There are many rare metals on the continent that can enhance metallic-type soul power, and among them, the most famous is Refined Iron Essence
Instead of heading straight back to Blue Tyrant Academy, Chu Chengzhou made a detour to the Seven Treasures Commerce Guild in the city and bought some preliminary-smelted refined iron ingots.
Rare metals aren't cheap. After buying 200 jin (about 100 kg) of refined iron ingots, his wallet was significantly lighter. Chu Chengzhou couldn't help but sigh once again—Ning the Rich Tycoon was truly loaded.
They say "family owns a mine" to describe someone rich, but Ning the Rich Tycoon? That guy didn't just own a mine—most of the mines in the entire Heaven Dou Empire were under his name! The definition of a mega-monopoly.
Of course, from Chu Chengzhou's perspective, the richer his future father-in-law was, the better. At the very least, Ning Rongrong's dowry would definitely be impressive.
As soon as he stepped into the academy, ready to go find Xiao Wu, Chu Chengzhou spotted Liu Erlong, Flender, Zhao Wuji, and the others on the training field—Xiao Wu among them.
This was just in time for the Blue Tyrant Academy battle team's thrice-weekly pre-tournament training session, and from the looks of it, today's training hadn't yet started.
"You're back at just the right time—get over here and join the training!"
As soon as she saw him, Liu Erlong shouted his way.
If anyone in the academy cared the most about the Blue Tyrant team, it was definitely Liu Erlong. Even Flender couldn't match her dedication.
After all, Blue Tyrant Academy was hers, and with strong members like Chu Chengzhou, they had a real shot at performing well in the Soul Master Tournament. As the headmaster, Liu Erlong naturally had a strong personal investment.
"Dean Erlong, I just got back... how about I sit this one out?"
Chu Chengzhou tried to sound her out.
To be honest, he really didn't want to participate in the training.
That's because the sessions were based on Soul Master Tournament rules—no external items allowed, and Liu Erlong and Flender also banned him from using his illusion techniques.
Sure, he could still use his exceptional soul power control to form a bow and fire pure soul power arrows even without his Flame Sun Bow and Titanium Armor-Piercing Arrows, but the power was greatly reduced.
With no illusions, and going up against Soul Saints like Liu Erlong or Zhao Wuji, the so-called team training every three days was basically just a scheduled beatdown.
Beating others up is fun, but getting beaten? Unless someone's got... unusual preferences, no one enjoys that.
Unfortunately, students who haven't graduated don't get a say. In Blue Tyrant Academy, Liu Erlong is the final boss. What she says goes. Complaints? Valid—but meaningless.
"Sit out? Not happening! You're part of the Blue Tyrant team—and the captain, no less! It was fine while you were away, but now that you're back, no excuses!"
Liu Erlong firmly shut him down.
"This is all for your own good—don't be ungrateful, kids!"
With a shrug, Chu Chengzhou could only join the team lineup.
"Huh? Dean Flender, what happened to your eye?"
Suddenly, Chu Chengzhou noticed something off. That shoehorn face of Flender's had a swollen right eye, and though he still wore black-rimmed glasses, they were clearly a new pair.
Flender twitched at the comment and shot Chu a glare. "None of your damn business!"
Chu Chengzhou: "…"
"Brother, guess what? This morning, Dean Flender must've lost his mind or something. He tried to confess to Dean Erlong by giving her flowers in front of the whole academy! Wanna guess what happened?"
Xiao Wu, thrilled at Chu Chengzhou's return from his spirit beast hunting trip, immediately shared the gossip in a whisper.
Chu Chengzhou suddenly understood.
No wonder Flender got beat up—Liu Erlong, the raging dragon lady, did it!
"Yup yup~ Flender got it bad. Erlong's punch swelled his eye up like this!"
Next to them, Ning Rongrong chimed in excitedly, making a huge circle gesture with her hands.
Once someone broke the ice, everyone jumped into the gossip—except for Dai Mubai, who stood awkwardly by himself. Or more accurately, was being ostracized.
"Ahem ahem, Erlong, how about we start the training?"
Soul Masters have sharp hearing. Even though they were whispering, Flender heard every word. Embarrassed, he quickly turned to Liu Erlong to change the subject.
"Alright, enough chatter. You've got one minute to prepare. Training starts after that!"
