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The Tian Xing Academy's first participation in the tournament left all spectators with a clear understanding of what it meant to utterly dominate.
Whenever Ye Wen's direct disciples took the stage, they didn't even reveal their soul rings. With just a single self-created soul skill, they wiped out entire teams of seven opponents in one go.
In the end, even the Spirit Hall's team was completely crushed, relegated to third place in the finals.
Seeing that both remaining teams came from the same academy, the factions present fell silent. They were now curious about the cultivation levels of Ye Wen's three direct disciples—this was simply absurd.
Throughout the entire competition, no one had been worthy enough to force them to use their soul skills or soul rings.
"Ba, how about a one-on-one match? Let's continue our unfinished battle from years ago. You've always been dissatisfied with your defeat back then due to your lower cultivation level. Now I'll give you this chance. Let's not involve the juniors."
Huo Quan stepped forward and spoke confidently. Dao Ba grinned and nodded in agreement.
"Perfect! Let me see how strong Master's second disciple really is. Don't cry when you lose later!"
"Don't get too cocky, Dao Ba! Even now, my soul power still surpasses yours."
With that, Huo Quan unleashed the apparition of his martial soul.
Behind him, a golden body-type martial soul shimmered brilliantly, its eyes flashing with alternating blue and red light.
"What?!"
Every soul master in the arena stood up, their gazes fixed on Huo Quan's martial soul apparition. All beast-type soul masters would typically have a fleeting vision of their spirit beast before their martial soul fused with their body.
"Is this the body-type martial soul Master Ye Wen spoke of? Truly, as its name suggests, the martial soul is oneself."
At this moment, the commentator began to introduce Huo Quan's martial soul, known as the Ice-Fire Golden Body—a product of martial soul evolution.
After being bombarded by Ye Wen's 'Theory of Origins', the younger generation of soul masters across the continent had begun to experience evolutionary phenomena in their martial souls.
Martial soul evolution and secondary awakenings were essentially the same thing—both represented a leap in the hierarchy of martial souls.
Huo Rui, already accustomed to her brother's overwhelming presence, called her teammates over and stepped down from the dueling platform.
An internal battle within the Tian Xing Academy—it was better to minimize injuries where possible.
The junior students watched the two siblings with wide-eyed astonishment.
"Are these two monsters? They're around the same age as us, yet they're so ridiculously strong!"
But if they could somehow latch onto these two, the benefits would be incredible~
Dao Ba, however, wasn't fazed by Huo Quan's imposing aura. Looking at Huo Quan, who now resembled a golden statue, he even yawned.
"Is this all you've got? You've become complacent."
By now, Dao Ba's teammates had stepped down, but Chen Youyu still reminded him to be careful.
Gripping the crimson Heavenly Demon Mind-Chaos Blade, Dao Ba smirked ferociously.
"Don't die—"
Before his words even finished, Dao Ba charged forward, his movements broad yet flowing with a unique rhythm.
Huo Quan was equally exhilarated. The more he cultivated, the more he found himself drawn to the thrill of battle.
"Stop underestimating me! This time, I'll leave you bedridden for half a month."
The sharp blade clashed violently with the indestructible fists of the golden body. The overflowing blade energy and fist pressure left countless scars and dents on the spacious arena.
"Are you kidding me? Is this really the combat ability of the younger generation?"
"Damn, these are Master Ye Wen's top disciples—terrifying!"
"If these two don't meet an untimely demise, they're guaranteed to become Title Douluos in the future. Do you think we can recruit them? If we do, defeating the Tian Dou Empire and the Spirit Hall will be within reach."
"I wonder if Master Ye Wen is still accepting disciples? Even if I only achieve a third of their strength, I'd die content."
Ye Wen paid no heed to the audience's varied thoughts.
Having fully matured, there was little anyone could do to him—except perhaps those few freaks at level 99.
At this moment, the White Tiger Emperor's eyes gleamed with excitement. The Star Luo Empire was a nation that revered strength, and they held an almost fanatical admiration for powerful individuals.
"Master Ye Wen, your two disciples are truly extraordinary. Might they have any interest in entering public service? If they're willing to join the Star Luo Empire, I'll grant them the title of Earl, and with military achievements, they could even be promoted to Duke."
Looking at the White Tiger Emperor, Ye Wen immediately understood his intentions. Compared to the Spirit Hall, the two empires were truly lacking in high-level combat power.
With Dao Ba and Huo Quan's potential, becoming Title Douluos was practically guaranteed.
A mere Earl title—even with the possibility of becoming a Duke in the future—wasn't worth it for them to join the Star Luo Empire.
After all, in the original story, even the weakest Title Douluo, Dugu Bo, enjoyed treatment in the Tian Dou Empire that rivaled that of a prince.
In the end, these weaklings who played at politics would kneel before true power. Rather than wasting time building connections with them, it was better to focus on cultivation.
"I'm afraid I can't make that decision, Your Majesty. Before joining my academy, all my students were told they could choose their own paths. I'm merely here to guide their cultivation."
"Is that so? Then don't blame me if I try to recruit them later, Master Ye Wen," the White Tiger Emperor said with a hearty laugh.
Watching the two fighters on the dueling platform, his eyes gleamed with eagerness.
Emperors…
Ye Wen inwardly sighed. This White Tiger Emperor really didn't understand subtlety—the greed on his face had already exposed his intentions.
Trying to lure away his direct disciples with such paltry offerings was nothing short of wishful thinking.
Though most of his disciples, aside from Dugu Xin, were of commoner origin, years of guidance under Ye Wen had taught them the underlying logic of the soul master world. Beyond noble status, strength was the core determinant of a soul master's standing.
On the dueling platform, the battle between the two had reached a fever pitch.
"Your Majesty, I suggest replacing the soul masters maintaining the barrier with Soul Sages. These two are about to unleash chaos, and at the current barrier strength, the audience might be caught in the crossfire."
The current White Tiger Emperor had already reached level 89, just a step away from becoming a Title Douluo. Having grown up in the royal family, his judgment was sharp.
The two fighters on the platform had already displayed Soul Emperor-level strength, yet they still hadn't used their full power?
However, considering Ye Wen's reputation, he wouldn't make idle warnings. He quickly instructed a nearby attendant to make the arrangements, his gaze filled with interest as he observed the ongoing duel.
If these two possessed strength comparable to Soul Sages at such a young age, their value as potential recruits would only increase.
As the soul masters maintaining the barrier were replaced, the audience looked on with uneasy expressions. What was going on?
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