Douluo Continent: I can nurture soul beasts and even perform super evolution.

Chapter 143 A Long Time in Shock: Could His Martial Soul Be...?

That's how it is...

Su Wen sat on the ground and explained leisurely.

"By the way, the emperor of the Star Luo Empire asked me to give you his regards."

Snow Emperor: "..."

The ice-cold beauty transformed into a wisp of white energy, drifting like a ghost beside Su Wen, her eyes flickering as if she were pondering something.

Although she is currently a human embryo, she still possesses considerable strength. With the help of the abundant life force within the Azure Phoenix Pokémon Ball, maintaining her current situation shouldn't be a problem. The only trouble is that she's caught in a dilemma.

Being interrupted during the transformation process is no small matter. Transformation requires a burst of energy, but if that energy is lost, the success rate of continuing the transformation is less than one-tenth of what it was before.

But to revert to the state before transformation is wishful thinking.

"Peak of Soul Master? Just one step away from Soul King." Xue Di suddenly turned her gaze to Su Wen and said something that left the latter completely baffled.

May I offer myself as a sacrifice to you?

The Snow Maiden's frost-like indifferent eyes looked at Su Wen. Her voice was calm, but a hint of embarrassment flashed through her. The master of the far north was actually going to submit to a human. This was a path she had never imagined.

But now, this seems to be the best option...

"Huh?" Su Wen was taken aback.

"But in your form, you can be selected by a Poké Ball... Hmm, I've never tried that before, but I can give it a shot!"

Su Wen's eyes lit up.

The Snow Empress's origin is that of a Snow Maiden, born from heaven and earth, making her an absolute top-tier soul beast. Moreover, she had previously taught him three moves, which in the original story were taught to Huo Gua after he lost his memories, but she only hesitated for a moment before teaching him without reservation...

He naturally wouldn't refuse the request made by Xue Di.

Although he is currently in the embryonic stage of transformation, he does not know the limits of the Poké Ball. In theory, as long as the soul beasts that have reached the required age can be selected, the rest can be left to the Poké Ball.

Moreover, even if all else fails, he has a backup plan—to ask Elder Yi to intervene and make Xue Di a spirit.

"of course."

Su Wen smiled and said, "But that's not called a sacrifice, it's a contracted partner..."

"A contractual partner?" Xue Di asked with a complicated expression.

"Of course, if you're willing to call me master, I won't refuse... Ouch... Ouch." Su Wen grimaced, his ear turning red from being pinched by a slender hand.

"Humph~"

Xue Di gave a soft snort before releasing her.

But her cool eyes looked at Su Wen with increasing complexity. It seemed that her fate was now tightly bound to that of this human boy, and the future was shrouded in mystery, impossible to fathom.

"How much longer until you advance to Soul King?" the Snow Empress asked softly.

"Five days!"

Su Wen pondered for a moment.

Recently, the Life Gold has further increased its cultivation speed. If it merges with Wang Dong'er's martial soul for cultivation, it can reliably break through that barrier and reach the Soul King level within five days.

"Um……"

Snow Emperor nodded slightly.

She used to exude an imperial aura, but now she showed a touch of feminine gentleness. "I'll wait."

……

The competition was held as scheduled the following day.

Xingluo Square was packed with spectators. If the early elimination rounds were just a warm-up, then the fierce battles starting from the round of 16 were the real main course.

The fact that they managed to fight their way through the knockout stage and group stage, with only 16 teams remaining out of 166, speaks volumes about their achievement.

Even the three major powers and countless forces are waiting for these outstanding students. As soon as the competition ends, or even before it ends, countless offers have already been extended.

Before the age of twenty, Soul Masters and Soul Kings can easily advance to Soul Saints in the future, and even the probability of breaking through to Soul Douluo is not low. As for the Title Douluo that is respected by countless people, there is a certain chance of breaking through.

Xingluo Square was packed with people.

A rough estimate suggests that over a million people have entered the square, and from the sky, they seem to be surging in from all directions like a tide.

"This is going to be incredibly profitable! When will Shrek Academy be able to host one?" Bei Bei exclaimed.

“Impossible. Shrek Academy is not an empire. Besides, Shrek City’s revenue far exceeds your imagination. It’s an opportunity that only comes once every few decades. There’s no need to compete with the other three countries.” Wang Yan shook his head.

Moreover, if Shrek Academy were to actually take over the hosting, the nature of the event would change drastically...

The group walked through the team's exclusive passage. As soon as they entered the square, they saw a huge crowd of spectators, enthusiastically shouting the titles of each team.

"Let's finish this sooner so we can go back to our cultivation," Su Wen said, letting out a breath of stale air, sounding rather bored.

