46 Chapter 46: Bibi Dong's Move, Lu Yuan vs Qin Yuan
To everyone's surprise, Lu Yuan won the competition against Qin Tian very easily, which left many people feeling disappointed.
After all, the competition in the Training Camp was already fierce, with only ten people able to successfully graduate, and now with the addition of a strong contender like Lu Yuan, there would be one less place to compete for.
This situation was not just limited to the ordinary students, even the four Spirit Grand Masters of the Camp were wary of Lu Yuan's strength. While the ordinary students competed for the top ten spots, the Spirit Grand Masters were fighting for the top three, as only those three would be qualified to join the Supreme Pontiff Palace.
Originally, it was just the four of them vying for it, but now, Lu Yuan's strength had made them include him in their competition for the top three as well.
Lu Yuan, however, did not care about their concerns. He had only come to the Camp to win the Championship and was not interested in anything else. Yet, sometimes it was necessary to demonstrate his strength.
Now, after defeating Qin Tian, Qin Yuan and his group no longer dared to provoke him. When he went to the cafeteria to eat, these same people now avoided him in fear, reminding him of the Nuoding Academy students who had also been afraid of him.
After spending a few more days at the Camp and experiencing the training it provided, Lu Yuan had to say that it was indeed quite efficient.
Instructor Li Xing seemed to have some kind of competition with him, as he was always there every time he trained, and then watched him silently with an expression on his face that made him shiver.
Soon, after a week at the Training Camp, Lu Yuan had his third test, which was the so-called mental test, or rather, willpower test!
This time, the test of willpower consisted of resisting Li Xin's pressure for an incense stick.
As a high-ranking Spirit Saint, Li Xing's pressure could be gradually increased until it became too difficult for Lu Yuan to withstand, and it was a good test because it tested his limits without causing any harm to his body.
And the results of the test were a shock to Li Xin.
Generally, a Spirit Master who could withstand pressure equal to two-thirds of their own rank was considered good, while one who could withstand pressure equal to their own rank was a true genius. A Spirit Master who could withstand pressure beyond their own rank was a monstrous talent that defied common sense.
Lu Yuan's rank was only 18, yet he withstood the equivalent of a rank 35 soul power before reaching his limit, surpassing his own rank by almost 20 levels! This achievement greatly surprised Li Xin on the spot.
This was to be expected, after all, Lu Yuan trained for several weeks with She Long, and from time to time they also conducted training of this kind, so it could be said that he was quite experienced.
It was thanks to this type of training that he found it easier to overcome the critical point and work his way up to Rank 17 at that time.
Once the three tests were completed, Li Xin designed a training program for Lu Yuan, the difficulty and workload of which stunned the other students, and even Yan Xiang, who was a strength-type Spirit Grand Master, was dumbfounded.
...
Meanwhile, an unknown scene was unfolding in the Supreme Pontiff Palace for all the Training Camp students.
Bibi Dong was sitting on her throne, scepter in hand, exuding grace and power.
The word "majestic" would best describe her.
"Li Xin, how did he do?" Bibi Dong spoke slowly.
Li Xin knelt down on one knee, his formerly proud head now looking towards the ground as he said, "Your Eminence, Lu Yuan is a true prodigy!" Immediately after, Li Xing detailed Lu Yuan's entire performance at the Training Camp.
"I see." After listening to Li Xing's report, Bibi Dong asked, "Do you think he can win the Championship?"
"Absolutely!" Li Xin was very confident.
After many tests, no one in the entire Camp knew Lu Yuan's strength better than himself. In a one-vs-one, nobody was his opponent, not even Lin Feng or any of the other Spirit Grand Masters.
"Fine... this time, I need the rules of the Championship to be adjusted slightly."
"Adjust the rules of the Championship? Please enlighten me, Your Eminence." Li Xin was a bit confused.
"This time, unlike the previous Selection Tournaments, after the four finalists have been selected, the regular rounds will be changed to a challenging round, where they will face off against each other. However, allying with each other during the match will not be forbidden," explained Bibi Dong with a calm expression.
"Your Eminence, you...?" Li Xin was very puzzled; he could not understand Bibi Dong's intention in doing this.
