(Friends, I added illustrations of the Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon and Ling Yuan Douluo earlier in the story. You can go back to Chapters 1 and 17 to take a look. In the middle-to-later part of this chapter, there is a map of the Douluo Continent's landmass, provided by a reader of my previous book. It is for reference only.)
"I'm still not clear on the specifics of these ten people."
As Pope Hall's resident commissioner at the academy, the cardinal stepped forward at the appropriate moment.
He pointed to the first person on the left and introduced him. "Shi Xing, a level 45 Soul Ancestor, with the Blazing Fire Lion Martial Soul. A grandson of Elder Hall's Fourth Consecrator."
The latter half was spoken in a whisper.
Then the cardinal pointed to the second, third, and fourth people from the left and continued, "The three brothers of the Dragon Pattern Staff Formation. All are level 43 Soul Ancestors, and they are exceptionally good at coordinating. They practice a combined staff formation that can both attack and control."
He added in a whisper, "I suggest not eliminating them. These three are also descendants of Consecrators Jiang Mo and Qian Jun."
"Dragon Pattern Staff?" Xu Zi thought of a Soul Emperor director at Shrek Academy whose Martial Soul was also a Dragon Pattern Staff.
So before the Coiling Dragon Staff received the enhancement of a Break Evil Dragon's soul, its original form was actually a Dragon Pattern Staff? Understanding dawned on Xu Zi.
The cardinal pointed to the fifth person and continued, "Li Qin, with the Black-Striped Ghost Leopard Martial Soul, level 44. The team's only Agility Attack System Soul Ancestor."
He immediately added in a whisper, "He's Elder Hall's Ghost Leopard Douluo's grandson, and Elder Ghost Leopard is the most likely to be promoted to consecrator, so I suggest not..."
"Oh." Xu Zi nodded in understanding.
Officialdom really was a tangle of roots and branches.
The cardinal introduced the sixth person from the left. "Tuoba She, a level 42 Soul Ancestor, with the White Armored Earth Dragon Martial Soul. The team's only Defense System member."
He leaned close to whisper a reminder. "A student sent here by the Holy Dragon Sect. His Holiness the Pope has recently taken an interest in the Holy Dragon Sect, so you absolutely mustn't cut this one."
Xu Zi was becoming rather speechless inwardly. This really is all in the name of connections.
After looking through this lineup, in terms of usefulness in a team competition, the one who most deserved replacing among the seven was instead the second team's captain introduced first, the one with the highest level.
Because the team already had enough Power Attack System Soul Masters.
Finally, the cardinal pointed to the seventh person.
"As for this seventh person, he is also a level 42 Soul Ancestor, except his Martial Soul is..."
The cardinal hesitated.
Xu Zi looked over and saw-
The seventh person was muscular, dressed in a practical, close-fitting outfit with plenty of conspicuous gold.
Seeing the cardinal hesitate, he simply stepped out himself and introduced himself. "My name is Huang Su. My Martial Soul is the Golden Crocodile, and my mother's family is the Golden Crocodile Family Clan."
"I'll leave the team myself. Hmph, no need to trouble yourself asking me."
With that, he turned once to either side and cupped his fists to the other nine in farewell.
"Did I give you permission to move?"
His voice was deep, like a dragon's speech.
A vertical slit of gold shone in Xu Zi's purple pupils. Draconic might, carrying a trace of will, burst from the inverted triangle between his brows, forcing "Huang Su" back two steps and sending him staggering back into the lineup.
Xu Zi closed his eyes and withdrew his "Dragon Transformation," then turned to ask the cardinal, "What about the remaining three substitutes?"
"The three of them are commoner Soul Masters, but His Holiness decreed that anyone, regardless of high or low birth, may become a member of Spirit Hall Academy." The cardinal answered quickly, without whispering.
"Their cultivation is a little lower, though. None has reached the Four-Ring Soul Ancestor level, and their Martial Souls are all only high-grade. They are..."
"Mm, all right." Xu Zi raised a hand to interrupt. "Remove all three from the team."
The cardinal seemed somewhat incredulous. "Remove all three?"
"Yes, that's right." Xu Zi repeated his confirmation.
Because removing any of the seven regular members would be a tremendous loss to the entire team, and would not serve Xu Zi's interests in winning the championship.
Not only would it hinder their championship bid, but the seven members' respective family backgrounds could also bring Xu Zi trouble.
By contrast, the three commoner substitutes had, first, no connections; second, no cultivation; and third, no Martial Soul quality.
Aside from shouting "My fate is mine to decide, not Heaven's" and "Don't bully a youth for being poor," people lacking all three had nothing left but to quietly vanish into the sea of people...
Beyond that, they were practically useless.
"All right." The cardinal nodded and turned to the three substitutes. "You..."
"No! This isn't fair!"
