Douluo Continent: From Internal Martial Arts to the Law of Heaven and Earth

Chapter 198 A Touch of the Heart, The Empire's Reward

"Tangshan, I'm a little sleepy, can I lean against you for a bit?"

Gu Yue yawned, said something to Tang Shan, then tilted her head to the side, and under Dugu Yan's wide-eyed gaze, leaned her head against Tang Shan's shoulder and closed her eyes.

Judging from the other person's even breathing, it's highly likely they've fallen asleep.

How can a person be so shameless?

Dugu Yan gritted her teeth again. She had an urge to refuse Qin Ming's invitation to participate in the competition again. With his feigned innocence, who knew how far Gu Yue would progress during the competition? He was truly her greatest enemy, even more detestable than that prince who often prevented her from meeting Tang Shan.

That prince, a man, why does he keep interfering with my meetings with Tang Shan? Wouldn't it be more beneficial for you if I became one of Tang Shan's people?

……

At the Crown Prince's residence, Xue Qinghe suddenly felt a tickle in her nose, but fortunately she managed to suppress the urge to sneeze.

She rubbed her nose in confusion, wondering who was talking about her.

The first person Xue Qinghe thought of was not his grandfather, nor the cold and arrogant figure sitting on the papal throne, but his right-hand man Tang Shan, who should be at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy at this moment.

Thinking of this, Xue Qinghe smiled slightly, and her brows softened a little.

Under the banyan tree, Golden Crocodile Douluo shook his head helplessly: Xiaoxue has really fallen for him this time, but Tangshan and Xiaoxue are quite a good match.

If there was anything that Golden Crocodile Douluo was dissatisfied with, it was that he felt Xue Qinghe was too stubborn. If he had been more proactive, he would have already completely won over Tang Shan.

As for the issue of their identities being exposed, it was actually the old guys from the Hall of Offerings who accompanied Xiaoxue in carrying out the plan; the Papal Palace at most played a supporting role.

Even if we fail, there's nothing to regret. Besides, how much manpower and resources can we lose if the plan fails? Discovering Tang Shan, this genius, and perhaps even the masters who followed, is an extremely huge gain.

Ask Ning Fengzhi if he would trade 1% of the resources of their Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School for a genius like Tang Shan. See what that old fox will choose.

Glancing at Xue Qinghe, who was somewhat lost in thought, Golden Crocodile Douluo smacked his lips: Little Xue, your grandfathers don't object, but don't dawdle too much and get yourself into trouble. If that little girl Dugu Yan beats you to it, you'll have nowhere to cry.

……

"Have all the Heavenly Dou Academy students who met the requirements arrived?"

Seeing that many students had already arrived on the sixth floor, the Education Committee office floor, Qin Ming's soul power surged, and his voice resounded throughout the entire floor.

The bright voice, carrying the soul power fluctuations of a top-tier Soul King, suppressed the whispering students.

Several Tianwei-level teachers dressed in white stepped forward and reported, "Except for a few Tiandou students who asked for leave to go home, all the students who have met the requirements are here."

"it is good!"

Qin Ming nodded. Just then, the door opened again, and the three education committee members, Meng Shenji, Bai Baoshan, and Zhilin, dressed in noble black robes, walked in from outside. Their faces were serious, and they exuded an imposing aura.

They walked up to the group of students, their gaze lingering briefly on Tang Shan and his group, especially on Gu Yue, who was still breathing evenly. They then decisively chose to ignore them.

Putting aside the titled Douluo behind Gu Yue, her exceptional talent alone is enough to make them disregard the fact that Gu Yue is still sleeping.

It can only be said that, compared to the previous world of Douluo Continent, Tang Shan's previous life, although they seem quite different, there are still some similarities.

If a talented Soul Master falls asleep in class, it means they must have been training diligently the night before.

If a Soul Master with poor talent falls asleep in class, it's definitely because they were up to no good last night.

As for the claim that meditation can replace sleep, a talented Soul Master who diligently cultivates at night shouldn't feel sleepy during the day. Don't worry about that; a Soul Master genius must have their reasons.

Feeling the three education committee members' gazes lingering on him and Gu Yue the longest, Tang Shan's expression became somewhat strange. He glanced at Gu Yue, who remained motionless, but Tang Shan had no choice but to let it be. After all, she was the Silver Dragon King, and for the safety of the academy and its students, it was best not to disturb her.

In the end, I chose to bear it all alone. I'm so great!

