Plan

Huo Tianchen gathered all the contestants together, including Huo Lie and Huo Yi.

Looking at these contestants, Huo Tianchen wore a gratified smile. He had personally witnessed their changes over the past two years. Ever since Xiaofei joined the team, everyone had worked especially hard under his influence. In the past, Huo Wushuang and Huo Wu had both carried themselves like favored geniuses of heaven, and they had performed quite well among their peers.

But after Xiaofei arrived, watching his training and strength had shattered their arrogance. Regardless of age, pride, or strength, they were far behind Xiaofei. This put tremendous pressure on them, but also gave them tremendous motivation.

Thus, during training, the intensity gradually rose to Xiaofei's level. The few of them basically trained with all their strength every day, on top of Xiaofei's pressure training, Weighted Climbing, and other exercises. Their strength had undergone a qualitative leap over the past few years.

In the past, Huo Wushuang and Huo Wu had been roughly on par with the other geniuses of the Four Elements Academies, whether in rank or strength. That included Feng Xiaotian of Divine Wind, Shui Bing'er of Heavenly Water, Hu Yanli of Elephant Armor, and Yu Tianxin of Thunder. Now, however, Huo Wushuang and Huo Wu had clearly surpassed the other four by a considerable margin. The strongest among the four was Feng Xiaotian at Rank 44, while Huo Wu had already reached Rank 46, and Huo Wushuang had reached Rank 47.

Even more importantly, the other teams had only two or three Soul Ancestors, while Blazing Academy already had seven. The growth of the other four had also far exceeded expectations. They would all become part of Blazing Academy's foundation. A team composed entirely of Soul Ancestors ranked among the top three of all the teams.

Huo Tianchen looked at everyone and said, "The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament is about to begin. There are some rules about the competition that I need to explain in advance."

"The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament is the grandest Martial Soul competition in the Soul Master World. It was initiated and hosted by the imperial families of the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires, with the assistance of the Spirit Hall. There are several rules that must be followed. First, the participating academies must be qualified Advanced Soul Master Academies. Second, the contestants sent must be under twenty-five years old, and each match must have seven contestants. Third, the competition is meant for friendly exchanges, so you must avoid crippling your opponents as much as possible. Death is strictly forbidden. If anyone kills an opponent, that academy will not only bear the corresponding losses but will also be expelled from the Spirit Master Tournament."

Hearing the rules, everyone instinctively looked toward Huo Wu. Huo Wu grew embarrassed and furious under their gazes, then said to the Dean, "We are all Fire Element Soul Masters. The Fire Element has tremendous explosive power and is difficult to control. If killing is forbidden, that's too restrictive for us. We can't fight without holding back."

Huo Tianchen said, "You're right. However, the three major powers—the Spirit Hall, the Heaven Dou Empire, and the Star Luo Empire—organized this primarily to select talented individuals. Those able to participate are basically the outstanding talents of their respective factions. Losing even one to death or injury would be a tremendous loss."

"Besides these strict rules, there are some more standardized rules. Everything is based on fairness. For example, during the competition, no medicines or food may be used unless they were produced by a Food System Soul Master or a Healing Soul Master. Only Food System or Healing Soul Masters present on the field may replenish their teammates."

"Other than these points, there isn't anything else that needs special attention. Blazing Academy now has seven Soul Ancestors. My plan is to send at most three or four Soul Ancestors during the qualifiers, mainly to conceal our strength. Xiaofei will not participate in either the qualifiers or the promotion matches."

Hearing this, Xiaofei nodded. This was what he wanted as well. He still remembered that, in the original story, the Spirit Hall had once attempted to assassinate Tang San and his companions. It would be best not to stand out too much in the early stages.

Huo Tianchen continued, "According to the latest information, the finals of this tournament will be held in Spirit City. The final champion's reward will be three Soul Bones, and they will all be high-year Soul Bones. They should have been prepared for the three members of the Golden Generation. The three members of the Spirit Hall's Golden Generation have all reached the Soul King level. With three Soul Kings participating, this should be the highest number in the history of the tournament."

