Chapter 21: Elite Soul Master Tournament: Bibi Dong is actually number one!
The soul beasts controlled by the Black Sky Fox immediately scattered. Lin Fan returned and saw Liu Erlong, Ye Keke, and Shui Yue'er resting by a tree, their faces pale and weak.
Tang Yiran quickly took out drinks and food from her personal soul tool and gave them some. This soul tool was similar to the Twenty-Four Bridges Under the Moon used by Tang San; it looked small but could hold a lot.
Lin Fan was somewhat envious of this soul tool; Earth didn't have this kind of technology. How was it made?
"Lin Fan, you've been tired these past few days. Eat something too." Tang Yiran also handed Lin Fan a bottle of water that looked like a beverage and some snacks wrapped in plastic.
Lin Fan took them, opened it, and took a sip. The taste was somewhat like Fanta.
The snacks were similar to special jerky from Earth. Some things in Douluo Continent were very modern, while others were still stuck in ancient times, just like in the anime.
"Teacher, are you alright after being poisoned?" Liu Erlong took a sip of water, only then remembering that Tang Yiran had been poisoned.
Tang Yiran looked at Lin Fan and said, "I'm fine now. I have to thank Xiao Fan. The cat he saved from the Human-Faced Demon Spider happened to know a ten-thousand-year-old soul beast with the ability to detoxify, so he brought Xiao Fan along. My body is completely fine now."
"I see, that's wonderful, Teacher. I never thought a little cat would know a ten-thousand-year-old soul beast with the ability to detoxify and possessing intelligence..." Hearing that Tang Yiran was alright, Liu Erlong was very happy and didn't doubt Tang Yiran's words at all. Indeed, many soul beasts over ten thousand years old possessed intelligence no less than that of humans.
"Hmm, Erlong, how did you two get through these past two days? How did you encounter such a strange person?" Tang Yiran looked at the three girls with concern.
Liu Erlong glanced at Lin Fan and said, "I was anxious to find you. I waited all day and you still hadn't returned, so I went with them to search along the path Xiao Fan left on. Unexpectedly, we encountered that strange man. Although his soul power level wasn't high, he possessed the ability to control soul beasts. At first, we didn't know this and even tried to deal with him, so we were trapped here by his summoned soul beasts for several hours."
Lin Fan asked curiously, "Sister Yiran, what kind of martial soul is that? It can actually control soul beasts. Such an ability is truly amazing in this Star Dou Forest."
Tang Yiran thought for a moment and said, "It's the Black Sky Fox family. As far as I know, only the Black Sky Fox family's Black Sky Fox martial soul on the continent has the ability to confuse and control soul beasts. However, although they can control soul beasts, it's difficult for their own martial soul level to break through level seventy. In addition, after the Empire kept soul beasts in the forest, this family disappeared. Now it seems that they must have joined the Demon Sect."
"The Demonic Sect? Teacher, just how powerful is the Demonic Sect? Why didn't the Spirit Hall and your Clear Sky Sect destroy it?" This sect didn't appear in the original story, so Lin Fan had no idea about it. He wanted to know how this sect was completely destroyed more than ten years later.
Tang Yiran calmly said, "The Demonic Sect's power is certainly no match for the Spirit Hall, but the Spirit Hall tacitly acknowledges their existence. Their disciples have no official status and no fixed headquarters. Apart from the core subordinates of Devouring Douluo, most are disciples from various families and academies. Yet, they kill at will at night or in places outside the Spirit Hall's jurisdiction, like the Star Dou Great Forest. The Demonic Sect bears all the blame for these murders.
The Empire has captured many Demonic Sect disciples, only to find that many were actually disciples of the Imperial Spirit Master Academy. They only knew that a contact gave them a token, which meant they had joined the Demonic Sect. They could kill at will or accept missions, receiving rewards upon success."
Lin Fan thought for a moment and said, "I see. In that case, unless Devouring Douluo and his core subordinates are killed, the Demonic Sect will probably never disappear."
