With the competition platform and Soul Tool protective array destroyed, the organizers had no choice but to schedule the next round for the afternoon so they could repair the venue and reconstruct the Soul Tool formation. The spectators gradually filed out of the stadium as well.
Although Zuo Qiu Lun and Lie Hongchen's match had ended, the fierce clash between the two young prodigies continued to stir the hearts of those who had watched it, sending wave after wave of commotion through Skysea City.
Along the streets, one could see random groups of people gathering together, passionately discussing Zuo Qiu Lun and Lie Hongchen's match.
Some said Zuo Qiu Lun had utterly crushed his opponent in strength, while others argued that Lie Hongchen had merely been unlucky. If not for the restrictions on Soul Tool grades, he would certainly have been the final victor.
First, they debated with words. Then they pulled up recordings of the battle and began analyzing them frame by frame, trying to find evidence for their arguments. In the end, perhaps neither side would yield, or perhaps one side would be convinced. Then the two would smile at each other, throw arms around each other's shoulders, and head off for a meal.
Such scenes were nearly everywhere in Skysea City.
But in the eyes of knowledgeable Soul Masters from the major factions, these discussions among ordinary people were merely casual chatter, somewhat laughable. They truly understood the gap between Zuo Qiu Lun and Lie Hongchen, and what that gap represented.
"A disciple of mine, being of the same generation as them, your generation is both fortunate and unfortunate." A Title Douluo who had watched the entire match spoke to his most outstanding young disciple. The eyes that had once been filled with majesty and expectation now held only one emotion—pity.
"A Heng, slap me. Let's see whether I'm dreaming right now!" Mu Ye said distractedly.
Slap!
"Ow! You little brat, you actually dared to hit your master? You've really turned against me!" Mu Ye clutched his left cheek and roared furiously.
As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeves, preparing to teach this rebellious disciple a proper lesson.
"Master, you were the one who told me to hit you. This really isn't a dream." A Ru Heng said helplessly.
By the end, his expression had become incomparably complicated as well.
"I'll deal with you properly later." Mu Ye said irritably.
Then the corners of his mouth began to rise uncontrollably. His eyes were filled with delight, along with a trace of dazed disbelief.
A Body Martial Soul, combined with peerless talent—the disciple of his dreams, whom he had failed to find for so many years, had appeared just like that. It left him unable to believe it, even somewhat uneasy.
Would this child truly be willing to join the Body Sect? Would he agree to take me as his master? Could he already have a teacher?
But the next moment, he cast all of those thoughts aside, because...
"Master, disciples near Zuo Qiu Lun have sent word that people from the Spirit Pagoda are already preparing to recruit him." A Ru Heng said from beside him.
"What? Hurry! We can't let the Spirit Pagoda get there first!" Mu Ye instantly snapped back to his senses, then rushed out of the room and flew toward where Zuo Qiu Lun was.
"Huh? Master, I'm still here! At least take me with you!" Left behind where he stood, A Ru Heng watched Mu Ye's retreating figure and felt utterly chilled.
You called me your precious disciple before, but now that you have a junior brother, you don't want me anymore.
Over on Mu Ye's side, he ultimately got his wish and took Zuo Qiu Lun, the disciple of his dreams, as his disciple. Brimming with joy, he introduced the Body Sect to his newly accepted precious disciple.
"Hmm? I feel like I forgot something. Eh? What was it? Forget it, it's not important!" Mu Ye muttered quietly, rubbing his chin.
Meanwhile, A Ru Heng, who had no money and was still walking alone back to the inn, said:
"Sigh, the wind in Skysea City is really cold."
As he spoke, he tightened his clothes around himself, looking just like an abandoned puppy.
The passersby looked at the blazing sun overhead, then at A Ru Heng, and merely remarked, "So young, and he looks pretty sturdy. Why is he so weak?"
Soon, afternoon arrived. They returned to Skysea Stadium, and after reaching the venue, Wu Changkong and Long Hengxu left temporarily to handle some matters.
Liu Tianran, as the team captain, led everyone inside.
After the lesson of the first semifinal match that morning, the stadium's competition area had been made even more spacious, while the spectator stands were livelier than they had been in the morning.
Since one of the contestants was his own disciple, Thunder Bear Douluo Wang Yupeng, the notary for this Skysea Grand Tournament, had also come to watch from the exclusive viewing room prepared for him by the organizers.
