After the entrance ceremony was complete, the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament officially began.
Silver Bishop Salas drew lots to determine the order of appearances in the upcoming matches.
The draw ended quickly, and the first match that afternoon was Shrek Academy versus Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
That afternoon, the competitors from both academies entered the arena. Shrek Academy, in their signature manure-green uniforms, successfully drew the attention of everyone in the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena.
The spectators mocked them, but the moment the match began, all that ridicule turned into the loudest of slaps to the face. Shrek Academy defeated Heaven Dou Royal Academy in just one minute, leaving the spectators utterly dumbfounded.
Looking at the countless astonished expressions in the Battle Soul Arena, Flender wore a smug smile and said to the others from the academy, "See? That's the effect of the uniforms. I really did have the foresight to come up with them."
No one replied. They simply rolled their eyes behind his back.
Yu Xiaogang couldn't help shaking his head with a laugh, then turned to look toward the section where Canghui Academy was seated.
The competitors from Canghui Academy were chatting among themselves, occasionally gesturing toward the arena. They all wore expressions that seemed to say, "I could've done that too."
Shi Nian, seated behind them, wore a smile on his old face as well.
"You old bastard, just wait until you're the one crying."
Day after day, Shrek Academy defeated one opponent after another, maintaining its undefeated record. Its reputation steadily grew, waiting for one final victory to make it truly explode.
That moment came on the third day, when Shrek Academy successfully defeated Elephant Armor Academy, one of the Lower Four Sects.
The spectators in the Battle Soul Arena began to cheer, and the leading figures of the various sects and the empire finally committed Shrek Academy's name to memory.
But Yu Xiaogang, standing in the stands, wasn't looking at the arena. Instead, he was watching the section where Canghui Academy sat, down to the right.
Everyone from Canghui Academy was clearly in low spirits. Shi Nian, standing at the very back of their group, quietly said something to the students. Strange smiles immediately appeared on their faces.
"Heh. That old bastard's up to no good."
Yu Xiaogang sneered and paid them no further attention.
The matches continued day after day. Under Yu Xiaogang's guidance, the teachers and students of Shrek Academy carefully analyzed every match.
Time passed one day at a time, and at last, the eighth day of the tournament arrived.
"Teacher, I'll head back first."
"Good. Get some rest when you return. Don't train too much. The most important thing is to stay in good condition."
"I understand, Teacher."
Tang San nodded, then left the stands and headed out of the Battle Soul Arena.
Yu Xiaogang kept watching the matches. About ten minutes later, he glanced over at the area where Canghui Academy was seated and saw old man Shi Nian slowly getting to his feet. After saying a few words to the students in front of him, he slipped down from the stands and headed out of the Battle Soul Arena as well.
"That old bastard finally couldn't hold back."
Yu Xiaogang's lips curled slightly. He called Flender and Liu Erlong aside and said, "That old bastard Shi Nian just left after Xiao San. I'm worried he's up to no good. We need to follow them and see."
Flender and Liu Erlong immediately tensed up. By all rights, they were in Heaven Dou City, where even a Titled Douluo would have to keep a low profile, let alone a Soul Saint like Shi Nian.
But the three members of the Golden Iron Triangle had dealt with Shi Nian when they were young. They knew how strange and ruthless he was, and that his Remnant Dream Martial Soul was bizarre. If he wanted to target Xiao San, he really did have ways to do it without anyone noticing.
The two immediately agreed, even urging Yu Xiaogang to hurry and follow him.
The three hurried down from the stands and made their way out of the Battle Soul Arena.
There were several routes from the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena to Shrek Academy, but during the past few days of the tournament, everyone from Shrek Academy had taken the same route each time. So Yu Xiaogang and the others didn't hesitate and followed that route.
The streets were crowded with pedestrians, which undoubtedly made the search more difficult.
But Yu Xiaogang's Purple Demon Eye and Flender's Eagle Eye both had exceptionally keen vision, so their search progressed fairly quickly.
They searched all the way to the vicinity of Shrek Academy. Flender's Eagle Eye swept across the crowd in the street ahead, and sure enough, he spotted Shi Nian and Tang San among them.
"There. I found them," Flender whispered.
At his words, Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong looked in the direction he pointed and spotted their targets.
Tang San was about to enter Shrek Academy's grounds, while Shi Nian stood among the crowd not far ahead.
Just then, Tang San, who had been heading toward Shrek Academy, suddenly changed direction and walked toward where Shi Nian was standing. His expression and demeanor seemed no different from usual, as if he hadn't noticed anything strange.
"Xiao San's in danger. Should we hurry and intervene?" Liu Erlong said at once.
Yu Xiaogang and Flender exchanged a glance, but neither moved rashly.
Back when the Golden Iron Triangle had been lured into the ruins, they had witnessed this move of Shi Nian's. It was truly bizarre, and there was no way to stop it.
"Shi Nian has already activated his Remnant Dream Martial Soul and connected his Spirit Power to Xiao San. If we rush in recklessly, Shi Nian may strike at once, and Xiao San will be in even greater danger," Yu Xiaogang said.
"Then what should we do?" Liu Erlong asked.
"Follow them for now. We'll strike when we find an opportunity."
"But Shi Nian has already released his Martial Soul. If we follow him, his Spirit Power might detect us," Flender added.
"It's fine. I have a way."
As Yu Xiaogang spoke, he activated his Luo Sanpao Martial Soul and released Soul Power toward Flender and Liu Erlong.
As long-time partners in the Golden Iron Triangle, the two understood immediately. They activated their Martial Souls and released their Soul Power as well.
With their Martial Souls in such perfect harmony, their Soul Power fused together, forming a faint Golden Triangle Formation.
Yu Xiaogang then focused his thoughts, and a purple vertical eye opened in the center of his forehead. His Spirit Power poured out.
This faint wisp of Spirit Power acted like a catalyst. Passing through the faint Golden Triangle Formation between the three of them, it drew the Spirit Power from Flender and Liu Erlong's minds and spread it over all three of them.
"Is this Spirit Power projection?"
"Xiao Gang, how did you do that?"
Flender and Liu Erlong asked in turn, their faces full of surprise as they carefully took in the sensation.
After a Soul Master obtained their Seventh Soul Ring and reached the Soul Saint Realm, the Spirit Power in their mind would fully take shape, becoming a tangible force they could sense. Only then could they use their Martial Soul Avatar and Weapon Spirit True Body.
For a Soul Master at the Soul Saint Realm to break through to the next level, Soul Douluo, they had to break the restraints on the Spirit Power in their mind and project it outward.
Until now, there had been two ways to accomplish this. The first was for ordinary Soul Masters: after obtaining their Eighth Soul Ring, they could break through by relying on a massive amount of Soul Power.
The second was for Soul Masters with a Mental System Martial Soul, who could project their Spirit Power thanks to the special nature of their Martial Soul.
Flender and Liu Erlong undoubtedly fell into the first category. Yet under Yu Xiaogang's guidance, they had managed to project their Spirit Power while still at the Soul Saint Realm. This was an enormous opportunity for both of them.
Although Yu Xiaogang had guided the projection this time, and neither of them could accomplish it alone, once they carefully absorbed this sensation, breaking through to Soul Douluo would come naturally. They wouldn't encounter the slightest bottleneck.
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