Ever since Azure Luan Douluo announced the training schedule that day, the entire Spirit Hall Training Camp had plunged straight into a hellish regimen that ran all day without a break, leaving no one even a moment to catch their breath.
Before dawn every day, everyone was called out to assemble. High-intensity physical conditioning came first, followed by nonstop combat practice. Support-type Soul Masters could forget about slacking off, too. They spent the entire day with dedicated instructors, learning how to use their Soul Skills and coordinate with teammates, training from morning until night until they lacked even the strength to lift an arm.
Whether it was the exceptionally gifted Yang Chang'an or Qingyu and the others from the Worship Hall, everyone collapsed on the ground at the end of each day's training, too exhausted to move and aching all over. Yet not one of them dared to slack off or give up.
They all knew just how precious the chance to enter this Training Camp was. Everyone fought tooth and nail to stay, to become stronger, and to secure a foothold among all these geniuses.
After that, the relationship between Yang Chang'an and his two roommates, Niu Wenchuan and Vincent, naturally changed as well.
Of course, both sides knew perfectly well where they truly stood with each other.
That day, sunlight baked the ground of the Martial Arts Arena. The Training Camp's students gathered around its edges, watching the duel about to begin in the center.
In the middle of the arena, Niu Wenchuan drew a deep breath and let out a loud shout. His armored giant rhinoceros martial soul instantly possessed him!
His already sturdy frame grew even more imposing, and a layer of thick, hard, dark-gray plate armor covered his entire body. His skin became coarse and tough, making him look like a small moving fortress. He fixed his eyes on Shi Hao opposite him, his gaze intent as he prepared for the coming fight.
Shi Hao wasted no time either. His soul power stirred, and he immediately activated Martial Soul Possession as well.
His martial soul was the Lie Yan mad lion, the hereditary martial soul of Mighty Lion Douluo, the Fourth Enshrined of the Worship Hall-a genuine top-tier power attack system martial soul.
After his martial soul possessed him, Shi Hao's eyes blazed with heat. A thick golden mane rapidly grew around his neck, and his hands transformed into razor-sharp lion claws, their tips glinting coldly. Savage aggression radiated from his whole body, his presence oppressive.
Through their time training together, Yang Chang'an had learned a little about Shi Hao's background. He was the grandson of Mighty Lion Douluo, the Fourth Enshrined of the Worship Hall, and had been raised with the finest resources and the best teachers from childhood. His talent and foundation were among the very best, and his Lie Yan mad lion martial soul possessed immense power.
They had faced off for only a few seconds before Shi Hao could no longer hold back and attacked first.
He suddenly threw back his head and unleashed a deafening lion's roar that carried across almost the entire Martial Arts Arena. A moment later, he kicked hard against the ground and shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow. With a ferocious gale rushing in his wake, he lunged straight at Niu Wenchuan, his sharp claws reaching for Niu Wenchuan's chest.
Niu Wenchuan reacted quickly. He immediately crossed his arms in front of himself, raising his left hand first to take Shi Hao's heavy claw strike head-on with his thick plate armor. A sharp clang rang out, and sparks flew.
Then, instead of retreating, he advanced. Clenching his right hand into a fist and gathering all his strength, he drove a vicious punch toward Shi Hao's chest, intending to break through his opponent's offensive with a single blow.
But Shi Hao's Lie Yan mad lion martial soul was renowned for its strength. On top of that, his soul power level was slightly higher than Niu Wenchuan's, making him considerably stronger.
Seeing Niu Wenchuan's fist coming, he swiftly thrust out his other claw and caught it in a firm grip. The two instantly locked in place, and the collision of their strength seemed to make even the surrounding air tremble.
Although his punch achieved nothing, Niu Wenchuan did not panic. Defense had always been his greatest strength, so he simply played to that advantage, weathering Shi Hao's fierce attacks and trading injury for injury.
For every claw strike he took, he answered with a punch. He paid no heed to minor wounds, relying on his thick hide and tough flesh to grind his opponent down.
But he had overlooked one thing: Shi Hao's Lie Yan mad lion was not merely powerful. It was also far faster than the lumbering armored giant rhinoceros!
Exploiting his speed, Shi Hao constantly circled Niu Wenchuan and attacked. Claw afterimages filled the air, his blows whipping up gusts with ferocious force. Niu Wenchuan could only defend passively. Although he withstood most of the attacks, he was still driven backward again and again. The fight grew spectacular, and the surrounding students watched without blinking, letting out cries of surprise from time to time.
They exchanged blows for quite a while before Niu Wenchuan, who had been suppressed throughout, finally lost patience. His gaze sharpened, and the yellow first soul ring beneath his feet suddenly flared!
"First Soul Skill, Massive Increase!"
With his shout, Niu Wenchuan's body swelled once again. His plate armor grew thicker and harder, and his aura surged dramatically, doubling his defense outright.
