After greeting the two and having them sit on the stone bench in the courtyard, Chu Chengzhou brewed a pot of water.
He placed his hand on the teapot; fire-attributed soul power surged, and in the blink of an eye, cold water turned into boiling water. He then took some tea leaves from his storage soul tool and brewed hot tea for Ning Fengzhi and Qian Renxue.
"Please!"
Chu Chengzhou gestured politely to the two.
"Tsk tsk~ Little brother, your soul power control is quite something!"
Seeing this display, Qian Renxue could tell that Chu Chengzhou had excellent control over his soul power.
"Brother Qinghe, you flatter me!"
Chu Chengzhou smiled without taking it to heart.
"Young man, do you know you're in serious trouble?"
Blowing on his tea, Ning Fengzhi said with a smile.
"Serious trouble? Uncle Ning, you can still smile while I'm in danger?"
Chu Chengzhou rolled his eyes.
However, he already had some guesses about the "serious trouble" Ning Fengzhi mentioned.
Most likely, it was because he ran off with the big kitty—Star Luo Empire's prince's fiancée—and now the humiliated empire was planning something.
"Young brother, you left the Star Luo prince's fiancée in Heaven Dou. That Emperor of Star Luo is very displeased. According to spies our empire planted in Star Luo, they've already sent assassins after you. We haven't identified exactly who, but you need to be extra careful from now on," said Qian Renxue with a serious look.
Originally, Dai Yutian planned to deal with Chu Chengzhou after the Soul Master Tournament and then blame it on Spirit Hall, but the new twist changed everything.
The prince's fiancée got stolen. How could that be tolerated?
Whether others could tolerate it or not, Dai Yutian definitely couldn't.
A mere Chu Chengzhou dared to disgrace the empire? Every extra second he lived was a grave offense!
What does it mean to seek death? That's exactly it!
"So you're saying the real Star Luo assassins are already on their way?"
Chu Chengzhou raised an eyebrow.
"Pretty much," Ning Fengzhi nodded.
"Father-in-law, you only have one daughter—Rongrong—and I'm your only son-in-law. You have to stand up for me!
And if Star Luo keeps targeting me like this, aren't they disrespecting you? Can you put up with that?"
With a frightened look, Chu Chengzhou grabbed Ning Fengzhi's sleeve.
Ning Fengzhi: "..."
Qian Renxue: "..."
"Let go! Stop calling me that!"
Ning Fengzhi pulled back his sleeve with a look of disgust.
"Ahem~ Little brother, don't be too nervous. Ever since the assassin attack on Lanba Academy, my father has ordered royal experts to guard Heaven Dou City tightly. Assassins wouldn't dare make a move here. As long as you stay in the city, you'll be safe."
Qian Renxue cleared her throat and explained.
"Oh~ that's a relief. I thought Star Luo would send a Titled Douluo to barge into the academy and kill me on the spot!"
Chu Chengzhou nodded in realization, his expression practically saying: "That's it?"
"Your little life isn't worth sacrificing a Titled Douluo over," Ning Fengzhi rolled his eyes.
"Huh? Uncle Ning, does Star Luo even have Titled Douluo?"
Chu Chengzhou asked, surprised.
Besides Dugu Bo as a royal guest elder, neither of the two empires openly had Titled Douluo-level experts.
"They do—and not just one!"
Before Ning Fengzhi could answer, Qian Renxue cut in:"Over twenty years ago, the previous Emperor of Star Luo became a Titled Douluo and then abdicated. His title: White Tiger. No news has come of his death, and based on the lifespan of a Titled Douluo, he's surely still alive.
"In the past forty years, Star Luo has also added two new ducal families.
"You may not know this, but in Star Luo, not every Duke family has a Titled Douluo, but every newly promoted ducal family must have one.
"That's because in Star Luo's military merit system, Marquis is the top rank. Only when a family produces a Titled Douluo who's willing to serve the empire can they be elevated to Duke.
"If that Titled Douluo dies and no new one rises, the dukedom is passed on for three generations before being downgraded to Marquis."
"So Star Luo has at least three Titled Douluo?"
Chu Chengzhou blinked.
Qian Renxue shook her head gravely: "More than that. Though I hate to admit it, I'll be frank—Star Luo is stronger than our empire, especially in terms of top-tier experts.
