Douluo Continent: Starting with a Heavenly Fire Judgment

Chapter 174 Leadership Qualities

The entire arena had been transformed into a frozen world. The seven members of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy team had been frozen into ice sculptures. Only Ma Xiaotao and a few others, who were huddled around Ji Lin and Wang Qiu'er, were protected from being frozen by the white light surrounding them.

The white light gradually dissipated, and the Ice Dragon in the air turned into snowflakes and scattered. Ji Lin and Wang Qiu'er released their Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

The entire Xingluo Square was in an uproar; the Ice Azure Dragon had given them an unprecedented shock.

The instructor leading the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy team stood up, his expression one of utter shock and deep worry in his eyes. Although the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy students had used invincible shields before being frozen, these shields only lasted for three seconds, preventing them from being frozen immediately. But now the entire arena was frozen, and the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy team was clearly powerless to resist.

It's important to know that Ji Lin's ice is not ordinary ice, but the ultimate ice. Once frozen by the ultimate ice, it's not so easy to get out.

The team leader of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Masters hurriedly shouted to the referee, Heavenly Fiend Douluo, "We concede defeat in this team battle."

On the arena, the Heavenly Fiend Douluo had broken free of his ice seal and appeared in the center. Although he was also affected by the icy aura of the Ice Azure Dragon and frozen for a moment, a Title Douluo is still a Title Douluo. Ji Lin and Wang Qiu'er's current Martial Soul Fusion Skill could not threaten him, but being able to freeze a Title Douluo for a few seconds was still amazing. Didn't you see the deep shock and disbelief in the Heavenly Fiend Douluo's eyes as he looked at Ji Lin and Wang Qiu'er?

He had already taken precautions and used his soul power to isolate himself from the cold, but he was still frozen for a few seconds before breaking free. Even a titled Douluo like him, who could fight against a Super Douluo, could be frozen. Although it was only for a few seconds, it was still quite shocking.

After the instructor of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy conceded defeat, the Heavenly Fiend Douluo looked at Ji Lin and said in a deep voice, "Unfreeze them. You have won."

Ji Lin nodded, snapped his fingers, and the ice on the arena gradually melted. During this time, Ji Lin had become more and more proficient in using the Ice and Snow Maiden Martial Soul. He could now freely control the Ice and Snow Maiden Martial Soul's innate talent for manipulating ice. Before long, all the ice on the arena had melted, and the ice on the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy team was also melted by Ji Lin.

Although he could ignore the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy team and let their instructors have a headache, given the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy's soul tool technology, he should be able to unfreeze the students. Besides, Ji Lin's side had already won, so he wouldn't pretend to be the bad guy, as that would seem too petty.

His magnanimous act of proactively unfreezing his opponent earned him the favor of the audience and other college teams. People with broad minds are always more likely to gain the favor of others, and in the eyes of those in power, this is a kind of leadership quality.

A person in power who is narrow-minded and short-sighted cannot lead a force to glory.

Just as Elder Mu always believed that Yan Shaozhe was incapable of leading Shrek Academy and lacked the ability to become the head of the Sea God Pavilion, Yan Shaozhe was narrow-minded and short-sighted. He only had Shrek Academy in his eyes and could not see anything beyond that. He was incapable of leading Shrek to go any further.

Ji Lin's magnanimity impressed Elder Mu, who was watching from the shadows. However, he ultimately sighed inwardly. He could tell that Ji Lin's mind was not on Shrek Academy, and given Ji Lin's background, it was impossible for him to join the Sea God Pavilion. He and Shrek Academy were ultimately not on the same path, but not being on the same path does not necessarily mean being enemies; they can also be friends or allies.

On the city wall, Xu Jiawei and Dai Hao looked at Ji Lin with admiration. As leaders, they could see how much Ji Lin's actions would win over the hearts of the people. At least now, the graduating students from other academies present all had a good impression of Ji Lin. As long as Ji Lin extended an olive branch and promised benefits and a bright future, he could easily gain a group of loyal followers. Even the teachers leading the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy looked at Ji Lin with less hostility. They were also surprised by Ji Lin's initiative to lift the ice seal on their students. After the team battle, they still had to participate in the individual elimination rounds. Ji Lin's initiative to lift the ice seal was tantamount to asking for trouble. They were all prepared to spend a lot of money to unseal Xiao Hongchen and the others.

