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Li Luochen reviewed his current progress. His spirit power had now reached level eighty, and all of his spirit bones had undergone significant upgrades. The only thing missing was a right arm bone—once he obtained that, his set of spirit bones would be complete.
Li Luochen planned to reserve the right arm bone for the Titan Giant Ape. After all, the Titan Giant Ape was a super soul beast aligned with strength and earth attributes, making it highly compatible with Li Luochen's martial soul.
When the time came, he would absorb the Titan Giant Ape, while Dugu Yan would absorb the Azure Bull Python. Perfect! Tang San's opportunities would once again be snatched away. Afterward, they could go and defeat the Dark Demon Whale King, leaving Tang San without his three favorite spirit bones.
The thought alone was delightful. Ever since Yu Xiaogang harbored murderous intent toward the members of Shrek Academy, he had already been placed on Li Luochen's "must-kill" list. Unlike Dai Mubai, who had spent these years acting like a lapdog, constantly flattering Li Luochen despite still being a playboy, Li Luochen found him utterly contemptible.
Though Dai Mubai obeyed Li Luochen's every command and completed his training tasks perfectly, Li Luochen still looked down on him. Not because of his womanizing ways, but because of how he abandoned his fiancée, evaded responsibility, and indulged in a hedonistic lifestyle. In Li Luochen's eyes, a real man should have integrity and never abandon the women in his life. Someone like Dai Mubai, who discarded his fiancée, was someone Li Luochen despised from start to finish.
However, apart from offending Li Luochen with some loose talk early on, Dai Mubai had since been cautious and respectful in his presence. He never displayed his playboy side around Li Luochen.
Still, Dai Mubai liked to stir up trouble, often seeking Li Luochen's attention in hopes of being groomed more intensively so he could catch up to the monstrous Ma Hongjun and Oscar.
Given Dai Mubai's recent good behavior, Li Luochen, in a rare moment of kindness, removed the residual killing intent from Dai Mubai's body. However, he left the damaged meridians unrepaired—when Dai Mubai would die remained uncertain. Li Luochen simply wanted him to cultivate faster so he could serve as a meat shield during the upcoming Spirit Master Tournament.
Currently, the team's main forces were Oscar and Ma Hongjun. Ma Hongjun was the primary attacker, while Oscar fell into the agility-focused offensive category, excelling in speed. Next came Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong. Li Luochen had the means to help them quickly reach Soul Ancestor level.
He planned to give the Ghostly Shadow Flower to Zhu Zhuqing as a gift. After all, she couldn't escape Li Luochen's grasp. Having consumed so many of his resources, did she really think she could leave? There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
As for Ning Rongrong, she could be used for a trade. Dugu Bo had recently been experimenting with alchemy. Since he still needed time to break through to level ninety-eight and had plenty of spare time, he might as well refine his alchemical skills.
Unlike Yang Wudi, Dugu Bo had ample life span to spare. At seventy-eight years old, with his current cultivation at level ninety-seven, he could live for over two hundred years—and remain active and energetic even then.
Moreover, in this era of Douluo Continent, life force was abundant, and the lifespans of Title Douluos were generally long. Even Li Luochen's own masters, Qian Jun and Jiang Mo, were over ninety but still maintained the vitality of a middle-aged man. Particularly, his master Jiang Mo, who retained a playful and energetic personality.
Li Luochen decided to ask Dugu Bo to refine the Beautiful Silk Tulip into two pills. The Breaking Clan's alchemical techniques allowed them to extract multiple pills from top-tier immortal herbs without diminishing their potency.
However, Li Luochen believed Ning Rongrong would definitely achieve the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, but Ning Fengzhi might not. He planned to negotiate a trade with Ning Fengzhi. After all, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect possessed many treasures—it would be a shame not to take advantage of the wealthiest sect on the continent.
In the future, Little Angel could assimilate the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. After all, they were merchants at heart, always seeking to avoid danger and maximize profit—unlike the reckless Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family or Hao Tian Sect, who acted as if they were second only to the heavens.
Achieving the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was something Ning Fengzhi had pursued his entire life. Surely, he would be willing to pay a hefty price for it.
For now, Li Luochen focused on the upcoming Spirit Master Tournament. The prize was three spirit bones, predestined for the Spirit Hall's Golden Generation. However, Li Luochen believed they were also suitable for his own team. He planned to assemble a team to defeat the Spirit Hall Academy.
However, the Spirit Hall had three Soul Kings, including Xie Yue and Hu Liena, whose spirit fusion technique rivaled that of a Soul Sage. This posed a significant challenge.
Li Luochen believed their best chance lay in individual duels. He had confidence in Oscar and Ma Hongjun. Before the finals, they could break through to Soul King level, greatly increasing their chances of victory. Ma Hongjun's Soul King-level strength could rival that of a Soul Emperor, thanks to his two ten-thousand-year soul rings—a formidable combination.
