Tang San panted, his body swaying unsteadily, yet he kept staring fixedly toward the Star Dou Great Forest, his fingernails digging deep into his palms.
"I'm too weak... I'm far too weak..."
"If I had the strength of a Titled Douluo... if I had the strength of that Gu Yuan on the Sky Screen..."
Not far away, Dai Mubai, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun watched the scene, exchanging uneasy glances. Their eyes were full of worry, but none of them dared step forward to stop him.
Over the past few days, Tang San had become like a keg of gunpowder ready to explode at any moment, his whole body radiating a chilling aura that warned everyone to keep their distance.
Just then, the clear sky suddenly changed color.
That boundless, ancient aura instantly enveloped the entire Shrek Academy. The savage pressure of Soul Beasts made everyone's breathing catch.
Tang San, who had been venting his anger, suddenly stiffened and jerked his head up.
Green light flowed across the Sky Screen, and a line of gilded characters slammed into view like a heavy hammer:
[Douluo Continent · Top Ten Peak Soul Beasts!]
[All those who make the list shall receive supreme fortune, blessed by the Heavenly Dao!]
"Soul Beasts... a ranking?"
Tang San murmured to himself, a terrifying gleam suddenly flaring in his lifeless eyes.
"Xiao Wu... was taken back to the core region of the Star Dou Great Forest... That's the Soul Beasts' stronghold..."
His thoughts raced, and his heart began pounding violently.
If this was a ranking of peak Soul Beasts, then the Titan Giant Ape that had taken Xiao Wu—and even more terrifying beings spoken of in legend—would surely appear on the list!
"As long as I watch this ranking... as long as I watch it, I'll find out what took Xiao Wu! I'll learn what lies deep in that forest!"
Tang San's voice trembled with excitement. He stared at the Sky Screen as if he could see right through it.
However, when he saw the final line—[All those who make the list shall receive supreme fortune, blessed by the Heavenly Dao!]—his face instantly turned deathly pale, and he felt as if he had plunged into an icy abyss.
"A reward... a Heavenly Dao Blessing?"
Tang San stumbled back two steps and clutched at his hair in despair.
"No... It can't be..."
"Those two transformed Soul Beasts are already strong enough to make anyone despair... If they receive some kind of reward from the Heavenly Dao and grow even stronger..."
"How long will I have to cultivate before I can save Xiao Wu?
Ten years? Fifty years? Or my whole life?!"
A profound sense of helplessness welled up inside him.
This rescue had already been a mission with overwhelming odds. And now the Sky Screen was going to give rewards to those terrifying Ferocious Beasts?
It was cutting off his very last hope!
"Xiao San, calm down."
A hoarse yet steady voice sounded from behind him.
Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang walked slowly out of the shadows beneath the trees, his hands clasped behind his back.
He looked at his proudest disciple, now a mere shadow of himself, and a flicker of pain crossed his eyes. His expression, however, remained rigid and stern.
"Teacher..."
Tang San turned around, his eyes bloodshot and his voice choked. "The Sky Screen... it's helping those beasts..."
"That is the Heavenly Dao. The Heavenly Dao is impartial and emotionless."
Yu Xiaogang walked up to Tang San and placed a hand on his trembling shoulder. His voice was grave as he said:
"If you give up here, or waste your time blaming fate, will that bring Xiao Wu back?"
"What you need to do isn't fear them growing stronger."
Yu Xiaogang pointed at the sky, his tone stern.
"You need to seize this opportunity and see the truth of this world!"
"This Sky Screen will lift the veil on the highest reaches of the Soul Beast world. Watch closely. Find out what level of being took Xiao Wu, what their weaknesses are, and what abilities they possess!"
"Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win a hundred battles. Even if they receive rewards, as long as you're still alive and willing to cultivate, one day you can surpass them!"
"But if you lose your mind and break down now, then Xiao Wu... really won't have any hope of being saved!"
Yu Xiaogang's words poured over Tang San like a bucket of icy water, clearing his muddled mind somewhat.
That was right.
Information!
This was a rare, once-in-a-lifetime chance to gather information!
Tang San took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the blood surging inside him. He used his Soul Power to seal the wounds on his hand. His gaze grew firm again—colder and sharper than before.
"Teacher, I understand."
Tang San turned around, his gaze like a blade as he fixed it on the Sky Screen.
"I'll carve the appearance, abilities, and rankings of every Soul Beast on that list into my mind."
"No matter how strong they become... one day, I'll kill them with my own hands and bring Xiao Wu back!"
Grandmaster watched as Tang San's fighting spirit reignited, and felt somewhat reassured. But as he looked at the words on the Sky Screen that foretold a "Heavenly Dao Blessing," his hands, clasped behind his back, clenched into fists, his palms slick with cold sweat.
As a master of theory, he understood what this meant better than Tang San did.
Soul Beasts had long lifespans and powerful bodies. Their only weaknesses were their slow cultivation and the tribulation of taking human form.
If the Sky Screen's rewards could make up for those weaknesses...
Then the skies over Douluo Continent were truly about to change.
The nightmare of human Soul Masters might only just be beginning.
Just as the people of Shrek Academy were lost in their own thoughts, the images on the Sky Screen finally began to shift.
Lines of ancient text slowly appeared, accompanied by a dragon's roar that shook heaven and earth.
[Tenth place...]
Star Dou Great Forest, core region, Life Lake.
The lake, which had been calm as a mirror, now seemed to boil, rippling violently in wave after wave.
To humans, that vast pressure from the heavens might have caused only a racing heart. But for Soul Beasts, whose bloodlines were ranked in a strict hierarchy, it brought a shiver from the depths of their souls—and... wild elation!
"ROAR—!!!"
A savage roar, violent beyond measure, boomed like thunder, instantly shattering the quiet of the core region.
The ground shook violently. Countless towering ancient trees trembled beneath the terrifying roar, and many were shaken bare of their leaves.
A towering figure, as imposing as a mountain, suddenly rose upright from the depths of the forest.
It was a giant bear, its entire body covered in dark-golden fur, every strand standing stiff as a steel needle. Its arms were long and powerful, and its bloodthirsty claws seemed capable of tearing apart the very fabric of space.
The king of the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bears, Xiong Jun!
His fierce little eyes were fixed on the words "supreme fortune, blessed by the Heavenly Dao" on the Sky Screen. He breathed so heavily that he sounded like a bellows, and his hot breath scorched the rocks in front of him red.
"Fortune! A tremendous stroke of fortune! Hahahaha!"
Xiong Jun swung his Terrorclaws, each one powerful enough to split mountains and shatter rocks. He smashed a boulder weighing dozens of tons beside him as easily as if it were tofu. His voice was brimming with greed and ambition:
"Your old bear has been stuck at this bottleneck for how many years now! If I can get this Heavenly Dao Blessing, what the hell is a heavenly tribulation? I'll tear it apart with one swipe!
"Then I'll be a true god!
"Even Di Tian..."
His words trailed off. A vicious gleam flashed in his eyes, and he instinctively looked toward the black-clad figure standing by the lake with his hands behind his back. Though he didn't finish speaking, the provocation was unmistakable.
On this ranking, he, Xiong Jun, would fight for the top spot!
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