Seeing Niu Wenchuan finally use a Soul Skill, Shi Hao showed no sign of nervousness. Instead, an excited smile spread across his face, and he shouted, "That's more like it!"
He immediately stopped holding back. His own yellow first soul ring shone brilliantly, and dazzling flames spread through his limbs and body.
"First Soul Skill, Unmatched by Thousands!"
Shi Hao roared, channeling all his strength into his right claw. Wreathed in raging flames and carrying terrifying force, it slammed into the plate armor over Niu Wenchuan's chest!
Boom-!
With a tremendous crash, Niu Wenchuan proved utterly unable to withstand that all-out blow. He screamed in pain as his body flew backward like a sandbag struck by a boulder. He slammed into the ground and skidded a long way before stopping, several deep, bloody gouges torn through the plate armor over his chest.
Seeing Niu Wenchuan injured, Le Zhengxuan immediately moved from her place outside the arena.
A light flashed between her brows, and her healing angel possessed her at once. Faint wings of light appeared behind her. She raised her hand with a gentle wave, sending a soft, warm ray of healing light flying straight onto Niu Wenchuan in the distance.
Enveloped in golden light, Niu Wenchuan felt his pain quickly ease. He could not be bothered to get up and simply lay sprawled in the middle of the arena, comfortably receiving treatment as he muttered, "Good grief, that was brutal."
Yang Chang'an hurried forward and crouched to examine Niu Wenchuan's injuries, then breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Niu Wenchuan had deep reserves of vitality, formidable defense, and an exceptional ability to take a beating. The strike had looked frightening, but it had only caused superficial injuries, with no serious damage.
Had any ordinary Soul Master taken Shi Hao's Soul Skill head-on, they would likely have lost half their life, if not died outright.
"That felt good! So damn good!"
Shi Hao, on the other hand, was not tired at all after the fight. Instead, he threw back his head and laughed, feeling thoroughly exhilarated. He strode over to Yang Chang'an and Niu Wenchuan and said with a smile:
"The armored giant rhinoceros martial soul certainly lives up to its reputation! No wonder it's ranked alongside the Elephant Armor Sect's diamond mammoth!"
The diamond mammoth was the hereditary martial soul of the Elephant Armor Sect, one of the Seven Great Sects. Known as the continent's greatest defensive martial soul, its defense was unrivaled across the continent. The Elephant Armor Sect's master, Huyan Zhen, the "Celestial Elephant," was even said to be capable of meeting a Titled Douluo's attacks head-on, thanks to his seemingly impenetrable defenses.
Yang Chang'an rose to his feet, a trace of solemnity appearing on his face.
During this period of training, he had already fought all three great prodigies-Jin Li'er, Qingyu, and Shi Hao-and had gained a deep appreciation of their strength. Only two words could describe them-
Incredibly strong!
In almost every sparring match, Yang Chang'an had been at a disadvantage, suppressed by the three of them, and had ultimately lost.
And these were merely friendly, everyday sparring matches. Everyone had held back rather than fighting to kill. Yang Chang'an had privately estimated that, in a life-or-death battle that would end only when one side died, he would have less than a forty-percent chance of even taking any of those three down with him. The sheer size of the gap was staggering.
Yet this also filled Yang Chang'an with questions. No matter how he thought about it, he could not make sense of it.
He knew very well that his soul power cultivation was indeed lower than theirs. But he possessed innate divine strength, and in a contest of raw power, he was not the slightest bit weaker than Shi Hao. Moreover, his Soul Breaking Spear was a genuine top-tier tool martial soul, no less powerful than the Clear Sky Hammer or the Seven Kill Sword.
Besides, differences in soul power were not particularly pronounced among Soul Masters in the early stages on the Douluo Continent.
By all rights, even if he could not beat them, the gap should not have been this wide. It certainly should not have left him without any chance of victory.
Where exactly was the problem?
Yang Chang'an pondered this privately and soon made up his mind. Looks like I'll have to find a chance to go home in the next couple of days and refine the Body Tempering Pill I prepared earlier to improve my strength.
A long time had passed since he and Niu Wenchuan last absorbed Body Tempering Pills. Their bodies had long since finished assimilating them, and they could readily absorb new ones. The only reason he had kept delaying was his concern that their cultivation would rise too quickly, drawing too much attention and arousing suspicion among Spirit Hall's higher-ups.
After all, cultivating a little faster than other geniuses at the same level could still be explained by diligence and hard work. But being several tiers faster was not something diligence could account for, and it could easily bring unnecessary trouble.
While Yang Chang'an was lost in thought, Qingyu also stepped out of the crowd and came over to stand before them.
They headed toward the dormitory area together, animatedly discussing their upcoming training plans and the arrangements for future practice battles, thoroughly absorbed in their conversation.
Before long, Qingyu suddenly stopped speaking and cast a casual glance toward Yang Chang'an and Niu Wenchuan's dormitory in the distance. Then, lowering his voice, he gave the two of them a serious warning.
"That Vincent-you two had better not get too close to him."