National Youth Soul Master Competition

"National Youth Soul Master Competition?! Hahaha... Talk about getting exactly what I wanted! As long as I take first place, I'll be able to develop a force of my own in Haori City! Hahaha..." Hu Haoran's eyes immediately lit up when he heard the news.

"What kind of force do you want to develop? Since Haori City is close to the Kingdom Alliance, public security there is terrible. Even the nation's regular army would be ineffective there. You need to think this through." Seeing Hu Haoran's expression, Liu Daoran could not help reminding him.

Hu Haoran merely laughed it off. As long as he had enough strength, he would be the boss wherever he went! Smiling, he said, "A chaotic city means it needs a powerful city lord. I may be young, but I have great potential, and I have plenty of confidence. I am an ambitious person. Since I want the Blue Electric Tyrant Dragon Clan to shine once more, I must make my clan stand at the very peak of the continent and look down upon the world!"

Liu Daoran looked at the bright-eyed Hu Haoran and smiled faintly, neither opposing nor encouraging him. "My era has already passed, while your progress has been incredibly fast. Perhaps one day, I will see the Blue Electric Tyrant Dragon Clan's glory return to the land. Do whatever you want! Grandpa Liu supports you! I'll return to the border shortly and tell your father about the Ling and Mu families. There are also powerful opponents in the National Youth Soul Master Competition. You must win the championship. Remember, everyone in the Hu Family is a champion!"

Hu Haoran nodded. His confidence in building his own force came more from the Douluo System. With a heaven-defying cheat like the Douluo System, not to mention building the number one force, even unifying the Luo Continent would not be difficult.

Seeing Hu Haoran so confident, Liu Daoran had nothing more to say and immediately prepared a horse to return to the border.

After Hu Haoran and Liu Daoran finished their discussion, Taohua quietly came to Hu Haoran's side again.

"Taohua, you're here. I was just about to look for you." Hu Haoran smiled faintly upon seeing her.

"What did you need me for, Young Master?" Taohua asked in surprise.

"There are two things I want to tell you." Hu Haoran poured himself a cup of tea and spoke as he drank it. "First, I want to participate in the National Youth Soul Master Competition."

"Now that your martial soul has awakened, Young Master, you are indeed qualified to participate in the National Youth Soul Master Competition, which is held once every five years. But your martial soul only awakened recently... I heard this year's lineup of Soul Masters is especially strong. Some are already twenty-nine, nearly thirty, and their Soul Power has even reached the height of a level-forty Soul Ancestor. I'm afraid that you... " Taohua voiced her concerns.

"There are actually contestants at the Soul Ancestor level? Why don't you tell me about the eligibility requirements for this competition first? Then I'll decide whether to participate." Although Hu Haoran had learned of the competition from Liu Daoran, he did not yet know the details.

"Since you want to know, Young Master, I'll explain it to you. But you must think carefully!" Taohua reminded Hu Haoran uneasily before continuing. "The National Youth Soul Master Competition is held once every five years. Its primary purpose is to discover talents for the empire and recruit them into imperial service. Therefore, the prizes are extremely generous. Sometimes the prize is a level-five Soul Tool, sometimes it is pills that can increase Soul Power, and sometimes it is one month of cultivation in the royal palace's sacred cultivation grounds. Those prizes can rapidly increase a Soul Master's strength, drawing countless talented people from across the empire.

"But this year's prize is completely different from the usual. It is actually a city. It is said that the empire's Fifth Princess, Shen Mengyan, is also participating and asked her imperial father to change the prize to a city. She is one hundred percent confident that she will win the championship, and her latest dream is to try being a city lord. His Majesty Shen Yefeng had no choice but to agree to her request.

"The entry requirements for the National Youth Soul Master Competition are very low. Any young Soul Master under thirty may participate, regardless of gender. That is why there are contestants close to thirty years old, some with Soul Power at the level-forty Soul Ancestor rank. This is one of the ways for commoners to rise into nobility, and no young person would give up such a competition. Some noble children especially want to use this competition to display their strength."

Hearing this, Hu Haoran burst into laughter. "This competition is really interesting! So the Fifth Princess is the one behind this city prize! Heaven really is helping me! Do you know how strong this Fifth Princess is?"

Taohua blinked and thought carefully before answering, "I don't know very much, but I do know a little. Princess Shen Mengyan's martial soul is not the Cangyun Divine Eagle passed down through the Cangyun Empire's royal line, but a mutated martial soul—the Golden Flame Divine Eagle. Its fire attribute is extremely powerful. It is said that its flames are close to the temperature of Ultimate Fire. The Fifth Princess is currently a level-thirty Soul Elder, though no one knows her exact level."

"Mm, that's enough. I've decided—I'll enter and have some fun!" Hu Haoran giggled.

"Young Master, your martial soul has only been awakened for a short time. I'm afraid you won't even make it into the second round and will be eliminated in the preliminaries. Besides, I heard this competition's death rate is not low!" Taohua said worriedly once again.

"You don't need to worry about that. No matter how fierce those young Soul Masters are, they cannot be fiercer than the soul beasts of the Canglan Mountain Range. Mother made me brave the Canglan Mountain Range alone to train me, and aren't I standing here just fine now? Rest assured!" Hu Haoran did not tell Taohua that he was already a Great Soul Master.

Taohua could do nothing about Hu Haoran's decision. She could only nod and worry silently for him.

"Oh, right, I forgot to ask you. How do I register for this competition?" Hu Haoran asked.

"This competition's format should be the same as previous years: preliminaries, second round, wilderness survival trial, and finals. For the preliminaries, contestants register in various towns, and the number of people advancing from each town is determined by its population. Registration in the Imperial Capital begins within the next couple of days. However, competition in the Imperial Capital is relatively intense, since capable people generally gather there." Taohua explained patiently.

"Then fine, I won't register in the Imperial Capital! Hahaha... That way, I can make it into the second round, and Taohua won't have to worry. Hahaha... I've decided to compete in Biyun City." Hu Haoran had not chosen Biyun City because he feared intense competition. He simply did not want to become everyone's target so quickly.

Taohua smiled faintly. "Biyun City is indeed a good choice."

"Alright. That settles this matter. There's another, more important matter I need to tell you!" Hu Haoran said sternly.

Taohua froze. In her impression, she had never seen Hu Haoran wear such a serious expression. She became nervous as well.