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As the Five Elements Academy Exchange Tournament came to a close, teachers and students from four academies, including Blazing Fire Academy and Divine Wind Academy, packed their bags and left Tianshui City.
Xue Tianxing and his group stayed behind to accompany Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er at the city lord's mansion for a few more days—this allowed the two sisters to spend more time with their mother, Shui Wuyue, and also allowed everyone to continue experiencing the local customs and culture of Tianshui City.
In the past few days, Shui Yue'er took Ning Rongrong to explore all the unique shops in Tianshui City, Oscar tasted all the local delicacies, and Xue Tianxing would occasionally exchange cultivation tips on ice-type martial souls with Shui Wuyue. The days were easy and pleasant.
A few days later, the group bid farewell to Minazuki and Amamiya Academy and embarked on their journey back to Barak City.
The carriage wheels rolled on, carrying a group of people laden with their harvest, gradually moving away from this city filled with the essence of water.
Time flies like an arrow, quietly slipping away in the daily practice and refinement.
In the blink of an eye, more than a year has passed, and there are only half a month left before the start of the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament.
Deep within the Star Dou Great Forest, a group of figures were carefully traversing the dense forest—it was the Barak team led by Xue Tianxing.
They came to the Star Dou Great Forest with only one purpose:
To hunt down Cao Qing's fifth spirit ring.
Seventeen-year-old Cao Qing is no longer the slightly shy boy he once was.
After more than a year of diligent training and practical experience, his soul power successfully broke through level 50, making him a defensive-type Soul King.
His martial spirit, "Xuanwu Shield," has been tempered many times, making its defensive capabilities increasingly formidable. Now, he has become the most solid "meat shield" for the Barak team.
The changes in Xue Tianxing, the core player of the team, are even more astonishing.
Not long ago, he went to the far north and, with the help of the Snow Empress and the Ice Empress, successfully absorbed a spirit ring from a 60,000-year-old elemental spirit beast called "Snow Elf."
This spirit ring not only allowed him to break through level 60 and become a Spirit Emperor, but also gave him a spirit skill that could be described as heaven-defying: Elemental Control.
This soul skill grants Xue Tianxing absolute control over ice elements, making him a true "Lord of Ice and Snow"—he can not only freely manipulate the surrounding ice elements to condense them into various forms, but also greatly weaken the enemy's ice resistance, and even change the weather within a certain range, creating blizzards.
On the day he acquired the Soul Skill, Xue Tianxing couldn't wait to try to condense an ice sword.
When the translucent ice sword, radiating a chilling aura, appeared in his hand, Xue Tianxing suddenly remembered the Snow Emperor's three ultimate techniques: Emperor's Palm, Emperor's Sword, and Emperor's Frost Heaven.
Each of these three ultimate skills possesses earth-shattering power; if one can learn them, one's strength will surely reach a new level.
Therefore, Xue Tianxing immediately asked Xue Di for permission to learn from him.
Xue Di knew that if Xue Tianxing did not encounter any accidents, he would start the Ice God Trial at level 70 and inherit the Ice God's position.
Especially when she saw that Xue Tianxing actually had Gu Yuena's dragon scales on his body, she became even more certain of Xue Tianxing's future—someone who could gain the favor of the Silver Dragon King, the ruler of all soul beasts, must be quite good.
Therefore, in the end, Xue Di did not hesitate and imparted all the cultivation methods of the three great skills to her.
After a period of diligent practice, Xue Tianxing not only mastered the three ultimate skills to perfection but also steadily improved his soul power to level sixty-two.
Now, he is capable of fighting even against ordinary Soul Saints.
The other members of Team Barak have also grown rapidly.
With their outstanding talent and unremitting efforts, Shui Bing'er and Dugu Yan both broke through level 50 in soul power and reached level 52 Soul King. Shui Bing'er's ice-type control ability became more and more exquisite, while Dugu Yan's Azure Phosphorus Purple Mist became more toxic and had a wider range.
Oscar became a level 48 food-type Soul Master; Shui Yue'er and Ning Rongrong were not to be outdone, both reaching level 43 Soul Master status. Shui Yue'er's Soul Skill had stronger penetrating power, while Ning Rongrong's Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda could provide more comprehensive buffs to her teammates.
At this moment, everyone was surrounding Cao Qing, cautiously observing their surroundings.
Xue Tianxing released his spiritual power, carefully probing the aura of the nearby soul beasts, and said in a calm tone:
"For Cao Qing's fifth spirit ring, it would be best to choose a defensive spirit beast or one that combines defense and strength, with an age between 15,000 and 16,000 years.
Everyone, please remain vigilant. There are many soul beasts deep within the Star Dou Great Forest; do not let your guard down.
"Don't worry, Your Highness!"
Cao Qing clenched his fist, his eyes full of anticipation, and then continued:
"This time I'm sure I'll be able to absorb the most suitable spirit ring for me, becoming a more reliable support for the team!"
Shui Bing'er, Ning Rongrong, and the others nodded in agreement, their eyes sparkling with confidence.
After more than a year of growth, the Barak team is no longer the small team that could only dominate the Soto City Arena. Now, they have strong combat power, and it can be said that they are full of confidence in winning this competition.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, illuminating the determined faces of the group.
On the eve of the All-Continent Soul Master Tournament, this journey to hunt for soul rings for Cao Qing is not only a test of the team's strength but also an important step on their path to the peak.
While Xue Tianxing and his group were in high spirits selecting a fifth spirit ring for Cao Qing in the Star Dou Great Forest, and the team's strength was steadily approaching its peak, Shrek Academy, far away in Tian Dou City, was shrouded in a heavy gloom.
The air seemed to freeze inside Shrek Academy's council chamber.
The golden trio—Yu Xiaogang, Flander, and Liu Erlong—sat around a wooden table, their brows furrowed and their faces filled with unconcealed worry.
On the table lay the rules for the Continental Advanced Soul Master Tournament. The edges of the paper had been unconsciously rubbed raw by the three of them, but none of them had the mind to look at it again.
"This competition marks the first time Shrek Academy has officially stepped onto the continental stage. We absolutely must make a name for ourselves and not let people think that Shrek is just a small, backwater academy!"
Flander broke the silence first, his tone urgent, his fingers tapping heavily on the table, his eyes filled with resentment.
As the founder of Shrek Academy, his lifelong wish was to make this academy, which "only accepts monsters," recognized by the entire continent, and the Continental Advanced Soul Master Tournament was the best opportunity for that.
Liu Erlong took a deep breath, rubbed his throbbing temples, and said in a tired voice:
"But now it's not a question of whether we want to or not, it's that we simply don't have the confidence! Since merging with Blue Tyrant Academy, our academy has grown in size, but we only have a handful of truly outstanding Soul Masters."
Her words were like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing the anger that had just begun to rise in Flanders' heart.