One Month, Level Seventy-Five

On the first day of the rest period, Liu Erlong took Yuan Yu into the back mountain.

"The true form has emerged."

Yuan Yu glanced at Zhao Wuji behind her, then at Dugu Bo further away.

"Three against one?"

Liu Erlong cracked his knuckles. "The three of us will take turns. If you can hold out until we all come at you, Flender will personally treat you to dinner."

"Then forget it. If he treats us, we might not get enough to eat."

As Yuan Yu was still speaking, his Seventh Spirit Ring lit up.

The Myriad Phenomena Wheel Prototype unfolded behind him, and the Sun Wheel Blade was drawn from its Wheel Axis. Seven streaks of light spread along his arms and shoulders. Yuan Yu had barely steadied himself when Liu Erlong was already in front of him.

The Dragon Claw descended upon his shoulder.

Yuan Yu raised his blade along the spine, while Rock Pattern simultaneously protected his arm. The two forces collided, and his feet slid two deep furrows into the ground.

Before he could even come to a complete stop, the Fire Dragon was already hot on his heels.

The Wind Pattern carried Yuan Yu to the side, leaving the Mist behind. Liu Erlong punched away the afterimage, but when he turned around, he only saw a circle of golden blade light.

"Sunflower Dance!"

Liu Erlong caught the blade with her claws, a layer of her Soul Power being sliced through her fingers. She chuckled, and her attack intensified once more.

Twenty breaths later, the Wheel began to sway.

Yuan Yu wanted to withstand one more strike, but the Sun Pattern turned black first. Myriad Phenomena True Body immediately dissipated, and Liu Erlong's fist stopped half an inch in front of his forehead.

"Twenty-one breaths," Tang San noted down the time on the sidelines. "One breath longer than the first time."

Yuan Yu plopped down on the ground. "Congratulations!"

Liu Erlong tossed him the water bag. "Rest for an hour, next up is Old Zhao."

Zhao Wuji grinned and shook his fist at Yuan Yu.

An hour later, Yuan Yu stood on another open space on the back mountain.

Zhao Wuji's method of dealing with him was completely different from Liu Erlong's. Liu Erlong would chase after him and smash him, forcing him to constantly switch elements. Zhao Wuji stood in the middle of the open space, his seven Spirit Ring lit up, and the Gravity Enhancement of the Powerful Vajra Bear had already covered the surroundings.

As soon as Yuan Yu activated his Myriad Phenomena True Body, his feet sank two inches into the ground.

"Why are you running? Fight me!"

Zhao Wuji stomped his foot on the ground, sending sand and gravel flying in all directions. His bear paw, imbued with powerful Soul Power, slammed horizontally, and before it even touched the blade, the air in front of Yuan Yu was already being compressed and hissing.

Yuan Yu first stabilized his lower body with the Rock Pattern, then covered the outside of the blade with water. When the Sun Wheel Blade collided with the bear's paw, the water was immediately dispersed, and the back of the blade was pressed inward by half a foot.

He didn't continue to fight that force head-on. Instead, he rotated his wrist in the direction of the bear's paw, and the Wind Pattern followed the rotation left by the water flow. Zhao Wuji's palm force was deflected to the side, and he snapped two trees in two with a single blow.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Yuan Yu leaped out of the area affected by Gravity.

Zhao Wuji turned to look at the fallen tree. "Didn't you say you wanted to fight me head-on?"

"I'm using a knife."

Stop focusing on the words, come back here!

After the battle, Yuan Yu's true form dissipated on its own, and Zhao Wuji only allowed him to rest for half a day.

For the past month, the back mountain of Shrek has been anything but quiet.

Zhao Wuji was responsible for direct pressure; his Powerful Vajra Bear could shatter the Rock Pattern layer by layer. Dugu Bo came every few days; the poisonous mist didn't directly harm people, but specifically forced Yuan Yu to simultaneously circulate the Sun Pattern, Wind Pattern, and Water Pattern within his true body.

Liu Erlong was the most decisive.

She never gave Yuan Yu a chance to slowly adjust the elements; once the Wheel slowed down, the Dragon Claw would fall on his head.

The first thing Dugu Bo brought was the Phosphorus Green Poison.

