Douluo Continent: From Internal Martial Arts to the Law of Heaven and Earth

The distinctive shoe-shaped face, the iconic hooked nose, and those black-rimmed glasses almost directly revealed the other person's identity. Tang Shan glanced again at the open space in front of him—the registration area for the Soul Arena—and saw the extremely muscular middle-aged man. His guess was instantly confirmed.

The person in front of me is most likely Flander, the founder of Shrek Academy, the Flying Horn of the Golden Iron Triangle, and Ma Hongjun's master.

If Tang Shan were to say what his deepest impression of this character from the original work was, it wouldn't be his identity as the founder of Shrek Academy, nor his baffling emotional motivations, but rather his distinctive hooked nose.

A hooked nose isn't a big deal, but in Tang Shan's past life, characters with hooked noses had an 80% chance of being villains and a 20% chance of being insignificant passersby. Flander was one of the few characters Tang Shan had ever met who had a hooked nose but still belonged to the protagonist's side.

"I am Flander, young man, you just had a good move."

Flander was the first to come to his senses, introduced himself, and then couldn't help but praise him.

Tang Shan smiled and replied, "Senior's methods were extraordinary just now. If I hadn't been lucky, I probably would have already fallen into your hands."

Flander knew that Tang Shan was being modest. During their fight, he was at a complete disadvantage. Tang Shan's slight victory was entirely due to his solid strength and had nothing to do with luck.

However, being praised like that, Flander couldn't help but feel happy, and his polite smile became more sincere.

"By the way, senior, do you know what happened up ahead?"

Tang Shan asked curiously.

Flander stroked his beard, feigning a speechless expression: "It seems that a Soul Saint wanted to participate in the Soul Battle, but refused to pay the registration fee. When the others heard that a Soul Saint was going to fight, they all gathered around to watch, which caused such a commotion."

Tang Shan: "Could that burly man be the Soul Saint?"

“Yes.” Flander shook his head and sighed, “Having lived to my age, I’ve seen a lot of people. But this is the first time I’ve seen a weirdo who wants to participate in the Soul Battle but doesn’t want to pay.”

Tangshan?!

He couldn't help but glance again at the burly middle-aged man, then at Flander, who was looking at him with a sigh, and was speechless.

With such a distinctive physique, an honest face, and the title of Soul Saint, standing right under your nose, are you sure you don't recognize who that person is?

Tang Shan really wanted to ask: Isn't Zhao Wuji your vice dean? But he managed to suppress this impulse, after all, he couldn't possibly know about Flander and Zhao Wuji, and their relationship, for no reason.

However, Flander's feigned ignorance only piqued Tang Shan's interest. He wanted to see what this notorious swindler from the original Douluo Continent novel was really up to.

Chapter 216 Soul Master Level Registration Fee, Earl of the Evil Earth

Zhao Wuji's expression was solemn, and his burly figure exuded an invisible aura. His usual gentleness had vanished, replaced by arrogance and domineering ruthlessness.

"I want to sign up for the Soul Battle. Why should I pay a registration fee when I have the strength of a Soul Saint?"

Zhao Wuji was facing an ordinary staff member, who was now covered in sweat and speaking in a trembling voice, but his words were still relatively clear: "Respected Soul Saint, these are the rules. I really can't make an exception for you. Should I go and ask the supervisor now?"

Zhao Wuji waved his hand impatiently: "Go quickly, go quickly."

The staff member felt like he had been granted a pardon and ran up the stairs in a flash.

When Tang Shan arrived, things had already progressed to this point; he knew nothing of what had happened before.

Glancing at the "shady businessman" beside him, Tang Shan asked curiously, "Senior, what just happened here?"

When faced with Tang Shan's question, Flander displayed his Oscar-worthy acting skills, looking at Zhao Wuji with disdain and saying, "You know that you have to pay a registration fee to participate in the Soul Battle, and the amount varies depending on the Soul Master's level."

Tang Shan nodded.

In addition to the different registration fees required based on the level of the Soul Master, the Soul Master's strength also affects the fees.

Tang Shan had heard about this while he was fighting in the Great Soul Arena with his older brother Su Yuntao. The most basic Iron Soul Badge required ten Gold Soul Coins to participate in each battle, the Bronze Soul Badge required one hundred, the Silver Soul Badge required one thousand, and so on, increasing in a decimal system.

Different levels of Soul Masters need to pay different registration fees to participate. Of course, the fee only needs to be paid once, and the higher fee will be used.

Compared to the massive increase in gold coins required for advancing to the next level of the Soul Badge, the amount required to be submitted for different Soul Master levels is much less:

Soul Master and below: 10 Gold Soul Coins; Soul Emperor and below: 100 Gold Soul Coins; Soul Saint and above: 10,000 Gold Soul Coins.

