"Dean Flender, are we really going to join the fun? I heard this contamination spot is dangerous—didn't Skywater Academy lose a Soul Sage there?" Oscar asked nervously.
As a food-type soul master, he had no combat power and felt uneasy about going somewhere so dangerous.
"What's there to fear, Little Ao? So many people are going, and Teacher Erlong is with us," Dai Mubai laughed, patting Oscar's shoulder.
"Boss Dai, I'm not scared, just worried something might happen before the tournament," Oscar quickly retorted, catching Ning Rongrong's gaze. He didn't want to be seen as a coward.
"Mubai's right. Unless we run into a Titled Douluo, there's nothing to be afraid of with your Teacher Erlong here," said a voluptuous, Erlong, also patting Oscar's shoulder.
With the Golden Iron Triangle together, even a Titled Douluo wasn't impossible to handle.
"Hey, that's the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's carriage—my father and the others!" Ning Rongrong suddenly spotted two carriages in the distance, her eyes lighting up with delight.
The carriages approached.
"Rongrong!"
"Father, Grandpa Sword, Grandpa Bone, you're all here!" Ning Rongrong cheered, flying into Ning Fengzhi's embrace.
"sect leader Ning, it's been a while," Yu Xiaogang and the others greeted Ning Fengzhi respectfully.
The carriages stopped. Hearing the commotion, Xue Qinghe opened the door and stepped out calmly.
"Rongrong, long time no see."
"Brother Xue, you're here too!" Ning Rongrong was surprised.
"My little sister wanted to see the excitement, same as you," Xue Qinghe explained with a smile.
"Xue Ke is here too?" Ning Rongrong looked toward the carriage. As the sect's beloved princess, she knew Xue Qinghe and was familiar with Xue Ke, though their personalities were too different to be close.
"It's you!" But when she saw Lu Jingming get off with Xue Ke, her eyes widened in shock.
Her exclamation drew everyone's attention.
They followed her gaze to Lu Jingming. Ma Hongjun and Oscar reacted the same, all looking stunned.
"What, you all know Brother Lu?" Xue Qinghe asked in surprise.
"I'm curious too—how do you all know me?" Lu Jingming feigned confusion.
He knew exactly how they knew him, but what did a virtual body in the simulated universe have to do with him? He had no intention of revealing his smurfing activities.
"This…" Ning Rongrong and the others were momentarily speechless, looking at Lu Jingming with mixed feelings.
Especially Yu Xiaogang, whose face turned pale as paper, looking like his worldview had shattered.
He had once convinced himself Lu Jingming only existed in the simulated universe, but now the real person was in front of him—meaning his cherished theories were about to be challenged.
With Xue Qinghe and Ning Fengzhi watching curiously, Ning Rongrong explained everything that happened in the simulated universe.
When they heard how Lu Jingming's avatar had single-handedly defeated the Shrek Seven Devils, and had an abnormal soul ring configuration, Ning Fengzhi and the others looked at him in shock.
"Heh, looks like we're destined to meet," Lu Jingming chuckled, also sensing a hostile gaze.
He looked over to see Tang San staring at him, clearly still upset about what happened in the simulated universe.
Lu Jingming twitched—this guy really liked to hold grudges.
It was just an avatar in a simulation! And to them, it shouldn't have anything to do with the real him.
Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, and even Xiao Wu had no hostility—only Tang San was different.
Tang San's personality really was vindictive.
Not only Lu Jingming noticed, but also Sword Douluo, Xue Qinghe, and the others.
Thinking of what Ning Rongrong had just said, they were speechless. Wasn't this a bit petty?
Ning Fengzhi frowned as well—he hadn't expected Tang San to be so narrow-minded.
If it weren't for Tang San's immortal herb gift that evolved Ning Rongrong's martial soul, he'd want her to stay away from Tang San.
Now, he hesitated about investing further in Tang San. Could his sect really benefit from someone like this?
Realizing everyone's gaze, Tang San quickly reined in his hostility and stopped looking at Lu Jingming.
Aside from the more sensitive few, others didn't notice the awkwardness.
Ning Rongrong went up to Lu Jingming, asking curiously, "Lu Jingming, is your soul ring configuration really the same as in the simulated universe?"
"The simulation creates data avatars based on the real person—what do you think?" Lu Jingming replied with a question.
"So it's true! How did you do it?" Ning Rongrong pressed.
Even with immortal herbs, none of them could match the ridiculous configuration he had.
Tang San's fourth ring was already miraculous at ten-thousand-year level, but Lu Jingming's avatar had two purple and one black.
"Rongrong!" Ning Fengzhi frowned, his tone stern.
Such things were core secrets, not to be casually asked.
"It's simple: just have a strong enough body and spirit," Lu Jingming replied easily.
Ning Rongrong rolled her eyes—that was no different from saying nothing. Everyone knew you needed strength and spirit to absorb soul rings.
She didn't pursue it further.
With Ning Rongrong's presence, Shrek Academy joined the group.
Given how much Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, and Bone Douluo doted on her, they wouldn't let her out of sight in a dangerous place.
Shrek had too many people for the carriage, but soul masters could travel as fast as carriages anyway.
Soon, the group left the city and entered the wilds, where the trees grew thick and lush.
In the wild, the carriages couldn't continue, so everyone walked.
As they approached the target valley, a chilling, evil aura swept over them, making everyone shudder.
Arriving at the valley, shrouded in black mist, most were left speechless.
"So this is a contamination spot? Looks terrifying!" Ning Rongrong instinctively moved closer to Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo, feeling safest beside the two Titled Douluo.
"Something's not right!" Ning Fengzhi frowned. The sect had cleared contamination spots before, but none had ever felt this terrifying—not even those with a wider area or stronger monsters.
