Lu Mingfei starts from Douluo.

Aside from Ye Lingling, who provided support, the worst off were undoubtedly the Shi twin brothers. Two defensive Soul Masters were indeed a bit redundant in one team.

Even the Shi brothers themselves thought so.

However, if Lu Mingfei were to suggest it, it would be best to replace that agility-type Soul Master. Based on his gaming experience, such agile units either carry the entire team or become cannon fodder in team battles. This kind of unstable factor can be eliminated altogether.

Give the healer a shield; that will ensure sufficient damage output in team fights.

Chapter 52 Unfamiliar

Lu Mingfei sat under a tree at the city gate, his shoulders slumped and his back against the trunk. Several dragonflies flew over his head, darting about in the shade of the trees along the long sidewalk, occasionally hovering and tumbling in beautiful trajectories to catch the annoying mosquitoes.

It was the last sunset before nightfall. The white clouds had dispersed, the breeze was blowing gently, the clear blue sky was gone, and the blazing sun had already set, turning the ancient city walls of Tiandou City a deep red.

"What's going on? Are you guys three years old? Can't you be a little more mature? It's so hot." Lu Mingfei pretended to be nonchalant, looking down, but his inner rage was practically overflowing.

As for what exactly happened, to sum it up in one sentence: the academy's reserve team failed to achieve its goal, and the second senior brother suffered a crushing defeat at the gates of Tiandou City.

The incident began three minutes earlier when the Shi brothers were the first to say they wanted to withdraw from the reserve team, because they didn't want to put Qin Ming in a difficult position. Then, the other two agility-based soul masters also spoke up, and finally, even Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan joined the ranks of those resisting Qin Ming's willful and tyrannical rule.

At this moment, the two sides were facing off under the setting sun, while Lu Mingfei, the root of all trouble, was watching this silent drama from the sidelines with Ye Lingling and other bystanders.

"I'm asking if it's really okay for you to stand here?" Lu Mingfei scratched his head and glanced at Ye Lingling, who was standing to the side with him. "Aren't you teammates?"

"It doesn't matter. I'm not familiar with them and I won't offend anyone." Ye Lingling glanced at Lu Mingfei and said calmly, "But you, you've been openly ostracized. Don't you have any thoughts about it?"

What could he possibly think? Anyway, Lu Mingfei felt it was all over.

In the end, it was only a month-long competition. First, Qin Ming, who had been honing his skills for seven years, emerged as the perennial runner-up. Then, a group of aristocratic children who claimed to be bound by friendship actually caused trouble if they weren't given treats.

Lu Mingfei felt like his head was about to explode. Guys, we're just teaming up for a competition, not acting out some melodramatic soap opera!

"Wait a minute! If this were a romance novel, would I be considered a mistress or a nymphomaniac?" Lu Mingfei thought to himself, suddenly lost in some strange imagination.

Ye Lingling, who was standing to the side, also noticed Lu Mingfei's unfocused gaze. She was very curious. Wasn't Lu Mingfei embarrassed at all by being ostracized like this? He really didn't seem like a child.

“I know what some of you are thinking. Rather than being eliminated and becoming a substitute, you might as well leave early to avoid embarrassment. But I want to tell you, it is not me who will embarrass you, but yourselves. You deserted for the sake of so-called noble face. You are nothing but cowards who surrendered before even entering the battlefield.”

Qin Ming stared intently at the six rebellious students opposite him and said righteously, "The Soul Master Competition is a competition where everyone helps each other succeed. Just because you didn't get the limelight, does that mean you're no longer brothers and sisters? You should feel ashamed!"

"My attitude is simple: our purpose in participating in the competition is not necessarily to win, but to live up to the expectations of those who believe in us. My responsibility is to put the right people in the right positions, and your responsibility is to believe in your teammates, defeat strong opponents, and win honors, instead of wallowing in self-pity here."

Qin Ming's words were a wake-up call, and the six men lowered their heads. The strong rise and the mediocre fall—this simple principle was understood by everyone. Their act of forcing the issue today seemed like a child's farce.

The eldest of the Shi brothers, Shi Mo, spoke first: "Teacher Qin Ming, we are not deserters. You are right. The competition is for mutual benefit. We are brothers. Even if we are substitutes, we will advance and retreat together."

“That’s right! Teacher Qin Ming, we’re brothers. I was too narrow-minded before.” Oslo chimed in.

