Soul Master Tournament, Begins!

However...

Li Jingzhe was in no rush to exchange for the Vermilion Fruit. As the saying goes, good steel must be used on the blade; the firmer the foundation, the more critical the improvement!

Feeling the distended sensation in his meridians return to normal, and having absorbed the lingering heat within his bones and muscles, he immediately exchanged for another Bosi Qu Snake Gallbladder.

Having consumed so many, he had figured it out: the true value of the Bosi Qu Snake Gallbladder lay not in increasing soul power or boosting cultivation, but in laying a foundation as solid as rock and as steady as Mount Tai!

Swallowing the gallbladder whole, the sensation of distended meridians swept over him instantly. The heat that had dissipated from his bones and muscles surged back, reaching a peak in an instant. The warmth turned scalding, and a layer of pitch-black substance was gradually expelled through his pores.

This was the filth expelled from the body after the marrow-cleansing process!

Even with the Muscle and Tendon Classic and the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Technique running simultaneously, the speed at which he refined the medicinal power of the snake gallbladder slowed down significantly. It took a full eight minutes for the distended feeling in his meridians to gradually fade.

Li Jingzhe let out a sigh of relief and exchanged for another, swallowing it. This was the fifteenth one he had consumed. The sensation was identical to before, yet this time it arrived more swiftly and with greater intensity.

It took a full twelve minutes to complete the refinement!

The sixteenth... twenty-four minutes...

The seventeenth... thirty-five minutes...

The twentieth... one hour and seven minutes...

The twenty-third... Hmm? No reaction?

If one had to describe a reaction, it would be a feeling of fullness...

Having reached his current limit, the medicinal power of the snake gallbladder could no longer be converted within his body!

Li Jingzhe immediately began to sense his own soul power. It was thick as paste, having reached the limit of being a "liquid." To go any further, it would have to crystallize, but that was clearly not something his current physical strength could achieve. He needed a force capable of pushing him to a higher level, to cleanse his marrow and improve his constitution, moving toward a higher realm!

In layman's terms, the cup was already full; he needed to make the cup larger!

Vermilion Fruit? Or a soul ring?

His goal was to obtain a higher-quality soul ring to acquire top-tier techniques and martial arts, so it had to be the Vermilion Fruit!

He glanced at the time... it was already afternoon?

"Truly, time flies when cultivating!"

Glancing at the ticket on the table, Li Jingzhe couldn't help but smile.

"Very well, I'll treat this as a holiday for myself!"

Since he had promised someone, he at least had to make an appearance, right?

Furthermore, he was quite curious to see if, when Tang San faced the Thousand Spider Poison Hand, he could withstand this beating from his homeland?

Li Jingzhe stood up and clenched his fist. Bang! A short, dull sonic boom erupted instantly, caused by his fingers rapidly compressing the air in his palm. The grime on his skin and clothes was shattered into fine powder, which he flicked away from the Scripture Depository with a wave of his hand.

He tried throwing a punch... Boom!

Even though he was striking the air, there was a sense of hitting a solid object. This meant his fist was fast enough and powerful enough, much like the sonic boom produced by a whip cracking through the air!

His soul power was extremely condensed and heavy; every move he made felt like an explosion of power.

"Yang Guo back in the day, I fear he was only at this level, right?"

"If I were given a Heavy Xuan Iron Sword, perhaps I could also become a legendary hero?"

Li Jingzhe was quite satisfied. He picked up the ticket from the table, left the Scripture Depository, and headed straight for the Great Soul Arena in Heaven Dou City. As he left, the Scripture Depository instantly locked, constructing an impenetrable barrier!

With its master away, no one could enter the Scripture Depository.

At this moment, Heaven Dou City was bustling; the streets were crowded with people. Everyone, whether soul masters or not, was surging toward a common destination: the Great Soul Arena, to participate in the grand event known as the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament.

The closer one got to the Great Soul Arena, the more heated the atmosphere became. Colorful flags fluttered, balloons filled the air, and the crowds were shoulder-to-shoulder—it was incredibly lively.

Even though the tournament had yet to begin and there were no rankings, some people had already donned the uniforms of the teams they supported to cheer for them.

The Heaven Dou Empire had to dispatch troops to maintain order.

"Hey, did you guys see those green toads earlier... Hahaha, it killed me."