"That's right." Tang Yiran nodded and said, "Even if the Devouring Douluo didn't hide, there are few people on the continent who could eliminate him. Moreover, he is a being hidden in the shadows, able to increase his own soul power by devouring the soul power of others. The Spirit Hall never interferes with the Demon Sect's affairs. The existence of the Demon Sect only makes the two great empires more chaotic. As for the five elders of my Clear Sky Sect, they have long since stopped caring about the affairs of the continent, only intervening when protecting my Clear Sky Sect. My second brother, Tang Hao, is willing to take care of this matter, but he has never been able to find the Devouring Douluo."
After listening to Tang Yiran, Lin Fan understood. It seemed that if the Spirit Hall did not intervene in the destruction of the Demon Sect, it could only be Tang Hao, or Bone Douluo and Sword Douluo who killed the Devouring Douluo and his subordinates. After resting for a while, Lin Fan and Liu Erlong immediately left the dangerous Star Dou Great Forest.
Lin Fan experienced a lot on this trip to the Star Dou Great Forest. After returning to his dormitory in the Clear Sky Sect, Lin Fan immediately focused on cultivation, and his soul power level quickly broke through to level 32.
Lin Fan had used the two lottery chances Ling'er had given him, and now he was level 32. He received two more chances. Except for special triggers, he also received one chance for each level he gained.
"I'll exchange that King's Crystal first."
In his dormitory, Lin Fan sat on his bed, mentally opening the King's Shop, looking at the skills, and then exchanged for Han Xin's ultimate skill, "Peerless Hero."
Lin Fan urgently needed to increase his combat power, and this skill was the most useful. The other skills were all Nezha's, Taiyi's, and Guiguzi's, which didn't seem very suitable for combat.
Now that Lin Fan had Han Xin's first skill, his second skill, which only had a dash and wasn't very useful, was going to exchange for Nezha's skills with any spare King's Crystals he had.
"Congratulations, Master! King's Crystal exchange successful! Skill obtained: Peerless Hero."
Lin Fan quickly began to check the skill description of Peerless Hero.
Peerless Hero (Enhanced Version)
Originating from Honor of Kings, this skill deals eight instances of physical damage to all enemies within range over three seconds, knocking all targets into the air twice. Its power is amplified when used with a powerful weapon spirit. During the skill's execution, the user is in a state of absolute invulnerability, immune to all control and debuff effects, and receives 20% less damage.
(Damage reduction applies to all damage, including true damage. Except for the Summoner Spell Weakening and certain equipment effects, damage reduction from two or more skills simultaneously does not stack. If two skills have damage reduction effects, the skill with the highest reduction applies.)
Lin Fan was quite satisfied with the description of Han Xin's ultimate skill. Although the damage reduction was less than in the game, it was still enough to mitigate even god-level damage. Furthermore, during this period, the user was immune to control effects and all negative effects on the body, including poison, paralysis, and crowd control. While the eight instances of physical damage are certainly less powerful than Lin Fan's advanced Li Bai second skill in single-target situations, Han Xin's ultimate is clearly more suitable for area-of-effect attacks. All enemies within range, regardless of number, will suffer eight instances of physical damage.
"It's alright. Han Xin's skill damage is inherently inferior to Li Bai's, and besides, I don't have any critical strike equipment yet. I wonder when I'll be able to draw Li Bai's Azure Lotus Sword Song. I wonder how cool that skill will be after it's upgraded."
Lin Fan thought to himself, calculating the time. It had been over a week since he returned from the Star Dou Forest.
The day he had to go to the Spirit Hall to rescue Bibi Dong seemed to be getting closer and closer. Otherwise, her pregnancy might be discovered in a few months, so he had to hurry.
Lin Fan originally wanted to continue cultivating properly, but the next day, he received a message from Tang Yiran's maid, asking him to go to Tang Yiran's courtyard to find her.