Before the cardinal could finish, the third-to-last of the ten-the strongest Soul Elder among the three substitutes-let out a defiant cry. "What gives you the right to remove all three of us?!"
"That's right!" The second-to-last person found someone to rally behind and echoed him. "This isn't fair! His Holiness the Pope promised all Soul Masters that we would not be divided by high or low birth. What gives you the right to remove us all?!"
Only the last person, the third substitute, hesitated to speak.
Before the cardinal or Ling Yuan Douluo could speak,
Xu Zi's voice had already rung out. "Fairness? Where is there fairness in this world? This world was never fair."
"If Heaven were fair, why were those seven born into top-tier powers and able to inherit top-tier Martial Souls, while you could only be born in small places, relying on high-grade Martial Souls and struggling all the way just to barely reach the starting line they were born on?"
"Their Innate Soul Power already put them ahead of you. Their Meditation Methods far surpassed yours, and their talent made their cultivation faster than yours."
"In the end, they're stronger than you in every respect and ten or twenty years ahead of you in everything. Now you come here with substitute-level strength and demand starter-level treatment. Tell me-is that fair to those seven?"
Every word pierced the heart.
His words rang with conviction, leaving the entire square silent.
Xu Zi was not of common birth. In terms of class, he was an oppressor through and through, and these words perfectly suited his position and interests.
Nor was he like Bibi Dong, enjoying the benefits of her class while sharing away the interests of others within it.
Even "Huang Su," the Golden Crocodile Family's maternal grandson, could not help secretly nodding after hearing those words.
Because he, like everyone in the square aside from the commoner Soul Masters, was among those who benefited from "unfairness."
"Of course..."
Xu Zi took out the Pope Token and continued, "If His Holiness the Pope once said that you were to be given fairness,
"then I will use this token to overrule those words."
"These are exceptional times. Spirit Hall's second team must also make the top three, or even win the championship. Anyone without four-ring strength may not enter my team."
"Because three Soul Elders will be of no use whatsoever in a finals Soul Fighting Arena where Soul Kings appear."
"However... there is still one day and two nights before the ranking competition begins. You are welcome to break through to four rings and rejoin the team at any time, or defeat any one of the eight of us, myself included, and take our place."
Once these words were spoken and the threshold set, all three looked stifled and aggrieved.
Xu Zi was not worried that any of the three would erupt before the competition and suddenly advance to level 40.
Because they had neither the family resources nor the Martial Soul talent.
If it were any of the other seven facing this threshold, and they were just one level short, the power behind them might grit its teeth and bring out a seventh- or eighth-grade medicinal herb, piling them up to level 40 with insubstantial Soul Power.
But in a commoner Soul Master's home...
They might not even bear to spend on medicinal baths, let alone seventh- or eighth-grade precious medicines.
Moreover, a high-grade Martial Soul might make a stunning debut in a small place, but in the world's foremost academy, it could only fade into the crowd.
In short, before the opening ceremony the day after tomorrow, the chance that these three could erupt with talent and soar to Soul Ancestor cultivation... was zero.
With the threshold set and the Pope Token used to give legitimate grounds for persuading the three to withdraw, Xu Zi could not help marveling once again. "This Pope Token really does work well out in the open."
After these two rounds of commotion, Xu Zi's joining Spirit Hall's second team and becoming its captain was finally settled.
After all that activity, the sun was already high in the sky.
Only a day and a half remained before the ranking competition. Members of both the first and second teams needed to conserve their strength and prepare.
The cardinal dismissed the gathering on the spot, letting the remaining fourteen go free.
"But I'm rather curious."
Ling Yuan Douluo suddenly spoke. "You kept all seven of them and persuaded the three substitutes to withdraw. Are you planning to be a substitute yourself?"
Xu Zi suddenly smiled. "Elder Ling Yuan, your eyes are as keen as torches."
"Hmm? Didn't you want to be captain? Why become a substitute?" The cardinal also asked curiously, because even with his wealth of professional experience, he had never seen a substitute serve as captain.
Xu Zi pointed to the ground nearby, where a three-meter stretch of paving had been violently stomped into a blackened crater.
He explained, "With my destructive power, if I went onstage as often as the seven starters, wouldn't that be using an ox-cleaver to kill a chicken?"
"The second team may not be as good as the first, but surely it isn't at the very bottom of the thirty-three qualifying teams, unable to beat any of them?"
"Then I understand." Realization immediately dawned on the cardinal. Xu Zi wanted to be a trump card, just like the first team's arrangement for Huang Ying.
So he shook his head in denial and explained, "It isn't at the very bottom. Though making the top ten would be difficult, we can at least contend for the top fifteen."
Xu Zi nodded. "That would be best."
"When the team draws strong opponents like the Thunder Team, Wind Fire Team, Heaven Dou Royal Team, or Star Luo Royal Team, I will naturally take the stage."
