hair fluttered slightly, and a hint of coldness flashed in her purple eyes.
She took a small half-step forward, and the elements around her stirred silently, as if they were about to unleash another elemental frenzy at the slightest provocation.
However, a cool and composed figure was a step ahead of her, standing between Yang Teng and the enraged red dragon.
She is Shui Yunxia, the dean of Tianshui College!
This woman, weathered by time, has found her path widening!
A subtle yet extremely resilient and icy aura emanated from Shui Yunxia.
"Seventh Soul Skill, Ice Mantis True Form"
Shui Yunxia's voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.
Beneath her feet, a deep black ten-thousand-year soul ring also lit up, but unlike Liu Erlong's violent and intense transformation, Shui Yunxia's figure appeared hazy and swift in the icy blue light.
As the light faded, what appeared before everyone was a giant mantis with an elegant and slender body, its entire body seemingly sculpted from mysterious ice!
This ice mantis was not as tall as the red dragon, but what was striking were its pair of huge, gleaming ice crystal scythes on its forelimbs. The space around the blades seemed to be slightly distorted by the extreme cold.
It turns out that Dean Shui Yunxia's martial soul is actually a top-tier insect-type martial soul with ice attributes.
"Nine Ice Mantis!"
The Ice Mantis raised a huge ice crystal scythe-like forelimb and precisely blocked the fiery dragon claw of the Crimson Dragon!
boom!
The stalemate caused by the collision lasted only a brief moment.
Ding Ding Deng!
The Crimson Dragon's massive body staggered backward three steps, leaving deep, scorched claw marks on the ground.
The Ice Mantis's true form only slid back a short distance before standing firmly, its pair of ice crystal scythes still gleaming coldly.
The superiority of one over the other is immediately apparent!
From within the Ice Mantis's true form, Shui Yunxia's voice remained calm, yet carried a clear hint of disappointment.
"Liu Erlong, the Killer Horn...you're truly disappointing. As a teacher, you become enraged after your disciple's defeat, disregarding the rules and attacking other participants. Have you only grown a temper over the years, and not a brain?"
"you……!"
From within the true form of the Crimson Dragon came Liu Erlong's roar, a sound both startled and furious.
She hadn't expected Shui Yunxia to be so powerful, subtly suppressing her Crimson Dragon True Form in a direct confrontation! What she found even more unbearable was the mockery and contempt in Shui Yunxia's words.
"Shui Yunxia! Don't forget our golden trio!"
Flander's anxious voice rang out. He and Yu Xiaogang had already rushed to the edge of the stage when Liu Erlong suddenly attacked. Now that they saw Liu Erlong suffering a loss, they could no longer hold back. The two of them jumped onto the stage at the same time and stood side by side with the slightly disheveled Crimson Dragon True Form.
Seven spirit rings—two yellow, two purple, and three black—rose beneath Flander's feet, with a phantom of a cat-owl behind him; Yu Xiaogang's spirit power was too weak to even release his spirit rings.
The three stood still, forming a triangular formation, and their soul power began to resonate and connect in a peculiar way.
The Ice Mantis behind Shui Yunxia was equally defiant.
Just as tensions were about to rise...
"That's enough!"
A deep, authoritative shout, filled with undeniable anger, resounded from the highest point of the VIP section!
The source of the sound is Emperor Xueye!
The supreme ruler of the Heavenly Dou Empire had stood up at some point.
He did not release any soul power pressure, but the imperial majesty he had cultivated from being in a high position for a long time, and the undisguised rage on his face at this moment, formed an aura that was even more terrifying than the pressure of a titled Douluo.
His sharp, eagle-like eyes slowly swept over the people facing off on the stage, and the air seemed to freeze wherever his gaze fell.
"What do you guys think of a spirit-fighting competition?!"
The voice of the Snow Night Emperor echoed in the silent arena.
"Is this a slaughterhouse where you can run rampant, disregard the rules, and openly kill participating students?! You three from Shrek Academy, do you have any respect for the laws of the Empire? Do you even consider this Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament to be a respectful event?!"
Every question struck me like a hammer blow.
Flander's face paled, and he subconsciously withdrew his soul power.
"And the dean of Tianshui Academy, do they all have no respect for the law?"
Shui Yunxia also deactivated her Ice Mantis form and returned to human form. She nodded slightly in the direction of Emperor Xueye, then took two steps back, still standing in front of Yang Teng and Gu Yuena.
Yang Teng raised an eyebrow, and the fluctuating elements around Gu Yuena gradually subsided.
The tense atmosphere on the competition stage just moments ago is now as calm as still water.
This commanding presence and aura of authority, the majesty of an emperor, is sometimes more awe-inspiring than sheer power.
Seeing that everyone was subdued, the anger in Emperor Xueye's eyes subsided slightly, but his majesty remained.
Yu Xiaogang took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
He stepped forward and bowed respectfully in the direction of Emperor Xueye, his posture humble, yet his tone carried a deliberately maintained calm and confidence:
"Your Majesty, I am Yu Xiaogang. I once proposed the theory of the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls, and I am honored by the Soul Master community to be given the humble title of 'Grandmaster'."
He paused slightly, seemingly considering his words, but a hint of barely concealed pride in the corner of his eye, born of this title, was precisely caught by Yang Teng, who had been observing him closely.
"They really have thick skin!"
"master?"
Emperor Xueye pondered for a moment, as if recalling something.
"Oh... I seem to have read some of your published works, and they contain some unique insights."
Upon hearing the emperor personally endorse his theory, Yu Xiaogang, whose face had been tense, finally couldn't help but let out a smile.
His theory has finally received recognition at the highest level!
Just then, Ning Fengzhi, the sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School who had been sitting quietly beside Emperor Xueye, stood up, walked to Emperor Xueye's side, and bowed slightly.
"Your Majesty, this man is none other than Tang San's mentor from the Shrek Academy team. It is said that those children, including Tang San who possesses the fourth ring of ten thousand years, were all trained and mentored by him."
Ning Fengzhi's voice was gentle, yet every word was clear.
"He who gains the master gains the world."
In this competition, almost all of the Shrek Academy kids, despite their young age, have already reached the Soul Master level, demonstrating truly astonishing potential.
As Emperor Xueye listened to Ning Fengzhi's words, his gaze swept over the unconscious Shrek Seven Devils on the stage again, and then glanced at the Tianshui Academy team. Apart from Shui Bing'er, Yang Teng, and Gu Yuena, the other female team members did indeed seem relatively mediocre.
He couldn't help but nod to himself.
Just as Emperor Xueye's mind was beginning to shift slightly, considering whether to take the opportunity to win over this "master" and show care for his disciples, thereby binding these geniuses to the empire.
"Father."
A clear and gentle voice rang out.
Crown Prince Xue Qinghe had arrived at the front of the VIP seats at some point. He first bowed respectfully to Emperor Xue Ye and Ning Fengzhi, then leaned close to Emperor Xue Ye's ear and spoke quickly and clearly in a very low voice.
Emperor Xueye's pupils suddenly contracted, and a look of undisguised shock flashed across his face.
"To break through from Soul Master to Soul Grandmaster in just one month, coupled with two purple and two black soul rings—even the Spirit Hall doesn't have such a prodigy!"
……