After the ice was broken, Xiao Hongchen and the others hugged their arms and trembled as they looked at Ji Lin and Wang Qiu'er, their eyes filled with fear.

Although they were prepared to face Ji Lin and Wang Qiu'er when they prepared their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, and launched a full-scale attack to try to interrupt them, they did not expect that the two's Martial Soul Fusion Skill was so powerful that they were powerless to resist. If it weren't for the activation of the invincible shield and the trigger-type defensive soul tools on their bodies, they would be trembling with fear.

Among them, only Meng Hongchen, being an ice-type soul master, fared somewhat better, remaining in perfect condition.

The look in her eyes as she looked at Ji Lin no longer held the resentment of defeat; instead, it burned even brighter. She hadn't expected that Ji Lin was not only an Ultimate Fire Soul Master but also a Twin Martial Soul, with his second Martial Soul being Ultimate Ice. This made her even happier, because her Martial Soul was also ice mixed with fire. This further solidified her belief that she and Ji Lin were indeed a perfect match.

Xiao Hongchen could no longer maintain his arrogance. His gaze towards Ji Lin was full of complex emotions. He knew he couldn't do what Ji Lin did, taking the initiative to unfreeze his opponent. His magnanimity and strength were far inferior to Ji Lin's current abilities.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have forced himself to break through to the Soul Saint realm in the original story in order to defeat Huo Yuhao, disregarding his future and damaging his foundation and potential.

If it were Ji Lin, he would never sacrifice his future and damage his foundation for the sake of winning or losing a single match.

Moreover, in Ji Lin's view, although the members of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy team are all from the Sun Moon Empire and are destined to be enemies in the future, enemies can also be won over. As for his Zizai Sect, if it wants to become the number one sect in Douluo Continent, it cannot be limited to the position of one country. The development of soul tools is unstoppable and is the trend of the times. It is the general trend. If it wants to become the number one sect in Douluo Continent, developing soul tools is a must. Therefore, the talents of the Sun Moon Empire cannot be let go. Just because his current position is on the side of the Star Luo Empire does not mean that he should unilaterally be hostile to the Sun Moon Empire.

Moreover, for Ji Lin, the Star Luo Empire was not important; what mattered were Xu Jiujiu and Xu Jiawei, and Shrek Academy was not important; what mattered were his close acquaintances like Ma Xiaotao, Zhang Lexuan, and Bei Bei. The future of the Soul Beast Clan was not important; what mattered was Wang Qiu'er, since he was a despicable outsider.

For Ji Lin, on his path to becoming the strongest, all he needs to do is protect those around him; nothing else matters. Once he has the ability, he wouldn't mind doing something for the pitiful commoners of Douluo Continent, nor would he mind finding a way out for the soul beast race, provided he has the ability.

After Xiao Hongchen and the others stepped off the arena, Tian Sha Douluo faced the imperial city and said in a deep voice: "In the final team battle of the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament, Shrek Academy has won. Both sides will have one minute to rest. After one minute, the individual elimination rounds will begin. At the same time, both sides should decide on the seven people to participate in the elimination rounds. Once decided, they cannot be changed."

The entire Star Luo Square was silent for a moment, then cheers erupted like a tsunami. Ji Lin and Wang Qiu'er's Martial Soul Fusion Skill shocked the entire audience and brought Shrek Academy a team victory in the battle. The audience had already been captivated by the two.

Ji Lin and the others returned to Shrek Academy's rest area. Wang Yan said excitedly, "Well done! In the upcoming individual elimination rounds, the students from Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy will definitely not be able to recover to their peak condition. We're going to win!"

Xuanzi leisurely ate a chicken leg, a smile on his lips, without saying a word.

He hadn't expected that after losing four inner court disciples, Ji Lin and the others could easily make it to the finals. Although he knew the power of Ji Lin and Wang Qiu'er's spirit fusion skill, their ability to defeat the Sun Moon Royal Spirit Master Academy, Shrek Academy's arch-rival, was still beyond his expectations.

In his view, the upcoming individual elimination rounds were no longer in doubt.

Not only Xuanzi, but the audience present did not think that the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy could make a comeback. Anyone with eyes could see that apart from Ma Rulong and Meng Hongchen, who still had most of their fighting strength, the other members of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy had been frostbitten and their soul power was severely depleted. One minute was not enough time for them to fully recover.

Within the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy area, the healers provided by the Star Luo Empire were doing their best to treat the frostbite of several team members. Each of them had a baby bottle in their mouth to restore their soul power.

