Douluo Continent: A Thousand Miles of Cultivation

Firstly, it's a way to pass the time and loosen up my muscles; secondly, it's a way to develop my hand-to-hand combat skills; and thirdly, it's a way to earn some extra money to cover my daily expenses.

That evening, I made an appointment with Qian Renxue to go to a private... Soul Battle!

Being beaten up naturally revealed Qian Renxue's shortcomings; her lack of practical combat experience necessitates real-world training. Although she couldn't engage in open and aboveboard battles like Qian Shui, she could receive hands-on, practical combat instruction from Qian Shui.

With Qian Renxue's talent, she naturally didn't need much guidance. She learned it as she played, and she grasped it immediately.

This continued until the end of the year, when 15 teams from the Star Luo Empire arrived in Tian Dou City. Together with three seeded teams, a total of 33 teams gathered in Tian Dou City.

The continental finals have finally begun.

In fact, the entire Tiandou City was mobilized from the qualifiers onwards. In an era with little entertainment, such a competition was more attractive than some of the super competitions of the previous life.

An event of this scale would actually make even going to the toilet a problem, so it's no wonder that Qian Renxue has been overwhelmed lately. It's already quite remarkable that she was able to find the time to beat up Qian Shui.

As the defending champions, it's reasonable that the Spirit Hall team was placed after the Heaven Dou Royal Academy team to enter the arena.

"Kid, play well, it's all up to you~" Yue Guan, who was originally leading the team before entering the arena, left after saying this, leaving Qian Shui speechless.

The group, who hadn't worn the Martial Soul Academy uniforms in a long time, walked to the venue with Qian Shui leading the way, as introduced by the host.

The arena beneath their feet was enormous, comparable to the super stadium of their previous life. It was said to be able to hold 80,000 people. The overall color scheme was silver, and although it looked a bit old in Qian Shui's eyes, it was still quite impressive in this era.

Qian Shui was most interested in the soul-guided lighting hanging around him. Since Wuhun City didn't have these things, it would be a shame not to use such good daily necessities as streetlights.

After standing in the position belonging to the Martial Soul Team, Qian Shui began to look around. The first thing he looked up at was the main VIP seat. The person in the center was undoubtedly Emperor Xue Ye. To his right was Ning Fengzhi, an old acquaintance, and next was Salas.

Theoretically, it should be one of Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo, but these two seem to have no such intention, and their whereabouts are unknown.

When Qian Shui looked at them, he found that they were all looking at him, except for Salas, whose expressions were all solemn.

"Hmph! You brat from the Spirit Hall, I've heard you're quite strong?"

The voice came from the top player of the Tian Dou team, a man with an ordinary appearance, dark skin, and a sense of gravitas. Behind him was someone with a similar style.

However, both of them looked like they wanted to kill Qian Shui's entire family, their eyes wide with rage, as if they were afraid others wouldn't know that they were the biggest fools in the Haotian Sect.

Qian Shui had rarely heard provocative words in his life, especially among his peers, so he found it rather novel at first.

"Hello everyone~" With his peculiar thought process amplified, he waved awkwardly as a greeting.

"you!"

The Douluo people naturally think differently. It seems that the second-ranked member couldn't help but feel that Qian Shui's behavior was looking down on them. The members of the Tian Dou team who were with him also looked like they wanted to devour him. Except for the third-ranked member, who was somewhat similar to Qian Shui, he remained calm.

"Brother Meng, don't be impulsive! This kid is deliberately provoking you! If you make a move now, you'll definitely be disqualified!" The third member of the Tian Dou team spoke up to stop the leader.

The Spirit Hall team members remained silent, knowing Qian Shui well. Although people's hearts are unpredictable, they were certain he wasn't harboring such deep thoughts at this moment.

Chapter 76 Tournament Arrangement

Two flowers bloom, each representing a different branch; naturally, those in the stands and those below have different thoughts.

"I wonder if Bishop Salas has confidence in this year's Spirit Hall team?"

As the students entered the arena one by one, the old fox on stage began his confrontation.

"Does His Majesty mean he has a lot of confidence in the Heavenly Battle Team?" Salas remained unmoved.

In previous years, he would have definitely gone all out to suppress them, but for this year's Martial Soul Team, with Chrysanthemum Douluo conveying the Pope's decree, he needs to do the opposite.

If the Pope hasn't gone mad after hearing this, then there's only one other possibility. If that's the case, why should he be in such a hurry?

"Two Soul Kings with the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul, I never imagined there was any possibility of defeat!" Although Xue Ye already knew about Qian Shui's information, she was still unwilling to give up.

