Chapter 33 Dark Gold Terror Claws, the Right Hand of God! The "Concubine Selection" Ceremony at Tianshui Academy
Deep within the Sunset Forest, the heavy stench of blood lingered, yet no one dared approach the area.
A terrifying pressure was spreading wildly outwards from the cross-legged boy.
Ye Feng's eyes were tightly shut, his brows furrowed, and the veins on his forehead bulged like earthworms. His clothes were already soaked with cold sweat and blood. Above his head, his third soul ring, which was purplish-black and even faintly glowed with an eerie black light, was trembling violently, like a wild beast that refused to be tamed, frantically attacking his body's defenses.
"Seven thousand years of resentment...that's really something."
Within Ye Feng's sea of consciousness, a miniature version of the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear was roaring; it was the residual soul vibration of a soul beast.
"Brother Feng...I hope Brother Feng is alright? It's been two hours, and he's sweated so much. What if he gets dehydrated? Should I give him some water? Or some salt? Oh, right, I heard that boys' urine can detoxify. Even though this bear isn't poisonous, maybe it will work?"
Ye Shaotian, carrying the Ice Rain Sword on his back, stood by anxiously like an ant on a hot pan, muttering to himself incessantly.
"Shut up!"
The three women—Mingyue, Shui Bing'er, and Leng Qianqian—shouted almost in unison. Even the gentle Shui Bing'er was pushed to her limit by this chatterbox.
"Oh..." Ye Shaotian shrank back behind Hu Yanli, feeling wronged.
Just then, something unexpected happened!
"Snap! Snap!"
A sickeningly loud cracking sound came from Ye Feng's body.
Immediately afterwards, his right hand, which had been hanging down on his knee, suddenly began to spasm violently and uncontrollably. His once slender and powerful hand suddenly swelled up rapidly, and a layer of dark golden scales appeared on the surface of his skin, with muscle fibers twisted together like steel cables.
"ah--!!!"
Ye Feng suddenly threw his head back and let out a roar of extreme pain. This pain far exceeded that of absorbing a soul ring; it felt as if someone was using a blunt knife to pry open his hand bones and then stuffing in a lump of red-hot iron.
"This is... a backlash from the soul bone? No!" Mingyue's pupils shrank sharply as she stared intently at Ye Feng's right hand. "This aura... could it be..."
"Pfft!"
Three dark golden blades pierced the skin from the back of Ye Feng's right hand, shooting out without warning!
The blade was about 12 inches long, incredibly sharp, and its edge gleamed with a chilling light. As soon as it appeared, the surrounding air was cut with a shrill screech.
A domineering, tearing, and indestructible aura instantly swept across the entire arena.
"An external soul bone?!"
The knowledgeable Mingyue gasped, her voice changing, "It really is an external soul bone! And it's the most precious and core part of the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear—the Dark Gold Terrorclaw right palm bone!"
"External soul bone? What's that? Is it valuable?" Ye Shaotian poked his head out. "More valuable than my Ice Rain Sword?"
"That's priceless!" Mingyue's eyes blazed with fervor. "Ordinary soul bones are already incredibly valuable, but external soul bones can evolve as the soul master grows, making them legendary in the soul master world. This kid's luck... is simply heaven-defying!"
As the Dark Gold Terror Claw took shape, the restless soul power within Ye Feng's body finally found an outlet, calming down like rivers flowing into the sea.
The purplish-black spirit ring landed steadily on the Thousand Chance Umbrella.
Yellow, purple, and purple (black). The three spirit rings pulsed, and Ye Feng suddenly opened his eyes, a flash of dark golden light disappearing in an instant.
Thirty-three level Soul Master! After a year of accumulating and suppressing his soul power, he jumped three levels in one go! And it was an extremely stable three-level jump, making him invincible among those of the same level!
Ye Feng lowered his head, looking at his right hand, which had turned dark gold, and the three claws that resembled the Grim Reaper's scythe. He casually swung it at the rock next to him.
"Whoosh!"
Without using any soul power, and without even feeling any resistance, the hard granite was sliced into four pieces as easily as tofu, the cuts as smooth as a mirror.
"Is this... the Right Hand of God?" Ye Feng's lips curled into a fanatical smile. With this thing, his close-combat burst power would be elevated to a terrifying level.
