Chapter 70: Reunited with Tang San and Xiao Wu
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The Star Dou Great Forest spans across both the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire, with two-fifths of it in the Heaven Dou Empire and three-fifths in the Star Luo Empire. The forest is vast and diverse, with numerous terrains, which means that, with some luck, one could potentially find any Soul Beast they desire.
Qin Ming suggested taking Wang Li to the Star Dou Great Forest, both to train with the battle team and to search for a Soul Beast. This was an excellent idea and was quickly approved by Meng Shenji, so the plan was set in motion.
The Heaven Dou Royal Battle Team, as Wang Li remembered, included the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Soul Master, Yu Tianheng; the Biphos Snake Soul Master, Dugu Yan; the Black Turtle Soul Master, Shi Mo; the Shi Mo brothers, the Wind Bell Bird Soul Master, Yu Feng; the Ghost Leopard Soul Master, Aosiluo; and the Nine-Hearted Begonia Soul Master, Ye Lingling.
Though Wang Li had been away for three years, there was no doubt that his strength had earned him the respect of everyone—this was something Yu Tianheng had learned through painful, battle-hardened experience.
Was Yu Tianheng not strong enough?
Not at all. Wang Li was simply too strong.
Since then, Yu Tianheng, who had always been stiff-faced and few of words, had become even more silent. No one dared provoke him, but he couldn't seem to move past it. Occasionally, when his gaze fell upon Wang Li, it crackled with lightning, as if he were itching for another match. This was no longer just about competing for Dugu Yan's attention—it was about the pride of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Soul Master.
In his eyes, Wang Li's power had come from absorbing an extremely powerful third Soul Ring, which had allowed him to surpass Yu Tianheng at the Soul Elder level. Yet, Yu Tianheng believed that when he reached the Soul King stage and absorbed his fourth Soul Ring, his body would undergo a second dragon transformation. At that point, both his physical strength and his lightning powers would undergo a significant leap, and he might just have a chance to challenge Wang Li once more.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Soul Master was certainly not inferior to the Blue Silver Grass Soul Master.
Now, moving on to the matter at hand, the journey from Heaven Dou Royal Academy to the Star Dou Great Forest was still quite a distance. They would need to pass through the Sylvis Kingdom and the Balak Kingdom, and even if they traveled along the official roads at full speed, it would still take quite a long time.
Qin Ming didn't plan to make the students travel by foot. Instead, they would take the academy's carriage, which was drawn by excellent horses and equipped with comfortable, smooth rides, ensuring both speed and comfort.
Along the way, they discussed various new tactical plans, but the biggest challenge remained: Wang Li's role in the team.
He was simply too versatile—his first Soul Skill was control, the second was healing, and his third was offensive. Moreover, he excelled in all three areas, which made it hard for Qin Ming to decide where to place him in the team.
In the end, because Wang Li had demonstrated his overwhelming strength by defeating Yu Tianheng, Qin Ming decided to position him as a powerful attacker, while also allowing him to support the team as needed. This would enable Wang Li to adapt to different roles and let the others adjust to his all-around abilities. In the future, they could quickly change tactics depending on the situation, catching opponents off guard.
With that, the plan was clear!
At this moment, they arrived at a small town located just 100 miles from the Star Dou Great Forest. The town thrived on its proximity to the forest, with many Soul Masters coming here to make money. Despite being small, the town was quite developed to cater to the needs of Soul Masters, with a large scale and various amenities.
Upon entering the town, they rented several luxurious rooms in a hotel, where Qin Ming booked nine rooms and a large private dining room for meals. Naturally, Qin Ming didn't have to pay for these out of his own pocket. Once they returned, the expenses would be reimbursed. After all, Heaven Dou Royal Academy was no small institution—it had the full support of the royal family and didn't lack for money, resources, or a proper cultivation environment.
As they sat down to eat in the private room, a sudden wave of Soul Power radiated from the street outside, and the intensity suggested a battle between Soul Masters.
The handsome youth with golden short hair, Yu Feng, immediately showed interest. Rising to his feet, he said, "There are Soul Masters fighting!"
He walked to the window, opened it, and peered down.
Moments later, Yu Feng shouted out loud, "Six Second Ring Soul Masters, one Third Ring Soul Master, fighting against a Fifth Ring Soul King! These Soul Masters are quite young—could they be students from a high-level Soul Master Academy?"
Upon hearing this, Wang Li's interest was piqued. He set down his bowl and stood up, walking toward the window.
