Douluo: Fiery Chains of the Soul, Sealing the Gods — 12

Seeing this, Meng Shenji said with a beaming smile, "Little Han, these three must be your new teammates, right? Not bad. I never expected the Empire to have so many promising young talents."

Su Han then respectfully made a request of Meng Shenji. "Grandpa Meng, I came this time hoping to receive your help in discussing with His Majesty the arrangement of three Soul Saint-level instructors for the four of us."

"Specifically, a healing-type Soul Saint skilled in treatment, an Attack Type Soul Saint focused on strength, and an Agility Attack Type Soul Saint."

After speaking, Su Han scratched his head somewhat awkwardly, seemingly uneasy about his own request.

Were these even requests a person could make? Three Soul Saints, teaching them for five whole years... Even Su Han felt he was being excessive.

Meng Shenji frowned. "Little Han, do you really need three Soul Saints?"

Su Han replied awkwardly, "Grandpa Meng, with three Soul Saints guiding our training, I believe the four of us can greatly improve our strength."

"Strength Type Soul Saints generally possess Gravity Boost, which would be excellent for tempering our bodies and willpower."

"Agility Attack Type Soul Saints tend to have tricky attacks, making them the best way to train our reaction speed."

"And a healing-type Soul Master can teach us medical knowledge and train Jiang Zhu as well. After all, she is our only healing-type Soul Master."

"Grandpa Meng, it will be enough if those Soul Saints come teach us once a week."

"Mm." Meng Shenji nodded. "Good idea. Little Han, you truly are a genius. Soul Masters trained this way can indeed greatly improve their combat power."

"I'll report to His Majesty immediately. If this method is applied to the army, the results would be substantial as well."

"Alright. If Grandpa Meng has the time, you can teach us too. After all, Spirit Type abilities are important as well."

"Hahaha! You brat, you've set your sights on this old man now. Don't worry, I'll personally teach the four of you." With that, he left happily.

Jiang Zhu and the other two were all stunned. Receiving personal instruction, guidance, and training from Soul Saints and a Soul Douluo was an unimaginable honor!

Su Han had cleverly borrowed some of Shrek Academy's methods for his training approach, proving his sharp eye for educational resources and his ability to make sensible use of them. There was much in it worthy of praise and study.

With its exceptional mimicry cultivation environments and abundant resources as its foundation, coupled with such a systematic and efficient training model, Heaven Dou Royal Academy would surely nurture batches of extraordinary experts and inject fresh vitality and glory into the Soul Master world.

Drawing upon his experience from his previous life, Su Han had also carefully selected and suitably adjusted certain existing training programs to ensure that the four of them could steadily improve through appropriate training.

After carefully listening to the training strategy Su Han had proposed, Xue Ye was filled with indescribable joy.

He deeply felt that if such an ingenious method could be applied to the Imperial Guards, their combat power would undergo a qualitative leap, and the nation's security would be far better assured.

"Excellent!" Xue Ye readily agreed to Su Han's request, unable to hide his admiration for the young talent. "Su Han truly is extraordinarily clever. This plan is marvelous!"

At the same time, Xue Ye solemnly instructed that the training of Su Han's group of four must be kept strictly confidential, lest word leak out and affect the bigger picture.

Upon hearing this, Meng Shenji hurriedly replied respectfully:

"Rest assured, Your Majesty. This matter has remained highly confidential from beginning to end. Only when the competition arrives will Su Han and the other three elites quietly be assigned to the second team, ensuring nothing can go wrong."

Xue Ye nodded in satisfaction, his expression revealing his trust in Meng Shenji's ability to handle matters.

As for the four of them, Su Han had long since carefully chosen a secluded cultivation site within the academy.

This was not only to maximize the effectiveness of their training, but also to avoid unnecessary interference from Qin Ming and the others, ensuring the plan could proceed smoothly.

Su Han understood that secrecy was crucial to the success of this training, so he had considered every step with utmost care.

A week later, the three Soul Saints arrived as promised, quietly making their way to the secret cultivation site in the back mountains of Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

The burly man said, "From now on, the three of us will come here every day to train you four. For the next five years..."

The burly man introduced himself again. "My name is Yang Xing. I am a Level 73 Defense Type Soul Master. My martial soul is the Black Armored Rhinoceros."

The somewhat thinner red-haired man said, "My name is Yin Xiugang. My martial soul is the Crimson Flame Leopard. I am a Level 72 Agility Attack Type Soul Saint."

The middle-aged woman in a long purple dress said, "My name is Bai Xin. My martial soul is the Cross. I am a Level 71 healing-type Soul Master."

Su Han was extremely satisfied. His number one supporter was truly reliable! The moment he made a request, it was arranged—and even exceeded his expectations.

No matter what, he had to protect the Heaven Dou Empire's imperial family in the future. This was not the time to completely fall out with Spirit Hall, or he would surely die miserably.

Jing Ling, Jiang Zhu, and Huang Yuan were all filled with anticipation, their eyes brimming with desire.

After all, having Soul Saints as sparring partners and instructors was an opportunity that could only be encountered by chance. For commoners like them, it was beyond precious.

The corners of Yang Xing's lips curled up slightly as he spoke in a gentle yet formal tone. "You four young students, are you ready?"

The four answered in unison, "Yes, we're ready."

The next moment, a shocking sight unfolded before them.

A massive black rhinoceros appeared behind Yang Xing, accompanied by the emergence of soul rings one after another—two yellow, two purple, and three black. It was undoubtedly the standard soul ring configuration.

