The First Rule of the Scabbard Code

Back at their temporary lodging, Chen Ling leaned back in his chair, his mind racing as he carefully considered his plan for a tournament team.

Building a team was easy in some ways and difficult in others.

The easy part was obvious. The system had not forbidden him from personally participating in this so-called "bullying the weak" score-grinding challenge. As long as he took the field, his overwhelming strength alone would let him complete the core objective with ease, requiring practically no effort.

The difficult part was that the Soul Master Tournament had a hard requirement: one had to join at least one Soul Master Academy. Building a Soul Master Academy from nothing was utterly unrealistic. It would take too much time and effort, and he would never make it in time for the tournament. That path was completely blocked.

After thinking it over, the only feasible option was to take over an existing Soul Master Academy.

Ideally, that academy would already have a team, and preferably one with plenty of girls. That way, he would not need to spend too much time recruiting people. He could just add a few members and send them into the tournament.

Chen Ling thought of an academy that perfectly suited his needs.

Skywater Academy.

There were four Four Element Academies in total. Although Elephant Armor Academy was known as the fifth elemental academy, it was not actually recognized by the industry.

Skywater Academy's most distinctive feature was that all its disciples were women.

Every one of them was a female soul master, with outstanding looks and exceptional temperament—the undisputed ceiling of beauty. They perfectly matched all of Chen Ling's requirements.

It suited Chen Ling's conditions extremely well. Its only drawback was that Skywater Academy was somewhat far away, even close to the Icebound Forest. Its location was not ideal.

Still, there was no rush. Once he got there and revealed his spirit rings, Skywater Academy would have to take the surname Chen.

That was simply how the world of soul masters worked. With his strength on display, Chen Ling could become Skywater Academy's team leader whenever he wanted. Even if he wanted to become its dean and have the Skywater girls come dance for him, it would only take a word.

For the moment, Chen Ling suppressed the thought of taking over Skywater Academy. His longer-term plan was to first build a force exclusively his own, then cultivate a soul master team and steadily deepen its development step by step.

The tournament mission released by the system this time had also given him a faint glimpse of the way forward.

When he had obtained the Spirit Bone before, the system had mentioned that increasing its age required side quests. Thinking carefully about it now, such side quests were most likely deeply tied to building up his forces.

A Soul Master Tournament mission about taking girls to bully the weak had already appeared. Later on, there would surely be things like bullying the Upper Three Sects. And this so-called foundation of a force was quite interesting too. If that foundation turned out to be some kind of secret realm, then something like Qiankun Asking Love Valley would be perfect.

The more Chen Ling thought about it, the more he looked forward to it. His thoughts ran wild when the bathroom's wooden door gently opened, and curling white mist laden with warm moisture washed over him.

Xiao Wu slowly stepped out through the mist. She quietly activated her martial soul, and the Soft Bone Rabbit's second soul skill silently bloomed. The fluffy pink rabbit tail behind her swayed gently, carrying a touch of playful seduction as she stared directly at Chen Ling.

That pink little bunny was especially enticing.

This referred to the tail produced by the Soft Bone Rabbit possession.

Amusement surged in Chen Ling's eyes. He strode forward, pulled her into his arms, and began checking whether she had thoroughly studied the Scabbard Code.

The first rule of the Scabbard Code: you already possess the way of ohohoho------

Heaven Dou City, Dugu Manor.

The warm morning sunlight shone through the carved window lattice and into the room, softly falling over the figure on the bed.

Dugu Yan's long hair lay loosely over her shoulders, and only a thin blanket covered her body. Her sleeping posture was casual and uninhibited.

The usual arrogance had faded from her naturally seductive face, replaced by a peaceful, tranquil smile that made her appear especially gentle.

Outside the room, Dugu Bo, his long dark green hair hanging loose, stood silently. He watched his granddaughter sleep through the crack in the door, and the tension in his brow gradually eased as a gentle smile spread across his lips.

He softly closed the door, turned and quietly instructed the steward on a few household matters, then left Dugu Manor alone and headed out of the city.

As Dugu Bo traveled out of the city, he moved swiftly, completely unaware that two figures were following behind him.

They were naturally Chen Ling and Xiao Wu, who had tailed him since early morning.

Having come to Heaven Dou City, how could they not check in at the number one must-try spot on the Douluo Continent's food list: the Icefire Yin Yang Well?

Although immortal herbs were no longer a necessity for Chen Ling, he still could not pass them up. His Soul Power Level had been raised by the system, so those immortal herbs capable of strengthening his foundation, replenishing his essence, and tempering his meridians and physique were still worth consuming.

More importantly, the Icefire Yin Yang Well was one of the world's greatest treasure lands, its value beyond measure.

Rather than leave it for Tang San to scavenge in the future, Chen Ling might as well seize it early and cut off Tang San's opportunity.

With Xiao Wu now at his side, the Shrek Seven Monsters naturally could not be formed. Without them, there would be no way to fight the Imperial Fighting Team and ultimately neutralize Dugu Yan's snake venom.

That meant Tang San would also lose his chance to come into contact with Dugu Bo.

To eliminate every possible accident and completely lock down this opportunity, Chen Ling decided to make the first move—seize the Icefire Yin Yang Well ahead of time and subdue Dugu Bo.

It would also be useful if he wanted to build his own force later. He could not personally handle everything, after all. He needed a subordinate with strength that was at least respectable, and Dugu Bo happened to be an excellent fit.

After following him for some time, Chen Ling led Xiao Wu behind Dugu Bo and entered the territory of Sunset Forest.

Although Sunset Forest could not compare to Star Dou Great Forest in either the variety or age of its soul beasts, it was still enormous.

The two followed Dugu Bo as he twisted and turned through the forest, venturing deeper into its heart until they finally reached the foot of a mountain shrouded in poisonous mist.

Dense emerald poison miasma churned and drifted, covering the entire mountain foot. The toxic air was piercingly cold.

Dugu Bo stopped before the poison miasma, a slight frown appearing on his face as a powerful sense of unease rose inexplicably within him.

For high-level soul masters, being watched by others often produced a mysterious, indescribable sense of awareness.

Ever since leaving the city, he had vaguely felt someone watching him from behind, as though needles pricked his back. Yet every time he concentrated and searched, he found nothing at all. He could not detect even the slightest source of the gaze or trace of an aura.

That was the most insidious part of the spiritual cultivation technique Chen Ling practiced. It was not some spiritual concealment method like mental simulation.

Instead, it shifted and blurred the image at its root—in other words, the scene within the other person's field of vision.

Dugu Bo's spiritual power was already far inferior to Chen Ling's. The fact that he could sense even a vague feeling of being watched already placed him far above the vast majority of soul masters on the continent.

One had to know that this era did not yet have the Soul Core system. Those powerhouses who could break through to become Titled Douluo either possessed extraordinary fortuitous encounters or talents that eclipsed the world. Every one of them stood at the pinnacle.

Dugu Bo repeatedly swept his gaze around the area, spreading out his Soul Power and extending his spiritual power. Only after confirming that no one was nearby and that there were no unusual movements did he set aside his doubts and step into the harmful emerald poison miasma.

Only after his figure had completely disappeared into the poison miasma and vanished from sight did Chen Ling take Xiao Wu's hand and slowly emerge from the concealed woods, his figure gradually appearing.