The Competition Begins, Facing Yu Xiaogang

That night, after a long time, he meditated and cultivated together with Gu Yue and Na'er once more.

Because his Soul Power had increased, the domain effect of the Dragon Rising Pillar had also improved. As a result, the efficiency of their joint cultivation was noticeably higher than before.

With Shu joining them as well, the authority over time she possessed had originally been bestowed by the Dragon God. Now, she could in turn nourish the origin of the time element within Gu Yue.

This further restored Gu Yue's strength and enhanced her control over the time element.

In the latter half of the night, the three finished cultivating. Without waiting for Qian Jue to chase them out, Gu Yue and Na'er obediently slipped beneath the covers, sandwiching Qian Jue between them from either side before closing their eyes and falling asleep.

Qian Jue could only sigh helplessly at that. In the end, he simply let the two girls do as they pleased and lay down to rest.

Before long, the next day arrived.

Gu Yue and Na'er woke up on the bed, stretched lazily, yawned, and looked around.

Qian Jue, who had been between them, had somehow already gotten up.

Two plates of bread, a bottle of jam, and two cups of whole milk had been placed beside the bed. When they touched them, they found that they were still warm.

"Finish breakfast quickly. I looked over your schedules, and most of your matches are quite early."

Qian Jue pushed open the bedroom door and walked in, chewing on a piece of bread. His cheeks moved as he munched away, like a little hamster having a meal.

Na'er studied the way Qian Jue ate, her mood brightening considerably. Gu Yue, meanwhile, hurriedly finished her breakfast, changed clothes, washed up, and headed out with Qian Jue.

"Hey, wait for me!"

Perhaps because it was the day of the Skysea Alliance Grand Competition, the road leading to the venue was far more crowded than usual, with both locals and tourists from elsewhere.

Soul Master duels, a traditional form of competition, had already taken shape during the era of Spirit Hall twenty thousand years ago. After tens of thousands of years of development, they had long become an indispensable part of entertainment on Douluo Planet.

Countless gifted youths had revealed themselves to the world through match after match, leaving their names in history.

Seated in the Soul Guidance car arranged by the academy, the Dragon Clan Squad had assembled.

Of course, Tang Wulin, who was competing in the blacksmith competition elsewhere, had yet to return. At present, there were only seven people in the vehicle, including Qian Jue.

"How each of you performs in the individual matches will depend on yourselves."

"As for this afternoon's team match, I'll make the following arrangements."

Qian Jue looked at the eager crowd, then said, "It's a seven-person format. Xiaoyan, your cultivation is the lowest, so please serve as a substitute and wait below for instructions. Does anyone have any objections?"

Xu Xiaoyan shook her head and immediately replied, "I have no objections."

"Although the captain helped me achieve a Martial Soul mutation yesterday, perhaps because of compatibility and familiarity issues, I still can't bring out my full strength for now. Besides, I haven't been in Zero Class for long, so I may be far behind everyone else in terms of combat rhythm."

Qian Jue nodded. This was also within his expectations.

After all, her Tool Martial Soul had suddenly become a Beast Martial Soul. One night was simply too short a time to familiarize herself with it. At the very least, she would need ten days to half a month of practice before she could gradually adapt to her new Martial Soul.

"Then once Wulin returns, the seven of us will compete in the team match."

Among the team, Wulin, Na'er, and Wang Jinxi were assault-type Soul Masters. Zhang Yangzi and Xie Xie belonged to the agility-attack type, Gu Yue was a control-type Soul Master, while he himself could barely count as a support-type Soul Master.

"In short, treat me as the core of everything. I'll give you buffs when the time comes. Even if the other side is the legendary Shrek dream team, you'll have nothing to fear."

Xie Xie revealed a confident smile and clenched his right fist, flexing his muscles. "Hahaha, that one sentence from you is enough, Captain. So what if they're four-ring Soul Ancestors? We'll make sure they see what a real support-type Soul Master is!"