Seven soul rings pulsed beneath his feet, radiating mysterious and powerful light.

Yang Xing's gaze was deep, and his tone carried a trace of authority. "From now on, you four will endure tempering in my Gravity Domain every day."

"Kids, prepare yourselves to face the challenge!"

With that, he slowly unleashed his fourth soul skill: Gravity Boost.

As the soul skill activated, Su Han and the other three instantly felt enormous pressure. Their bodies bent involuntarily, while Jiang Zhu even dropped to one knee, supporting her swaying body.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Jing Ling and Huang Yuan's foreheads as they panted heavily. Su Han was no better off.

Seeing this, Yang Xing nodded in satisfaction and said with both encouragement and expectation, "The physiques of you four differ, so I will conduct separate tests according to each of your characteristics."

"But today, let us first face this trial of gravity together!"

Su Han answered respectfully, "Thank you, Senior, for your cultivation and guidance."

In the blink of an eye, the time it took to burn an incense stick had passed. All of them were on the verge of collapse, and Su Han was naturally no exception. He had not used any soul bone skills, relying entirely on his own willpower to endure until now.

Yang Xing's eyes were sharp as he highly praised their performance. "The fact that you can persist under my Gravity Boost for so long shows that your resolve already surpasses that of your peers."

"This is not merely the tempering of the body, but the forging of the will."

At that moment, Yin Xiugang appropriately took over. "This afternoon, you will follow me for speed training. Remember, you are not allowed to use your martial souls during training. Understood?" The four answered in unison.

"Understood, Teacher Yin."

This training was not only a challenge to their bodies, but also a cleansing of their wills and spirits.

In a relaxed yet serious tone, Su Han teased, "Jing Ling, how do you feel about such harsh training?"

"Can you withstand this challenge?"

Hearing this, Jing Ling clenched his hands into fists, his eyes resolute. "Please rest assured, Captain. I will never retreat so easily."

"This opportunity is both rare and precious to me. I will certainly give it everything I have."

Huang Yuan followed closely after, his tone carrying determination and gratitude. "Indeed, though this path is difficult, it is the only way for us to become stronger."

"More than that, we must deeply thank Captain for recognizing our potential and carefully nurturing us."

Jiang Zhu nodded in agreement, speaking earnestly. "Exactly. Without the Captain's guidance, we would likely still be lost and helpless even now."

"We will always remember the Captain's kindness."

Su Han waved his hand lightly, a modest expression appearing on his face. "You're all giving me too much credit. I also came from an ordinary background, and I know full well that the path of a Soul Master is filled with thorns. For commoners, the road is even more difficult."

"Helping you is also paving a road for myself."

"After all, on this long journey, having a few like-minded friends by your side is incredibly precious."

Jing Ling was filled with heroic spirit. "Good! From today onward, we will stand shoulder to shoulder, face wind and rain together, and carve out a place for ourselves in the Soul Master world!"

With that, he extended his right hand. The other three followed suit, placing their hands atop Jing Ling's. In that moment, it was as though an unbreakable bond had formed between the four of them.

Curious, Jing Ling asked, "Captain, could you tell us your Soul Power Level?" Huang Yuan and Jiang Zhu also looked at him expectantly, clearly interested.

Su Han laughed heartily and had no intention of hiding it. "I am currently a Level 32 Control type Soul Elder. You all need to work even harder and catch up."

Jing Ling, Huang Yuan, and Jiang Zhu all widened their eyes, their faces filled with disbelief. He was actually a Level 32 Soul Elder.

Faced with this reaction, Su Han slowly spoke, his tone carrying both gravity and resignation. "There is no need for you to envy me. This opportunity was gained by risking my life. The dangers involved were such that I narrowly escaped death."

Su Han recalled how, after obtaining the Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone, he had fled continuously for several days without daring to relax in the slightest, afraid that the soul bone box contained some hidden trick and that Tang Hao had set a trap for him.

Huang Yuan's expression turned resolute as he said firmly, "Please rest assured, Captain. We will work even harder and swear to become your strong support in the upcoming Soul Master Competition. We will never hold you back."

Su Han's lips curved up slightly as he answered with mild reproach but no lack of warmth. "That is not right, Huang Yuan."

"We are teammates who fight side by side. Naturally, we should weather storms together and share both glory and disgrace."

"Moreover, cultivation requires persistence, but it also requires balance. Blindly pursuing greater cultivation carries the risk of losing control."

"When the time is right, we will go to some special places for actual combat practice."

By the afternoon, the four team members were already in formation and launched an attack on Yin Xiugang. Regrettably, they could not even touch the hem of his clothes.

This made Su Han deeply realize how vital speed was in battle.

Indeed, with the absolute advantage of his own martial soul, controlling the flow of battle was not difficult. However, if he encountered a stealthy ambush from an Agility Attack Type Soul Master, the consequences would be unimaginable.

He was not skilled in those unpredictable movement techniques, such as Bie San's Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track. During soul battles, he had always relied on his solid martial arts foundation to win.

Bie San possessed such an extraordinary skill, and Su Han could not help but feel genuine envy and longing.

But Bie San had his advantages, while mine was controlling him until death—controlling him so thoroughly that his martial arts would be useless.

However, Yin Xiugang unexpectedly launched an attack. For a Soul Saint like him, it was as easy as an adult dealing with children. With one kick per child, he sent all four of them tumbling to the ground.