Eight-Person Team

"My name is Qin Ming. I'm twenty-three years old, my martial soul is the Blazing Fire Azure Wolf, and I'm a Level 53 Power Attack System Battle Soul King. I've just enrolled as a teacher, and under the instructions of the three members of the Board of Education, I'll be the leader of this year's Royal Fighting Team. I'm here to select the team members."

Once everyone had arrived, Qin Ming began introducing himself and explaining his purpose.

In truth, he had not expected the three members of the Board of Education to value him so highly, or even take him as a disciple. After all, his original plan had merely been to make use of the Mimicry Environment at Heaven Dou Royal Academy to accelerate his cultivation.

But since the three members of the Board of Education valued him so highly, he also wanted to achieve something and bring the Royal Fighting Team to a new level.

"I know that all of you are the elites of your respective classes, but I only need ten people: seven official members and three substitutes. Everyone else will be eliminated. Since there are so many of you, we won't use the usual battle-elimination method. That would waste too much time."

"Then, teacher, what method will we use?!"

The moment Qin Ming finished speaking, a student impatiently asked.

"It's very simple. I've invited a member of the Board of Education to help. All you have to do is hold out under his pressure. The last ten people standing will enter the Royal Fighting Team!" Qin Ming replied with a hearty laugh.

Suddenly, an elderly man with graying hair appeared beside Qin Ming. He wore a black robe and looked somewhat sinister. He was none other than Meng Shenji, a member of the Board of Education at Heaven Dou Royal Academy. His martial soul was the Black Goblin, and he was a Level 83 Control System Battle Soul Douluo.

Meng Shenji looked at the students present, the corners of his mouth curling into a smile. Then, an utterly terrifying aura surged from his body, and black Soul Power swept toward all the students like a storm.

Xu Yang felt as if a mountain were pressing down on him. His body staggered, and he nearly fell to the ground.

He hurriedly circulated his Soul Power to resist the pressure and activated his Secret Skill of healing, steadying himself. Afterward, he looked around and discovered that more than two-thirds of the students had collapsed under the pressure. Fewer than twenty remained standing, and even they were unsteady, liable to fall at any moment.

No wonder the Royal Fighting Team only had seven members from beginning to end in the Original Work. So this selection was the reason!

Xu Yang immediately understood why the Royal Fighting Team had no substitutes in the Original Work.

Seeing this, Meng Shenji's expression darkened. He had not expected the overall quality of this batch of students to be so poor. Any Soul Grandmaster with a firm will should have been able to withstand the Soul Power pressure he had just released. Who would have thought so many would fall?

With this level of ability, what qualifications do they have to participate in the Soul Master Competition?

At that thought, Meng Shenji's Soul Power unconsciously burst out a little more. The aura instantly grew stronger, and the pressure intensified.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!...

One after another, the sounds of people hitting the ground rang out. Many students could no longer hold on and were crushed flat, unable to get back up. Only Xu Yang, Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, Shi Mo, Shi Mo, Yu Feng, and Osler remained standing.

Of the eight, Xu Yang was the most relaxed. His eyes were tightly shut, and his body stood straight as a javelin. He had not even summoned his martial soul.

Ye Lingling was suffering the most. She bit down hard on her lip, wisps of blood seeping out. Her body was hunched over, and she was only a step away from falling. The Nine Heart Begonia martial soul hovered around her, constantly releasing pale green light that transformed into life force and repaired the damage caused by the pressure.

It was precisely because of the life force of the Nine Heart Begonia that she managed to hold on.

"Board member, that's enough! If this continues, no one will be left!"

Seeing that Meng Shenji was still releasing pressure, and that it had already reached a level even Soul Elders could not withstand, Qin Ming hurriedly reminded him.

"Hmph!"

Meng Shenji let out an unhappy snort and flicked his sleeve, vanishing from the spot. He did not want to look at those who had fallen anymore. He was afraid he might slap them all away himself.

"All right. Everyone except the eight still standing can leave!" Qin Ming said coldly as he stepped forward.

The fallen students rose with unwilling expressions and staggered back toward their classes. None of them made excuses. They truly had failed.

Xu Yang slowly opened his eyes. Seeing the other seven still trembling beside him, he smiled as well.

"Monster!"

Looking at Xu Yang, who seemed completely unaffected, Dugu Yan cursed inwardly.

The others also stared at Xu Yang in shock, especially Yu Tianheng. A feeling of respect surged within him. He felt that Xu Yang was exactly as strong as he ought to be.

Qin Ming beckoned to them. "Since you'll all be teammates from now on, introduce yourselves to one another."

"I'll go first. Dugu Yan, ten years old. My martial soul is the Jade Phosphor Serpent, and I'm a Level 23 Control System Battle Soul Grandmaster!"

"Ye Lingling, ten years old. My martial soul is the Nine Heart Begonia, and I'm a Level 21 Support System Battle Soul Grandmaster!"

"Osler, eleven years old. My martial soul is the Ghost Leopard, and I'm a Level 23 Agility Attack System Battle Soul Grandmaster!"

"Shi Mo, ten years old. My martial soul is the Black Turtle, and I'm a Level 22 Defense System Battle Soul Grandmaster!"

"Shi Mo, ten years old. My martial soul is the Black Turtle, and I'm a Level 22 Defense System Battle Soul Grandmaster!"

"Yu Feng, ten years old. My martial soul is the Wind Chime Bird, and I'm a Level 22 Agility Attack System Battle Soul Grandmaster!"

"Yu Tianheng, ten years old. My martial soul is the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, and I'm a Level 24 Power Attack System Battle Soul Grandmaster!"

"Xu Yang, eight years old. My martial soul is the Sun, and I'm a Level 23 Power Attack System Battle Soul Grandmaster!"

After hearing their introductions, Qin Ming nodded in satisfaction. Although the composition of these eight was not particularly well-balanced, they had every aspect covered. If they cooperated well, taking a place in the Soul Master Competition should not be difficult.

Qin Ming then began arranging their training. Nearly everyone present was a member of a clan and had a training method suited to them, so there was no need to change that. He did not think he could surpass clans with legacies passed down for many years. He still possessed that much self-awareness.

What he needed to do was train the eight in group combat, allowing them to become familiar with one another. They did not need to be perfectly in sync, but they had to understand each other's intentions with a single glance.

To achieve that, the eight of them were together almost all the time except when sleeping or using the bathroom, including during cultivation.

It was precisely because of this that they discovered Xu Yang's unique cultivation method: using his martial soul to continuously draw in and gather the Sun Power, accelerating his cultivation while constantly consolidating his foundation.

They also understood why Xu Yang's cultivation speed was so astonishing.

Of course, whenever the sun rose each day, he would also inexplicably fire off his First Soul Skill at himself.

"Ah! This is so annoying! Xu Yang, can't you finish cultivating already?!"

Looking at Xu Yang cultivating on the balcony, Dugu Yan fanned herself and began complaining, unable to sit still.

It was simply too hot. She was already dressed as coolly as possible, wearing a short-sleeved shirt on top and shorts below, with her long, fair legs propped on the table, yet she was still hot. The weather was excellent today, and with the Sun Power Xu Yang was drawing in and gathering, the temperature around them had risen above thirty-seven degrees Celsius.

She wanted to leave, but when she remembered Teacher Qin Ming's instructions, she stayed there.