"I'm sorry, Teacher Qin Ming. As the team leader, I failed to manage the relationships within the team properly." Yu Tianheng also bowed his head and apologized. As the team leader, he failed to soothe his teammates' feelings and even impulsively threatened the teacher, which was really wrong of him.

"Very good, this is the essence of team spirit: mutual trust and mutual support. Also, the person you should apologize to is not me, but Lu Mingfei. He did nothing wrong, but because of your jealousy, he suffered an undeserved disaster." Qin Ming said solemnly.

"I'm sorry, Lu Mingfei," Yu Tianheng said first, followed by the others, including Dugu Yan who nodded in apology.

"No, it's alright, no need." Lu Mingfei scratched the back of his head, feeling inexplicably uneasy.

He had just come to his senses when he had a vague feeling that he was a blond intruder in a visual novel, and the victim came to him and apologized.

Holy crap! That's so evil!

As for the so-called exclusion? Please, they don't even know each other, okay? Stop making a scene!

"Very good. A good team always needs constant practice and coordination. This is a very good start, and I hope you can keep it up." Qin Ming smiled and clapped his hands. "In addition, you should welcome Lu Mingfei's addition. He is our greater chance of winning in the future. Many of you should have watched his match against Tianheng. With him and Tianheng on the team, I dare say that our probability of winning is at least 80%."

Hearing Qin Ming's words, everyone couldn't help but be moved. Yes, even if they were substitutes, they were still substitutes for the championship team, which was enough to be remembered in the school history.

"Furthermore, it's too early to worry about who will replace you. If you don't work hard, and there are new students as talented as Lu Mingfei in the future, then some of you will have to be removed, including me. If there is a more suitable teacher to guide you, I will entrust you to him without hesitation."

"So everyone must not slack off. No one is allowed to miss the weekly combat training. After three people break through to the Soul Master level in a few years, we can start team training and participate in team Soul Battles. At that time, who gets on the bench will depend on their own abilities." Qin Ming revealed a gentle smile, like a kind elder seeing a mischievous junior.

Everyone couldn't help but applaud and laugh with relief. Lu Mingfei also clapped his hands. No wonder the three members of the teaching committee entrusted him with important responsibilities. His emotional intelligence was truly remarkable. He probably just laughed off the fact that the teachers in the academy called him the eternal runner-up.

"Great! Let's strike while the iron is hot and head to the Great Soul Arena now. Our goal tonight is two-on-two team battles, and then we'll rotate teams every week to let everyone get used to teamwork." Qin Ming explained his initial plan.

He had long anticipated that Lu Mingfei, as a new member, might be ostracized by the existing members. By using this two-on-two team format, he could show everyone his strength, and naturally there would be no more resentment in the future.

"Team up?" Lu Mingfei was taken aback, then looked at Ye Lingling beside him. Looking around, she was the only one he knew.

Unfortunately, before he could even find the right words to begin, Dugu Yan had already grabbed Ye Lingling's arm.

"Hey, hey, hey, isn't this a bit too practiced?" Lu Mingfei thought to himself, looking at Yu Tianheng, wanting to ask him if he could control his girlfriend, but he met Yu Tianheng's burning gaze and was almost startled.

"Damn, you guys are playing this fancy game now?" Lu Mingfei made a tactical retreat.

"What flowers? Yan Yan and I have already formed several teams, no need to waste time." Yu Tianheng was a little stunned: "Now it's just the two of us left."

Lu Mingfei then glanced around and indeed, apart from them, everyone seemed to have already made arrangements.

"Okay." Lu Mingfei shrugged. It's all the same whether it's a round or not. With Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex around, this match will end even faster. The sooner it ends, the sooner we can go get some late-night snacks.

-

The lights of the Great Soul Arena were still bright and bustling. In the registration hall, crowds surged and shouts rose and fell, like a ragtag band without a conductor. The more they shouted, the more irritating it became. Every day, new members arrived here like headless flies, bumping around aimlessly.

Lu Mingfei had been here more than a dozen times and was already very familiar with the place, so his face remained completely calm.

To be honest, he's not very interested in Soul Fighting right now, since he's only level 22 and hasn't even used his second Soul Skill a few times.

The soul skill is too powerful, which is the downside. He's really afraid of accidentally killing his opponent.

"Hello, please register for a two-person team battle." Yu Tianheng said to the receptionist.

"Please inform us of your rank and display your medals."

"Yu Tianheng is a level 26 Iron Fighting Soul," Yu Tianheng said.

"Lu Mingfei, Level 22 Bronze Battle Soul." Lu Mingfei also took out his medal.

