After Xuan Zi announced the new rules, he handed the time over to Zhu Ziyang. As the captain of the Shrek Academy team, Zhu Ziyang would be responsible for all competition-related matters starting today. Xuan Zi and Ma Xiaotao would serve as his assistants and travel with him to Mingdu.
Based on the new rules, Zhu Ziyang formulated the training schedule for the Shrek Academy team and the Tang Sect team. While called training, it was essentially real combat. The strength of the Shrek Academy team was self-evident; even the reserve team, not to mention the main team, could definitely reach the top eight if they participated in the competition now. As for the Tang Sect team, although they only had eight members, the lowest spirit power level, Huo Yuhao, was level 54, and the highest, Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi, were both level 67. The overall strength of the team could be said to have steadily reached the top four in the previous competition!
In the actual combat confrontations between the two teams, the Shrek Team won more often than not. After all, with Jiang Nannan, Qian Lingyi, and Fifth Huan'er on the field, the Tang Sect members simply couldn't resist.
However, such training was ineffective, so under the protest of Tang Ya and Bei Bei, Zhu Ziyang adjusted the Academy team's lineup. The main team and reserve team were mixed, and the three girls, Jiang Nannan, Qian Lingyi, and Fifth Huan'er, no longer appeared on the field at the same time. Only then did the training results between the two teams gradually become apparent.
The number of wins and losses for both sides also gradually balanced out, and there was no longer the one-sided situation that occurred at the very beginning.
The training was in full swing.
——
This day, Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan left Shrek Academy early in the morning, heading rapidly southeast across the Continent. Their destination was clear: Yue Nan Islands.
Jiang Nannan's spirit power had broken through to level 80, but she did not choose to let the Moon Laurel Fairy Tea condense her eighth spirit ring. Instead, she prepared to go to the Yue Nan Islands to completely subdue the Silver Moon Spirit Fish King.
Their speed was very fast, and they did not delay along the way, so they did not spend too much time on the road before arriving at the Yue Nan Islands.
At this time, the Yue Nan Islands were completely controlled by Zhang Lexuan, but Zhang Lexuan was not in the Yue Nan Islands at this moment. To be precise, everyone except Xu Jianwei was currently on the Continent. The Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion controlled by Xu Tianran and the Imperial Moon Soul Engineer Legion controlled by Zhang Lexuan were confronting each other at this very moment, with a major battle possible at any time. Therefore, Zhang Lexuan, Old Song, and Old Zhu were all with the army at this time.
Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan did not go to see Xu Jianwei. Instead, they passed directly through the Yue Nan Islands and sped towards the sea area of the Silver Moon Spirit Fish clan.
As soon as they entered the Spirit Fish Sea Area, they encountered the Silver Moon Spirit Fish King. The Silver Moon Spirit Fish King seemed to have known that Jiang Nannan would come, so he very happily shouted at them, "Your Highness, the Goddess, you have finally arrived!"
"Shui Yue, long time no see!" Jiang Nannan chuckled, controlled her body, and landed on the water, saying, "You seem to have foreseen my arrival?"
"Yes!" The Silver Moon Spirit Fish King nodded very respectfully and said, "I have already arranged everything in the clan and can follow Your Highness, the Goddess, at any time."
"That's great." Jiang Nannan's face showed a smile. She said, "I just need you."
Jiang Nannan looked at Zhu Ziyang. Zhu Ziyang nodded lightly and said, "Let's go to your clan first, find a quiet place to settle, and I will sign the Soul Spirit contract for you and Nannan."
"Please follow me!"
The Silver Moon Spirit Fish King flicked his tail, turned around, and led Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan deep into the Spirit Fish Sea Area, arriving beside a colorful reef. After driving away the Spirit Fish on the reef, Jiang Nannan sat directly on it. The Silver Moon Spirit Fish King then leaped onto Jiang Nannan's lap. Zhu Ziyang immediately signed the Soul Spirit contract for them. Silver-white light emanated from the person and the fish, quickly condensing into a light cocoon.
The formation of the contract required time, so Zhu Ziyang had no choice but to guard here bored. To pass the time, he controlled his mental force to investigate the changes and transformations within the Spirit Fish group.
He didn't know until he looked, and once he looked, he was startled. The strength of the Silver Moon Spirit Fish clan had undergone earth-shattering changes compared to a few months ago. A few months ago, although the Spirit Fish clan was numerous, the number of high-level Spirit Beasts was very small. There was only one 100,000-Year Soul Beast, the Spirit Fish King. There were fewer than ten Spirit Fish over fifty thousand years old, and less than fifty Spirit Fish over ten thousand years old. These combined accounted for less than one percent of the clan's total number.
