Douluo Continent II: The Dragon King Suppresses the World!

Chapter 42 Preparations Before the Competition (Bonus Chapter of 4000 Words!)

After everyone emerged from that perilous place, Elder Xuan, with a solemn expression, led the four people who were tightly enveloped by his soul power and released their flying soul tools without hesitation, speeding towards Shrek Academy at the fastest speed they could reach.

At this moment, Ye Qi'an was looking at Electrolux in his sea of ​​consciousness and shook his head helplessly. Electrolux's arrival had almost completely drained his spiritual power; otherwise, he would not have fainted.

"I am absolutely confident that I can break the remaining seals within your body without harming you. However, my current spiritual consciousness is far too weak and could dissipate at any moment, so I am unable to offer you any assistance at this time." Electrox's deep voice echoed continuously in Ye Qi'an's sea of ​​consciousness.

"Every seal within my body is deadly. To break through it rashly without absolute certainty would be tantamount to courting death," Ye Qi'an said, his brows furrowed and his head firmly shaken.

"Without me, that would indeed be the case. Ordinarily, you could only rely on finding spiritual objects to aid your cultivation, but in this world, the number of spiritual objects is always limited, making this method tantamount to drinking poison to quench thirst. But I can set up a unique secret technique on your seal, allowing the cultivation and bloodline power sealed within to continuously dissipate and feed back to you until your accumulation is strong enough, at which point I can completely break the seal." Electrox spoke unhurriedly. With the support of absorbing some of Ye Qi'an's spiritual power and blood energy, although his consciousness was still extremely weak, conducting such a conversation was no longer a problem.

"May I ask your name, senior?" Ye Qi'an asked respectfully and sincerely. Although he knew the name of the person in front of him, it would seem too deliberate to say it directly.

"Necromancer Saint, Undead Scourge Ilex," the aged voice replied calmly, tinged with a sense of vicissitude.

"Then I will respectfully address you as Elder Yi," Ye Qi'an said, nodding.

When Ye Qi'an slowly woke up, it was already midday with bright sunshine. The strong, pungent smell of blood had long since disappeared without a trace, replaced by the fresh and pleasant air of the mountain forest.

Ye Qi'an's entire body was leaning against a soft and elastic place. A faint fragrance wafted into his mouth and nose. He had only smelled this kind of light fragrance on Gu Yuena before, but why was it so strong?

Could it be...?

Ye Qi'an was startled and sat bolt upright. He then realized that he had been leaning against Gu Yuena. After noticing where he was lying, Ye Qi'an's face flushed red. Had that soft spot just now been...?

Seeing Ye Qian'an's extremely embarrassed expression, Gu Yuena couldn't help but smile slightly, seemingly unconcerned, and softly asked, "How are you feeling?"

Ye Qi'an shook his head, feeling that his mental energy was still somewhat chaotic, but overall he felt pretty good. "It's nothing serious, just a bit of a mess in my head. I should be fine after some adjustment."

Ye Qi'an sat up abruptly, his gaze sweeping over the others nearby. They were all sitting or lying in the woods, meditating and resting. Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, and Ling Luochen, however, were all deathly pale. Just as Ye Qi'an stood up, they all snapped out of their meditation.

Xu Sanshi chuckled in a low voice beside Bei Bei, "Look how deep their relationship is. Last night, after Ye Qi'an fainted, it was Gu Yuena who carried him out all by herself."

Beibei pouted and said, "Are you jealous?"

Xu Sanshi chuckled, a sly glint in his eyes: "I wouldn't say I'm envious, I just find it quite interesting."

Jiang Nannan frowned slightly and said with a hint of annoyance, "What time is it? You two are still bickering here."

As soon as Jiang Nannan spoke, Xu Sanshi immediately became quiet and stopped talking.

Ye Qian took a deep breath and helped Gu Yuena, who was leaning against a large tree, to her feet. He knew that so much time had passed since last night, and Gu Yuena had been in the same position for a considerable amount of time; her body must be aching. He said, "I'm fine now."

Seeing Ye Qi'an's outstretched hand, Gu Yuena smiled slightly, gently placed her hand on it, and used it to stand up.

Wang Yan quickly came to Ye Qi'an's side, carefully checked him over, and said, "It's good that you're alright. You should rest too. Then we'll head back to the Northwest Army Group's camp, and after a short rest, we'll immediately head to Xingluo City."

