"Brother Lin, is your Martial Soul really an ordinary Iron Saber? You're stronger than any Beast Soul Master I've ever met."
After leaving the Soul Fighting Arena, Yu Feng shook out his numb, aching arm, still complaining.
Fang Lin patted him on the shoulder with a faint smile.
"Eat more meat, exercise more, eat fewer snacks, and sleep more. You can do it too."
"Really?" Yu Feng frowned, looking doubtful.
"Really." Fang Lin's expression did not change.
Of course, Yu Feng would also need to eat just a tiny bit of Whale Gelatin.
Two years ago, Fang Lin had spent 340 Gold Soul Coins on a piece of Whale Gelatin from a 900-year-old whale. His physique had grown more than twenty percent stronger once again, and with the medicinal baths and training he had undergone over the years, his physical condition was now on par with that of a Beast Soul Master with a high-quality Martial Soul.
But that was only at the Soul Grandmaster stage. Once they reached Soul Elder, the gap would widen again.
Hundred-year Whale Gelatin is basically useless now, and I can't afford the thousand-year kind. I need to raise my badge points quickly, or my win rate will drop again once I break through to level thirty. I'll ask Teacher Sun for an extended leave when I get back. Going back and forth every day wastes time too.
Fang Lin sighed inwardly.
Once Whale Gelatin reached a thousand years, its effectiveness took a major leap, and its price also shot up to between 1,000 and 3,000 Gold Soul Coins.
In the deep sea, a thousand-year whale Soul Beast was as formidable as an ordinary Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. An average Soul King was no match for one, while a Soul Emperor was at least the lord of a city and would rarely hunt a thousand-year whale Soul Beast for a few thousand Gold Soul Coins.
Ten-thousand-year Whale Gelatin did not even circulate on the market; it was all held in nobles' collections.
The two returned to the academy and saw a young man waiting at the dormitory entrance.
"You're finally back. Teacher Sun told us to gather. Chen Lin went over a while ago."
The young man was named Niu Heng. He and Fang Lin were both students in Sun Buyu's class. Including Chen Lin, whom he had mentioned, there had originally been three students in all.
Heaven Dou Academy had fewer than a hundred Heavenly Supreme Level students, but more than twenty Heavenly Supreme Level teachers. Divided evenly, each teacher taught only four or five students.
At the gathering place, Sun Buyu stood before everyone.
"I called you here about the academy tournament in one month."
"For this year's Heaven Dou Tournament, the academy has barred Heaven Dou Grade students from competing. They'll be selecting reserve members for the next Imperial Fighting Team, and all Battle Soul Masters above level twenty-five must participate. This is also the first time they've selected team members in advance from students below Heavenly Supreme Level."
"Reserve members will receive the same benefits as official members, including a Gold Soul Coin allowance and designated Soul Rings from the Empire Soul Hunting Forest."
The moment he finished speaking, Niu Heng's and Chen Lin's eyes lit up.
"Teacher, what are the selection criteria? Will they simply take a certain number of the top finishers?"
Both were peak level twenty-nine Soul Grandmasters. With the Heaven Dou Grade students absent, their Soul Power Levels gave them a clear advantage.
They were not the only ones. Fang Lin was also greatly tempted when he heard they could choose their Soul Rings.
His Second Soul Ring had come from a Soul Beast with a high-grade bloodline in the Empire Soul Hunting Forest. Hundred-Year Soul Beasts with such bloodlines often lived deep in the forest, protected by older Soul Beasts. Taking down even one Hundred-Year Soul Beast could require a Soul King or a Soul Emperor.
Sun Buyu glanced at Chen Lin.
"Tournament rankings are only one consideration. There are other factors, such as age. As you probably know, the Imperial Fighting Team is being assembled for the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament five years from now. Anyone over twenty-five won't be able to compete."
Chen Lin's eyes dimmed. She turned to look at Niu Heng and Fang Lin with some envy. She was already over twenty this year, while the two of them met the requirement.
Sun Buyu continued.
