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Lan Minghua carefully uprooted the peculiar Blue Silver Grass along with the soil and stored it in the Devouring Pouch.
No matter how unusual this Blue Silver Grass appeared, for now, it was still nothing more than a special plant with a low cultivation age.
Afterward, he directly left Holy Soul Village without making any further moves.
After all, the grudge was only between him and Tang San and his father—it had nothing to do with the villagers of Holy Soul Village.
[Ding, you have a new system mission. Would you like to view it?]
On his way back, the system's voice echoed in Lan Minghua's mind.
"A system mission? Wasn't my task only to accept disciples, earn Teacher Points, and use them in draws to grow stronger? Why is there suddenly a new system mission?"
With curiosity, Lan Minghua called out, "System, show me the system mission."
[System Mission: Since the host's disciples have reached five in number and have already made progress in their cultivation, a special mission is issued.]
[Mission: Ensure your disciples achieve champion, runner-up, third place, and fourth place in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect Soul Master Exchange Tournament. Mission Reward: 8000 Teacher Points.]
Lan Minghua read the task and fell into deep thought.
The news that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would host a Soul Master Exchange Tournament had only spread a few minutes ago. He hadn't expected this damned system to sniff it out so quickly.
"You don't even know the tournament format yet, and you're already talking about champion, runner-up, third place, and fourth place? System, aren't you being a little too confident?"
Lan Minghua muttered with exasperation, clearly speechless at the system's sudden demand.
Just as he was puzzling over it, Wu Song's voice came through again via long-distance sound transmission.
"Master, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has released the tournament rules. All soul masters under thirty can participate. It's an individual competition with 128 participants. The bracket is divided into upper and lower halves—64 into 32, 32 into 16, and so on. The winner of each half will advance to the finals to compete for the championship."
After hearing Wu Song's words, Lan Minghua frowned.
"Tch, so the damned system guessed the format correctly. But this kind of setup seems overly grueling."
A trace of unease rose in his heart. Although Oscar and the others were exceptionally talented, they were still too young.
Against opponents under thirty, their chances of winning weren't high.
"If they can't secure spots in the top four, those 8000 Teacher Points will slip right through my fingers. That's no small sum—it's enough to boost the Sky Dragon Gang's strength to a whole new level in a short time."
His brows tightened as his mind raced. "No matter what, I must get those 8000 Teacher Points."
This tournament format meant Oscar and the others would face not only powerful opponents but also the grueling challenge of consecutive battles in a short time.
The toll it would take on both stamina and soul power would be immense.
[Ding, please do not underestimate this system. Douluo Continent is merely a sewer of the fantasy world. A brief glimpse into the future is nothing difficult for this system.]
The system's voice rang out again, dripping with disdain.
Lan Minghua rolled his eyes. "Since you can peek into the future, why don't you tell me which soul masters will participate in this tournament? Who will Oscar and the others face?"
[Ding, host's authority insufficient. Detailed information unavailable.]
"Che, stingy as ever." Lan Minghua raised a middle finger into the air. "Other than issuing missions, what else are you even good for?"
Taking a deep breath, he began to plan more seriously.
"Although Oscar and the others have already reached the level of Soul Ancestors, making them unmatched among soul masters under twenty, the rules allow anyone under thirty to join. That changes everything."
"This Soul Master Exchange Tournament will definitely be tougher than the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament. After all, the three upper sects will send their direct disciples. Their strength far surpasses that of advanced academy students."
Lan Minghua knew very well—those around twenty who could truly threaten Oscar's group were likely limited to Spirit Hall's Golden Generation.
But with Tang San's shameless personality, he would certainly push for the upper sects to send twenty-nine-year-old soul masters.
The soul power of these disciples would definitely not be lower than rank forty-five, and some might even have reached the Soul King level.
After all, Spirit Hall's Hu Liena had already become a Soul King at just over twenty.
For the direct disciples of the upper sects, breaking through to Soul King before the age of thirty was not an especially difficult feat.
"To pit Soul Ancestors against Soul Kings—it'll be nearly impossible to win."
Lan Minghua sighed. "Especially against the gifted disciples of the upper sects. Though Oscar and the others are prodigies, their youth puts them at a disadvantage."
A sudden thought struck him, and he quickly asked Wu Song through sound transmission, "Erlang, does the tournament explicitly forbid the use of weapons other than martial souls?"
Wu Song, still at Shrek Academy, froze for a moment, then picked up the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's official notice again.
After carefully checking, he replied through sound transmission, "No, Master. The rules clearly state that participants are allowed to use items beyond their martial souls."
"Good, Erlang, I understand." Hearing this, the corner of Lan Minghua's lips curved into a smile.
If martial souls were the only tools allowed, Oscar and the others would indeed struggle to reach the top four.
But if external items were permitted, then the situation was completely different.
People seemed to forget that Lan Minghua was a man of Divine Craftsmanship.
What soul tools could he not create with his own hands?
"Tang San, you sly old fox—making it so that so-called 'soul master exchanges' can use external tools. I suppose you're just brimming with confidence in your hidden weapons."
Lan Minghua chuckled softly. Tang San's little scheme had unexpectedly played right into his hands.
Though Tang San had only recently advanced to Soul Elder, he must have hoped for a strong showing.
Why else would he include a rule allowing external weapons?
Little did he know that such a rule would instead become Lan Minghua's greatest advantage.
This time, Lan Minghua was determined to show him—Tang San's vaunted hidden weapons were nothing more than trash when placed beside his creations.
"Originally, I didn't want to provide Oscar and the others with too much assistance. Only by experiencing life-and-death battles themselves could they grow stronger and more independent. But for the sake of those 8000 Teacher Points, I'll have to outfit them properly."
Items like the Three Treasure Orbs, the Black Dou Armor, the Devouring Beast, the Golden Ruyi, and the Empty Roar—
Each of these soul tools was powerful enough to raise Oscar and the others' strength by an entire level.
When equipped with such artifacts, crossing realms to fight stronger opponents would no longer be an issue.
With that decision made, Lan Minghua didn't immediately return to Shrek Academy. Instead, he turned and headed toward the Star Dou Great Forest.
After all, forging these soul tools required real, top-quality materials.
Although he looked down on Tang San's hidden weapons, he could not deny their lethality when crafted properly.
For the safety of his disciples, Lan Minghua absolutely could not afford carelessness when it comes to materials.
"Tang San, you think your hidden weapons can guarantee victory? Heh, this time I'll let you see what true power in external tools really looks like."
A trace of mockery flickered in his eyes as he quickened his pace toward the Star Dou Great Forest.
At this very moment, the Azure Bull Python emerged from the Lake of Life deep within the forest.
Absorbing the lake's life force had restored its lost origin far faster than expected.
The Azure Bull Python turned its gaze beyond the Star Dou Great Forest, its azure pupils surging with overwhelming killing intent.
"My origin is almost fully restored. Soon, I will be able to avenge Er Ming. Lan Minghua, your death is near!"
In an instant, a chilling wave of killing intent swept across the land.
(End of Chapter)