Obviously, nobody thought the odds were in Tang Wulin’s favor. In everyone’s eyes, with Long Yue’s power, there was no way that he could lose this match.
He had six rings! Besides being a six-ringed Soul Emperor, he even possessed the bloodline of the Mountain Dragon King of the Eight Great Dragon Kings 1 .
The precise time this battle between two dragons would end had become a hot topic among numerous gambling companies. As for the outcome of the match, it seemed that it was already decided the moment they entered the finals.
Even so, very few citizens of the Star Luo Empire felt that this was something that they could take pride in. Tang Wulin had reached the finals at only fifteen years old! In the history of the Continental Young High-Ranking Soul Masters Elite Competition, this was unprecedented.
As he sat cross-legged on the bed, Tang Wulin’s spirits were completely focused on the internal condition of his own body. His blood essence surged. The faint golden bloodline aura and the milky white Mysterious Heaven Method soul power merged into one and flowed calmly like the great Yangtze River. They flowed completely throughout his entire form.
At long last, he had reached the finals. Tomorrow would be the deciding match. It would also be his turn to face Long Yue. This battle was both the final bout and their final confrontation. He had already rid himself of all unnecessary thoughts. No matter what happened, he would fight with all his might.
Ever since he finished the second evolution of his martial soul, where the Bluesilver Grass turned into the Bluesilver Emperor, his cultivation base could be said to have advanced at a tremendous pace. It was much faster than what his rate of improvement had been before. His soul power had just broken through rank-42 yesterday. After rank-40, the growth rate of a soul master’s soul power would noticeably slow down. Before this, he would never have dreamed of being able to climb ranks this quickly.
If he continued to cultivate like this, he was confident that he could reach the rank of a five-ringed Soul King in two years at most. A seventeen-year old Soul King. This alone would earn him a place in Shrek’s history.
Tomorrow would be the match. Tang Wulin was not overly nervous, but at the same time, he did not allow himself to get too relaxed either. Even if he knew quite well that this match was not going to go his way, given that the difference in strength would make victory difficult, he still would spare no effort. Regardless of the outcome, he would give it everything he had.
He seized every opportunity to improve himself and grow stronger. Teacher Wu had not made an appearance at all from start to finish, nor did he give them any points to ponder on. Although earlier, it was said that he did not care about them, Tang Wulin now understood that Teacher Wu’s non-appearance was actually because he wanted to completely hand over this cultivation opportunity to them and let them make their own choices.
That was right! Father had said that the only one whom a person could trust and rely on completely throughout one’s life was oneself. If the sentence was applied to the current situation, it should be one’s own strength.
Never rely on anyone else! Only by one’s own strength could one truly be powerful.
Ye Xinglan lay on the bed. Her delicate face was ghastly pale. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and she scowled every now and then. Her aura was clearly weaker, that was a sign of her waning blood essence.
Xu Lizhi sat on the side of the bed. His heart was heavy with worry as he looked at her.
In the end, she had fallen ill. To be more precise, she had exhausted herself. Had he not been beside her at that moment and given her treatment in due time, who knows what would have happened.
‘Sister Xinglan, you’re staunch to a fault! You’re too keen on winning.’
Xu Lizhi raised his flabby, fan-like hand and placed it gently on Ye Xinglan’s forehead, feeling for her gradually decreasing body temperature. He lightly caressed her hair twice.
‘I think this is the only way you’d ever take a break. Sister Xinglan, you must get well soon! I’m just too weak. But no matter what, next time, I will never allow you to harm yourself like this.’
Xie Xie was the only one who was not resting or cultivating. As he stood on the balcony, he placed his arms on the rails to support his own body. His expression was relaxed and at ease. He felt the night wind blowing against him, a faint smile hanging on the edge of his lips.
What a delightful, relaxing sensation. This was how an agility-system soul master should feel. Freedom was the source of agility.
The other day, after Yuanen Yehui carried him back, he had slept for a day before he woke up. At that point, he felt as if he was completely remade. His very being was unlike who he had been before. He held on to that sublime feeling. These days, every moment brought a new change in him. Both his attitude and strength were changing.
