Douro Continent

Chapter 401 The Grand Finals, Martial Soul City (Part 2)

The journey was peaceful, and ten days passed quickly. Half of the journey to Wuhun City had already been completed.

A guard of five hundred Royal Knights was comparable to royalty, and wherever they went, every city treated them with the utmost respect. They encountered no trouble along the way.

Today is the eleventh day of their journey. Of the Shrek Seven Devils, only Xiao Wu remains in a state of cultivation. Xiao Wu is very close to breaking through to level forty. The others do not want to disturb her and have given the entire carriage to her alone.

Everyone is now hoping that Xiao Wu can break through her bottleneck before the finals and then quickly find a suitable soul beast to obtain a soul ring. As long as Xiao Wu also reaches level 40, the strength of the Shrek Seven Devils will see an overall improvement.

"Brother Dai, why do you keep looking at those knights? Do you want to become a warrior?" Ma Hongjun asked Dai Mubai curiously.

Due to their outstanding performance in the qualifying rounds, Shrek Academy was placed in the central position of the entire team heading to Wuhun City.

Dai Mubai said, "We Soul Masters are the best warriors. What's there to envy? I was just observing them. The Royal Knights truly live up to their reputation as the elite of the Heaven Dou Empire. Not only are their military bearing impeccable, but their discipline is also superb. They have absolutely no arrogance, which is truly rare. Although knights are only the lowest rank of nobles, being born into the Royal Knights gives them a very high status in the Heaven Dou Empire. Their strict self-discipline along the way is entirely the result of their regular training."

Ma Hongjun said, "Alright, why are you talking like you're some kind of military strategist? I don't want to hear any of that. We still have ten days until we arrive! Boss Dai, how about we take a stroll around the team? Although there aren't many female Soul Masters participating, most of them are top-tier. Especially those from Tianshui Academy, they're the cream of the crop. Don't tell me you're not interested."

Dai Mubai glared at Ma Hongjun fiercely. "Shut your mouth. I'm a decent man, I would never do such a thing."

Ma Hongjun turned to look at Zhu Zhuqing, who was not far from them, and said with a sudden realization, "I understand, I understand. You're a decent person. I'll definitely speak more quietly next time."

"Believe it or not, I'll kill you." Dai Mubai could clearly feel two cold, gleaming gazes falling on his back. His relationship with Zhu Zhuqing had undergone a dramatic transformation these past few days, filling Dai Mubai with excitement. But he still clearly remembered what Zhu Zhuqing had said to him in the camp. He knew that Zhu Zhuqing was a woman of her word, and a chill ran down his spine.

Just as Dai Mubai was about to go to Zhu Zhuqing's side to explain, a chilling aura suddenly emanated from not far away.

Their caravan mostly traveled on official roads, only taking shortcuts along less traveled paths. And now, it was the perfect time for such a shortcut. Located between two low hills, this route was said to save dozens of miles. And while the mountain path was narrow, it was relatively flat; the carriages could cross it without any problems.

A chilling aura emanated from the mountains on either side of the path. Dai Mubai wasn't the only one who sensed it. The captain of the Royal Knights shouted, "Everyone on alert! Something's up!"

The Royal Knights guarding the Soul Masters immediately raised their lances. The participating Soul Master academy students, however, remained relaxed and carefree. With so many talented Soul Masters here, what did they have to worry about? Although these students were far fewer in number than the Royal Knights, their strength was disproportionate in a real fight. Moreover, each academy's instructors included many powerful figures, with at least a dozen Soul Masters at levels sixty or seventy. Such a team was more than capable of facing an army of over ten thousand.

Just then, countless rocks began to fall like raindrops from the hills on both sides. These rocks not only appeared abruptly but also moved in a very orderly fashion, hurtling rapidly downwards.

The terrain was extremely unfavorable for the entire team, and the Royal Knights' captain quickly ordered them to accelerate. The falling rocks were then handed over to the five hundred members of the Royal Knights.

This is when the overall quality of the Royal Knights became apparent. Although not all of them were Soul Masters, their overall strength was formidable.

The hills on either side weren't very high, meaning the force of the falling rocks wasn't insurmountable. The Royal Knights retreated a few steps, leaving only a narrow passage in the center. They raised their lances high and faced the falling rocks head-on.

As the spears moved and stones fell, they used their spears to constantly deflect the falling stones to the side. The spears of the five hundred warriors formed an iron defense line. In such unfavorable terrain, they did not allow a single stone to pass in front of them for a short period of time.

Seeing this, even Ma Hongjun, who had previously been somewhat skeptical of Dai Mubai's words, was shocked. Led by their instructors, the fifteen Soul Master academies moved swiftly towards the edge of the hill. To increase their speed, they abandoned their carriages and dismounted. Once they were out of this unfavorable terrain, there was nothing to fear.

Everyone is now eager to know who these people are, that dared to attack even the Royal Knights, especially since this is Heaven Dou Empire territory. Could they really be bandits? Are they blind?

Xiao Wu's training had to be stopped. The Shrek Seven Devils, along with four substitute members, followed closely behind Liu Erlong and Flander as they moved quickly forward.

Liu Erlong wanted to rush up the hill and start a bloodbath, but Flander stopped him.

"Boss Fu, why are you stopping me? These blind scoundrels, it would be better if I killed them." Liu Erlong said with dissatisfaction.

