Blue Tyrant Team

Tailong lay prone on the sandy ground, his chest heaving violently, every breath accompanied by a tearing pain.

He heard Xu Yuan's calm voice, which felt like a needle piercing through his final shred of stubbornness.

"I... lost..." Tailong used all his remaining strength to spit out these three words.

Tears mixed with sand slid from the corners of his eyes, not because of the pain, but because of a frustration he had never felt before.

The strength and defense he took such pride in had proven so vulnerable before this support-type soul master.

The surrounding crowd erupted into a frenzy.

"My god! Tailong actually lost!"

"That's the Great Strength Ape martial soul! Beaten like this by Blue Silver Grass?"

"What kind of monster is Xu Yuan? Can a support-type soul master really be this strong?"

The screams of the female students were especially loud, their eyes filled with adoration as they looked at Xu Yuan.

Xiao Wu pushed through the crowd to reach Xu Yuan's side, so excited she was incoherent: "Brother Xu Yuan! You're too awesome! I knew you were the best!"

Zhu Zhuqing also walked over; she didn't lose her composure like Xiao Wu, merely watching Xu Yuan.

Zhu Zhuqing gently handed over a water skin and said in a low voice, "You worked hard."

Xu Yuan took the water skin, unscrewed it, and took a sip, the cool liquid sliding down his throat.

God King Tang San nodded slightly, feeling that Xu Yuan possessed the same air he had in his younger days.

Xu Yuan looked at Tailong, who was still lying on the ground, and asked the surrounding students, "Who can help me take him to the infirmary?"

Two boys familiar with Tailong immediately ran over, carefully helping him up.

With his arms supported, Tailong kept his head low, his expression obscured, only his shoulders still trembling slightly.

"Wait." Xu Yuan suddenly spoke.

Tailong's body stiffened, expecting more mocking words, but instead heard Xu Yuan say: "Your strength is pure, but your technique is too crude. Go back and practice hard; you might not lose next time."

Tailong jerked his head up, meeting Xu Yuan's calm gaze.

There was no mockery or triumph in those eyes, only a sense of equal scrutiny, which left him with a complex mix of emotions.

He opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing, simply allowing his companions to help him limp away from the training grounds.

The crowd gradually dispersed, but the discussions regarding this duel spread throughout the entire Blue Tyrant Academy.

Xu Yuan's name became the hottest topic in the academy overnight—the support-type genius who could dominate a power-attack type with Blue Silver Grass.

The next day, Blue Tyrant Academy plaza.

Liu Erlong stood on the podium, looking down at the students below: "There is one thing to announce today, and that is my decision for the Blue Tyrant Team to participate in the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Elite Tournament."

"The Continental Advanced Spirit Master Elite Tournament?"

The crowd below instantly exploded; students whispered to one another, their eyes filled with shock and excitement.

That was the most prestigious soul master competition on the continent, hosted by the Heaven Dou and Star Luo empires and co-organized by Martial Soul Hall.

Held once every five years, the finals were permanently hosted in Martial Soul City.

The tournament essentially represented the development direction of the soul master world for the next few decades, and members of the championship team often possessed the potential to become Titled Douluo in the future.

Participating students had to be under 25 years old, and each match required a team of seven.

Maiming or killing opponents was prohibited during matches, as was the use of non-martial soul weapons or drugs not created by food-type or healing-type soul masters; violating academies would be expelled from the tournament.

"Dean, are we really going?" an upperclassman couldn't help but ask aloud.

Liu Erlong's gaze swept across the crowd, her voice rising sharply with unquestionable authority: "When has my word ever failed to count?"

The commotion died down instantly, and everyone straightened their backs, waiting for her to continue.

"I have already made preliminary selections for the team roster." Liu Erlong paused, her gaze falling on Xu Yuan, Xiao Wu, and Zhu Zhuqing in the crowd, "Xu Yuan, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, step forward."

The three exchanged glances and walked quickly to the front of the stage.

"Tailong, Jiang Zhu, Huang Yuan, and Jing Ling." Liu Erlong called out four more names, including Tailong, who had been defeated by Xu Yuan the day before.

The four called stepped forward in response, standing beside Xu Yuan and the others.

Tailong was somewhat reserved, his eyes darting toward Xu Yuan from time to time with complex emotions.

Jiang Zhu was a very beautiful girl with an excellent figure; her martial soul was the Healing Scepter, and she wore a gentle smile on her face.

Huang Yuan was a power-attack battle soul master with the Lone Wolf martial soul, while Jing Ling was an agility-attack battle soul master with the Skeleton martial soul.

God King Tang San looked at Jiang Zhu and the others, recalling information in his mind.

When participating in the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Elite Tournament, Jiang Zhu and the others were all at level 35.

Their talent could only be described as decent; if they were to compete, they would need immortal herbs to improve their standing.

Even though they were only Soul Elders at 18, God King Tang San knew clearly that their talent was considered quite good among commoners.

If he hadn't given Dai Mubai and the others immortal herbs, it was highly probable that Dai Mubai wouldn't have reached level 40 until he was 20.

Dai Mubai had told him back then that he had hit a bottleneck and would need quite some time to break through.

God King Tang San glanced at the current strength of the three of them; they were already at level 34.

If these people were to consume Immortal Herbs, their levels could all reach above level 40 in succession.

The only pity was that these people were a bit old.

God King Tang San began to struggle internally, wondering whether or not he should give these people the Immortal Herbs.

The seven of them stood in a row, and the students below the stage instantly fell silent, their gazes sweeping back and forth over them.

There was amazement, envy, and quite a few people secretly sizing them up.

Liu Erlong walked in front of the seven, her gaze like a torch: "From today on, you are the core of the Blue Tyrant Team. I don't care what grudges you had in the past; once you are on the arena, you must entrust your backs to one another. If anyone dares to hold the team back because of personal grievances, don't blame me, Liu Erlong, for being heartless."

At the last sentence, her gaze paused specifically on Xu Yuan and Tailong for a moment.

Tailong stiffened his neck and said in a muffled voice: "Rest assured, Dean, I won't."

Xu Yuan also nodded: "Understood."

After Liu Erlong finished her announcement, all the other students left the plaza, leaving only Xu Yuan and the others behind.

Looking at Xu Yuan and the others, Liu Erlong spoke up: "In a while, we will head to the Star Dou Forest for practical combat training. For these next few days, all of you had better prepare yourselves."

"Star Dou Forest?" Upon hearing this name, Xiao Wu's ears twitched slightly.

A flash of complex emotion crossed her eyes, and she didn't know what she was thinking in her heart.

Xiao Wu asked Liu Erlong: "Are we going to hunt soul beasts?"

Liu Erlong shook her head: "We are not going to hunt soul beasts, but for practical combat and coordination. The opponents in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament are not wooden stakes in an academy; the soul beasts in the Star Dou Forest will let you know what true life-and-death pressure is."

She had always believed that only practical combat could produce geniuses, as that was how she had been back in the day.