He finally had a vague understanding as to why he was only able to control one clone before this. It was because he was too nervous, and he had not relaxed enough. What he needed was inspiration, not tension or restriction.
‘Yuanen, just you wait, I’ll be more powerful than you! One day, I’ll be the prince wearing golden armor and divine clothes, and I’ll take you as my wife.
Yuanen Yehui cultivated silently in her room. She had always been hardworking, even though she was gifted with many natural talents. Her innate gifts had never affected her diligence. Only she herself knew that her cultivation speed was actually not that fast. Although her two top-ranked martial souls were powerful, they clashed because both were fighting for dominance. She had to perfectly harmonize the relationship between them before she could continue to improve her own cultivation base.
She had always been hardworking, as she was determined to become powerful. Only sufficient strength could equip her with the means to accomplish her goal, the one which she dreamed of.
She was glad that she had so many formidable companions around her. If it were not for them, she would have no idea how far her abilities had reached compared to her peers. It was precisely because of them that she could start crafting one-word battle armor from spirit alloy. In the near future, when her cultivation base had reached her desired rank, it would be time for her to return.
Xu Xiaoyan was already sound asleep as she lay sprawled on the bed. On the other hand, Yue Zhengyu was still awake. He was lying on his side, looking at Xu Xiaoyan on the edge of the bed. His gaze was full of gentleness.
Ever since he had been injured the other day, she had been taking care of him. They had never said more than a few words. Everything appeared very natural and relaxed. Indeed, it was this feeling that made Yue Zhengyu felt warm inside.
He was born into a clan which was strict about rank. Whether the bloodline of the family was pure or not, even the line of the clansman had rigid ranks. He was lucky that he was the future heir to the main line and was the young master of the clan. Since he was little, he had grown up in an atmosphere where he was showered with care and admiration. Of course, there was also some envy, but he never cared about that. He had always felt that he was himself. He was the representative of the Holy Angel Clan.
It was only when he came to Shrek Academy that he started to understand that he was not the most powerful among his peers. Although the Holy Angel martial soul was powerful, he had never been able to unleash its full potential. He still had a long way to go before he could become a true expert.
When he was with the clan, he was always like the moon surrounded by a myriad of stars. His clan even chose some girls of equal social rank in the clan to play with him when he was ten so that he could pick the one he liked the most among them.
However, that was also the period where he was the most rebellious. The more it was presented to his face, the more he disliked it. He especially disliked the girls who put on airs just to get close to him. Some of them acted cold and proud, some of them acted gentle, and some of them acted refined and cultured. In his eyes, all of this was all just an act.
That was why he suggested that he study in Shrek Academy. He had wanted to be away from the shackles of his clan, so he could explore the outside world. He wanted to see what kind of beautiful flames burned outside of his clan.
He came to Shrek, and he met the companions around him. There was Yuanen Yehui who was stronger than himself, and there were Tang Wulin and Gu Yue who were one grade below them, yet were incredibly stronger.
He started to see his own shortcomings, and he began learning how to work hard. So not to fall behind the others, he worked harder than anyone else. Even so, the age of fifteen was precisely where one was youthful and undergoing puberty. He would still take notice of the girls around him.
There was no shortage of beautiful girls at Shrek Academy. There were also many of his classmates who were interested in him. After all, he had a noble background and extraordinary strength.
However, he did not take a liking to any of them.
Only when he came out this time did he gradually notice that another figure had started occupying his heart. That figure was very blurry. In the beginning, he did not even know who she was.
Only when he was gravely injured and unconscious this time did he hear a sobbing voice constantly calling on him. When he was awake, her figure was always by his side.
His heart, which had always been closed, was now warming up. He greatly liked this feeling of being taken care of. He liked it so much that even when his body had fully recovered, he remained on the bed and did not tell her that he had recovered.
This was because he knew that if he was fully healed, she would not have a reason to stay by his side. Then, he would not have the opportunity to constantly look at her while he was conscious.
He raised his arm and gently caressed her face. She was slightly haggard-looking, and it was all because of him.
Without making a sound, he got off the bed and gently carried her in his arms. He carefully laid her down on his own bed. She was clearly very tired, as she slept so deeply that she did not wake up.