"Only the strongest is worthy to be my disciple." She replied in an indifferent tone.
!!!!!
Hearing Bibi Dong's words, Li Xin was shocked. He finally understood Bibi Dong's intention. She wanted to take Lu Yuan as her disciple, and the championship round would be nothing but his final test!
And with these new rules, being the strongest of the four by a wide margin, Lu Yuan would probably be besieged by the other three finalists.
"Yes, Your Eminence!" Li Xin replied.
"Fine, you can leave now," said Bibi Dong, dismissing Li Xin.
Li Xin walked out of the Supreme Pontiff Palace, still a little dazed. Bibi Dong's words had greatly shocked him.
As Li Xin left the Supreme Pontiff Palace, the atmosphere grew still once more.
Bibi Dong's eyes flickered with an indescribable color, 'Lu Yuan, Lu Yuan, don't fail me.'
Her gaze drifted towards the Douluo Consecration Hall, and with a deep resentment simmered in her eyes, she muttered under her breath, "Qian Clan... one of these days... I will destroy you!"
'... Renxue, hehe, it was all thanks to your little tricks that I was able to confirm that the Golden Dragon Martial Soul is, as the legends say, comparable to the Seraphim. You really gave me a great gift this time.' A faint smile showed on Bibi Dong's delicate face as her gaze seemed to pierce through space and looked in the direction where Lu Yuan was standing.
With the three greatest geniuses of the Training Camp facing him in the finals, no one could object to her decision to take Lu Yuan as her second disciple!
...
Time passed like water, and three months flew by.
The amount of training Lu Yuan underwent during this time shocked the entire Training Camp. It was unknown what kind of demon possessed Li Xin, but Lu Yuan's training became more and more intense every day. Even Lu Yuan, who was used to grueling training, found it difficult to persevere. However, the rewards achieved after the training were substantial.
During these three months, Lu Yuan reached a new height. Although his rank remained at 18, both his strength and physical qualities had significantly improved. He was much stronger than he was three months ago, and this was all due to the training he received.
It could be seen that the decision to place him in the Training Camp had been the right one.
Only a training specialist like Li Xin could bring out the full potential of Lu Yuan's physique. This had nothing to do with his level of cultivation but was based on the many years of experience training an innumerable number of students, all being geniuses among geniuses.
...
Once the three months had passed and the Selection Tournament arrived, the atmosphere of the entire Training Camp suddenly became extraordinarily heavy.
Most of the students had spent three years of hard training just for this moment.
Those who emerged victorious would have a bright future ahead of them, while those who lost would suffer a setback of three years in their lives. The competition was that ruthless and intense.
However, the arrival of the Selection Tournament did not put any kind of pressure on Lu Yuan, as he believed in his own strength. He was probably the only one in the entire camp who was so calm.
Yuan Xin, who shared a room with him, had been much quieter than usual these days and spent a lot of time cultivating every day. His talent was not exceptional, and he was barely above average in the Training Camp, so it would be very difficult for him to achieve a place in the top ten.
Yuan Xin's Martial Soul was the Purple Jade Bamboo, a Plant-type Martial Soul following the Control System, with a soul power of around Rank 18.
With such an age and rank, he would already be considered a genius outside, but in the Training Camp where there were so many talented people, he didn't stand out too much.
Purple Jade Bamboo was a Martial Soul that stood out among the Plant types, and Yuan Xian's Innate Spirit Power was also at Rank 8, unfortunately, there were no weak Martial Souls in the Training Camp, and the students' Innate Spirit Power was not weak in general, and there were even students with Innate Full Spirit Power, so it was normal for Yuan Xin to work that hard.
As for Qin Yuan, who was not friendly with Lu Yuan, he had been silent all these days, so he must be preparing for the Selection Tournament, after all, even though his strength was at the top of the Camp, there were several people who were no weaker than him, and it would be quite difficult for him to enter the top three.
But no matter how much more he wanted to keep preparing, the Selection Tournament was already here.
The Training Camp had been renovated, and four combat arenas had been set up in the large space, specially built by Li Xin.