"Besides age, the team's Soul Master lineup must also be considered. The selection has to account for Power Attack, Control System, Agility Attack System, Defense System, and Auxiliary System Soul Masters. Leaving team selection aside, with no students at Soul Elder or above participating in the tournament, it will at least be easier to place and earn credit rewards."
"The credit rewards have been increased this time. Reaching the top sixteen earns 500 credits, the top eight 1,000, the top four 2,000, and first place a full 5,000."
"Five thousand?"
Fang Lin cried out in astonishment.
First place used to be worth only 1,000 credits. This time, the reward had actually increased fivefold. Exchanged for medicinal baths, it would be enough to last him until he became a Soul Ancestor. Converted into Gold Soul Coins, it would buy two pieces of thousand-year Whale Rubber.
With no Heaven Dou Grade students participating this year, he could imagine how excited the other students would be when they heard the news.
"This really is the year Heavenly Supreme Level students have the best chance."
Niu Heng sighed with feeling, and everyone nodded in agreement.
There were more than forty Heaven Dou Grade students. If they participated as usual, they would take virtually every spot in the top sixteen. Fang Lin had competed twice before and had not even come close to the top sixteen.
Seeing that everyone's enthusiasm had clearly been stirred, Sun Buyu smiled.
"Starting tomorrow, gather every morning. I'll put you through intensive combat training. All other classes are suspended until the Heaven Dou Tournament begins."
After everyone dispersed, Fang Lin sought Sun Buyu out alone, still intending to ask for an extended leave.
He wanted the credits, but he wanted Gold Soul Coins too. The former was a one-shot deal; the latter was a steady stream.
"The Soul Fighting Arena?" Sun Buyu raised an eyebrow and did not immediately agree. "I've arranged for students from other classes to spar with you. With a teacher there to guide you, it will be more effective than the Soul Fighting Arena and safer too. Are you sure you still want leave?"
Fang Lin rubbed his chin and fell into thought.
Opponents at the Soul Fighting Arena were randomly matched, mainly according to points and Soul Power Level. Sparring with academy students, on the other hand, was more targeted-for example, teaching an Agility Attack System Soul Master how to face various Control System opponents in narrow terrain.
But the Soul Fighting Arena had its advantages too. Fighters went all out, with real blades and real spears. At the very least, he would not end up cutting down opponents with a single stroke in training matches, only to be so overwhelmed in an actual match that he forgot who he was.
Fang Lin quickly weighed the pros and cons.
A saber was an instrument of life and death. He needed battles that pushed him further, not matches that stopped short of real combat.
"In that case, I won't insist."
Sun Buyu granted Fang Lin's leave, but he also set a condition.
"You have to make the top eight at least. For this team selection, they'll look first at actual combat ability, then at age and Soul Power Level. You and Yu Feng both have a chance of breaking through to Soul Ancestor before twenty-five. On that alone, you'll make the Imperial Fighting Team sooner or later. The last team didn't have a single Soul Ancestor when they competed, and they lost in the first round. Even the academy board members were reprimanded by the imperial family over it."
"The top eight?"
Fang Lin considered it and agreed. With no Soul Elder opponents participating, he felt it should not be too difficult at his current Soul Power level of twenty-eight.
Sun Buyu gave him an even look.
"Don't think it will be easy. The academy recently admitted a batch of specially recruited students. Some are from the Four Clans and the Black Tortoise Sect, and there are also descendants of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, one of the Upper Three Sects. Besides them, there's a Titled Douluo's granddaughter, a rare poison-system Soul Master."
Fang Lin drew a breath.
The people Sun Buyu spoke of were probably Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan, and the other members of the original Imperial Fighting Team.
This was not only the year Heavenly Supreme Level students had the best chance, but also the year when dragons and tigers would clash most fiercely.
Yu Tianheng in particular had been treated like a minor boss when he appeared, with a whole group from Shrek ganging up on him to bring him down.
Alongside his surprise, Fang Lin also felt some excitement and anticipation.
The plot is finally about to begin!
Judging by Yu Feng's Soul Power, those people were probably still at lower levels than him. It was still early in the plot, and most of the protagonist's group probably had not even entered Shrek Academy yet.