A gathering of heroes, successors to carry the torch (4,000 words)

Some spectators watching from the sidelines were also quite surprised.

"Holy crap, a fifteen-year-old Soul King, and he even has two Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring?"

"Whose little prodigy is this? I've never seen him on the Young Genius List before."

"Perhaps she didn't want to be on the list. But I seem to remember this girl. She once competed with the Shrek Academy's prodigies, and it seems she's also connected to those two gods."

"It was worth coming to watch the match. So many prodigies and geniuses have emerged! Let the fighting begin, I want to see rivers of blood!"

Wang Li swallowed.

He stared at Xu Xiaoyan's five Soul Ring, especially the two jet-black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, his heart pounding. But things had come to this point, and admitting defeat was out of the question—what if this girl's Soul Ring were just for show and she wasn't good in actual combat?

We must not be afraid before the battle even begins!

He gritted his teeth and released his Martial Soul.

A battle blade appeared in his hand, its blade gleaming coldly. Immediately afterwards, five Soul Ring— yellow, yellow, purple, and purple—rose from beneath his feet and slowly began to circulate.

Soul King.

In his hometown, this level of cultivation would be enough to make him a force to be reckoned with among his peers.

But at this moment----

Wang Li gripped the hilt of his knife tightly, staring at the seemingly harmless little girl opposite him, with only one thought in his mind:

She'd better really not know how to fight.

Unfortunately, taking chances is not the way to go.

Fourth Soul Skill: Starlight Protection!

The stars will always be there, their Starlight Protection.

Xu Xiaoyan immediately switched her Martial Soul to the astrological attribute and even called out her Soul Spirit.

"Go! I choose you, Starry Sky Beast Ancestor!"

Upon seeing the colossal beast that seemed to be formed from countless starlight, Wang Li's anxious heart finally died.

At the Soul King stage, as long as the opponent is not Battle Armor Master, Ten Thousand Year Soul Spirit is still very strong when facing opponents of the same level.

But he was not Battle Armor Master.

The subsequent battle was one-sided. Xu Xiaoyan used "Star Wheel Chains" to control Wang Li, and then let the Starry Sky Beast finish him off with a series of small combos, resulting in an easy victory.

"Thank you for your kind offer."

Xu Xiaoyan smiled slightly, flicked her ponytail, walked off the field, and decisively won a victory, leaving Wang Li watching her with a complicated expression.

If this weren't a points-based tournament, he would have been eliminated in the first round.

As Xu Xiaoyan stepped off the stage, she heard a voice praising her. "Not bad, keep it up!"

Upon hearing Huo Yuhao's voice, Xu Xiaoyan beamed and skipped off the stage.

"Most people simply can't handle Xu Xiaoyan."

In the stands, Tang Wulin shook his head with a smile, "Control plus finishing blows, clean and efficient."

Xie Xie his lip. "She's bullying people. The Star Wheel Chains are a cheating Soul Skill; once it immobilizes someone, it's guaranteed to work. You can hit her however you want, plus that Starry Sky Beast Ancestor —tsk tsk, how could an ordinary Soul King be a match for her? It's difficult to even force her to use her full strength."

The Xu Xiaoyan of the past was most terrifying at night, as her astrological attribute Soul Skill provided incredibly strong support and control. However, that version of Xu Xiaoyan wasn't very offensive and was better suited as a control character in a team.

Now that she has the ability to freely switch between Martial Soul forms, and knowing this day would come, Xu Xiaoyan has chosen offensive Soul Skill for her ice-type Soul Skill. Now she can control and attack at the same time, and has transformed into an all-around Battle Spirit Master.

Xie Xie was disgusted when he sparred with Xu Xiaoyan at the Soul Ancestor stage. She could switch between two sets of Soul Skill almost seamlessly, plus she had a Ten Thousand Year Soul Spirit as a bodyguard. If he made a mistake even once and was controlled by the Star Spirit Soul Skill, defeat would be his only fate.