Even Liu Erlong, one of the gossip's main characters, looked a bit awkward and hurriedly issued the command.
Everyone: "…"
Soon, the Blue Tyrant Academy team's practical training officially began.
Right at the start, Chu Chengzhou summoned his martial soul.
But this time, his strategy changed—he didn't summon all his contracted spirits as usual. Only his second and fourth spirit rings lit up.
As his soul power surged, the Radiant Lion spirit "Xiao Bai" and the Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear spirit "Xiong Da" manifested beside him.
Neither had their size suppressed—Xiao Bai was 5 meters long, and Xiong Da stood at 5 meters tall. They were absolute beasts on the battlefield.
"Xiong Da—Claws of Terror, Berserk Mode! Xiao Bai—Blessing!"
Chu immediately issued tactical commands.
Darkgolden light flared across Xiong Da's body, his claws gleamed with lethal sharpness, and his aura spiked dramatically. His cold eyes turned more savage than ever.
At the same time, a stream of white light surged from Xiao Bai, entering Xiong Da's body.
Moments later, Xiong Da's already enhanced stats surged another 50% thanks to Xiao Bai's Blessing skill.
Though Xiong Da was strong enough to match a typical seven-ring Soul Saint, his cultivation age wasn't much higher than Xiao Bai's, meaning Xiao Bai's buff applied at full strength.
"ROAARRR!"
With a thunderous roar, Xiong Da charged like a heavy tank toward Liu Erlong.
"Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear? Martial soul—possess!"
Recognizing the fourth summoned beast, Liu Erlong's pupils shrank. She immediately activated her martial soul.
"First Soul Skill—Dragon Possession! Second Soul Skill—Dragon Arms!"
With her first and second rings glowing, dragon-scale armor appeared over her body, and her arms gained thick, powerful gauntlets. Her aura skyrocketed.
"Third Soul Skill—Furious Thunderfire!"
With a shout, a massive lightning-infused fireball surged above her.
It then blasted toward the oncoming Xiong Da like a meteor.
But just before it hit, a golden light streaked across the sky—it was Chu Chengzhou's soul power arrow, forged mid-battle from metallic-element soul energy using only his martial soul bow.
Liu Erlong's Thunderfire Ball was wildly unstable. As soon as the arrow struck it, the energy triggered an early detonation—a ten-meter-wide storm of thunder and fire erupted midair.
Since the explosion didn't land directly on Xiong Da and Liu Erlong hadn't used her martial soul avatar, the damage wasn't overwhelming. Xiong Da tanked it with his sturdy darkgolden hide.
Then, emerging from the flames like a beast, Xiong Da leapt forward and swung a massive claw at Liu Erlong.
"Not good!"
Sensing the danger, Liu Erlong quickly reacted.
"Sixth Soul Skill—Exploding Dragon Blitz!"
Too close to dodge, she activated her sixth ring. Her right arm burst into flames as she launched a meteor-like punch.
Boom!
Claw and fist collided. Fire clashed with gold. Both sides were forced back several steps.
It seemed like a tie—but the recoil hit Liu Erlong hard. Her right arm went numb.
Xiong Da, on the other hand, let out another roar and charged again like nothing had happened.
Human Soul Masters just couldn't compare to soul beasts in raw toughness—especially when it came to brute-force bears.
Xiong Da's second claw strike shattered Liu Erlong's armored armguard, then slammed into her chest armor with another resounding bang—sending her flying.
Just as Xiong Da was about to follow up, Chu Chengzhou cut off his soul power supply, stopping him mid-attack.
Liu Erlong wasn't an enemy—this much was enough.
To be fair, Liu Erlong wasn't actually weaker than Xiong Da. If she'd used her Martial Soul Avatar and played it smart, she could've drained Chu Chengzhou's soul power and won.
Though her martial soul was a mutated variant, it wasn't a negative mutation—just an attribute shift. It was still comparable in quality to the legendary Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.
But at that moment, Liu Erlong hadn't gone all-out, while Xiong Da had used both of his innate skills and received Xiao Bai's 50% stat boost.
One up, one down—in a head-on clash, Liu Erlong couldn't compete.
This time, Chu Chengzhou totally ignored team coordination and just went full carry.
However, this was intentional on his part. With his current strength, he had already pulled far ahead of the others.