However, anyone who saw the scene inside the viewing room at that moment would have been greatly shocked.
The Spirit Pagoda master of Skysea City, who had always been imposing, domineering, and revered by countless people, had now completely restrained his former arrogance. He stood respectfully behind a red-haired figure.
"Pagoda Master Wang, that child's opponent in this match is a descendant of the Qian Gu Family.
"To be able to represent the Qian Gu Family in this tournament, he must be one of the foremost talents of his generation within the family. What's more, he is a five-ring Spirit King with a top-tier weapon Martial Soul like the Coiling Dragon Staff.
"Aren't you worried at all?" The red-haired woman looked toward the competition platform and questioned him.
"Vice Pagoda Master, with Mingyu's strength, among the contestants in this tournament, aside from that unfathomable Zuo Qiu Lun, I have absolute confidence in him against anyone else." Facing the red-haired woman's question, Wang Yupeng answered firmly.
That was right. She was the current Vice Pagoda Master of the Spirit Pagoda, Vice Speaker of the Spirit Council, a Four-Word Battle Armor Master, a rank 99 Limit Douluo, the Sky Phoenix Douluo—Leng Yaozhu.
(P.S.: Leng Yaozhu's cultivation upon her first appearance is disputed. Some say rank 98, while others say rank 99. This book uses rank 99.)
She had also been sent by Spirit Pagoda headquarters to assess Zhou Mingyu. It was said that she had volunteered for the assignment herself.
At that moment, hearing Wang Yupeng's confident words, Leng Yaozhu seemed to develop a hint of interest.
"Oh? Is that so? Then I'll have to look forward to it."
As the two spoke, the protagonists of this match had already stepped onto the competition platform.
After the two took the stage, the referee briefly announced the rules of the individual match as he had the day before, then had them prepare.
"Three, two, one, begin!"
The moment Zhou Mingyu heard the referee announce the start, he released his Martial Soul. He gripped the Mysterious Ice Sword in his hand and assumed a ready stance.
Two ten-thousand-year Soul Rings slowly rose from his body, radiating black halos.
Qian Gu Fengjin's pupils contracted. Although he already knew that his opponent possessed extraordinary talent, seeing those two ten-thousand-year Soul Rings with his own eyes still shocked him deeply.
No wonder he attracted the attention of the higher-ups at such a young age. Being able to bear a ten-thousand-year Spirit Soul also proves that his spiritual power and physical constitution are exceptionally strong.
"A formidable opponent!"
Qian Gu Fengjin put away his indifferent expression and stared intently at Zhou Mingyu. Five Soul Rings appeared around him as well, the standard talented configuration of purple, purple, purple, purple, black. Yet compared with Zhou Mingyu's, they seemed to amount to nothing.
Although the opponent's cultivation and Soul Ring configuration were inferior to his own, he absolutely could not be careless!
A long staff then appeared in Qian Gu Fengjin's palm. Unlike an ordinary Coiling Dragon Staff, its shaft was blackish-purple, wrapped with pale-purple carvings of a purple dragon. The dragon was thicker and rougher in appearance, its head at the top of the staff and its tail gathered at the bottom, lifelike in every detail.
The moment this Coiling Dragon Staff appeared, Qian Gu Fengjin seemed to become an entirely different person. His aura was no longer restrained, becoming far more domineering.
This was the so-called "man and staff as one!"
Zhou Mingyu watched him. His Coiling Dragon Staff harmonized with his body, and the aura surrounding him ranked among the best of all the opponents Zhou Mingyu had encountered.
A Coiling Dragon Staff with a dragon soul? It also seems to be a rare mutated Coiling Dragon Staff. He should make a decent opponent.
As he was thinking, Qian Gu Fengjin stepped forward and launched an attack with the Demon-Slaying Staff Technique. His first Soul Ring lit up as well:
First Soul Skill: "Body Break!"
Qian Gu Fengjin stepped forward with his left foot, then swung the Coiling Dragon Staff in his hand forward, carrying a domineering aura as it met Zhou Mingyu's Mysterious Ice Sword.
The Coiling Dragon Staff against the Mysterious Ice Sword, swordsmanship against staff techniques—who was stronger between their wielders would be decided in this battle!
Before you continue