Heaven Dou Great Spirit Fighting Arena, private rest area.
Although they had won their opening match, there was no wild celebration in the World Burial Team's lounge. To these team members, who had endured Yu Tianyu's "devil's training," beating a few nobodies was just routine.
"Tianyu, someone's here."
Shi Mo, who was on guard, spoke in a low voice.
The door opened.
A gentle yet immense wave of Soul Power swept in first, followed by two figures.
The man at the front had a handsome, refined face and an elegant air. He wore an immaculate white Sect Master's robe and held a scepter. He was none other than Ning Fengzhi, Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Behind him stood a gaunt old man with sunken eyes. He was Bone Douluo Gu Rong, one of the sect's two guardian Douluo.
"Dad! Grandpa Bone!"
Ning Rongrong, who had been drinking water, cried out in delight and darted into Ning Fengzhi's arms like a fledgling swallow.
"Rongrong!" Ning Fengzhi held his daughter affectionately, but his gaze immediately passed over her shoulder and fell on the black-clad youth seated in the middle of the sofa.
Yu Tianyu did not rise to greet him, despite the arrival of the Sect Master of one of the Upper Three Sects.
He remained sprawled lazily on the sofa, idly tossing a Gold Soul Coin in his hand. A trace of amusement glinted in his mismatched eyes.
"Greetings, Sect Master Ning."
Yu Tianyu gave only a slight nod in greeting. "May I ask what brings you here, Sect Master Ning? Is it because of your daughter, or because of... that pagoda?"
Bone Douluo knitted his brows, his aura tightening. "Boy, aren't you being a little too brazen in front of the Sect Master?"
"Uncle Gu." Ning Fengzhi raised a hand to stop Gu Rong, his face still bearing a warm smile.
"Heroes have always emerged from among the young. You certainly have remarkable bearing, young Master Yu."
Ning Fengzhi released Ning Rongrong and sat across from Yu Tianyu. His gaze sharpened. "Since you're so direct, I'll be frank as well. Was Rongrong's Martial Soul Evolution because of you?"
"Yes," Yu Tianyu admitted readily.
"I'd like to know what method you used." Ning Fengzhi leaned forward, his breathing growing slightly hurried. "If it was a medicine, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is willing to pay any price to buy it! Gold Soul Coins, Spirit Bones, even the full support of the sect..."
Those words carried immense weight.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was called "Seven Treasure" because it could accommodate only seven Spirit Rings. This had troubled the family for thousands of years. If there was a way to solve the problem, they would be willing to sacrifice everything for it.
Everyone in the room focused on Yu Tianyu.
Yu Tianyu smiled.
He flicked the Gold Soul Coin in his hand, sending it tracing a golden arc through the air.
"Some things in this world are priceless, Sect Master Ning."
"It was an Immortal Herb called Aromatic Silk Beauty. I'm sorry to tell you, but it was the only one in the world, and Rongrong has already eaten it."
The light in Ning Fengzhi's eyes immediately dimmed, and deep disappointment showed on his face.
"However..."
Yu Tianyu changed course. "Though Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagodas can't be mass-produced, I have other things that might interest you, Sect Master Ning."
"For example, a Spirit Gathering Array that can triple a Spirit Master's cultivation speed."
"For example, a true assassination technique that can overcome differences in level."
"And then..." Yu Tianyu pointed at Ning Rongrong. "A future god."
"I don't lack money, and I don't lack influence. All I need is for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to stand with me at some point in the future."
"Not as a master, but as... an ally."
Ning Fengzhi gazed intently at the young man before him.
At that moment, he felt as though he wasn't facing a teenager, but a giant dragon just beginning to awaken. The young man's confidence and control unsettled even a Sect Master who had met countless people.
After a long while,
Ning Fengzhi stood and held out his hand.
"Very well. As long as Rongrong can grow up safely by your side, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is willing to be your friend."
It was a handshake between two powers.
It was also the beginning of Yu Tianyu firmly hitching one of the Upper Three Sects to his cause.
The next day, the second round of the qualifiers began.
There were more spectators today than yesterday, because everyone wanted to see whether the dazzling World Burial Team could still dominate when faced with a true adversary.
Their opponent was one of the Five Element Academies—the Elephant Armor Academy.
In the rest area,
a group of burly men, each built like a small mountain, were warming up. The ground trembled with every step they took.
Their captain, Huyan Li, stood over two and a half meters tall, with a face full of jowls and a fierce look in his eyes. He was the eldest grandson of Huyan Zhen, Sect Master of the Elephant Armor Sect, one of the Lower Four Sects, and was widely considered one of the strongest defenders in this year's tournament.
