Douluo Continent: I, Long Aotian, will not be a supporting character.

As Long Aotian and his entourage arrived outside the imperial city of the Heavenly Soul Empire on their return journey, they were greeted by cheers and shouts that resounded through the sky.

At this moment, the sky outside the Heavenly Soul Imperial City was already completely illuminated by a sky full of dazzling soul-guided fireworks.

The Emperor of the Heavenly Soul Empire, who had been waiting for a long time, personally led his civil and military officials and tens of thousands of people who came spontaneously to welcome the triumphant young heroes with the grandest state guest ceremony.

Flowers and applause surged forth like a tidal wave, engulfing everyone from Di'ao Academy.

Although the seven regular team members, including Jiang Peng and Wei Huang, were basking in this supreme glory, their gazes were all turned to the reserve team members behind them, such as Long Aotian, Jin Ni, and Vina.

Only they themselves knew better than anyone else that if it weren't for Long Aotian and the others turning the tide in the finals and risking their lives to block Ma Xiaotao's devastating attack when she went berserk, they would probably be dead or alive right now, let alone enjoying this glory under the spotlight.

The victory celebration was held in the palace, and the Emperor of the Heavenly Soul Empire was overjoyed.

To recognize the outstanding contributions of the Imperial Academy, he generously bestowed upon them countless top-tier cultivation resources and personally opened the Imperial Treasury, allowing the Imperial Academy to select three more precious ten-thousand-year-old soul bones as additional rewards.

Adding to the three soul bones previously awarded by the Star Luo Empire, these young people from the Imperial Academy now possess a total of six ten-thousand-year soul bones! In the world of soul masters, this is an enormous fortune that would make any titled Douluo envious.

Back at the Imperial Academy, the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

Jiang Peng and Wei Huang exchanged a glance, then looked at the other starting players in tacit agreement.

A resolute glint flashed in the eyes of all seven starting players.

Jiang Peng took a deep breath and broke the silence first. He looked at Long Aotian and the other seven reserve team members and solemnly said, "Our main team doesn't want any of these six ten-thousand-year soul bones."

These words shocked everyone present. Even Du Busi, Long Yuanba, Ao Yumou, and the elite teachers of the academy, who had been invited to the event, showed expressions of surprise.

Wei Huang stepped forward, his gaze fixed intently on Long Aotian and the others, his voice strong and clear: "Aotian, Jin Ni, and Wei Na, you don't need to refuse. We all know perfectly well that if you hadn't stopped Ma Xiaotao in the finals, if you hadn't unleashed that earth-shattering Martial Soul Fusion Technique at the end, the final champion of this competition would definitely not have been our Imperial Ao Academy! We wouldn't be standing here enjoying this honor."

"Yes," Shi Kun echoed firmly, "we were just doing our duty, but you risked your lives to bring glory to the academy. These six soul bones were earned through your own strength; only you deserve them!"

Long Aotian was about to refuse when Jiang Peng raised his hand to interrupt him.

The captain, usually as composed as a mountain, now wore a relieved and satisfied smile: "For us, to defeat the invincible Shrek Academy and to personally end their millennia-long myth—this honor is enough for us to be proud of for the rest of our lives. You must accept these six soul bones; they are the spoils of war for the strong, and also the sincerest respect from all of us on the main team!"

Looking into the sincere and resolute eyes of the senior students they spent every day with, Long Aotian and the others felt an indescribable warmth welling up in their hearts. They knew that this bond was more precious than any soul bone. In the end, at everyone's insistence, Long Aotian, on behalf of the reserve team members, solemnly accepted the six ten-thousand-year-old soul bones that carried glory and camaraderie.

At the same time, the 100,000-year-old soul bone that Shrek Academy compensated them with had been delivered to Du Busi, who then handed this treasure over to Long Aotian.

At this moment, Long Aotian held seven invaluable soul bones in his hands, and there were exactly seven members in the reserve team, one bone for each of them.