If someone is a Soul Master of Iron Soul, then the higher of the registration fees he needs to pay is not ten gold soul coins of Iron Soul, but one hundred gold soul coins of Soul Master.

Conversely, even if you are just a Soul Master, but your Soul Battle Badge has reached the ridiculously high Gold level, you still have to pay 10,000 Gold Soul Coins, which is comparable to the registration fee for a Soul Saint.

All I can say is that the currency value of Douluo Continent is really nice.

According to this absurd calculation rule, if someone actually manages to reach the final Diamond Badge, and incredibly, also has a Diamond-level opponent, then the registration fees for both sides will reach an outrageously high 100 million Gold Soul Coins.

Tangshan: I don't understand, but I am deeply shocked.

Getting back to the point, Tang Shan, seeing Flander's Oscar-worthy performance, asked in a very cooperative manner, "Could it be that this Soul Saint's Soul Battle Level is very high, so he is unwilling to pay the registration fee? Is it the Sapphire Level or the Ruby Level?"

Flander shook his finger: "None of those, it's Iron Soul level."

Tang Shan asked in surprise, "Then why not pay? According to the payment rules, the higher amount should be used. Even if he is a Soul Saint, he would only need to pay 10,000 gold soul coins, right?"

"Yes, he's unwilling to pay even 10,000 gold soul coins, which is really outrageous."

The Franco tone conveyed an indescribable sense of melancholy.

Tang Shan agreed, "That's right, isn't that going too far? Surely a Soul Saint can't even afford 10,000 gold soul coins?"

Flanders, feigning a sigh?!

Why do I feel like I'm being mocked?

Tang Shan was naturally unaware that he had unintentionally dealt Flander a critical blow, and he was genuinely taken aback. Ten thousand gold soul coins seemed like a lot, but with the combat power of a Soul Saint, he thought it would be an easy task to earn them.

Putting everything else aside, just talking about hunting soul beasts, specifically for quasi-soul masters and quasi-soul kings to hunt soul beasts that are a thousand years old or just over ten thousand years old, not to mention the rewards for assisting in the hunt, the soul beast corpses alone are quite valuable.

Not to mention that if one were to casually join a powerful force, with the status of a Soul Saint, one could have as many Gold Soul Coins as one desires, but one would certainly never lack them.

As a result, a Soul Saint couldn't even afford 10,000 gold soul coins. That's really quite a poor situation...

Tangshan: I knew Shrek Academy was poor, but I didn't expect it to be this poor.

No matter how weak a Soul Saint is, unless you are a human version of Tianmeng Ice Silkworm, who is not only useless but also mediocre, you shouldn't have ended up in such a state.

Just then, heavy footsteps came from upstairs, and soon, a middle-aged fat man with a plump figure and a bright smile squeezed down from upstairs.

That's right, he squeezed down. The staircase, which was originally big enough for two or three people to walk side by side, was completely filled by the fat man's size when he came down.

Tang Shan stared in shock at the incredibly rounded figure; it turned out that being "fat as a ball" was no metaphor at all!

"It's actually Earl Evil Earth. I never expected that he was the mastermind behind the Heavenly Battle Arena."

"He only has partial power; the real big spenders are the royal family."

"I wonder how the Evil Earth will handle this matter?"

"Is that even a question? It's definitely free of registration fees. Don't forget, the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament is just around the corner. This is the busiest time in Heaven Dou City right now. Earl Evil Earth won't let such a good opportunity slip by."

By simply pricking up his ears and gathering information from the crowd, Tang Shan figured out who the person in front of him, who seemed vaguely familiar, was. It turned out to be Xie Fei's father, Xie Tu, whose martial soul was also the Pipi Elephant.

Tang Shan never expected that the two would meet for the first time under such circumstances, nor did he expect that Xie Fei's obesity would be so vastly different from that of his father.

"Hello, I am Xie Tu. May I ask how this Soul Saint is addressed?"

Xie Tu strode forward and reached Zhao Wuji in just a few steps, extending his hand to show goodwill.

The feigned irritation in Zhao Wuji's eyes quietly dissipated, replaced by a hint of seriousness. He could clearly sense that the seemingly frail fat man in front of him was also a Soul Saint.

"Nobody here, but you can call me by my code name, Golden Bear."

Zhao Wuji also reached out and shook hands with Xie Tu. At the same time, his soul power was already secretly circulating within him. If the other party wanted to test him, he would definitely leave an extremely deep impression on him.

But to his surprise, Xie Tu only shook hands symbolically and did not try to test him with a handshake.

"Greetings, Golden Bear Soul Saint. We understand your requirements. Participating in the Soul Battle is certainly possible, and the registration fee is waived. However, the Soul Battle may need to be postponed for a while. Is that alright?"

After a brief meeting, Xie Tu didn't exchange many pleasantries, nor did he find another place to talk. Instead, he glanced at the group of people gathered together, a golden glint flashing in his eyes, and went straight to the point.