If Oscar was lucky, his fifth soul ring could come from the Silver Beast, transforming him into a true battle spirit master. His ability to imprint others' soul skills was incredibly potent. If Oscar could imprint Li Luochen's soul skills, he could unleash unexpected attacks.
As for Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong, they would likely reach Soul Ancestor level by the tournament, possibly around level forty-five.
Dai Mubai, at around level forty-one, would suffice. As long as he didn't break through to Soul King level, his body wouldn't suffer adverse effects—though he might feel slightly weaker at night.
With five team members secured, there was no need for Li Luochen and Dugu Yan to step in and bully others. That would be pointless. In about a year, both would likely advance to Soul Douluo level. Together, they would surpass even Super Douluos. Was there any need for them to participate in such trivial matters?
Li Luochen decided to end his seclusion. He needed to find talented students within the academy to join the Spirit Master Tournament.
After months in seclusion, stepping out into the bright sunlight, Li Luochen strolled along the paths of Shrek Academy. Surrounding him were young students brimming with energy. Despite being only eighteen himself, he felt a sense of vitality in the air.
Currently, Shrek Academy only had an Outer Court; the Inner Court was still in the planning stages and hadn't been implemented yet. Graduation from the Outer Court required reaching level forty, while admission to the Inner Court demanded applicants to be under eighteen and at least level forty.
Li Luochen had set the Inner Court graduation requirement at reaching level sixty before the age of thirty. In this era, a thirty-year-old Soul Emperor was already considered a prodigy destined to become a Title Douluo.
Unfortunately, the cultivation resources of this era were still too rudimentary, and the path of spirit master cultivation was still in its developmental stages.
Many students greeted Li Luochen as he walked by. After all, his photo was prominently displayed in the faculty section of the academy, where students could familiarize themselves with their teachers' appearances.
Most of the geniuses who joined Shrek Academy did so to follow in the footsteps of Li Luochen, a genius spirit master who had achieved the rank of Soul Emperor at such a young age—an awe-inspiring feat.
Li Luochen's reputation within the academy far surpassed that of the current headmaster, Flender, who was now focused on enjoying family life with his wife and daughter. Day-to-day affairs were handled by Old Zhao.
Li Luochen eventually wandered into the academy's park, where he spotted Dugu Yan playing with a girl who appeared to be around eighteen or nineteen. She was slender and delicate, dressed in black robes with a black veil covering her face. Her long, cascading blue hair flowed down her back, and her strikingly beautiful large eyes matched the color of her hair. Her gaze was clear and pure, devoid of any impurities. Her long, curved eyelashes fluttered gently, as if they could speak.
"Lingling, our academy is great, isn't it? Joining Shrek Academy will definitely benefit you. That Yu Tianheng isn't a good person—he's probably pursuing you to tie your Ye family to their Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family's warship.
Look at you—you're so gentle and fragile. Don't worry, I'll protect you. No one will dare to bully you. And your grandfather can settle down in Shrek City. No one dares to cause trouble here."
Dugu Yan spoke confidently, discussing the safety of Shrek Academy with the girl. Who else would station two high-level Soul Douluos at the gates of their city? Even the Spirit Hall wouldn't be so extravagant.
"Alright, thank you, Sister Yan. I'll discuss this with my grandfather and then withdraw from the Tian Dou Imperial Academy to study at Shrek Academy."
The girl was Ye Lingling, the direct descendant of the Nine-Heart Begonia lineage. The Nine Heart Begonia martial soul was passed down through a single line, with only one inheritor per generation. Only two Nine Heart Begonia spirit masters could exist simultaneously—one had to die before another could emerge. It was undoubtedly the rarest martial soul.
Nine Heart Begonia spirit masters were known for their kind hearts, often aiding other spirit masters. Their reputation in the spirit master world was immense, and many powerful factions avoided provoking them. After all, what if their elder needed treatment and the Nine Heart Begonia masters chose not to exert their full effort?
As for threats of force? Hmph, how many powerful spirit masters owed their lives to the Ye family? Did anyone truly believe they could bully a family whose highest cultivation level was only a Soul Sage?
The Ye family of the Nine Heart Begonia was explicitly protected by the Spirit Hall, with each generation's patriarch holding an honorary Elder Token from the Spirit Hall. Though it was nominal, who dared to act against a family under the Spirit Hall's name?
This was why no one dared to annex the Ye family, despite their unparalleled healing abilities. Who would dare defy the Spirit Hall's authority?
Only someone like Yu Tianheng, unable to win over Dugu Yan, turned his attention to Ye Lengleng, hoping to bind the Ye family through marriage. However, the Ye family had strict rules: female Nine Heart Begonia spirit masters could only take a husband-in-law. Any marriage alliance required the male to become a son-in-law—a precautionary measure to safeguard the family's legacy. {T/N: To clarify: Males can only marry into the family, taking the family name instead of the female taking the male's family name.}
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