Douluo Continent: Long Live the Spirit Hall

Matthew glanced back at the middle-aged man with displeasure, then introduced him to everyone. Yan frowned slightly as he looked at the middle-aged man who still reeked of alcohol. Although he didn't care much about this so-called practical course, having such an unreliable teacher was not something to be happy about.

"My name is Lü Song, and I will be your practical training instructor from now on. Students, for today's first lesson, I'd like to test your physical fitness. You'll start with a five-lap warm-up run around the track."

The teacher, named Lü Song, ignored Matthew's gaze. After looking around the arena, he immediately gave orders, which naturally made people dislike him. Even Matthew frowned and wanted to speak.

“Mr. Matthew, this is my class, you can leave now.”

However, before Matthew could even speak, the teacher named Lü Song gave him the order to leave.

"Oh! Mr. Lü Song, drinking before class is not a good habit. Please be more careful in the future."

Matthew was naturally a little uncomfortable, but the old man always followed the rules, so at this moment he could only shake his head, sigh, and leave.

"Why isn't anyone moving? Do you have any questions about my orders? Get running!"

Lu Song watched Matthew leave, then turned his gaze to the square. Groups of students hesitated, unsure of what to do. Lu Song, however, was clearly preparing to establish his authority. With a shout, a powerful surge of soul energy emanated from him.

"Ding Ding Ding!"

A dazzling array of spirit rings rose from beneath his feet—one white, one yellow, and one purple—the three spirit rings pulsating around him. This middle-aged man was actually a three-ring Soul Master, and as he released his spirit power, a dense aura of malevolence swept out.

The middle-aged man clenched his fist slightly in mid-air, and a scythe appeared in his palm. The blood-red scythe was dripping with blood, and as the breeze blew by, one could almost smell the stench of blood.

"Is this... a guy who's been on the battlefield? This practical lesson seems rather interesting."

Yan mingled among the crowd, silently observing the middle-aged man, Lü Song. He was a Soul Master with considerable strength, stronger than the familiar Lake and Kent, but still some distance from the Soul Grandmaster realm. However, this bloodthirsty aura was not something an ordinary person could possess; this teacher's combat experience was remarkable.

Lu Song released his martial spirit, revealing an astonishing murderous aura. Those present were basically just a group of children, no match for him. After being frightened, they naturally dared not resist and obediently began to run quickly along the playground, afraid of being chased by this fierce teacher.

Yan didn't stand out; instead, he jogged slowly in the crowd, with the chubby Tuoba Hong following him closely. This guy seemed to have noticed something too.

The junior academy's playground is quite large, with a lap of 600 meters. A group of six- or seven-year-old children running five laps of 3,000 meters is no longer just a warm-up. Even though the Soul Masters have much better stamina than their peers, they are still just a group of children who haven't fully developed.

During the first lap, most of the trainees were able to keep going, but by the second lap, some had already fallen behind.

As the third lap began, some people, having run out of energy, gave up and started walking slowly. Seeing that Lü Song merely glanced at them expressionlessly without saying a word, they boldly began to walk slowly.

"Is this an assessment of the students' physical strength, combined with the characteristics of their martial souls, to determine specific situations?"

Yan continued to jog slowly among the crowd, neither rushing to the front nor staying at the back, conserving his energy. While running, he also observed Teacher Lü Song's behavior.

"Boss Yan, any discoveries? Damn it, this sun is so scorching, this weather is awful."

Tuoba Hong ran alongside Yan at a leisurely pace. This chubby fellow looked round, but his stamina was quite good. As he ran, he followed Yan's gaze to observe Lü Song, but he didn't find anything, so he couldn't help but ask.

Yan turned to look at Tuoba Hong, wondering what the guy was after. Ever since he deliberately showed goodwill this morning, he had been so enthusiastic. However, Yan was still quite wary of this kind of flattery and remained cautious of the chubby boy.

"Nothing significant was discovered. Teacher Lü Song is probably just observing the students' physical condition, likely preparing to provide targeted guidance. But I don't think it will be of any use to you."

Although Yan was somewhat wary of the chubby boy, his guess about Lü Song was just a thought, a trivial matter, and he didn't need to hide it.

"In that case, it's really useless."

The chubby boy nodded somewhat helplessly, "Our White Armor Earth Dragon clan has a long-standing martial spirit heritage, and we already have a clear way to develop it."

Yan wasn't surprised by his words. The White Armored Earth Dragon Clan was able to establish the Holy Dragon Sect in the future, so it must be a long-established family. Such a family would likely have special training methods that a mere three-ring Soul Venerable could not easily instruct.

"Alright, everyone can stop now."

Just as someone entered the final lap and everyone was starting to tire, Lü Song's voice rang out again. He had now withdrawn his martial spirit and returned to his previous lazy, drunken state. But after what had just happened, no one dared to underestimate him.

