Chapter: 17

Inside the luxurious Rose Hotel

On the red, heart-shaped bed, Chen Xuan stared at the two items in his hand, falling into a brief contemplation.

One of them was a bright red fruit, exuding a tantalizing aroma that made one's fingers itch to reach for it. The fruit, about the size of a palm, had a glossy sheen like red agate, looking incredibly appetizing at first glance.

The other item was a carrot, crystal clear and bright like a piece of crystal, clearly no ordinary item.

Chen Xuan realized that there was still a significant gap between him and the Seven Shrek Monsters. At the same time, the tournament rules were unfavorable to his martial spirit, making it difficult for him to find a way to showcase his abilities.

Could it be, as Yu Xiaogang said, that he could only serve as a support-type soul master?

Chen Xuan understood his current predicament. Having been here for less than half a month, he had very little time to develop.

Even so, he wouldn't give up, nor would he be content with his current state. Perhaps the two items before him could bring some unexpected surprises or have miraculous effects.

Chen Xuan hesitated to consume the fruit, having seen a system prompt.

"Strange fruit, born of the creation of heaven and earth, yields only two fruits every thousand years. A person can only consume one in their lifetime, or they will die from self-destruction."

Aside from that, the system didn't reveal the true effects of the two fruits, only vaguely hinting at some miraculous effects, but also warning of potential risks, possibly even unexpected surprises.

This… was the reason he hesitated.

"Even if the fruit has some effect, without the Flying Thunder God technique, speed is still my weakness. Ultimately, I need to master the Body Flicker Technique!" Chen Xuan muttered, reflecting on his shortcomings.

Fortunately, the Body Flicker Technique wasn't a high-difficulty ninjutsu. The principle wasn't complicated, and he had already figured out half of the physical technique when combined with chakra.

"Forget it, I'll just eat it. A Chen family member's luck can't be that bad." Finally, Chen Xuan made up his mind and ate the bright red fruit.

The fruit was sweet and delicious, full of juice, and incredibly fragrant—very tasty.

However, something strange happened. Half an hour after consuming the fruit, no changes occurred in Chen Xuan's body, as if it had been a dud.

"What's going on? Wasn't there supposed to be some unexpected effect?" He was puzzled. Could it be that the effects were just slow to manifest?

Another half hour passed, but his body remained as calm as still water, not even a ripple, as if he had just eaten an ordinary fruit.

"What is this? Did the system fool me?" Chen Xuan was baffled. This guess seemed quite possible.

He always felt that the system was somewhat unreliable because it wasn't very intelligent. It rarely answered his questions and usually seemed as lazy as a pig, making him sometimes wonder if he had bound himself to an artificial idiot.

"This is so frustrating, wasting my time!" Chen Xuan mentally cursed the system before deciding to stop paying attention to it.

As for that crystal carrot, he carelessly tossed it onto the long table in the hall, clearly unimpressed.

"I thought it was some rare treasure, but it turns out to be just an ordinary fruit. What a joke."

The hotel was large, almost like an estate, so naturally, the rooms weren't small, at least a hundred square meters—enough space for him to practice the Body Flicker Technique.

The Next Day

At dawn, the first rays of sunlight touched the earth.

Inside the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena, many nobles and merchants had already gathered. Of course, there were also students from various academies and some sect disciples.

Today, the second round of the Continental Elite Soul Master Tournament was to take place, with opponents matched by a random draw.

The Shrek team arrived in a group. Many hadn't slept well, having been dragged out early by the Grandmaster, with some not even having time for breakfast.

"Xuanzi, you didn't return to the academy last night?" Tai Long yawned repeatedly.

Chen Xuan shook his head. He had no plans to return for the time being, avoiding further verbal conflicts with Yu Xiaogang.

Dai Mubai asked, "Xiao San, Zhuqing, what do you want to eat? Fatty and I will go get it."

"I want carrot juice!" Before Tang San could respond, Xiao Wu jumped in with her request.

"I've already eaten. Never mind, I'll go with you." The draw had just concluded, and with some time before the match, Tang San, Dai Mubai, and Ma Hongjun left together.

Now, only Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, Jiangzhu, Tai Long, and Oscar were left in the rest area, with the others yet to arrive.

Chen Xuan took out two boxes from his storage ring and placed them on the table. "If you're hungry, I have some biscuits and candies here."

Xiao Wu's eyes lit up. She immediately spotted the two carrots in the box and grabbed them without hesitation.

"Chen Xuan, you're so nice!" she said, taking small bites of the carrot, her face full of satisfaction.

Just a few inexpensive carrots were enough to win her favor—nothing too surprising.

Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing didn't hold back either, enjoying a few biscuits and candies.

"Which team did we draw this time?" Chen Xuan asked Tai Long.

"It's the Elephant Armor Sect's team. Their martial spirit is the Mammoth, known for its terrifying defense. This sect's status and strength are comparable to my grandfather's Four Major Sects," Tai Long replied, his expression somewhat gloomy.

Clearly, this was a formidable team, making Tai Long feel the pressure, as the opponents had incredibly strong defenses that were hard to shake.

Chen Xuan nodded. The Elephant Armor Sect was indeed a tough opponent. If the Seven Monsters fought, the opponents wouldn't be too much of a threat, but if it were the same lineup as yesterday, the outcome would be uncertain.

"Not bad. This time, the opponents have three Soul Elders, while the rest are only at the Soul Master level. However, the Elephant Armor team is notorious for their strong defense, so don't underestimate them," Flender said as he pushed open the door, hands behind his back as he walked in.

"Dean," Tai Long greeted respectfully.

"Where are Xiao San and Mubai?" Flender asked, puzzled.

"They went to get food," Xiao Wu explained, adding that they'd be back soon and wouldn't delay the match.

Flender nodded and said nothing more. He took out a file that recorded the martial spirits of all the Elephant Armor Sect members.

Tai Long took the file seriously, carefully reading through it, afraid to miss a single word.

Chen Xuan glanced over it, showing some surprise. He hadn't expected the Elephant Armor Sect to have three Soul Elder-level players.

"The team captain, Huyan Li, is a defense-type, level forty-three Battle Soul Elder."

"The vice-captain, Huyan Ba, and a member named Huyan Shan, are at levels forty-two and forty-one, respectively, both also at the Soul Elder level."

As for the remaining members, Huyan Xi, Huyan Qi, Huyan Gai, and Huyan Shi, they were all at the Soul Master level.

"Li Banshan Xi Gai Shi... These names..." Chen Xuan was somewhat speechless. The names seemed a bit too random.

Ning Rongrong spoke softly, pointing at one of the names. "Look at this Huyan Li. His spirit power is the same as Boss Dai's, both at level forty-three, and with a defense-type martial spirit, he'll be a tough opponent."

"Rongrong is right. This Huyan Li's defense is no weaker than the Black Tortoise martial spirit. His fourth soul skill is strong enough to withstand the most powerful attack of an ordinary Soul King," Flender said, his expression becoming slightly more serious.

Chen Xuan tried to recall some information about this person, realizing that he wasn't as simple as he appeared on the surface.

...

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