Qin Ming Arrives, Selection for the Royal Fighting Team Reserve

Over the next few days, Xu Yang spent all his free time in the library, apart from attending the necessary classes and practicing according to his schedule, searching for knowledge that interested him.

After nearly a week of searching, he actually found several books that interested him—books on Soul Tool crafting. Although they were severely incomplete, they contained corresponding inheritances. Even if he could not craft a level-nine Fixed Soul Cannon, making a level-two or three Soul Tool Ray would still be no problem.

"Just as expected of the royal family—even the Soul Tool inheritance is here!"

After happily putting the books away, Xu Yang planned to return and study them. However, there was one thing he could not understand: why did the continent's Spirit Masters hate Soul Tools so deeply? There was barely any inheritance left at all.

He had spent seven days searching the library before digging these four books out of some obscure corner. The books were also tattered and riddled with wormholes. This clearly showed that the continent's Spirit Masters did not value Soul Tools at all, believing that one's own strength was more important.

But in Xu Yang's eyes, the two did not conflict. Soul Tools could strengthen one's own power and could even be used as a trump card to save one's life, ensuring personal safety.

He had once asked Ning Fengzhi why the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, an auxiliary sect, did not research Soul Tools. For auxiliary Spirit Masters, Soul Tools should have been the best supplement to their combat power. Unfortunately, Ning Fengzhi was powerless. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect simply had no corresponding Soul Tool inheritance. They did possess some Soul Tools, but no one was willing to waste time dismantling and studying them.

"With the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's ability to appraise treasures, I shouldn't lack materials for researching Soul Tools!"

"Next time I go back, I'll have to load up on some materials."

Thinking of the various precious gems and metals stored in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's treasury, Xu Yang smiled. As Ning Fengzhi's disciple, he could not touch the precious Soul Bones in the treasury, but he could freely take some materials.

Just as Xu Yang was envisioning his future, casually summoning countless Soul Tool Rays from the sky, Dugu Yan came looking for him with Ye Lingling.

"Xu Yang, a teacher named Qin Ming came to our class today. He said he was selecting members for the next Heaven Dou Second Team to participate in the Soul Master Competition two years from now. He sent us to call you over!" Dugu Yan got straight to the point as soon as she saw Xu Yang.

"Oh!"

Xu Yang nodded perfunctorily. To be honest, he was not interested in this Soul Master Competition. There was no other reason than his strength being insufficient. Even if he were selected as a school team member, he would most likely be a substitute and have little chance to compete.

Even if he was as talented as could be, two years would at most allow him to reach level thirty and become a Soul Elder. If he obtained the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, he might reach the thirties, but he still would not be qualified to compete.

He was interested in participating in the next and the one after that. Clashing with the talented Spirit Masters of his generation was what he most wanted—to prove himself. As for the one after next, he wanted to see Tang San's level.

"Don't you want to participate in this Soul Master Competition?" Dugu Yan asked curiously, surprised by Xu Yang's attitude.

"Even if we participate, what can we do? With our strength, we'll only be arranged as substitute members. We won't have any chance to compete. At most, we'll sit in the audience and watch the Soul Master Competition, accumulating experience for the next one."

This was not something only Heaven Dou Royal Academy did. Any advanced Soul Master Academy of sufficient size followed the same pattern. The purpose was to let the students adapt to the intensity of the Soul Master Competition in advance and prepare for the next competition.

There would be no shortage of substitute members like this.

"Mm, that's true!" Dugu Yan nodded in agreement. Staring at Xu Yang with narrowed eyes, she asked, "So, what's your decision?"

"Participate, of course!"

Xu Yang's answer was somewhat beyond Dugu Yan's expectations. After hearing his previous response, she had thought he did not want to participate in the selection. She had just been about to ask why when Xu Yang continued, "This is a great opportunity to learn. I can also see the level of people my age. Why wouldn't I participate?"

"So, let's go! Don't keep the teacher waiting."

Hearing this, Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling both rolled their eyes at him in exasperation. Who would have thought you were this kind of person?

Beside the training grounds reserved for the Heaven Dou Team, dozens of Heaven Slight Grade students were already waiting. They were the top students from each class, every one of them possessing at least twenty-three levels of Soul Power. Each was eagerly rubbing their fists and preparing to fight.

Among them were Yu Tianheng and Osler from Xu Yang's class, the brothers Shi Mo and Shi Mo from Heaven Slight Class Two's Xuanming Sect, and Yu Feng from Heaven Slight Class Three. These were all elites Xu Yang had learned about after arriving at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, and they were also members of the original Royal Fighting Team.

A teacher who looked to be only in his twenties stood at the center of the training grounds, observing the students. He wanted to select a group of elite members to deal with the next-but-one Spirit Master Elite Tournament.

The reason he was not selecting members for the next tournament was that he would not be the teacher of that batch of students. Instead, they would be taught by a Soul Emperor from the original Heaven Dou Royal Academy. That was also why he had come to the Heaven Slight Grade classes to select students. Otherwise, if it was for the competition, he could simply have gone to the Heaven Dou classes.

In this short while, he had already chosen several promising prospects. For the position of captain, he wanted Yu Tianheng to take the role. Of course, he had also considered Xu Yang, who had defeated Yu Tianheng. But Xu Yang had started skipping classes as soon as he arrived at the academy and refused to follow discipline. Clearly, he was not a good choice.

Before long, Xu Yang and the two girls, Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling, walked in. Seeing this, Yu Tianheng's expression became slightly ugly. He had never imagined that he would lose. Even if Xu Yang possessed a thousand-year Soul Ring, he had still believed he would win. Yet he had lost—and so thoroughly. He was unwilling to accept it.

Xu Yang, however, did not think much of it. He gave Yu Tianheng a broad smile, then stood at the back of Class One's group and chatted intermittently with Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling.

He had not forgotten his purpose in coming to Heaven Dou Royal Academy: to use Dugu Yan to find Dugu Bo, then enter the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to obtain the Immortal Herbs.

Dugu Bo's reputation outside was not good. It could even be described as terrible. But he kept his promises and treated his own people extremely well. Whenever something happened, he truly stepped up.

No one knew how many times he had disregarded his own safety to save Tang San. In the end, he had even given his life for him. Although Tang San had saved the grandfather and granddaughter from their poison, could a debt of gratitude really be repaid endlessly? Not to mention the number of times he had saved Tang San, the Immortal Herbs from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well alone were enough repayment.

It was not that Dugu Bo did not know the value of the Immortal Herbs. Medicine and poison were inseparable. As Poison Douluo, his accomplishments with poison were matched by his accomplishments in medicine. Even if he did not recognize those herbs, he still knew how precious the Immortal Herbs were.

After all, anyone who could cultivate to the rank of a Titled Douluo was no fool!

Yet even so, he was still willing to continue helping Tang San after Tang San had taken the Immortal Herbs.

From this, it could be seen that Dugu Bo was someone worth befriending deeply.