When Yang Chang'an and Niu Wenchuan returned to the training grounds, the once-empty field was packed again. Everyone stood ramrod straight, tension written across their faces, silently waiting for the man in the distance to address them. They hardly dared to breathe.
Before long, every boy and girl taking part in the training had arrived, without a single exception. Only then did Azure Luan Douluo slowly open his eyes and sweep his gaze over everyone present.
"Starting today, and for a long time to come, you will study, cultivate, and live here. Everything you do must comply with the Training Camp's rules. If anyone feels they cannot endure hardship or handle the intensity of the training here, you may withdraw."
Every one of them was a genius handpicked from Spirit Hall's branches across the land or from its affiliated families. Each was a future pillar of Spirit Hall, destined to become part of its backbone. Losing even one would be no small loss to Spirit Hall.
After Azure Luan Douluo finished speaking, not a single person moved. They all stood firm, their eyes resolute.
Seeing this, Azure Luan Douluo gave a slight nod and continued, "Very good. Since no one has chosen to withdraw, I'll speak plainly. From now on, you will undergo full-intensity training every day. There will be no opportunities to slack off and no gaps for rest."
"Children, do not disappoint me, and above all, do not disgrace Spirit Hall!"
Azure Luan Douluo swept his piercing gaze over the boys and girls. His tone suddenly turned utterly solemn as he announced in a deep voice, "Enough idle talk. Now, we begin today's first lesson: live combat training!"
The moment those words left his mouth, every boy and girl froze, identical looks of astonishment appearing on their faces. They glanced at one another, unable to believe their ears.
At any Soul Master Academy or training camp, training always began with the fundamentals before gradually moving on to live combat. For Azure Luan Douluo to launch straight into live combat in the very first lesson was simply outrageous!
Before they could recover from their shock, heavy, muffled footsteps suddenly sounded from the other side of the training grounds. Thud, thud, thud-the perfectly synchronized rhythm made their hearts tighten.
Everyone instinctively turned toward the sound and saw a group of Sacred Hall Warriors clad in thick, pitch-black armor marching toward them in perfect step.
These Sacred Hall Warriors radiated a fierce killing aura. One glance was enough to tell they were hardened veterans of countless battles. Simply standing there, they exerted an oppressive pressure on the youngsters.
"No way!" Niu Wenchuan's eyes went round. He instinctively lowered his voice as he cried out, reaching over to tug on Yang Chang'an's sleeve. Even his voice carried a tremor.
"Chang'an, don't tell me we're supposed to fight these Sacred Hall Warriors? That's way too terrifying!"
Niu Wenchuan was not the only one. The other boys and girls in the ranks all furrowed their brows.
Who did not know how formidable the Sacred Hall Warriors were? They were elites selected through round after round of screening from Spirit Hall's three great warrior orders. And the minimum requirement for joining any of those three orders was the Soul King level!
If even the entry requirement was Soul King, it was easy to imagine how terrifying the Sacred Hall Warriors' strength must be!
They were little Soul Masters whose Martial Souls had only recently awakened, with even the strongest among them merely in the teens. Making them fight Soul Emperor-level Sacred Hall Warriors-how was that any different from sending them out to get beaten?
Sensing Niu Wenchuan's nervousness beside him, Yang Chang'an glanced at him and signaled with his eyes not to panic.
They were all future talents Spirit Hall was investing heavily in. Azure Luan Douluo could not possibly let the Sacred Hall Warriors fight them with lethal intent. This had to be a token live combat exercise; their lives would not truly be in danger.
Of course, whether they could get out of bed afterward would depend on their own abilities.
With that reminder from Yang Chang'an, Niu Wenchuan's head cleared, and he immediately understood.
But even knowing he would not be beaten to death, he was still facing genuine Sacred Hall Warriors, not elders from his family. They certainly would not go easy on him, and suffering was inevitable. Just thinking about it hurt.
Soon, dozens of Sacred Hall Warriors formed up neatly behind Azure Luan Douluo, their presence imposing.
Azure Luan Douluo turned around and looked down at the boys and girls, his tone level:
"Who's first?"
At those words, the entire field fell silent. Everyone looked at one another in dismay, and not one of them dared volunteer.
Was he joking? Whoever went first would surely get the worst of it. Nobody wanted to be the first to eat the crab; they all wanted to watch someone else go first so they would know what to expect.
Seeing everyone huddled in the ranks, afraid to move, Yang Chang'an frowned slightly and stepped out, ready to volunteer. But just as he took his first step, another figure darted straight out of the group, her movements crisp and decisive.
Yang Chang'an looked up. It was the girl with the Golden Crocodile Pattern.
Azure Luan Douluo first gave the Golden Crocodile girl a slight nod for volunteering, then shifted his gaze directly to Yang Chang'an, who had also stepped out.
"Yang Chang'an, was it? You join her."
Hearing Azure Luan Douluo call him by name, Yang Chang'an kept his face expressionless, but his heart lurched. In that instant, he became certain: Fifth Uncle was definitely either the Fourth Enshrined or the Fifth Enshrined of Spirit Hall's Worship Hall!
Otherwise, how could someone of Azure Luan Douluo's standing remember an insignificant figure like him so clearly, even calling out his name without hesitation?
Azure Luan Douluo actually knew Yang Chang'an?!