He Caitou couldn't help but ask, "Teacher Wang, this time it's not really going to be us who have to do it, is it?"

This is also the issue that the seven students from the Foreign Languages ​​Department are most concerned about at this time.

Wang Yan shook his head with a wry smile: "I'm afraid this is the only way. The All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament is extremely long, lasting for a whole month. Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, and Ling Luochen will need at least half a month to fully recover. Right now, the only ones left with fighting power are the regular team members Ye Qian and Gu Yuena, as well as the seven of you in the reserve team."

Representing Shrek Academy in this competition is by no means an easy task. The original powerful combination of two Soul Emperors, five Soul Kings, and two substitute Soul Masters has now become six Soul Masters, one Soul Venerable, and two Great Soul Masters. The difference in strength is significant; in this Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament, they can only rely on themselves.

Xu Sanshi scratched his head and said, "Teacher Wang, we can't back down. Maybe a miracle will happen if we give it a shot!"

Xiao Xiao chimed in, "That's right, we can't let Shrek Academy down."

A day later, inside Shrek Academy, Elder Xuan sat alone on the steps, a gourd of wine in his hand, constantly gulping down wine. His weathered face appeared even more sorrowful under the stench of the alcohol. Just then, a steady footstep sounded behind him, and an old man dressed in a white robe slowly walked over.

"How is the situation?" Elder Xuan's voice was tinged with urgency and concern.

The old man in white stood respectfully behind Elder Xuan, bowing slightly as he said, "The situation has stabilized. After careful examination, it was determined to be caused by corpse poison. Fortunately, it's just this one type of toxin, and you brought them back in time. After treatment, their lives are no longer in danger."

Upon hearing this, Elder Xuan let out a long sigh, his eyes filled with weariness and helplessness, and said, "That's good, that's good..."

Just then, a person walked in from outside the courtyard with hurried steps. The person was none other than Yan Shaozhe, the dean of the Martial Soul Department of Shrek Academy.

"Elder Xuan, the Sea God Pavilion meeting you proposed is ready. You..." Yan Shaozhe's tone was cautious and apprehensive.

"Let's go." Elder Xuan slowly stood up, the wine gourd in his hand casually hanging at his waist. His lonely figure seemed to bear a thousand pounds of weight as he walked out step by step.

Yan Shaozhe hurriedly followed behind Elder Xuan, sighing inwardly. The Sea God Pavilion meetings hadn't been held this frequently in many years.

"Elder Xuan, this incident can't be blamed on you, so don't blame yourself too much," Yan Shaozhe said softly, trying to comfort Elder Xuan's heavy heart.

Elder Xuan did not speak, but simply shook his head slightly, a gesture filled with deep self-doubt.

Inside the Sea God Pavilion.

The setup was no different from the last Sea God Pavilion meeting, but the atmosphere was much heavier, as if a thick layer of gloom was hanging over everyone's heads.

Elder Mu's gentle and steady voice slowly rang out: "Speak, Xuanzi, what is the purpose of your proposal to convene the Sea God Pavilion meeting?"

Elder Xuan nodded, his expression grave as he slowly stood up. He said in a deep voice, "Everyone already knows about this incident. This isn't the first time something has gone wrong while I'm in charge..."

When Elder Xuan said this, everyone present was shocked. His sudden proposal to resign from all his positions in the academy was bound to shock the entire Sea God Pavilion meeting.

Yan Shaozhe was shocked and quickly said, "Elder Xuan, how can this be? No one can guarantee that nothing will go wrong during a mission, especially since the responsibility this time isn't entirely yours..."

Dean Xian Lin'er of the Soul Guidance Department quickly spoke up, "Elder Xuan, please stay. Your departure would be the greatest loss to the academy. Your experience and strength are indispensable pillars for the academy!"

Elder Xuan shook his head with a bitter smile, his voice full of bitterness: "If Ye Qi'an hadn't discovered something was wrong in advance and Gu Yuena hadn't moved the four people from the center of the explosion, their situation would have been far more serious than just poisoning... Farewell, everyone."

With that, he resolutely stood up, turned around, and walked out.

"Come back." Old Master Mu's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority.

"Elder Mu, I really have no face to stay any longer." Elder Xuan turned his back to everyone, his body trembling slightly, a sign of extreme pain and self-reproach.