It was afternoon, and looking at the scenery outside, Lin Fan was a little hesitant. He remembered her passionate kiss to him in the Star Dou Forest. Going to her room, would she... uh, Lin Fan suddenly slapped himself. Sister Yiran didn't seem like that kind of person. Why would she always take advantage of him? Besides, he wasn't losing out. Fine, he'd go.
Tang Yiran held a position of immense wealth and status within the Haotian Sect, living alone in a luxurious courtyard. When Lin Fan arrived, he saw her watering the flowers; her courtyard was filled with beautiful blooms.
"You're here, Xiao Fan, come in," Tang Yiran said, finishing watering the flowers before entering the room.
"This… why am I going in…" Lin Fan hesitated for a moment, then went inside anyway.
Upon reaching the door, Tang Yiran noticed Lin Fan's hesitant expression. She suddenly glared at him, grabbed his hand, and pulled him to the sofa, saying, "What are you afraid of? I'm not going to eat you. Sit down."
After Lin Fan obediently sat down, Tang Yiran said, "Xiao Fan, do you want to participate in the Soul Master Elite Competition in a month?"
"The Soul Master Elite Competition? What's that?" Lin Fan asked.
Tang Yiran explained, "The Elite Soul Master Tournament is a competition among elite disciples from various sects, academies, and families to determine the strongest. It's an annual grand event for the Soul Master world on the continent. Because different factions of Soul Masters have different roles, the Elite Soul Master Tournament is generally conducted in team format. Each sect can send a maximum of seven members to compete, and members cannot be changed. However, a sect can send one member to fight against the entire opposing team, as long as there are seven members or less. The requirements for participating in the tournament are: under 18 years old and a Soul Power level of 30 or higher."
After hearing Tang Yiran's explanation, Lin Fan was startled. Wasn't this similar to the Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament? Only, it should be even more brutal, since the Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament was only between academies, while this tournament also included families and sects.
It seemed that the Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament in a dozen years would be a modified version of this tournament.
Lin Fan asked curiously, "I'm level 30, so I can participate. What are the competition rules? And who were the champions in the previous years?"
Tang Yiran looked at Lin Fan and said, "The competition rules are almost unrestricted; you can even kill your opponent. So, this competition is very cruel and dangerous, and there are often cases of revenge between sects. But it is precisely this kind of brutal life-or-death duel that allows the Soul Masters who have experienced the competition to truly grow, because they will eventually have to face real life-or-death battles. The champions of the previous three competitions were all teams from the Spirit Hall, and last year's champion was the Spirit Hall Saintess you like, and the team she led."
"What? She's participating in the competition too?" Lin Fan was shocked. It wasn't mentioned in the novel. However, for Bibi Dong to become the Spirit Hall Saintess, the number one among the younger generation, she must have undergone extremely cruel training and trials before, and should have won some great honor. Could it be the champion of this competition?
"Yes, that's how I know her," Tang Yiran said, looking at Lin Fan. "Last year, she achieved a seven-game winning streak, fighting seven opponents from other sects single-handedly until the finals, when she finally had other Soul Masters by her side to assist her. This year marks the day she officially becomes the Holy Maiden of the Spirit Hall, and it's also the day the Spirit Hall establishes its authority and prestige over the major sects and families. Therefore, as the Holy Maiden, she will definitely participate this year."
Lin Fan quickly pondered. Bibi Dong was also participating in the Elite Tournament, but she…
"Teacher, please let me participate in the competition. I wonder if my strength is enough for me to be one of the seven from the Clear Sky Sect?" Lin Fan quickly asked, his eyes filled with unwavering determination.
Tang Yiran looked at Lin Fan's determined eyes, seemingly slightly disappointed, and said, "You participated in the competition just to see her? Although the Clear Sky Sect has geniuses, if I hadn't known her strength before, I would have thought the Clear Sky Sect had a chance. Now that she has become a Soul Emperor, none of the participating disciples can be her match."
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