Lu Mingfei? The staff were somewhat surprised, after all, Lu Mingfei was the youngest genius in the history of the Great Arena to obtain the Bronze Soul, and he had already been officially recognized by the management of the Great Arena.

However, despite his surprise, he quickly spoke professionally: "Please come up with a name for your team. The registration fee is ten gold coins. Since your team has a Bronze Soul Fighter, you will be participating in the Bronze Soul Fighter level competition. Also, please come here to test your Soul Power level."

Yu Tianheng glanced at Lu Mingfei, who shrugged, indicating that he didn't care. So he casually came up with the name "Dragon Roars to the Nine Heavens".

After a soul power test, the two registered. Because there were few bronze-level soul master combinations, they were told the location of the soul battle almost without queuing.

"Your battle will take place in the main arena. There are three more battles ahead. Please follow the staff to the waiting room now."

"The main arena?" Lu Mingfei was a little surprised. His fifteenth consecutive victory when he advanced to the bronze arena was only in the sub-arena. This was actually his first time fighting in the main arena.

But thinking about Yu Tianheng next to him, one can instantly understand why the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Clan's prestige is so valuable.

Qin Ming and the others stood behind the two. He nodded to the students beside him: "In that case, the others should not sign up for now. Let's go and watch Tian Heng and Lu Mingfei's team battle first."

Actually, even without Qin Ming speaking, they had already planned to do so. They had watched the two fight in the training hall before, and both sides were exceptionally strong. They imagined how devastating it would be if these two joined forces.

-

"What tactics are we going to use later?" Lu Mingfei asked, holding a glass of fresh juice and munching on a grilled sausage, as he leisurely sat on the sofa in the VIP waiting room.

Not only is there a self-service fruit platter, but there are even dedicated massage girls on duty at the entrance, ready to massage and relax the muscles of Soul Masters preparing for battle. Indeed, class enemies are truly hateful.

"Should we probe first and then take them down one by one, or should we use sheer force and blast them away?" Lu Mingfei offered a few suggestions, intending to break the ice first. Although Yu Tianheng had some mental issues, he was a decent person. The two would be classmates for several years to come. He wouldn't dare say they were friends, but they should at least get to know each other a little better, right?

"Whatever." Yu Tianheng lay on the sofa and closed his eyes to rest.

"Damn it!" The last thing Lu Mingfei wanted to hear was the word "whatever." Every time his aunt said "whatever," it meant that no matter what he did, he would get scolded.

However, Yu Tianheng's "casual" was probably genuine; with their combined strength, they could easily get through by simply brute force.

Alright, Lu Mingfei decided not to make a fool of himself. With Yu Tianheng's cold face, if it weren't for Dugu Yan's initiative to pursue him, he probably wouldn't even have any friends, let alone a girlfriend.

A knock came at the door shortly afterward, a reminder from the staff to go on stage. Lu Mingfei quickly took a few more sips of juice before standing up, ready to go on stage.

The main arena is always the most crowded place in the larger arena, and the larger arena advertises that every match is worth the ticket price.

When he actually got on the field, Lu Mingfei felt a rush of blood to his head and a dizzy feeling.

Well, it's a bit embarrassing. Lu Mingfei scratched his head. This is indeed not on the same level as those other branch arenas. Just the VIP viewing room, which is the closest to the arena, made him marvel. Does this era already have such transparent glass? Or is it a single piece of crystal?

Just as Lu Mingfei was getting distracted, a figure dressed in fine clothes suddenly waved to him from behind the curtain wall.

"Oh my god." In the middle of summer, Lu Mingfei felt colder than if he had seen Sadako.

Can someone tell him what Xue Qinghe is doing here? Aren't you pretending to be the wise crown prince of the empire? You have time to come here and watch the battle?

Seeing Lu Mingfei's astonished expression, Xue Qinghe found it quite amusing and revealed a playful smile.

He never fights a battle unprepared. He had already heard from the three education commissioners that they would entrust Lu Mingfei to Qin Ming, the college's newest and most outstanding teacher.

A little inquiry reveals that Qin Ming's unique training method involves bringing his students to the Great Soul Arena for battles every week.

So he was actually lying in wait today, and sure enough, he caught them red-handed.

"Yu Tianheng, you just said it was fine, right?" Lu Mingfei quickly asked.

"What's wrong?" He naturally saw Xue Qinghe in the VIP room as well, and simply nodded in greeting.

