A Duel is Set

"Very well." Bei Bei did not refuse; in truth, his own inner thoughts aligned with this.

With his current strength, he could find absolutely no match among the new students at Shrek Academy.

In the past, he could spar with Zhang Lexuan or Ma Xiaotao, but they were not his peers, after all.

When fighting them, Bei Bei found it difficult to let go and fully unleash his power, making it hard to experience a truly exhilarating, all-out battle.

Long Aotian was different. He was of a similar age, his Soul Power Level was quite close, and he possessed the formidable combat techniques of the Body Sect. His combat prowess was immense, and he might just be the one to force Bei Bei to reveal his full strength.

During the previous battle against the Evil Soul Master, he had only exerted eighty percent of his power, with several methods still left in reserve.

Bei Bei looked at the other man and said, "You are likely preparing to head into the Sunset Forest to hunt for your fourth soul ring, correct? I can wait for you here."

"Good." Long Aotian nodded, turned, and prepared to enter the Sunset Forest.

"No need to rush; go with peace of mind. I will not leave; I will be waiting for you here," Bei Bei said softly. "I hope that when you fight me, you will be in your strongest state."

"Of course. I will certainly obtain the fourth soul ring most suited to me!" Long Aotian knew that Bei Bei was reminding him not to choose a soul ring haphazardly just for the sake of their duel.

After Long Aotian departed, Bei Bei prepared to return to the hotel he had been staying at; the previous battle had not reached that area.

Before he had walked very far, Yu Yuanlong suddenly appeared by Bei Bei's side and said, "Bei Bei, you had better leave quickly! That fellow is from the Body Sect!"

"I know. I have already made an appointment with Long Aotian to wait here for a battle with him," Bei Bei replied calmly.

"Do you not realize that the old fellow Du Busi is also here?" Yu Yuanlong said urgently. "Are you unaware of his old grudge with Mu En? That old man is temperamental; if he insists on killing you, I won't be able to stop him!"

"Uncle Yu, you are overthinking it," Bei Bei said with a light laugh. "With Senior Du's stature, why would he make things difficult for a junior like me?"

"Hmph! How can you be so certain that I am not a petty person with a narrow mind?" A voice suddenly rang out, and the figure of Du Busi slowly materialized.

He looked at Bei Bei and said, "You should know that your Mystic Ancestor, Mu En, killed my own brother. If you were to die by my hand, I imagine that old fellow Mu En would be devastated!"

Seeing Du Busi appear, Yu Yuanlong hurriedly blocked Bei Bei's path, his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul manifesting as nine soul rings—two yellow, two purple, and five black—appeared around him.

Du Busi didn't even bother to glance at him; his gaze remained fixed on Bei Bei.

Bei Bei felt no fear, stepping out from behind Yu Yuanlong with a composed expression.

He bowed respectfully to Du Busi and said, "To be able to mentor a disciple like Brother Long, Senior must also be a person who distinguishes clearly between gratitude and grudges."

"Hmph, the grudges of the older generation naturally have nothing to do with a junior like you," Du Busi nodded slightly.

"Back then, my brother wanted to use the pressure of a life-and-death battle to break through the bottleneck of the ninety-ninth-level Limit Douluo."

"It is a pity he lost by one move and suffered injuries that could not be healed, while Mu En successfully broke through to the ninety-ninth level instead!" Du Busi sighed. "The ways of heaven are truly unpredictable!"

Bei Bei looked at him, thinking that while the people of the Body Sect were stubborn and even rigid, one had to admit that Du Busi treated his own sect members very well. For the sake of Huo Yuhao, a possessor of a Body Martial Soul, he had even dared to storm Shrek Academy.

Later, when the sect was largely slaughtered by Evil Soul Masters dispatched by the Sun Moon Empire, the remaining disciples of the Body Sect still organized themselves to continue resisting the empire's invasion.

In the end, to exact his revenge, Du Busi had detonated himself within the territory of the Sun Moon Empire, a scene of extreme tragedy.

Though Du Busi could not be considered a "good" person, he was certainly not a bad one either; at the very least, Bei Bei's impression of him remained quite favorable.

"Your talent is indeed strong, junior, even comparable to Mu En back in the day," Du Busi said indifferently. "I shall see which of you is truly the stronger one!"

With that, Du Busi's figure vanished.

"Then please look forward to it, Senior!" Bei Bei said with a faint smile.

"It is fortunate that the old fellow did not make a move." Yu Yuanlong let out a sigh of relief; compared to Bei Bei's confident composure, he had been on edge the entire time.

"Relax, Uncle Yu," Bei Bei said softly from the side.

"Be careful!" Yu Yuanlong said with a helpless sigh, and after giving a few more instructions, he hid himself in the shadows once more.

On the other side, deep within the Sunset Forest.

Long Aotian was continuously searching for a suitable soul beast. Back in the sect, his master and the elders had already selected many types of soul beasts that would be appropriate for him.

His decision to come out alone this time was, in fact, a form of training—to hunt his ideal soul beast on his own.

Long Aotian remained cautious. Although the Sunset Forest could not compare to the Star Dou Great Forest, it was still one of the ancient gathering places for soul beasts. While it lacked Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, there were still many beasts over ten thousand years old.

With his current strength, encountering a ten-thousand-year soul beast still posed a significant danger.

Long Aotian recalled the aura Bei Bei had displayed during their previous battle, feeling that if he wanted to defeat him, his fourth soul ring needed to be at least at the ten-thousand-year level.

He had been extremely diligent in his mental cultivation and could now fuse his spiritual power with his soul power to launch attacks, yet he was not entirely certain he could withstand the soul shock of a ten-thousand-year beast.

However, Long Aotian had no intention of giving up; instead, his fighting spirit burned even brighter. The cultivation of a Body Martial Soul was all about constantly breaking through one's own limits.

To achieve the second awakening of his Body Martial Soul, he had lost count of how many times he had walked on the edge of death.

If that was the case, how could the mere soul shock of a ten-thousand-year beast stop his forward progress!

Meanwhile, Bei Bei stayed in his hotel room, quietly cultivating and adjusting himself to his peak state.

At the same time, he was continuously reflecting on every detail of his previous battle, allowing his combat techniques to become more fluid and integrated.

Many flaws he had not noticed before had been fully exposed during the fight, and through constant reflection and deduction, Bei Bei's strength had improved once again.

In particular, his insights into his self-created soul skill, the Tyrant Sovereign Thunder Halberd, had deepened, and he continued to refine it.

Time passed in the blink of an eye, and nearly half a month went by.

Bei Bei remained in his room, surrounded by eight floating fragments of soul bones, while a platinum dragon crown manifested upon his forehead.

He was contemplating the power within the Nine True Dragon Crowns, attempting to uncover the secrets hidden deep within.

Bei Bei could sense that the Nine True Dragon Crowns contained a piece of information that could only be unlocked by a powerful dragon bloodline and sufficient strength.

The bloodline of Bei Bei's martial soul was sufficient, yet his power still fell slightly short.

As Bei Bei studied the Nine True Dragon Crowns within his room, he sensed a familiar fluctuation of soul power coming from outside.