The Confidence of the Major Powers

Wang Dong'er opened her beautiful eyes, a hint of surprise flashing through them.

With a thought, the small, exquisite Clear Sky Hammer appeared in her hand.

Compared with before, the hammer seemed darker and glossier, and the sense of power contained within it was even stronger.

"Wonderful!"

She murmured softly to herself, the corners of her lips curving into a captivating smile. "With this reward, my control over the Clear Sky Hammer will become even stronger."

This reward would play a crucial role in helping her balance her Twin Martial Souls and unleash the Clear Sky Hammer's true power in the future.

Immediately afterward, the Golden Ranking announced eighteenth place.

[Douluo Continent Martial Soul Ranking, Eighteenth Place: Azure Shadow Divine Eagle!]

The eighteenth line of the Golden Ranking lit up with a sharp azure glow.

An incomparably majestic eagle shadow appeared, as if it could tear through the vast sky. Even through the ranking list, its speed and sharpness could be felt.

[Martial Soul: Azure Shadow Divine Eagle]

[Affiliated To: Song Yunzhi (Shrek Academy)]

[Martial Soul Assessment: A fusion of extreme speed and razor-sharp attacks, an overlord of the skies and one of the peak representatives of Agility Attack System martial souls. Its possessor has profound cultivation and has brought the martial soul's characteristics to their fullest. Comprehensive Assessment: ranked eighteenth.]

[Reward: Greatly increased speed and agility, all Spirit Ring Lifespans increased by one thousand years, enhanced eagle-eye vision, acquired innate skill "Phantom Gale"!]

"Azure Shadow Divine Eagle! Shrek's Elder Song!"

"Shrek again! That's three in a row!"

"But Elder Song's Azure Shadow Divine Eagle is actually only two places higher than Xian Lin'er's Azure Flame Dragon..."

Three Soul Masters from Shrek Academy having their martial souls listed in succession should have been something worth celebrating.

But the atmosphere inside Sea God's Pavilion grew even heavier.

Because the rankings of these three martial souls were all far below their expectations.

Yan Shaozhe pointed at the names Azure Flame Dragon, Clear Sky Hammer, and Azure Shadow Divine Eagle on the light screen.

His tone carried an unprecedented caution. "Everyone, the situation is already very clear. The Golden Ranking's assessment criteria are extremely stringent. It doesn't only look at a martial soul's current power, but places even greater importance on its fundamental potential and uniqueness."

"Lin'er's Azure Flame Dragon and Elder Song's Azure Shadow Divine Eagle are undoubtedly Top-tier Spirits, but under this standard, they can only rank near the bottom."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone. "Judging from this, although Shrek is the number one academy on the continent, the martial souls that can firmly enter the Top Ten may be counted on one hand."

Xian Lin'er sighed. "Now I'm actually worried about just how many seats the inheritance Shrek takes such pride in can occupy on this Golden Ranking."

Mu En spoke slowly, steadying everyone's morale. "There's no need to be discouraged. Being listed is recognition in itself."

"At the very least, the three people listed so far are all Soul Masters of our Shrek Academy. This is still of great benefit in boosting the academy's morale!"

He cast his gaze into the distance, a deep meaning in his eyes.

Elder Song sat in his seat and did not offer any opinion.

When that pillar of light containing the ultimate profundity of speed descended upon him, his seemingly turbid old eyes suddenly erupted with a sharp, hawk-like gleam!

He felt as if his body had become several times lighter in an instant.

The surrounding wind was no longer resistance. Instead, it had become an extension of his body.

With a single thought, it seemed he could merge into the wind.

His vision had also transformed. The grain of a wooden hut in the distance and the drifting motes of dust in the air had all become incomparably clear.

His dynamic tracking ability had improved by far more than just one level!

And that innate skill called "Phantom Gale" shook him even more.

It was practically a divine skill tailor-made for his Azure Shadow Divine Eagle martial soul!

Once activated, his speed would reach the extreme, and he could leave behind afterimages that were difficult to distinguish, confusing his opponent.

