"Although it had little effect on us old folks, it has good potential. Also, why does this body tempering with Evil Fire... hurt so much!"
Retracting his own Martial Soul, the Coiling Dragon Staff, and ending his Martial Soul Fusion Skill with Little Nine, Demon Subduing Douluo stood up, grinning.
The Blue Silver Domain he activated with his Soul Power was indeed impressive; it even had a slight effect on someone of his cultivation level.
This is not because the Blue Silver Domain is weak, but because he is too Yamato and Little Nine's cultivation is too low.
Currently, Little Nine is only a level seven Soul Scholar Master, without even a single Soul Ring. His Blue Silver Domain is entirely passively activated by the Soul Power of others, so its effectiveness is naturally very limited.
Once he reaches the Titled Douluo level, the power of the Blue Silver Domain will inevitably increase by tens of millions of times, which would be quite astonishing.
Of course, besides that, the body-tempering effect of that Evil Fire is even more incredible, but the side effects are just too terrible.
Even with the mindset and cultivation of Demon Subduing Douluo, he was quite shaken up. He even had a terrifying urge to take advantage of his own burly younger brother, who was handsome and refined.
No wonder that chubby kid Ma Hongjun only lasted a few days before having to give up; the side effects were just too terrible.
I really don't know how Little Nine, that prodigy, managed to persevere.
Looking at Little Nine, who was still shrouded in Evil Fire but whose expression remained largely calm, the Demon Subduing Douluo couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion.
"Your Majesty, while Little Nine is indeed very capable, it's not enough to warrant the entire three of you being mobilized!"
At this moment, Jiang Zhu finally couldn't help but voice her doubts.
In her opinion, although Little Nine's abilities were incredibly powerful, she hadn't fully matured yet. One Titled Douluo would have been enough, but unexpectedly, three came.
"Oh! The three of us have another purpose in coming to Heaven Dou City; looking after you was just a side thing."
The Demon Subduing Douluo didn't offer any further explanation, because it was their top-secret mission, and for that person's safety, they couldn't reveal even a little bit.
Jiang Zhu and the others wisely refrained from asking further questions, as such matters were not something they were qualified to meddle in.
"Young man, we won't interfere with your future plans, but remember, the three of us are standing behind you in Heaven Dou City, and you also have the support of the entire Spirit Hall."
Demon Subduing Douluo gave Little Nine Little Nine deep look, but didn't ask her what she was thinking. He gave her some instructions and then left without saying anything more. He then led Ghost Douluo and his younger brother Thousand Ton Douluo, outside.
They actually arrived in Heaven Dou City last night and have been staying in the Martial Spirit Temple in Heaven Dou City to gather intelligence on the Heaven Dou Empire during this period.
This is merely to confirm whether Little Nine, this young man, is truly as outstanding as Jiang Zhu described in her letter.
Now that it has been confirmed that this child is truly outstanding, it is natural to express our regard and protection for him to all relevant parties.
The fact that the three of them appeared at the Plant Academy's headquarters was the biggest indication of their presence, enough to intimidate all forces.
Sure enough, as the three Demon Subduing Douluo walked out of the Plant Academy's residence, chatting and laughing, all the forces were stunned and simultaneously labeled the Plant Academy as belonging to the Spirit Hall.
All three academies —Blazing Fire Academy, Skywater Academy, and Exotic Beast Academy— that received the same message were caught in a dilemma, hesitating whether or not they should accept the invitation.
"Yiran, the vice-captain of the Plant Academy, Little Nine, invited you. You should make the decision!"
At the Exotic Beast Academy's headquarters, after a long discussion with his wife, Chao Tianxiang, Dragon Duke Meng Shu finally decided to give the choice to his granddaughter.
Going or not going both have advantages and disadvantages, making it a truly difficult decision.
The couple were actually inclined to accept the invitation, after all, their family and the Exotic Beast Academy had been in a really bad situation in recent years, and perhaps getting in touch with the Spirit Hall was a good option.
However, they didn't want to make the decision for their granddaughter, and besides, the invitation was for Meng Yiran, not the couple themselves.
"Grandpa, I want to defeat the Shrek Team and that despicable Tang San!"
Clenching her teeth, Meng Yiran resolute.
She wasn't someone who couldn't accept defeat, but the last time she lost was too humiliating. Moreover, a few years ago, Tang San had stolen her Soul Beast Soul Ring twice. Most importantly, that thousand-year-old Man Faced Demon Spider even had its own External Soul Bone.
External Soul Bone are different from other Internally Attached Spirit Bone. They can grow stronger as the Soul Master's cultivation level increases, and it is not impossible for them to eventually grow into Soul Bone of the 100,000-year level.
Such a precious Soul Bone was stolen, and even used by that despicable Tang San in the previous battle—how could she possibly accept this?
Back then in the Star Dou Great Forest, they were only intimidated by Tang San's father Tang Hao, and didn't dare to argue with him much.
But she is determined to defeat Tang San in this Continental Elite Soul Master Tournament, and Little Nine's invitation is an opportunity for that.
Although she didn't know what gave them the confidence to help her defeat Shrek Academy, as stated in the invitation, she still decided to take the gamble.
