Tyrone's Challenge

Seeing Xu Yuan fall silent, Liu Erlong changed the subject: "Enough about him. Starting tomorrow, I will formulate a training plan tailored to the specific traits of your three martial souls."

Xu Yuan nodded to show he understood. Seeing that Liu Erlong had nothing else to add, he stood up to bid her farewell.

Upon returning to the dormitory, Xu Yuan discovered that his room had been cleaned until it was spotless.

Xiao Wu approached Xu Yuan and asked triumphantly: "How is it? Zhuqing and I cleaned your room together, and it's sparkling clean now."

Xu Yuan looked at the tidy room; the bedding on the bed was folded into perfect squares, and even the dust in the corners had been wiped away.

"It's very clean, thank you both." Xu Yuan expressed his gratitude to Xiao Wu and Zhuqing.

Xiao Wu puffed out her chest: "That's right! Zhuqing and I divided the work; she wiped the tables and I swept the floor, we finished in no time!"

Zhuqing stood at the doorway, still holding a damp rag. Hearing this, she gave a soft hum, the roots of her ears turning slightly warm.

She had originally come over to help Xiao Wu, but she hadn't expected Xu Yuan to return so quickly, leaving her feeling a bit flustered for a moment.

Xu Yuan thought for a moment and suggested: "I'll treat you both to dinner. Since it's your first time in Tiandou City, we can look around while we're at it."

"Eat out?" Xiao Wu's eyes lit up instantly, as if two stars had been embedded in them. "Okay, okay! I've heard there's so much delicious food in Tiandou City."

Zhuqing also raised her head, a flicker of anticipation crossing her eyes, though she still said softly: "Would that be too much trouble? The cafeteria should still have food."

She knew that the cost of living in a national capital was quite high, and since Xu Yuan and Xiao Wu had come from a remote area, they surely didn't have much money on hand.

"It's no trouble." Xu Yuan smiled. "Consider it a way to get familiar with the environment. Besides, Teacher Liu said she'd start training us tomorrow, and I'm afraid we won't have much free time after that."

Xiao Wu immediately grabbed Zhuqing's arm: "Zhuqing, look! Brother Xu Yuan said so himself, let's go eat outside!"

Zhuqing had no choice but to nod as Xiao Wu shook her arm.

Stepping out of Blue Tyrant Academy, the bustle of Tiandou City rushed to meet them.

Lanterns glowed from the shops lining the streets, the sounds of hawking and laughter rose and fell, and pedestrians in diverse attire moved to and fro.

The three of them found a restaurant for a simple meal, strolled for a while, and then returned to the school to rest.

Before the sky had fully brightened, a thin layer of dew still clung to the bluestone slabs of the training ground.

Xiao Wu yawned, rubbing her eyes as she complained: "This is way too early, I haven't slept enough yet..."

Despite her words, her eyes were bright, and she kept glancing toward the entrance, clearly full of anticipation for Liu Erlong's training.

Zhuqing stood straight, her long black hair tied back with a ribbon, revealing her smooth forehead.

She was wearing an extra short jacket today, clearly prepared for strenuous exercise.

Xu Yuan was loosening his limbs, his joints emitting faint cracking sounds.

His gaze swept across the training ground; the corners were piled with wooden stakes and sandbags used for combat practice, and the ground was covered in footprints of varying depths, clearly the result of years of being trampled.

"She's here." Xu Yuan spoke suddenly.

The two followed Xu Yuan's gaze and saw Liu Erlong walking toward them with long, purposeful strides, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit and carrying a long whip.

"You're punctual." Liu Erlong stopped before the three of them, her gaze sweeping across their faces.

Liu Erlong flicked the long whip against the ground with a sharp crack, startling Xiao Wu and instantly waking her up completely.

"Since you are students under my personal tutelage, you must follow my rules." Liu Erlong's gaze was as sharp as a blade. "For the first lesson, we won't practice soul skills; we start with the basics."

Liu Erlong pointed to the track: "First, one hundred laps. Start now, run!"

Xiao Wu was the first to dash out, looking back at Zhuqing while running to make a face: "Zhuqing, come and catch me!"

Zhuqing's eyes narrowed, her figure darting out like a pale purple bolt of lightning, quickly pulling even with Xiao Wu.

She deliberately held back her speed, yet she was still much steadier than Xiao Wu, her breathing even and her stride rhythm completely undisturbed.

Xu Yuan trailed at the back, moving at a steady, unhurried pace.

In the blink of an eye, over ten days passed.

Under Liu Erlong's training, all three of them showed significant improvement, especially Zhuqing.

There was no helping it; Zhuqing was the weakest among the three of them.

"Xu Yuan, I challenge you." Tailong approached Xu Yuan to issue a challenge.

Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow upon hearing this and said: "Are you sure, Tailong? You are only a level 25 Soul Grand Master right now."

He wasn't very surprised that Tailong was challenging him.

Because Xiao Wu and Zhuqing were known as the two great goddesses of the academy by the students of Blue Tyrant Academy, many people pursued them.

However, because Xiao Wu had clearly stated she had someone she liked, and Zhuqing had a fiancé, there were fewer people chasing them.

Tailong refused to give up, wanting to make Xiao Wu his girlfriend.

Xu Yuan had told Xiao Wu to let Tailong come and challenge him.

He hadn't expected Tailong to come and challenge him so soon.

Tailong nodded and said: "Naturally, I don't believe I will lose."

Although his level was lower than Xu Yuan's, he was a Battle Soul Master, while Xu Yuan was merely an auxiliary-system Soul Master.

It is common knowledge that an auxiliary-type soul master cannot possibly defeat a battle-type soul master.

God King Tang San looked at the challenging Tailong, a cold sneer forming in his heart.

If it weren't for the fact that Tailong was his future subordinate, he would have already been courting death.

Over these past ten days, he had been quietly using his own origin to reshape Xu Yuan's body, ensuring that Xu Yuan would be better able to withstand his soul in the future.

His soul was at the god level, and Xu Yuan's body could not bear it at all; if he were to forcibly seize the body, it would simply collapse.

Now, the more God King Tang San looked at Xu Yuan, the more satisfied he became, as every aspect of him had already surpassed his own former self.

He was confident that after seizing Xu Yuan's body, he would be able to reach even greater heights.

Returning to the matter at hand, after Tailong was beaten, his grandfather would surely come for revenge. When that time came, he could let Xu Yuan display the Clear Sky Hammer, and by using his own power to leave an impression on the other party, he could recruit them for his own use.

This time, he would make the Tang Sect his finest tool, using it to promote himself and gather a massive amount of faith.

At the same time, he would make the entire Douluo Continent his private garden once again.

"Since you insist, then I shall spar with you." Xu Yuan's tone was indifferent, yet his gaze gradually sharpened.

With his current strength, even another Tailong would be unable to defeat him now.

Students quickly gathered around the training grounds; after all, both Tailong and Xu Yuan were well-known at the Blue Tyrant Academy.

Tailong's muscles were solidly built, and combined with his stubborn, unyielding nature, many were waiting to watch this spectacle of an auxiliary-type against a power-attack type.

Almost no one believed that Xu Yuan could defeat Tailong.

Because auxiliary soul masters were recognized as the weakest and the easiest to defeat in cross-rank challenges.