Douluo Continent: Ink Bamboo as a Cauldron to Break Through Ten Thousand Heavens

After a week of almost frantic effort, Chen Cheng finally completed the design of 14 sets of defensive soul tools. Later, he remembered that Wang Yan, the teacher who led the team, had come with them, so he specially made an extra set to ensure everyone's safety.

"However, Wang Yan wasn't injured in the original story. His task was probably just to guide and protect the reserve team students. After all, he himself doesn't have much talent. He's already over forty and only a six-ring Soul Emperor, and he's more inclined towards theoretical research. The main purpose of having him come is to provide theoretical guidance, so he's not likely to be in any danger. But there are always exceptions. Doing one more thing won't hurt; consider it icing on the cake."

During this time, Chen Cheng was also dragged along by the three little ones to be their sparring partner. After all, he had previously been able to defeat Xu Sanshi and Bei Bei, who were also four-ring cultivators, by fighting two against one. Although the other two were Ganghun Sect cultivators and Chen Cheng could use a soul tool, their tacit understanding made up for this advantage.

Chen Cheng suppressed his cultivation at the third ring and refrained from using soul tools or other gadgets to spar with the three. Unfortunately, since his awakening, Chen Cheng's martial soul's force-dissipating effect was simply too good, leaving the three feeling helpless and unable to use their strength against him. Furthermore, Chen Cheng's masterful control of his martial soul made him impossible to defend against, even with Huo Yuhao's bug-like mental detection.

In the end, the one who persisted the longest was often not Wang Dong, who could fly and fight and had the highest level, nor Xiao Xiao, who had twin martial souls, but rather Huo Yuhao, who had the lowest level and seemed useless to outsiders. Because of this, Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao often said that Chen Cheng was biased because of their good relationship.

Chen Cheng had something to say. His level was already limited to the third ring, preventing him from using soul tools. His opponents possessed various overpowered abilities like X-ray vision, target locking, and in-game voice chat. Did they really think he didn't want to kick out the cheaters first? He couldn't! Not to mention his diligent training in Tang Sect techniques, his Ghost Shadow Step was incredibly smooth and agile, like an eel. Even if he managed to shake off the other two and catch up with Huo Yuhao, the shield he created himself would make it difficult for Chen Cheng to eliminate Huo Yuhao quickly. Then he would face a relentless barrage of attacks from the other two.

It would be better to feign an attack on Huo Yuhao or anyone else first, and then launch a surprise attack on the other person with bamboo strips. If one person is eliminated directly, then a fierce offensive will follow. If not, Chen Cheng will most likely look for an opportunity during the defense, find a weakness, and then eliminate the remaining two with a "one-hit kill," before launching a fierce attack on the other two.

The only time Chen Cheng conceded defeat was when Huo Yuhao briefly revealed a weakness during Chen Cheng's defensive phase. However, when Chen Cheng attacked, he realized that Huo Yuhao had deliberately lured him into a trap. After attacking, he was unable to break through the defense quickly and was then entangled under the combined attacks of Huo Yuhao and Xiao Xiao. Meanwhile, Wang Dong was charging up his light blade from the side.

Upon seeing this, Chen Cheng decisively conceded defeat. It wasn't that he felt he couldn't withstand the attack; he simply felt that a friendly sparring session didn't need to escalate to this point. If Wang Dong were to fully charge up his attack, he would likely be weakened for a long time. Therefore, after conceding, Chen Cheng acknowledged Huo Yuhao's tactic but also advised Wang Dong to save this charged-up technique as a trump card. In the first ten matches, there generally wouldn't be particularly strong opponents, and a two-ring Soul Master only has two Soul Skills; it's more appropriate to use other methods for a comeback, and save them for the later elimination rounds to secure points in the 64th place playoffs.

However, Chen Cheng couldn't help but admire Xiao Xiao's incredible strength. She had indeed given him a 500-year-old Thousand-Pound Ant Soul Ring as his second soul ring, whose soul skill effect was to enhance strength and the gravity of the cauldron. And then, Xiao Xiao would seize any opportunity to smash him down with the cauldron. It was truly too violent and too brutal!

Huo Yuhao had been holding back, refraining from using his soul strike. However, given Chen Cheng's current mental strength, if he were to truly guard against this move, Huo Yuhao would likely suffer a backlash and be left to make things difficult for himself. His restraint might be due to Tianmeng's warning, or perhaps he was afraid of injuring Chen Cheng.