"Due to the difference in national strength, Star Luo has retained more talented soul masters over the years, while our empire has seen an outflow. Over time, Star Luo has amassed more high-level soul masters than we have.
"Plus, the White Tiger Dai Clan—the imperial family—is one of the top soul master families on the continent. They also have the Nether White Tiger fusion skill, and the number of individuals in Star Luo with strength comparable to Titled Douluo is far greater than the public realizes.
"Everyone thinks the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is the strongest beast martial soul clan—and in terms of martial soul strength, that's true.
"But in overall family strength, I think the White Tiger Dai Clan is the real strongest.
"If the Blue Lightning Clan fought the Dai Clan, the Dai Clan would win.
"Historically, whenever our empire and Star Luo fought—even with help from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect—we were usually at a disadvantage. The biggest reason for that is the sheer number of near-Titled Douluo experts the Dai Clan has thanks to the Nether White Tiger."
From Qian Renxue's perspective as Heaven Dou's Crown Prince, this pressure was immense.
Star Luo had always wanted to conquer their empire. Worse, Spirit Hall, whose strength surpassed even Star Luo's, also watched them closely. Even with their staunch ally, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, things didn't look good.
Thankfully, Star Luo and Spirit Hall didn't get along—otherwise, Heaven Dou would have been doomed already.
"Father-in-law, since Star Luo is so powerful, I'll leave it to you. I'm your only son-in-law, after all."
Chu Chengzhou said shamelessly.
"There are plenty of outstanding young men across the continent who want to marry Rongrong. You're nothing special."
Ning Fengzhi took a sip of tea and looked at Chu Chengzhou with indifference.
Chu Chengzhou: "..."
"Fine, I'll lay low from now on. But thirty years east of the river, thirty years west—don't underestimate a poor young man!"
Chu Chengzhou declared confidently.
His True Spirit Banner martial soul's seventh soul skill was still uncertain, but in the future he would summon at least eight spirit beasts over 100,000 years old—and they wouldn't fear death. Would Star Luo dare challenge that?
Frankly, once he reached the ninth ring and became a Titled Douluo, he'd have the strength to flatten Star Luo.
"Good kid, I have high hopes for you!"
Ning Fengzhi patted Chu Chengzhou's shoulder with a satisfied smile.
"Rest assured, brother. Star Luo has long been eyeing our territory—they're our eternal enemy. Once you've matured, the whole empire will support you."
Qian Renxue also smiled.
If Heaven Dou and Star Luo went to war, who'd be happiest?
Naturally, Spirit Hall—eager to unify the continent and spread the angelic light.
With war, Heaven Dou would expand its army, and some high-ranking officers would inevitably die.
Then, as the crown prince, she could carefully promote secret agents trained by Spirit Hall to high positions. Wouldn't that put the entire military under her control?
And with military power in hand and the emperor dead, she could immediately ascend the throne.
A new emperor brings new ministers. Once she purged the court and military, wouldn't Heaven Dou be ruled by "Qian" instead of "Xue"?
A perfect plan!
The only question was whether Chu Chengzhou, this "martial soul oddity" of a genius youth, could stir up a storm between the two empires.
After the chat and delivering the message, Ning Fengzhi called his precious daughter over, gave a few reminders, and then left with Qian Renxue.
Once they were gone, Zhu Zhuqing hurried over, eyes full of worry as she tightly held Chu Chengzhou's hand.
"Don't worry, Zhuqing. Believe in your man!"
Chu Chengzhou knew exactly what his big kitty was worried about and quickly reassured her.
He'd already expected Star Luo's reaction.
As long as he stayed close to Ning Fengzhi during the Soul Master Tournament, his safety was guaranteed.
Even if Star Luo had stronger experts than Chen Xin or Gu Rong, they wouldn't lower themselves to play assassin.
After the tournament, he'd hide out in Heaven Dou for a year or two and train. Once Xiong Da hit 50,000 years, even ordinary Titled Douluo would be easy to knock down—what was there to fear from some assassin?
He might even bring Chen Xin or Gu Rong along to "fish" and wipe out a whole assassin team. After such a slap in the face, Star Luo would probably just swallow their anger.
Even someone like Dai Yutian, for all his pride, would have to back down if the cost of assassination became too high.
"After all, top talents are still highly valuable. And at the end of the day, the person he 'abducted' was merely the fiancée in name of a useless prince. The Star Luo Empire wouldn't go so far as to risk everything over that."
