"Naturally. Although we are the preparatory team, we represent the face of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy and even the entire Sun Moon Empire, so I feel it is necessary to test your strength."
As Xiao Hongchen spoke, he sized Feng Piaoling up from head to toe.
"And the result?" Feng Piaoling asked casually.
"Your talent isn't bad, and your rank as a soul engineer passes muster. Unfortunately, your actual combat strength is too poor. Even if you make it onto the stage of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Duel Tournament, you'll only end up eliminated. After all, no matter how powerful a soul tool is, it ultimately depends on the user themselves."
Xiao Hongchen critiqued Feng Piaoling, his words dripping with a patronizing and condescending tone.
A red light flashed briefly through Feng Piaoling's eyes. "Then do you want to hear my opinion of you?"
Before Xiao Hongchen could answer, Meng Hongchen asked eagerly, "Tell us, tell us! Everyone in the academy says my brother is a genius, but it's always the same old clichés. Today, I want to hear something fresh."
Xiao Hongchen's face darkened, and he glared at her in sheer speechlessness, as if saying: Am I your brother, or is he?
Meng Hongchen made a funny face at him and looked at Feng Piaoling with great anticipation.
Feng Piaoling sized up Xiao Hongchen and said, "Your talent is good, and your strength is passable. It's just that you rely too much on drugs, which has left your foundation weak and your soul power unstable. Such a foolish cultivation method of pulling at sprouts to help them grow is simply idiotic."
"You..." Xiao Hongchen stared at Feng Piaoling, dumbfounded and choked with rage.
Even the smile on Meng Hongchen's face froze instantly. She looked at Feng Piaoling in confusion and said, "But doesn't everyone rely on drugs to increase their strength? Although there are certain side effects, the benefits usually outweigh the disadvantages."
"That is exactly why the Sun Moon Empire has been unable to produce a Super Douluo to this day. If you want to rely on drugs for cultivation like your predecessors, then even if you ascend to the Rank of Title Douluo in the future, you will only ever remain stuck at the level of an ordinary Title Douluo for the rest of your life."
Feng Piaoling spoke calmly.
A realization dawned on Meng Hongchen, and she murmured, "So that's how it is. No wonder Grandpa hasn't been able to break through Rank 95 to this day."
"Enough!" Xiao Hongchen interrupted her angrily.
He then glared at Feng Piaoling and said, "Fine, I want to see what kind of capability you possess to boast so grandly here. If you have the guts, face me tomorrow in a duel to settle this once and for all. If you lose, take your bunch of connected slackers and leave the preparatory team, so you don't go and embarrass us at the tournament."
Why is it that no matter where I go, it always involves a wager?
Feng Piaoling shook his head, feeling a massive headache coming on. He sighed and asked, "And if you lose?"
"If I lose, the position of captain of the preparatory team belongs to you, and I will take my sister and leave," Xiao Hongchen said.
Unexpectedly, Meng Hongchen was displeased by this. She looked at Feng Piaoling's handsome face and said, "Stop, stop, stop... If you want to leave, leave by yourself. I still want to participate in the tournament and witness the geniuses from the various academies of the continent."
Xiao Hongchen's lips twitched, thinking to himself: Do you actually want to participate in the tournament, or are you just being a boy-crazy fangirl?
Left with no choice, he could only change his terms. "If I lose, the captain's position is still yours, and I will leave."
"There is no need for you to leave. I'm not that petty. The captain's position will remain yours. It's just that when we participate in the tournament, you must adopt any suggestions I put forward."
Feng Piaoling didn't dislike this pair of siblings. Meng Hongchen was simply a naive and sweet girl, while Xiao Hongchen, aside from being somewhat arrogant, didn't have any major flaws. He just needed a good beating to correct his mistaken path, and he would behave.
On the other hand, Jing Hongchen behind them—that old fox from the original story who thought himself clever but was essentially a treasure-delivering boy to Shrek Academy—could be put to good use.