With a thought, the dark gold claw slowly retracted into his body, and his right hand returned to normal, except that there was a dark gold bear claw tattoo on the back of his hand.
"Ye Feng! Are you alright?!"
Shui Bing'er was the first to rush over, her eyes red-rimmed, wanting to check his body but not daring to touch him indiscriminately.
"Don't worry, I won't die. In fact, I've turned misfortune into a blessing." Ye Feng stood up, stretched his limbs, and the wound on his back had already scabbed over under the nourishment of his soul power. "I'm sorry to have worried everyone."
"Hmph, good people don't live long, but evil people live a thousand years." Leng Qianqian stood aside with her arms crossed. Although she was sarcastic, her obviously relieved expression betrayed her. "Since you're not dead, hurry up and try out your new soul skill. I want to see what tricks your broken umbrella can pull off."
That's exactly what I was thinking.
Ye Feng looked at an ancient tree in the distance that required two people to encircle it.
"Thousand Manifestations Umbrella - Third Soul Skill: Reinforcement Form!"
"Crack crack crack—Boom!"
As the third spirit ring shone, the Thousand Manifestations Umbrella underwent a dramatic transformation. Instead of opening up, all the metal ribs layered and interlocked, the handle thickened, and the entire structure transformed into a gigantic heavy sword, two meters long and as wide as a door!
The sword is entirely black, with a dark golden light flowing along its blade. It looks incredibly heavy and is full of violent aesthetics.
"A heavy sword has no edge; great skill is without artifice."
Ye Feng held the sword in one hand (with the power of the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, the heavy sword weighing several hundred pounds felt as light as a feather in his hand), and suddenly swept it horizontally.
"Mountain Crash Strike!" (A self-created move)
A dark golden sword aura swept out in a fan shape.
"Boom!"
Within a 30-meter radius ahead, all the trees and rocks were cut in half, and a deep trench was plowed into the ground.
"hiss--"
Everyone gasped in shock.
"This destructive power... is it really something a Soul Master could unleash?" Hu Yanli touched his neck, feeling that his diamond-like defense might be in jeopardy against this sword.
"Violent, so violent." Ye Shaotian clicked his tongue in amazement. "Brother Feng, you should stop calling yourself 'The King's Avatar' and start calling yourself 'Director of the Demolition Office'."
...
Three days later, at Tianshui College.
Ye Feng and his group returned with a full load.
Inside the secret base on the back mountain, Mingyue convened a meeting with everyone. The atmosphere was serious yet enthusiastic.
Mingyue sat in the main seat, her gaze sweeping over the six young people in front of her.
Captain/All-Rounder: Ye Feng (Level 33). Secondary Attacker/Controller: Shui Bing'er (Level 31). Strong Attacker/Swordsman: Ye Shaotian (Level 29, about to break through). Defense/Tank: Hu Yanli (Level 32). Agile Attacker/Assassin: Leng Qianqian (Level 29, about to break through). Agile Attacker/Secondary Controller: Shui Yue'er (Level 28).
This team, in terms of both talent and configuration, has surpassed the original first team of Tianshui Academy.
"Everyone, now that Ye Feng has obtained his third spirit ring, it's time for our plan to officially begin."
Mingyue took out a gilded file and placed it on the table. "One year from now, the Continental Elite Tournament of Advanced Soul Master Academies will be held in Tiandou City. This is the highest-level event in the entire continent's soul master community, and it is also the best stage for you to make a name for yourselves."
"We're going to participate?" Shui Yue'er jumped up excitedly. "Great! We can finally go out and play! I heard there are a lot of handsome guys in the competition... Oh, of course, none of them are as handsome as Brother Ye Feng."
"It's not about participating, it's about winning," Ye Feng corrected calmly. "Our goal is the three soul bones from the Spirit Hall, and... that highest podium."
"But…" Mingyue tapped the table, interrupting everyone's reverie, "We now have a fatal flaw."
All eyes were on Mingyue.
"The competition rules stipulate that each team must have seven official players and several substitute players. We currently only have six players."
