The Battle for the Elite Team!

"Students, there are only about three years until the Soul Master Tournament. To prepare for it and win honor for the empire, the academy will begin selecting candidates today."

Qin Ming stood at the lectern and swept his gaze across the room. Apart from a handful of exceptions, the students below were bright-eyed and full of anticipation.

The All-Continent Soul Master Elite Tournament was a grand event across the Douluo Continent. Every young Soul Master longed to test themselves against their peers,

and dreamed of reaching the top and becoming the ultimate champion.

"A good team needs to be well-rounded."

"Two assault-type members, one control-type, two defense-type, one agility-type, and one healer. That will be the final lineup of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Elite Team."

As soon as Qin Ming finished, many students lowered their heads. With so many people in the academy, their chances of securing a place were slim.

But Qin Ming smiled.

"Have you forgotten there's a Second Team? You still have a good chance. It depends on how hard you work."

"That's right!"

"The Elite Team might be out of reach, but we can still aim for the Second Team."

The students broke into chatter, some of them relieved.

"My Lord, the captaincy of the Elite Team is yours for the taking!"

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion smiled as she spoke.

Lu Ming's expression did not change. He remained deep in thought.

The Elite Team would not have to compete in the Heaven Dou Empire qualifiers. They could go straight to Spirit City for the tournament.

But Lu Ming had no intention of doing that. This was too good an opportunity to temper the Golden Dragon King's growth, and he did not want to miss it just to conserve his strength.

Otherwise, there would be no point in taking part.

"Teacher Qin Ming, I want to be captain of the Second Team!"

Lu Ming suddenly stood and addressed Qin Ming.

"No—"

Qin Ming stopped himself. His first instinct had been to refuse.

This was hardly something that could be settled with a single sentence. They had rules to follow; the academy's internal matches had to decide it.

But then again, the one asking was Lu Ming!

Everyone had seen his strength. He was widely acknowledged as the academy's strongest student, and there was no question that he could captain the Elite Team.

Yet... Lu Ming wanted to captain the Second Team!

"I'll have to speak with Teacher Xiao about this. I can't agree to it on my own."

Qin Ming did not know what level of Titled Douluo Xiao Xiao was, but the rumors alone made it clear she was no ordinary figure.

Even Xue Ye had to treat her with utmost respect. And Lu Ming was Xiao Xiao's younger brother. If she agreed, there would be no problem.

Lu Ming nodded. After Qin Ming briefly explained the requirements for the academy's internal matches,

the class followed him to the competition grounds.

"There are ten classes in total. Each class will select seven students to fill the team roles I mentioned earlier."

"Let's begin. Those who advance will compete in the final round tomorrow. I wish you all good luck!"

The students' abilities varied from class to class, and Lu Ming's class was not the strongest overall.

The people he knew in his class were the Three-Eyed Golden Lion and Dugu Yan. Xiao Wu studied in another class.

"Haah~"

A burly young man stepped forward. Behind him, a giant bear opened its maw wide, radiating a fearsome presence.

"Chao Yuansheng. Martial Soul: Vajra Bear. Level 31 battle Soul Ancestor!"

Chao Yuansheng had repeated a year for certain reasons, so his cultivation was higher than that of most of his classmates.

But strength would still decide who earned a place.

Chao Yuansheng looked around, deliberately avoiding Lu Ming, who stood straight and tall.

Please don't come crush us small fry, big shot!

"Teacher Qin Ming, Teacher Xiao agreed."

Lu Ming had just contacted Xiao Xiao through his mental power. She had agreed without hesitation.

Qin Ming's eyes lit up.

As expected of a peerless genius who became a Soul Ancestor at twelve. He can transmit his voice through mental power without even leaving the room. Even I can't compare!

Qin Ming gave a slight nod. He would not have believed anyone else, but he had no reason to doubt Lu Ming.

"Then you can rest on the sidelines, Lu Ming. I'll speak to the three education board members about this later."

His classmates' eyes went wide as saucers.

Although they had seen this sort of thing many times before, it still dealt a tremendous shock to their young hearts.

Chao Yuansheng let out a long breath. His chin rose higher and higher as he surveyed the room.

"Lu Ming already has his place, so I'm the second-strongest assault-type student in the class. No offense intended, of course. If anyone wants to spar, I won't hold back."

The Vajra Bear's strength and destructive power fell short of the Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear's. But in this era, when there were scarcely any records of the latter, the Vajra Bear's reputation was just as formidable.

The students exchanged glances. Several were unwilling to let the opportunity pass and stepped forward to challenge him.

Chao Yuansheng handled them with ease. Throughout the matches, he used only his first two yellow Soul Rings.

Vajra Bear!

Not bad. He should have a chance of raising his Soul Power by seven levels within three years. He could contend for a place on the Second Team.

Qin Ming made a mental note and marked something in his notebook.

"Does anyone else want to challenge him?"

Qin Ming looked at the students as he asked.

"Then Chao—"

Just as Qin Ming was about to confirm Chao Yuansheng's place, a woman with golden hair and a golden dress landed in the arena.

Her hair fluttered, gleaming in the sunlight.

"Little Rui?!"

Someone pointed at her in shock, and the rest of the class finally recognized her.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion usually kept a low profile and rarely even released her Martial Soul.

When she was not cultivating alone, she was with Lu Ming. Few people knew her well.

No one had expected Little Rui to challenge Chao Yuansheng for this place.

"Little Rui, to be honest, I've never seen your Martial Soul all this time. Let me have a look today."

Chao Yuansheng spoke politely, but he could not hide the disdain in his eyes.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion glanced toward Lu Ming. He nodded.

"Let's begin."

Her voice was cool.

Chao Yuansheng frowned slightly. He stole a glance at Lu Ming, then quickly looked away.

Lu Ming isn't going to coach Little Rui, is he? I'm just a nobody. Don't do this to me!

Chao Yuansheng groaned inwardly.

"Please show me what you've got!"

With treatment from a support-type teacher, the Vajra Bear had recovered to peak condition.

"All right."

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion answered softly. Lu Ming suppressed a laugh. Chao Yuansheng had only been polite, but Little Rui had taken him at his word. She really had not learned how people worked yet.

Yellow, yellow, purple!

A three-ring Soul Elder!

Three Soul Rings circled beneath the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's feet as the Golden Dragon Martial Soul rose behind her. Its overwhelming presence immediately surpassed that of the Vajra Bear.

"Ah!"

Chao Yuansheng froze. Little Rui was not another student repeating a year, was she? Besides Lu Ming, there was another powerhouse in their class!

He gritted his teeth. Whatever happened, he could not lose.

"Third Soul Skill: Bear's Strength!"

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion strode forward, golden light flashing around her right fist.

"What kind of name is Bear's Strength? I've got Dragon's Strength!"

Mocking the name of his Soul Skill, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion punched him into a pillar.

Just like that, she knocked him out cold. If anyone had trouble sleeping at night, they could simply come find Little Rui.