Inside the Quiet Chamber, Chen Tianyuan had lost all sense of time. By the time he emerged after fully stabilizing his cultivation, three days had passed.
The interior of the Sea God Pavilion had been restored. The original long table had been damaged, so a new one had been made, though its materials were inferior to the old one's. The broken table, made from the wood of the Golden Ancient Tree, had not been discarded either; instead, it had been used to make a new chair.
The chair stood on one side of the long table, opposite Mu En.
Mu En reclined in his chair, breathing steadily.
Sensing that Chen Tianyuan had finished his secluded cultivation, he slowly opened his eyes.
Chen Tianyuan stepped out of the Quiet Chamber, and the first person he saw was Mu En.
"How much did you gain this time?"
"A great deal. I'll be able to break through to rank 50 in two months at most."
"And the Snow Empress bestowed four soul rings upon my body martial soul. Besides that, all the soul rings of my first martial soul have been raised to the ten-thousand-year level."
"Then there's her..."
As he spoke, Chen Tianyuan summoned the Snow Girl from his Sea of Consciousness.
The Snow Girl appeared and spun happily around Chen Tianyuan. Then she noticed Mu En and hid behind Chen Tianyuan's head, cautiously studying the old man in the reclining chair.
In a rare display of surprise, Mu En said, "Is this... the Snow Empress?"
Chen Tianyuan nodded. "You could say that, though calling her the Snow Girl would be more fitting."
Then he released his four Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings.
Gazing at those enormous rings, scarlet as fresh blood, Mu En chuckled. If every soul ring added to Chen Tianyuan's second martial soul could be at least a hundred thousand years old, perhaps he really could draw the attention of the Divine Realm...
Mu En looked at the Snow Girl and said, "Until you reach the Titled rank, you should keep her existence hidden. Otherwise, she will inevitably attract covetous eyes from the outside world."
Chen Tianyuan murmured his agreement. "I know."
"As long as you know where to draw the line. But don't be afraid when trouble comes, either. After all, the academy stands behind you."
"Since you've finished your secluded cultivation, go back and continue competing in the tournament," Mu En said slowly.
Watching Chen Tianyuan's retreating figure, Mu En's clouded eyes grew clear.
"Grow up quickly. I don't have much time left."
In the conference room on the top floor of the Star Emperor Hotel, Wang Yan's face was filled with helplessness as he thought of the children, whose average cultivation had yet to reach Soul Ancestor.
With the original roster, the championship had already been in the bag. But carelessness had cost them six regular team members, and now it was doubtful whether Shrek Academy could even reach the quarterfinals.
Tomorrow, Shrek Academy would face its strongest opponent since the tournament began-Zhengtian Academy.
As a long-established academy of the Heaven Dou Empire, Zhengtian Academy had brought a team with three Soul Kings to this tournament.
Wang Yan's heart was heavy with misery. Xu Sanshi, the strongest member of the reserve team, had not even reached rank 44. And Chen Tianyuan, the team's trump card, had been taken back to Shrek Academy a few days earlier, with no word yet of his return...
If Shrek Academy really lost to Zhengtian Academy tomorrow, a single mouthful of spit from each of those fanatical spectators would be enough to drown Wang Yan.
At that thought, Wang Yan could not help sighing.
Why hasn't the academy sent anyone yet? If Shrek's ten thousand years of glory ends in my hands, I'll be a sinner against Shrek.
Just as Wang Yan was questioning his entire life, Xuan Zi, who had been absent for so long, suddenly appeared in the conference room.
Xuan Zi looked as slovenly and indolent as ever. His plain robes were stained with grease, a wine gourd hung at his waist, and he was gnawing on a chicken leg in his hand.
Someone stood behind him, but Wang Yan did not recognize him at first. He assumed the academy had sent an Inner Court disciple, but a closer look left him instantly stunned.
"You're... Tianyuan?"
Chen Tianyuan waved and chuckled. "It's only been a few days, Teacher Wang. Don't you recognize me anymore?"
Wang Yan examined Chen Tianyuan carefully from head to toe. The changes were simply too great. Not only had his hair grown longer, but he had shot up in height as well. He looked like an entirely different person.
"Teacher Wang, what's got you looking so miserable?"
Chen Tianyuan's voice pulled Wang Yan out of his daze.
Wang Yan was not particularly gifted. Now in his thirties, he was still only a Soul King, but at such close range, he could nevertheless sense the change in Chen Tianyuan.
Before, being around Chen Tianyuan had given him a gentle, warm feeling. Now, however, there was an added coolness about him that kept others at an invisible distance.
"Tianyuan, what have you been doing these past few days?"
Chen Tianyuan took two steps back and released the soul rings of his first martial soul.
At the sight of those four Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings, black as ink, Wang Yan was so shocked that his glasses fell off.
"I made a small breakthrough over the past few days. My individual combat strength should now be around that of a mid-level Soul Emperor."
Wang Yan beamed at his words. "Wonderful! But didn't the academy send anyone else?"
Chen Tianyuan shook his head. "No. So we'll have to rely on ourselves for this tournament."
Wang Yan wilted at once, but remembering Chen Tianyuan's four Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings, he felt they still had a chance.
"Rest for a bit. I'll call everyone else to the conference room."
A few minutes later, the others shuffled into the conference room, yawning and bleary-eyed.
"Teacher Wang, it's already past ten at night. Did something happen for you to call us together so suddenly?" Bei Bei asked wearily.
The others said nothing, but they felt the same as Bei Bei.
We're facing Zhengtian Academy tomorrow. There's already such a huge gap in cultivation, and now we can't even get any sleep. How are we supposed to fight tomorrow?
Wang Yan, however, joked, "I called you together so suddenly because I have some good news to share."
"The good news I'd most like to hear right now is that Zhengtian Academy has withdrawn from the tournament."
Wang Dong slumped over the conference table as he spoke listlessly.
Wang Yan adjusted his glasses, turned toward a small room nearby, and called, "You can come out now."
At his words, everyone turned to look at the small room.
The handle turned, and the door opened from within.
Chen Tianyuan slowly stepped out.
Everyone looked puzzled at the newcomer. Bei Bei was the first to speak. "You're... Tianyuan?"
Chen Tianyuan nodded. "That's right. It's me."
Inside Huo Yuhao's Sea of Consciousness, the Ice Empress frowned at Chen Tianyuan. "Why is there such a familiar aura coming from this person?"
Wang Yan said, "Now there's also some bad news. The academy hasn't sent any other Inner Court disciples to support us, so we'll have to rely on ourselves for this tournament."
Bei Bei gave a rueful smile. "Teacher Wang, let's not talk about that right now."
"Sigh, there's nothing we can do about it. I called you here to discuss tomorrow's tactics."
"Zhengtian Academy's lineup consists of three Soul Kings and four Soul Ancestors."
"Their captain is called Ye Wuqing. His martial soul is the Golden Leaf, and he's a rank 58 power attack system Soul King."
"Of the other two Soul Kings, one is called Tang Xiaolei. He's rank 52, and his martial soul is the Purple Splendor Bow. The other is called Yu Mengdi. She's rank 53, and her martial soul is an angel."
Before you continue