Your Is Mine

In the stands, Du Weilun stood to one side with Yan Shaozhe, watching the situation in the assessment area.

Now that they had reached the semifinals, the clash between two Soul Elder teams naturally drew more attention than Dai Huabin's match.

"That little fellow is the one you mentioned who crushed Dai Huabin?"

"Yes, Dean. Not only did he defeat Dai Huabin with ease, but his Soul Ring configuration is also yellow, purple, purple—Soul Rings beyond the normal age limit. He entered through the regular admission route as well. I investigated beforehand. He is from Maple Leaf City, and he enrolled with Maple Leaf City's letter of recommendation. It has been verified, and there is nothing wrong with the letter."

"And it was personally written by the Lord of Maple Leaf City. We can be certain that Jiang Yue has a very clean background. At present, aside from those two students from the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, no one else has contacted him."

Du Weilun took a slightly wrinkled letter of recommendation from his pocket and handed it to Yan Shaozhe. Yan Shaozhe casually glanced over it twice, then flames rose in his hand and reduced the letter to ashes.

"It doesn't matter whether it's real or fake. If that little fellow had the skill to forge a letter of recommendation, that would be his ability. Still, having no issues is better."

"His talent is excellent. I remember you mentioning it, Weilun. That little fellow's martial soul has the Mental Attribute?"

"That's right. It truly is a Mental Attribute. Although there are not many soul beasts with that attribute, I believe Jiang Yue's talent is absolutely worth nurturing. However, this isn't something I, as the dean of studies, can decide alone. Please make the final call, Dean."

"Tsk. A Mental Attribute Soul Master... that really is troublesome."

Yan Shaozhe rubbed his chin as he weighed the pros and cons. Given the current situation, Jiang Yue had practically secured the championship of this year's Freshman Assessment. As a student who had already become a Soul Elder before enrolling, Shrek Academy had long since designated Jiang Yue as an internal core disciple candidate.

In other words, becoming a core disciple was an identity Jiang Yue had already obtained. It could not be used as the reward for winning the Freshman Assessment.

What truly gave Yan Shaozhe a headache was not what reward to give Jiang Yue, but how to handle the Soul Ring hunting reward awarded to the top three teams in every Freshman Assessment.

Following past practice, every member of the top three Freshman Assessment teams could submit an application to Shrek Academy whenever they needed a Soul Ring. Shrek would then obtain a Soul Ring at the greatest age their body could withstand, one perfectly suited to their martial soul's attributes.

Generally speaking, students used this reward when they next encountered a bottleneck. Most previous students had used the qualification on their third Soul Ring. Only the rare few who were already Soul Elders during the Freshman Assessment used it for their fourth.

In the past, the greatest requirement had only been Soul Rings of four or five thousand years. Some soul beasts could even be found in Shrek Academy's beast enclosure.

Jiang Yue was different. His Soul Ring configuration surpassed the normal age limits, and he was a Mental Attribute Soul Master. The greatest barrier preventing ordinary Soul Masters from absorbing a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring as their fourth ring was basically no obstacle to him.

That meant that if Shrek Academy agreed to hunt a Soul Ring for Jiang Yue, they would very likely need to help him hunt a Mental Attribute soul beast over ten thousand years old.

Leaving aside the rarity of Mental Attribute soul beasts, even Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts were only hunted regularly after students became Inner Court disciples, when Shrek Academy organized teachers to lead students in need of Soul Rings on hunting expeditions.

Thus, Yan Shaozhe was deeply conflicted. He did not know whether to grant Jiang Yue that qualification. If he did, there was a high chance that an expert at Soul Douluo rank or above would need to act in the end.

"Old Yan! What are you frowning over? Why not tell me? Maybe I can help you think it through."

A deep, powerful voice sounded behind them. Yan Shaozhe could not even be bothered to spare its owner a glance, continuing to ponder what he had just been considering. Du Weilun, meanwhile, turned around to look at the tall, burly man.

The man looked at least fifty years old. Every strand of his white hair stood upright like steel needles. Broad-shouldered and thick-backed, his bronze-colored body constantly emitted a peculiar metallic aura.