Wang Dong, that brat... well, that bastard is a completely different story. If it weren't for his hidden second martial soul, the Clear Sky Hammer, he might have actually been flying through the air while hurling the hammer at him. This guy really doesn't know what holding back is! I was just teasing him a couple of times, and look how angry this kid is. Can't people say anything about me wearing women's clothes? What a petty person!

However, thinking about the Clear Sky Hammer, Chen Cheng had another fun idea. Huo Yuhao, through his rigorous nightly training, could now unleash over forty consecutive hits with the Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique. Combining it with the Ghost Shadow Step reduced the combo to around thirty hits, as the Ghost Shadow Step required additional concentration. Nevertheless, the combined force of thirty-odd hits was still considerable, likely creating an information gap for Dai Huabin. The three of them could then pounce, Xiao Xiao using the cauldron to smash, Huo Yuhao using both hammers, and Wang Dong using his martial soul to slash—the scene would be quite something.

What? You're asking what to do if the Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique breaks? You mean, with the help of bug-like mental detection here—allowing you to see through walls, predict others' next moves, and coordinate with teammates via voice chat—there's still a possibility of missing a combo?

However, Huo Yuhao was quite concerned about this issue. He suggested that if the mental detection detected that the combo needed to be interrupted, Xiao Xiao's cauldron could come over and take a hit to continue. Although Xiao Xiao was dissatisfied, she admitted that it was indeed a good idea and praised Huo Yuhao's ingenuity very reluctantly. Wang Dong, who was standing next to her, was about to laugh.

With this strategy in mind, the three's attacks overwhelmed Chen Cheng for a time. However, Chen Cheng's enlightenment came from the Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique. After a brief moment of surprise, he adjusted and, with the final guidance, deflected the force of Huo Yuhao's final hammer blow, finally eliminating Huo Yuhao first and achieving the feat of "everyone being eliminated first." Without Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao seemed even more helpless. Xiao Xiao even used a cauldron to put herself inside and then controlled the cauldron to fly upwards. Unfortunately, she was instantly killed by the bamboo strips that Chen Cheng threw in.

Chen Cheng remarked, "If you can't fly, don't force it. Anyone who can fly knows it's pointless." Wang Dong, who was initially smug, erupted again upon hearing the second half of the statement, only to be instantly defeated.

A week passed quickly, and the three had improved significantly in their teamwork and combat skills. The biggest change, however, was in Huo Yuhao, not in combat power, but in his command and coordination abilities, and some unexpected combat strategies. This is understandable; people with leg problems often have stronger arms, and knowing one's weaknesses motivates them to improve. Furthermore, Huo Yuhao studied with Chen Cheng every night, and subtly, his thinking began to resemble Chen Cheng's.

"Stop staring at me, Xiao Xiao! Go discuss tactics with your Captain Huo Yuhao! It's your three competing, not mine, so why are you staring at me like that!" Chen Cheng's tone was full of helplessness. He was there to observe the freshmen's assessment and to identify and record promising freshmen. He came over to say hello to the three little ones, but they grabbed him and wouldn't let him leave, insisting that he see the results of their training over the past week.

"Wow, Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao are always inseparable. If I didn't know they were roommates, I'd really think they were gay!"

Wang Dong didn't refute it. He always stopped commenting on the topic of his relationship with Huo Yuhao and instead always looked shy.

"Do you think I don't know your achievements? We're the ones getting ganged up on every day!" Chen Cheng said irritably, preparing to leave—that was his way of saying goodbye. But inwardly, he did give Xiao Xiao a thumbs up; if she could talk, she should talk more!

  

Chen Cheng didn't deliberately seek out acquaintances for the first round. Instead, he casually flipped through the information and found a group from Zhou Yi's class. He was quite curious about how the team, which only had thirty-one students left in the class and dared to be divided into groups on the last day, would perform.

At the start, both sides released their martial souls. Zhou Yi's side used the Jungle Wolf, Ice Crown, and Flame Spider. The opposing student's martial souls were the Peanut, Sycamore, and Crescent Blade.

