The Advanced Soul Master Elite Competition Across the Continent

The Advanced Soul Master Elite Competition was hosted in rotation by the continent's four empires, and took place once every five years. During the competition, tourism and commerce in the host region received a tremendous boost.

Ticket sales alone brought the empire's treasury hundreds of millions of Gold Soul Coins.

"His Majesty invited me as a special guest? To sit in the viewing stand?" Xue Yuheng was a little surprised. The opening ceremony was still three days away.

He hadn't expected His Majesty, Emperor Vister of the Heaven Dou Empire, to invite a junior like him to the viewing stand. It was an unparalleled honor.

Only members of the imperial family or figures of Du Busi's stature were lucky enough to sit in the viewing stand at the Heaven Dou competition.

It seemed that the possibility of his daughter, Princess Weina, advancing to Limit Douluo had greatly tempted His Majesty Vister.

Three days earlier, at Xue Yuheng's suggestion, Du Busi had successfully picked some Jade Scale Nine Absolute Flowers from the depths of Sunset Forest.

Whether he could assimilate the poison of the Jade Scale Nine Absolute Flower, allowing his Body Martial Soul to gain the Ultimate Poison attribute and thereby reach the level of a Limit Douluo—

It all depended on Du Busi's own fortune.

Xue Yuheng's Power of Creation had no effect on men.

"Your Highness, Prince Gan, please don't refuse. Otherwise, I won't know how to explain it to His Majesty when I return." The messenger was a second-rank official of the Heaven Dou Empire, which showed just how highly Vister regarded Xue Yuheng.

"Uncle Vister has invited me so warmly. As his junior, I can hardly refuse. Please tell His Majesty that I'll attend the opening ceremony.

"Dou Ling and Heaven Dou split apart during the continental war four thousand years ago. It's time we established friendly diplomatic relations.

"I imagine His Majesty Vister feels the same way, doesn't he?" Xue Yuheng said with a smile.

The second-rank official was well versed in the ways of government. He merely smiled without answering; affairs of state were not something he could comment on.

After a few pleasantries, the guest left. Xiao Xiao emerged from the suite's bedroom and sat down on the living-room sofa.

"Xiao Xue, after this competition, I'd like to go home for a while, then head to Tianzheng Academy..."

Xiao Xiao had been away for eight months, and spent another year at the Hall of Inheritance. Now, she and Xue Yuheng had visited only three factions, yet so much time had passed.

The Soul Suppressing Family was an old, traditional clan. Since childhood, Xiao Xiao had been taught that the family's interests came first. This was the first time she had been away from home for so long.

"Of course. At the level we're at now... it won't be a problem if we report to the academy a little later," Xue Yuheng reassured her.

The girl had told him more than once over the past few days that she wanted to go home. She was still a child; it was understandable.

Xue Yuheng wasn't particularly attached to home. All he wanted was to improve his strength as quickly as possible and unite the continent soon. After all, the one up in the heavens was about to be swept away.

Before that happened, Xue Yuheng had to at least become a god if he wanted to get involved in the affairs of the Divine Realm.

What was more, the Ice God was still watching from the Far North. Xue Yuheng had already made an enemy of her in the Ice Empress's Heart Tribulation illusion.

Xue Yuheng didn't believe that the ancient Ice God, the master of that inner demon, was unaware of it.

The Ice God had also stolen the Wind Dragon King's Power of Law. Since he owed the Wind Dragon King, Xue Yuheng had to avenge him.

Time was short, and there was much to do.

After Xiao Xiao completed her Martial Soul Evolution, she gained two of the Wind Dragon King's Soul Rings, both of Dragon King quality, along with the two Soul Skills of the Dragon King's Wings.

Xiao Xiao now possessed six wind-attribute Soul Skills in total, all at God Level.

As the master of the laws of wind and space, the Wind Dragon King had left Xiao Xiao six exceptionally powerful Soul Skills. One of them was the Thirty-Three Heavens Storm.