If he were to play along with the whole "teamwork" thing, it would only hold him back. In that case, the combat training would lose its purpose entirely.
If possible, he wouldn't participate in the thrice-weekly combat training sessions anymore.
Or rather, he would still attend, but only summon the Skyblue Tree Spirit and stay safely in the back as a little support, solely responsible for healing his dear junior sister.
"Erlong!"
Seeing his beloved goddess being sent flying by that savage bear, Flender, who had been watching from the side, immediately rushed forward.
"Erlong, are you okay?"
Looking at Liu Erlong, whose arm armor formed from her soul skill was shattered, her chestplate covered in cracks, and fresh red blood seeping from the corners of her mouth, Flender's heart ached as he anxiously asked.
Before Liu Erlong could respond, a verdant stream of healing light filled with life energy descended from above.
It was none other than the "culprit" Chu Chengzhou, who had injured her—summoning his Skyblue Tree Spirit.
Liu Erlong's injuries weren't severe. Though the vast level gap between them weakened the healing effect of Xiaoqing's innate soul skill, Healing, the minor injuries were still fully healed.
"I'm fine now~"
Waving her hand, Liu Erlong stood up.
"You brat, I didn't expect that Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear of yours to be this strong!"
Even though she lost to a student during combat training—and was taken down by a bear at that—Liu Erlong wasn't angry. She glanced at the hulking Bear One with amazement in her eyes.
Having strong students was a good thing.
This summoned Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear was powerful enough to rival a seven-ring Soul Sage. With this kind of strength, who in the upcoming Continental Soul Master Tournament half a year later could possibly match them?
Even if the other six were just there for show, Chu Chengzhou alone could probably sweep through the entire tournament.
In that moment, Liu Erlong seemed to already see her Blue Tyrant Academy taking the championship crown.
"Dean Erlong, since my Bear One is so strong, maybe I don't need to participate in the combat training anymore?" Chu Chengzhou asked again, testing the waters.
"Bear One? What kind of terrible name is that~ But yeah, that bear is ridiculously strong."
She mocked the name a bit, but Liu Erlong had to admit that Chu Chengzhou's strength was way out of everyone else's league—including even Xiao Wu, who was at the four-ring Soul Ancestor level. None of the other six were anywhere near his level.
But before a smile could spread across Chu Chengzhou's face, Liu Erlong continued: "Alright, from now on, you're not allowed to summon that bear anymore during combat training. Actually, don't use the lion or the bird either—just summon the tree."
After banning his armor, bow, and illusions, Liu Erlong now also banned his second, third, and fourth soul skills, forcibly dragging his strength back down to the level of the others.
Chu Chengzhou: "..."
Six days later.
Inside the Pope's Palace in Spirit City.
Bibi Dong sat high upon the Pope's throne, her slender white fingers rhythmically tapping the armrest, her expression filled with worry.
To her, Hu Liena—more than her own daughter Qian Renxue—was her true daughter. All her maternal affection had been given to this orphaned disciple.
Earlier, Douluo Lingyuan had returned to Spirit Hall with Xie Yue and Yan, saying Hu Liena had been kidnapped by Dugu Bo and another young man. In a rage, Bibi Dong had slapped Lingyuan hard across the face.
I sent you to escort my disciple into the Star Dou Forest for training, and you come back telling me she was kidnapped?
What's the point of keeping you around? Why didn't you just die out there?!
If Ghost and Chrysanthemum Douluo hadn't been present to plead for her, Bibi Dong might've fed Lingyuan to her second spirit—the Devouring Spider Emperor.
In this world, there were only two and a half people Bibi Dong truly cared about: her disciple Hu Liena, her first love Yu Xiaogang, and, to a lesser extent, her own daughter Qian Renxue.
As for everyone else—even Title Douluo—they were nothing more than pawns in her eyes.
Spirit Hall had no shortage of Title Douluo. Losing Lingyuan would mean nothing.
If anything happened to her disciple, not even ten lives from Lingyuan could pay the price.
If Grand Priest Qian Daoliu hadn't intervened and stopped her through the Elder Hall, Bibi Dong likely would have stormed Heaven Dou City herself to force Dugu Bo to release her.
After calming down slightly, Bibi Dong realized that a mere Dugu Bo wouldn't dare hurt her precious disciple, and thus she barely restrained her anger.