Every boy and girl present was stunned by the sight. Astonished gazes turned toward Yang Chang'an, filled with curiosity and confusion. Even Han Yun and Vincent looked shocked.
Nobody had expected the seemingly unremarkable Yang Chang'an to have his name remembered by a great figure like Azure Luan Douluo!
Ignoring their surprise, Azure Luan Douluo addressed Yang Chang'an and the Golden Crocodile girl on the field. "Your objective is simple. Last ten exchanges against the Sacred Hall Warrior opposite you. As long as you survive ten moves, you pass."
After a pause, Azure Luan Douluo added, "Of course, rest assured that they will not use their Martial Souls. They will fight you using only physical strength and basic combat techniques."
At those words, Yang Chang'an's and the Golden Crocodile girl's gazes sharpened, and both their hearts lurched. Neither felt relieved in the slightest; instead, they grew even more solemn.
Both knew very well that the gaps in strength between Soul Masters were enormous. Even without using their Martial Souls, higher-level Soul Masters far surpassed lower-level ones in physical toughness, combat experience, strength, and speed.
Generally speaking, a Soul Master's strength dropped by roughly twenty levels when they did not use their Martial Soul.
The Sacred Hall Warriors opposite them were Soul Emperors of at least level sixty-seven or sixty-eight. Even without their Martial Souls, their strength would be equivalent to that of Soul Ancestors in the forties!
Moreover, these Sacred Hall Warriors were battle-hardened elites. Even with only Soul Ancestor-level strength, they would be invincible among their peers. Ordinary Soul Ancestors would be no match for them!
Making two little Soul Masters in the teens last ten moves against opponents with the strength of Soul Ancestors in the forties? It was an impossible task!
But now that they were already on the field, the arrow had left the bow and could not turn back. Even knowing they could not win, they could only steel themselves and fight. At worst, they would take a beating. They could hardly disgrace themselves by retreating before the battle.
Yang Chang'an took a deep breath, steadied his mind, and walked straight up to a burly Sacred Hall Warrior to introduce himself:
"Yang Chang'an. Martial Soul: Soul Breaking Spear. Level thirteen Power Attack System Battle Soul Master. Please instruct me, senior!"
A flicker of surprise passed through the Sacred Hall Warrior's eyes at Yang Chang'an's words, but he answered in a deep voice:
"Sacred Hall Warrior Julian. Level sixty-seven Power Attack System Battle Soul Emperor."
When Soul Masters faced each other in combat, unless a bitter blood feud lay between them, they would announce their names, Martial Souls, and levels. This was the most basic etiquette of the soul master world, and nobody broke it.
After hearing this, Yang Chang'an muttered inwardly, A Power Attack System Soul Emperor, just as I thought. In principle, Power Attack System Soul Masters counter agility attack Soul Masters, and quite a few of these Sacred Hall Warriors are agility attack experts. But against an absolute gap in strength, all that talk of counters is just something to fool children. No matter how favorable the matchup is, you still can't beat a Soul Emperor more than fifty levels above you.
Meanwhile, when the other boys and girls beside the field heard Yang Chang'an announce that he was level thirteen, they erupted into hushed discussion, their faces full of surprise.
They had all awakened their Martial Souls around the same time and had only been cultivating for a short while. Most were still at level eleven, and those who had reached level twelve were few and far between. Yet Yang Chang'an was already level thirteen. His cultivation speed was far too fast!
The Golden Crocodile girl also glanced back at Yang Chang'an and muttered, "Wasn't he supposed to be level nine? Even someone with full Soul Power couldn't cultivate much faster than this!"
Despite her muttering, Jin Li'er withdrew her gaze and turned toward the Sacred Hall Warrior opposite her. She too introduced herself, her voice clear and bright:
"Jin Li'er. Martial Soul: Golden Crocodile. Level fifteen Power Attack System Battle Soul Master. Please instruct me!"
Her level was two higher than Yang Chang'an's. The moment she spoke, another wave of amazement swept through the youngsters around her. As expected of a genius from the Worship Hall, she truly was impressive.
The Sacred Hall Warrior opposite Jin Li'er promptly responded, "Sacred Hall Warrior Meng Chao. Level sixty-eight agility attack Battle Soul Emperor."
One level sixty-seven Power Attack System Soul Emperor and one level sixty-eight agility attack Soul Emperor-both were top-tier Sacred Hall Warriors!
And so, Yang Chang'an and Jin Li'er each walked onto an open stretch of the training grounds with their respective Sacred Hall Warrior opponents, facing them from a distance.
The air instantly grew tense, an invisible aura of battle spreading outward. Every boy and girl at the edge of the field held their breath, their eyes fixed on the four figures as they waited for this hopelessly mismatched live combat training to officially begin.
Yang Chang'an clenched his fists, feeling the faint stirring of his Soul Breaking Spear Martial Soul in his palm as he stared resolutely at Julian opposite him.
Level thirteen against level sixty-seven-even if his opponent did not use his Martial Soul, this would be an extraordinarily difficult battle. But he would never concede defeat easily!
Jin Li'er also assumed a fighting stance. Her Golden Crocodile Martial Soul instantly possessed her, her body swelling as golden crocodile armor appeared across her exposed skin.
An imposing aura rivaling an adult's erupted from her small body. She showed not the slightest fear despite facing a Soul Emperor.
Standing on the raised platform, Azure Luan Douluo watched the two coldly, then slowly spoke:
"Begin!"