The sky had only just begun to brighten when Su Yan started another round of training. Zhu Zhuqing followed close behind; the two had become perfect training partners at dawn.
By the time Tang Chi emerged from his room, yawning, Su Yan and Zhu Zhuqing were sitting side by side by the bank, their bodies almost touching, their backs soaked with sweat.
"You two are up early!" Tang Chi stretched and sat beside Su Yan.
"Morning." Su Yan greeted him, then turned to Zhu Zhuqing and asked, "I've thought about water, understanding water, water's attributes, and its properties, but I still can't get into the right state."
"Brother Yan, I don't know how to explain that feeling." Zhu Zhuqing gazed at him with her cool eyes. After a moment's thought, she said, "It's like water. You have to become water."
"Become water?" Su Yan murmured, sinking into thought.
The others woke up one after another. After breakfast around the round table, they lined up.
"Today, I'd like to introduce a new member." Bibi Dong crouched down, reaching one arm behind her back to rest it on Ning Rongrong's shoulder. "Rongrong, introduce yourself."
"I'm Ning Rongrong. My Martial Soul is the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, and I'm a Level 17 support-type Soul Master." Her expression was proud, and her bright eyes swept over everyone.
"It's the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, the number-one support Martial Soul on the Douluo Continent!" Yin Fang exclaimed.
Su Yan's eyes flickered. He never expected to run into Ning Rongrong at a time like this.
Thinking about her Martial Soul and its incredible support abilities—which could fill exactly the gap in their team—Su Yan felt a little excited.
Ning Rongrong continued, "Your turn."
"I'm Su Yan. My Martial Soul is, for now, Fire Wolf. I'm a Level 18 Power Attack System Battle Soul Master."
"I'm Zhu Zhuqing. My Martial Soul is the Hell Spirit Cat. I'm a Level 19 Agility Attack System Battle Spirit Master."
"Pika, pika-pika, Pikachu~"
"I'm Tang Chi. My Martial Soul is the Thunderclap Hammer. I'm a Level 19 Control-Type Battle Spirit Master."
"I'm Yin Fang. My Martial Soul is Ice Ring. I'm a Level 15 Battle Soul Master with both Power Attack and Control abilities."
"I'm Xue Ke, the assistant instructor."
Ning Rongrong furrowed her brows and looked at Tang Chi. "Are you from the Clear Sky Sect?"
Tang Chi shook his head.
She looked at Zhu Zhuqing next. "The Star Luo Empire? The Zhu Family, the prince's consort?"
Zhu Zhuqing glanced at her coolly but didn't answer.
Then she looked at Xue Ke. "Princess of the Heaven Dou Empire, Xue Ke. Weren't you already dead? Your seventh-day memorial has even passed."
"You're the one who's dead!" Tang Chi snapped, stepping forward, but Xue Ke pulled him back.
"I'm not a princess of the Heaven Dou Empire." Xue Ke's pale, lovely face was set with determination.
Ning Rongrong looked everyone over once more, then turned to Bibi Dong. "Sister Dong'er, how could this bunch of deadweight possibly beat Palace Master at the Junior Soul Master Tournament? He has several extraordinarily talented children on his side."
She raised a hand and pointed at them one by one.
"Su isn't a major surname, so he probably doesn't come from any great sect. His Beast Martial Soul is pretty mediocre, too."
"I've never heard of Yin, and I've never heard of Ice Ring either. Going by the name, it doesn't sound like a powerful Martial Soul."
"How did this yellow-skinned rat even get on the team?"
"Zhu ran away from the Star Luo Empire as a loser. Without the Dai family of the Star Luo Imperial Family and their White Tiger Martial Soul to form a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, she's useless, too."
"Xue is a cripple, with no fighting ability at all."
"Only this Tang might be a bastard son of someone from the Clear Sky Sect, so he could be of some use. But using a hammer for control is a crooked path."
"Sister Dong'er, kick them all off the team. We can spend some Soul Coins at the major sects and pick out the best recruits. Add me, the best support Soul Master on the continent, and we'll have a chance against Palace Master's team of geniuses."
In an instant, the cool breeze vanished, and even the sun, which had been about to rise over the mountain, seemed to hide behind it.
The roar of the waterfall gradually faded, then disappeared entirely.
An eerie silence fell over the scene. It was so quiet that they could hear a pin drop.
Su Yan clenched his fists, crimson flames gradually rising around him. His dark eyes turned red.