She waited anxiously for two days. Then, good news came from Platinum Bishop Salas of the Heaven Dou Spirit Temple: her beloved Hu Liena was safe and returning soon.
Only then did Bibi Dong finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Still, until she saw Hu Liena in person, she couldn't completely let go of her worry.
After all, her disciple was a young woman—what if something had happened on the road?
Suddenly, a voice called out from outside the hall: "Your Holiness, Hu Liena requests an audience!"
"Let her in!"
Bibi Dong's brows finally relaxed as she quickly responded.
Soon, the sound of footsteps echoed closer and closer as Hu Liena entered the hall.
"Nana greets Teacher. Sorry to have worried you."
Hu Liena bowed respectfully.
"Good. As long as you're back safely!"
Seeing her precious disciple unharmed, a rare smile appeared on Bibi Dong's stunning face.
"Nana, tell me everything that happened while you were away."
She stepped forward and took Hu Liena's hand with motherly affection.
"Teacher, during our trip to the Star Dou Forest, I…"
Hu Liena gave a brief summary of what had happened—leaving out the part where Chu Chengzhou kissed her in the illusion, of course. That was just too embarrassing, and something she preferred to keep to herself.
After hearing the account, Bibi Dong fell into thought and said, "Dugu Bo is a guest of the Heaven Dou royal family, and not someone we can openly move against. But that boy named Chu Chengzhou? He's another story. Nana, I'll have someone bring him in."
A mere three—or rather four-ring—Soul Ancestor dares to kidnap my precious disciple and even lock her in a 'black room'? He must be tired of living. He needs to be taught a lesson.
Of course, it wasn't just about venting her anger for Hu Liena.
Bibi Dong had two life goals: one, to become a god; two, to destroy the Angel Clan.
She was already undergoing the Rakshasa God Trials—ascending to godhood was only a matter of time.
As for her second goal, she was laying the groundwork.
She planned to take full control of Spirit Hall, unify the continent under the Wuhun Empire, and erase the Angel Clan's influence within the organization.
When Qian Daoliu sacrificed himself to open the path to godhood for his granddaughter Qian Renxue, only she would remain of the Angel Clan.
And once Qian Renxue ascended to the Divine Realm, the Angel Clan would fade from existence.
No—victors write history. Bibi Dong would rewrite everything, pass the imperial throne to Hu Liena, and control the narrative. After a few generations, who would even remember the once-famous Angel Clan?
To do this, she needed loyal and powerful subordinates.
And this Chu Chengzhou—his talent and strength were both promising, and he had no strong backing. After a proper scolding, perhaps he could be recruited into her faction within Spirit Hall.
"Teacher… let's not do that."
Upon hearing her teacher wanted to bring Chu Chengzhou in, Hu Liena hesitated.
Although she really did want to teach him a lesson for taking advantage of her, she didn't want to go crying to the adults. What she wanted was to defeat him fair and square in the future.
Bibi Dong frowned slightly, surprised by her disciple's words.
She's standing up for her kidnapper? What's going on here?
"Teacher, I'll prove myself with my own strength!"
Facing her teacher's puzzled gaze, Hu Liena said with determination.
The unspoken meaning was that asking for help wasn't real ability—what she wanted was to win back her pride on her own.
As for what she really thought deep down… maybe not even she knew for sure.
A girl's heart at her age was a mystery—even to herself.
"…Very well."
Bibi Dong nodded. She said no more. She believed in her excellent disciple.
A temporary setback was nothing. What mattered was the strength to rise again after a fall.
After a bit more chatting, Bibi Dong let Hu Liena leave the Pope's Hall.
After all, she wasn't the only one who'd been worried about Hu Liena.
After she left, Bibi Dong summoned Cardinal Ormaba, head of intelligence from the Hall of Light and Shadow.
Chu Chengzhou—someone with 40 levels of soul power and a non-spiritual-type spirit—could use illusion techniques to suppress Hu Liena, a 48-level Soul Ancestor with a spiritual-type martial soul. Not to mention, according to Hu Liena, he looked even younger than her.
That was enough to raise red flags.
Whatever else happened, his background had to be investigated—thoroughly.
T/N: For up to 20 chapters ahead on all my translations, become a p@tron at [email protected]/LordHipposApostle
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