Amidst the cheers of the spectators, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy advanced to the finals.
On the stage, the remaining few looked at Jiang Jue slowly walking over, smiles appearing on their faces.
"Jiang Jue, you're the great hero of this match!"
Ma Rulong said with genuine admiration, without the slightest trace of anything else.
Whether it was breaking through the absolute defense soul tool or finishing the battle afterward, Jiang Jue was the key contributor to this match.
Dispersing the icy power around him, Jiang Jue's lips curved slightly as he spoke:
"Let's go."
With that, the group left amidst the cheers and returned to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy's resting area.
"Jiang Jue, did you… cheat?"
As soon as they entered the waiting area, Xiao Hongchen rushed up, staring at Jiang Jue with a face full of disbelief.
He had just seen it clearly: Jiang Jue, only a Soul Ancestor, had charged into a group of Soul Kings like a wolf among sheep. It had felt more like—"You've all been surrounded by me alone!"
Jiang Jue only smiled at Xiao Hongchen without answering.
"Come on, Jiang Jue, tell me! How did you do it? I… I have a friend who really wants to know…"
Xiao Hongchen asked, half stammering, half expectant.
"Alright, big brother, can't you at least let Jiang Jue rest a bit? He just got off stage. Jiang Jue, come sit down and relax."
Meng Hongchen walked over to Jiang Jue, her beautiful eyes shining brightly.
Yes—this was the person she had chosen.
As Jiang Jue brushed past Xiao Hongchen, a voice transmission entered Xiao Hongchen's ear:
"It's simple. Tell that friend—read more, stay informed, eat fewer snacks, sleep more. Do that, and he'll be like me."
Hearing this, Xiao Hongchen quietly repeated it to himself. But the more he thought about it, the more wrong it sounded.
"Hm? Did Jiang Jue just mess with me?"
By this time, Jiang Jue had already sat down beside Meng Hongchen, beginning to recover his soul power.
What he had just used was the Ice Emperor's Pincer—one of the two soul skills from the Ice Emperor's 400,000-year-old soul ring. It was a strong attack-type skill, condensing the power of ultimate ice into a massive claw capable of freezing opponents instantly.
But the soul power consumption was immense. Even with Jiang Jue's far deeper reserves compared to ordinary soul masters, he could only use it up to three times at most. After all, it was a 400,000-year soul skill.
"Elder Lin, Mi Jia and Li Yan… are they alright?"
Ma Rulong asked nervously as Elder Lin walked in from outside.
"Don't worry. I've already handed them to a Soul Saint-level healing-type soul master. The dark soul power inside them has been purged. They'll recover soon. But…"
"What is it, Elder Lin?"
Ma Rulong's heart tightened again at the shift in Elder Lin's tone.
"It's just that for the upcoming matches, the two of them might not be able to participate."
"Oh, that's fine! Aren't I still here? Let them rest and heal properly."
Hearing this, Xiao Hongchen immediately jumped in, thumping his chest to reassure everyone.
From the start of the tournament until now, he hadn't played a single match. Watching Jiang Jue and the others fight on stage had nearly driven him mad with impatience.
Ma Rulong let out a sigh of relief and said:
"Elder Lin, could you please say everything all at once next time? You really had us worried."
"Hahaha."
Elder Lin chuckled mischievously, then looked at everyone.
"Children, you've already done wonderfully. From here on, no matter what happens, your safety is the top priority. The Academy will always be proud of you. And I too… will always be proud of you."
"Don't worry, Elder Lin, we will definitely bring back the championship!"
Ma Rulong declared firmly, and the others' eyes also shone with determination.
A smile crept onto Elder Lin's lips as he nodded slightly, thinking to himself:
"This… is youth."
At the same time, his gaze lingered on Jiang Jue, who was still meditating to recover. He couldn't help but be slightly shocked.