With such strength, an ordinary Soul King would be no match for her.

Inside the private room, Wang Hongchen watched Xu Xiaoyan leave and chuckled, "This young lady's Martial Soul is quite interesting. The Xu Family —it seems they produced a remarkable figure before. The new generation of the Spirit Pagoda is truly outstanding; Ming De Hall lags far behind in this regard."

Huo Yuhao nodded. "That's true."

Wang Hongchen: "----"

No, your direct admission makes me feel awkward.

That hurts.

Fortunately, Huo Yuhao then said something else.

"The researchers at the Ming De Hall are dedicated to their studies, and their talent mainly comes from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy. These days, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy has quite a few promising students; we mustn't let them all be poached by other institutions."

Wang Hongchen was taken aback for a moment, then nodded with a smile.

"Thanks for reminding me."

With the collapse of the Shrek Academy, more and more talents are now gathered at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, and future geniuses will also concentrate here.

He had been so engrossed in researching and promoting the Battle Network system that he had neglected this matter. As the backer of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, Ming De Hall should have kept a closer eye on things and prevented other forces from snatching up promising talents halfway through.

As they talked, the competition below intensified, with so many participants that matches across different Soul Power levels were taking place simultaneously.

Even in the points-based competition, many people have already shown amazing strength and talent.

On the arena, various Martial Soul shone brightly, and the light of their Soul Ring flickered continuously. Some contestants crushed their opponents with absolute strength, while others relied on ingenious tactics to defeat the stronger ones, and still others used their superb Soul Tool to leave their opponents helpless.

Gasps and cheers erupted from the audience from time to time.

"What is that boy's Martial Soul? Why are all his Soul Ring gold? It can't be Million Year Soul Ring, can it?"

"Look at that swordsman! He took down his opponent with a single strike!"

"That's the Ice Phoenix Martial Soul? I don't think I've heard of her before. Is she from the Hidden Family?"

"Look! In the Soul Douluo arena, that Wang Kulou from the Ming De Hall has also entered the arena!"

Huo Yuhao's gaze swept across the various arenas, spotting many emerging Soul Masters. There were members of the Spirit Pagoda, such as Ji Wufeng and Tang Wulin, as well as people from the Hidden Sect, and—

"Wang Kulou?"

Huo Yuhao glanced at a certain competition area, then looked at Wang Hongchen, who had a smile on his face, and asked curiously, "What's the point of the Ming De Hall participating in the selection?"

Wang Hongchen smiled. "He's not bad. His talent for Soul Tool surpasses even my son's. I intend to groom him as the successor of the Ming De Hall and plan to gradually build momentum for him."

Huo Yuhao understood upon hearing this.

Although the younger generation of the Ming De Hall doesn't seem to have any particularly strong figures, there are some good ones among their middle generation, such as Wang Hongchen's son, and this Wang Kulou.

Needless to say, Wang Hongchen's son possesses the Three-Legged Golden Toad Martial Soul. As long as it is passed down, he will be an exceptionally outstanding individual, whether as a Soul Master or a Soul Guidance Researcher. However, the Three-Legged Golden Toad Martial Soul emphasizes bloodline inheritance, which outsiders cannot learn or envy.

Although this Wang Kulou is also from a large family, his Martial Soul has virtually nothing to do with Soul Tool, because his Body Martial Soul, and it's not a mental type, but rather a skeletal one.

Yet this very person, at the young age of twenty-seven, became a Level Nine Manufacturer with the resources provided by the Ming De Hall, demonstrating his talent.

Although Divine Craftsman are rare, the Federation also has few Level Nine Manufacturer, fewer than thirty. This is only because of the Ming De Hall's tradition and the fact that some people from the Soul Beast faction have learned Mecha manufacturing. In the original story, there were even fewer, only thirteen Level Nine Manufacturer, fewer than even Limit Douluo.