There were more than 150 students in the Camp, but not all of them had to participate in the selection rounds. For most of the seven-year-olds, their time would come at the next Tournament.
As for Lu Yuan, he was a special case, as all the other students were recruited in tandem, and he was the only one who arrived this year, so he was the youngest in the whole Camp.
In total, there were about 128 students participating in the Selection Tournament. They were divided into groups of 32 people per arena, and the top 4 of each arena would advance to the next round.
The remaining 16 people from the four arenas would continue to compete for the top ten spots.
The division of the students was not random but had been discussed by the instructors and the assistants and then reasonably divided according to the student's performance, to avoid premature matches between too-strong students.
Lu Yuan was placed in the first arena.
There were 32 people in the first arena, and apart from Lu Yuan, there was a Spirit Grand Master who was the second strongest, and coincidentally, this Spirit Grand Master was none other than Qin Yuan.
Lu Yuan didn't know if Li Xin did it deliberately, but he found it interesting that he and Qin Yuan were assigned to the same arena.
That day, the sky was clear and the sun was shining brightly throughout the Training Camp, which made people feel relaxed, it was the official start of the Selection Tournament.
With his hands behind his back, Lu Yuan stood near the first arena, and apart from Yuan Xin, there was no one else around him.
That's right, apart from Qin Yuan, there were also Yuan Xin and a certain yellow-haired lackey named Li Zhi, who was now scared to death as he hid in a corner.
Li Zhi's Martial Soul was a Berserk Mastiff, with a soul power of rank 17.
Apart from Lu Yuan and the other four Spirit Grand Masters, there were five or six Rank 19 and one Rank 20 Spirit Masters in the Training Camp.
It had to be said that the Spirit Hall, which controlled almost 60% of the world's Spirit Masters, had many geniuses under its command, and if the students of this Training Camp went to the Spirit Master Academies of the Empires, they would all have the treatment of higher-level geniuses.
The Spirit Hall was responsible for awakening the Martial Souls of all Spirit Masters on the Continent. Although civilians did not have Martial Souls inherited through the bloodline, there were always some geniuses that would appear from time to time, and most of these geniuses would decide to join the Spirit Hall, so naturally, there would be no shortage of geniuses in the Spirit Hall.
"Yuan Xin, you seem a bit nervous." Looking at Yuan Xin who was looking towards the arena, with his fists tightly clenched and his breathing slightly quickened, how could Lu Yuan not know what he was thinking?
"You're not nervous?" Yuan Xin asked back after taking a deep breath.
After three months of living together in the same room, the two of them had become closer, and after knowing him for a while, Lu Yuan knew that Yuan Xin was a cold person on the outside and warm on the inside.
So naturally, Lu Yuan would not stay away from this kind of person.
"Of course, I'm not nervous, why should I be?" Lu Yuan stretched out his hands and chuckled.
"That's also true, with your strength, there's no need for you to be nervous." Yuan Xin said, regaining some good humor.
Nowadays, who didn't know Lu Yuan's great name in the entire Training Camp? Together with Lin Feng and the other tree, they were known as the top five experts in the Training Camp, even though this guy was only Rank 18, just like him.
"On the other hand, I'm not the same as you, my strength is quite mediocre, and there are several strong opponents in the first arena, not counting you and Qin Yuan."
"Take a deep breath and relax," Lu Yuan advised, flashing Yuan Xin a reassuring smile. "With your strength, the chances of advancing are still high. Panicking will only make you unable to compete to the best of your abilities, and you'll regret it later on."
Yuan Xin nodded thoughtfully, taking another deep breath. "I just hope I won't run into any overly difficult opponents."
"Ah, but where's the fun in that?" Lu Yuan teased, chuckling. "Sometimes, a challenge is what we need to push ourselves further."
Just then, Chief Instructor, Deputy Hal, and the others arrived. Lu Yuan gestured toward them. "Looks like it's time to get started."
Seeing where Lu Yuan's gaze was directed, Yuan Xin saw Li Xin and Deputy Hal slowly walking toward the center of the Training Camp, and immediately, they attracted the attention of all the students present.