"Hmph, Heaven Dou Royal Academy?"
Huyan Li looked at Yu Tianyu and the others chatting cheerfully not far away and spat in disdain. "Just a bunch of pretty boys and girls."
"I heard they had a good win yesterday. That was only because their opponents were weak."
"In the face of absolute power and defense, all those fancy tricks are just tickles!"
A member of the Elephant Armor Sect beside him leered. "Captain, those girls on the other side are smoking hot. Especially that cat girl in black. Look at her figure... tsk, tsk. When we get out there, we'll use Meat Bomb Chariot to pin them beneath us and let them feel the weight of a real man!"
"Hahahaha!"
Their crude laughter echoed through the rest area.
In the shadows nearby,
Yu Tianyu's expression instantly turned cold.
"Zhuqing."
"Here." Zhu Zhuqing stepped forward, a cold glint in her eyes.
"Did you hear what those pigs said?"
Yu Tianyu adjusted his cuff. "I won't take part in this match. You're in command."
"I want you to smash the turtle shells they're so proud of, piece by piece."
"Show them what true despair feels like."
"Understood." Zhu Zhuqing nodded. Her claws snapped out with a crisp metallic hum.
"The match begins!"
At the referee's signal,
THUD! THUD! THUD!
All seven members of the Elephant Armor Academy summoned their Martial Souls—Diamond Mammoths!
The seven men swelled in an instant, becoming seven living mountains of flesh. Their bodies were covered in thick layers of horny armor that gleamed like metal.
"Form up!"
Huyan Li bellowed.
The seven quickly took their positions, forming an impenetrable wall of bodies as they advanced toward the World Burial Team.
This was the Elephant Armor Sect's famous tactic—Copper Wall and Iron Bastion.
Anyone forced into a corner by this wall or struck by it would suffer broken bones, even if they were a Soul Ancestor.
"Oh my god! How are they supposed to fight that?"
The spectators burst into cries of alarm. "They're basically seven tanks!"
"Those delicate girls are going to get hurt!"
In the VIP seats, Bishop Salas gave a cold smile and glanced at Ning Fengzhi. "Sect Master Ning, it seems your daughter's team is in trouble this round. The Elephant Armor Sect's defense is nearly invincible among those of the same level."
Ning Fengzhi smiled faintly without replying, his eyes fixed on the arena.
In the ring,
facing the wall of flesh bearing down like an avalanche,
Zhu Zhuqing stood at the front of her team, with Dugu Yan and Ning Rongrong behind her.
Her slender figure looked so small before the enormous mammoths.
"Nine Treasures Turn Into Glazed Glass."
Ning Rongrong's clear voice rang out. "First: Strength! Second: Speed! Fourth: Attack!"
Three enhancement auras landed on Zhu Zhuqing at once.
Then,
Zhu Zhuqing moved.
She didn't dodge or circle around behind them. Instead, she did something that shocked the entire arena—
she charged straight at the wall of flesh!
"Looking for death!"
Huyan Li sneered. "Third Spirit Skill: Crushing Kill!"
His enormous body leaped into the air like a meteorite, aiming to crush Zhu Zhuqing into a meat patty.
At the instant the two were about to collide,
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes became vertical slits.
Hell Spirit Cat innate skill: Nether Slash!
But this was no ordinary Nether Slash.
After being transformed by Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone, her body had reached the limits of flexibility and explosive power. With the enhancement of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, her attack power had doubled.
More importantly, her claws were coated in a faint black sheen.
It was something Yu Tianyu had taught her—Armament Haki (modified version: highly compressed, hardened Soul Power).
"RRRIP—!!"
A grating sound of ripping cloth rang out.
There was no dull thud of a collision.
Only the smooth sound of a blade slicing through butter.
As eighty thousand pairs of eyes watched in disbelief,
Huyan Li's supposedly impervious Diamond Mammoth defense was as flimsy as paper before her slender claws!
Blood sprayed everywhere!
Zhu Zhuqing's figure flashed like a bolt of black lightning, passing straight through Huyan Li's chest!
"AAAH!!!"
Huyan Li let out a piercing scream.
The inch-thick horny armor on his chest was sliced clean through. Three deep claw marks, cutting across his chest and reaching the bone, gushed with blood.
But that was only the beginning.
After passing through Huyan Li, Zhu Zhuqing didn't stop.
Riding her momentum, she made an incredibly strange turn in midair.
Nether Hundred Claws!
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
A storm of claw shadows instantly engulfed the six remaining members of the Elephant Armor Sect, like a black whirlwind of death.
"CRACK! CRACK!"
Bones snapped one after another.