Elder Mu said calmly, "You can leave if you want. If you're so capable, find a woman to marry, and leave behind your bloodline and martial spirit..."

"I..." Elder Xuan was speechless for a moment.

Upon hearing Elder Mu's words, the other elders attending the Sea God Pavilion meeting all displayed strange expressions, and the atmosphere became somewhat subtle.

Elder Mu continued, "Xuanzi, don't be so stubborn. The academy needs you, and the children need you too."

After a moment of silence, Elder Xuan slowly said, "Elder Mu, I have brought shame upon the academy and put the children in danger. I have no face to face everyone."

Xian Lin'er said, "Elder Xuan, this was just an accident. You don't need to be so hard on yourself."

Elder Xuan sighed deeply, "Alas, I hope such a thing will never happen again."

Next, Elder Mu proposed that every member of the inner courtyard should be equipped with a soul tool. Although Yan Shaozhe opposed this decision, Elder Mu's domineering attitude immediately silenced everyone.

"Elder Mu, what about this year's All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament? There are only a few suitable candidates left in the academy..." someone asked worriedly.

Elder Xuan interjected, "If I take them there by plane, we should still have enough time."

Old Mu shook his head and said firmly, "There's no need to send reinforcements. Let them do what they want. Even if we send reinforcements, are they guaranteed to do better than those kids?"

"Although our regular team members are unable to participate this time, don't forget that this reserve team is the strongest in the history of the academy." Elder Mu's gaze swept over everyone, full of trust and expectation.

Yes, although only three of the main team members are injured, Ye Qi'an and Gu Yuena, the reserve team members, are in no way weaker than a Soul Emperor. In particular, their strength is obvious to all. One of them wiped out five Soul Kings and one Soul Emperor with a single Soul Skill and a spear, and the other can conjure elemental bombs by hand...

As the capital of the Star Luo Empire, Star Luo City is undoubtedly the largest city in the empire and the political, cultural, and economic center of the Star Luo Empire.

The walls of Xingluo City are a hundred meters high and a terrifying hundred meters thick, constructed entirely of solid rock. It covers an area exceeding one thousand square kilometers, stretching over a hundred miles in both directions. The widest main road can accommodate sixteen carriages traveling side-by-side. And this is only the outer city.

The core of the entire city lies in the center of Xingluo City, known as the inner city. The inner city is 960 meters long, 750 meters wide, and its walls are 20 meters high. It is truly a city within a city.

The competition was held in Xingluo Square in front of the imperial city of Xingluo City. Just to maintain order, 30,000 soldiers were mobilized from within the city for this competition.

Not far to the east of Xingluo Square, there is a seven-story hotel, which has been specially set aside to accommodate contestants from advanced Soul Master academies or Soul Master trainees from various countries.

As the defending champions and the number one Soul Master Academy on the continent, Shrek Academy's team members were accommodated in luxurious rooms on the top floor. Each person had their own bedroom, and there was also a dedicated conference room for their use.

At this moment, all twelve team members, along with their coach Wang Yan, were sitting in the conference room for a pre-competition mobilization meeting.

Wang Yan sat at the head of the table, with Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, and Ling Luochen, whose faces were still pale, on his left. Ye Qi'an and Gu Yuena followed closely behind, while the seven members of the reserve team, including Bei Bei, sat opposite each other.

"To tell you the truth, we have no other support this time, and the academy won't be sending any more team members. Now you can only rely on yourselves," Wang Yan said, sitting in the head seat.

Wang Yan took a deep breath and continued, "The competition in this competition will definitely be extremely fierce, but I believe that with your strength and unity, you still have a great chance to achieve good results."

Beibei frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "Teacher Wang, don't worry, we will do our best. However, please tell us more about the rules of the competition and the opponents we may encounter."

Wang Yan nodded and said, "There are a total of 133 advanced soul master academies and advanced soul master instructor academies participating this time. The first round of the competition will be a team battle, seven against seven. The draw will be held tomorrow. The first round of the competition is expected to take three days to complete."

"The groups will be formed after the first round, followed by a round-robin tournament. During the round-robin, a randomized format will be used, with three possible scenarios..."

"I'll explain the specifics of these modes to you in detail after we get through the first round. Right now, you have to face your opponents from the first round. Only by passing this round will we have a chance to enter the knockout stage and receive reinforcements."

.........

(End of this chapter)