Thinking about it, someone with such talent could have directly joined the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. Why join Seven Treasure Academy and take a roundabout route instead?
The conditions Ning Fengzhi offered were entirely fair and reasonable.
After all, if someone's talent was inferior to Wu Qi and the others, yet they still wanted to replace them, what kind of joke was that?
Although a small number of people continued to protest afterward, they couldn't make much of an impact.
As soon as the members of the Seven Treasure Team returned, they were approached by the First Vice Dean, Xia Changhe.
"Old Xia, you're here too?" Sun Buyu said in surprise and delight.
Xia Changhe had originally been the Director of Studies at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy and was a peak Soul Sage.
Because he lacked a strong background, he had never been able to join the Education Committee. Later, after Xue Xing's major reshuffling of the academy, he was recruited by Seven Treasure Academy.
His strength wasn't particularly outstanding, but his ability to handle affairs was exceptional. Otherwise, he never would have been given this position.
"You've got trouble coming."
Xia Changhe's words were brief and direct, just like his usual style.
"To avoid criticism and to prevent other forces from causing trouble, the Sect Master has decided to hold a selection tournament for the team's substitute members once you've returned."
The Soul Master Tournament's schedule was extremely complicated and lasted for a long time.
To prevent the main members from being unable to compete due to unforeseen circumstances, substitute members were necessary to ensure the team could continue participating.
Moreover, having substitutes allowed the main team members to conceal their abilities and avoid exposing their trump cards too early.
Wu Qi had already discussed the matter with Feng Xiaotian and the others beforehand, so none of them opposed the idea of recruiting substitutes.
As for accepting challenges from other academy students, they had no objections either.
Everything in the soul master world was determined by strength. If your strength wasn't enough, you had no right to remain on the team.
Of course, support-type soul masters were exempt from these challenges.
After all, no one on the continent would dare claim that their support martial soul surpassed the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, much less the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda!
The selection process for control-type soul masters was more complicated. Individual strength was only one aspect; the effectiveness of their control abilities was the most important criterion.
A month ago had been the enrollment season for academies across the continent, and with Seven Treasure Academy's expansion, it now had three hundred students.
The selection process would likely continue for quite some time.
After explaining everything, Xia Changhe carefully considered everyone's opinions. Seeing no objections, he quickly departed.
"Old Xia really is decisive and efficient," Sun Buyu said with a dry laugh.
Then he turned toward everyone.
"This selection tournament can also serve as training for you all, so take it seriously."
"Normally, after returning from training, you'd be given a few days off, but circumstances are urgent. I hope everyone can bear with it."
"For the next few days, regular training can be temporarily suspended. Use the extra time to rest."
After speaking, he looked at Wu Qi, seeking his opinion.
Wu Qi smiled.
"Let's do as Teacher Sun says. Also, let's put our evening Spirit Battles on hold and get some proper rest."
Wu Qi wasn't overly obsessed with the Grand Spirit Arena badges.
Both he and Changkong had already obtained Gold Spirit badges, fulfilling the Hall of Worship's training requirements.
Sunset Forest
The battle between Dugu Bo and Tang Hao was becoming increasingly fierce.
Relying on his long-range attacks, Dugu Bo continuously kept Tang Hao at a distance, causing the latter no small amount of frustration.
Likewise, once Tang Hao managed to get close, he showed Dugu Bo no mercy.
Both men had sustained injuries, but comparatively speaking, Dugu Bo's superior physical condition left him less severely wounded.
He deliberately exposed an opening, making Tang Hao believe he had an opportunity to close the distance.
At that instant, Dugu Bo's eighth Spirit Ring lit up.
"Eighth Spirit Ability: Time Freeze!"
The Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor spat out its inner core, and everything around them instantly became motionless.
At such close range, Tang Hao had no time to react.
There was only a one-level difference in their soul power, so Dugu Bo couldn't restrain him for long.
But in a battle between experts of this level, a single moment was often enough to determine victory.
Dugu Bo immediately followed up.
The Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor spewed out a large amount of venom, which landed on Tang Hao's body. His clothes instantly dissolved, and even his skin began to corrode.
At the same time, Tang Hao's two yellow Spirit Rings and two purple Spirit Rings shattered one after another!
The profound meaning of the Great Sumeru Hammer—Ring Detonation!
A vast amount of soul power flooded into his body, allowing him to break free from the restraint and throw off the poison covering him.
Already heavily injured, using Ring Detonation only worsened his old injuries. Combined with the poison corroding his body, he was already on the verge of collapse.
"Dugu Bo!"
Tang Hao roared furiously, flames seemingly bursting from his eyes.
Immediately afterward, his fifth and sixth black Spirit Rings shattered as well, and his aura surged once more.
At this point, only by severely injuring Dugu Bo could he vent the hatred in his heart.
Dugu Bo naturally had no intention of sitting around and waiting for death. With a light swipe across his soul tool, several leaves of the Snow Swan Kiss floated into the air with the wind.
Tang Hao paid them no mind. After all, what difference could a few leaves possibly make?
But in the next instant, Dugu Bo spat out another stream of venom. The moment it came into contact with the leaves, its power increased dramatically.
Having already experienced the potency of Dugu Bo's poison, Tang Hao's expression turned serious, and he dared not underestimate it.
Sensing the sudden increase in the poison's power, he had no choice but to abandon his attack and quickly retreat.
Seeing that Dugu Bo still intended to continue attacking, Tang Hao understood that no matter what happened today, he was bound to suffer a loss.
His injuries were already severe. If he detonated even higher-level Spirit Rings, the massive surge of soul power would likely kill him on the spot.
With that thought, he left behind a threat.
"Dugu Bo, if you dare reveal Little San's identity or harm him in any way, then even if I die, I'll drag you and your granddaughter down with me!"
After speaking, he hurriedly left, unwilling to stay a moment longer.
Dugu Bo curled his lips.
"The Peerless Clear Sky Douluo? It's nothing more than this!"
He had to admit that he had overestimated Tang Hao's strength.
If Tang Hao had been in his prime, dealing with him would have been extremely difficult. Unfortunately, Tang Hao had no way to heal his own injuries.
Those hidden injuries not only affected his strength but would also stay with him for the rest of his life.
Dugu Bo even felt a trace of sympathy for him.
However, Tang Hao wasn't entirely wrong.
In an ordinary battle, Tang Hao might suffer a disadvantage, but if it became a fight to the death, Dugu Bo was still far inferior to him.
At the very least, for a long time to come, he had no way of killing Tang Hao, nor could he possibly make a move against Xiao Wu.
Dugu Bo wasn't bothered by that.
Now that he possessed the poison pill method, he still had a future and room to improve. As for Tang Hao, the triggering of his hidden injuries had completely cut off any possibility of further progress.
As long as Dugu Bo could break through to Level 96, killing Tang Hao might not be impossible!
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel pleased.
Still, Dugu Bo didn't lower his guard. Before leaving, he carefully cleaned up the battlefield, making sure the remaining poison wouldn't endanger passing soul masters or Spirit Beasts.
It wasn't because he had suddenly grown a conscience, it was simply a common understanding within the soul master world.
If innocent people were harmed, others would inevitably use it as an excuse to attack him.
The reason for cleaning up was to avoid criticism and prevent future trouble for himself.
As for Tang Hao...
He could no longer concern himself with anything else and could only hide away to recover from his injuries.
----
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