"Let's just use our second soul skill to blast it at the beginning. I drank too much juice and suddenly need to go to the toilet." Lu Mingfei said, making an excuse to go to the toilet.

He didn't care how familiar the other person would be later, since he and Xue Qinghe were definitely not familiar with each other!

Chapter 53 Talent

This was not a fair match, not from the start.

After the host announced the results of both sides and both sides activated their martial spirits, the competition officially began.

On the stage, a sharp, welding-like light shone in front of Lu Mingfei, reminiscent of the primordial light of the rising sun when gazing at the horizon from the coastline—magnificent, earth-shattering, almost capable of staining half the sea and the entire sky. Now, it naturally illuminated the astonished and excited faces of everyone in the audience.

When this light reached its zenith, it was as if a newborn sun had appeared on the field, except that it radiated not only sunlight, but also thunder and majesty.

"Second Soul Skill, Thunderous Might!"

"Jun Yan!"

The interplay of electricity and fire created a light so intense it threatened to burn away one's retinas, yet no one dared to let it out of their sight... perhaps fearing that this divinely punishing light would descend upon them.

However, the Flame Brothers were not going to sit idly by. As a bronze-level Soul Master duo, they were experienced in countless battles. Even if their opponent was the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex, they would not be forced to back down. Moreover, if they could defeat the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex, their fame would be even greater.

"elder brother!"

"younger brother!"

"Combo attack, wind and fire follow!"

At the same time, a fierce, raging inferno descended.

The battle reached its climax from the very beginning, with four century-old soul skills clashing, wind, fire, and lightning intertwining in the arena and unleashing extreme light and heat.

"Boom!" Lu Mingfei controlled the Monarch Flame and unleashed it ahead of schedule.

The violent shockwave cracked the stone slabs in the arena, and the two black figures were thrown to the ground by the shockwave, rolling off the stage, signaling the end of the battle.

Emergency medical personnel at the arena immediately rushed to treat the two, and after confirming that they had only been stunned, the host announced that the Dragon Roar Nine Heavens duo had won the match.

Lu Mingfei scratched his head, wondering why, when he saw the two brothers opposite him suddenly shouting that their brotherhood was about to ignite, he suddenly felt like he was some kind of villain.

But speaking of which, what level are you two? Even if I didn't unleash my Dragon's Might, you two still dared to take that huge initial attack head-on?

That's too brave, isn't it?

"Let's go." Yu Tianheng's face remained expressionless. Originally, the opponent's combination skill could indeed compete with his second soul skill, but with the addition of Lu Mingfei's second soul skill, it directly turned into a crushing defeat. There was nothing to look forward to in this kind of battle.

Lu Mingfei quickly nodded, ignoring the thunderous cheers from the audience, and hurried off the stage. He agreed to meet in the registration hall, then made a quick escape to the restroom, mainly because he was afraid Xue Qinghe would intercept him on the way.

The two left casually, but Qin Ming and the others in the audience, as well as Xue Qinghe, were deeply shocked.

"Should we just go up there and be cheerleaders from now on?" Yu Feng voiced everyone's thoughts. These two are incredibly powerful, and if they go up there and let them start by blasting fish, they probably won't even need to fight afterwards.

What's there to worry about, who will be the substitute?

Even Qin Ming was slightly shocked. Although he knew that Lu Mingfei's second soul skill even surpassed Yu Tianheng's Thunderous Might, he only truly understood the power of this soul skill after witnessing it with his own eyes.

If Yu Tianheng's second soul skill had reached the level of a thousand-year soul skill of a Soul Master, then Lu Mingfei's second soul skill was even considered above average among the third soul skills of a Soul Master. With just this one move, he was practically invincible at the Great Soul Master level.

He was already starting to think about how to change Lu Mingfei's training plan. Ordinary battles would probably be ineffective against Lu Mingfei, and coming here would only be a waste of time.

Xue Qinghe, sitting in the VIP section, was even more shocked. Although Lu Mingfei did not use the so-called mimicry of dragon might, Xue Qinghe could still feel the aura of supreme authority.

A few days ago, the three education committee members had a detailed discussion with him about Lu Mingfei's martial soul and soul skills. Now it seems that he underestimated Lu Mingfei's potential. What is it to defeat a small Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Yu Tianheng?

Lu Mingfei's martial soul clearly has more potential yet to be explored. Perhaps it won't be long before he can truly awaken his spiritual domain, at which point he will probably be almost on par with a true god-level martial soul.

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