"Of course, but can you guarantee you'll find a Soul Saint to fight me?"

Zhao Wuji readily agreed, but still raised his own questions.

"Hehe, the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament is about to begin. Heaven Dou City has been very lively lately, so finding strong individuals is extremely easy."

As he spoke, Xie Tu patted his round belly: "If all else fails, it's not impossible for this lump of fat of mine to go on stage and have some fun with Brother Jin Xiong."

Zhao Wuji was clearly pleased that Xie Tu called him "brother," and a smile returned to his face: "Then I'll trouble you."

The two exchanged a few more pleasantries, and soon, thanks to Xie Tu's superb eloquence, they were arm in arm. Xie Tu said he would take Zhao Wuji on a good tour of Tian Dou City, and the crowd subconsciously made way for the two Soul Saints. When they reached the middle of the passage, Xie Tu stopped and looked at the crowd still watching. He smiled and said, "Everyone, there will be a Soul Saint Battle that only happens once every ten years in a while. I hope you can help me, Fatty, spread the word. This is a battle between Soul Saints. If you miss it this time, who knows when the next one will be?"

After saying that, he leisurely continued to stroll out of the Great Soul Arena with Zhao Wuji.

Tang Shan watched the whole thing and could only say that Xie Fei truly inherited his father's skills. He was the boss from the start, and his father called him "Big Brother" after just a couple of sentences. He was truly an extraordinary speaker.

Turning around and glancing to his side, Tang Shan noticed that Flander had a solemn expression and was muttering to himself. However, even with his perception at its highest level, he couldn't make out what Flander was saying.

A little finger gently poked her arm, and Gu Yue appeared beside her, her big, dark eyes curving into crescents.

"what's wrong?"

"I know what he's talking about."

Gu Yue's telepathic message carried a hint of smugness, piquing Tang Shan's curiosity. However, he didn't ask immediately. Instead, he ignored Flander, who was still talking to himself with a serious expression. After the crowd dispersed, he quickly led Gu Yue back to Xue Qinghe and Ning Fengzhi's group, who had been staying at the same spot, and gave them a general overview of the end of the whole affair.

"I never imagined that there would actually be someone so poor that they couldn't even afford 10,000 gold soul coins."

Almost everyone present was knowledgeable; they had seen many battles between Soul Saints, and even more outrageous sparring between Title Douluos.

Ning Fengzhi was the most qualified to speak on this matter. The two guardian Douluos of their Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School often sparred when they had nothing to do, which was much more exciting than the Soul Saints' battles. What really caught everyone's attention was that there was a Soul Saint who was so poor that he didn't even have 10,000 gold soul coins, which was quite "unique".

"Could it be that the Soul Saint felt that paying the registration fee was not worthy of his noble status as a Soul Saint?"

The Silver Dragon King, who held the most noble position and was often afraid that Brigitte would find out about his gluttony and that this would cause his dignity to collapse, unleashed his "world-shaking wisdom" and revealed his speculation.

"His actions only highlighted his lack of confidence."

Tang Shan analyzed seriously: "Generally, people only care about something the more they lack it. If he is truly noble, doing this will only lower other people's opinion of him."

Knowing the true situation of Shrek Academy in the original work, Tang Shan made a definitive judgment: "That person doesn't seem like someone without status. He gets along very naturally with Count Evil Earth, who is also a Soul Saint. So the only possibility, however unbelievable, is that he is really broke."

Chapter 217 Tangshan Desires to Fight the Soul Saint, The Wandering Angel (9000 Favorites, Bonus Chapter)

Regardless of whether Shrek Academy's teaching methods were reasonable during the first era of Dou Yi, and regardless of whether they used the excuse that "those who dare not cause trouble are mediocre" to bully the weak, Tang Shan still admires them in at least a few ways.

When Tang San was captured by Dugu Bo, the Golden Iron Triangle disregarded their own safety and forced their way into Sunset Forest.

They accepted Tang San's creation of hidden weapons without question.

Yu Xiaogang, a theoretical scholar, holds a relatively high position within the academy;

When trouble comes, the teachers will really rush to the front, unlike in the Dou Er era, where a group of old men would stay in the Sea God Pavilion drinking tea and chatting while the students were out fighting for their lives.

Looking at Shrek Academy later, hidden weapons that don't require any soul power are accepted, but soul tools made by soul masters themselves are rejected.

Taotie Douluo was drinking and eating meat in the Star Dou Great Forest when he was caught off guard by a 100,000-year-old soul beast. When Zhao Wuji encountered a 100,000-year-old soul beast in the Star Dou Great Forest, he only said, "You guys run first, I'll cover the rear."

It can only be said that there are objective factors preventing Shrek Academy from cultivating gods in the future. Regardless of whether Tang San interfered in the God Realm, from the perspective of their spiritual core alone, the future Shrek Academy will no longer be the same as it is now.