Wang Jinxi scratched his head and grinned foolishly. "Hehehe, I feel like we won't even need to make a move. Captain, couldn't you just go up there and take them out one at a time with a single swing? That'd save us a lot of effort."

Zhang Yangzi elbowed him from the side and snapped irritably, "Can you show a little ambition? If the captain has to act for everything, then what's the point of raising us little brothers?"

"Don't you know that the boss always makes his entrance last?"

Ever since Qian Jue had helped Zhang Yangzi mutate his Martial Soul yesterday, completely removing the concern that his Martial Soul fusion with Wang Jinxi might fail, Zhang Yangzi had become his most loyal little brother.

Even now, he had only just begun to calm down from the joy of his Martial Soul mutation.

"Your method is very unusual, but you should avoid displaying it to outsiders so casually in the future." Wu Zhangkong, seated at the front, spoke slowly.

At first, he had not believed it either. It was only after seeing Xu Xiaoyan and Zhang Yangzi summon their new Martial Souls that morning that Wu Zhangkong had no choice but to believe that Qian Jue had truly done it.

However, Martial Souls had always been mysterious. Even in modern times, many scholars researched their origins and secrets, yet no substantial progress had ever been made.

Just like organs in the human body, some were normal, while others mutated under the influence of external forces.

It was said that a long time ago, someone on the continent across the sea had accidentally consumed pesticide, causing his Martial Soul to evolve from a mutt into a qilin. All one could say was that such things were difficult to predict.

But actively helping others mutate their Martial Souls—and in a beneficial direction, no less—still struck Wu Zhangkong as utterly shocking.

Before long, the vehicle smoothly drove into the backstage area of the arena.

The moment they entered the venue, they could feel the audience's enthusiasm. The thunderous cheers were enough to shake their hearts.

Unlike previous years, this Skysea Grand Competition was no longer limited to Eastsea's five cities. Shrek Academy, invited as a special guest, had actually brought a team to officially compete.

Originally, the audience had assumed that Shrek Academy was merely there for appearances, perhaps to put on an exhibition match against the previous champions and liven up the atmosphere.

They had never expected Shrek Academy to truly enter the competition—and to register for both the individual and team events.

As a result, ticket prices instantly soared to more than triple their original cost. Professional scalpers made a fortune overnight, already pondering which foot bath parlor to visit that evening to relax and show some care for fallen women.

The various academies rested in their designated areas. The moment the group of boys and girls from Shrek Academy entered, they were greeted by the crowd's fervent cheers.

Whether it was intentional or not, Shrek Academy's resting area had been arranged right beside Eastsea Academy's.

When he saw Cai Yue'er, although he was somewhat displeased with how she had acted that day, she was still an elder. Wu Zhangkong gave her a salute. "Greetings, Elder Cai."

Cai Yue'er ignored Wu Zhangkong, her gaze settling on Qian Jue amid the crowd.

Compared to half a year ago, the child had grown a little taller, and his temperament had become even more ethereal.

At the same time, that unbearable memory resurfaced in her mind.

Cai Yue'er hurriedly steadied herself, refusing to dwell on those unpleasant things.

"I never expected Xiao Qian to be competing too, haha. I wonder how much you've grown over the past half year." Cai Yue'er forced out a kindly smile and spoke in a deliberately softened voice.

Qian Jue replied with a smile, "Thank you for your concern, Elder Cai. I'm in great shape. I feel like I could beat every student you brought all by myself."

The moment he said that, the boys and girls from Shrek Academy—each of them considered outstanding even in the outer court—were immediately displeased.

Yu Xiaogang was the first to step forward, looking down at Qian Jue. "If I remember correctly, you're my opponent, aren't you?"

"You're just the captain of some third-rate academy, yet you dare spout such nonsense?"

Before he could finish, the host had already announced the first batch of morning individual matches.

"First match: Qian Jue of Eastsea Academy versus Yu Xiaogang of Shrek Academy!"

Qian Jue slowly rose to his feet and walked toward the arena. "Quit running your mouth. Let's settle this with strength."