Of course, Xiao Xiao could only use divine dragon-type Soul Skills while in her "Divine Dragon Transformation." In her normal state, she generally used her ordinary Soul Skills.

For example, she could unleash the first thirty stages of the Thirty-Three Heavens Storm in her normal state, but the final three required her to use "Divine Dragon Transformation."

As for Xue Yuheng, he currently had two Soul Skills from the Ice Empress's sacrifice, plus two from the Ice Empress's Scorpion Tail. That gave him four ice-attribute Soul Skills in total.

With the help of Xue Yuheng's Power of Creation, even the Soul Skills from the Ice Empress's Soul Bone—which had performed poorly in the original story—had been improved to some extent.

Without using "Divine Dragon Transformation," Xiao Xiao now had the combat strength of a high-ranked Soul Elder. As a one-ring auxiliary-type Soul Master, Xue Yuheng had roughly the combat strength of a low-ranked Soul Elder.

They had reached these conclusions after fighting members of the Moon Shadow Squad.

The next day, busy as ever, Xue Yuheng took Xiao Xiao to visit the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect.

The Nine Treasures Glazed Sect was located in Seven Treasure City, in the eastern suburbs of Heaven Dou City. This was the old site, rebuilt atop the ruins left behind after the Spirit Hall destroyed the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. The Nine Treasures Glazed Sect's headquarters was in the Dou Ling Empire.

The Golden Crow Family, the Soul Suppressing Family, and the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect were known as the three great families of the Dou Ling Empire.

Ning Tian's father, Ning Yanci, the sect master of the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect, warmly received the two of them.

Ning Yanci had brought his daughter to watch the Heaven Dou competition. Built against the mountain, Seven Treasure City was practically a resort. He hadn't expected to witness a humanlike Soul Beast undergoing a Nine-Colored Lightning Tribulation.

As Crown Prince of Douling, Xue Yuheng had naturally met Ning Yanci before.

For ten thousand years, the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect had maintained friendly relations with the Douling Royal Family.

Strictly speaking, Xue Yuheng could call Ning Yanci Uncle Ning.

After a round of empty flattery, Ning Yanci dropped his kindly expression and said solemnly, "Nephew Yuheng, I've read your letter to Ning Tian.

"If you can truly make the Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda endure forever, then my Nine Treasures Glazed Sect is willing to take a gamble and board your ship."

The Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda wasn't merely an auxiliary Martial Soul; it could also sense treasures of the world. From Ning Yanci's perspective, his nephew Yuheng's presence was completely different from what it had been before he turned six.

It was as though he had become a different person, surrounded by a mysterious aura that made Ning Yanci's Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda Martial Soul feel oppressed.

For the continent's top auxiliary Martial Soul to submit to him instinctively, Xue Yuheng must have some extraordinary treasure on him.

Thinking of the battle that had turned heaven and earth upside down, and the powerful woman at Xue Yuheng's side, Ning Yanci concluded that a terrifying force likely stood behind him.

Ning Yanci knew the Douling Royal Family's Offering Hall inside and out. He had never heard of a powerful woman who could fight Du Busi to a draw.

In truth, before entering the Thirty-Three Heavens, the Heavenly Dancing Maiden had been no stronger than a rank-ninety-six expert.

With the Wind Dragon King's guidance, the Wordless Heavenly Book's Deduction, and the aid of the Power of Creation, the seven women of Moon Shadow had used the Wind Law's source as their core medium. After spending over half a year at the Hall of Inheritance, they had successfully developed the Seven-in-One Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

Their combat strength was close to that of a Limit Douluo. Of course, they hadn't yet had a proper fight against a Limit Douluo.

Even Xue Yuheng couldn't be sure whether the seven women truly had the power to stand against a Limit Douluo.

"Uncle Ning, you made the right choice," Xue Yuheng said with a smile.

How could he not be happy that the continent's richest family had boarded his ship?