"You, you, you, you, you all form a group. You, you, and you, come over here... Everyone, form groups as I said, quick..."

Lu Song approached the group of trainees, pointed at them, and ordered them to form groups. Having established his authority through his earlier show of force, no one dared to disobey him at this moment, and they all immediately sprang into action.

Yan noticed some details: the people grouped by Lü Song all shared similarities, mainly in terms of martial spirit compatibility, physical strength, or personality. This teacher hadn't even asked them to introduce themselves, yet he could make such precise groups; he certainly seemed to possess considerable talent.

Chapter 24 White-Armored Earth Dragon

"Take a break. In ten minutes, you will team up and test the system according to my assignments."

After dividing the participants into large groups, Teacher Lü Song let them rest, presumably to allow them to use this time to get to know each other better.

Yan's team had six people, including the chubby Tuoba Hong. The other four people gathered together to discuss their strategies after the teacher announced the break. Yan did not join them, but stood on the sidelines watching Lü Song.

"Boss Yan, what do we do?"

Tuoba Hong followed Yan around like a little brother, seemingly following his lead without question.

Yan was still a bit confused about the chubby boy's tactics. He glanced at him and then looked at Lü Song over there. He said in a deep voice, "Do you think our temporary team has any chance of winning against a three-ring Soul Master?"

"Uh, well, I guess so."

Tuoba Hong scratched his head, looked at the four people behind him who were beckoning them over to discuss the matter, and hesitated, clearly knowing that with only five or six people in this temporary group, it was highly unlikely that they could defeat a three-ring Soul Master.

"He is 1.9 meters tall, but his arm length is only 60 centimeters and his leg length is 1.1 meters. The sickle looks no different from an ordinary sickle, and it should have undergone one transformation. He is probably of ordinary commoner origin. If you include the sickle, his attack range is quite large, but he probably won't use it, after all, he is dealing with a group of six or seven-year-old children."

Yan gazed in the direction of Lü Song, a glimmer of light that went unnoticed by others in his eyes. Information flowed through his mind, constructing a three-dimensional image. Using mathematical calculation methods such as the Pythagorean theorem, he quickly calculated the approximate data of this teacher.

"Boss Yan, what are you saying... uh... what are you doing?"

The chubby boy was a little confused. He was about to pat Yan on the shoulder when the latter reached out and patted his head. "You're 1.2 meters tall. You're a bit too tall. Stay at least three steps away from him. If he doesn't use his scythe spirit, just keep your head down the whole time."

His height and arm span are disproportionately large; if he were to fight a group of kids with his fists, he'd most likely have to bend over. This is our chance. By the way, what's the quality of your White Armor Earth Dragon Martial Soul? How strong is your control over earth element?

Yan turned to Tuoba Hongfa and asked. He needed to know his teammate's stats to effectively formulate a battle plan. Although he had a record of soloing a Soul Master, that was a special situation involving life and death, and didn't mean he truly possessed Soul Master-level combat power.

Moreover, the situation is different now than that day. He now has to deal with the teacher's test, so he can only use conventional methods. Methods like smearing lime on his face are no longer possible. So he can only cooperate.

Although the White Armor Earth Dragon martial soul is not a true dragon species like the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex, it is still among the top earth dragons, containing extremely powerful dragon bloodline and possessing a certain degree of control over earth elements by nature.

"Brother Yan, I have innate level six soul power. I can control some of the soil within a meter around me to adhere to my body. Also, because I am fat and have thick skin, I am not afraid of pain, so my defense is not low."

The chubby little boy, Tuoba Hong, introduced himself to Yan with a grin, "Although I haven't obtained my first spirit ring yet, I've learned some offensive techniques. I can manipulate mud to envelop my whole body, forming a ball that I roll over. I once smashed a big tree with this move..."

"Tuoba, never mind, I'll just call you Fatty. Fatty, in the future, when you meet people, it's best not to reveal so much about yourself."

Yan looked deeply at the chubby boy who always had a smile on his face. He didn't expect that this guy would trust him so much, revealing all his secrets. There was nothing about the white-armored earth dragon and the control of earth elements.

The key part is the latter part. For Soul Masters, they cannot casually tell others about the special abilities of their Martial Soul. Even asking about them is a taboo among Soul Masters.

Moreover, the kind of moves the chubby boy learned are mostly unique soul skills of the White Armor Earth Dragon Clan. If outsiders find out about them, who knows what kind of trouble it might cause.

"Hey! You two, are you done whispering? Your break is almost over, come over and meet up."

"Yeah, now it's time for us to form a team of six, not a two-person team."

