"A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast?"
Liu Erlong furrowed her brow slightly, a thoughtful look in her eyes. At last, surprise spread across her face.
"Xiao Gang, you mean...!"
Yu Xiaogang nodded, then said quietly, "Once a Soul Beast breaks through to a hundred thousand years, it enters a wondrous new realm. Its life is elevated, but at the same time, it must face an important choice."
"Should it remain a beast, spending a thousand years in a daze, or take human form and risk pursuing the Path to Godhood?"
By then, Liu Erlong had fully understood what Yu Xiaogang meant.
"You're saying Xiao Wu is a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast who took human form!"
"It's very likely." Since Xiao Wu's identity had not yet been exposed, Yu Xiaogang did not reach a definite conclusion. He continued, "Taking human form does offer a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast a chance to become a god, but it's an extremely difficult path."
"Soul Beasts cultivate very slowly, relying on the accumulation of a long stretch of time. Once they take human form, their hundred thousand years of cultivation vanish completely, never to return."
"They then enter the initial stage of cultivation: infancy. Below level sixty Soul Power, they cultivate extremely quickly, and they don't need to obtain Soul Rings from the outside. They can simply condense them from within."
"But at this stage, although they have the beginnings of a human form, Soul Masters at the Soul Douluo level or higher can still detect them. Yet, to improve their cultivation, they have no choice but to blend into human society. Only once their Soul Power breaks through level sixty and they reach maturity can they become completely human. By then, even a Titled Douluo couldn't uncover their true identity as a Soul Beast."
"This path of cultivation is no easy one. The slightest misstep could spell total ruin. Any Soul Beast that chooses it must be exceptionally resilient and determined."
Thinking of Xiao Wu's experiences obtaining Soul Rings, Liu Erlong couldn't help but feel certain of this guess. But then she frowned and said, "That can't be right. Since joining Shrek Academy, Xiao Wu must have encountered several Soul Douluos along the way. And our academy's current advisor is Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo. He didn't notice anything unusual either."
"When she met the Soul Douluos and Titled Douluos before, there were plenty of people around, and their attention wasn't focused on Xiao Wu. Later, Dugu Bo joined the academy, but hadn't Xiao San returned by then?" Yu Xiaogang said calmly.
Liu Erlong pondered his words. Recalling what had happened the day Tang San returned to the academy, her beautiful eyes suddenly lit up. "You mean the Immortal Medicine Xiao San brought back, the one called Lovesick Heartbreak Red, concealed Xiao Wu's identity?"
"That must be it. Each of the Immortal Medicines Xiao San brought back has the power to defy fate. Take the Nine-Rank Purple Ganoderma I consumed, for example. It purged and renewed my body, restoring me to the age of twenty. The Lovesick Heartbreak Red is the finest of all the Immortal Medicines, so it's no surprise it can conceal the identity of a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast."
After speaking, Yu Xiaogang looked at Liu Erlong, his expression turning serious. "Erlong, if Xiao Wu really is a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast, what do you think we should do?"
Liu Erlong's expression was just as serious. "Xiao Wu is my daughter. I'll protect her with my life."
"Good." Yu Xiaogang met Liu Erlong's gaze and nodded, then said with a smile, "But we don't need to give our lives. We just need to make sure Xiao Wu keeps the Lovesick Heartbreak Red on her at all times."
"Xiao Wu will be competing over the next few days. We'd better find a Cloth Band and tie the Lovesick Heartbreak Red to her, so it doesn't fall off during a big movement."
"Several Titled Douluos will be stationed around the arena. If Xiao Wu's aura is exposed, she'll be in real danger."
Liu Erlong's expression grew distinctly grave. "You're right. I need to hurry and buy Xiao Wu a Cloth Band. Come with me."
With that, she hauled Yu Xiaogang out of bed and led him out of the hotel to look for a clothing shop.
Yu Xiaogang had arrived half a month earlier, so he knew the locations of some of the city's shops. He led Liu Erlong out of Middle City and into the commercial district of Outer City.
The two finally found a shop specializing in outdoor combat clothing and bought an elastic Cloth Band with a clasp inside. Satisfied, they returned to the hotel.
The long-awaited finals began the next day.
To show how much it valued this year's tournament, Spirit Hall had set aside an area in Inner City specifically for the finals.
All the facilities on the grounds had been newly built. Spirit Hall had even used numerous Soul Tools to reinforce the inside of the battle platform. Such lavish spending was something no other power on the continent could match.
A Resting Area had been set aside for each academy. The teachers and students of Shrek Academy were gathered in theirs, listening to Grandmaster explain the rules of the finals.
Before long, Flender finished drawing the match lots and told everyone Shrek Academy's match details.
Because Blazing Academy had forfeited, Shrek Academy had a bye in the first round. They would only take the field in the second round, when they faced the Star Luo Royal Academy Team.
Before the match, Liu Erlong took Xiao Wu back to the changing room and handed her the elastic Cloth Band with an inner clasp that she had bought the day before. She watched as Xiao Wu tied the Lovesick Heartbreak Red securely to herself.
After Xiao Wu put her outer clothes back on, Liu Erlong straightened them for her and made sure nothing showed. Only then did she let Xiao Wu out of the changing room.
Watching Xiao Wu walk onto the stage, Liu Erlong held Yu Xiaogang's arm, her eyes full of a mother's tender affection.
Yu Xiaogang smiled, too. The thought that had troubled him for so long finally came clear to him.
The Shrek Seven Devils defeated the Star Luo Royal Academy Team without suspense, bringing the first day's events to a close.
During the competition on the second day, Yu Xiaogang, representing the academy, voluntarily withdrew from the morning's individual elimination round. He then openly rebuked Pope Bibi Dong's challenge, leaving the crowd in shock.
Bibi Dong brushed the matter aside with a simple "Elder Yu," which only deepened the crowd's doubts and stirred their curiosity about Yu Xiaogang's identity.
Seeing this, Liu Erlong immediately pinched the soft flesh at Yu Xiaogang's waist and twisted it hard.
Yu Xiaogang endured the pain in his waist without a sound, but his expression was clearly stiff, and his cheek twitched from time to time.
Bibi Dong, seated at the head of the room, naturally noticed. Liu Erlong also looked in Bibi Dong's direction.
Their gazes met in midair. Since they were at the finals, Bibi Dong immediately looked away, but a flash of jealousy and anger still passed through her eyes.
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