However...
Li Jingzhe wasn't in a hurry to exchange for a Vermilion Fruit. As the saying went, good steel had to be used on the blade. The firmer the foundation, the more crucial the breakthrough!
Feeling the slight swelling in his meridians return to normal, and the warmth in his bones and muscles finish being absorbed, he immediately exchanged for another Snake Gallbladder.
After eating so many, he had begun to understand: the true value of the Bosi Qu Snake Gallbladder wasn't in increasing Soul Power or boosting his cultivation, but in laying a solid foundation—firm as rock and steady as a mountain!
He swallowed the entire Snake Gallbladder. The swollen feeling in his meridians swept over him at once, and the warmth that had faded from his bones and muscles surged back, reaching its peak in an instant. The warmth became scalding, and a layer of black matter gradually seeped out through his pores.
This was the filth expelled from the body after cleansing the marrow and purging impurities!
Even with the Muscle and Tendon Classic and the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Technique running at the same time, the medicinal power of the Snake Gallbladder refined far more slowly. It took a full eight minutes for the swelling in his meridians to gradually fade.
Li Jingzhe sighed in relief, exchanged for another Snake Gallbladder, and swallowed it. This was his fifteenth, and the sensations were just like before—but this time they came faster and burned more fiercely.
It took a full twelve minutes to finish refining it!
The sixteenth... twenty-four minutes...
The seventeenth... thirty-five minutes...
The twentieth... one hour and seven minutes...
The twenty-third... Hm? No reaction?
If he had to name any reaction, it was a feeling of fullness...
Once he reached his current limit, the Snake Gallbladder's medicinal power could no longer be transformed within his body!
Li Jingzhe immediately checked his Soul Power. It was thick as syrup, already at the limit of what could still be considered a "liquid." Any further, and it would crystallize. But his body clearly wasn't strong enough for that yet. He needed a force that could push him to a higher level—one that would cleanse his meridians, purge impurities, improve his natural endowment, and help him reach greater heights!
Put simply, the cup was full. He needed to make it bigger!
A Vermilion Fruit? Or a Soul Ring?
His goal was to obtain a higher-quality Soul Ring and, through it, acquire top-tier techniques and martial arts. So the answer could only be a Vermilion Fruit!
He glanced at the time... It was already afternoon?
"Cultivation really makes the years slip away without notice!"
He glanced at the tickets on the table and couldn't help smiling.
"Very well, I'll treat it as a day off!"
Since he'd already agreed, he should at least go and take a look, shouldn't he?
Besides, he was rather curious to see whether Tang San could withstand a beating from the Thousand Spider Poison Hand—one delivered straight from his homeland.
Li Jingzhe rose and clenched his fist. Bang! A short, muffled sonic boom rang out. The sudden burst came from his fingers rapidly compressing the air in his palm. The grime on his body and clothes shattered into dust, and he swept it out of the Scripture Depository with a wave of his hand.
He tried throwing a punch... Boom!
Though he'd struck only the air, it felt as if his fist had connected with something solid. That meant his fist was fast enough and powerful enough to hit like a whip cracking through the air and breaking the sound barrier!
His Soul Power was incredibly condensed and weighty. Every movement made him feel as though power were ready to explode from his body!
"Yang Guo probably wasn't much stronger than this back then, was he?"
"If I had a Heavy Xuan Iron Sword, maybe I could become a legendary Condor Hero too!"
Satisfied, Li Jingzhe picked up the tickets and left the Scripture Depository, heading straight for the Great Soul Arena in Heaven Dou City. The moment he left, the Scripture Depository shut itself and formed an impenetrable barrier!
With its master away, no one could enter the Scripture Depository.
Heaven Dou City was now packed to the brim. People surged through the streets in a roaring tide. Soul Masters and ordinary people alike were all headed for the same destination: the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena, to take part in the grand event known as the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament.
The closer they got to the Great Soul Arena, the livelier the atmosphere became. Colorful flags fluttered, balloons filled the air, and crowds pressed shoulder to shoulder. What a spectacle!
Though the tournament hadn't begun and no rankings had been decided, people were already wearing the uniforms of the teams they favored, cheering them on.
The Heaven Dou Empire had no choice but to deploy troops to keep order.
"Hey, did you just see that bunch of green toads? Hahaha, I'm dying!"
