That day, Xuan Zi gathered everyone in the outer court's Soul Fighting Zone again.
But when Bei Bei and the others arrived, they saw several unfamiliar faces.
Aside from Ma Xiaotao, whom he knew, Bei Bei had never met the other six. Without exception, all seven wore blood-red uniforms-the symbol of the Inner Court.
Bei Bei already had a guess as to who these seven were...
Seeing Bei Bei, Huo Yuhao, and the rest of their group of seven arrive, Ma Xiaotao waved in greeting. Her hair was tied in a ponytail today, giving her a spirited, valiant air.
Huo Yuhao studied the other six curiously. These were all Inner Court students, the finest geniuses of Shrek Academy's current generation.
While the two groups were sizing each other up, Chen Tianyuan finally arrived.
He, too, wore the blood-red uniform of the Inner Court, but compared to the bold presence of Ma Xiaotao and the others, he was much more reserved.
At the sight of Chen Tianyuan, Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao were dumbstruck.
How old was Chen Tianyuan? He had already entered the Inner Court? No wonder they had not seen him in the outer court lately.
Unlike Bei Bei and the others, who remained calm, the seven Inner Court students were rather surprised and puzzled to see Chen Tianyuan.
They were surprised that someone as young as Chen Tianyuan was already an Inner Court student.
What puzzled them was what he was doing here.
They exchanged glances, each looking at the others.
But as Chen Tianyuan approached, the Inner Court students' expressions stiffened.
They could all feel their martial souls trembling within them. Something they had only read about in books was actually happening to them.
Ma Xiaotao frowned. Her martial soul was the Evil Fire Phoenix, a super martial soul whose flames could even rival ultimate fire. Yet it was being suppressed? What kind of joke was this!
She immediately turned to Xuan Zi and asked, "Elder Xuan, who is this junior?"
Xuan Zi was chewing on a chicken drumstick, making his words indistinct. "He's your reserve. He'll be going with you to compete in the tournament."
After taking a swig of wine and swallowing the food in his mouth, Xuan Zi said, "Introduce yourselves first and get acquainted."
Ma Xiaotao could no longer be bothered to dwell on Chen Tianyuan's identity. She stepped forward and said, "Ma Xiaotao, level 67 Power Attack System Soul Emperor."
A tall, broad-built young man stepped out from behind her. "Dai Yueheng, level 64 Power Attack System Soul Emperor."
Next came a slender male student with a warm smile on his face. "Chen Zifeng, level 57 Power Attack System Soul King."
After him was an ordinary-looking female student with short hair. Nothing about her particularly stood out. "Xixi, level 56 Agility Attack System Soul King."
The fifth was also a female student, but she was much prettier than the one before her. She had an icy air and little expression on her face, with even a hint of melancholy. "Ling Luochеn, level 55 Control System Soul King."
The sixth was a thin, small male student, half a head shorter than even Ling Luochеn, but his eyes shone brightly. "Yao Haoxuan, level 55 control and support system Soul King."
The last was a handsome male student with a slender figure and a face as fine as polished jade. His delicate beauty stirred an instinctive tenderness in anyone who saw him, and even his voice was soft and gentle. If not for the Adam's apple at his throat, Chen Tianyuan would have thought he was a woman.
"Gongyang Mo, level 59 support system Soul King."
To everyone's surprise, this last student ranked third in cultivation, behind only Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng. He was just one step away from becoming another Soul Emperor.
After speaking, Gongyang Mo fixed his gaze on Chen Tianyuan.
No, he had actually been watching Chen Tianyuan ever since he appeared.
His stare made Chen Tianyuan somewhat uncomfortable.
Next, Bei Bei and the others introduced themselves...
Finally, all fourteen pairs of eyes settled on Chen Tianyuan.
This guy has an ultimate attribute. His cultivation probably hasn't caught up to mine yet, Bei Bei thought.
But he soon changed his mind.
Chen Tianyuan said, "Chen Tianyuan, level 45 Power Attack System Soul Ancestor."
Hearing this, the two Soul Emperors, Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng, looked incredulous. Chen Tianyuan was only a Soul Ancestor, yet he could make their martial souls tremble. Just how powerful was his martial soul?
Before either of them recovered from their shock, Gongyang Mo had already walked up to Chen Tianyuan.
The closer he came to Chen Tianyuan, the more strongly his martial soul reacted.
Gongyang Mo's tone was perfectly even, but his burning gaze betrayed him. "Junior Chen, could you tell me what your martial soul is?"
Gongyang Mo was not the only one who was curious. Everyone else was, too. Even Xuan Zi did not know exactly what Chen Tianyuan's martial soul had evolved into.
"My martial soul was ultimate lightning, born from an innate mutation. Not long ago, it evolved again. I now call it the Thunderclap Saint Dragon."
When Chen Tianyuan finished, towering waves surged through everyone's hearts.
An ultimate martial soul already belonged to the ranks of super martial souls, yet it could still evolve?
Xuan Zi was the first to react. He cleared his throat twice and said, "All right, you've all had a brief introduction to one another."
"To help you get a better impression of each other, your training task today is a friendly match. Only through battle can you become more familiar with one another's abilities."
"There are exactly fifteen of you, so we'll have teams of five and hold another free-for-all."
"Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, Gongyang Mo, the three of you have the highest cultivation, so you'll be the captains."
"Gongyang Mo, your cultivation is lower than theirs, so you can pick your teammates first."
Huo Yuhao and the others were still at a loss over Xuan Zi's eccentric ideas, but the Inner Court students understood them perfectly.
The three stepped forward. Gongyang Mo had the first pick, but instead of choosing Chen Zifeng, who ranked fourth in cultivation, he said without hesitation, "My first pick is Junior Chen."
Dai Yueheng picked next. "I choose Chen Zifeng."
Ma Xiaotao went last. She looked at Huo Yuhao and winked. "Then I'll choose Huo Yuhao."
The three teams were soon decided. Gongyang Mo's teammates were Chen Tianyuan, Xixi, Yao Haoxuan, and Jiang Nannan.
Dai Yueheng's teammates were Chen Zifeng, Wang Dong, Xu Sanshi, and He Caitou.
Compared to those two, Ma Xiaotao's team looked somewhat weak. Her teammates were Huo Yuhao, Ling Luochеn, Bei Bei, and Xiao Xiao.
Each team took a corner of the Soul Fighting Arena. As Xuan Zi raised his wine gourd, the match officially began.
Dazzling colors and different kinds of soul power bloomed across the Soul Fighting Arena.
The strongest soul power fluctuations belonged to Ma Xiaotao, the level 67 Soul Emperor. The instant she activated Martial Soul Possession, a scorching wave of air swept across the entire arena.
Next was Dai Yueheng, with his level 64 cultivation. His aura was hardly inferior to Ma Xiaotao's.
But the next person was not Gongyang Mo, who ranked third in cultivation. It was Chen Tianyuan.
The instant Chen Tianyuan activated Martial Soul Possession with his Thunderclap Saint Dragon, the auras of ultimate lightning and ultimate light spread outward, making everyone's heart shudder!
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