On stage earlier, the smoke had obscured vision, and weaker cultivators might not have noticed. But as a Titled Douluo, he had clearly sensed it—Jiang Jue possessed a 100,000-year soul ring! That crimson glow could only have come from one.
And in his perception, it wasn't a simulated 100,000-year ring like Huo Yuhao's—this one was real.
"The Holy Spirit Sect… how did they pull this off? They never fail to surprise this old man…"
Elder Lin shook his head slightly, no longer dwelling on it.
His duty was to protect Jiang Jue and the other students of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy. As for Jiang Jue's secrets, he did not wish to pry.
Having lived so long, he knew well that some things were better left unknown. Knowing too much often meant being dragged along against one's will.
At his age, life boiled down to two words: clarity and detachment.
Afterward, Jiang Jue and the others stayed to watch the match between Shrek Academy and the Di'ao Academy.
Just as Jiang Jue expected, Shrek sent out Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng—both Soul Emperors—for the team battle. Together, they ganged up on Jiang Peng, and once he fell, Di'ao Academy naturally lost.
With Jiang Peng injured, Di'ao Academy, just like Xingluo Academy earlier, lost the strength to continue. They forfeited the subsequent individual and two-versus-three matches as well.
Thus, the final match once again came down to the two eternal rivals—Shrek Academy and the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
But while observing Shrek's battle, Jiang Jue noticed something off about Ma Xiaotao. Her attacks grew increasingly reckless, her eyes brimming with violent killing intent.
More than once, she nearly injured her own teammates. And now, her cultivation had already reached level 68, just shy of Soul Sage.
"The evil fire… she can't suppress it anymore?"
Jiang Jue thought to himself, his gaze deep.
His pale spear was already thirsting for battle.
After Shrek secured victory, Xu Jiawei once again stepped onto the stage and announced loudly:
"Since Xingluo Academy and Di'ao Academy have forfeited today, to allow for a better showdown between the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy and Shrek Academy, the final match will be held one day from now."
At the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament, the final always took place in a single day—consisting of the team battle, individual matches, and the two-versus-three. Of course, if one side won the first two, the last event would not be needed.
After his announcement, Xu Jiawei declared the day's matches over and stepped down.
The Sun Moon team returned to the Star Emperor Hotel to rest.
Later that evening, inside Jiang Jue's room—
A yellow figure appeared as the light dimmed. The person was Cheng Gang.
"Why didn't you use the front door this time, but came climbing through the window?"
Seated on his chair, Jiang Jue looked at Cheng Gang with some confusion.
"Haha… mainly, I didn't want to be seen."
Cheng Gang scratched his head awkwardly. Ever since his humiliating state was witnessed by Xu Jiujiu and Man Yi last time, he had sworn never again to use the front entrance.
"So, what brings you here this time?"
Jiang Jue smiled faintly, not expecting that to be the reason, then asked.
"Young master, I, old Cheng, have made a major discovery! The spies I planted inside the palace told me that just last night, two people entered the palace. Not only did Xu Jiawei not get angry, he even secretly summoned Senior Yixian!"
He spoke with a grin, clearly waiting for praise.
"You… planted spies?"
"My abilities are limited, so I quietly placed a few of my men inside the palace. But don't worry, young master—they are absolutely loyal. They only know I sent them, not about you."
"You did well. Try to infiltrate more deeply."
Jiang Jue's eyes grew cold and thoughtful as he looked at Cheng Gang. He hadn't expected this seemingly foolish man to be so meticulous. Could it be that Elder Zhang's scolding had actually enlightened him?
"This vast Star Luo Empire… let it be infiltrated bit by bit."
"I wonder, in the end, what will become of it. If only the Xu family remains—then whose empire will the Star Luo Empire truly be?"
Jiang Jue pondered silently, then smiled faintly. He knew this was not something to be rushed. So instead he asked:
"The Senior Yixian you mentioned—was it the Medicine Immortal Douluo, Wang Qiu'er?"
End of Chapter 128