When facing Shrek Academy in this tournament, Kong Deming, that old fox, was currently hiding very deeply. Before becoming a Class 10 Soul Engineer and integrating his Natal Soul Tool, he might not necessarily exert his full strength in order to conceal his capabilities.
But Jing Hongchen was different. One only needed to bind his grandson and granddaughter to the cause, and the old guy would have no choice but to take action.
As long as Feng Piaoling could avoid exposing himself openly, he would have plenty of opportunities to lead the members of the Hall of Souls away.
Hearing Feng Piaoling's words, Xiao Hongchen froze for a moment, the anger on his face vanishing instantly to be replaced by a look of admiration. He burst into laughter and said:
"No need to yield to me. The position of captain can only be held by the strong. If you win, the captain's position is rightfully yours. Conversely, I won't force you to leave either. Just based on your broad-mindedness, I acknowledge you."
"Then let's begin," Feng Piaoling said with a smile.
The three of them quickly arrived at an abandoned soul tool testing area where they didn't have to worry about being disturbed by anyone.
Inside the vast and flat abandoned testing area, Feng Piaoling and Xiao Hongchen stood a hundred meters apart. Meng Hongchen acted as the referee.
"Let the soul duel begin."
Following her command, Xiao Hongchen unleashed his Three-Legged Golden Toad martial soul.
With a flash of golden light, a third leg extended from behind his hips. This leg appeared completely golden, and a layer of dazzling gold light instantly covered his entire body.
"So this is your martial soul?"
Although he had long anticipated it, actually seeing Xiao Hongchen's martial soul still made Feng Piaoling's lips twitch slightly.
"Correct, this is my martial soul, the Three-Legged Golden Toad. Make your move, lest you say I didn't give you a chance later."
The three-legged Xiao Hongchen squatted slightly. Two yellow, two purple, and one black—five soul rings flashed around him. Along his slightly arched back, golden protrusions emerged from beneath his clothes, emitting a soft halo.
At the same time, his first and third soul rings lit up. With a wave of his hands, over a hundred metal spheres were scattered outward. Under the shroud of the golden light, they transformed into thick cannon barrels.
"Very well." Feng Piaoling did not hold back either. He struck the Four Symbols Panlong Belt at his waist with his hand, and seventy-two emerald-green long swords were sacrificed simultaneously, instantly filling the sky with sword shadows.
Feng Piaoling pointed casually toward Xiao Hongchen and gave a low shout, "Go."
In the next instant, the sky full of emerald-green sword shadows transformed into streaks of azure light, hurtling toward Xiao Hongchen like rainbows.
"Holy crap..." Seeing this scene, Xiao Hongchen was so shocked that he couldn't help but swear.
With his experience, how could he fail to recognize that these emerald-green long swords were uniformly Class 5 soul tools?
Although the quantity was far inferior to his own one hundred and twenty-eight Class 5 soul cannons, one could not forget that he was relying on his martial soul to control his cannons.
In contrast, his opponent hadn't even unleashed his martial soul from beginning to end.
What kind of freak was this?
Not daring to be careless in the slightest, his second and fourth soul rings overtook the radiance of the first and third rings. Countless points of light in the air surged frantically toward Xiao Hongchen's position like rivers flowing into the sea.
One hundred and twenty-eight Class 5 High-Concentration Soul Cannons fired simultaneously. A torrential rain of artillery fire met Feng Piaoling's seventy-two emerald-green long swords.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Amidst a series of thunderous explosions, the night sky over the entire area was dyed a brilliant gold.
Author's Note: Some people might feel that the plot has been a bit slow since arriving at the Sun Moon Empire, but after all, this is my first book focusing on the Peerless Tang Sect era. Up until now, it has been moderately successful, barely enough to make a living. Therefore, I plan to make this book a bit longer, so this section serves as a transition.
Also, a quick spoiler: later on, when facing Shrek's Elder Xuan, there won't be any frustrating situations. By that time, Electrolux will have already obtained the Gold of Life and will use the Soul-Cleaving Divine Eye to severely wound him.
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