Douluo Dragon King: I'm creating a golden age behind the scenes!

After several days of competition, the atmosphere in Star Luo City was electric. The elimination rounds were brutal, and the Soul Masters who lost in the first round had come to an end to their triennial event.

For Soul Masters over the age of eighteen, this is their last chance to participate in the Continental Elite Youth Soul Master Tournament.

Even after their competition ended, they were unwilling to leave easily. They wanted to see just how strong the strongest among their peers could be.

Outside the Xingluo Grand Stadium, sixteen huge screens are suspended. Before the competition begins, the screens continuously scroll through the list of participants and the results of the draw.

Today, the second round of the individual competition officially begins.

During the competition over the past few days, not only were Shrek Academy disciples targeted for elimination, but even some disciples of the Body Sect were affected and eliminated.

The remaining members of the Body Sect who had advanced to the next round arrived at the competition venue and first went to the waiting area to see their order of participation for the day.

By this time, the waiting area was already packed with people. Although the number of participants in the second round was far less than in the preliminary rounds, the atmosphere was still incredibly lively.

Although the number of participants has decreased, the Soul Masters who have made it to the second round are undoubtedly stronger overall than those who participated in the first round.

Everyone agrees on this point. Therefore, tickets are more expensive, and audiences are even more enthusiastic.

Zuo Qiulun's match is scheduled relatively early, so there won't be a long wait.

Suddenly, the previously noisy waiting area fell silent.

This sudden change startled everyone from the Body Sect, who instinctively looked over.

At the entrance to the waiting area, a group of eight people slowly walked in from outside. Judging from their cultivation levels, they were all Soul Kings or above, and should be the best of the younger generation on the Star Luo side.

"The people from Monster Academy are here." Someone whispered in the crowd, which Zuo Qiulun overheard.

Monster Academy? Oh, so they must be the "Eight Heavenly Kings" of Monster Academy, which was founded by imitating the rules of Shrek Academy.

At the head of the Monster Academy group was a burly man with a bald head and the hairstyle of a powerful figure!

He was about two meters tall, with broad shoulders and a wide back. Standing there, he was like a mountain, blocking out everyone behind him.

Behind him were the other seven students from Monster Academy, including Dai Yun'er, who had tricked Tang Wulin at the ball.

Among the group, Dai Yueyan noticed the members of the Body Sect first. Then, she said something to the bald man next to him, and the man, with his shiny forehead, walked towards the Body Sect's group.

The bald, muscular man's eyes turned dark red, with a faint light flowing out. He took a few steps and arrived in front of Zuo Qiulun.

"My name is Long Yue, but everyone calls me Crazy Long. I've long heard of the Body Sect's great reputation. Let's get acquainted." With that, the bald, burly man extended his large hand to Zuo Qiulun.

The skin on his hands was also slightly dark red, and his palms were large, like palm-leaf fans.

Zuo Qiulun looked at the outstretched hand and instantly knew what he wanted to do.

[Are you trying to intimidate me? You've got the wrong person!]

She smiled calmly and reached out to shake his hand: "Douluo Continent, Body Sect, Zuo Qiulun!"

After a brief introduction, the two large hands clasped together.

Almost the instant Long Yue grasped it, his five fingers suddenly clenched inward!

He didn't intend to hurt anyone, but the force of that grip was enough to make an ordinary offensive-type Soul Master change color instantly, feel excruciating pain in their finger bones, and even show weakness on the spot.

This was his pride as a top genius of the Star Luo Monster Academy, and also the absolute confidence in his own power bestowed by his Mountain Dragon King Martial Soul—he wanted to see just how good this renowned Body Sect disciple from Douluo Continent really was!

However, the expected scene of the other party's hand being squeezed out of shape and then pulling away in pain did not occur.

When he tried to squeeze and knead the palm in front of him with his strange strength, what he felt was not the softness of flesh and bones, but a hard, dense touch that made his heart tremble!

Zuo Qiulun's hand remained motionless.

Long Yue felt that what he was holding was not the hand of a living person, but a piece of refined metal that had been forged through countless trials, with an extremely dense internal structure and a hardness far exceeding that of ordinary metals.

Long Yue's inherent pride was instantly ignited.

He refused to believe in evil! When his first attempt failed, the soul power within his body began to circulate quietly, and the terrifying power bestowed by the Mountain Dragon King Martial Soul awakened within him like a dormant volcano.

He tightened his fingers again, this time not only with muscle strength, but also with the support of soul power!

Sensing Long Yue exerting his strength again, Zuo Qiulun didn't hold back this time and directly unleashed his own power.