"In a team battle, who should we send in?" Wang Yan pondered.

"I'll take it," Su Wen said.

“Yes, I know. You’ll definitely be in this team battle. What I mean is, who should be sent to the other six positions?” Wang Yan pondered.

"What I mean is, in team battles, I'll be the only one playing," Su Wen said.

Wang Yan: "..."

His lips twitched.

"This isn't the group stage, where there's room for error," he said tactfully.

“I know.” Su Wen nodded. “You’re confident…”

"It will take four days to advance from the top 16 to the top 8. We need to participate in at least two matches: the team battle on the first day and the individual elimination matches on the second day. My time is very tight. Ideally, I should be able to take down seven of them in the team battle on the first day and then go back to train."

Su Wen pondered for a moment.

Wang Yan: "..."

Is cultivation really that important?
Su Wen nodded solemnly.

It's important, extremely important.

The Snow Empress is a humanoid embryo. Although she has managed to stabilize herself with the help of the Azure Phoenix Elf Space and her own powerful cultivation level, it is not safe and there is always a risk of losing control.

So he needs to resolve this quickly and go back to cultivate.

With the group stage over, the rest area is much emptier now.

The royal team of the Douling Empire approached, led by a man with a large frame but a thin build, whose eyes were fixed intently on Su Wen and Ma Xiaotao, who were also in charge.

"Captain of the Royal Academy of the Douling Empire, Gu Zhujian, I've long admired your name. Today it's our turn for the finals..."

He smiled and extended his palm.

"Su Wen".

Su Wen reached out his hand.

"This year's Shrek Academy is having a tough time. Not all of their regular team members are there; only a few reserve team members are barely holding on. If it were the last tournament, we might have already surrendered, but this year..."

Gu Zhujian forced a smile onto his thin face: "We've done our homework, and we're going to see if the legendary Shrek Academy lives up to its reputation."

"You won't be disappointed."

Su Wen smiled brightly.

"Is that so?" Gu Zhujian was taken aback, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, before leading his team away.

"Are you really all alone?" Wang Yan asked worriedly.

"Mm." Su Wen nodded.

the other side.

Beside Gu Zhujian, Vice Captain Qian Yuan, a burly man nearly two and a half meters tall, asked in a low voice, "Captain, have you noticed anything?"

"That man was very arrogant. When he said those words, his eyes were full of seriousness, as if he was acknowledging an established fact, rather than just making threats before the match. He was really arrogant..." Gu Zhujian gritted his teeth.

He felt humiliated. He might have laughed if the other person was emotional, but this kind of "arrogance" made him very uncomfortable.

"Don't worry, Captain, just watch how we crush them in team battles." Another skinny young man sneered, "The whole team, only Su Wen and Ma Xiaotao are relatively resilient. There isn't even a single Soul King among the rest. Su Wen seems invincible and has a high level of prestige, but in reality? In the two times he appeared, the enemy team didn't even have a single Soul King."

"A one-sided victory is certainly fun; who doesn't enjoy that?"

"..."

Gu Zhujian pursed his lips, his gaze then subtly drifting towards Shrek Academy's rest area.

"That said, we still need to be careful. Ma Xiaotao in their team is no ordinary person. When I participated in the last major competition as a member of the reserve team, Dai Yueheng was the captain of the reserve team. This woman didn't appear in the Shrek reserve team, but based on her age and some rumors, we can vaguely deduce that she is not simple. She is probably one of the only two remaining members of the main team..."

"Soul Emperor?" Qian Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Very likely! Anyway, be careful later." Gu Zhujian frowned.

"Yes!"

……

"The Round of 16, Match 1 – Shrek Academy vs. Battle Spirit Royal Team! Contestants, take the stage!"

Inside the venue.

An elderly man dressed in a light purple robe said in a deep voice.

The sound, though not amplified by a soul-guided amplifier, resonated steadily throughout the entire arena, demonstrating his formidable strength with this simple move.

The phrase "Heavenly Fiend Douluo" was clearly uttered by some knowledgeable people.

Since advancing to the top 16 elimination rounds, ordinary Soul Emperor referees are no longer sufficient to preside over the competition. Only top-tier, universally recognized powerhouses can keep the group of geniuses in check.

Whoosh!!!

A tidal wave of cheers followed.

Shrek Academy! Royal Academy of Fighting Spirits!

The real battle between dragons and tigers is about to begin...

"Let's go."

Gu Zhujian took a deep breath, nodded slightly to the junior students in the reserve team, and led the main team into the arena, but the next moment...

Xiao Feng shouted in a shrill voice, "Captain, look at the other side!!!"

"Ok?"

He looked up suspiciously, but the entire Douling Academy was stunned.