The promotion tournament was unlike the preliminary rounds, where multiple matches happened simultaneously. Instead, there was only one venue — the large training ground used regularly by the Royal Knights.
Fifteen teams were participating in the promotion tournament, set to undergo a 14-round round-robin competition, one round per day. Each day, one team would have a bye, leading to seven matches per day.
The large training field had been remodeled, with a 100-meter diameter circular area marked in the center as the combat arena. Compared to the preliminary rounds' platforms, this battlefield was more spacious, naturally allowing for a greater display of strength.
On the northern side of the field, a temporary VIP stand had been erected, facing south. This also served as the judges' area.
This time, the number of nobles from the Heaven Dou Empire who came to watch was significantly lower than during the preliminary rounds.
Looking around, the front row of the VIP stand still seated the Snow Night Emperor, Ning Fengzhi, and the platinum bishop Salas. Behind them, apart from Xue Qinghe, the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, the rest were all senior military officials in general's attire and high-ranking members of the Heaven Dou Spirit Hall.
Outside the training ground, ten thousand Royal Knights in gleaming armor formed an impenetrable perimeter.
The front ranks stood on the ground while those behind remained mounted on their steeds, forming a huge encircling ring. This level of security could only be described as watertight.
Between the knights' encirclement and the combat field stood the fifteen teams participating in the promotion tournament — even the team with a bye still showed up.
Even if they didn't have to fight today, it was crucial to observe and assess their opponents' strength.
The rules for the promotion tournament were simple: each team sends out seven members. A team member continues to fight until defeated. If victorious, they face the next opponent, continuing until one side's seven members are all defeated.
In other words, if one contestant was overwhelmingly powerful, it wasn't impossible for them to defeat the entire opposing team alone.
The results of the draw were announced the night before. Liu Erlong, who went to draw lots, had rather poor luck — Blue Tyrant Academy did not get a bye in the first round.
Their opponents were Balak Academy, the advanced soul master academy directly under the Balak Kingdom. Moreover, theirs was the first of the seven matches scheduled for the day.
Upon arriving at the training field, Liu Erlong gathered the group, swept her gaze across Chu Chengzhou and the other nine, and said, "First match of the promotion tournament — I want a solid start. Chu brat, go up there and take them all down."
Being the first round and first match, Liu Erlong believed it was necessary to showcase Blue Tyrant Academy's strength and hopefully start on an auspicious note.
Hearing this, Chu Chengzhou was momentarily stunned, then nodded.
A 1v7? No big deal!
Not long after, the Snow Night Emperor stood up from the VIP stand and spoke loudly through a soul amplifier device:"The Heaven Dou division's promotion tournament officially begins today! In the next fourteen days, may all academy teams give their best and display the dignity of soul masters! Let the tournament begin!"
The moment he finished, the ten thousand Royal Knights raised their lances in unison and roared:"Long live! Long live! Long live!"
Then, each academy submitted the battle order of their team members.
There was a rule in the promotion tournament: teams must submit the order of appearance before the match begins, and once submitted, it could not be changed. This was to prevent teams from deliberately using soul or attribute counters.
Soon, the referee stepped onto the field and announced:"First round, first match: Blue Tyrant Academy versus Balak Academy. Will both sides send out their first contestant."
"Go on, Chu brat!"Liu Erlong clapped Chu Chengzhou on the shoulder and pointed at the field, shouting somewhat dramatically.
Chu Chengzhou: "…"
I'm not Pikachu!
Blue Tyrant Academy's first fighter was their captain, Chu Chengzhou. But Balak Academy took a different approach.
As the top-ranked team in the Heaven Dou preliminaries, Blue Tyrant Academy had drawn significant attention from the other schools. Even if the full details weren't known, basic intelligence had been gathered — especially regarding Chu Chengzhou, who had shown exceptional strength.
Put simply, if anyone had the chance to "shave their opponent bald," they likely would — especially in the high-profile opening match.
But while losing was acceptable, being swept 1v7 was not — not for a kingdom-affiliated academy like Balak.
So, Balak Academy's team order was arranged from weakest to strongest.
Even if Chu Chengzhou was formidable, he was just a four-ring Soul Ancestor. After several continuous fights, his soul power would surely run low. By then, sending out their strongest fighter could stop his 1v7 dream.
Seeing that Balak's first fighter was only a three-ring Soul Elder, Chu Chengzhou curled his lip.