The newcomer was none other than Shrek Academy's Soul Guidance Department vice dean, the ninety-fourth-ranked Titled Douluo, Black Tortoise Douluo Qian Duoduo.

"Hey, Old Yan, don't just keep quiet. Why are you frowning like that?"

"You, who never get up early without profit, left your Soul Guidance Department to come to our Martial Soul Department for what? Are you trying to poach people from our Martial Soul Department? Go back and sleep. By the rules, students can only choose whether to continue in the Martial Soul Department or transfer to the Soul Guidance Department after their third year."

"Old Yan, that's where you're wrong. Before choosing a department in their third year, they don't entirely count as your Martial Soul Department students. Besides, if a student likes Soul Tools and insists on joining the Soul Guidance Department, are you, as dean, going to shamelessly stop them? Surely not? Surely the Bright Phoenix Douluo, renowned across the continent, wouldn't do something like that?"

"Enough! Enough! Tell me why you came today!"

"It's nothing much. I came to see an old friend. I happened to hear that the academy has a new student with a Mental Attribute. Old Yan, you know the Soul Tool side's situation and the Ultimate Soldier Plan. Mental Attribute Soul Masters are the best choice."

"Heh! You really dare to dream. You want a core disciple of our Martial Soul Department to join your Soul Guidance Department? Did water get into your brain?"

Yan Shaozhe's expression darkened. He had not expected Qian Duoduo to set his sights on Jiang Yue. Jiang Yue was indeed a Mental Attribute Soul Master, but whether he possessed talent for or interest in Soul Tools was another matter altogether. What he had displayed so far was overwhelming talent in martial soul cultivation.

Yan Shaozhe had been considering whether to invest in Jiang Yue before he officially joined Shrek Academy. But no matter what, he could not allow Jiang Yue, who was already a core disciple of the Martial Soul Department, to run off to the Soul Guidance Department.

"What? A core disciple?"

Qian Duoduo glanced toward Fan Yu behind him, his gaze full of confusion. Fan Yu had never told him about this. Hadn't he said it was merely some little fellow at a dozen or so levels? How had he become a core disciple of the Martial Soul Department?

Fan Yu's eyes were equally filled with bewilderment. He was certain that, based on the talent Huo Yuhao had shown in the Martial Soul Department, he absolutely did not qualify to become a core disciple. Even if he truly had become one, Zhou Yi, Huo Yuhao's homeroom teacher, would have told him long ago.

Seeing that Fan Yu's eyes were also full of confusion, Qian Duoduo did not know what to do for a moment. Faced with Yan Shaozhe's vigilance, he could only force himself to speak.

"Old Yan, is there some misunderstanding here? Didn't I hear that there was a Mental Attribute new student whose martial soul was an eye? And he's only at level fifteen. How could he possibly become a core disciple of the Martial Soul Department? Isn't there some misunderstanding?"

"Hm? A new student whose martial soul is an eye?"

"Dean, there is such a new student. His name is Huo Yuhao, a specially recruited student of the Tang Sect this year. He didn't even meet the enrollment standards when he entered. At most, he has only just passed level fifteen now."

"Oh? Someone from the Tang Sect?"

As a disciple of Dragon God Douluo Mu En, Yan Shaozhe naturally knew that his teacher's junior, Bei Bei, had joined the Tang Sect and become its senior disciple.

With Tang Sect hidden weapons unable to keep pace with the times, reviving the Tang Sect required relying on the development of Soul Tools.

Unfortunately, neither Bei Bei nor Tang Ya had much talent for Soul Tools, nor did they have much time to study them. As a result, although both had taken Soul Tool courses, after so long their levels had only increased by one or two. They were practically just fooling around.

Yan Shaozhe believed that Huo Yuhao had been granted a Tang Sect special recruitment slot because Bei Bei and Tang Ya had seen that he was a Mental Attribute Soul Master and wanted him to head toward the Soul Guidance Department.

