Douluo: Dragon King's Tai Chi Mystery

Qian Gu Zhangting's gaze deepened: "We should listen to Grandpa's advice, set aside personal feelings, focus on refining the Panlong Staff, and try to gain the approval of that monster at the top..."

The high-rise elevator leads to the hundredth floor of the Spirit Pagoda. Na'er crossed her arms and rubbed her body vigorously, saying indignantly, "Qian Gu Zhangting is really disgusting. After I cultivate for a few more years, I will definitely beat him up!"

He was born into a very good family. From a young age, he was secretly designated as the first in line to succeed the Spirit Pagoda Master, and the entire ancient family protected him!

Zhao Xuanzhen, you're full of bad intentions. Hurry up and think of a way. I don't want to work with this kind of tower master in the future..."

"Explain yourself, what do you mean by me being malicious?" Zhao Xuanzhen was speechless. "The crown prince is just the crown prince. The one who ascends the throne may not be the crown prince, or even if he is the emperor, so what? There are many stories in history of assassinating the emperor."

Chinese history is vast and complex, and Zhao Xuanzhen has never believed in any order of succession. The strong adhere to the Xuanwu Gate succession system!

“Yes, let’s take down the Ancient Pavilion. You’ll be the tower master, and Gu Yue and I will be the deputy tower masters. Then we’ll go out and have some fun, and leave all the troublesome official duties to Gu Yue. The Trident will each do its own job!”

Na'er raised her arm and, in just a few words, decided the future structure of the Spirit Transmission Tower. Zhao Xuanzhen exclaimed, "You know what, you really have to say it!"

Perfect!

A moment later, the high-rise elevator arrived at the 100th floor. Zhao Xuanzhen gestured for Na'er to go up and knock on the door, while he followed without saying a word.

"Knock knock knock, it's Aunt Leng, it's me!"

Na'er's cheerful voice drifted into the room. Leng Yaozhu was sitting on the sofa handling official business when she shot out a burst of soul power without even looking up, and the door suddenly swung open.

On the lavishly decorated hundredth floor, Zhao Xuanzhen looked at his beloved teacher. After a year apart, Leng Yaozhu's appearance had hardly changed, and her figure remained mature and graceful. Her fiery red dress outlined a captivating curve, making her unforgettable.

At the same time, Leng Yaozhu's aura became increasingly cold and elegant, exuding the air of a superior, like a phoenix descending from the heavens, radiating power without anger.

"Ok?"

Two footsteps approached her ears. Leng Yaozhu turned around and saw Zhao Xuanzhen's tall and slender figure reflected in her phoenix eyes. Her crimson pupils, as still as a lake, rippled with waves.

"teacher."

"Xuan, Xuanzhen..."

Leng Yaozhu's red lips trembled slightly. The difference between the two months of separation during the Golden Tree's enlightenment and Zhao Xuanzhen's second awakening was huge.

Because Zhao Xuanzhen was unable to use the soul communication system to report that he was safe, Leng Yaozhu was filled with worry every day, fearing that Shrek Academy would harm her precious disciple. As a result, her emotions gradually became agitated, and even Qian Gu Dongfeng had to give way.

At this moment, Zhao Xuanzhen appeared unharmed, and Leng Yaozhu's pent-up frustration seemed to vanish completely, restoring her composure as a former Limit Douluo.

Suppressing the urge to pull her disciple into her arms and examine her closely, Leng Yaozhu asked with concern, "Xuanzhen, have you had any problems during your year of seclusion?"

"Teacher, there's no need to worry. The life energy of the golden tree has been constantly nourishing my body."

Na'er interjected, "Speaking of which, what amazing benefits did you gain from your long period of seclusion?"

Zhao Xuanzhen smiled without saying a word, answering Na'er's question with his actions. His soul power surged outwards, and three ten-thousand-year soul rings, one black, one black, and one black, rose up one after another. Then came a brilliant golden soul ring twice the size of the ten-thousand-year soul rings!

"Four Ring Soul Sect!"

"A golden spirit ring?"

The two stunning beauties, one tall and one short, stared wide-eyed, waiting for Zhao Xuanzhen's explanation.

Zhao Xuanzhen briefly recounted his experience, omitting the Eight Deceitful Gods, but the rest was mostly the truth. The Yin-Yang field formed by two 100,000-year-old soul beasts in the underground space of the Golden Tree was several times more concentrated in energy than that of Seagod Island, which enabled him to break through to level 40 in one fell swoop, and incidentally attracted the attention of the Golden Tree Spirit.