Just then, Xu Zi suddenly felt a grip on his shoulder.
-It was Ling Yuan, who had placed her hand on Xu Zi's shoulder.
"Since the trivial matter of joining the team is settled, come up the mountain with me to see the Pope."
A pair of long wings, blazing with fire, slowly spread behind Ling Yuan.
"Leaving yesterday's wagered fight aside, you had best discuss this morning's two matters with Her Holiness in person."
"All right." Xu Zi naturally knew she meant injuring Jin Yu and reorganizing the second team.
With a whoosh, Ling Yuan Douluo spread her wings and took flight.
Before Xu Zi's feet left the ground, he gave the cardinal a church salute. "Sorry for the trouble, Cardinal. Please revise the second team's roster and add me to it."
"It's part of my duties." The cardinal waved upward at an angle to see them off.
Carrying Xu Zi, Ling Yuan Douluo flew out of Spirit Hall Academy and headed straight toward Martial Soul Holy City.
Indeed, like Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Spirit Hall Academy had been built outside the city because of its enormous size.
Beneath the skyline in the direction they were flying, a magnificent, enormous city slowly rose above the horizon.
Its solemn yellow-and-white palette caught the eye, while its many sharp corners and straight edges established the city's majesty and stillness.
Ranks of people with white wings growing from their backs flew patrols around the enormous city.
Indeed, these white-winged people were the legendary "Angel Legion," responsible for Martial Soul Holy City's aerial defenses.
Flying was forbidden in Martial Soul Holy City.
Of course, that was indeed true for low- and high-ranking Soul Masters, but Ling Yuan, a top-tier Soul Master and an elder of Spirit Hall, was outside those restrictions.
Moreover, the Angel Legion clearly recognized Ling Yuan Douluo, so they opened a gap in their encirclement, allowing her to fly through smoothly with Xu Zi.
Martial Soul Holy City had six walls, shaped like a six-pointed star, like a "city of stars" embedded west of the Star Dou Great Forest.
The six corners of its six walls resembled the Six-Winged Angel's six wings.
This was also the original basis for the six Martial Soul positions on the Pope Token.
Ling Yuan flew over the walls and straight into the city, her fiery wings drawing two trails of flame.
Flying over one bustling, intersecting street after another, she headed directly into the heart of Martial Soul Holy City.
Douluo Mountain-Spirit Hall!
Douluo Mountain stood at the very center of Martial Soul Holy City.
Two of Spirit Hall's three halls-Pope Hall and Elder Hall-
Stood on a recessed platform halfway up the mountain.
Because at the summit of Douluo Mountain stood a different building-Douluo Hall.
According to verifiable historical records, beneath it was a prison in which monstrous beasts and demonic scourges were suppressed.
Before Douluo Hall stood on this summit, a holy sword had been planted there to serve as a suppressing object.
Before the Angel God became a god, she climbed to the summit and drew that holy sword, leading the ancestral humans of that era to sweep away nearly all the demonic scourges and monstrous beasts.
Why nearly all?
Because some remained, such as:
An ancient mutant species, pure Yang by nature-the Ten Headed Fierce Yang Serpent;
Human and serpent in one body, a queen by birth-Medusa;
Such examples were too numerous to count.
After the Angel God broke through the level-100 bottleneck, shortly before her ascension, she ordered the establishment of Douluo Hall and chose the summit of Douluo Mountain as its site, the very place where that holy sword had stood.
According to the continent's earliest folk legends, Douluo Mountain should have stood at the very center of the Douluo Continent, rather than in the continent's present-day east.
But this was only a distant legend, nowhere near as historically traceable as Douluo Hall.
However, if Xu Zi applied his understanding of "continental drift," combined with his knowledge of the Douluo Continent's landmass map and other information, to the Douluo Continent and Sun Moon Continent,
It was not difficult to infer-
Countless years ago, the Sun Moon Continent should have been east of the Douluo Continent, but for some reason it had split away and begun its journey drifting across the sea.
On the map of the Douluo Continent, the Star Dou Great Mountain Range was the best evidence.
Because only a collision between continental plates could possibly have thrust up such a mountain range.
But today, east of the Star Dou Great Mountain Range lay the boundless eastern sea, the route by which the Golden Hawksbill Turtle had led his clan ashore.
So logically speaking, an unknown number of years ago, there should also have been a collision between continents east of the Douluo Continent, thrusting up the Star Dou Great Mountain Range.
But judging by the map, after leaving behind a few scraps of territory, that continent had split away again and continued its drifting journey.
Of course, this drifting journey would end several thousand years later. At that time, this continent-the Sun Moon Continent-would collide with the Douluo Continent's western coast, completing a second merger.
Thus, the legend that Douluo Holy Mountain had once stood at the center of the Douluo Continent had real theoretical support.