"Um, how did Zhou Yi assign them? Ice Crown and Flame Spider together? Aren't you worried they'll torment each other? The girl with the Flame Spider martial soul in their team should be a power attacker, then the Ice Crown girl should play support or control the whole field, and the Jungle Wolf boy should be an agility attacker, looking for opportunities on the sidelines. But if the other two can't hold the line, how much of a contribution can Jungle Wolf make on the front lines?"

At the start of the battle, the girl with the Peanut Spirit threw peanuts at the other two. The effects of eating them seemed different; the boy with the Sycamore Spirit ate one that increased control, while the boy with the Crescent Blade Spirit ate one that increased strength. From the very beginning, it was clear that the three were coordinating, unlike the other side where tactics were only discussed on the spot, resulting in chaos.

"Without Huo Yuhao and his two little ones winning the championship this time, two-thirds of the students were expelled, and they didn't even get a good ranking in the freshman assessment. Zhou Yi is probably going to be severely punished." Chen Cheng looked at the arena with a pessimistic mood. He saw that the Ice Crown Girl couldn't wait to get as far away from the Flame Spider as possible, and then the two of them were separated. In order to protect the Ice Crown Girl from being attacked, the Jungle Wolf had to face the slashes of the Crescent Blade. The Flame Spider saw the Jungle Wolf being beaten back and wanted to rush to support him, but it was ambushed by the Sycamore Tree. If it weren't for the Ice Crown Girl's reminder, it would probably have been firmly controlled by the Sycamore Tree.

The Flame Spider girl had a fiery temper, immediately charging at the other two with both of her spirit rings blazing brightly. However, the Ice Crown girl didn't know how to provide assistance without weakening the flames of her Flame Spider spirit, so she turned to fight the other person alongside the Jungle Wolf boy. This boy wielded the Crescent Blade with unparalleled skill, and his one-man-army demeanor earned him high praise from Chen Cheng. As a result, the situation on the scene became a tug-of-war between the two offensive spirit masters and the other two, with neither side able to provide any particularly useful support to their main attackers.

"No, this guy wielding the big sword ate peanuts at the start, so he probably won't be as strong after the effect wears off. But judging from their teamwork, they won't be able to take him down anytime soon. I don't understand, two people fighting a powerful offensive weapon spirit master! Your Ice Crown Martial Soul isn't purely supportive. You could put a layer of frost on the ground to make the opponent slip, or put two ice blocks on the ground, and while the opponent is slipping, the Jungle Wolf could easily take down a weapon spirit master who doesn't have time to react. If you can't even do a sneak attack, you should get out of Shrek Academy! It just shows that your practical experience is too poor, and you don't even have the ability to coordinate."

"Looking at the other side, it's even worse. You're a power-attack type Soul Master, and you have a Flame Spider Martial Soul! Why are you hiding around the Sycamore tree on the other side? You're using your first and second Soul Skills every now and then! You know it's afraid of fire, so you just burn it. You're just fighting with the attitude of trading one for one if you can't win! As long as you can break the deadlock, with one power-attack type weapon Martial Soul and one food type left, as long as you don't let it eat peanuts again, it's basically two against one. To put it bluntly, it's a lack of trust in your teammates. The key thing is, you didn't even try to interrupt the feeding. This time, you threw another peanut to that boy in the Sycamore tree, and oh dear, it's already eaten! If this continues for a while, will you still have enough Soul Power to break the deadlock? It's really shameful for a power-attack type to play like this."

However, things don't always go as planned. Just as the two of them finally eliminated the one wielding the big sword, the Flame Spider Girl on the other side unleashed her remaining soul power, leaving the two of them no time to provide support. She also failed to complete any eliminations herself, becoming the second one to be eliminated.

In the end, Zhou Yi's class won. They practically fought with all their might, throwing wild punches, probably determined not to lose and be punished by Zhou Yi. Seeing their desperate stance, the opposing team surrendered. Mainly, with only one food-type and one control-type left, they didn't have much ability to finish the match and wanted to conserve their energy for the next game.

Chen Cheng shook his head repeatedly as he watched. Teams with food-type characters were inherently harder to win against. After all, not everyone knew Tang Sect's secret techniques and could make a move or two. Their buffs weren't as effective as support-type characters, since not everyone was Tang Wulin, using food as their energy source. Even in what was essentially a three-on-two situation, the battle was so fierce…

"Zhou Yi, you're amazing, you're aloof, you're incredible!"