These lumbering elephants, who cared only about defense, were sitting ducks before Zhu Zhuqing at full speed.
Tendons, joints, limbs...
Zhu Zhuqing was like a cold-blooded surgeon, precisely cutting off their ability to move.
In less than ten seconds,
RUMBLE!
All seven mountains of flesh had fallen.
The arena floor was awash with blood.
All seven members of the Elephant Armor Academy lay in pools of blood, wailing, their bodies covered in wounds deep enough to expose bone.
Zhu Zhuqing landed gracefully. Not a single drop of blood had stained her black clothes.
She flicked the blood from her hand and glanced coldly at Huyan Li beneath her feet.
"So much for your absolute defense?"
"Too fragile."
Silence.
The entire arena once again fell deathly quiet.
Then, even more frenzied cheers erupted!
Too strong!
The sheer spectacle was explosive!
In the VIP seats,
CRACK!
The teacup in Salas's hand shattered as well. His expression darkened like a storm cloud. The Elephant Armor Sect was a force backed by Spirit Hall, yet they had suffered such a crushing defeat? They hadn't even lasted one move?
"Excellent! A perfect example of breaking through the whole with a single point!"
Ning Fengzhi couldn't help applauding. "That young girl's attack power is probably close to a Soul King's! Add Rongrong's support, and they're a match made in heaven!"
In a corner,
the expressions on the faces of the Shrek group turned even paler.
"How... how could she be this strong?"
Dai Mubai clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms. With the speed and attack power Zhu Zhuqing had just displayed, he wouldn't have been able to stop her even with White Tiger Vajra Transformation!
If things had stayed as they were, she should have been his support, his partner in a Martial Soul Fusion Skill!
Now, it was all gone!
"No... We haven't lost yet."
Tang San spoke in a low voice from the shadows, a nearly pathological determination flashing in his eyes.
"They relied on brute strength and talent."
"We still have the Tang Sect Secret Arts. As long as we use them properly, we can win too."
In the next match, it was Shrek's turn to compete.
Their opponents were another plant-type team that was every bit as strong.
For the sake of victory, and to vent the pent-up frustration in his heart.
Tang San didn't use any flashy Spirit Skills in this match.
He used "Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon" to toss his opponents out of the ring, and employed the technique of "Bat Wing Reincarnation" to fire Blue Silver Grass seeds into their acupoints.
They won.
But it was an ugly, underhanded victory.
"Boo—!!"
A chorus of boos rang out from the stands.
"This is supposed to be a match? Isn't that just cheating?"
"That kid in green is such a sneaky bastard!"
As the boos filled the arena, Tang San stood on the platform, his face ashen. He didn't understand. Why did Yu Tianyu get cheers when he won, while Tang San got booed?
This isn't fair!
The match ended.
Inside the World Burial Team's room, which also served as their changing room.
Although Zhu Zhuqing hadn't gotten any blood on her after the "slaughter" they had just experienced, the strenuous exertion had left her drenched in sweat.
Her tight black leather outfit clung to her body, outlining a breathtaking S-shaped figure.
Yu Tianyu dismissed everyone else, leaving only Zhu Zhuqing behind.
"Well done."
Yu Tianyu sat on a bench, looking at the cat-eared girl standing before him.
"That claw strike was precise."
"It's all thanks to the captain's guidance." Zhu Zhuqing lowered her head, breathing somewhat heavily. She couldn't tell whether it was from the fight or from the atmosphere of being alone with a man.
"Come here."
Yu Tianyu patted his thigh.
Zhu Zhuqing didn't hesitate in the slightest. In fact, there was a hint of anticipation as she obediently walked over.
Rather than sitting beside him, she naturally knelt on the carpet between Yu Tianyu's legs and gently rested her head against his knee.
It was a posture of utter devotion and submission.
"Tired?"
Yu Tianyu stroked her silky black hair, gently kneading her pair of furry cat ears with his fingers.
"Mmm..."
When he touched her sensitive spot, Zhu Zhuqing's body trembled slightly, and a purr like a kitten's escaped her throat.
"Not tired... As long as I can help Master... Zhuqing is willing to do anything."
She was no longer the stubborn girl who had traveled a thousand miles to find her fiancé.
During that night's "special training" and the time they had spent together since, Yu Tianyu had completely conquered her—not only her body, but her soul as well.
Yu Tianyu was her light, her god, the master who had rescued her from the nightmare named Dai Mubai.
"Good."
Yu Tianyu's fingers slid down her cheek and lifted her chin.
At that moment, those cool eyes held nothing but his face.
"When we get back tonight, I'll teach you a new move."
"A move that'll show you... how to eat your fill in this cruel world."
Before you continue