The Golden Tree Spirit, an elder who loved investing in younger generations, voluntarily gifted 30% of its energy, which coalesced into a golden soul ring. As Zhao Xuanzhen grew, the power of the ring was gradually unlocked.

The two women were speechless. Na'er asked inquiringly, "The Golden Tree's fourth spirit ring, wouldn't its spirit skill be ridiculously powerful?"

Zhao Xuanzhen pondered: "It's not a matter of strength or weakness. This soul skill is very special. It's different from other soul skills. It has a kind of... charm."

Na'er looked bewildered; her little mind couldn't comprehend the cryptic words.

Leng Yaozhu pondered, "A ten-thousand-year-old soul spirit can provide a maximum of four soul rings. After the Golden Ancient Tree occupies the fourth soul ring, the fifth soul ring of the true self can still be provided by the Lingrui Capybara. The second soul spirit can be fused when the soul power breaks through level sixty."

"Xuanzhen, this might be a good thing. The Spirit Pagoda has a Yin-Yang attribute soul spirit that is extremely suitable for you. A Soul King might not be able to fuse with it smoothly, but a Soul Emperor should be no problem."

"Is that so? Then I'll have to look forward to it," Zhao Xuanzhen said with a smile.

"I promise you won't be disappointed." Leng Yao and Zhu Yanran smiled. "I'll tell the kitchen to prepare the dishes, and we'll have a good celebration tonight."

"I have a huge appetite right now, I want to eat a hundred bowls!"

Na'er rubbed her tummy, full of confidence, then turned to Zhao Xuanzhen: "I just remembered something, you missed the first year's final exams."

"and then?"

"You need to retake the exam."

"How do you retake the exam?" Zhao Xuanzhen guessed blindly, "They don't allow you to bring money, and you have to challenge high-level Soul Masters in ten cities?"

"That's the final exam for the first year of the outer academy. We're the prestigious Class Zero!" Na'er scoffed.

"Noble...?"

"Hey, you're focusing on the wrong thing!" Na'er glared at Zhao Xuanzhen. "The final exam is similar to the Gate of Glory, except that the Gate of Glory simulates the original Shrek Seven Devils, while the final exam faces soul beasts as enemies."

Depending on the student's talent, they will conjure up a spirit beast of equal cultivation level to engage in a life-or-death battle. For example, Xu Lizhi, as a food-type spirit master, will have a spirit beast with a slightly weaker bloodline for his final assessment: a phoenix-tailed crested snake.

Ye Xinglan was far more formidable in comparison. Her trial spirit beast was the Death Spider King, one of the twin spirits of the Rakshasa God Bibi Dong from twenty thousand years ago. Its entire body was covered in deadly poison, making it utterly repulsive.

"What kind of spirit beast are you fighting?" Zhao Xuanzhen asked curiously.

"Ice and Snow Maiden".

Na'er looked miserable, but Zhao Xuanzhen couldn't help but smile. The Snow Emperor race, the leader of the three great kings of the far north, seemed to have a youth version of the Snow Emperor's Three Wonders. For the silver-haired girl, that battle was obviously not easy.

"Stop laughing!" Na'er warned sternly, brandishing her soft, white fist.

"Okay, okay, I won't laugh." Zhao Xuanzhen conceded defeat. "I don't think I've ever heard of the final exam venue. What's it called?"

"The Arena of Life and Death".

Chapter 57 Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, God-level Martial Soul VS God-level Soul Beast, Tai Chi Domain (4K)

The following day, Shrek Academy, Class Zero classroom.

A blonde girl with a high ponytail sat in her seat. She had a beautiful face and a rare heroic spirit. Her back was as straight as a sword as she carefully studied a book on mecha manufacturing theory.

The chubby man tried his best to slow his pace, moving like a clumsy bear to the side of the blonde girl, and asked cautiously, "Sister Xinglan, have you had breakfast?"

"No, I want to study mecha manufacturing," Ye Xinglan said calmly.

The fat man's eyes lit up immediately. After saying, "I have a big meat bun," he produced two plump, white meat buns in his hands and said eagerly, "I have buns. Sister Xinglan, have some to replenish your nutrition!"

"No, you should go back."

"Oh, alright."

Upon hearing Ye Xinglan's refusal, Xu Lizhi hurriedly agreed, not daring to say another word of persuasion. He quickly ran back to his seat, then turned his head to a different angle, gazing longingly at Ye Xinglan's fair profile.

