Qian Yu smiled faintly.
First, his third Soul Ring lit up purple.
"Third Soul Skill—Metal Storm." The Desert Eagle shifted into its AK47 form. Qian Yu switched to single-shot mode and fired a bullet straight at Zhao Wuji.
In almost an instant, the armor-piercing bullet struck Zhao Wuji's defensive shield.
The two clashed at high speed, and fine cracks appeared in the shield.
There's a chance. Qian Yu calculated quickly, then ordered Ning Rongrong, "Rongrong, give me another Amplification."
Ning Rongrong reacted immediately, and a 20% Strength Amplification enveloped Qian Yu.
Qian Yu fired again. The second bullet struck the shield, making the cracks spread even farther.
Qian Yu narrowed his eyes slightly, already making plans.
His Second Soul Ring lit up purple. "Second Soul Skill—Sky Full of Dancing Bullets." The 98K fired behind him, and the shot exploded a short distance away.
Qian Yu used the blast's shock wave to close in on Zhao Wuji.
He brought the AK47 around, raised his right hand, and used his Soul Bone Skill—Sky-Ripping Claw.
A massive claw tore through the air, bearing down on Zhao Wuji's shield.
Zhao Wuji was dumbfounded. The shield around him burst apart completely, and he came to his senses at the same time.
"Was that a Spirit Bone?" Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing were both stunned by the trump card Qian Yu had revealed.
"Good kid. You actually have a Spirit Bone." Though Qian Yu had broken through his shield, Zhao Wuji couldn't help marveling at the boy's incredible talent.
Having landed his strike, Qian Yu switched back to the 98K and used the explosion's lingering force to put distance between himself and Zhao Wuji.
Then he spun his gun in midair, switched to the AK47, and unleashed a full-auto barrage at Zhao Wuji.
"Holy crap!"
Bullets rained down on Zhao Wuji as if they were free.
Zhao Wuji tried to use gravity to change the bullets' trajectory, but their speed was nothing like Zhu Zhuqing's speed as a Soul Master.
Every bullet struck Zhao Wuji without missing.
Zhao Wuji could only activate his Martial Soul Avatar, transforming into a Great Vajra Bear and shielding his vital areas.
The bullets struck his arms and legs.
As a Soul Saint, Zhao Wuji was in pain, but at least his life wasn't in danger.
But activating his Martial Soul Avatar also meant he had lost the fight.
"Yeah! We won!" Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, and Xiao Wu were all swept up in the joy of victory.
Only Qian Yu himself knew that he couldn't have won this fight alone.
A thought took shape in his mind.
Teamwork.
In his previous life, Qian Yu had been a special forces king, and he'd relied on a trustworthy team. In this life, he carried a deep-seated grudge and faced an opponent as powerful as the Clear Sky Sect. How could he not need his companions' help? More importantly, he still had to find his younger siblings.
That made friends and teammates essential to his future.
Qian Yu had made up his mind: no matter what, he would build his own team.
Zhao Wuji withdrew his Martial Soul.
He wasn't angry. On the contrary, he was perfectly calm.
"All right. Who can tell me what you learned from that fight?" Zhao Wuji's booming voice rang out like thunder.
"That we're amazing, obviously." After defeating a Soul Saint, Ning Rongrong looked triumphant.
Zhao Wuji's face darkened. He couldn't be bothered to look at her. She was from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and he couldn't afford to offend her, so he simply ignored her.
"Zhu Zhuqing, you tell me." Zhao Wuji called on Zhu Zhuqing.
"I realized the power of teamwork."
Zhu Zhuqing's voice wasn't loud, but it carried conviction.
She gave people a sense of dependability.
"Mm, good. Exactly—the power of teamwork. On the Douluo Continent, every Soul Master has a field they specialize in, as well as areas where they're weak. If a Soul Master wants to be invincible, they need to make up for their shortcomings. But everyone has limited time and energy, so no one can train in every field. A reliable team can solve that problem for you perfectly."
"Think about it. If every one of you became the best at what you specialize in, how terrifying would your team be?"
Zhao Wuji's voice rang out, full of conviction. The more he spoke, the more excited he became.
His words stirred the others as well.
That was right. Everyone had weaknesses. Rather than spend time shoring them up, they could focus on their strengths and leave the rest to their teammates.
"Come to think of it, that's how our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect works. Instead of spending time turning Ning Fengzhi into a Power Attack System or Control-Type Battle Spirit Master, it's better to support Sword Grandpa and Bone Grandpa, letting each of them unleash the strength of two or more people. That way, one plus one is greater than two."
At that moment, Ning Rongrong gained a deeper understanding of teamwork.
Because of her family, Zhu Zhuqing understood this deeply too. Even if she trained alone, she had no idea how many years it would take to become a Titled Douluo. And against a family and empire that powerful, what could she possibly do on her own?
But if she had a group of companions behind her, and a sect behind them, then she could stand up to them without hesitation.
Xiao Wu thought of her mother. If Spirit Beasts could band together like humans, her mother wouldn't have been so easily hunted down by them.
Everyone gained a new understanding of the word "teamwork."
"Good." Zhao Wuji was very pleased to see that everyone had gained a new understanding of teamwork.
He swept his hand through the air. "Welcome to Shrek Academy, Little Monsters."
"Yeah!" Everyone burst into cheers.
How could they not be excited after receiving the approval of a Soul Saint?
Qian Yu felt the same way and couldn't help smiling.
That smile captivated all three girls.
"Qian Yu, has anyone ever told you that you look really good when you smile?"
Ning Rongrong was the first to tease him.
Xiao Wu blushed.
Zhu Zhuqing lowered her head too, not daring to look Qian Yu in the eye, but she couldn't help sneaking glances at him.
"Uh..."
After officially enrolling, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong were assigned to the same dormitory.
Zhao Wuji took Qian Yu to the boys' dormitory.
As soon as he entered, he saw a boy with a scruffy beard, though he was fairly handsome.
"Uh, Qian Yu, let me introduce you. This is Oscar. He's fourteen, a level twenty-nine Soul Grandmaster, and a food-type Soul Master. Don't let his scruffy beard fool you—he's the first food-type Soul Master in the history of the continent to have Innate Full Soul Power." Zhao Wuji introduced him to Qian Yu.
"Mm." Qian Yu nodded slightly at Oscar.
Further inside, he saw Dai Mubai sitting beside Tang San, who was unconscious. It seemed he intended to wait until Tang San woke up.
"Qian Yu, this is Dai Mubai. He's sixteen, a level thirty-six Soul Elder, and his Martial Soul is the Evil Eye White Tiger."
Zhao Wuji continued introducing him to Qian Yu.
"Mm." Qian Yu nodded slightly too, as if he'd already forgotten the unpleasantness of the day before.
Dai Mubai's expression turned cold. "I can't believe you really got into the academy."
He spoke in an unfriendly tone.
"You know each other?" Zhao Wuji asked curiously.
"We happened to run into each other at a hotel yesterday. We had a little disagreement."
Qian Yu answered unhurriedly, as if he were talking about something trivial.
Dai Mubai's expression grew darker and darker.
How could Zhao Wuji not understand? Dai Mubai had taken a beating yesterday.
But there was nothing he could do about it.
Just as Zhao Wuji was about to smooth things over,
a furious shout came from outside. "Which Little Scumbag dared to bully my disciple?"
Before you continue