Thinking he had guessed Bei Bei and Tang Ya's intentions, Yan Shaozhe felt that their idea was not bad. Given the Tang Sect's current state, what kind of people could it attract? It was impossible that some fool would voluntarily ask to join the Tang Sect for its hidden weapons, right?

"So, Old Yan? Give me some face. I'll treat you to a meal next time. How about giving me that new student whose martial soul is an eye? You know as well as I do that Mental Attribute Soul Masters are simply too rare. They're impossible to find if you go looking for them."

"Yes, they are indeed rare. But I refuse!"

"Your Soul Guidance Department shouldn't even think about taking a single person from our Martial Soul Department! Unless Sea God Pavilion speaks! Otherwise, not even you, Qian Duoduo, can do it. Even if Xian Lin'er came, it would be useless!"

"Yan Shaozhe! You're refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit, aren't you!"

"So what if I am? If you've got the guts, let's go outside and fight!"

While the atmosphere between Yan Shaozhe and Qian Duoduo became incredibly tense, Jiang Yue in the assessment area appeared extremely relaxed, standing in sharp contrast to everyone else on the field.

Against other teams, Jiang Yue might need to be more cautious to avoid unnecessary injuries or getting caught off guard by some unusual soul skill. But with a support-type Soul Master like Ning Tian on the other side, he truly had nothing to fear.

"Match begin!"

At the proctor's command, Jiang Yue lightly tapped the arena with the tip of his foot and shot straight toward Ning Tian's group of three. It looked as if he intended to directly take out Ning Tian, the support-type Soul Master.

Seeing Jiang Yue's momentum, everyone thought the same. After all, among Soul Masters across the continent, it was an unspoken rule that whenever an opponent possessed the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Soul Master had to be dealt with first.

Wu Feng quickly stepped forward. The flames rising from her body burned away her academy uniform, leaving only a specially made rubber suit covering her body.

At some point, a pair of wings had appeared behind Nanmen Yun'er, greatly increasing her speed.

Wu Feng swept past Jiang Yue at her fastest speed, intending to use Ning Tian's enhancements to eliminate Zuo Fan and Lu Bei as quickly as possible. Then the two of them could focus entirely on dealing with Jiang Yue alone.

Just as they had planned, Nanmen Yun'er unleashed all of her soul skills. Her arms, already jade green, transformed into blade-like weapons as she slashed at Jiang Yue.

Just as Nanmen Yun'er's arms were about to collide with the Passionate Sword, and Wu Feng had already passed Jiang Yue, an inexplicable red hue appeared in both their eyes. Their breathing rapidly grew hurried, and their cheeks flushed crimson.

Anger. The expressions on their originally delicate faces almost simultaneously twisted into extreme fury. Nanmen Yun'er's aura became considerably sharper as she viciously reached for Jiang Yue with both arms.

Clang!

The Passionate Sword slashed toward Nanmen Yun'er's arm as Jiang Yue extended his right hand and grabbed her other arm. At that moment, Jiang Yue's back was completely undefended.

Wu Feng could not possibly let such an opportunity pass, especially while Jiang Yue had enraged her. Someone already prone to anger could practically be described as having lost her reason in such a state.

At that moment, Wu Feng no longer cared about any plan. She only wanted to beat up the fellow in front of her who had made her so furious.

Facing the charging Wu Feng, Jiang Yue exerted a little force with his arm. Before Nanmen Yun'er's astonished gaze, he actually flung her entire body away, sending her crashing toward Wu Feng.

From afar, Ning Tian, whose mind remained clear, naturally noticed the condition of her two teammates. Combining it with the information she had previously gathered about Jiang Yue being a Mental Attribute Soul Master, she understood that the scene before her was Jiang Yue's doing.

"Seven Treasures Have Names, second: Dispel!"

Two beams of light shot from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda cradled in Ning Tian's hands toward Nanmen Yun'er and Wu Feng. Yet the scene she had expected, with the two returning to normal, did not occur. Ning Tian could not help wondering whether something was wrong with her soul skill.

Bang!

"Hiss—!"

The intense pain made Wu Feng, whose mind had been clouded by anger, regain some clarity. Then she saw Nanmen Yun'er lying on top of her.

