"My name is Qin Ming, I am twenty-three years old, with the martial soul of the Fiery Azure Wolf, a level fifty-three assault-type Soul King. I have just joined the academy as a teacher, and under the directive of the three committee members, I will be your leader for this year's Royal Battle team selection," Qin Ming began his self-introduction as everyone gathered.
He hadn't anticipated such high regard from the three committee members, even being accepted as a disciple by one of them. Initially, he had only intended to take advantage of the Tianshou Royal Academy's environment to accelerate his own cultivation speed.
However, since the committee valued him so much, he also wanted to achieve something significant and elevate the Royal Battle team to new heights.
"I know you are all elites from your respective classes, but I only need ten people: seven main members and three substitutes. The rest will be eliminated. Given that there are so many of you, we won't use the usual combat elimination method; that would waste too much time."
"Then what is our selection method, Teacher?!" one student eagerly asked.
"It's simple. I have invited committee members to assist; you just need to endure under their pressure. The last ten remaining will join the Royal Battle team!" Qin Ming replied with a smile.
Suddenly, an elderly man with white hair appeared beside Qin Ming. Dressed in black and looking somewhat eerie, he was Meng Shenji, a member of the Tianshou Royal Academy's committee, with a martial soul known as Black Demon and a level eighty-three control-type Soul Douluo.
Meng Shenji surveyed the students present before a sinister smile crept across his face. Instantly, an overwhelming aura emanated from him; dark soul power surged like a storm towards all the students in attendance.
Xu Yang felt as if a mountain was pressing down on him, causing him to stagger and nearly fall to the ground.
Quickly mobilizing his soul power to resist this pressure while activating his healing techniques allowed him to stabilize himself. After doing all this, he looked around and saw that over two-thirds of the students had collapsed to the ground; only about twenty remained standing, each one unsteady and on the verge of falling.
"No wonder in the original story, the Royal Battle team only had seven members; it was due to this selection process!"
Xu Yang suddenly understood why there were no substitute members in the original Royal Battle team.
Seeing this situation, Meng Shenji's expression darkened. He hadn't expected this batch of students to be so lacking in overall quality. The soul pressure he had unleashed should have been manageable for any determined Soul Master; he was surprised by how many had fallen.
Realizing their poor quality meant they were unfit for participating in any Soul Master competitions,
Meng Shenji inadvertently released more soul power, intensifying his pressure even further.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!…
The sound of students collapsing echoed as many could no longer withstand it and were forced down onto the ground. Only Xu Yang, Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan, Ye Lengleng, Shimo, Shimo's brother, Yufeng, and Oscar remained standing.
Among them, Xu Yang appeared most relaxed; with his eyes closed and body straight as an arrow—he didn't even summon his martial soul.
The one struggling most was Ye Lengleng; she bit her lip tightly until blood seeped out while her body hunched over—she was on the verge of collapsing. Her Nine Heart Begonia martial soul floated around her releasing a faint green glow that transformed into life force to heal her injuries caused by the pressure.
It was precisely because of Nine Heart Begonia's vitality that she managed to hold on.
"Enough already! If you keep this up, there won't be anyone left!"
Seeing Meng Shenji still releasing pressure—having reached levels unbearable even for Soul Masters—Qin Ming quickly interjected.
"Hmph!"
Meng Shenji snorted in dissatisfaction and waved his sleeve before disappearing from sight. He didn't want to see any more fallen students; he feared he might impulsively slap them away out of frustration.
"Alright then! Aside from those eight standing here, all other students can leave!" Qin Ming stated coldly as he stepped forward.
The fallen students reluctantly got up and staggered back toward their classes without arguing; they knew they hadn't met expectations.
Xu Yang slowly opened his eyes and looked at the seven others who were still trembling beside him before breaking into a smile.
"Freak!"
Dugu Yan thought silently while watching Xu Yang appear unfazed by everything that had transpired.
The remaining few also gazed at Xu Yang in shock—especially Yu Tianheng—who felt admiration swelling within him at Xu Yang's strength.
Qin Ming waved his hand at everyone: "Since we will all be teammates from now on, let's introduce ourselves!"
"I'll go first: Dugu Yan, age ten, martial soul Green Scale Snake, level twenty-three control-type Soul Master!"
"Ye Lengleng, age ten, martial soul Nine Heart Begonia, level twenty-one support-type Soul Master!"
"Oscar, age eleven, martial soul Ghost Leopard, level twenty-three agile attack-type Soul Master!"
"Shimo, age ten, martial soul Black Tortoise, level twenty-two defense-type Soul Master!"
"Shimo's brother (Shimo), age ten, martial soul Black Tortoise, level twenty-two defense-type Soul Master!"
"Yufeng, age ten, martial soul Windbell Bird, level twenty-two agile attack-type Soul Master!"
"Yu Tianheng, age ten, martial soul Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex, level twenty-four assault-type Soul Master!"
"Xu Yang, age eight; martial soul Sun; level twenty-three assault-type Soul Master!"
Hearing everyone's introductions made Qin Ming nod in satisfaction. While this configuration of eight people wasn't particularly optimal—it covered all necessary aspects. If they coordinated well together during competitions—it shouldn't be difficult for them to achieve good results!
Qin Ming then began arranging training sessions. Most present were children from noble families who already had suitable training methods established; he didn't feel superior enough compared to those long-established families—he was aware of where he stood!
His goal was to enhance these eight individuals' teamwork capabilities so that they could become familiar with each other. Not only did he want them to understand each other well—but ideally they would be able to communicate with just a glance!
To achieve this goal,
The eight would spend nearly all their time together aside from sleeping or personal necessities—including during practice sessions!
As a result,
They discovered Xu Yang's unique training method which involved continuously drawing in solar power through his martial soul to accelerate his cultivation speed while solidifying his foundation simultaneously!
They soon understood why Xu Yang's cultivation speed was so rapid!
Of course,
Every morning when the sun rose,
He would inexplicably activate his first spirit technique!
"Ah! So annoying! Xu Yang can't you finish your training faster?!"
Watching Xu Yang practice on the balcony,
Dugu Yan fanned herself with a hand fan feeling restless as she began complaining.
It was simply too hot! She was already dressed quite lightly—wearing short sleeves on top and shorts below—with her long fair legs resting on the table—but it was still sweltering! Today's weather was excellent; combined with Xu Yang drawing solar power—it raised temperatures around them above thirty-seven degrees!
She wanted to leave but remembering Teacher Qin Ming's instructions—she stayed put.
(End of Chapter)