He used his Soul Power to create a 20-meter-wide clearing on the back mountain and filled it with poisonous mist. Yuan Yu needed to stand in the center in his Myriad Phenomena True Body, with the Sun Pattern breaking down the cold poison gas that approached his body, the Wind Pattern guiding the flow of poisonous mist, and the Water Pattern cleaning the toxins from his clothes and skin.

If any one of the three elements is missing, the toxic fog will immediately adhere to it.

Yuan Yu retreated within fifteen breaths on the first two occasions, his right hand still stained pale green by the poisonous gas. On the third occasion, he placed the Wind Pattern on the outer layer of the Wheel, first forming a slowly flowing whirlwind around him, and then letting the Sun Pattern and Water Pattern take turns dealing with the poisonous fog that penetrated the wind layer.

When the true form was maintained for twenty-five breaths, Dugu Bo added another wisp of Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Poison.

Yuan Yu's face turned green. "Old monster, is this some kind of impromptu question?"

"Will the enemy inform you of the weight before making a move?"

"At least let me finish speaking."

Dugu Bo flicked another wisp in.

Yuan Yu immediately shut his mouth and focused on turning the Wheel. This time he held on for twenty-seven breaths, and when he came out, his legs were a little weak.

Dugu Bo tossed him an antidote pill. "It'll last longer than last time. Sun Pattern is only responsible for decomposition, don't stuff everything into it."

Yuan Yu took the pill and memorized the reminder.

On the seventh day, Myriad Phenomena True Body held on for twenty-eight breaths.

On the morning of the twelfth day, Yuan Yu completed a Seven-Pattern Cycle at sunrise. The Light Origin that had settled in the seventh God-given Spirit Ring was absorbed by his body, and his Soul Power reached level seventy-four.

After learning the news, Ma Hongjun circled around Yuan Yu twice.

"Soul Sage can advance two levels in a single month?"

"It's only leveled up once so far."

"It's even more infuriating to hear you say that."

The others weren't idle either.

Tang San breaks down the individual tactics for the Promotion Tournament every day, Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing focus on one-on-one battles, while Ning Rongrong and Oscar practice quickly recovering their teammates off the field. Xiao Wu seeks out Liu Erlong to specifically refine the Invincible Golden Body and Waist Bow techniques.

Tai Long, Huang Yuan, Jing Ling, and Jiang Zhu have all joined the training. In each Promotion Tournament, a maximum of seven players can take the field, but who goes first and who goes last depends entirely on the opponent.

Tang San made everyone fight against opponents of at least three different types. Jing Ling, who was Agility Attack- type fighter, had to learn how to dodge Dai Mubai's White Tiger Bodyguard Barrier, while Tai Long, who was a strength-type fighter, was required to maintain his balance under Xiao Wu's throwing techniques.

For the first few days, every time Tai Long got up from the ground, he would ask, "Xiao Wu, how many people did you fall down today?"

Xiao Wu pointed to Ma Hongjun, who was lying next to her.

You are not alone.

Ma Hongjun raised his head from the ground. "I was knocked down by Dean Liu, it's not the same thing as you."

On the twenty-first day, Yuan Yu and Liu Erlong's sparring session resumed.

The Fire Dragon swooped down from above, its Dragon Claw blocking any room for movement to the left or right. Yuan Yu did not retreat; instead, he spun his Sun Wheel Blade upwards from below.

His body spun around following the momentum of the blade, and the golden blade light rose up to form a round sun.

"Sun Breathing, Second Form: Azure Sky!"

The Fire Dragon's head was propelled upwards by the circular blade of light, and Liu Erlong's Dragon Claw swept past Yuan Yu's head. She twisted her body forcefully in mid-air, her right leg sweeping across with flames.

Yuan Yu blocked with the hilt of his sword and used the momentum to slide more than ten meters away.

The Wheel behind him turned forty-three breaths, but still did not disperse.

Day 30, the last training session before the Promotion Tournament.

Under the rising sun, Yuan Yu completed his forty-five-breath true form transformation, Seven-Pattern Dharma Wheel spun nine times. The last bit of power within the Sun Pattern that had failed to integrate into the Spirit Ring flowed into his meridians, and the level seventy-four restriction was broken through.

Level 75.

Before Yuan Yu could sheathe his sword, the Rock Pattern beneath the Wheel suddenly spread out to both sides.

A thick, earthy yellow sheen converged at the bottom of the wheels.

The corner of a Four-Sided Seal slowly emerged from the light.