"How could this be? It wasn't like this when we left!" Not far away, Shui Bing'er and the Skywater group stared in shock—the contamination area had doubled in size in less than two days.
Something was very wrong; the spread was abnormal, unlike any other contamination spot.
"Whatever the cause, we must investigate—this valley is too close to Heaven Dou City," said Meng Shenji, the Royal Academy's dean, gravely.
"With Poison Douluo here, no monster can make trouble," said Bai Baoshan, the second dean, glancing at the white-haired old man escorted by a green-eyed, purple-haired girl.
Dugu Bo ignored the deans and turned to his granddaughter with a smile. "Little monster, I knew you wouldn't miss the excitement."
"You're no different, old monster," joked Tang San, stepping forward.
Many were shocked—Poison Douluo was notorious, yet here a Soul Ancestor joked with him as an equal.
The three deans looked grim. It was because of Dugu Bo that Tang San and the others left the academy.
Now, Dugu Bo's relationship with Tang San was even closer, while they looked like the villains.
"Your Highness, sect leader Ning—" the deans quickly greeted Xue Qinghe and Ning Fengzhi respectfully.
Although Ning Fengzhi wasn't as strong, his status was at least equal to a Titled Douluo, if not higher.
And Xue Qinghe was their rightful liege.
"Old poison, looks like your strength has grown!" Sword Douluo commented, noticing Dugu Bo's hair had turned from green to white, and his soul power was even stronger.
A group of notable figures now gathered to exchange greetings, while Feng Ying and Huo Lin from the other academies grew anxious but dared not interrupt.
They were desperate to find Shui Ming'er, but the valley looked like a devil's den, and they didn't dare rush in.
"Teacher, we must act quickly!" Xue Qinghe pointed to the rapidly withering plants.
The contamination area was expanding at a visible rate.
Staying in this zone, Xue Qinghe felt restless, almost compelled to release his spirit and purify everything.
But he knew he couldn't—making it hard to bear.
Others also noticed the alarming spread.
If left unchecked, in a few months, the contamination could reach Heaven Dou City.
If the capital fell, it would be catastrophic.
No one hesitated. They all released soul power for protection and entered the valley.
Xue Ke, though weak in battle, could use her soul power for resistance—as long as she avoided fighting, she'd last longer than those in the front lines.
Soon after entering, black-armored Golden Guards began to appear.
Most were weak and easily handled by academy students.
There were at least a hundred people present, the weakest being Soul Elders, so fighting these mindless creatures was no challenge.
The most aggressive were from Skywater, Blazing Fire, and God Wind academies, worried for their missing teammate.
Feng Ying and Huo Lin even joined in, eager to push forward.
As they pressed deeper, white-robed and black-robed figures appeared—ambush experts, causing some injuries among the unprepared.
Luckily, each academy had Soul Emperor or Soul Sage teachers, so there were no casualties yet.
Without the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and Poison Douluo present, many would have already retreated.
After all, they were just here for excitement and possible loot.
Lu Jingming found the variety of monsters—black-armored soldiers, and others reminiscent of underworld spirits—rather amusing.
Suddenly, a strange but somewhat holy chant echoed out, and a massive angelic phantom appeared.
This angel was beautiful, but shrouded in black-red killing intent, the holy light forming a sharp Soul Douluost.
The paradoxical sight made everyone's pupils Soul Douluoct—someone exclaimed, "Angel Martial Soul!"
Xue Qinghe looked at the girl within the angelic light: golden armor, holy radiance, but blood-red eyes and a face covered in cracks—blonde, double-winged angel, likely from the angel legion.
She had two yellow, two purple, and one black ring—at about twenty years old, a Soul King. He couldn't recall such a person, especially from the angel clan.
But Lu Jingming recognized her instantly—wasn't that Yu Mengdi, now appearing as an elite monster!
A Soul King-level foe was too much for regular students. Huo Lin leapt forward, his Flame Lion martial soul roaring.
He punched, his fiery fist colliding with the angel's golden sword light in a deafening blast, the shockwave spreading.
Huo Lin held nothing back, his soul rings shining, his clawed hand piercing the angel's heart.
As the black mist dispersed, the angelic phantom collapsed.
Huo Lin now held a golden holy sword—a level-5 soul tool from Yu Mengdi's drop.
But at that moment, a black-red golden whirlwind roared in and trapped him.
On a nearby hill, a black-clad figure appeared—Hei Ye Wuqing, a Soul Emperor.
Feng Ying, surrounded by wind, drew his blade and launched a giant green wind slash at Hei Ye Wuqing.
"Brother, will Teacher Huo Lin be okay?" Huo Wu asked, worried, as she blasted an ambushing enemy.
The black whirlwind looked deadly—even Soul Sages would be hard pressed to survive.
"Roar, martial soul avatar!" Before Huo Wushuang could answer, Huo Lin roared—a giant flaming lion broke free from the whirlwind and attacked Hei Ye Wuqing.
Caught unprepared, Hei Ye Wuqing was engulfed in flame, leaving behind a glowing soul bone—a rare find.
Huo Lin, shocked at his luck, pocketed the soul bone. The find energized everyone—Soul Sages went wild seeking negative monsters, especially those above Soul King.
Among them were Flender and Zhao Wuji. Flender, especially, used his speed to grab the best loot, unchallenged due to his connections.
Liu Erlong stayed close to Yu Xiaogang, knowing his weakness.
Their aggressive hunt soon drew deeper threats.
A pink-haired girl appeared, six rings—two purple, three black, one red—and fired an icy blue arrow that exploded into a rain of ice.
A blizzard and hailstorm descended—most people panicked.
Even the strong struggled to shield their weaker comrades; some unlucky ones were frozen solid.