Although the silver-haired girl in his class was undoubtedly more beautiful than Ye Xinglan, Xu Lizhi was particularly fond of that handsome and aloof face. Just looking at her from afar gave him a great sense of satisfaction.

While secretly observing the goddess, Xu Lizhi could see two empty desks to Ye Xinglan's left. There were still about twenty minutes before class started. According to Na'er's usual habit, she would enter the Zero Class classroom on time in five minutes, which meant that Xu Lizhi would have five minutes to spend alone with Ye Xinglan.

For the past year, Xu Lizhi has had few worries. After all, he doesn't crave much; a glance or a simple conversation from Ye Xinglan is enough to make him happy.

Of course, this is on the premise that Ye Xinglan does not treat others better than he does.

Xu Lizhi knew that Ye Xinglan was a textbook example of a Douluo Soul Master, single-mindedly pursuing the way of the sword and subconsciously admiring the strong.

Once a genius of her age emerges who surpasses her in every aspect, Ye Xinglan, who believes in the supremacy of the strong, will inevitably turn her attention to her.

As luck would have it, there were two such monsters in Shrek Class Zero. Xu Lizhi knew that Ye Xinglan had already taken them as her role models, especially the peerless monster who topped the list of young geniuses at the age of ten.

Xu Lizhi felt incredibly fortunate that the peerless monster went to the Golden Tree to seek enlightenment not long after and never returned to Class Zero.

During that period, Xu Lizhi lived in constant fear, never daring to imagine what he would do if Ye Xinglan sparked a romance with him while she was constantly pursuing powerful figures.

Therefore, Xu Lizhi secretly hoped that the person's seclusion would last even longer...

"Squeak-"

The classroom door was pushed open from the outside. Xu Lizhi subconsciously looked over and saw his fat body tremble violently for a moment, his pupils dilating instantly.

The silver-haired girl revealed a bright smile after a long time, and charmingly linked arms with the black-haired boy. The boy, as always, had a handsome face and a gentle aura like a humble gentleman, showing no trace of the ferocity he displayed during the battle.

When Ye Xinglan saw the black-haired boy, a barely perceptible ripple appeared in her azure eyes. She then spoke softly, "Congratulations on completing your seclusion."

"Thank you."

Zhao Xuanzhen replied with a smile, "It's been a year since we last met. Ye Xinglan has grown into a beautiful young woman, increasingly stunning. Xu Lizhi, on the other hand, has gone from a chubby boy to a medium-chubby boy, and seems destined to become quite chubby."

For some reason, Zhao Xuanzhen caught a bitter and helpless expression on Xu Lizhi's chubby face, a sense of powerlessness as he watched his goddess walk away.

A quarter of an hour passed in the blink of an eye. Shen Yi walked into Class Zero's classroom as the school bell rang, not surprised to see Zhao Xuanzhen. Her teacher, Crimson Dragon Douluo Zhuoshi, was an elder of the Sea God Pavilion. He had witnessed the Golden Tree Spirit supporting Zhao Xuanzhen yesterday and had informed his little disciple of the news in advance.

"Class begins. Today we'll be discussing battle armor."

Shen Yi diligently imparted knowledge about battle armor, while the four students below the stage had different thoughts.

Ye Xinglan listened intently, afraid of missing a single point. It was true that Zhao Xuanzhen's soul power had greatly improved, but he had neglected his second profession training for a year. If he were to directly create a two-word battle armor, he would need an even more solid second profession. This lesson was a review of past knowledge.

With her childhood sweetheart safely passing the test, Na'er's mood brightened considerably. Like a top student, she listened to the lecture while also taking time to observe Zhao Xuanzhen's every move.

Whether a student is paying attention or not, the teacher on the podium knows perfectly well. Shen Yi was quite surprised that the student who was daydreaming in this class was actually Xu Lizhi. The chubby boy had always been honest and hardworking, like a diligent and conscientious old ox, but he never expected that he would also have a time when his mind wandered.

The morning's battle armor course ended quickly, and Shen Yi announced the end of get out of class, leaving Zhao Xuanzhen behind alone.

Everyone understood the reason. Na'er made a fist and cheered, then returned to Poseidon Island first.

"Xuanzhen, you missed last year's final exams. You need to take a make-up exam this afternoon," Shen Yi said gently.

"Mm." Zhao Xuanzhen nodded slightly. "Thank you for your trouble, Teacher Shen."

"Small things."

As the homeroom teacher of Class Zero, Shen Yi naturally accompanied Zhao Xuanzhen to the final exam venue.