Long Yue immediately felt a tremendous force pouring from Zuo Qiulun's palm onto his own. Then came a sharp pain. He tried to pull his hand back, but his palm felt as if it had been bitten by something terrifying, and he couldn't move it.

At this moment, Long Yue's arm muscles were bulging, and the veins throbbed slightly under his skin like writhing dragons, showing that he was pushing his strength to the limit. Fine beads of sweat even seeped from his forehead, and his eyes were filled with disbelief and solemnity.

In contrast, Zuo Qiulun remained calm, not even frowning. It was as if the power of Long Yue, which could shake mountains, was nothing more than a gentle breeze in his hands.

In an instant, everyone had the feeling that fire was about to burst forth.

Zuo Qiulun only released his grip when he heard the referee call his name.

Long Yue abruptly pulled his hand back, took half a step back, and looked at Zuo Qiulun with shock, solemnity, and an indescribable sense of apprehension.

The hand that was clasped with the other's was now numb, with only a dull ache emanating from deep within the finger bones.

Zuo Qiulun slowly withdrew his hand, as if he had only done a trivial matter. He looked at Long Yue with his eyes still calm, but beneath that calmness, there seemed to be a hint of mockery.

"My match is about to begin, so I'll take my leave first." With that, he left with the disciples of the Body Sect.

Meanwhile, the Monster Academy members clearly saw that Long Yue had suffered a loss in the brief confrontation, and none of them dared to stop him, so they all made way for him. However, the look in their eyes as they looked at Zuo Qiulun was more solemn than ever before.

. . . . . .

The crowd outside Xingluo Stadium suddenly became somewhat agitated, but the commotion was tinged with a hint of fervor.

It was all because a logo appeared on the big screen.

The list scrolling on the big screen was originally white with blue text, making it very eye-catching. But now, several names on the list have been given a gold suffix.

The gold suffix was a small, round ball, but it had a gaping, menacing mouth. That was the Monster Academy's label!

Yes, the gold label represents Monster Academy! Only contestants from Monster Academy can enjoy such an honor.

On the competition stage,

Zuo Qiulun stood calmly on the competition stage, looking at his opponent, Hua Lantang, one of the eight Heavenly Kings of Monster Academy, known as the "Wolf King."

A young man of average appearance and build, whose temperament and appearance were no different from ordinary people, would be hard to recognize in a crowd if he were not wearing the school uniform of Monster Academy.

[You've arranged for one of the Eight Heavenly Kings to fight me in the very first match? Are you trying to test my strength as much as possible?]

However, it seems I'm going to disappoint you.

Looking at Zuo Qiulun opposite him, Hua Lantang dared not slack off and immediately adopted a fighting stance, his eyes focused intently.

He was also present during the clash between Zuo Qiulun and Long Yue. As one of the Eight Heavenly Kings, he was well aware of the terrifying strength of Long Yue.

But I couldn't gain any advantage just now. There's no doubt that this opponent is very strong!

Even though Zuo Qiulun was standing there doing nothing, Hua Lantang had a premonition that this opponent was terrifying.

If he doesn't go all out from the start, he won't even have the right to make a move!

Over at Monster Academy.

Dai Yueyan, observing the commotion, asked Long Yue beside him, "Brother Long, what do you think Lan Tang's chances of winning are?"

Long Yue shook his head and sighed, "Lantang has no chance of winning. In the exchange just now, I used my full strength as usual, but I still couldn't budge him at all. Moreover, he probably didn't even use half of his strength."

"What!" Upon hearing this, not only Dai Yueyan was shocked, but the others from Monster Academy also exclaimed in surprise. How could they not know the extent of Long Yue's power?

Even he himself felt inferior, so what kind of monster must Zuo Qiulun be!

At this moment, the referee walked to the center of the competition platform. Since the rules had already been explained in the preliminary rounds, all the contestants who had made it this far were well aware of them.

So this time, without even explaining the rules, they simply raised their right hand and announced, "Ready for the match. Three, two, one, go!"

With the announcement that the match was about to begin, Hua Lantang immediately started moving around the competition stage.

"Wolf!"

Without any hesitation, Hua Lantang immediately summoned his One-Word Battle Armor.

As pieces of battle armor attached to Hua Lantang's body, his body also changed. Four purple and one black spirit rings rose from his feet, making him a five-ring spirit king with ten-thousand-year spirit rings.

Its body rapidly transformed as it charged forward, its originally ordinary physique instantly becoming strong, its head taking on a wolf-like shape, its lips protruding, revealing gleaming white fangs.