Hearing that the final reward included Soul Bones, everyone's eyes lit up. They then couldn't help looking toward Xiaofei. The Spirit Hall had three Soul Kings, while Blazing Academy now had Xiaofei, who had already reached Rank 49. He had a very high chance of breaking through to the Soul King level.

Looking at everyone, Xiaofei could only smile bitterly. He knew his own cultivation well. He hadn't been at Rank 49 for very long, and it was probably impossible for him to reach Rank 50 during the Spirit Master Tournament. Unless he ate an Immortal Herb—but Xiaofei had never considered that. After all, his goal was to keep a relatively low profile.

Xiaofei had actually considered giving an Immortal Herb to Huo Wu and Huo Wushuang. The three of them had developed an excellent relationship over the past two years. However, their ranks were already well known to outsiders, especially since they were both star students of the academy. If their Soul Power suddenly surged or their Martial Souls changed, it would easily attract outside attention. Suddenly, a thought flashed through Xiaofei's eyes as he came up with an idea.

After training ended, Xiaofei took Huo Wushuang and Huo Wu to find Principal Huo Tianchen and Huo Lie. Xiaofei asked, "Principal, have you ever heard of Whale Rubber?"

Hearing this, the four of them looked at Xiaofei strangely. Huo Wu boldly said, "Xiaofeizi, you're so young, yet you already know about Whale Rubber. Is something wrong with your body? Do you need Big Sis to help you?" The other three nodded as well. Xiaofei was rendered speechless.

Ever since the three of them had become familiar with one another, Xiaofei had become Xiaofeizi in Huo Wu's mouth. He had repeatedly protested to no avail, and always felt that Xiaofeizi sounded like an ancient eunuch.

Xiaofei hurriedly said, "That's not it. You've misunderstood me. Eating a small amount of Whale Rubber does indeed have an aphrodisiac effect. But if you refine an entire piece with fire and swallow it, it can increase Soul Power and improve your physical constitution. Absorbing Soul Rings will become easier afterward, and your cultivation speed will increase as well."

Huo Tianchen's expression changed when he heard this. "Xiaofei, are you telling the truth?" If Whale Rubber really had such a great effect, it would be an earth-shattering discovery.

Without another word, Huo Tianchen immediately summoned the student Huo He. No one knew where he had obtained it, but he produced a piece of Whale Rubber that was roughly five thousand years old. After refining it with fire, he had Huo He swallow it. Huo He first wore a pained expression, then grew excited. His entire body was drenched in sweat, and some black substance was mixed into it. Two hours later, Huo He opened his eyes and said, "Grandpa, my Soul Power has increased by one rank. I feel like the speed at which my Soul Power circulates has increased a little too. My body feels much stronger. And..." He couldn't help blushing as he glanced at Huo Wu. Everyone instantly understood. Huo Wu's face flushed with embarrassment and fury.

Huo Tianchen and Huo Lie carefully examined Huo He's physical condition and told everyone not to reveal this secret. Two days later, no one knew where Huo Tianchen had obtained more Whale Rubber. He supervised every official Soul Ancestor student as they each ate a large piece. Huo Wushuang's piece was as old as thirty thousand years, while Huo Wu's was twenty thousand years old. Afterward, everyone's Soul Power increased by one rank. Xiaofei, however, declined his share and told Huo Tianchen that Whale Rubber only worked the first time it was consumed, and that subsequent pieces were basically useless. After hearing this, Huo Lie quietly put away the thirty-thousand-year piece from earlier.

A few days later, Huo Wu said to Xiaofei with a refreshed expression, "Xiaofeizi, why didn't you tell me about something as good as Whale Rubber sooner? Were you afraid Big Sis would eat you? If something good like this happens again, you must tell Big Sis first. Big Sis will give you a surprise." Listening to Huo Wu's words, Xiaofei was rendered speechless. Despite how Huo Wu spoke, she was actually extremely domineering with everyone except Xiaofei and Huo Wushuang.