After helping her teammate up, the two exchanged glances and immediately decided to change their plan. Wu Feng's two Soul Rings flashed in succession as she used both Dragon's Fire and Dragon's Fury, swinging her dragon claw toward Jiang Yue.

Meanwhile, relying on her speed, Nanmen Yun'er immediately intended to temporarily hold off both Lu Bei and Zuo Fan by herself. Her cultivation was already higher than theirs, and with Ning Tian's support, she might even be able to eliminate both of them outright.

Seeing her teammates return to normal, Ning Tian let out a sigh of relief and hurriedly used her first and third soul skills to enhance them.

At the same time, Wu Feng saw Ning Tian activate her soul skills and immediately smiled. Once she received the enhancements and defeated Jiang Yue, she would definitely humiliate him properly!

However, at that moment, Jiang Yue's third Soul Ring flashed with a magnificent purple radiance before everyone for the first time. Wu Feng's expression instantly turned somewhat ugly.

An ordinary Soul Elder's third Soul Ring was only around a thousand years old. Yet Jiang Yue's second Soul Ring was already a Thousand-Year Soul Ring. Judging by its color, this third ring was at least an extraordinarily high four thousand years old. Perhaps Jiang Yue's third Soul Ring alone had a greater total age than all the Soul Rings of their three-person team combined.

The power of the flames around Wu Feng visibly declined. The enhancement light from Ning Tian abruptly changed direction in midair and ultimately sank directly into Jiang Yue's body.

It was not only Ning Tian's enhancements. Wu Feng's active enhancement soul skills also vanished into thin air, yet their Soul Power continued to be consumed normally. Even when they instinctively tried to deactivate their soul skills, they discovered that the skills no longer obeyed their control at all.

It was not that there was no way to cancel their soul skills. They simply needed to concentrate even more to do so. But they were in a match! Could they possibly ask Jiang Yue to stop and wait for them to cancel their skills?

"Don't worry. Yours is mine. I will definitely make good use of your power!"

There was a cuckold thief here!

This sudden turn of events caught them completely off guard.

A smile did not disappear; it merely transferred. Wu Feng's earlier smile had transferred to Jiang Yue's face. With Ning Tian's dual enhancements to strength and speed, along with Wu Feng's Dragon's Fury soul skill, Jiang Yue, already a high-level Soul Elder, had now completely reached the level of a Quasi Soul Ancestor.

Swoosh—!

Dazzling sword light reflected across every face on the arena, fully revealing the pale expressions of Ning Tian's group of three.

With a flick of his fingers, the Passionate Sword turned into a streak of light under the control of his spiritual power. Wu Feng instinctively defended herself, but the Passionate Sword was not aimed at her. By the time she realized it, Jiang Yue had already arrived before her and struck out with his palm.

Even though Wu Feng hurriedly mobilized her Soul Power, the outcome held no suspense. The force of the palm, wrapped in Soul Power, sent Wu Feng flying. Nanmen Yun'er, who had still been attacking Lu Bei and Zuo Fan, stopped in her tracks and tremblingly looked at the Passionate Sword held less than an inch from her throat.

Ning Tian's eyes held shock and confusion, but she ultimately accepted everything unfolding before her. When she raised her hand to surrender to the proctor, Jiang Yue finally withdrew the hand he had held before Ning Tian's lower abdomen, ready to strike with another palm at any moment.

"Thanks for the match. Don't worry, I'll win the championship for your share as well. I'm really sorry for using your soul skill to eliminate your teammates just now. How about this? This afternoon, I'll beat Dai Huabin a little more miserably. How does that sound?"

"That is a matter between you and Dai Huabin, Jiang Yue. What does it have to do with me?"

"Don't tell me you didn't want to beat him up after seeing that smug face of his last time."

"Jiang Yue, don't talk nonsense. My Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the White Tiger Duke's Manor have shared ties for tens of thousands of years. How could I develop such a dangerous thought over such a trivial matter?"

"Really not?"

"Absolutely not."

As the people below cheered, Jiang Yue and Ning Tian simply looked at each other. In the end, they both smiled knowingly.