While Yan and Tuoba Hong were talking, the other four people got angry when they saw that they didn't respond for a long time, and shouted at them in annoyance.

"We've already gone there; it wouldn't hurt to discuss it."

The chubby boy looked at Yan, but Yan didn't insist on continuing. He shook his head and walked towards the four people.

Aside from him, the strongest member of their group of six was this chubby guy who was close to level nine in soul power. The others, even at their strongest, barely reached level six in soul power, and their martial soul quality was just average.

When Lü Song unleashed his martial spirit just now, these four people's legs were practically weak, and they would likely be in the same situation when they went on stage. He didn't count on these four guys at all, which is why he was so indifferent to them.

However, some of what these four guys said wasn't entirely wrong. After all, it was a six-person team, not a two-person group. Even if they looked down on them, these few could still serve as cannon fodder, so they still had to be dealt with.

……

"Break time is over, everyone gather together."

The ten-minute break passed quickly, and with Teacher Lü Song's call, small groups of people gathered around, waiting for Lü Song to direct the next step.

"You're the first group, come on."

After looking around, Lü Song randomly picked a group. Yan's eyes flickered slightly. He didn't expect his luck to be so bad that he was in the first round. Logically speaking, transmigrators should have some kind of luck, and they should all be the last ones. He was just thinking of observing more.

"Don't just stand there, release your martial spirit!"

Lu Song stretched his body and then waved slightly to Yan and the others. At this moment, Yan and the others also chose to release their respective martial souls one by one. With a series of soul power fluctuations, each of them underwent some changes.

The chubby Tuoba Hong had expanded in size, but his proportions had become more slender. His exposed skin was covered with many fine white scales, and his hands were shaped like strange claws. His whole body was also surrounded by a yellowish-brown halo.

His White Armor Earth Dragon Martial Soul was of good innate quality, possessing the strength of a high-level Martial Soul, and a faint dragon's might swept out.

After Tuoba Hong released his martial spirit, the other four people also had their martial spirit fluctuations. The black panther, blue tiger, and white bear looked impressive, but they did not cause any energy fluctuations, so they were obviously not soul beasts.

Fierce beasts may be stronger than low-level soul beasts, but they can only be considered mid-to-low-grade martial souls. Their awakened innate soul power is at most level four or five. The cultivation levels of these three are not high either, barely reaching level five.

"Aww~~~"

Of the four, one was somewhat decent. He had a faint blue aura that stirred a gentle breeze, a wind-attribute Azure Wolf Martial Soul, and level six soul power, so he could barely be considered to have some combat strength.

Chapter 25 Real Combat Showdown

"Aren't you going to release your martial spirit yet?"

After looking around, Lü Song noticed that Yan hadn't released his martial spirit, and a hint of dissatisfaction flashed in his eyes. Did his words no longer carry any weight?

Yan did not compromise because of Lü Song's dissatisfaction. Instead, he walked behind the chubby Tuoba Hong and looked at Lü Song, saying, "Teacher, you shouldn't have stipulated that you have to release your martial spirit at the beginning of the test, right?"

"I didn't explain it clearly."

Lu Song gave Yan a deep look, then suddenly clenched his right hand, and a scythe more than a meter long appeared in his palm. Accompanied by three clanging sounds, three soul rings—one white, one yellow, and one purple—circled around his entire body.

"In this test, if you force me to summon my Martial Soul back, then you have won."

Lu Song surveyed the entire scene, then casually tossed his scythe-wielding spirit weapon onto the ground. He then strode towards the location of Yan and the other six.

"Oh!"

The moment Lü Song's foot touched the ground, the sand beneath his feet cracked open, and his figure shot out like an arrow, his target being Yan and Tuoba Hong, who were standing in a straight line.

"Bang! Bang! Bang..."

Unexpectedly, Tuoba Hong reacted quickly. Somehow, a lot of mud and sand had gathered under his feet. With a flying kick, the mud and sand flew out and covered the oncoming Lü Song.

At the same time, Tuoba Hong and Yan quickly changed their positions and moved rapidly in two different directions.

"I underestimated you guys, you're quite slippery."

Five seconds after they left, Lü Song landed where they had been standing. Looking at Yan and Tuoba Hong, who were moving separately, his gaze quickly shifted to their new target.

"Oh!"

Lu Song's landing point kicked up another cloud of mud and sand, and he once again exerted his strength to shoot directly towards the other person's location.

"Roar~~~"

The student with the Blue Tiger Martial Soul tried to resist, letting out a tiger's roar and then waving his claws out, but the next second he was sent flying like a cannonball.

After casually eliminating one person, Lü Song raised his voice and said, "I'll teach you your first lesson upon entering the academy. The most basic point in Soul Master combat is to learn to probe and maneuver, rather than going head-on without understanding the situation."