Life Soul Bone; Imperial Fighting Team

[Life Soul Bone!]

[Life Soul Bone: formed from a fruit that fell from the Life Divine Tree. Life and death have always stood opposed; only those who scorn death may truly exist. Suitable for absorption by all types of Soul Masters, with fixed Soul Skills, while emphasizing improvements to physique and self-healing ability.]

[Type: hundred-thousand-year torso bone.]

[Fixed Soul Skill One: Life and Death Are Mine, Not Heaven's]

[Introduction: allows the host to be reborn once. Upon rebirth, breaks all seals and restrictions and restores the host to peak condition, with no side effects. Can only be used once in a lifetime. The time of rebirth can be freely chosen.]

[Fixed Soul Skill Two: Healing]

[Introduction: within its range, restores Soul Power, stamina, and Mental Power to the host and designated individuals, and removes all negative conditions. Can only be used once per day. Recovery speed depends on the individual's intimacy with the host.]

Lu Ning listened to the description of this Soul Bone.

He froze on the spot.

So giving away things I receive really does earn me something in return?!

And I'd been thinking of keeping that Death Blood Tree Soul Bone for myself.

That really was...

How narrow-minded of me!

This Soul Bone clearly represented a qualitative leap.

The first Soul Skill was like Phoenix Nirvana. Although it could only be used once, it meant Lu Ning no longer needed to worry about death. This was fucking truly plunging into the jaws of death to find life!

The second Soul Skill was even more outrageous.

It restored everything within its range.

And it was determined by intimacy, too.

Didn't that mean Zhu Zhuqing had an inherent advantage beside Lu Ning?

After all, the two had long since become inseparably close, mingling like milk and water.

"Do you really need to be this happy, kid?" Flender looked at the frozen Lu Ning and patted his shoulder. Lu Ning came back to his senses. "Happy? Of course I'm happy."

"Teacher, nobody's happier than your disciple that you've become a Soul Douluo."

"We'll have someone backing us from now on, won't we?"

Flender felt rather pleased with himself at that. "As long as you don't keep provoking Titled Douluos for me, brat."

"Speaking of which..." Flender lowered his voice. "This Soul Bone really is useful. It gave your teacher a pretty good Soul Skill. Once I obtain my Eighth Soul Skill, I doubt ordinary Soul Douluos will be a match for me."

"Your teacher will remember your filial devotion."

Lu Ning waved a hand.

Whether it was a Soul Ring or a Soul Bone,

reaching a hundred thousand years or more meant a qualitative leap.

However powerful the Soul Skill of Flender's Death Blood Tree Soul Bone might be, it was child's play compared with his Life Soul Bone.

"You're welcome."

"Your disciple couldn't use it anyway."

"When do you plan to go absorb a Soul Ring?"

Lu Ning asked.

Flender hesitated for a moment. "Let's wait a little longer."

"At least until I've sorted out your affairs."

Lu Ning yawned. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a figure approaching, his burly frame almost broad enough to block the entire doorway.

"Teacher Zhao?"

Ma Hongjun called out.

Zhao Wuji nodded lightly and got straight to the point.

"Boss, that Grandmaster of yours plans to leave the academy."

"I heard he's taking Tang San and Xiao Wu to a better academy to get some qualification to enter the Continental Advanced Soul Master Tournament. The way I see it, Lu Ning has beaten this fellow into complete submission."

"All the fight's gone out of him."

"But he knows so many of Shrek's secrets, after all. Do you think we should..."

Zhao Wuji drew a hand across his neck, making a gesture of killing him to silence him.

Flender was surprised to hear this.

When he saw Zhao Wuji's gesture, he glared at him.

Whatever else might be said of Yu Xiaogang, he and Flender shared a bond forged through life and death. Although he had constantly put on airs since coming to Shrek Academy, killing him to silence him was still something Flender could not do.

Nor would he let any member of Shrek Academy do it.

"Don't joke about that."

"He must mean the Continental Advanced Soul Master Tournament, right?"

"It's a grand event for young Soul Masters across the continent. The geniuses at every tournament receive excellent prizes. Fiefs, noble ranks, and Gold Soul Coins are all common rewards."

"If he's brought it up, then he probably really is leaving."

"Did you catch where he's going?"

At Flender's question, Zhao Wuji actually paused. He thought for quite a while before remembering. "I think he's going to some place called Heaven Dou Royal Academy."

"He's going to the Soto Great Soul Arena this evening to find someone. As for who..."

Yu Xiaogang would not tell Zhao Wuji too much.

The fact that he had mentioned the Soto Great Soul Arena clearly meant he had already made up his mind.

Lu Ning, however, had a few suspicions.

There was only one person Grandmaster knew who was currently at the Soto Great Soul Arena...

Yu Tianheng of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan!

He was the captain of the Imperial Fighting Team.

For Yu Xiaogang to lower himself and seek out his own nephew, his resolve truly must have shattered.

At the very least, Lu Ning's performance

had completely dispersed the pride in his heart.

"If he's taking people to compete, we can take people to compete too!" Ma Hongjun muttered. "With Brother Ning here, couldn't we bring home the championship without breaking a sweat?"

"Brother Ning can handle the whole match!"

Lu Ning looked at this one-man cheering squad and gently patted his shoulder, saying modestly, "Half a match."

"But we can't compete."

"The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament-that's its full name. And our Shrek Academy has never registered with any empire, so we don't qualify as an advanced Soul Master academy at all."

"Simply put, we aren't eligible to enter."

The smile froze on Ma Hongjun's face.

He looked toward Flender.

Although Flender was very reluctant to admit it,

he still nodded lightly. "Yes, that's true. We operate on a small-class basis. If we registered, we'd have to follow an empire's or kingdom's orders."

"When that happens, we won't have the final say on whom to admit, whom to reject, or what to teach."

"That goes against our original purpose in founding the academy."

Lu Ning looked entirely unconcerned.

"We can discuss whether to enter later."

"Hongjun."

"You just said the Imperial Fighting Team was on a winning streak at the Soto Great Soul Arena, right?"

Ma Hongjun's dejected expression abruptly brightened, and he nodded repeatedly. "Yes, Brother Ning. Have you changed your mind?"

"Are we going to make some money?"

Lu Ning clicked his tongue. "Yes. Wake Xiao Ao and the others. We're going to challenge this Imperial Fighting Team."

Ma Hongjun froze for a moment.

"Brother Ning, you're not joking, are you?"

"Team Soul Fighting requires at least seven people, with a maximum of ten."

"Originally, counting you, Shrek Academy had more than enough. But if Grandmaster takes Tang San, Xiao Wu, and the others away, we'll only have five people at most."

"This..."

"That's nowhere near enough."

Lu Ning rolled his eyes at him.

"You idiot."

"We do lack people."

"Can't we just pay handsomely to hire two unaffiliated Soul Masters?"

"Which do you think the Soto Great Soul Arena would choose between its rules and bankruptcy?"

In the original story, the Soto Great Soul Arena had been able to make an exception a day early and grant every member of Shrek Academy Silver Soul Fighter status, and had even allowed the Bronze Soul Fighter Crazy Team to compete. These little rules weren't worth a fart in the face of profit.