"Then let's wait and see, what do you say, Sect Master Ning?" Salas was extremely arrogant at this moment. With two Super Douluo behind him, he was really bolstering the old guy's aura.

"The three sects are closely connected. In my humble opinion, even the former Pope did not gain any advantage under the Haotian Sect."

"Hmph, I hope that's true!"

Although he had the upper hand verbally, Ning Fengzhi knew very well that it wouldn't be so easy. Salas's shrewd and calculating demeanor from previous years was gone. This abnormality only confirmed some things. He and Xue Ye exchanged glances and saw hesitation in each other's eyes.

All of this was seen by Qian Renxue in the back row. She slightly raised the corners of her mouth. No one understood Qian Shui better than her. This would be her friend’s small stage to set sail. The dragon would naturally ride the wind and rise. In Qian Shui’s own words, it would soar straight up to ninety thousand miles!

The only variable is Qian Shui himself; if he has a mental breakdown, it wouldn't be surprising if he loses.

The audience had mostly finished entering by this time, and Qian Shui, with his excellent eyesight, spotted Qian Renxue, who was dressed as Xue Qinghe on stage, and raised his hand to greet him.

The big shots naturally wouldn't be greeted like that by a junior. They all knew who Qian Shui was dealing with, and they all looked at the bewildered Xue Qinghe.

'Ugh, how could he be so inconsiderate of the occasion!'

Ignoring the strange looks from everyone and suppressing the urge to beat Qian Shui up again, he still waved his hand. Otherwise, who knows what this guy might do next?

After a long introduction, the draw took place, and the result was quite disappointing. The Spirit Hall team had to play the entire match without a single bye. In fact, all of their main opponents on the same line were weak teams, which basically meant that the established powerhouses would have to play against the Spirit Hall one by one.

"Brother Shui, does Archbishop Salas have a grudge against us?!" After the draw results came out, Yin Jin immediately couldn't hold back anymore. "What kind of lousy draw is this! Even if we don't die, we'll be exhausted!"

"I didn't say you weren't allowed to unload the load." Qian Shui remained calm. He wasn't really stupid. Salas wouldn't have done such a thing without Bibi Dong's orders.

"True or false? That doesn't matter."

They carried their full weights around the clock, even during the Spirit Hall's assessment.

"Except for the finals!"

"Why!" Yin Jin asked, puzzled.

"Xiao Shui, you don't want to participate, do you?" Chen Sha knew Qian Shui quite well.

"You're right." Looking at Yin Jin's despairing face, Qian Shui comforted him, "What? Are you afraid of those two from the Haotian Sect? How about we lighten your load? It's not a big problem."

"Hey Shui-ge, are you really not going to make a move? What if we really can't beat them?" Yin Jin was still unwilling to give up.

Instead, the entire team unanimously looked down on Yin Jin, thinking that they could even challenge a full Soul Emperor team, let alone their own team which had two more Soul Kings.

"Don't look at me like that! I'm talking about what if! What if, you understand?! Even though Brother Shui isn't playing, he still has to go out and show his face, right? Even though he's supposed to be a backup, what if we make a tactical mistake, or what if those two Hammers gang up on Brother Shui two against one?"

"It's not that I look down on you, Brother Shui, but that's the Clear Sky Hammer!"

"Indeed, Xiao Shui, you defeated the Soul Saint, the number one weapon spirit in the world. But that Soul Saint was, after all, a member of the Spirit Hall, and there was only one of them. Facing two Soul Kings with Clear Sky Hammer spirits, you can't be too cautious." As someone with weapon spirits, Feng Jingyi had considerable authority to speak on this matter. Although it's forbidden to kill your opponent in a competition, what if you do?

Qian Shui pondered for a moment and said, "How about this, if those two Hammer Bros really do attack me regardless of the consequences, then I will do my best. But if not, you can deal with it yourselves."

"Hehe, Brother Shui, it seems you can't escape now."

"Then let's fight..."

Anyway, both Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue want him to play, and it would be best if he could play the entire match.

The former wanted to push him to the forefront, while the latter wanted him to become famous in her place. However, Qian Shui felt that the mother and daughter were simply messing with him. Despite their usual discord, they were quite cooperative in this regard.

Otherwise, these two from Haotian Sect would have been long dead, let alone going to school or participating in competitions, let alone daring to wander around outside Haotian Sect.

Qian Shui did have a rebellious streak in not wanting to fight, but fighting wouldn't cause any problems. If they really came up to him, he wouldn't mind showing off in front of others.