Li Xing held up a list, his eyes scanning the crowd before he said, "Today is the Selection Tournament held every three years, there are four arenas here, I have already told everyone which arena they were assigned to, so I won't repeat myself. Please everyone gather near your respective arenas, the Selection Tournament will begin immediately!"
"I announce the rules for the selection competition: First, any weapon can be used, but the weapon must be inspected beforehand and no poison can be applied to it; Second, stop when the other party cannot continue, no intentional killing is allowed, transgressors will not only be disqualified but also held responsible; Third, no drugs or toxins are allowed, except for students whose Martial Souls contain toxins."
"The last point is that during the selection tournament, participating students may not use any means to harass other students. Once discovered, their qualification will be revoked immediately. Private fights are also not allowed, and lawbreakers will be disqualified!"
"Alright, that's all I have to say, now then, let's begin the selection rounds!"
When Li Xin finished speaking, the numerous students headed off to their own arenas to prepare for battle
Each arena had a manager in charge, and Deputy Hal was the manager of the first arena.
With the list in hand, Deputy Hal read, "First match, Huang Jing versus Fu Tai Luo."
"...Begin the fight!"
Huang Jing was a Rank 17 Agility Attack System Spirit Master with a Black Cat Martial Soul, while Fu Tai Luo was a Rank 17 Power Attack System Spirit Master with a White Bull Martial Soul.
The match was far from being a masterpiece in terms of fighting techniques, but it was definitely entertaining. The sight of a black figure and a white figure chasing each other around the arena like two toddlers playing tag was hilarious.
Huang Jing kept leaping around to dodge Fu Tai Luo's attacks, giving him minor scratches from time to time. In response, Fu Tai Luo tried to headbutt him with his bull-like horns, but often missed the target and ended up hitting the air instead. The students couldn't help but burst out laughing at their unorthodox and clumsy moves.
The two Spirit Masters continued to use every trick in the book, including Huang Jing pretending to trip and fall to make Fu Tai Luo stumble, and Fu Tai Luo attempting to scare him by mooing like a cow. The more they fought, the more ridiculous and funny it became, and even Lu Yuan, who was watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but put his hand on his forehead.
In the end, it was Huang Jing who emerged victorious, but he was also not unscathed and fell to the ground while holding his butt.
It was hard to imagine that those two guys had put on such a ridiculous show in front of so many people, and even Deputy Hal, who was supervising the fight, got his mouth a little twisted.
On the other hand, Yuan Xin, who was standing next to Lu Yuan, rubbed his buttocks with a look of fear. It seemed that Fu Tai Luo's last move had left him with a lingering fear.
Unfortunately for him, the matches had to continue.
"Next match, Yuan Xin against Chen Jia!"
Hearing Deputy Hal's voice, Yuan Xin's body shuddered.
"Go for it!" Lu Yuan smiled and patted his shoulder.
Yuan Xin nodded, took a deep breath, and walked up to the arena with determination.
His opponent, Chen Jia, was a Power Attack System Rank 17 Spirit Master with a Berserker Monkey Martial Soul.
The Control System was supposed to have an advantage over the Power Attack System, but it wasn't a sure thing. Yuan Xin's rank was one level higher than Chen Jia's, so he was expected to win unless something unexpected happened.
After a fierce battle filled with drama and surprises, Yuan Xin emerged victorious over Chen Jia.
He panted heavily as he arrived at Lu Yuan's side, but despite expending a lot of energy, his condition was still very good.
"You did well in your first battle." Lu Yuan said.
Yuan Xin laughed; this was naturally something to be happy about.
In the blink of an eye, an hour had passed and seven battles had already been fought in the arena.
"Next match, Lu Yuan against Li Zhi, please both sides get ready!"
Upon hearing Deputy Hal's words, Lu Yuan and Yuan Xin exchanged glances and shared a meaningful smile.
"It's him!" Qin Yuan and Li Zhi exclaimed on the other side of the first arena.
"Boss, it's Lu Yuan, what should I do?" Li Zhi panicked, knowing that facing Lu Yuan would only result in him getting his ass kicked.
"What are you asking me for? I can't help you," Qin Yuan said indifferently, stepping away from Li Zhi.