"Six people should be enough, right?" Ye Shaotian interjected. "Anyway, Lao Hu can take the hits, and Brother Feng can kill. I can just stand by and shout '666' and finish them off a couple of times. It'll be no problem at all."
"Shut up, you chatterbox." Leng Qianqian glared at him, and Ye Shaotian shrank back, hiding behind Ye Feng and making a face at Leng Qianqian.
Mingyue shook her head: "It's not just a matter of numbers. Look closely at our configuration—we have strong attackers, agile attackers, defenders, and controllers, and Ye Feng can even double as a long-range sniper. However, we're missing the most important position."
"treat."
Shui Bing'er was quick-witted and immediately realized, "We don't have the endurance to fight continuously. Last time we fought the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, if Ye Feng hadn't blocked that claw, or if the battle had dragged on any longer, we wouldn't have been able to recover from our injuries immediately."
"That's right." Mingyue nodded. "In the brutal elimination rounds, not having a healing-type Soul Master means we're running naked in this 'meat grinder.' If we get injured, we might not be able to play in the next match."
"Therefore, the next task is to find this seventh person—an excellent healing-type Soul Master—within Tianshui Academy."
...
Tianshui Academy, Martial Arts Ground.
The news caused an uproar throughout Tianshui Academy.
"Did you hear? That heartthrob Ye Feng, who lives in the back mountain, is publicly recruiting teammates!" "Oh my god! Is this a chance to spend every day with Senior Ye Feng? I want to sign up!" "But they only want healing classes..." "Whatever! Doesn't knowing CPR count as healing?!"
The next morning, the training ground was packed with people. Hundreds of beautiful female students crowded around the registration area; the scene was even more lively than a prince choosing his concubines.
Ye Feng sat in the main seat of the judging panel, feeling a bit overwhelmed.
Shui Bing'er sat on the left, and Leng Qianqian sat on the right. The two powerful figures, one on the left and one on the right, exuded a chilling aura that said "keep away," causing the female students who originally wanted to approach them to hesitate.
"Ahem, Ye Shaotian, let's begin." Ye Feng rubbed his temples.
Holding a megaphone, Ye Shaotian stood at the front of the stage, his face flushed with excitement: "Come on, come on! Don't miss out! The All-Round Team Selection Competition is officially starting! Requirements: Female, alive, healing type! Good looks preferred! Good figure preferred! Can cook preferred!"
"Ye Shaotian! Are you looking for death?!" Leng Qianqian's Shadow Claw instantly shot out. "You added those three lines yourself, didn't you?!"
"Ouch! Stop hitting me! Let's lighten the mood!"
The interview has officially begun.
The first one to come up was a hot senior student. "Hello, Junior Ye Feng, I'm a level 32 healing-type Soul Master, and my Martial Soul is the Healing Scepter. My healing effects are very strong, especially..." The senior student winked, "...close-range healing."
"Next." Shui Bing'er and Leng Qianqian said in unison, immediately passing. Ye Feng: "..."
The second one was a petite loli. "Um... my martial soul is a band-aid... it can produce ten a day..." "Your soul power is too low, the healing amount is insufficient." Mingyue shook her head.
The third one... the fourth one...
I spent the entire morning interviewing dozens of people, but still couldn't find a suitable one. Either their healing output was too low, or they could only heal a single target, or their soul skills were too bizarre (for example, there was a martial soul that was 'milk,' which could restore health, but you had to drink it on the spot, which was too slow in battle).
"Although Tianshui Academy is an elemental academy, most of its members are strong attackers or controllers with ice or water attributes. Pure healing-type Soul Masters are indeed scarce." Shui Bing'er said with some concern, "If all else fails, how about letting Xue Wu go? Although she is a support type, she is an amplification type, not a healing type."
"No, what we need is pure milk, or a treatment with a special mechanism." Ye Feng shook his head, his eyes searching through the crowd.
Just then, a commotion in a corner of the training ground caught Ye Feng's attention.
Several older girls were surrounding a girl who was holding books and looking down, and they were laughing at her.
"Hey, isn't this 'Mute'? You're here to sign up too?" "Don't embarrass yourself. Your martial spirit is just a broken flower. You have to chant such an embarrassing incantation to cast a skill. How could Ye Feng, the god, possibly be interested in you?" "That's right, hurry up and go back to planting your flowers!"