But instead of wolf fur, purple scales sprouted from his body.

These scales, presented in a strange oval shape, covered his entire body, filling his already swollen body, which was over two meters tall, with a powerful sense of strength.

A pair of sharp claws protruded, and its speed suddenly increased dramatically.

This is his martial spirit: Dragon Wolf!

The Dragon Wolf is an ancient wolf-type soul beast with dragon blood. Dragon bloodlines are generally extremely domineering and domineering, intolerant of other bloodlines coexisting with them. Therefore, any wolf bloodline that can coexist with them is naturally not simple.

The dragon wolf is a powerful race that combines the advantages of two powerful soul beast bloodlines.

This kind of martial spirit is passed down only through a single lineage, which is unique to the Star Luo Continent. Back then, Hua Lantang's ancestors were one of the rulers of the original inhabitants of the Star Luo Continent.

He possesses not only the immense destructive power bestowed by his dragon bloodline, but also the terrifying speed unique to his wolf bloodline.

The Dragon Wolf Martial Soul, with its speed fully unleashed, is absolutely comparable to any agility-based Martial Soul available today.

With the added boost from the One-Word Battle Armor, his combat power is terrifyingly strong; even Soul Saints without battle armor cannot defeat him.

He started running around the arena from the beginning to buy himself time to activate his battle armor.

But at this moment, just as he was about to complete equipping his battle armor, his opponent showed absolutely no reaction. Since the start of the match, Zuo Qiulun hadn't made a single move, not even releasing his martial soul.

Only a confident smile played on his lips, as if he wasn't competing at all, but watching a farcical performance.

He was indeed confident. Four years ago, when he was still a Soul Master, he was capable of defeating his current opponent, let alone now that he had mastered the Innate Secret Technique of the Body Master.

But when this scene came into Hua Lantang's view, his pride as a genius of the Star Luo Continent was instantly ignited, and he immediately prepared to make a move.

Despite his anger, he dared not be careless.

A flash of purple light appeared in his eyes, his third spirit ring lit up, and his scales shimmered with a strange metallic luster. Third Spirit Skill: Dragon Wolf's Fury.

This is a power and speed-boosting soul skill from his second soul spirit: the Unicorn Tyrannosaurus.

But that's not all. Immediately following, the fourth soul skill, Dragon Wolf Earth-Splitting Claw, was activated!

Hua Lantang charged toward Lu Fa again, his fifth spirit ring lit up, and his speed suddenly increased. His body flashed seven times.

The sharpness of the wolf claws gleamed, and the seven purple lights that his figure transformed into were filled with the oppressive aura of death.

[At the very least, we must injure him!] This was Hua Lantang's thought.

Just as he was using his speed to move around Zuo Qiulun, trying to find a weakness, he discovered that Zuo Qiulun had already turned his head and was watching his position.

Zuo Qiulun stood still, snorted coldly, and stomped his right foot hard on the ground. The powerful blood and qi, tempered by the innate secret method of the Body Sect, suddenly erupted, forming a golden blood and qi shield around him.

This is precisely the sign that the Body Sect's innate secret technique has been activated!

In the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of Hua Lantang.

His palm slowly opened, his five fingers coming together, transforming into an incomparably sharp hand blade. A terrifying golden aura swirled around this blade, carrying a chilling aura as it slashed down towards Hua Lantang.

Suddenly, an extreme sense of crisis arose in Hua Lantang's heart. He instinctively wanted to retreat quickly, but a powerful mental force, like a giant hammer, pinned him to the spot.

With no other option, he had to grit his teeth and face the opponent head-on, frantically channeling all his soul power and unleashing his sharp, claw-like wolf claws at his adversary.

A clang, like the sound of weapons clashing, mingled with the sound of flesh tearing apart.

With a "poof," Hua Lantang's battle armor shattered instantly, scattering fragments everywhere. A hideous wound appeared on his chest, and blood gushed out like a fountain.

The wound was extremely deep, as if it had been inflicted by some sharp weapon, a truly shocking sight.

His once invincible right arm was shattered into several pieces by this blow, with some bones even piercing through the flesh. The white bones looked particularly terrifying against the backdrop of blood.

The audience below the stage was stunned by this scene. They stared wide-eyed, unable to believe what was happening before their eyes. This was supposed to be a fierce battle, but the outcome was decided in the blink of an eye.

Zuo Qiulun, meanwhile, had already turned and walked off the stage with a nonchalant air.

He muttered to himself, "This time I controlled the force well; I didn't cut it in half directly."

The referee, realizing what was happening, loudly announced:

"Zuoqiulun wins this match!"