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Under Liu Erlong's predatory gaze, the three Soul Elders swallowed hard. They stole a glance at the dozen or so corpses of other Spirit Masters lying nearby, their hearts hammering with terror.
"Hmph. Behave yourselves. Enter the Academic Realm and come out immediately. If I catch you staying inside for more than a second, you're dead!" Liu Erlong snorted coldly.
Tang San and the others remained indifferent, their expressions showing no change at the sight of the bodies. Yu Xiaogang had already taken them to witness death during that particular Spirit Fight, but more importantly, their focus was entirely on whether Tang San could successfully infiltrate the Academic Realm.
If he could slip in, they had a chance to obtain the cultivation methods.
Internal energy techniques were one thing; those were for basic cultivation, and even if one couldn't maintain focus every second, soul power would generally follow a 'path of inertia.' Most Spirit Masters wouldn't dare mess with those routes intentionally.
However, the *Body Tempering Method* was different. It was a specialized secret technique used outside of standard meditation. No matter how much Tang San probed an opponent's meridians, he could never find the fine details of how it functioned. Threatening people hadn't worked either.
Consequently, for all this time, the only things Tang San had managed to steal through observation were basic internal energy routes. In the Spirit Master world, while internal energy was important, the Body Tempering and Soul Ascension methods were the true foundations.
Infiltrating the Academic Realm was a matter of life and death for the Shrek group.
With the "cooperation" of the three Soul Elders, Tang San finally linked his mental energy with the Academic Realm. His face flushed with excitement.
---
*Heaven Dou City*
"Xiao Wen, what is it?" Ning Fengzhi asked, noticing the shift in Su Wen's expression.
"It's nothing. It just seems like something has walked right into my trap," Su Wen said with a smile. "By the way, Uncle Ning, I recall my promise to the Void Douluo was not to kill Tang San—but that doesn't mean I have to stand by and do nothing if he provokes me, right?"
Ning Fengzhi instantly understood who Su Wen was referring to.
Tang San.
One had to pull weeds by the roots. Tang San's talent was absurd; he was a twin martial soul user. If he grew to maturity, he would be a threat even to Su Wen. Thus, Ning Fengzhi had no intention of stopping Su Wen from finishing the job. Su Wen had only paused his pursuit of Tang San previously because of the Void Douluo's intervention.
Now, it seemed Tang San was actively provoking Su Wen again?
"What's going on?" Battle Sky Douluo asked, confused. He didn't know much about the grudge between Su Wen and Tang San's group.
"Nothing much. An enemy has forcibly intruded into my Academic Realm," Su Wen said flatly.
Could this be considered burglary? Breaking and entering? Or more seriously—stealing secrets? After all, the Academic Realm contained the entire heritage of the Academy.
"Is he to the east?" Su Wen sensed carefully, roughly pinpointing Tang San's location.
Tang San, oh Tang San. I didn't expect you to actually dare use your mental energy to enter my realm directly. It seems you really don't understand what it means to be an 'illegal immigrant'...
Entering the Academic Realm without binding a Soul Seal made one an illegal user. If there were thousands of them, Su Wen might not notice, but when there was only one "unregistered" entity in the entire realm, it stood out like a sore thumb.
I'll add a bit of difficulty for you first. Spend the next few days trying to crack the barrier to get back in. Su Wen silently added a new layer of protection to the Academic Realm.
"Uncle Ning, I need to make a trip to the Star Dou Great Forest. We've been out for quite a while; you should probably head back to the Sect," Su Wen suggested.
"Your safety..." Ning Fengzhi hesitated.
"Don't worry, Uncle Ning. I'm not weak, and Senior Battle Sky Douluo will be accompanying me."
Battle Sky Douluo's jaw twitched as he looked at Su Wen with dissatisfaction. I am not your bodyguard.
"Hehe, I'm not treating you like a bodyguard, Senior. I'm looking out for your welfare," Su Wen chuckled.
Welfare? Battle Sky Douluo huffed and turned his head away.
"Of course, before we leave, we have to finish our business here," Su Wen said. He turned his gaze back to Battle Sky Douluo.
After a moment of silence, Battle Sky Douluo led Su Wen to a secret room within the Heaven Dou City Great Spirit Arena. In the center of the room was a stone platform carved with the character for 'Battle' (*斗*). Surrounding the character were countless intricate patterns that Su Wen couldn't decipher.
"The Great Spirit Arenas in the capitals of the two great empires both contain spatial nodes leading to the Spirit Battle World."
As he explained, Battle Sky Douluo released his soul power, channeling it into the carvings on the platform. The patterns glowed, illuminating the entire room. Soul power converged on the platform, and a ripple spread through the air.
Su Wen's eyes narrowed. Spatial energy?
He hadn't mastered such techniques yet, so he observed the process with extreme care. However, Battle Sky Douluo didn't give him much time. As soon as a vortex formed, he urged Su Wen to step inside.
After a dizzying shift in space, Su Wen arrived in a different world. He looked at the slightly pale Battle Sky Douluo beside him and felt a bit speechless.
This is your home turf. Why do I feel perfectly fine while you look like you've got motion sickness from the teleport?
"Let's go. Lord War God is already waiting for us."
The Spirit Battle World was a small minor dimension attached to the Douluo Continent. Many Spirit Masters lived here. Seeing the vortex appear at the spatial entrance and two figures emerge, the surrounding Spirit Masters turned to look.
"Greetings, Lord High Priest."
"Mm."
Battle Sky Douluo was the High Priest of this realm. Unlike Sea God Island, the Spirit Battle World was co-managed by four gods. The faiths within were divided into four sects, with the War God being the strongest. Thus, his protector, Battle Sky Douluo, held the rank of High Priest. Below him were three other priests, all of whom were Super Douluo level.
However, beyond those four, there were no other Super Douluos in the Spirit Battle World. There were only two regular Title Douluos, trained specifically by the War God and the God of Wealth. It seemed four Super Douluos was the limit of what the four gods could nurture here.
Hearing Battle Sky Douluo's brief rundown of the situation, Su Wen's expectations for his potential gains dropped. If they were struggling to even raise the power of their own protectors, their investment in an outsider like Su Wen likely wouldn't be too extravagant.
"Senior Battle Sky, have you ever used a *God-Bestowed Soul Ring*?" Su Wen asked.
Battle Sky Douluo looked at him in surprise. "You know quite a bit about the gods, don't you?"
"Hehe, I read a lot of books."
"Hmph. There isn't that much information on this subject available on the continent," Battle Sky Douluo shook his head, not pressing Su Wen on the source of his knowledge. His expression became one of immense pride.
"A God-Bestowed Soul Ring? Of course I've used one. That is a reward given only to those who receive the *Red Grade Eight Trials*—specifically those destined to become Protectors. It's given during the final trial!"
It was clear he was incredibly proud of his status.
"By the way," Battle Sky Douluo looked at Su Wen, "do you know what the Red Grade Eight Trials actually signify?"
(End of Chapter)