Tang Chi glared at her, blue-white lightning flashing around him with sharp cracks.
Zhu Zhuqing narrowed her cool eyes, her razor-sharp Cat Claws gleaming coldly.
Yin Fang lifted his chin. The temperature around him plunged, and solid ice began to form.
Pikachu's gaze turned dark, as golden lightning poured recklessly from the red pouches on his cheeks.
Xue Ke puffed out her cheeks, her hands trembling slightly. Once again, her desire to fight burned fiercely.
"Everyone, stop!" Bibi Dong ordered. Her expression was dark, and a trace of anger entered her eyes as she looked at Ning Rongrong. "Rongrong, simply piling up talent can't help you defeat anyone. The bonds between teammates and the way they work together are what unleash true strength."
"Sister Dong'er, I have plenty of Soul Coins. I can pay them to work together willingly, and we won't be any weaker than the other team." Ning Rongrong's lips curled into a smile. "Besides, I'm the best support Soul Master on the continent. Winning the favor of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect matters far more to them than Soul Coins. They'll definitely put in a lot more effort."
Bibi Dong slowly stood up, her voice turning colder. "Rongrong, this team isn't right for you. I'll have Bone Douluo come pick you up."
"Sister Dong'er, don't you believe in me either?" Ning Rongrong suddenly grew angry. She looked up at Bibi Dong. "There's no way this group can defeat Palace Master."
"Would you just shut up?" Su Yan hurried forward and stepped between them. "You spoiled little brat."
"You're the liar!" Ning Rongrong snapped.
Su Yan took a deep breath and rolled his eyes. "You're young, so I won't hold it against you. But you insulted my teammates. I want you to apologize to them."
"Hmph, you won't even let me tell the truth?" Ning Rongrong folded her arms and looked Su Yan up and down. "Who do you think you are to tell me what to do?"
Su Yan's fists clenched. He turned to Bibi Dong. "Master, can I hit her?"
"Master? You call Sister Dong'er your master?" Ning Rongrong's eyes trembled, her face full of disbelief. "Sister Dong'er, why did you take him as your disciple but not me?"
Her eyes reddened as she pointed at Su Yan. "I've always gotten everything I wanted. Su, I challenge you to a bet. The prize is the right to be Sister Dong'er's disciple!"
"That's not a fair bet." Su Yan gritted his teeth and said angrily, "If I lose, I'll leave the sect. If you lose, you have to apologize to everyone!"
"Fine, it's a deal!" Ning Rongrong said, sweeping her gaze over the others, her contempt plain to see.
Su Yan asked in a low voice, "So, how are we betting?"
Ning Rongrong thought for a moment. "Since we're entering the Junior Soul Master Tournament, we'll follow the team competition rules. You have a year to train. Do you dare to take the bet?"
"Hmph, it's a deal." Su Yan accepted, his fighting spirit ready to surge from his chest.
Ning Rongrong stormed off in a huff.
Bibi Dong's gaze swept over the area. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Shadow Guards were all there, so there was no need to worry about the girl's safety.
"Master, I acted on my own." Su Yan suddenly turned and bowed.
Bibi Dong crouched down and smiled as she poked his forehead. "Xiaoyan, I believe in you, and I believe in the bonds between you all. You won't lose."
"That's right, Su Yan! Show them what we're made of!" Tang Chi sprinted toward the waterfall and plunged in, reaching the eighth step. He gritted his teeth and stood firm against the crushing pressure.
"Brother Yan, I'm going to train." Zhu Zhuqing headed for the waterfall and went straight to the thirteenth step. After taking several deep breaths, she stepped onto the fourteenth.
"Pika! Pika-pika!" Pikachu's fighting spirit soared as he followed Zhu Zhuqing. He stopped at the ninth step and sat cross-legged.
Yin Fang came over and said, "God Yan, so what if they're the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect? So what if they're rich? We're not afraid of them!"
With that, he took a large number of rare Heavenly Treasures from the ring on his hand and laid them on the ground. "Instructor, I came across these by chance. Please make good use of them."
Then he turned toward the waterfall.
Xue Ke rolled her wheelchair over and gripped the armrests tightly. "Brother Su Yan, I'm sorry. I can't help."
"You're our assistant instructor. You help us a lot." Su Yan smiled. "Don't worry. We'll get back everything they owe us—including your share!"
As his words fell, Su Yan rose and headed for the waterfall.
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