"A battle between a Soul King and Soul Masters at lower levels... this is intriguing!" he thought to himself.
Standing by the window, Wang Li squinted his eyes and observed carefully. "As expected, it's Tang San and Xiao Wu. They've grown a lot since I last saw them. The others should be Dai Mubai, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong. They certainly haven't changed—still so eager to stir things up. If you're afraid to cause trouble, you're a mediocre person. Tsk tsk..."
Their opponents, Ye Zhiqiu and the director of the External Affairs Department of Canghui Academy, had been hesitant to unleash their full power due to the fear of the teachers behind the Shrek Seven Monsters. This hesitation had caused them to suffer greatly. In the end, when Ye Zhiqiu was about to go all out in anger, a strong man from below quickly appeared and slapped Ye Zhiqiu's Black Turtle Wuhun, cracking its shield.
It was truly unfortunate. A female student had been harassed, a male student beaten, and now even the teacher was suppressed with a single move. All of this was due to a simple saying: "Not causing trouble is mediocrity."
Wang Li couldn't help but think it was time to speed up his search for the Tan Shi Gen Yao (Devouring Root Demon), so he could return to absorb the Immortal Herb. However, if he ran into them, he would take a moment to greet them.
Back in the day, Wang Li had thought that when he met Tang San and Xiao Wu again, they would definitely be shocked. With a light laugh, he said, "I've seen a few familiar faces. Let me go greet them and I'll be back soon!"
With that, he jumped from the second floor to the first and walked toward the scene of the recent battle.
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Just as Zhao Wujie and the Shrek Seven Monsters, who had just defeated Canghui Academy, were about to return to continue their meal and rest, a voice suddenly called out from behind them:
"Six Great Soul Masters and a Soul Respect challenging a Soul King without losing ground, quite an exciting fight. Tang San, Xiao Wu, long time no see."
This voice caught everyone's attention. Zhao Wujie and the Shrek Seven Monsters turned toward the source of the sound.
A young man, over 1.8 meters tall, dressed in a sky-blue outfit, was smiling at them. He was the one who spoke.
Tang San and Xiao Wu froze upon seeing him, and after a moment, Tang San frowned slightly and hesitated before asking, "You are... Wang Li?"
Wang Li nodded and smiled, "Yes, it's me. It's been five years since you graduated from Nuoding Academy, hasn't it?"
Xiao Wu quickly recovered, her face filled with surprise. Wang Li's changes were drastic, but she then proudly declared in a teasing tone, "Wang Li, you have to call me 'sister Xiao Wu.' When we graduated from Nuoding Academy not long ago, we were only at the level of a twenty-nine rank Soul Master!"
Wang Li clapped his hands in admiration and calmly smiled, "Impressive, as expected of our Nuoding Academy's leader, graduating as a twenty-nine rank Great Soul Master!"
Xiao Wu proudly raised her head, basking in the compliment. Her beauty shone even more as she did so, looking rather cute. However, Tang San frowned slightly and, in a roundabout way, asked, "Wang Li, you've come to the Star Dou Great Forest as well? Are you here to hunt Soul Beasts?"
Wang Li, observing how much more astute Tang San had become, couldn't help but smile inwardly. He responded calmly, "I'm here to hunt the Soul Beast I need for my fourth Soul Ring!"
What?!
Tang San's face turned pale, then immediately flushed with shock. His eyes were wide with disbelief.
Xiao Wu also looked confused, clearly unsure of how to react.
The others—Zhao Wujie, Dai Mubai, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong—were all equally stunned after hearing the conversation. Their jaws dropped, and they couldn't hide their astonishment.
Wang Li, on the other hand, felt quite satisfied with their reactions. He had endured much pain at the hands of Dugu Bo to reach this level of strength, and now, standing before the main group of characters and showing off his power, he was in a particularly good mood.
After all, he was just an ordinary person. With his increased strength and the backing he now had, wasn't it time to enjoy the fruits of his labor?
And as for the little moment of satisfaction—he had always wanted to make Tang San and the others feel a little startled. He couldn't help but wonder if the readers would enjoy seeing Tang San being put in his place. Would they be upset?
As for the key points that people were concerned about, such as the Ice Fire Immortal Herb and the Blue Silver Emperor's Soul Bone—yes, the main character would eventually absorb them, but it's important to follow the plot's direction. The author has planned the protagonist's growth, and it won't be all over the place. There's a clear progression.
(End of Chapter)