"Not with me."
Seeing everyone's horrified expressions, Lu Li immediately smiled and shook his head. "With it."
"Come on, Xiao Ba."
As his voice fell, a black Soul Ring rose from Lu Li. A massive black silhouette shimmering with golden light had already appeared beside him. It lowered its body to just four meters tall, revealing itself to be a mighty Tyrant Dragon.
"Roar!"
Tyrant Dragon Xiao Ba gave an excited cry. As it appeared beside Lu Li, it happily wagged its tail, then affectionately lay down on the ground as if waiting for Lu Li to pet it.
"This is...?"
Everyone stared at the several-meter-tall Tyrant Dragon beside Lu Li, their faces blank with bewilderment.
Was this the ultimate summon making its entrance?
But wasn't it a little too adorable for something so imposing?
"This is my first Soul Spirit, the Ten Thousand Year Tyrannosaurus Xiao Ba. It's seventy-two thousand years old."
Lu Li smiled faintly and reached out to pat Xiao Ba on the head. This was the hundred-year Soul Spirit Tyrant Dragon he had absorbed when he was six—a truly Unyielding Soul Spirit.
That's right, an Unyielding Soul Spirit.
Countless geniuses had failed to earn its recognition, yet the moment his Martial Soul appeared, it had already bowed down and acknowledged him as its master—a Tyrant Dragon that was exceptionally respectful.
By the time he broke through to Titled Douluo, its cultivation had already exceeded sixty thousand years. After the system's twenty-percent age bonus, it had risen to a seventy-two-thousand-year Soul Spirit. It was close to a hundred thousand years...
Very close.
"Sev—"
"How many years!"
Hearing that, Tang Wulin and the others couldn't help stiffening, and even Gu Yue stared in astonishment.
A first Soul Spirit that was over seventy thousand years old.
She knew how extraordinary the person before her was in the human world, but he wasn't even twenty, had the cultivation of a Titled Douluo, and his first Soul Spirit was nearly a hundred thousand years old...
Was he even human?
She had often made rough calculations. If she cultivated using the potential she had displayed so far, she probably wouldn't be able to keep up with his cultivation speed. In other words, he seemed even less human than she was.
"As expected of Big Brother Lu Li."
"You're the only one who can make me even a little interested."
Gu Yue thought to herself.
She wanted nothing more than to make him submit to her, and had no idea that her utterly focused gaze had already gone far beyond being "a little" interested.
"Teacher Lu Li, are we..."
"Fighting a seventy-thousand-year Soul Beast?"
Wang Jinxi, who was usually taciturn, spoke up without thinking. It was the first time he had taken the initiative to say anything.
As the owner of a dragon-type Martial Soul, he had heard plenty about Tyrant Dragon Soul Spirits. They were utterly proud Soul Spirits, known as Unyielding Soul Spirits.
For one to acknowledge him as its master when he was only at the first ring...
That could only be Teacher Lu Li.
But having them fight a seventy-thousand-year Soul Spirit was no easier than challenging Wu Changkong at full strength—and there would be more than one of him.
At least ten.
A Soul Spirit of that level was something they could only look up to.
"..."
The others nodded one after another. Even Tang San, who was secretly observing from inside Tang Wulin, clicked his tongue in amazement.
A first Soul Spirit of seventy thousand years.
It was nothing compared to his own son-in-law, but Lu Li was still an undisputed genius. That meant his first Soul Skill could produce at least the effect of a ten-thousand-year skill.
"Wulin's sparring partner at nine was a Ten-Thousand-Year Tyrannosaurus. How nice. I think my sparring partner back then was..."
Tang San's thoughts drifted back to the past. He remembered that little purple pig that kept going "oink oink oink oink oink" and could only attack three times each round. He fell into silence.
Gangzi.
You've made me fall behind everyone again.
"..."
"Combat is the best teacher. Teacher Wu must have said as much during your previous practical lessons, and that applies not only to human Soul Masters. Soul Spirits are part of it too."
"Ten-thousand-year Soul Spirits are still far beyond what you can handle, but this is my weakest Soul Spirit."
Looking at the way the youngsters were all trembling with fear, Lu Li smiled and shook his head as he spoke slowly.
The kids would definitely be going to the Spirit Ascension Platform, and before that, practical lessons involving group battles against Soul Beasts were obviously part of the curriculum.
"After this, it'll suppress its cultivation to the thousand-year level and form a Soul Power shield that you can break through. All you have to do is hold out as long as you can."
"Or even break through the shield."
That was what Lu Li said. What were the kids thinking? Having them fight a Ten-Thousand-Year Tyrannosaurus would be no easier than asking second-ring Tang San to take Yu Xiaogang and challenge the Forest King Titan Giant Ape.
In reality, even Xiao Ba at the thousand-year level would be more than enough to give them a hard time.
"Roar."
At Lu Li's words, the already intelligent Tyrant Dragon Xiao Ba understood what he meant. It fixed its gaze on the group led by Tang Wulin, its eyes showing a hint of curiosity.
"Teacher Lu Li really has too much faith in us."
"Would a thousand-year Soul Beast really be easy...?"
Wei Xiaofeng smacked his lips as he spoke.
The Tyrant Dragon looked so mighty and imposing that it seemed invincible, yet Teacher Lu Li had named it Xiao Ba? It should've been called Tyrant!
"Get ready to go up."
Lu Li directed the Tyrant Dragon onto the battle platform first, then glanced at everyone with a smile.
"Yes, Teacher Lu Li!"
"..."
A moment later, staring at the Tyrant Dragon not far away, Class Zero began its first coordinated team battle!
"First Soul Skill, Blue Silver Has Spirit!"
"Take this, Blue Silver Entanglement!"