Wang Kulou's ability to become Level Nine Manufacturer at such a young age, and his cultivation reaching the Soul Douluo realm, with the potential to reach the level ten Manufacturer, clearly piqued Wang Hongchen's interest in his talent.

Suddenly, Huo Yuhao thought of something, and his eyes flickered slightly.

"Speaking of which, since he's a member of the Ming De Hall, could he possibly use the tactical Soul Tool researched by the Ming De Hall?"

In the original story, Wang Kulou didn't have the Ming De Hall as his backing, and the competition he participated in was Mecha competition. But this selection is a test of overall strength. If he were to bring out all the Soul Tool researched by the Ming De Hall, then...

"The Soul Tool used in this selection must be designed and manufactured by the soul master himself, but he is a level nine Soul Tool Level Nine Manufacturer— "

As they talked, they fell silent, Wang Hongchen.

It would be quite easy for a Level Nine Manufacturer with the backing of the Ming De Hall to create some powerful Soul Tool.

As for proton beams and Heavy Ion Ray, these are military tactical weapons that the Wang Kulou has seen the blueprints for, so he can obviously manufacture them. As for strategic weapons like Fixed Soul Cannon Shell, given his expertise, he can certainly build them as well.

Thinking of this, Wang Hongchen coughed somewhat awkwardly, "This selection is all about ability, and those who research Soul Tool are generally weaker in combat. His ability to create various Soul Tool to arm himself is his skill. Besides, the registration period for the selection is short, so the number of Soul Tool he can prepare is limited."

That's what he said, but he also felt that this competition format gave Wang Kulou too much of an advantage, and that by putting his opponent in, he was smack of taking advantage of the situation.

Huo Yuhao glanced at him but did not refute him.

"That makes sense, and with this person here, the Soul Douluo division feels even more like a group of death."

Wang Hongchen glanced at him with some surprise, then looked thoughtfully at the arena below.

It seems there are quite a few strong players in the Soul Douluo region.

Facing his opponent, Wang Kulou summoned his Black Level Mecha, and at once, he summoned two Black Level Mecha. He piloted one, while his Soul Spirit controlled the other.

One of the Mecha was covered with a dense array of Soul Cannon, each barrel gleaming with a cold, eerie light in the sunlight. A quick glance revealed at least thirty or forty of them, all piloted by Wang Kulou.

The other is a melee-type Black Level Mecha, Soul Spirit Control of Wang Kulou, whose movements are no less impressive than those of a human.

Have you ever seen a human transformed into Soul Spirit?

Wang Kulou's Soul Spirit is like this; it's very special, being a unique Soul Spirit that emerged after a soul master's death. Now, its age has reached 70,000 years, Soul Spirit its intelligence is extremely high. Therefore, the tactic of Soul Spirit Control Mecha is, in Wang Kulou's eyes, a perfect match for him.

Wang Kulou's opponent was a Two-Word Battle Armor Master. Facing two Black Level Mecha equivalent to Titled Douluo, he was completely overwhelmed and unable to fight back.

In the end, Wang Kulou did not use any other Soul Tool; he achieved victory solely through the combined efforts of these two Black Level Mecha.

The next person to take the stage in the Soul Douluo region was a familiar face to Huo Yuhao, Yi Wu Zhangkong.

He has already broken through to the Contra Soul Douluo level.

However, this usually aloof and cold-faced male god had an unusually solemn expression.

Because his opponent was no ordinary person.

This can be seen simply by looking at his Soul Ring.

Purple, black, black, black... then red!

Wang Hongchen looked at the man opposite Wu Zhangkong, who was covered in green, and quickly recalled the man's information.

"Lin Moxuan, Martial Soul Jade Green Crystal Qilin —you're from your Spirit Pagoda, right? A candidate for the Eighteen Heavenly Pillars?"

Judging from this Soul Ring, there's a very high probability that it's related to the Spirit Pagoda.

Huo Yuhao nodded. "That's right."

