Preliminary Selection of the Imperial Fighting Team, Seeking Soul Beasts

Tang Yuan's awakening did not cause much of a stir.

He simply opened his eyes calmly and rose to his feet.

Yet, a hint of regret remained hidden deep within his gaze.

Watching Tang Yuan's reaction, Jiang Lin frowned slightly.

"Failed?"

Tang Yuan nodded. "Mm, I couldn't successfully break through to level 99, though my strength has certainly increased quite a bit."

"I see. It seems the gap between level 98 and level 99 is truly not to be underestimated..."

Jiang Lin did not dwell on the regret; if he didn't break through, so be it. In any case, having consumed the immortal herb, Tang Yuan was likely unrivaled among those at level 98.

At the very least, Golden Crocodile Douluo would not be his match.

If Tang Yuan were to learn Ring Detonation and the Nine Absolute Techniques of Clear Sky, he should be able to face Qian Daoliu without fear... right?

However, that would be under the condition that Qian Daoliu did not use his Angel Divine Power.

Tang Yuan did not know the secret inherited techniques of the Clear Sky Sect; after all, those were created by Tang Chen, and there was even a possibility that the shadow of Asura loomed behind them.

Furthermore, in Tang Yuan's era, Tang Chen had not even been born yet.

"Since that's the case, it's time to obtain my fourth spirit ring."

Jiang Lin spoke, and neither Tang Yuan nor Elder Chen had any objections.

"Should we bring Old Poison along? He is more familiar with this Sunset Forest than any of us."

Elder Chen spoke up to offer a reminder.

Jiang Lin pondered for a moment before shaking his head.

"Forget it, let's go take a look ourselves first. He likely cannot get away from his own affairs."

Seeing Jiang Lin shake his head, Elder Chen said no more.

In his view, no matter how significant Old Poison's matters were, they were not as important as Jiang Lin's fourth spirit ring. But since Jiang Lin had already declined, he let it go.

Inside the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Dugu Bo transformed into a green blur and descended from the sky.

The surrounding students were initially curious to see a spirit master drop from the heavens, but upon recognizing the old man's face, they retreated in haste.

After all, Dugu Bo's volatile temperament was known to everyone.

Dugu Bo scanned the area and pointed casually at a student.

"You, come here."

The student who was pointed at froze, then pointed at himself in disbelief.

"Me?"

The students who had been standing close to him scattered, walking away without looking back.

"I am asking you, where has my granddaughter gone?"

Hearing Dugu Bo's imposing voice, the student snapped back to reality.

"Oh, oh, oh, it seems Teacher Qin Ming took them out..."

"Hmm, no wonder..."

Dugu Bo muttered. He had been searching for Dugu Yan while flying in the sky, but unfortunately, he hadn't found her after two laps.

"Then where did they go?"

"Uh... this..."

The student stammered for a long time, unable to get the words out.

Seeing his state, Dugu Bo stopped wasting breath on him and went directly to find the three members of the Education Committee.

At this moment, Qin Ming had just arrived at the Great Soul Arena with the newly formed Imperial Fighting Team.

After reaching the registration desk, Qin Ming turned around and looked at the group of boys and girls behind him with satisfaction.

"Alright, I won't say anything redundant. Remember, this team is being prepared for the next Continental Advanced Spirit Master Tournament. If your performance is poor, or if there are more outstanding students, you could be replaced at any time."

"Show your strongest abilities later. As long as you win, keep registering for the next match until you lose."

These words left everyone present looking at each other in dismay.

"Teacher, what about Lingling? She is an auxiliary type."

In the crowd, a charming girl with light green hair held the hand of a girl with a cold temperament beside her and asked with some concern.

"She does not need to participate, because she is almost impossible to replace."

Qin Ming's expression was calm as he recalled his training life back at Shrek Academy.

"However, if someone is willing to take her along for a duo match, that is also fine."

As soon as Qin Ming spoke, the scene fell silent for a moment; no one was willing to team up with Ye Lingling for the doubles match.

Their reasoning was simple: bringing a teammate with combat capabilities was naturally better than a healing-type Soul Master who lacked any buffing abilities.

Besides, even if they were injured, they could still receive treatment from her once they stepped off the stage.

After all, Qin Ming wouldn't dare leave them unattended.

Dugu Yan sighed as well. She wanted to stand on the stage of victory with her best friend, but she was well aware of her own strength.

Seeming to notice Dugu Yan's unease, Ye Lingling shook her head at her.

"It's fine..."

But before she could finish her sentence, a powerful surge of soul power appeared not far from them.

"Grandfather?!"

Sunset Forest.

The three of them wandered through the forest until the next day, finally encountering their first ten-thousand-year Soul Beast.

A Crimson Flame Demon Tiger with ten thousand years of cultivation.

The beast was coiled in the center of a scorched patch of woodland, flames surging around its body; the vegetation within a hundred-meter radius had been reduced to ash by the high heat it emitted.

Judging by its aura, its age was at least fifteen thousand years, falling exactly within the range Jiang Lin needed.

Jiang Lin crouched behind a rock in the distance, watching for a moment before withdrawing his gaze and saying two words calmly: "No."

Elder Chen and Tang Yuan had no objections; after all, it was common knowledge that a Soul Master must absorb a soul ring that matches their own attributes.

Jiang Lin stood up and continued walking deeper into the dense forest.

Not long after, the three of them discovered their target in a canyon in the northwest corner of Sunset Forest—a Purple Lightning Mad Lion.

The creature lay on a giant boulder scorched black by lightning, its purple mane swaying in the wind. Tiny arcs of electricity danced between every strand of hair, looking from afar like a cold purple flame burning on the stone platform.

Jiang Lin summoned the Blood Fiend Divine Thunder Halberd almost instantly.

But he did not rush to act; instead, he focused his senses for a moment, and his brows furrowed.

"The age is wrong."

His voice was very low, carrying suppressed disappointment. "This one has at most twenty-five hundred years of cultivation; it hasn't even touched the threshold of a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast."

The Purple Lightning Mad Lion possessed strong combat power, so even though this was an area occupied by ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts, it could barely squeeze in.

This was also the reason Jiang Lin had listed the Purple Lightning Mad Lion as a target.

Elder Chen asked tentatively, "How about... keeping it as a backup?"

"No need." Jiang Lin retracted his halberd and took one last look at the Purple Lightning Mad Lion. "For a soul ring, if the age isn't enough, I'd rather go without than settle for less."

In the days that followed, the three of them turned the core area of Sunset Forest upside down.

During this time, they encountered an eighteen-thousand-year Bloodthirsty Demon Bear, its blood-fiend aura so thick it had almost condensed into substance, but Jiang Lin only glanced at it before saying that the blood-fiend of bear-types leaned toward berserk, lacking the pure killing intent of a Demon Ape.

They also encountered a Dark Gold Evil Eye Bat that had just broken the ten-thousand-year mark. While the dark gold of its vertical eye was pure, the age was stuck just over ten thousand years, and Jiang Lin dismissed it as too low.

He believed the limit for his fourth soul ring was around thirty thousand years.