The girl surrounded in the middle kept her head down, her bangs covering her eyes, her hands tightly clutching a thick book on herbal medicine, her body trembling slightly, but she didn't utter a sound.
"A broken flower?" Ye Feng's heart skipped a beat.
In Douluo Continent, martial souls that are ridiculed often possess extraordinary qualities. For example, Blue Silver Grass (although it belongs to an emperor), and Luo Sanpao.
"Old Hu, go and bring that girl over here." Ye Feng pointed to the corner.
"Alright!" Hu Yanli walked over like a mountain, and his shadow immediately enveloped the bullies.
"My boss called her over, do you have a problem with that?" Hu Yanli said in a gruff voice, while casually showing off his fist, which was as big as a sandbag.
The girls were terrified and ran away in a flash.
The girl was brought to the judges' table. She looked very thin, wearing a faded old school uniform, nervously clutching the hem of her clothes, not daring to look up at Ye Feng.
"What's your name? What's your martial spirit?" Ye Feng tried to keep his voice gentle.
"I…I am called…Bai…Bai Xiaochun…" The girl's voice was barely audible. "My martial spirit is…Begonia."
"Crabapple blossoms?" Ye Shaotian curled his lip. "What can beabapple blossoms be used for? Are they pretty?"
"It's not an ordinary crabapple blossom…" Mingyue suddenly stood up, a glint of light flashing in her eyes, "Could it be a mutated martial soul from that family?"
"Show me your soul skill," Ye Feng said. "Come at me."
Bai Xiaochun hesitated for a moment, then slowly raised her hand. A pure white begonia flower, exuding a faint fragrance, bloomed in her palm. Although she only had two spirit rings (yellow and yellow), the moment the flower appeared, the air in the entire training ground seemed to become fresher.
"First Soul Skill: Healing Bud".
As she sang softly, a few white petals drifted toward Ye Feng.
Ye Feng did not dodge. The moment the petals merged into his body, he was surprised to find that the slight lingering pain in his meridians from absorbing the soul bone had instantly disappeared! Moreover, the speed at which his soul power recovered had doubled!
"This is..." Ye Feng's eyes lit up.
"A variant of the Nine-Heart Begonia?" Mingyue exclaimed in surprise. "No, the Nine-Heart Begonia is a single-lineage species, and it's pink. This is... the Jade-Skin White Begonia?!"
"A legendary top-tier healing martial soul with the dual effects of 'purification' and 'continuous regeneration'?" Shui Bing'er, who was well-read, immediately recognized it.
"Yes…" Bai Xiaochun said softly, "But… my soul power is only level 22, and releasing soul skills requires… requires chanting, and everyone thinks I'm too slow."
"Slowness isn't the problem, lack of protection is." Ye Feng suddenly stood up, walked to Bai Xiaochun, and extended his hand. "But in our All-Round Team, we have the toughest tanks, the strongest crowd control, and the sharpest swords. As long as we don't fall, you will always be safe."
"Bai Xiaochun, you've been accepted."
"Huh?" Bai Xiaochun suddenly looked up, revealing a pair of clear but surprised eyes. Her face, which had been covered by her bangs, was unexpectedly delicate and cute, like a small white flower bud about to bloom.
"What? You don't want to?" Ye Feng asked with a smile.
"No...no! I do! I do!" Bai Xiaochun was so excited that she couldn't speak coherently, and tears were about to fall.
"Alright!" Ye Feng turned around, facing the entire audience, and slammed the Thousand Chance Umbrella into the ground with a deafening roar.
"The full-time team is now assembled!"
Ye Feng (All-rounder/Captain). Mingyue (Team Leader/Coach). Shui Bing'er (Control). Hu Yanli (Defense). Ye Shaotian (Attack). Leng Qianqian (Agility Attack). Shui Yue'er (Secondary Attack). Bai Xiaochun (Healer).
"Starting today, we'll begin a year-long intensive training program!" Ye Feng waved his hand. "Our goal: the Heaven Dou Grand Arena. Where will we go first to obtain the 'Purple Gold Battle Spirit Badge'!"
"Yes, Captain!"
Seven young voices resounded through the sky, announcing the birth of a legendary team.