Attrition strategy? Sounds good in theory. But do you really have what it takes to tire me out?
"Begin!"The referee gave the signal. Chu Chengzhou's martial soul, the True Spirit Banner, materialized in his hand. His disguised first soul ring lit up, and soul power surged. A massive cyan tree spirit — Xiao Qing — was summoned beside him.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
In the next second, dozens of tough, dark green vines lashed out toward the opponent.
"Hah! Third Soul Skill — Blazing Eruption!"
Balak's first fighter, whose martial soul was a Flame Weasel, activated his third ring. Intense flames surged toward the incoming vines.
In theory, his thousand-year third offensive soul skill should not be weaker than Chu's hundred-year first soul skill, especially since fire counters wood. Theoretically, Xiao Qing's vines should have burned to ash.
But unfortunately for him, they barely blackened a little before breaking through the flames and binding him tightly. Within three seconds, he was hanging from a tree.
You think a mere fire-element Soul Elder's thousand-year soul skill can burn the vines of a ten-thousand-year plant-type soul beast? Keep dreaming!
"Next!"
After ceremoniously dangling his opponent for three seconds and then tossing him out, Chu Chengzhou waved his flag at Balak's team.
The coach of Balak Academy, face darkened, sent in their second Soul Elder.
"Wait!"
At that moment, a red-robed cardinal from Spirit Hall's Heaven Dou branch stood from the second row of the VIP stand.
"Hm?"Chu Chengzhou raised an eyebrow and looked over.
"Contestant from Blue Tyrant Academy, please retract your summoned beast. Only after the referee starts the match for Balak's second fighter may you summon again.Otherwise, it's unfair for the new opponent if you pre-activate your abilities."
The cardinal said this with blatant hostility.
Want a 1v7 in the promotion tournament? Dream on! Spirit Hall won't let some outsider soul master shine like that.
Chu Chengzhou: "…"
So what you're saying is, I have to summon Xiao Qing seven times if I want to wipe the floor with Balak?
Still, the red-robed man had a point — using soul skills before the opponent appeared wasn't entirely fair.
Clicking his tongue, Chu retracted Xiao Qing and even put away the True Spirit Banner.
"Contestant from Blue Tyrant Academy, please summon your martial soul," the referee reminded him.
"No need. I don't even need a martial soul for this one."Chu waved it off casually.
Referee: "…"
Balak's second fighter: "…"
The referee gave the start signal, and Chu Chengzhou unleashed his illusion technique — powerful spiritual energy quietly invaded the opponent's consciousness.
In moments, Balak's second fighter fell into a dreamlike trance.
"Take him away. Next!"
Chu waved again at Balak's team.
Referee: "???"
The referee — a six-ring Soul Emperor — hadn't even sensed anything. When he saw the dazed opponent, he had to signal the Royal Knights to carry him off.
"Third contestant from Balak Academy — begin!""Next!""Fourth contestant — begin!""Next!"
One by one, Chu Chengzhou defeated five Soul Elders and one Soul Ancestor, calling out "Next!" six times.
Balak's last fighter was now their captain, Lovski.
"Sigh… Lovski, do your best," the coach said, patting him on the shoulder. The attrition plan had completely failed.
Everyone knew Balak Academy had been utterly humiliated. They were the first team to get 1v7'd in this year's promotion tournament.
The coach's heart was full of bitterness. How was he going to explain this disaster to King Kundra?
Lovski said nothing. He nodded and stepped into the ring expressionlessly.
Narrator voice: "Snowflakes flutter, the north wind whistles…"
"Begin!"
"Bro, wait!"As soon as the referee gave the signal, Lovski raised his hand and shouted.
"What is it?"Chu, just about to unleash his illusion, raised an eyebrow.
"Bro, I hope you keep shining just as brightly in the matches to come."
Lovski looked at him with pleading eyes.
Victory was impossible. Chu wasn't going to throw the match.So, instead of being the only team to be wiped out 1v7, why not hope everyone was?
If the famed elemental academies also got swept, then Balak wouldn't look so bad.In fact, maybe they'd look just as strong by comparison!
Chu Chengzhou: "…"
Together in hardship? Not a bad attitude — this guy's mindset deserves a thumbs up!
T/N: For up to 30 chapters ahead on most of my translations, become a p@tron at [email protected]/LordHipposApostle