Even so, it's unrealistic to expect to recover within a minute.

The good news is that they still have two Soul Kings who were replaced by Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen and did not play, plus Ma Rulong and the Hongchen siblings, they still have the strength to fight.

Before the individual elimination rounds begin, both sides must first determine the order of appearance and then hand it over to the referee to ensure as much fairness as possible.

Wang Yan had already prepared the list and handed it over to Huang Jinxu, the Heavenly Fiend Douluo, immediately.

Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy quickly determined the order of appearance. They could not let Ma Rulong and the Hongchen siblings go first, because they needed to give them more time to recover. Therefore, the first to go would definitely be the two Soul Kings who had not participated in the team battle and were in good condition.

"The individual elimination rounds begin, with the first players from both sides taking the stage. Shrek Academy, Xu Sanshi; Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, Li Yan."

The first to appear on Shrek Academy's side was Xu Sanshi, while the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, as expected, sent Li Yan, who had not participated in the team battle.

Wang Yan believed that Shrek Academy had already won this individual elimination tournament, so he prepared to send the reserve team to participate in the first few battles to let them experience more battles and accumulate experience, while Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng would be the last to appear.

Xu Sanshi waved to the crowd with a grin and then jumped onto the arena.

Although he felt no pressure at the moment, he was actually quite serious. Even though winning or losing wouldn't affect Shrek Academy's victory, he didn't want to lose the match.

Although he couldn't use his full strength without Jiang Nannan's stimulation.

But he won't give up easily.

Li Yan was originally one of the seven regular members of the Sun and Moon Team, but his replacement by Meng Hongchen and Xiao Hongchen shows that he ranked low among the original seven. His martial soul is fire element, but it's not pure fire; it's a Li Fire with many impurities. If he simply cultivated soul master abilities, it would be difficult to gain sufficient strength. Therefore, he chose the path of a soul master. He cannot use his martial soul to generate more soul power for continuous combat. However, he can use his own Li Fire to imbue his soul tools with the aura of fire through various soul skills.

Xu Sanshi happens to be of the water element, which is perfect for countering Li Yan.

Tian Sha Douluo didn't say much, just gestured for the two to step back.

"The match begins!"

With a loud shout from Huang Jinxu, the Heavenly Fiend Douluo, both sides took action simultaneously.

Li Yan waved his right hand upwards, and a thick soul-guided cannon instantly appeared on his shoulder. Without even looking, he fired a shot towards Xu Sanshi.

Instantly, a fireball the size of a human head hurtled straight towards Xu Sanshi. The fireball created a series of sonic booms as it flew through the air, distorting the air in its path.

Through the compression and condensation of the soul tool, the power of his flames should not be underestimated. Moreover, he made this soul tool himself and is very skilled at using it.

Xu Sanshi did not dodge. His third soul ring lit up, and he used his third soul skill, Xuanming Power. Xuanwu Power awakened, and the Xuanming Turtle Shield was marked with the mark of Xuanwu. His whole body was surrounded by water vapor.

When the fireball struck the Xuanming Turtle Shield, the flames were extinguished by the moisture on the shield and were directly knocked away by Xu Sanshi.

The fireball was forcefully slapped away by the shield, flying more than ten meters before exploding with a bang, while Xu Sanshi quickly rushed towards Li Yan.

Li Yan remained unfazed despite missing his target with his first shot. The arena was a hundred meters wide, and it wouldn't be easy for Xu Sanshi to reach him in a short time.

Metal cannon barrels instantly appeared on his body, and beams of bright light flashed continuously. Not only that, he also replaced his body with a huge cannon, but this cannon was not used to bombard Xu Sanshi, but rather to bombard the top of Xu Sanshi.

A massive net of fire descended from the sky in an instant, heading straight for Xu Sanshi and engulfing him.

In that instant, a ray of black light appeared on Li Yan's body, and Xu Sanshi's figure disappeared. In his place appeared Li Yan, while Xu Sanshi appeared in Li Yan's place. Facing his attack, Li Yan's face was ugly. Xu Sanshi's fourth soul skill was used too secretly. His defensive soul tool required him to actively trigger it. He was a beat too slow to react and failed to open the shield in time to block Xu Sanshi's fourth soul skill lock.

With no other option, Li Yan could only unleash an invincible shield to block the bombardment from above.

(End of this chapter)