"Whoosh!"

Elder Song slowly stood up without releasing his martial soul.

He merely took a casual step, and his figure appeared ten zhang away like a ghost.

An azure afterimage remained where he had been, slowly dissipating.

"Good... good!"

Elder Song, who had always been steady and detached, could not help saying "good" twice at this moment, his face filled with relief and excitement.

"This old one's speed bottleneck, stagnant for so many years, has actually gained the opportunity to break through!"

"With this reward, even if I encounter a powerful enemy, I can still maneuver around them!"

For an Agility Attack System Soul Master, this was undoubtedly the improvement of his dreams.

Yan Shaozhe, Qian Duoduo, and the others were likewise happy about Elder Song's increase in strength!

Sun Moon Empire, Mingde Hall.

Jing Hongchen looked at the Ranking list, and a meaningful smile appeared on his face. "Shrek, heh. Looks like their so-called top-tier Martial Souls are nothing much before this Golden Ranking after all."

"Azure Flame Dragon at twentieth? Clear Sky Hammer at nineteenth?"

He turned to the aides and analysts behind him and said, "My Sun Moon Empire was founded on Soul Tools. Though we do not specialize in Martial Souls, the imperial family's Purple Blazing Sky Dragon Martial Soul is also a top-tier existence!"

Jing Hongchen seemed to think of something, and a sharp gleam flashed in his eyes.

"The key is, the appearance of this Martial Soul Ranking may allow us to identify those geniuses with top-tier Martial Souls more clearly."

"Whether we recruit them, or... eliminate them in advance, we can be more targeted."

"Continue watching it. Especially those Soul Masters from ordinary backgrounds who possess top-tier Martial Souls!"

The Holy Spirit Cult.

Zhongli Wu looked at the Ranking list, a strange look flashing through his crimson eyes. "Martial Souls? They are merely one vessel for power. Before my Holy Spirit Secret Technique, no matter how powerful a Martial Soul is, in the end it will become nourishment for the holy cult."

Ye Xishui's hoarse voice rang out. "Still, this Ranking list is not entirely useless. Based on the Ranking list, we can Devour some powerful Martial Souls to raise our strength!"

"Zhongli Wu, your Death God Puppet Martial Soul was condensed by Devouring countless souls. Its nature is unique, so it should have a place."

"And Feng Ling's Evil Phoenix. Though it is not orthodox, its power is considerable."

Long Xiaoyao said calmly, "My Dark Holy Dragon should make the list."

Zhongli Wu smiled coldly. "Naturally. My Holy Spirit Cult has experts as numerous as clouds, and our Martial Souls are bizarre and powerful. How could those hypocrites from Shrek compare?"

"I would like to see just how many 'open and honorable' Martial Souls there are in the Top Ten of this Martial Soul Ranking!"

He was filled with confidence in the Holy Spirit Cult's bizarre Martial Souls, believing their uniqueness and power were enough to earn high rankings.

The Body Sect.

Du Busi rubbed his chin as he looked at the Golden Ranking.

His gaze was somewhat complicated.

"The Azure Flame Dragon is only twentieth? The Clear Sky Hammer is only nineteenth? This Ranking list has some bite!"

Golden Peng said in a deep voice from the side, "Sect Master, from the looks of it, our Body Sect's Martial Souls may not be the extreme among Beast Martial Souls or Tool Martial Souls."

"But by relying on the Second Awakening, or even the legendary Golden Tier Awakening, their potential and uniqueness should be recognized by the Golden Ranking."

"Your Body Martial Soul has already reached the peak of the second Golden Tier Awakening. You will definitely rank near the top!"

A hint of arrogance flashed in Du Busi's eyes. "Of course! This body of mine is the strongest Martial Soul! Dragons, hammers, whatever—when trained to the extreme, don't they still need the body to wield them?"

"I am the body itself! In my view, my Body Martial Soul should have no problem entering the Top Ten!"

"Maybe I can even fight for the top five!"

He was filled with extreme confidence in the potential of the Body Martial Soul.