"Boss, you...!" Li Zhi pointed at Qin Yuan, feeling a chill in his heart. Was this the boss he had followed for three years?
"What?" Qin Yuan turned his head away, determined to ignore Li Zhi's gaze.
Li Zhi was in despair, realizing that his time at the Training Camp had come to an end.
"Student Li Zhi is requested to step into the arena as soon as possible!" Deputy Hal's voice rang out.
"You're still not going?" Qin Yuan's cold voice sounded.
Li Zhi, with a dazed look, stepped onto the stage and looked at Lu Yuan on the opposite side, feeling a complex mix of emotions in his heart.
"Hehe, relax, we're not enemies, are we?" Laughed Lu Yuan lightly before continuing, "So, are you going down on your own or do you want me to send you down?"
Li Zhi raised his head, his eyes were confused, the fear of Lu Yuan and the resentment towards Qin Yan in his heart made him go crazy, and his eyes turned blood red.
"I will tear you apart!" With bloodshot eyes, Li Zhi suddenly became fierce.
"So it's the Berserk Mastiff's Martial Soul madness, huh?" Lu Yuan's tone was light. If one didn't know how to control it properly, a possessor of the Berserk Mastiff Martial Soul had a high probability of falling into such a state of madness if their mental state decayed.
"Shatter!" The Berserk Mastiff's Martial Soul possessed his body, and Li Zhi's figure charged towards Lu Yuan.
<First Spirit Skill: Mastiff Fang> A sharp blade emerged from Li Zhi's claws as he charged towards Lu Yuan.
Li Zhi's aura in his insane state was surprisingly equivalent to Qin Tian's.
"I didn't expect Li Zhi to have such a skill, looks like he's not entirely a waste." Outside the arena, Qin Yuan smiled coldly, the stronger Li Zhi was, the more trouble he would bring Lu Yuan, although he didn't expect Li Zhi to win, he was happy to make things harder for Lu Yuan.
"That's interesting." Lu Yuan stomped his right foot, forming some cracks in the ground, "But it's still useless."
What greeted Li Zhi was Lu Yuan's punch.
What state of madness? What Berserk Mastiff Martial Soul? Under absolute power, everything else was meaningless.
With a single punch, with a colossal force of over two thousand pounds, Li Zhi's body was thrown straight out of the arena. The winner had already been decided.
From start to finish, Lu Yuan defeated Li Zhi without even using his Martial Soul.
Standing indifferently in the arena, Lu Yuan turned to look at Qin Yuan, who was outside of it, with a cold gaze, a person who could abandon his own people was truly disgusting.
Qin Yuan was aware of Lu Yuan's gaze but did not dare to look him in the eyes, instead, he closed his eyes tightly. His mind filled with nothing but hostility.
...
It had barely been the first day, and more than half of the participants had been eliminated.
But even those who had passed the first round of selection could not relax at all, because the next round would be the cruelest round.
Lu Yuan, on the other hand, felt no pressure and quietly returned to the dormitory with Yuan Xin.
Three days quickly passed.
During these three days, another selection round was held, in which Lu Yuan naturally passed with ease, while Yuan Xin fought a tough battle, but also made it into the top eight.
The selection rounds would be held on alternate days, which meant that there was a rest day before each selection round, and today was the next day of competition.
While Lu Yuan was unconcerned, Yuan Xin was dying of nerves.
…
Training Camp, First Arena.
"Please enter the arena, student Lin Mo and student Yuan Xin!" Deputy Hal's voice rang out.
Yuan Xin's body trembled; the first match of the round was his!
"Come on, Yuan Xin, you can win." Patting Yuan Xin's shoulder, Lu Yuan smiled slightly at him.
Yuan Xin nodded, and his gaze became determined, if he won this, he would be among the finalists!
In the first arena, two teenagers were facing each other.
Lin Mo, with the Ink Tiger Martial Soul, was a strong Rank 19 Power Attack System Spirit Master.
The so-called Ink Tiger was actually a black tiger and among the beast-type Martial Souls, the Ink Tiger was considered a high-level Martial Soul.