"How could they even dare to wear something that shit-green?"
"Who knows what backwater hole that team crawled out of? They actually think they can compete in the tournament. I bet they'll spend the whole thing trailing behind."
"You're giving them too much credit. A team like that will be eliminated after one round at most!"
Outside the Great Soul Arena, similar chatter was everywhere.
Li Jingzhe smiled. "Heh... Shrek? They really know how to make a splash wherever they go..."
After all, even infamy was fame, and even a scandalous blaze still burned bright...
He stepped forward to have his ticket checked.
"Sorry, honored guest. Your entrance is over here... Please follow me."
The young attendant checking tickets bowed to Li Jingzhe and directed him toward the VIP entrance nearby.
Clearly, the ticket Dugu Yan had given him wasn't for an ordinary seat.
The attendant led Li Jingzhe to a private box. Through the one-way, floor-to-ceiling window, he could clearly look down over the entire Soul Fighting Platform. Glow sticks and cheering signs filled the stands, forming a sea that rippled with movement.
The draw had just concluded!
The giant screen above the Soul Fighting Platform displayed the matchups for the first round of the preliminary competition.
[Heaven Dou Royal Academy vs. Shrek Academy]
[Canghui Academy vs. Purple Star Academy]
[Auckland Academy vs. Flame Radiance Academy]
[...]
"Very well... The first match of the first round of the preliminary competition will be Heaven Dou Royal Academy Second Team versus Shrek Academy!"
"All participating academies, please leave the arena... The two academies competing shortly, please get ready... The match will officially begin in one hour!"
The sweet voice of the young announcer rang through every corner of the Great Soul Arena via an Amplifying Soul Tool.
Waiting area.
The members of Shrek Academy hadn't paid much attention to the other matchups. But when they heard their first opponent was the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Second Team, their expressions turned wonderfully vivid!
"What are the odds?"
Oscar murmured.
"Perfect! They kicked us out, didn't they? This time, we'll show them what real strength looks like!"
Ma Hongjun, his face full of leering mischief, pressed his fingers together. A string of crackling sounds came from his joints. "Third Brother, let me go out there!"
He volunteered loudly.
Tang San shot him a glare. "We'll stick to the original plan. Fatty, don't argue!"
"For this match, Mubai, Xiao Wu, Jiang Zhu, Jing Ling, Huang Yuan, Tailong, and I will fight. We'll attack according to the first plan... Back then, we suffered that humiliation at Heaven Dou Royal Academy... This time, we'll crush them completely!"
"I think one minute will be enough for us to win this battle!"
An invisible aura of killing intent quietly spread. Dai Mubai struck his tiger paws together, a vicious glint flashing in his demonic eyes. "That's right. One minute is enough!"
Meanwhile!
In the Heaven Dou Royal Academy lounge.
'It happened...'
'The first match of the first round... Heaven Dou Second Team against Shrek...'
'He really called it?!'
Hearing the announcer's newly announced matchup, Dugu Yan felt her heart skip a beat. Her beautiful eyes were full of astonishment. Li Jingzhe's words from that morning kept echoing in her ears!
At the time, she had thought he was only joking. Now that his words had come true, she couldn't help finding something chilling in them.
'Was it a coincidence? But if it was, isn't that far too much of a coincidence?'
'Can he see the future? Or is the force behind him powerful enough to interfere directly with the tournament draw? The Scripture Depository... Li Jingzhe... This man really isn't simple!'
Her hands clenched into fists without her realizing it, and her gaze unconsciously turned toward the VIP boxes.
'I wonder if he'll actually come...'
"It seems we'll soon get what we've been hoping for!"
At that moment, Ye Lingling glided over to Dugu Yan and gently took her hand.
Anyone who knew Ye Lingling well could tell her voice was several degrees colder than usual... Yanzi had never forgotten the humiliation in Suotuo City, and she hadn't forgotten the grudge either—Tang San had held the lives of Yanzi and the others over her head, forcing her to treat the Shrek members' injuries!
Dugu Yan's fist slowly unclenched. She clasped Ye Lingling's small hand in return, her beautiful eyes quietly turning into slit pupils like a snake's, filled with bewitching, sinister charm. "That's right. We'll soon get what we've been hoping for!"
"This time, I'll show them what cruelty means!"
Before you continue