Soul Ancestor, the Tournament Begins!

Lin Tian nodded.

"I'll participate."

Xue Qinghe studied him seriously for a moment.

"Then it's agreed."

"The next time we meet will be at the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament."

"Alright."

Lin Tian turned and headed down another road.

The distance between them gradually widened.

After the setting sun completely sank beyond the distant mountains, Lin Tian's figure vanished at the end of the road as well.

Two years later.

Spirit Hall Academy.

Inside the cultivation chamber.

The walls were embedded with a large number of Soul Power gemstones.

Pure energy of heaven and earth continuously poured from the gemstones, gathering in the center of the chamber.

Lin Tian sat cross-legged atop a stone platform.

The Primordial Chaos Azure Lotus floated to his right.

The Nine Nether Beast coiled to his left.

Four pitch-black Soul Rings circled the two great martial souls.

There was no yellow.

Nor was there any purple.

All four Soul Rings had reached the Ten-Thousand-Year level.

The outermost fourth Soul Ring was the darkest in color.

Every time it rotated, the entire cultivation chamber shook slightly along with it.

Dense Soul Power continuously surged into Lin Tian's body.

His meridians were like broad rivers, rapidly refining the energy of heaven and earth.

Half an hour later.

Lin Tian opened his eyes.

Boom!

A terrifying aura erupted from the stone platform.

The four black Soul Rings lit up at once.

The Soul Power gemstones within the chamber trembled one after another.

The surrounding walls could not withstand this force, and cracks spread upward in streak after streak.

The Nine Nether Beast raised its ferocious wolf head.

The power of destruction engulfed the chamber.

The Primordial Chaos Azure Lotus slowly bloomed.

Azure Divine Light suppressed the surroundings, preventing the Soul Power from continuing to batter the walls.

Level forty-five!

After two years of cultivation, Lin Tian's Soul Power had risen from level twenty-three to level forty-five.

After reaching level thirty, he had gone alone to the Great Star Dou Forest and obtained his third Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring.

When he broke through level forty, he had hunted an even stronger Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

Each time he absorbed a Soul Ring, the Tank Engine continued strengthening his body.

Attribute Stacking Attribute Stacking Attribute also provided new Attribute Forgers according to the levels his Soul Power increased.

Over the past two years, Lin Tian had activated more than twenty Attribute Forgers.

Attack, defense, stamina, speed, Soul Skill strength, Soul Power recovery, mental resistance, and elemental amplification had all improved.

Among them were several Gold Forges.

With layer upon layer of attributes stacked together, Lin Tian's body had reached a level beyond ordinary measure.

He rose from the stone platform.

Level forty-five Soul Power surged through his meridians.

The Tank Engine began operating along with it.

Crack!

His bones began to grow.

Lin Tian's body rapidly shot upward.

Two meters.

Three meters.

Four meters!

Only after surpassing four meters did his growth stop.

His broad shoulders could nearly block half a wall.

The muscles in his arms were like solid rock.

Simply standing atop the stone platform, the immense pressure caused its surface to continuously sink.

Lin Tian lowered his head and looked at his palm.

Forty-five Tank Engine enhancements.

More than twenty Attribute Forgers.

Four Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Rings.

Two god-tier martial souls.

He was now completely different from who he had been two years ago.

Lin Tian reined in his strength.

His body, which stood over four meters tall, gradually shrank.

A moment later, he returned to his normal size.

The Nine Nether Beast and Primordial Chaos Azure Lotus also returned to his body together.

The four black Soul Rings slowly faded away.

The stone doors of the cultivation chamber opened to either side.

Sunlight streamed in through the gap.

Lin Tian stepped out of the cultivation chamber.

The two academy stewards waiting outside immediately lowered their heads in salute.

"Captain Lin Tian."

He gave a slight nod.

Two years had passed, but Spirit Hall Academy had not changed much.

The trees lining both sides of the road had grown considerably taller.

Roars from clashes of Soul Skills rang out from the training grounds from time to time.

Lin Tian followed the road toward the Advanced Division.

Having just passed through a grove of trees, he saw several familiar figures standing in the center of the plaza.

Hu Liena wore a white short-skirted uniform.

Two years had made her figure even taller and more graceful.

A golden belt cinched her slender waist, while black stockings wrapped her long legs.

Her light brown hair spilled over her shoulders.

When she saw Lin Tian approaching, she immediately took several steps forward.

"You finally finished cultivating."

Xie Yue stood beside her.

His silver hair was slightly longer than it had been two years ago, and two Moon Blades hung at his waist.

Yan folded his arms across his chest.

His red hair remained striking, and the body beneath his fitted black outfit had grown taller and stronger than before.

Besides the three of them, the plaza also held the other core students of Spirit Hall Academy.

They had clearly been waiting here for quite some time.

Lin Tian walked before the group.

Hu Liena looked him up and down.

"After cultivating in seclusion for so long, what level have you reached now?"

"Level forty-five."

The plaza immediately fell silent.

Yan lowered his arms.

His Soul Power had improved considerably by now.

Yet compared to Lin Tian, the gap between them had not narrowed. It had instead grown even wider.

Xie Yue quickly regained his composure.

"His Holiness the Pope has already sent down an order."

"The Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament is about to begin."

"The academy needs to finalize its competing team as soon as possible."

Lin Tian swept his gaze over the people before him.

Two years ago, on his first day at Spirit Hall Academy, he had taken over as captain of the core team.

Now, it was time to lead this team onto the tournament stage.

Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan all looked toward Lin Tian at the same time.

The other core students also straightened their backs.

Lin Tian stopped at the very front of the group.

"The Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament is about to begin."

"This time, Spirit Hall will take first place."

Heaven Dou City.

Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena.

Today, the spirit arena was already packed with spectators from all across the continent.

The broad stands rose upward tier by tier.

Countless banners unfurled in the wind.

The emblems of major academies filled the surrounding area.

The Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament had officially begun.

A golden carpet lay across the center of the spirit arena.

At the end of the carpet stood a viewing platform specially prepared for the Heaven Dou Imperial Family and the major powers.

Xue Ye sat in the center.

Ning Fengzhi and Salas sat on either side.

Xue Qinghe stood behind Xue Ye.

She wore the robes of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, her golden hair bound by a crown, with the composure expected of a prince on her face.

The participating academies had yet to all enter.

Yet her gaze had already fallen upon the entrance to the spirit arena.

The person who had possessed two Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Rings two years ago would also appear in today's tournament.

The host stood in the center of the plaza.

"Next, let us welcome the competing teams from the major academies!"

Ceremonial cannons erupted around the arena at once.

The entrance to the spirit arena opened accordingly.

The first to appear were the major advanced Soul Master Academies of the Heaven Dou Empire.

One team after another entered along the golden carpet.

Cheers erupted continuously from the audience stands.

"First to enter is Blazing Fire Academy!"

Seven students clad in crimson academy uniforms stepped onto the plaza.

Huo Wushuang walked at the front.

Huo Wu followed beside him.

Her red short skirt clung to her slender waist, and her long, beautiful legs crossed the golden carpet, drawing countless gazes.

"Next is Godwind Academy!"

Feng Xiaotian led his team into the arena.

Their azure academy uniforms fluttered in the wind.

The aura belonging to wind-attribute Soul Masters was completely undisguised.

"Thunderclap Academy!"

"Elephant Armor Academy!"

"Skywater Academy!"

As the host introduced them, the remaining three elemental academies entered the spirit arena in succession.

Every member of Skywater Academy was a woman.

Their water-blue short skirts were perfectly uniform.

White boots wrapped around their calves.