There was only one person standing opposite them!
That familiar figure... Su Wen!

"Captain, what do they mean by this?!" Qian Yuan clenched his fists, his face dark with suppressed anger, and said, "Are they looking down on the Douling team? They sent a mediocre player to humiliate us?"

"Hoo..." Gu Zhujian's eyes turned cold as he raised his hand to stop Qian Yuan.

"If Shrek Academy wants to court death, then let them! We, the Spirit Fighters, must not lose our composure. Remember this: whatever the arrangements were before the match, we will execute them on the field. As for this Su Wen... Hmph! Once I trample him under my feet, let's see if he still has a shred of his current arrogance!"

"Or perhaps, he knew he was no match for Dou Ling, but wanted to use provocation to gamble that Dou Ling would only send one person to decide the outcome," Gu Zhujian said, squinting as he voiced his guess.

"And if we win today, tomorrow's team battle will be led by 'Ma Xiaotao' who is in excellent spirits. If we are really blinded by this scene, we may actually let Shrek Academy succeed. How cunning."

"I see! Captain is brilliant!" Xiao Feng and the others suddenly realized.

Shrek Academy's provocation tactic actually has a certain probability of getting them to send someone up for a one-on-one duel, because everyone wants to beat Shrek Academy, but they would rather win "honorably" than win in an unsportsmanlike manner.

Gu Zhujian narrowed his eyes slightly.

This is even a complex scheme!

The opponent was definitely certain that he would "provoke" him before the match. Having prepared thoroughly and thoroughly understood his personality, they used a calm tone to ignite his anger, and then...

"I have a master to guide me." Gu Zhujian took a deep breath.

"But unfortunately, I saw through your tricks!!!"

A smile played on his lips as he strode confidently toward the arena.

"...Shrek Academy, are they only sending one person?"

Huang Jinxu stared at the lone boy in the arena and frowned slightly as he gave him a reminder.

This isn't an individual elimination tournament.

He knew the boy was extraordinary, but the opposing team, the Douling Team, was a veteran team that had made it into the top four in the previous season. They were not just what they showed on the surface; they must have hidden cards. A team with five Soul Kings and two Soul Masters, they could easily take on a Soul Saint one-on-one!

The atmosphere at the stadium was eerie.

Countless people stared at the boy, completely bewildered. He had gone on stage alone in the elimination rounds and won the approval of the audience with his overwhelming victory, but this was the round of 16!
Gu Zhujian jumped onto the stage, looking at Su Wen with a relaxed air, followed by six main players.

Even if it's an unfair victory, he will never give Su Wen the chance to succeed in his scheme. He will catch him, give him a good beating, and cripple the kid.

Killing him would offend Shrek Academy terribly; it's too much trouble.

Several mocking glances lingered on Su Wen's expression, all wondering how long he could "hold on," whether he would back down and bring the Shrek Academy team up, or wait to be besieged once the match started.

But the next moment.

Yes, it's just me.

Su Wen smiled, "Old Huang, can we start quickly? I'm in a hurry..."

Huang Jinxu's lips twitched. "Okay."

He knew that Su Wen was exceptionally strong, but the tallest tree in the forest is the first to be felled by the wind. Such arrogance was definitely not a good thing.

The old man sighed inwardly and waved his hand.

"In that case, let the match begin!"

"..."

Viewing area.

Huang Heyun frowned: "Your Highness, what exactly is Shrek Academy's intention? Do they want to take a gamble? But why did they send out the entire Fighting Spirit Team? Their plan has clearly failed, yet they still have to bite the bullet and go on."

Clearly, the Douling Empire was not the only one who saw through Shrek's "scheme".

"Do not……"

After a long while, her beautiful eyes gazed at the stadium.

After pondering for a moment, he said.

“I know Su Wen. He’s not one to act impulsively. If he’s going on stage, it means he’s absolutely confident…”

My thoughts drifted back to last night.

She suddenly remembered the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion...

Despite being a soul beast nearly ten thousand years old, Su Wen never revealed this trump card. The Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion alone was enough to rival a Soul Emperor, not to mention the white ape and the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear that was several thousand years old.

"Wait!" Xu Jiujiu's eyes narrowed suddenly.

She seemed to have grasped something.

Beast Taming! Martial Soul!
The lifespans of each soul beast are so similar—several thousand to nearly ten thousand years.

What level is Su Wen at?!

It seems to be level 40 or higher, but she didn't know the specifics.

Now that three soul beasts have appeared, will there be a fourth?

In other words, each spirit ring grants the user a spirit beast of equal strength to their own...

After a long while, he looked at the slender figure on the field with a shocked expression.

There was no one (or beast) behind him.

……

(End of this chapter)