"The first match is between Thunder Academy and a Soul Master team. You guys fight yourselves." Qian Shui waved his hand. He didn't even have the desire to stand on the stage at this level. "Ruo You, make the arrangements. I'm leaving."

After saying that, Qian Shui left. Although Thunder Academy was an affiliate of Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, its strength was average, and its Soul Master level was not even comparable to that of the Spirit Hall team.

Seeing Qianshui leave, no one had anything to say, and Ruoyou began to make arrangements.

"Let's conserve our strength. There's no real strategy. The support will just hold the line, and the battle spirit masters will rely on their individual strength to quickly clear the field and end this quickly."

"Yes!"

In reality, Feng Jingyi used her speed advantage to launch a fierce attack at the start of the game. She left a bloody mark on the neck of the five enemy back row members and wiped them out. The remaining three were surrounded and, seeing no chance of winning, surrendered.

This action startled Ning Fengzhi so much that he immediately stood up and subconsciously looked at Chen Xin beside him.

"The Wind Sword Sect has actually produced such a genius!" Seeing Ning Fengzhi's surprise, Chen Xin couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

Qian Renxue remained expressionless. Qian Shui should have been the one to steal the spotlight, but he not only didn't fight, he didn't even participate. As for Feng Jingyi, her older sister, she didn't particularly like her, but she cared about her nonetheless. Feng Jingyi's actions, however, were quite intriguing.

'Take the hit for him? Can you handle it?'

……

"Xiao Feng, what's wrong with you just now? Xiao Shui isn't doing anything, are you angry?"

"Somewhat, but he doesn't want to be in the limelight. As his older sister, I should help him out, shouldn't I?"

"You'll become the target of everyone's criticism if you do this!"

Feng Jingyi turned around and smiled, saying to Chen Sha, "This is helping him!"

Chapter 77 Undercurrents and Shocks

As the saying goes, "The tallest tree in the forest is the first to be felled by the wind," Qian Shui's subconscious tendency to conceal his abilities is a basic passive quality of a social being. Even with the Spirit Hall as his backing, he still didn't want to act recklessly, just as he had decided to stay in his room and not participate in the Heavenly Battle until he had gained a certain level of ability.

Qian Shui's rebellious attitude towards Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue's arrangements largely stemmed from this, but sometimes things always develop in ways that are beyond one's expectations.

Just because you don't want to stand out doesn't mean everything is unimportant. Once communication is lacking, conflicts between people will intensify.

"What is Sect Leader Ning's opinion?"

In the VIP room, Xue Ye was the head of the group, with Xue Xing and Xue Qinghe representing the Heavenly Dou Royal Family. Ning Feng and Zhi Chenxin represented the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, and even with the appearance of Yu Luomian, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon School had also arrived.

"The overall strength of this year's Spirit Hall team is far beyond our expectations. Your Majesty's plan is partially agreed upon, but it is not convenient to act at this time."

"Sect Leader Ning, have you considered that if the Spirit Hall wins the tournament, what about the two high-grade ten-thousand-year soul bones that are the prize for the tournament...?" Xue Xing couldn't help but get anxious. She originally thought that the game was a sure thing, and the prize of two ten-thousand-year soul bones was a way to win over the Clear Sky Sect. This was a predetermined fact.

"This is a paltry gain. If we were to make a move now, not only would the two Super Douluo, Chrysanthemum and Ghost, be in Heaven Dou City, but Salas of the Spirit Temple is also a force to be reckoned with. And we know nothing about those who are lurking in the shadows."

Ning Fengzhi gave a brief analysis of the situation.

“The cost of starting a war in the city is not as simple as just two soul bones. So I suggest that we wait until the competition is over and the Spirit Hall group leaves Heaven Dou City before we take action. At that time, we can distance ourselves from the situation, and the Spirit Hall will have no reason to start a full-scale war.”

"Oh? So Sect Master Ning is confident that he can keep both Chrysanthemum and Ghost titles at the same time?" Yu Luomian also raised a question.

"Uncle Jian, Uncle Gu, and I will join forces to deliver a swift and decisive blow. We hope you will all lend a helping hand."

"Dugu Bo still has a favor to do for me."

"I will take action myself."

"The key points are Qian Shui and that girl from the Wind Sword Sect!"

……

However, some people were carefree and wandered around Tiandou City.

Aside from the fact that the area around the arena in Tiandou City had become deserted and there were hardly any people, Qian Shui was willing to wander around.