Future wars, cultivation resources, the development of factions, talent... all of it required money.

The Nine Treasures Glazed Sect had more money than sense. In Xue Yuheng's eyes, they were a walking purse.

Ning Yanci smiled in relief. "I hope so."

After dinner.

It was time for the usual business.

The female Soul Masters of Seven Treasure City lined up, waiting for Xue Yuheng to "inspect" them.

This took up another two days of Xue Yuheng's time.

During those two days, Xiao Xiao became close friends with Wu Feng and Ning Tian.

No one knew what ideas Wu Feng had been spreading to Xiao Xiao, but Xue Yuheng was finding it harder and harder to get his work with the young married women of Seven Treasure City and the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect underway.

"Xiao Xue, you have to promise not to make physical contact with any older woman. Otherwise, I won't let you out of this room!" Xiao Xiao spread her arms, fuming.

Xiao Xiao remembered the embarrassing comics Wu Feng had shown her. Xue Yuheng was full of vigor, and held the "power over life and death" of those women in his hands.

Wasn't he the perfect setup for the "NTR" stories Wu Feng kept talking about?

Xue Yuheng's face darkened.

He'd raised this pure little lotus, and now she'd been corrupted.

After giving Xiao Xiao a thorough scolding, Xue Yuheng watched as her eyes filled with tears and she told him everything Wu Feng had said.

Wu Feng!

Good. Very good.

Inside a secret room provided by the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect in Seven Treasure City

"Xue Yuheng... I was wrong... I'll never do it again... please, let me go..." Wu Feng's red hair was disheveled, and her breathing was unsteady.

Xue Yuheng smiled faintly. "These are all necessary steps for your Martial Soul Evolution... we can't skip a single one. Keep going..."

"But I really can't take any more. Please..." Wu Feng's face grew rosier and rosier, like a ripe peach, her bashfulness and frustration mingling with a charm she could hardly conceal.

That day, Wu Feng was set straight.

Ning Yanci gathered all the sect's female disciples in Seven Treasure City. Among the crowds, Xue Yuheng selected three more female prodigies besides Wu Feng and Ning Tian.

These three young married women were all Soul Saints in their twenties. After Xue Yuheng helped their Martial Souls evolve to the demigod level, he didn't suggest that they go to Shrek.

Having them stay in the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect and leech off its wealth wasn't a bad idea.

Xue Yuheng had no doubts about the loyalty of the women whose Martial Souls he had evolved.

Once you had witnessed the godlike power and transformation that came with Martial Soul Evolution, you could no longer endure your former mediocre talent or ordinary life.

It was like seeing the grandeur of a towering mountain and never again being willing to remain trapped among low hills.

The Nine Treasures Glazed Sect's strategy of casting a wide net among commoners was sound. Its proportion of talented disciples was far higher than that of the Xuanming Sect or the Heavenly Dragon Gate.

Including Wu Feng and Ning Tian, seven people had been recorded in the Wordless Heavenly Book.

Ning Tian had the greatest talent, a [D-Grade Talent]. The other six were all at the [Mediocre Talent] level.

Xue Yuheng wasn't in a hurry to complete Ning Tian's Martial Soul Evolution. Her talent should improve further after she took the Aromatic Silk Beauty from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

That way, according to the Deduction, the direction of Ning Tian's Martial Soul Evolution wouldn't be toward a demigod-level Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda, but something even greater.

However, after Xue Yuheng helped Wu Feng's Red Dragon Martial Soul evolve into the demigod-level Crimson Dragon, Ning Tian instead felt that Xue Yuheng was neglecting her, and grew anxious and uncertain.

After learning that Xue Yuheng had an even better plan for his daughter, Ning Yanci could only comfort Ning Tian and tell her not to overthink it.

On the morning of the third day, amid a thunderous barrage of celebratory cannons,

the Advanced Soul Master Elite Competition Across the Continent officially began.