Flander said seriously, "Things aren't that simple. Don't you find it strange? Although the Heavenly Dou Empire has some large bandit groups, their intelligence network is also very well-informed. How dare they attack a team like ours? Judging from the falling rocks on the mountain, it was clearly planned in advance, not an accidental act. Regardless of what they're trying to do, protecting the children is the most important thing. Without Xiaogang, we can't exert our best fighting power. Staying by the children's side is the most important thing."

Although Liu Erlong disagreed with Flander's words, she didn't dare to refute them.

The Royal Knights were gradually losing ground, and some particularly large stones were already being hurled at the ranks.

This is when the true strength of the Soul Masters is revealed. These elites from the various advanced Soul Master academies of the Heaven Dou Empire showed no panic whatsoever. Each released their own Martial Soul, protecting the support-type Soul Masters inside while the offensive and defensive types held the outside. Any flying rocks were instantly shattered. It didn't even affect the speed of the advance and retreat of the group.

They were about to cross the road between the two hills. The Royal Knights behind them had already begun their retreat.

Just then, a whistle sounded from somewhere, and thousands of men in black suddenly appeared on the hills on both sides, rushing down at an astonishing speed. At this time, the Royal Knights were still in the process of retreating, and the soul masters of the fifteen academies could only rely on their own strength to protect themselves.

A dazzling array of lights began to appear on the Soul Masters, their Martial Souls were released, and their Soul Rings shone brightly. They were ready for battle.

Although there was no coordination between the various academies, each academy formed a small group, and the appearance of the enemy only fueled their fighting spirit. Instead of retreating, they advanced, and without any organization, they charged swiftly towards the enemy.

However, to the surprise of these young soul masters, just when they thought they could easily defeat their opponents, they were dealt a heavy blow.

The fifteen academies had a total of over two hundred teachers and students, while the bandits who came down from the mountain numbered around fifteen hundred. The moment the two sides clashed, these bandits displayed astonishing teamwork. Often, three or four would gang up on one person, their attacks concise and powerful. This immediately caught the Soul Masters off guard. After all, their combat experience was based on small-scale battles; this was their first time fighting on such a large scale.

Dazzling soul skills began to appear, but the men in black were extremely cunning. With their considerable speed and teamwork, ordinary first and second-level soul skills were hardly effective against them. Moreover, there were soul masters among these men—at least thirty powerful soul masters above level fifty. Whenever a powerful soul skill appeared, they would immediately step in. On average, they used two soul masters to deal with each academy. In this way, the bandits' wolf pack tactics proved highly effective. The situation became completely deadlocked.

The appearance of the opposing Soul Masters further confirmed Flander's suspicions. This was an organized attack. Thirty Soul Masters above level 50. This was a formidable force that no single power could possess. How many Soul Masters were there in the world? The total number didn't exceed one hundred thousand. And there were no more than five thousand Soul Masters above level 50. Five thousand might sound like a lot, but if distributed across the entire continent, it would be pitifully few. For a group of bandits to launch such an organized attack, and possess so many high-level Soul Masters, was almost unimaginable.

What does level 50 mean? It's not just that the title becomes Soul King, it also means that you can obtain your first ten-thousand-year soul ring.

"Conserve your soul power and crush your opponent." Flander immediately issued this order.

-

The qualifying rounds are finished, and the finals are about to begin. The finals won't be too long, but I'll try my best to make it exciting.

Princess Tangtang turned one month old the day before yesterday. To be honest, I've been incredibly busy lately. But I'm sure everyone has seen how hard I've worked. Despite the extremely tight schedule, I've kept my promise to continue updating, not take any leave, and not reduce the number of updates. Frankly, even I find it a bit unbelievable.

Actually, in the month Tangtang was born, I was planning to reduce the frequency of updates. I even prepared to issue an announcement beforehand. But in the month before Tangtang's birth, my readers made March 31st an unforgettable day. That day, we lost two hundred votes at the last minute, but at midnight that night, thousands of readers were still there for me. The emotion I felt at that moment was indescribable.

The next day, Xiao San made a decision: during Tangtang's birth, she would not reduce updates. Only in this way could Xiao San repay everyone's support. It is you who have given me even greater motivation to create; it is you who have made me who I am today. Xiao San has always believed that for readers to be loyal to their work, the author must first be loyal to the readers. Xiao San is striving to achieve this.

I'll try my best to write an exciting finale, and the overall plot of Douluo Continent will also be driven forward during the finale. Tang San revealing the Clear Sky Hammer was a last resort, as only the Clear Sky Hammer could best counter Feng Xiaotian's attacks. Otherwise, Tang San at that time would have had a very difficult time defeating Feng Xiaotian, who possessed aerial advantage and his self-created skills. Even if he could have defeated him, it would have been a huge undertaking, only revealing more of his abilities.

As for the issue of his identity being exposed, Tang San had certainly considered it, but graduation was just around the corner, and after the finals, he had already planned his escape route in a safe manner. I won't reveal too much here; please continue reading. All I can say is, it won't disappoint you.

The following text is free, so please feel free to read it. Finally, it's mid-month now. I'm asking for your votes next month. Thank you for your support, fellow readers and brothers and sisters of Tangmen.

(End of this chapter)