"How could they dare to wear that poop-green color?"

"I don't know which backwater corner that team was scraped together from, but they actually dare to try and crash the tournament. I bet they'll be out in the first round."

"You're overthinking it; a team like that will be lucky to last one round!"

Arriving outside the Great Soul Arena, similar discussions were endless.

Li Jingzhe smiled: "Heh... Shrek, is it? It really is popular everywhere it goes..."

After all, bad publicity is still publicity, and infamy is still fame...

He went up to have his ticket checked.

"Apologies, distinguished guest, your entrance is over here... Please follow me."

The attendant lady in charge of ticket checking bowed to Li Jingzhe and guided him to enter through the VIP passage on the side.

Clearly, the ticket Dugu Yan gave him was not for a standard seat.

The attendant led Li Jingzhe to a private box. Through the one-way floor-to-ceiling window, he could clearly overlook the entire soul fighting stage and the spectator stands, where glow sticks and cheering boards formed a floating ocean.

At this moment, the drawing of lots had concluded!

The large screen above the Great Soul Arena had already displayed the matchup information for the first round of the qualifiers.

[Heaven Dou Royal Academy VS Shrek Academy]

[Canghui Academy VS Purple Star Academy]

[Auckland Academy VS Flame Radiance Academy]

[...]

"Alright... the first match of the first round of the qualifiers will be between Heaven Dou Second Team and Shrek Academy!"

"Will all participating academies please exit the stage... the two academies competing shortly, please prepare yourselves... the match will officially begin in one hour!"

The sweet voice of the young mistress of ceremonies echoed through every corner of the Great Soul Arena via the amplification Soul Tool.

In the waiting area.

The members of Shrek Academy had not paid much attention to the matchup information for the other academies, but when they heard that their first-round opponent was actually Heaven Dou Second Team, the expressions on their faces were quite spectacular!

"Could it really be such a coincidence?"

Oscar muttered.

"Perfect! Didn't they kick us out? This time, we'll show them what real strength is!"

Ma Hongjun, with a lewd look on his face, cracked his knuckles, producing a series of popping sounds: "Third Brother, let me take the stage!"

He boldly requested to fight.

Tang San glared at him: "Everything will proceed according to the original plan, Fatty, no need to argue!"

"For this upcoming match, the lineup will be: Dai Mubai, myself, Xiao Wu, Jiang Zhu, Jing Ling, Huang Yuan, and Tailong. We will attack according to the first plan... We once suffered such humiliation at Heaven Dou Royal Academy... and this time, we will crush them completely!"

"I think, for us, one minute is enough for this battle!"

An invisible, murderous aura quietly spread. Dai Mubai clapped his tiger palms together, a fierce light flickering in his evil eyes: "That's right, one minute is enough!"

On the other side!

In the rest area of Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

It hit...

The first match of the first round... Heaven Dou Second Team against Shrek...

Did that guy actually predict it correctly?!

Listening to the matchup information just announced by the mistress of ceremonies, Dugu Yan felt her heart skip a beat, her beautiful eyes filled with astonishment. This morning, those words from Li Jingzhe kept echoing in her ears!

At the time, she had only thought he was joking, but now that the jest had become reality, it sent a shiver down her spine!

Is it a coincidence? But if it is, this is far too coincidental, isn't it?

Predicting the future? Or... is the power behind him strong enough to directly interfere with the Soul Master Tournament's draw results? Scripture Depository... Li Jingzhe... this guy is truly not as simple as he seems!

Her hands unconsciously clenched into fists, and her gaze instinctively turned toward the VIP boxes.

I wonder if that guy will actually come...

"It seems we will soon get what we wish for!"

At this moment, Ye Lingling moved with lotus steps to Dugu Yan's side and gently took her hand.

Those familiar with Ye Lingling could easily tell that her voice was several degrees colder than usual... Yanzi had never forgotten the humiliation in Suotuo City that day, and she had not forgotten the grudge of being forced by Tang San to heal the Shrek members under the threat of Yanzi and the others' lives!

Dugu Yan's fists gradually loosened, and she gripped Ye Lingling's small hand in return. Her beautiful eyes quietly transformed into snake-like vertical pupils, filled with enchantment and malice: "Yes, we will soon get what we wish for!"

"This time, I will let them know what it means to be cruel!"