"Students, the new All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament is about to begin. Our Heaven Dou Royal Academy naturally cannot miss such a grand event. The reason we have summoned you here today is to select participating students and choose the most outstanding team to fight for the highest honor for the school and the empire."

The chief of the Education Commission, Meng Shenji, spoke first. He didn't launch into a long speech but went straight to the point, stating the purpose of calling them over.

Even though the trainees already had a general idea, they still couldn't help but make a fuss again.

The All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament is not just a competition, but also a stage to showcase oneself. Most of them have not yet graduated, and they are doing this competition for them. Otherwise, with their strength as Soul Masters, why would they continue to stay at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy?

It's important to know that the graduation requirement for the Heaven Dou Royal Academy is to become a Soul Master before the age of thirty.

However, everyone quickly returned to calm. It wasn't because the three education committee members had done anything, but because everyone had noticed the few prodigies in the first row. If they wanted to participate, they could basically skip the selection process. After all, with their abilities, especially Tang Shan and Gu Yue, no one else could compete.

When Tang Shan saw the three education commissioners turn their attention back to him, he shook his head gently without hesitation.

The three education commissioners communicated with Qin Ming telepathically for a few more moments, then their gazes swept over the students below the stage, their aged yet clear voices reaching the ears of everyone present:

"Tangshan and Guyue will not participate in this competition. Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan, and Ye Lingling will be substitutes. In addition, we will recruit four more substitute students who are required to participate in the next competition. The remaining seven official team members will be selected through a selection process. Any objections?"

Xie Fei: What about me?

No objections!

No objections!

The voices of the trainees present rose and fell, but they all spoke in unison and had no objections.

What a joke! The three education committee members have already gone to great lengths. Putting everything else aside, from the perspective of strength and influence alone, no one would say anything if Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan occupied a formal spot, let alone that Meng Shenji put them in the reserve team. How could these Tiandou students, who are about to graduate after the competition, possibly have any objections?

Ignoring the noise in the room, Tang Shan was somewhat surprised. He didn't expect the three education commissioners to say directly that neither he nor Gu Yue would participate in the competition. He had just stated that he would not participate.

Thinking of this, he looked at Gu Yue on his shoulder, but he didn't know when she had woken up. She was raising her hand to rub her sleepy eyes, letting out a soft little yawn, and her nose wrinkled slightly.

Seemingly sensing the gaze beside her, she slowly turned her head to look at Tang Shan. Still sleepy, her dark eyes were veiled with a thin layer of mist, her gaze hazy, carrying the drowsy feeling of someone who had just woken up.

"what happened?"

The voice was crisp and gentle, with a hint of languor from just waking up, like a clear, sweet spring flowing through the heart, quietly nourishing it.

A moment of distraction flashed in Tang Shan's eyes, and his heart felt as if it had been gently bumped by something soft.

He subconsciously turned his head to look at the three education committee members in front of him, but his voice reached Gu Yue's ears:

"The three education commissioners said that neither you nor I will participate in this competition for the time being."

Gu Yue blinked, her long eyelashes fluttering as she brushed away some of her languor, barely managing to shake off the drowsiness of her afternoon nap. She casually replied, "I know that. When I registered, I told the three education committee members that I would participate in whichever year you were participating in."

Tang Shan was already quite amazed by the way the other person looked when she woke up, and this casual remark stirred up ripples in his heart: She's so good at this!

Tang Shan took a deep breath, clenched his fists, and forcibly calmed his turbulent thoughts, repeatedly chanting in his mind, "She is the Silver Dragon King, she is the Silver Dragon King, she is the Silver Dragon King..."

Only after repeatedly reminding myself could I barely suppress the uncontrollable distracting thoughts in my mind.

Why do you want to be in the same cohort as me?

Tangshan asked.

"It's nothing. I don't know anyone else. After all, you have to do something after joining the academy, but participating too many times seems like a waste of time. I only knew you in the academy, so I just decided to join the same class as you."

On the stage, the three education committee members were giving a pep talk to the group of Tiandou students participating in the selection, and generously promised a lot of cultivation resources to ensure that the selected team members could further improve their strength during this period of time. It would be even better if they could break through to the Soul Sect.

Down below the stage, Tang Shan and Gu Yue communicated telepathically, chatting about random things without attracting anyone's attention.

"Now, please move to the playground, the selection will begin immediately."

Meng Shenji acted swiftly and decisively. After giving the pep talk and presenting tangible benefits for the participants, he didn't delay any longer and instead called the group of students to the training ground for the selection.