The same scene was playing out at the Skywater Academy and Blazing Fire Academy. Huo Wu and Shui Bing'er, after a moment's thought, chose to accept the invitation.
Both of them suffered a very frustrating defeat in their match against the Shrek Team, who defeated them with only three of their main players.
Most importantly, they all lost mainly because of Tang San; his Blue Silver Grass's immunity to ice and fire was simply too unfair.
If this were simply a characteristic of their Martial Soul, it wouldn't be so bad. However, based on the information they obtained, the other party gained immunity to ice and fire by consuming rare and precious herbs.
This is practically cheating; how can they possibly accept it willingly?
Little Nine arrived early at the reception hall of the Plant Academy's residence, not at all worried about whether Huo Wu and the other two girls would accept the invitation.
He had previously studied the intelligence data of all the team members participating in the qualifiers in the Heaven Dou City region in detail, and had a sufficient understanding of each person's mentality.
After careful analysis and comparison, the three female Huo Wu were finally selected as partners.
This choice was made after careful consideration of many factors. The first point is that the college these three girls belong to is different from other colleges.
Just as the Heaven Dou Royal Academy is backed by the Heaven Dou Empire's royal family and most of the imperial nobles, the Thunder Academy among the Five Elements Academy is backed by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and so on.
Most of the Five Elements Academy members have powerful backers, but Blazing Fire Academy and Skywater Academy are the exceptions.
According to intelligence from the Spirit Hall and the Plant Academy, these two academies originally had powerful backing, but unfortunately they were destroyed in a power struggle among various forces.
Skywater Academy is currently only relying on its dean Shui Xinrou's husband, a powerful figure at the Titled Douluo level, to oversee it.
Blazing Fire Academy was protected by eight Soul Douluo- level powerhouses, and with the special nature of the Five Elemental Academies and the mutual checks and balances among various forces, the two academies were not swallowed up by other forces.
However, this situation obviously cannot last long. In addition, the current situation on the mainland is turbulent and unpredictable, and who knows what will happen in the future.
Therefore, the two academies must have been searching for a way out for the future all these years, and this is a good opportunity.
The situation is similar for the Exotic Beast Academy. For unknown reasons, the Exotic Beast Academy seems to have offended the Clear Sky Sect and has been secretly suppressed for several years.
Many forces that were originally on good terms with the Exotic Beast Academy have severed ties with it, and now the Exotic Beast Academy is almost completely isolated, making its decline inevitable.
This laid the foundation for cooperation.
Meanwhile, in the Heaven Dou Empire's imperial palace, Xue Beng, who had recently led the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Second Team to qualify for the advancement tournament, was severely punished by Crown Prince Xue Qinghe.
"My foolish little brother, you're still so pitifully weak. If this continues, by the time you reach adulthood, I, as your older brother, won't even have the nerve to cripple you."
She casually handed the blood-stained longsword to the maid beside her. Xue Qinghe, or rather Qian Renxue, looked at Xue Beng, who was covered in blood and Xue Beng on the ground, with a mocking gaze and undisguised killing intent in her eyes.
The Xue Beng, lying motionless on the ground, remained silent, but its hands clenched tightly within its sleeves!
"Take this good-for-nothing away and take good care of him. Don't let him die. After all, I promised Father that I wouldn't actually harm him before he completes his coming-of-age ceremony."
She waved to the guards on the outside to take the Xue Beng away. After the Xue Beng was taken away, Qian Renxue turned around and bowed to the screen next to her.
"Father, my younger brother Xue Beng made remarkable progress these past few days. I had to use Issei of my strength to defeat him."
A figure emerged from Feng Hou; it was none other than the current emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire — Xue Ye!
"Sigh! Why are you doing this to yourself?"
Looking at his son, Xue Ye sighed.
He was extremely satisfied with this son, a perfect role model who was far more outstanding than he had been in his youth.
"Father, there's no need to persuade me any further. This is a choice I've made after careful consideration."
Qian Renxue naturally understood why Xue Ye sighed, and continued, "I have carefully studied the records after the rise of the Spirit Hall. They have always followed the policy of those who obey prosper and those who oppose perish. Countless heroes have died under their methods over the centuries."
Even our royal family has had many heroes assassinated by the Spirit Hall in various ways.
I cannot guarantee that we will survive the Spirit Hall's plot, so I must take precautions.
Among all the younger brothers, Xue Beng is the most virtuous and patient, and he is the most outstanding candidate for crown prince besides your son.
"In the event that I should meet with misfortune, our Heaven Dou Empire will not be without a successor."
After taking a deep look at his most favored son, Xue Ye gestured to one of the royal elders beside him.
The elder took out a strange Soul Tool, activated it with his own Soul Power, and condensed an isolation barrier. He then stepped out of the barrier, leaving the space to Xue Ye and his son.
"I can see that what you just said is only part of the reason; you have a deeper ambition hidden in your heart."
It's just the two of us here, father and son. As a father, I hope we can have a heart-to-heart talk today.
Xue Ye spoke kindly. As a great Great Emperor, his insight was naturally excellent. He was able to see the supreme ambition in his son's eyes, an ambition that could not be filled by the Heaven Dou Empire alone.
Clearly, this son has bigger schemes up his sleeve!