In the Douluo Continent, although there were many different types of Martial Souls, there was a unified standard for measuring their power, whether they were beast-type, tool-type, or plant-type Martial Souls.
Martial Souls were divided into six main classes, from low to high:
The lowest level was naturally the Waste Martial Soul, which basically had no chance of cultivation. Even if it seemed to have soul power, most of them would be at half-rank or rank 1, and very few of them would reach rank 3 or higher. The most typical example was the Blue Silver Grass, which was the most common waste Martial Soul. However, Tang San's Blue Silver Grass was the Blue Silver Emperor, which was an exception.
Next were the Low-Level Martial Souls, such as the Hammer, Scythe, and Hoe, which were Martial Souls with a low probability of having soul power. Even if they did, it would be below rank 3.
After that, there were High-Level Martial Souls, such as Wang Sheng's Battle Tiger, Su Yuntao's Lone Wolf, and even Lin Mo's Ink Tiger, all of which were high-level Martial Souls. They would usually be between rank 2 or 3, but they would rarely exceed rank 7. Lin Mo's Innate Spirit Power was Rank 8 and had been cultivated to Rank 19 by the age of 10, making him a rare talent.
Then there were the Top-Level Martial Souls. The difference between a Top-Level Martial Soul and a High-Level Martial Soul was that the former could have Innate Full Spirit Power. Generally speaking, as long as it was a Spirit Master with a Top-Level Martial Soul, the Innate Spirit Power would be no lower than Rank 5, making them innately powerful. Examples of Top-Level Martial Souls were the Clear Sky Hammer from the Clear Sky Clan and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Not many Spirit Masters in the Douluo Continent possessed a Top-Level Martial Soul.
Next was the Superior-Level Martial Soul, which surpassed the Top-Level Martial Soul and was exceptionally powerful. Spirit Masters with this kind of Martial Soul could often fight beyond their level. If Top-Level Martial Souls were relatively rare but could still be seen, Superior-Level Martial Souls were truly rare!
The owners of Superior-Level Martial Souls generally had Innate Full Spirit Power, with very few exceptions. An example of a Superior-Level Martial Soul was the Lu Yuan's Golden Dragon.
Lastly, there were the God-Level Martial Souls! Examples included Qian Renxue's Seraphim and Poseidon's Sea God from the Sea God Island. The characteristic of God-Level Martial Souls was that they possessed divinity, known as divine bestowal. Therefore, generally speaking, the owners of God-Level Martial Souls had Rank 20 Innate Full Spirit Power.
The power of God-Level Martial Souls was beyond doubt, but they were not necessarily stronger than Superior-Level Martial Souls. For example, Martial Souls like the Golden Dragon and Emerald Swan were not Rank 20 Innate Full Spirit Power, but they were still not inferior to God-Level Martial Souls in terms of quality.
As for whether there was a Martial Soul of a higher level than God-Level, it was not entirely clear, after all, above God-Level, there should be the God King Level Martial Soul, such a Martial Soul had never appeared in the Douluo Continent.
If one were to compare the two people in the arena, Lin Mo's Ink Tiger and Yuan Xin's Purple Jade Bamboo were both High-Level Martial Souls, and the difference between them was not too big. Lin Mo had a higher rank, but Yuan Xin was a Control System Spirit Master. So the strengths and weaknesses of both sides were similar, and it would be quite a surprise who would emerge as the winner.
After a fierce battle, Yuan Xin won by a narrow margin and placed in the top four, but he suffered many injuries and would need many days to recover.
After Yuan Xin's fight, there were two more fights, and after half an hour, only two people remained in the first arena: Lu Yuan and Qin Yuan.
Compared with Lu Yuan's nonchalance, Qin Yuan's face looked very unpleasant.
Deep down he was quite terrified of Lu Yuan and did not want to face him head-on, but unfortunately for him, he had to meet him in the most crucial match, which was also the ticket to the finals.
"Looks like someone doesn't want you to make it to the final." Looking at Qin Yuan's terrified face on the other side, a hint of mockery appeared on Lu Yuan's face. He did not like such a cynical, jealous, and vindictive person like Qin Yuan, not to mention that his previous behavior had been very embarrassing to watch.
