The Mighty Man of Brute Strength

The deadlock lasted only an instant before the Shi Brothers were blasted away, even the glow on their shields scattering considerably.

However, Qin Ming was not entirely unaffected either.

Despite being a level sixty-one Soul Emperor, he was actually forced back a step by the recoil from the two of them, his palm going slightly numb.

In the brief moment his body stiffened, Qin Ming heard a sharp whistle cutting through the air beside him.

A massive snake tail lashed toward him, and Qin Ming could only raise his slightly stiff right arm to block it.

Dugu Yan's physical strength was not inferior to Qin Ming's in the slightest. With Ning Rongrong's enhancement, her power was astonishing at this moment. Combined with Qin Ming's hasty defense, he found himself unable to withstand the blow.

Seeing Qin Ming stagger back, Dugu Yan advanced instead of retreating. Her second and fourth Thousand-Year Soul Rings lit up.

Qin Ming had only just steadied himself and had no time to dodge before he was surrounded by a red-and-blue Poison Array. A cloud of purple poison mist came rushing toward him as well.

Before the poison mist even reached him, Qin Ming caught a foul stench. Feeling the slight sluggishness in his Soul Power and the stiffness in his body, he was greatly alarmed.

"Fifth Soul Skill: Blazing Storm."

Sensing the intense Soul Power fluctuations ahead, Dugu Yan and the Shi Brothers quickly withdrew from the battlefield.

The instant the three left, a fierce blazing storm erupted ahead. Qin Ming forcefully broke through the Poison Array's restraint.

After breaking through the Poison Array, the protective flames around Qin Ming had weakened somewhat, while his clothes were left messy and disheveled from Dugu Yan's attack.

His face was slightly purple, and his breathing was labored. Clearly, although he had swiftly and forcefully broken through the Poison Array, he had still been affected by the Man Faced Demon Spider Neurotoxin within Dugu Yan's Second Soul Skill.

The red Soul Power within his body circulated rapidly, temporarily suppressing the poison.

After their first exchange, Qin Ming had gained some understanding of the others.

Although several Heaven Dou Team members were still quite young and perhaps not particularly strong on their own, after receiving support-type enhancements from within their team and under Dugu Yan's leadership, they had already made Qin Ming struggle to handle them.

Qin Ming's advantage lay in his high Soul Power and powerful attacks. None of Dugu Yan's trio could withstand his attacks head-on. Even after being enhanced, they could only catch him off guard through coordination while he was unfamiliar with their abilities.

However, two members of the Heaven Dou Team had yet to act. Qin Ming had some intelligence on Dugu Chen, the Heaven Dou Team's leader seated in the center, and Ye Lingling.

Dugu Chen was the leader of this year's team, and there were also some rumors circulating outside. Qin Ming believed that he was likely no weaker than Dugu Yan, who had nearly dealt with him just now. Then there was also the number-one healing-type Soul Master on the continent.

Qin Ming still did not know the details of Dugu Yan's Fifth Soul Ring. The power of a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring was simply too great, and he understood that deeply. Thus, both sides had tacitly refrained from using their Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings in this battle.

Although he knew nothing about Dugu Chen's abilities, that did not affect Qin Ming's decision.

The foremost rule of team battles: take out the support first!

Though the other side had three support types, he already understood Oscar and Ye Lingling's abilities. Therefore, his target was Ning Rongrong.

It was an ironclad rule in the Soul Master world: if the enemy had a support-type Soul Master with a Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda, take them out first.

Without Ning Rongrong's enhancement, Shi Mo, Shi Mo, and Dugu Yan could never have put him in such a sorry state just now.

Having made up his mind, Qin Ming's Fourth Soul Ring lit up.

The first two Soul Rings had already enhanced Qin Ming's physical abilities. Now, with his Fourth Soul Skill activated, his speed increased by another great deal.

Under the enhancement of several Soul Skills, Dugu Yan's trio had no time to stop him. He believed that no one present could keep up with his current speed.

Seizing this opportunity, Qin Ming charged straight at Ning Rongrong. At that moment, only one Soul Master stood before her: Dugu Chen!

Ning Rongrong and the other two remained utterly calm. They were not worried about the situation at all, as they had complete confidence in Dugu Chen.

"First Soul Skill, Kirin Power."

A yellow Soul Ring lit up beneath Dugu Chen's feet. A glittering gold-red dragon claw struck precisely toward Qin Ming.

At that moment, Qin Ming felt as though he had been locked onto. A voice seemed to tell him from somewhere deep within that he could not evade it.

Left with no choice, Qin Ming once again used Blazing Claw, colliding with Dugu Chen's dragon claw.

Boom—

Qin Ming only felt an immense force crash into him. He was sent flying more than ten meters away, and after landing, he staggered back several steps before barely steadying himself. He nearly failed to catch his breath.

Oscar and the other two looked at one another. They truly had never seen Dugu Chen's strength when using Soul Skills. Oscar had seen it before, but that had been when Dugu Chen was a Soul Elder. Now, Dugu Chen's strength had improved by leaps and bounds.

Qin Ming stood unsteadily in the distance, gasping for breath as he stared at Dugu Chen in shock. He did not know whether Dugu Chen had used his full strength, but it was still astonishing.

They were twelve levels apart! Two entire major realms, yet his strength had been completely powerless before the other's. Just now, he had felt that even Shrek Academy's vice dean, Zhao Wuji, did not possess such overwhelming strength.

At the side of the field, Liu Ze suppressed his shock and hurried to Qin Ming's side, supporting him.

"Assistant Instructor Qin Ming, are you alright?"

If Qin Ming were injured right before his eyes, it would be difficult to explain things to the education committee. After all, Qin Ming was someone the committee had specifically ordered to be cultivated. He did not know whether Dugu Chen's group would be in trouble, but as team leader, his own position would surely be finished.

Many teachers had their eyes on that position, after all!

Qin Ming shook his head at Liu Ze. Though the impact had left his blood and Qi churning and his body still slightly numb, it was nothing serious.

Dugu Chen glanced at Ye Lingling, who had been standing by without doing much, and she immediately understood.

Then, accompanied by a faint fragrance, a beam of white light descended from above. The white light was extraordinarily peculiar, taking the form of flower petals as it slowly drifted down and landed directly on Qin Ming, lightly merging into his body.

Qin Ming's body trembled. His complexion improved considerably, and he no longer needed Liu Ze's support as he stood to the side on his own.

Dugu Yan also stepped forward and helped Qin Ming remove the Man Faced Demon Spider's poison from his body.

Qin Ming looked at them with some emotion, his tone subdued. "You truly are an outstanding team. I'm not qualified to offer you any advice. Dugu Chen was right—whatever the victor says is right."

At Qin Ming's words, the other members of the Heaven Dou Team all breathed a sigh of relief. There was no deep-seated grudge between them; they simply felt that the other party had criticized their team as not being good enough.

Geniuses were all proud, especially when they did not believe there was anything wrong with their team.

No matter what, Qin Ming was still a teacher at Heaven Dou Academy. If they joined forces to drive him away the moment he arrived, it would reflect poorly on the Three Education Commissioners.

With the matter settled, Dugu Chen and the others continued their usual training, only with one additional exercise.

The seven of them worked together to spar against Liu Ze. In order to develop coordination, Dugu Chen would not use soul skills during these battles.

It had to be said that team battles were a novel experience for Dugu Chen and the others, and they gave Dugu Chen quite a few insights into combat.