Lin Moxuan is a powerful figure from the middle generation of the Spirit Pagoda, Three-Word Battle Armor Master. Like Xie Xie and others, he is a powerful figure trained by a Branch Pagoda Master.

The difference is that Xie Xie and others still need time to grow, while this person is almost ready to take over their teacher's position.

His Jade Green Crystal Qilin Martial Soul is Mutation Qilin Martial Soul with Innate Domain, which shows the strength and potential of his Martial Soul, indicating that he has the Peak Talent!

However, Wu Zhangkong was no easy opponent.

With Long Bing still alive and his mind at its peak, his strength is absolutely not to be underestimated, not to mention that he is now also Three-Word Battle Armor Master.

The Douluo I reached a fever pitch as soon as it began. Lin Moxuan unleashed his Jade Dream Domain at full power, turning the entire arena a vibrant emerald green, the light so intense it was almost tangible. Jade Qilin phantom even materialized above the arena, roaring to the sky, its terrifying pressure pouring down like a tangible force, causing many spectators to gasp for breath.

As Wu Zhangkong's body erupted with icy energy, his frosty white sword aura shot straight into the sky, rivaling the emerald light. The temperature in the entire arena plummeted by tens of degrees, and countless ice crystals condensed in the air and fell to the ground.

The two figures intertwined, and each collision produced a thunderous roar.

Lin Moxuan struck out with his palm, and the emerald light transformed into a towering wave, enough to level a small mountain; Wu Zhangkong slashed down with his sword, and the icy sword energy condensed into a hundred-foot-long ice dragon, roaring as it pounced on its opponent.

This battle, comparable to that of Super Douluo, attracted the attention of many viewers.

"What terrifying pressure!"

"Is this really a Soul Douluo- level battle? I thought I was watching Super Douluo duel!"

"They're not just Two-Word Battle Armor Master, they're all Three-Word Battle Armor Master, you could say they're Super Douluo!"

Gasps of surprise rose and fell from the audience, and many even stood up, afraid of missing a single moment.

Inside the private room, Wang Hongchen was also slightly moved.

"How many more people like him are there?" He looked at Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao said, "Among the participants, I know of three others. You know one of them, Qiangu Zhangting, but you may not be familiar with the other two."

He was naturally referring to Sima Jinchi and A Ruheng.

Sima Jinchi broke through to the Titled Douluo the night before the competition started. The group assignments had already been completed, and there was no time to adjust, so he naturally entered the Soul Douluo competition area. Although he was only Two-Word Battle Armor Master, his true strength was by no means weaker than that of Super Douluo.

In the original novel, A Ruheng was only Two-Word Battle Armor Master at the Soul Douluo level, but he still possessed combat power no weaker than Super Douluo. Not to mention, Huo Yuhao even helped him a little.

With A Ruheng's physical body having reached the Golden Body, he could withstand not only Three-Word Battle Armor but also Four-Word Battle Armor. However, in the original story, at the Soul Douluo level, he only possessed Two-Word Battle Armor.

It would be one thing if they weren't related, but Muyue and Zhen Hua are close friends, which makes it a bit hard to understand.

Previously, Huo Yuhao had thought of this matter, so he took advantage of A Ruheng's early arrival in Mingdu and used his connections to ask the Saint Craftsman of the Spirit Pagoda to help him complete the Three-Word Battle Armor, which naturally made him stronger.

Upon hearing Huo Yuhao's explanation, Wang Hongchen looked at the battle below and sighed softly.

"Truly a gathering of heroes, a place where outstanding individuals emerge in great numbers."

This Soul Douluo grouping is definitely a death group.

A Ruheng, Wang Kulou, Wu Zhangkong, Lin Moxuan, Qiangu Zhangting, although they are Soul Douluo, all possess the strength of Super Douluo.

Moreover, Wang Hongchen saw potential in these people—including Sima Jinchi —potential that had reached its Limit!

They are the next generation of pillars of the Federation.

The future of the Federation —has successors.