Clouds rolled and scattered, the dark clouds in the sky dispersed with the wind, and gentle sunlight once again poured down, bringing brightness back to the land.
Tap, tap, tap—footsteps echoed as people gradually gathered in front of the Pope Hall plaza.
Thunderclap Academy, Godwind Academy, Blazing Academy, Skywater Academy, and all the academies under the Heaven Dou Empire were still present. Spirit City stood independent of the two empires, and its distance from Heaven Dou City was long. With the Crown Prince leading the Royal Knight regiment and Titled Douluo accompanying them, the level of safety was undeniably high. Therefore, they had all chosen to stay, awaiting the final results of the tournament, before following the convoy back to the empire.
As for the Star Luo Empire, since no teams had advanced to the later stages, they had already left together with Star Luo Royal Academy.
During the time when Chrysanthemum Douluo descended the mountain to notify all the academies, the craters in front of the Pope Hall had already been filled in by the Hall Protectors and freshly repaved with marble. At this moment, the academy teams lined up neatly in the plaza center. At the very front stood the seven members of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy team. Further ahead was the judges' platform, where Bibi Dong stood solemnly in the middle.
"Congratulations on achieving the final victory," she said clearly, looking at the eight Heaven Dou Royal Academy participants.
After delivering her speech, she took a brocade tray from the hands of a red-clad bishop—inside lay three soul bones.
"Would the representative of Heaven Dou Royal Academy please step forward to receive the champion's prize," the red-clad bishop declared loudly.
At the call, Yang Yunhai strode forward, arriving before Bibi Dong, bowing slightly in respect.
"You are exceptional—more than I had anticipated," Bibi Dong said with a nod. "Would you be willing to join my Pope Hall?"
The surrounding academy disciples belonging to the Pope Hall were visibly shocked.
Qian Renxue and Ning Fengzhi both furrowed their brows slightly.
'Testing me, huh?' Yang Yunhai smiled freely. "Your Holiness, I thank you for your generosity. However, my family and friends are all in the Heaven Dou Empire—I still have ties I cannot abandon. Moreover, I am someone who dislikes being restrained. I'm afraid I would disappoint Your Holiness."
'So, he hasn't told Dugu Bo yet about joining Spirit Hall…' Bibi Dong instantly understood the implication behind Yang Yunhai's words about 'ties,' and she nodded faintly. "If so, then I wish you a smooth path in cultivation, that you may become a mighty figure and contribute much to the development of the soul master world."
Saying this, she handed him the brocade tray.
"I will not fail Your Holiness's expectations," Yang Yunhai responded, bowing again as he accepted it.
"Return to your team," Bibi Dong said with a slight nod.
"Many thanks, Your Holiness." Yang Yunhai bowed once more, then turned back to his teammates.
"Captain, keep all the soul bones," Yu Feng said with a smile. "We've already discussed it. Without you, our strength would never have grown so fast, nor would we have had the chance to come this far and gain such valuable experience. Besides, this championship—most of the credit goes to you, Sister Yan, and Zhuqing. The rest of us hardly contributed."
Behind him, Oslo, Shi Mo, Shi Mo, and Ye Lingling all nodded.
If not for Yang Yunhai, they would never have even beaten the Five Element Academies, let alone stronger teams like Shrek Academy, Spirit Hall Academy, or the newly formed Godwind Academy. On top of that, their chance to be cultivated with resources by the royal family, to undergo better training, to make such rapid progress, and to gain so much battle experience in the tournament—this was all thanks to Yang Yunhai.
This debt of gratitude, they all remembered.
And this championship was earned entirely by Yang Yunhai's strength carrying them to victory. Who contributed most, they were well aware.
Yang Yunhai remained silent for a moment, then looked around at his teammates and nodded. "This fire-attribute soul bone doesn't suit anyone in our team. Once we return to Heaven Dou City, I'll put it up at the Heaven Dou auction house. Zhuqing, Yan, and I won't take any of the profit.
"My thought is to split it into six shares—five of you each take one. The remaining share we'll donate back to the Academy, to repay the Academy's years of cultivation and to return the royal family's support for our training. What do you all think?"
The group exchanged glances and lit up with joy.
"Hehe, thank you, Captain!" Yu Feng grinned.
A 35,000-year fire-attribute soul bone—without question, it would fetch millions of gold soul coins at auction. Split six ways, each of them could get over a hundred thousand. That kind of money was an astronomical fortune their families could never hope to gather.
"Damn, how much is that worth?!" disciples from other academies around them were instantly green with envy.
"…" Huo Wushuang's mouth twitched painfully—their family definitely couldn't afford such a soul bone.
Yan's expression was equally sour—this soul bone was supposed to be prepared for him, but now it was gone.
Ning Fengzhi only smiled. His clan had no shortage of money.
Bibi Dong's face remained composed. She glanced at Ning Fengzhi but said nothing. Since Yang Yunhai had already spoken publicly, there was no way for her to arrange a private trade—it would have to go to auction. Turning her head, she saw that a long inspection table had been set up.
Her eyes flicked briefly to the pale-faced Shrek team and Yu Xiaogang. With a glint in her gaze, she gave Chrysanthemum Douluo a subtle nod.
Chrysanthemum Douluo understood and called out loudly: "Next, all academy contestants will come forward one by one for inspection."
"First, Thunderclap Academy." He seated himself at the long table, while Dugu Bo took a seat opposite him—representing the Heaven Dou Empire for a second inspection, ensuring fairness.
At his words, Yu Tianxin, at the front of the line, took a deep breath and strode forward, extending his right hand.
Chrysanthemum Douluo placed his palm over it and infused gentle soul power to probe. After a moment, his brow arched.
The academy disciples instinctively held their breath. Then came Chrysanthemum Douluo's cold laugh: "That Tang San brat was truly ruthless. Had he absorbed just a little less life force while pretending to detoxify you, your body's self-recovery could have healed you completely afterward."
Yu Tianxin's face instantly went pale.
Not far away, the Shrek group stiffened in shock. Disciples from the other academies also looked stunned.
Chrysanthemum Douluo raised his head and explained to the crowd: "In truth, soul masters recover from injuries by consuming their own life force. Healing-type soul masters convert soul power into life energy to replenish this, speeding recovery and preventing excessive depletion. Normally, the consumed life force is gradually restored with proper nourishment.
"This is why soul masters, after injuries or sickness, may be weak for a while but then recover their vitality."
"But when poison invades, the body is already burning life force to keep its organs functioning against the toxin. If the poison is too severe, the organs strain under heavy load. At that time, any mistake can cause the defenses to collapse. And if someone then forcibly extracts your life force, the outcome is obvious. Already exhausted and barely holding on, yet drained again—the result speaks for itself. I needn't guess: after the tournament, you must have fallen gravely ill."
"Youth, your organs have already suffered some degeneration. It's not critical yet, but it will certainly affect your future cultivation."
(End of Chapter)
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