Dugu Yan, who had been listening attentively since the three education commissioners arrived, tugged at Tang Shan's sleeve: "Your Majesty is so generous, providing all kinds of cultivation resources, and even saying that if we can reach the finals, there will be a soul bone reward."

Tang Shan snapped out of his culinary debate with Gu Yue about which dish in the school cafeteria was tastier and more nutritious. Hearing Dugu Yan's words, he pursed his lips and said, "His Majesty didn't specify what age of soul bone it was. I guess a thousand-year soul bone is the most I can count on."

As for a hundred-year soul bone, Tang Shan estimates it may be even rarer than a ten-thousand-year soul bone. After all, it is equivalent to a soul beast having a hundred years of cultivation while condensing a prototype soul core, which is extremely difficult, not to mention encountering and killing such a soul beast.

Perhaps in terms of rarity, ten-thousand-year soul bones are definitely more precious, but in terms of quantity, the number of hundred-year soul bones is likely less than that of ten-thousand-year soul bones.

As for the ten-year soul bone, to be honest, Tang Shan really doubted whether this thing even had the conditions to be born. What's the difference between a ten-year-old soul beast condensing a soul core prototype and an ordinary soul master or even a soul warrior condensing a soul core prototype?

Chapter 199 The Strange Yu Tianheng: Getting Caught in the Act of Gossip

The six people from Tangshan stood up one by one and followed the gathering crowd out the door.

The crowds were packed tightly together, and eventually Gu Yue simply leaned against Tang Shan's back, using his body to block the surging crowd and avoid being separated from him.

After finally squeezing their way to the first floor, Xie Fei, the largest of them all, was already covered in sweat, his face still showing lingering fear: "Damn, there are just too many people."

Once out of the crowded throng, Gu Yue stepped back from behind Tang Shan and walked slowly to the side. But in Dugu Yan's eyes, it was just a matter of moving from being pressed against Tang Shan's back to being standing next to him. The distance between the two was still glaringly close.

"Serves you right for being fat."

Yu Tianheng said irritably.

"What should we say now?"

Tangshan looked around at the five people.

Dugu Yan: "I'm fine with anything."

Gu Yue didn't speak, but moved closer to Tang Shan again, her attitude self-evident.

Xie Fei said with a long face, "The Education Commission only made the three of you directly become substitute students, but I wasn't one of them. I can only participate in the selection of the preliminary team."

"How about we go take a look?" Tang Shan suggested. "It'll be a good opportunity to give you a boost."

Xie Fei's eyes lit up: "That's great! When you guys fight at the edge of the arena, once you unleash your domineering aura, I'm sure no one will dare to challenge me just because of the two bosses' reputation."

Yu Tianheng: "Fatty, how come you're so good at finding loopholes? Can't you just walk the straight path?"

Tang Shan was speechless after hearing Xie Fei's words and refused without hesitation: "Then forget it. Pushing you into the preliminary team in such an outrageous way, do I have no face left?"

Xie Fei's eyes darted around, and his fat body lunged at Tang Shan, saying, "Boss, no! I don't want to get beaten up."

boom!

The enormous black shadow flashed past everyone's eyes, crashed into the outer wall of the main teaching building, and then slid down little by little.

Is this what they mean by "hitting someone like hanging a painting"?

Watching Xie Fei's body slowly slide down, Tang Shan was very satisfied with his exertion. He had already reached the Dan Jin level, but he had never used the Hua Jin's "hitting people like hanging paintings" special effect before. Fortunately, Xie Fei helped him make up for this regret today.

"Fatty, if you're afraid of getting beaten up, then you shouldn't participate in the selection. After all, even if I can carry you into the preliminary team, I can't carry you into the actual competition."

Tang Shan couldn't help but offer some advice.

Xie Fei seemed to be deep in thought.

Dugu Yan also agreed with Tang Shan's suggestion: "That's right. This time it's not Tang Shan leading the team. Even if you can join the preliminary team by relying on our name, it's inevitable that you'll have to play when the actual competition starts."

"That seems to make sense."

Xie Fei suddenly realized, and then revealed a determined expression: "I've decided, I still want to participate in the selection."

Facing the questioning looks from the other five, Xie Fei said matter-of-factly, "What's so strange about that? You guys are all definitely going to be future team members. If we lost my role as the defensive anchor, things would be terrible."

"I have never seen such a shameless person. Their defenses are so weak. It looks like they've probably poked their face with their own blood."