Blue Tyrant Team

Tailong lay sprawled on the sand, his chest heaving. Every breath brought a tearing pain.

He heard Xu Yuan's calm voice, a needle piercing through his last thread of stubbornness.

"I... lost..." Tailong forced the three words out with what little strength he had left.

Tears mingled with sand and slid from the corners of his eyes. It wasn't because of the pain, but because he had never experienced such a crushing defeat.

The strength and defense he had always been proud of were utterly outmatched by an auxiliary-type Soul Master.

The crowd around them erupted.

"My god! Tailong really lost!"

"That's the Great Strength Ape Martial Soul! How did Blue Silver Grass beat him up like this?"

"What kind of monster is Xu Yuan? How can an auxiliary-type Soul Master be this strong?"

The girls' shrieks were especially loud. Their eyes brimmed with admiration as they gazed at Xu Yuan.

Xiao Wu pushed through the crowd and ran to Xu Yuan's side, so excited she could barely get the words out. "Brother Xu Yuan! You're incredible! I knew you were the strongest!"

Zhu Zhuqing came over too. Unlike Xiao Wu, she didn't lose her composure. She simply looked at Xu Yuan.

Zhu Zhuqing quietly offered him a waterskin and said softly, "Thanks for the effort."

Xu Yuan took the waterskin, opened it, and drank. Cool water slid down his throat.

God King Tang San gave a slight nod, thinking Xu Yuan reminded him of himself in those days.

Xu Yuan looked at Tailong, who was still on the ground, and said to the students around them, "Could someone help him to the infirmary?"

Two boys who knew Tailong hurried over and carefully helped him up.

Tailong was held up by his arms, his head bowed. No one could see his expression; only his shoulders trembled slightly.

"Wait," Xu Yuan suddenly said.

Tailong stiffened, thinking Xu Yuan was about to mock him. Instead, Xu Yuan said, "Your strength is pure. Your technique's just too rough. Go back and train hard. You might not lose next time."

Tailong jerked his head up and met Xu Yuan's calm gaze.

There was no mockery or smugness in those eyes, only an evenhanded appraisal. It left Tailong with a jumble of feelings.

He opened his mouth, but in the end, said nothing. His companions helped him hobble away from the training field.

The crowd gradually dispersed, but word of the match spread throughout Blue Tyrant Academy.

Overnight, Xu Yuan became the academy's hottest topic: the auxiliary-type genius who could thrash Power Attack System Soul Masters with Blue Silver Grass.

The next day, at Blue Tyrant Academy's plaza.

Liu Erlong stood on the rostrum and addressed the students gathered below. "I have an announcement to make today. I've decided that the Blue Tyrant Team will compete in the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Elite Tournament."

"The Continental Advanced Spirit Master Elite Tournament?"

The students below erupted into a clamor, whispering among themselves, their eyes full of shock and excitement.

It was the most prestigious Soul Master tournament on the continent, hosted by the royal families of the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires, with Spirit Hall as a co-organizer.

It was held once every five years, with the finals always taking place in Spirit City.

The tournament largely represented the direction the Soul Master World would take in the decades to come. Members of the champion team often had the potential to become Titled Douluo.

Participants had to be under twenty-five, and each match required seven competitors from each team.

Injuring or killing opponents was forbidden, as was using weapons unrelated to one's Martial Soul or medicine made by anyone other than food-type or healing-type Soul Masters. Any academy that broke the rules would be expelled from the tournament.

"Dean, are we really going?" a senior student couldn't help calling out.

Liu Erlong swept her gaze across the crowd, her voice rising with unquestionable authority. "When have my words ever not counted?"

The commotion died at once. Everyone straightened up, waiting for her to continue.

"I've already drawn up a preliminary roster." Liu Erlong paused, her gaze settling on Xu Yuan, Xiao Wu, and Zhu Zhuqing in the crowd. "Xu Yuan, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, step forward."

The three exchanged glances, then quickly walked to the front.

"Tailong, Jiang Zhu, Huang Yuan, and Jing Ling." Liu Erlong named four more, including Tailong, whom Xu Yuan had defeated the day before.

The four stepped forward when their names were called and stood beside Xu Yuan and the others.

Tailong seemed a little ill at ease. Now and then, he glanced at Xu Yuan, his expression complicated.

Jiang Zhu was a very beautiful girl with a particularly curvy figure. Her Martial Soul was the Healing Scepter, and she wore a gentle smile.

Huang Yuan was a Power Attack System Battle Soul Master whose Martial Soul was the Lone Wolf. Jing Ling was an Agility Attack System Battle Soul Master whose Martial Soul was a skeleton.

God King Tang San looked at Jiang Zhu and the other two, recalling what he knew about them.

When they had competed in the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Elite Tournament, Jiang Zhu and the others had all been level thirty-five.

Their talent was decent, but if they were going to compete, he would need to prepare some Immortal Herbs to improve them.

Though they were eighteen and only Soul Elders, God King Tang San knew their talent was actually quite good among commoners.

If he hadn't given Dai Mubai and the others Immortal Herbs, Dai Mubai probably wouldn't have reached level forty until he was twenty.

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

God King Tang San glanced at their current strength. They were already level thirty-four.

If these people all took Immortal Herbs, they could each reach level forty or higher.

The only pity was that they were already a little old.

God King Tang San began to waver, wondering whether he should give them Immortal Herbs.

The seven stood in a row. The students below fell silent, their gazes sweeping over them.

Some looked impressed, others envious, while quite a few sized them up in silence.

Liu Erlong walked up to the seven, her gaze sharp. "From today onward, you are the core of the Blue Tyrant Team. I don't care what grudges you had before. Once you're on the field, you'll have to trust each other with your backs. If anyone dares to hold the team back over a personal grudge, don't blame me, Liu Erlong, for showing no mercy."

At her last words, she deliberately paused her gaze on Xu Yuan and Tailong.

Tailong stuck out his neck and said gruffly, "Don't worry, Dean. I won't."

Xu Yuan nodded as well. "Understood."

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

Looking at them, Liu Erlong said, "In a little while, we'll head to Star Dou Forest for practical training. Make sure you're all prepared over the next few days."

"Star Dou Forest?" Xiao Wu's ears twitched slightly at the name.

A complicated emotion flickered through her eyes, and no one could tell what she was thinking.

Xiao Wu asked Liu Erlong, "Are we going to hunt Soul Beasts?"

Liu Erlong shook her head. "We're not going to hunt Soul Beasts. This is practical training to help you learn to work together. Your opponents in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament won't be wooden dummies from the academy. The Soul Beasts in Star Dou Forest will show you what true pressure between life and death feels like."

She had always believed that only actual combat could produce geniuses. That was how she had done it herself.