Now, the number of Spirit Fish with cultivation over ten thousand years had directly doubled, exceeding one hundred and fifty. The number of Spirit Fish with cultivation over fifty thousand years had also doubled, reaching twenty-one, among which two Spirit Fish had reached the level of 100,000-Year Soul Beast and were appointed as the new Fish Kings by the Silver Moon Spirit Fish King.
Such high-end combat power might not be enough to dominate the nearshore of Douluo Continent, but at least they would not become food for others to slaughter. Ordinary predators would not be willing to provoke such a group of powerful and numerous Spirit Fish. And the only ones who could pose a threat to the current Spirit Fish clan were probably sharks or whales, these two types of top-tier Sea Spirit Beasts.
It must be said that the reinforcement of the Spirit Fish clan by those dozens of Hundred-Thousand-Year Demon Whale corpses was truly exaggerated, so exaggerated that Zhu Ziyang couldn't help but envy the Spirit Beast's improvement speed and cultivation methods.
Unlike human Spirit Masters who need meditation to increase spirit power, the Spirit Beast clan never needs to increase their cultivation through meditation. Spirit Beasts emphasize bloodline and the law of the jungle. The way Spirit Beasts increase their cultivation is very simple: sleeping and eating. For ordinary Spirit Beasts, their cultivation naturally increases all the time; one day means one day of cultivation, one year means one year of cultivation. This is why Spirit Beasts measure cultivation by years.
Ordinary Spirit Beasts gain one day of cultivation per day, while powerful Spirit Beasts with strong bloodlines can gain the equivalent of three, five, or even more days of cultivation in a single day. This is why there is a saying that a Hundred-Year Titan Giant Ape can contend with a Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Beast. Here, 'hundred-year' and 'ten-thousand-year' refer purely to lifespan, not cultivation.
Besides sleeping, another way for Spirit Beasts to increase their cultivation is by devouring. It's the law of the jungle; powerful Spirit Beasts devour weaker ones. This is a natural law. Powerful Spirit Beasts enhance their cultivation by digesting the flesh and blood of weaker Spirit Beasts, just as humans gain physical strength from eating their fill. However, this method is very inefficient. High-level Spirit Beasts more often enhance their cultivation by devouring rare treasures of heaven and earth.
Cough cough, I've strayed. In short, for the Spirit Fish clan to achieve such a leap, the flesh and blood of those Demon Whales, which contained powerful bloodlines and spirit power, were absolutely instrumental. Those were the flesh and blood of 100,000-Year Soul Beasts! If an ordinary Spirit Beast could eat a large piece, it would surely break through from a Ten-Year Spirit Beast to a Hundred-Year Spirit Beast, or even a Thousand-Year Spirit Beast.
Jiang Nannan did not make Zhu Ziyang wait too long. After about half an hour, she awoke from the silver-white light cocoon and stood up. Zhu Ziyang glanced at her, and the girl's cultivation had astonishingly reached level 84.
A miniature Spirit Fish King was perched on her shoulder. Because it was in a spiritual state, it could now freely roam in the air without needing to consider constraints like water sources.
"Nannan, congratulations, you've become a Spirit Douluo!" Zhu Ziyang said to Jiang Nannan with a smile, reaching out and pinching the girl's soft cheek.
"Hehe!" The girl chuckled, then said, "Brother, Shui Yue gave me a left arm bone. I'm only missing a right arm bone to complete the Eight Trials of Lunar Yin. When we return to the Academy, can I go to the Treasure Pavilion to choose a right arm bone?"
"I don't recommend you fuse the right arm bone now." Zhu Ziyang pondered upon hearing the girl's words and said, "You can completely wait until your spirit power reaches level 89 before choosing to fuse the right arm bone and complete the Eight Trials of Lunar Yin. At that time, the assessment reward will likely include a spirit power reward. That way, wouldn't you be able to directly break through to Titled Douluo?"
"Oh, oh! That's right!" The girl's face immediately lit up with joy upon hearing this. She said, "Then it's decided. I'll fuse the right arm bone when my spirit power reaches level 89."
"That's the way to do it." Zhu Ziyang smiled, pleased with the girl's reaction. He then said, "However, when we return to the Academy, you can still go to the Treasure Pavilion to choose a right arm bone first. Choose it in advance, and then you won't need to bother later."
"Mm, I understand!" The girl nodded in agreement.