The green turtle shells that appeared after the Black Tortoise possessed them could barely withstand the barrage of fireballs.
Several holes were soon burned through their clothes.
The pain made the two of them grimace and howl.
"Boss, how about we call it a day? Neither of us is ready yet."
Shi Mo dodged the fireballs as he called out to Yu Tianheng, begging for mercy.
If this went on, he might just get roasted on the spot.
"Only pressure brings progress. You're grown men; you can't keep being turtles hiding in your shells, can you?"
Yu Tianheng's casual remark made the Shi brothers smile bitterly.
After the time it took an incense stick to burn, Yu Tianheng raised a hand and snapped his fingers.
The fireballs that had been raining down from the sky vanished at once.
With their clothes in tatters and their hair looking as though it had exploded, the Shi brothers and Yu Feng looked rather like beggars.
"How was that? Want to go another round?"
The three looked as though they had gone dumb, unable to say a word for quite some time.
In the end, Shi Mo reacted on instinct, taking two steps back and shaking his hand repeatedly as though he had Parkinson's.
"Your biggest problem right now isn't the gap in your Soul Power Levels. It's your lack of actual combat experience."
Yu Tianheng spoke concisely, pinpointing their greatest problem in a single sentence.
Hearing this, the three fell silent.
They had only just begun training at the Great Soul Arena in Suotuo City, and together, they had fewer than ten victories.
As for experience, they had practically none.
"The purpose of this special training is to improve your focus. Even if you're injured, you can't let your concentration waver in the slightest. You have to focus even harder, and let your scars become the driving force that spurs you on."
"That's enough for today. Go back and rest."
Yu Tianheng glanced at the darkening sky and couldn't help yawning as he spoke.
But just as he turned to leave, Shi Mo suddenly spoke up behind him.
"Boss, we're not tired yet! We want to keep training!"
Shi Mo knew full well that, at their age and Soul Power Levels, the reason they could take part in the Soul Master Tournament
was all thanks to Yu Tianheng.
Not only had Yu Tianheng given them this opportunity, he had also specifically asked Teacher Qin Ming to bring them Immortal Herbs to help improve their strength.
They didn't want to hold Yu Tianheng back!
Seeing the fighting spirit blazing in their eyes, Yu Tianheng smiled.
"Good! Then let's keep going!"
At midnight, the Heaven Dou Royal Academy was utterly silent.
Several figures were slowly making their way toward the dormitory building.
The Shi brothers and Yu Feng had sustained quite a few injuries.
They looked utterly miserable.
Those injuries, however, had also brought them benefits.
After absorbing the Immortal Herbs, the three of them had been too inexperienced to refine them completely.
Their injuries had stimulated the remaining medicinal power.
It not only sped up their healing but also raised each of their Soul Power Levels by one.
"I've never realized lying down could feel so good."
Shi Mo sprawled on his bed, unwilling to move another inch.
He wasn't the only one. Shi Mo and Yu Feng were the same.
The words "utterly exhausted" were practically written across their faces.
"The results aren't bad. At least you can barely dodge the fireballs now, and even if you're hit, they don't affect you much. From today until the Soul Master Tournament, we'll continue this training whenever your injuries have healed."
Yu Tianheng sat down beside his own bed as he spoke.
"Huh? We have to do it again?"
The three groaned in protest. Just one session had nearly cost them half their lives.
"This is the fastest way for you to improve your strength. If you have no intention of taking the championship in the Soul Master Tournament, then forget I said anything."
Yu Tianheng had tried this tactic of letting them go to reel them in many times, and it had never failed him.
The three immediately began to protest.
"We'll train! I refuse to believe I can't make it through!"
"So what if they're a few years older than us? It's not like Soul Masters have to be older to be stronger!"
"..."
"Big brother, what about the match against Heaven Dou Team One in a few days?"
All of a sudden, Yu Feng remembered something important.
"You don't need to worry about that. A mere Heaven Dou Team One wouldn't even rank among the teams in the Soul Master Tournament."
If anyone else had said that, Yu Feng would surely have thought they were bragging.
But hearing it from Yu Tianheng, he felt an inexplicable sense of relief.
It was as though he finally had someone to rely on.
Two days later, at the Martial Soul Plaza of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
A dense crowd of students stood there, each of them craning their necks and standing on tiptoe.
They kept peering into the plaza.
Several of the academy's senior figures sat on the raised platform.
"I hereby announce the start of the match between Heaven Dou Team One and Heaven Dou Second Team. Both sides may field seven members, with no restrictions on age or Soul Power Level. The final winner will represent the academy in this Soul Master Tournament."
"This match will be conducted in the spirit of friendship first, competition second."
"No matter what, safety must come first. If any accidents occur, the academy's instructors will step in."
"..."
An old man with white hair and a white beard spoke slowly, taking his time to finish explaining the rules of the match.
The moment he finished, the entire crowd fell silent.
The students below had originally come just to watch the spectacle. Only now did they learn the purpose of the match.
No one believed the Second Team could win. The gap between the two teams was simply too great, whether in age or Soul Power Level.
Some students turned and left as soon as they heard, unwilling to watch a battle whose outcome was never in doubt.
"Ready? Let's show everyone what we're made of."
Yu Tianheng turned to look at Dugu Yan and the others.
That brief sentence immediately stirred their fighting spirit.
"Captain, how about we just go through the motions? What if we crush these kids' fighting spirit?"
On Heaven Dou Team One's side, an effeminate-looking man spoke, holding his fingers in an orchid-petal gesture.
Beside him stood a tall, straight-backed man with his red hair tied up, an air of nobility about him.
He was Xue Luoge, captain of Heaven Dou Team One and a legitimate son of a collateral branch of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family.
Xue Luoge had always taken everything in stride, as though nothing concerned him.
But now, he was looking solemnly at Yu Tianheng, who stood not far away.
During this time, Xue Luoge had also heard rumors about Yu Tianheng.
He was the young clan leader of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, its greatest genius in a century, capable of managing the entire clan at such a young age.
When he had first entered the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, he had even defeated three older students despite their higher levels.
"Yu Tianheng, just how strong are you now?"
Xue Luoge narrowed his eyes and murmured to himself.
"Go!"
Yu Tianheng murmured the command, and the Shi brothers charged forward without hesitation.