Without delay, Long Aotian gathered Jin Ni, Vina, Ji Juechen, Ye Guyi, Dugu Yuan, Xiao Xiao, and others in his courtyard, took out the seven soul bones one by one, and placed them among them.

First, there's the soul bone that Shrek Academy compensated Long Aotian with—the right leg bone of a 100,000-year-old Mighty Vajra Bear. While the Mighty Vajra Bear can only be considered a relatively high-level soul beast, its terrifying age of 100,000 years is enough to compensate for any slight differences in bloodline. This soul bone was originally given to Long Aotian by Shrek Academy as compensation, so naturally it belongs to him.

The remaining six prize soul bones are all between 50,000 and 70,000 years old: the right leg bone of the Golden Earth Dragon, the right leg bone of the Ice Heart Snow Lotus, the right arm bone of the Saber-toothed Tiger, the left arm bone of the Flame Bird, the right leg bone of the Soul Devouring Spider, and the left leg bone of the Earth Demon Bear.

When Du Busi was selecting soul bones in the Star Luo Empire's treasury, he carefully considered the overall situation of both the main and reserve team members.

Among them, the right leg bone of Ice Heart Snow Lotus is suitable for Mu Xue and Hua Qinglian of the main team and Vina of the reserve team; the right leg bone of Soul Devouring Spider is suitable for Ye Bilin of the main team and Dugu Yuan of the reserve team; and the left leg bone of Earth Demon Bear is suitable for Shi Kun of the main team and Xiao Xiao of the reserve team.

Of the three soul bones rewarded by the Emperor of the Heavenly Soul Empire, the Golden Earth Dragon's right leg bone is most suitable for Wei Huang of the main team and Jin Ni of the reserve team, the Saber-toothed Tiger's right arm bone is suitable for Jiang Peng of the main team and Ji Juechen of the reserve team, and the Flame Bird's left arm bone is suitable for Huo Wu of the main team and Ye Guyi of the reserve team.

Now that the main team has shown great integrity by giving all their soul bones to the reserve team, the distribution of these soul bones is extremely simple: the right leg bone of the Golden Earth Dragon is paired with Jin Ni, the right leg bone of the Ice Heart Snow Lotus is paired with Vina, the right arm bone of the Saber-toothed Tiger is paired with Ji Juechen, the left arm bone of the Light Flame Bird is paired with Ye Guyi, the right leg bone of the Soul Devouring Demon Spider is paired with Dugu Yuan, and the left leg bone of the Earth Demon Bear is paired with Xiao Xiao.

Everyone gained something. As soon as they received the soul bones, they found a good spot, sat down cross-legged, and eagerly began to absorb them.

Long Aotian was the first to pick up the right leg bone of the 100,000-year-old Mighty Vajra Bear. Dark golden light instantly enveloped him, and an incomparably domineering blood energy exploded within his body.

The golden earth dragon's right leg bone in Jin Ni's hand emitted a dazzling dark golden luster, resonating strongly with her golden dragon martial soul.

The Ice Heart Snow Lotus in front of Vina exuded a cool aura, and the energy of the plant-type soul bone, which was also of the lotus type, continuously nourished her Snow Lotus Martial Soul.

Ji Juechen grasped the right arm bone of the saber-toothed tiger, and its sharpness and wildness instantly ignited the annihilation sword intent within his martial soul.

Ye Guyi's left arm bone of the Flame Bird burst forth with blazing light, illuminating her Holy Angel Martial Soul as if a true angel had descended to earth.

The right leg bone of Dugu Yuan's Soul-Devouring Spider emitted a strange purplish-black poisonous mist, which was perfectly integrated into his Calamity Poison Body.

Xiao Xiao's Earth Demon Bear's left leg bone was incredibly thick, making the illusory image of her Three Lives Soul-Suppressing Cauldron even more solid and majestic.

Within the courtyard, seven powerful and distinct auras intertwined and grew stronger.