The two walked out of the teaching building and ended up in the outer courtyard, where the arena of life and death was unveiled. Like an ancient, enclosed cage, the gray brick walls were covered with dark red vines, the surface of which was covered with fine bumps, like countless dormant blood vessels pulsating slightly.

"This used to be the academy's arena, where many hundred-year-old and thousand-year-old soul beasts were kept," Shen Yi explained.

"Ten thousand years ago, when the Soul Spirits were born, the relationship between humans and Soul Beasts greatly improved. To show the sincerity of the two races in maintaining lasting peace, the academy took the initiative to release the Soul Beasts from the arena, and the arena was abandoned ever since."

As times continue to develop and soul guidance technology advances rapidly, one after another top-notch soul guidance technology facilities emerge, such as the Spirit Transmission Tower, the Spirit Ascension Platform, the Tang Sect Hero Hall, and the Glorious Gate of the Academy.

Following discussions at a recent Poseidon Pavilion meeting, the abandoned arena was reopened and transformed into a deathmatch arena, serving as one of the testing grounds for trainees' combat abilities.

Shen Yi's tone gradually became serious: "The danger level of the Arena of Life and Death is far greater than that of the Gate of Glory. A Soul Master's outstanding talent is not only not an advantage, but may even become a disadvantage."

Remember, show no mercy. Only the death of one side can end this life-or-death battle and allow them to escape this space.

"I see."

Zhao Xuanzhen stepped through the ancient stone gate of the arena of life and death, his body slowly swallowed by the thick gray fog.

The Arena of Life and Death is a simple yet enormous circular arena, devoid of any decorations. It is so vast that it seems to stretch to the horizon, with thick fog obscuring the sky. There is no sun or moon, only boundless darkness.

"Identity verification passed. Welcome to the Arena of Life and Death." A distorted and eerie voice suddenly rang out.

"Zhao Xuanzhen from Class Zero, Soul Power Level 41, Martial Soul True Self, Talent Level Gold."

The Arena of Death is matching you with equally matched opponents…

Zhao Xuanzhen stood still, looking with great interest at the surging gray fog hundreds of meters away.

The Arena of Life and Death is actually a virtual battle space. Death does not affect reality; it is simply a battle of life and death where soul beasts are matched according to their talents.

Ye Xinglan is the Death Spider King, and Na'er is the Ice and Snow Maiden. Zhao Xuanzhen is somewhat interested in what kind of soul beast the so-called golden talent will fight.

"Match successful, Soul Beast Zero is ready to fight."

As the mist dissipated, a colossal tiger, entirely black, slowly emerged with an air of dominance. Its blood-red eyes were filled with a ferocious aura, the jet-black "King" character on its forehead was as somber as a dark cloud, and its high-held tail was composed of countless joints, with a grotesque barb at the very tip, gleaming with a sinister light.

"Dark Evil God Tiger?"

Zhao Xuanzhen's eyes darkened slightly. This matchmaking system had really brought him a worthy opponent!

The ultimate king of Douluo Season 1 is a god-level soul beast comparable to a god-level martial soul, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, a descendant of the evil god!

The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's great achievements need no further explanation. With 60,000 years of cultivation, he defeated the Title Douluo Tang San. He almost brought Tang San down with his ultimate trump card. After his death, his evil god inner core incidentally created another God King in the God Circle!

In the battle between the god-level martial soul True Self and the god-level soul beast Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, Zhao Xuanzhen could not determine whether the guy in front of him was stronger or weaker than the real Dark Demon Evil God Tiger. However, he was certain that even if Shrek Academy could not imitate the bloodline of the evil god, it must have made up for the heaven-defying stats!

Black, black, black, gold—the four spirit rings were released instantly. The dazzling gold color enveloped the deep light emanating from the third spirit ring. Right from the start, Zhao Xuanzhen activated the Golden Awakening and the Path of Limitlessness without hesitation!

With two enhanced soul skills attached to him, his true self's magnificent aura soared to the top, and ripples spread through the air wave after wave. However, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger was not afraid at all. Instead, it was aroused by Zhao Xuanzhen's intense killing intent!

"Roar--"

The tiger's roar shook the heavens and the earth. The dark demon god's tiger claw blade tore through the air, and the tiger claw flashed with a cold, hard metallic color as if it were cast from molten iron.

A foul stench swept over them, and Zhao Xuanzhen's figure swayed like a willow catkin. His first soul skill, Qi at Will, attached itself to his palms, and he used the Sparrow's Tail to brush against the tiger's claws. At the same time, he used the force of the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger to blast it into the ground!