Chapter 19: Cai Wenji, Sikong Zhen.
Lü Bu felt the surging power within his body and the ultimate sharpness of the "Shattering All Methods" Aura emanating from his sky piercer halberd.
He threw his head back and let out a hearty, unrestrained laugh.
"Hahaha! Good! This is finally worthy of my Lü Bu's might!"
"Peerless Dance of Chaos? It suits my intentions perfectly!"
"Who in this world can block a single strike from my halberd?!"
His laughter was like thunder, shaking the entire plaza until it buzzed.
That overwhelming arrogance, looking down upon the world, made Dugu Yan, Zhu Zhuqing, and the others nearby feel a sense of dread.
Lu Xiao dug his fingers into his ears and lazily glanced at Lü Bu: "You're deafening. If you yell again, I'll punish you by making you chop firewood on the back mountain for a month."
Lü Bu's laughter abruptly stopped, and he grudgingly retracted his Aura.
However, he dared not disobey the Dean's words in the slightest.
He merely gripped the sky piercer halberd harder, his eyes burning with Battle Intent.
Clearly, he was already anticipating the next opponent who could allow him to fight to his heart's content.
Across the Continent, the situation was completely stirred up by Big Dipper Academy!
The announcement of the eighth and ninth ranked members revealed only the tip of the iceberg regarding Big Dipper Academy's terrifying foundation.
It also caused all major powers to lock their gaze fiercely onto the top seven rankings that had yet to be unveiled!
Fear, greed, apprehension, curiosity.
All sorts of emotions intertwined, and undercurrents surged.
The storm was coming!
However, at this moment, the attention of Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, and Dugu Yan was completely drawn to the Soul Rings slowly appearing around Lü Bu.
Although they had known that Teacher Lü Bu was powerful, they had never seen him release his Martial Soul and Soul Rings.
Now, the nine Soul Rings surrounding Lü Bu, emitting a suffocating pressure, instantly caused the three girls' eyes to widen, and their breathing hitched!
Black, black, black, black, black, black, black, red, red!
Seven black and two red!
That was a configuration that surpassed the optimal Soul Ring ratio, truly Heaven-Defying!
Especially those last two blood-red Soul Rings, the terrifying energy and primal Aura contained within them made their very Souls tremble!
"Titled... Titled Douluo! Teacher Lü Bu is indeed a Titled Douluo!"
"This Soul Ring configuration is too terrifying! The last two... are they hundred thousand year spirit rings? They feel even more terrifying than ordinary hundred thousand year spirit rings!"
The three girls were overwhelmed by shock.
They knew the academy teachers were strong, but being this strong far exceeded their imagination.
With such a Martial Soul and Soul Ring configuration, Teacher Lü Bu's strength was likely among the absolute Peak existences within the Titled Douluo rank!
Ning Rongrong couldn't suppress the curiosity in her heart.
Mustering her courage, she walked up to the still mighty Lü Bu, who had retracted his Aura, and cautiously asked.
"Teacher Lü Bu, you... since you are so formidable, are Teacher Li Bai, Teacher Zhuang Zhou, and the others also Titled Douluo?"
Dugu Yan and Zhu Zhuqing also pricked up their ears, their eyes filled with inquiry.
Hearing this, Lü Bu revealed a mysterious smile, shouldered his sky piercer halberd, and looked down at Ning Rongrong, his voice booming like a great bell.
"How strong those few fellows are? Hehe, you will naturally find out later."
He kept them in suspense and did not answer directly.
Upon hearing this, Ning Rongrong couldn't help but pout, complaining internally, "Why so secretive?"
However, they dared not ask any further, as Teacher Lü Bu clearly wasn't the patient type.
Everyone's gaze involuntarily turned toward Teacher Zhuang Zhou, who was dozing off nearby while riding a gigantic Soul Beast.
If even Teacher Lü Bu was this powerful, then the seemingly lazy Teacher Zhuang Zhou was probably at least a Soul Douluo Peak.
Perhaps... even a Titled Douluo?
Thinking of this possibility, they developed unprecedented curiosity and anticipation for the rankings yet to be announced.
Just how many monsters was Big Dipper Academy hiding?
"Buzz!"
Just as Ning Rongrong and the others were deep in thought, an invisible ripple suddenly appeared above the academy.
Following this, two brilliant beams of light, like meteors, descended onto the plaza.
When the light dissipated, the figures within were revealed.
On the left was a petite and adorable young girl who seemed even younger than Ning Rongrong and the others.
She wore double bun knots and had an innocent, cheerful smile on her face.
A refreshing, joyful Aura permeated her surroundings, as if she gathered all the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.
In her arms, she held an ancient seven-string zither, rustic in appearance, emerald green, with strings faintly glowing red.
On the right was a burly, middle-aged man who possessed imposing dignity without needing anger.
He wore purple-gold battle armor, surrounded by crackling lightning.
When his eyes opened and closed, it was as if thunder was born and extinguished, and a destructive, majestic Aura naturally emanated from him, inspiring awe.
"Teacher Cai Wenji! Teacher Sikong Zhen!"
Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, and Dugu Yan immediately bowed respectfully upon seeing the two.
These two teachers were usually elusive.
Teacher Sikong Zhen, in particular, had an even sharper and more intimidating Aura.
Dugu Yan seemed to have a good relationship with Cai Wenji.
She stepped forward and curiously asked, "Teacher Cai Wenji, have you finished obtaining your Soul Rings?"
Cai Wenji's face was beaming with a happy smile.
She nodded vigorously, her voice clear as a bell: "Of course I finished obtaining them!"
As she spoke, she gently stroked the emerald green zither with red light in her arms.
Following her movement, the Martial Soul, named "life reincarnation zither," emitted an even richer life Aura.
It seemed capable of healing all pain in the world and dispelling all fatigue.
Simply by sensing this Aura, Ning Rongrong and the others felt the fatigue from days of Cultivation vanish, leaving them refreshed.
However, an even more shocking scene unfolded.
Nine Soul Rings appeared sequentially around Cai Wenji.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black!
The standard Titled Douluo configuration!
"Titled... Titled Douluo?!" Ning Rongrong exclaimed in surprise, her small face filled with disbelief.
Teacher Cai Wenji looked clearly like an un-grown child, yet she was also a Titled Douluo powerhouse standing at the Peak of the Continent?!
Zhu Zhuqing's pupils also contracted sharply, and she subconsciously blurted out: "Teacher Cai Wenji, when you went out a few days ago, was it to obtain your ninth Soul Ring?"
Hearing this, Cai Wenji nodded calmly: "Yes, yes! I just happened to Breakthrough to Level 90 a while ago, so I asked Sikong Zhen to accompany me to the Star Dou Great Forest to find a suitable Soul Beast."
"I didn't expect our luck to be so good. We didn't spend much time before running into a life-attribute Soul Beast that was close to a hundred thousand years old."
"Thanks to Sikong Zhen's help, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to defeat such a powerful Soul Beast by myself!"
Sikong Zhen stood to the side, arms crossed, the lightning around him slightly receding, and said in a deep voice: "Mmm, the process was quite smooth."
He spoke lightly, but to the three girls—Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, and Dugu Yan—it sounded like a clap of thunder!
A Soul Beast close to a hundred thousand years old!
That was a terrifying existence comparable to a human Titled Douluo!
Its Battle Intent was so strong that ordinary Soul Masters wouldn't dare provoke it.