The Blue Silver Grass in Tang Wulin's hand had instantly materialized. Thick vines as wide as his arm shot straight toward the Tyrant Dragon.
A test!
As one of the few genuine Control System Soul Masters in the group, his initial attempt at control could often provide a great deal of information...
"Crack..."
The next moment, Xiao Ba merely swiped a claw, and the Blue Silver vines shattered into pieces across the ground. It gave Tang Wulin a speechless look, as if to say—
You're so weak, bro.
"Mm, as expected, it doesn't work."
Tang Wulin thoughtfully withdrew his Martial Soul, then pulled out a Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammer. Since Blue Silver Grass wouldn't work, it seemed he could only rely on this!
"Xie Xie, come on. Let's attack too."
"First Soul Skill, Green Shadow Strike!"
Wei Xiaofeng had been ready to go for a while. He opened with his first Soul Skill, splitting into multiple afterimages that charged toward the target in an instant.
"Don't order me around."
Xie Xie snorted, but his Light Dragon Dagger didn't slow down in the slightest as he followed Wei Xiaofeng.
"Bang—"
The two rushed forward and struck the Tyrant Dragon. They didn't do much damage, but judging by the fact that they were completely unharmed, it was no different from scratching an itch.
"Damn, talk about an iron wall!"
Wei Xiaofeng's face stiffened. A high-grade Soul Spirit like the Tyrant Dragon was naturally equipped with both offense and defense. What the hell could he even do against it?
"Second Soul Skill, Green Shadow Devour!"
His second Soul Ring lit up, and the afterimages behind him gradually merged. He transformed into a strange, mutated snake and lunged straight for the Tyrant Dragon's head.
But the result was...
The Tyrant Dragon sent him flying with a swipe of its tail, and even the snake fangs in Wei Xiaofeng's mouth shattered.
"Is! This! Human!"
"..."
Watching the cursing Wei Xiaofeng, Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi said nothing. Instead, they attacked in perfect unison!
"First Soul Skill, Dark Sky Curtain!"
"First Soul Skill, Bone Dragon Claw!"
Zhang Yangzi's control skill, Dark Sky Curtain!
The moment the dark mist appeared and shrouded the area, the Tyrant Dragon's surroundings went pitch-black. The skill had actually managed to control it!
"There's a chance."
Wang Jinxi's eyes lit up. He accelerated, concentrating more of his Soul Power into the dragon claw that had transformed his right hand. He charged forward with all his might, and then...
He went flying.
His opponent merely raised a hand and swung. The instant their claws touched, a sudden, powerful force rebounded against him. For the first time, this dragon-type Soul Master, who relied on brute force, experienced a profound sense of helplessness.
The Tyrant Dragon hadn't even done anything. It only had to make the slightest move to shatter their limits!
"..."
Tang Wulin, who had followed close behind, went flying too.
He gripped the Heavy Silver Hammer and swung it, thinking he could rely on his innate strength to match the other side. But in reality...
He hadn't come anywhere close to the result he'd hoped for.
"How can it be this strong...?"
"Are you sure it's really suppressed to the thousand-year level?"
Zhang Yangzi couldn't help questioning it inwardly. Jin Xi's Bone Dragon Claw was practically unstoppable and had few rivals among Soul Grandmasters. Yet the Tyrant Dragon's Soul Power shield...
Wasn't it a little too hard to break?
"You can go down now."
"Don't get caught in my Soul Skill."
Just then, a clear, gentle female voice rang out.
In a place no one had noticed, Gu Yue had been quietly preparing her trump card:
Ice! Fire! Wind!
She had begun working on her Multiple Element Control as soon as the others started struggling. By now, the elements had fully merged.
Blue, red, and green—three completely different elemental forces, each carrying its own energy, surged through the air and shimmered with distinct auras. At last, they converged into a several-meter-tall tornado that roared forward!
Wherever the tornado passed, it carried fierce winds. Though it wasn't all that large, it looked utterly fantastical to anyone watching.
"Elemental fusion! Three-element fusion!"
"Is this damn thing really from a Soul Grandmaster...?"
Wei Xiaofeng's eyes widened like copper bells. A Soul Grandmaster couldn't withstand this! He instinctively used Green Shadow Strike, grabbed Xie Xie and Tang Wulin, and jumped off the platform.
Zhang Yangzi also gave it a wary look. He spread his wings and carried Wang Jinxi high into the air.
The only one left on the battle platform was Tyrant Dragon Xiao Ba!
"Roar—"
Facing Gu Yue's attack, a flicker of interest appeared on Xiao Ba's face for the first time. Without the slightest hesitation, it charged forward with a swipe of its claw:
Hehe, a tornado!
Let me touch it!
"Boom—"
There was no surprise. With Xiao Ba's gentle strike, even the powerful Elemental Tornado shattered beneath its dragon claw.
"Phew, that didn't work either..."
Wei Xiaofeng sighed ruefully. So this was the Tyrant Dragon's overwhelming dominance. He'd finally witnessed it...
"No!"
"The Tyrant Dragon's shield is broken!"
At that moment, Tang Wulin suddenly spoke.
Only after he pointed it out did the others notice, to their astonishment, that the faint Soul Power shield covering the Tyrant Dragon's body had shattered.
"So the Tyrant Dragon isn't invincible after all."
Xie Xie muttered to himself. But then again, after unleashing that much power...
Wouldn't it be even harder?
He wasn't the only one thinking that. At that moment, Tang Wulin, Zhang Yangzi, Wang Jinxi, and Wei Xiaofeng all stared at Gu Yue in shock. Was this person...
Really human?
"..."
Xie Xie: Guys, do you think Gu Yue is human?
Before you continue