He Caitou couldn't help widening his eyes in astonishment.
"A milk bottle? And a Level Five milk bottle? The last Level Four one we saw at the Starlight Auction went for seventy thousand gold soul coins! This one must be worth at least two hundred thousand, right, Teacher Wang? Where did you get it?"
Milk bottles, also known as soul power recharge soul tools, could be used by both Soul Masters and Soul Engineers who possessed soul power.
However, their manufacturing process was extremely complex — only a Soul Engineer of at least Level Three or above had a realistic chance of producing one successfully.
Low-grade milk bottles were fairly common, but high-grade ones were exceedingly rare and difficult to find.
It was said that a single Level Seven milk bottle had once been auctioned for seven million gold soul coins.
The essence of a milk bottle lay in its ability to compress soul power.
Ensuring that the compressed energy neither leaked nor exploded was no easy feat, and the process required exceptionally high skill from the Soul Engineer.
For instance, to craft a Level Seven milk bottle, one would need at least Level Eight Soul Engineer proficiency.
Like the Invincible Shield, the milk bottle was one of the most coveted soul tools among both Soul Masters and Soul Engineers.
The Invincible Shield offered a precious means of survival, while the milk bottle allowed rapid recovery of internal soul power.
Each milk bottle's grade determined the amount of soul power it could restore — equivalent to that of a Soul Master of the same level.
Before use, it needed to be pre-charged with soul power, but during use, one had to stop and focus to guide that energy back into the body.
Thus, few Soul Masters could use milk bottles effectively in battle.
Of course, Xu Zihuang was one of those rare exceptions.
His soul power was of a spiritual nature, and multitasking was effortless for him.
Furthermore, the quality of his soul power far surpassed that of ordinary Soul Masters.
He had previously tested this before Wang Yan: even when fully charged, the Level Four milk bottle he had bought at the auction could only restore about one-tenth of his total soul power.
That Level Four milk bottle had later been given by Wang Yan to He Caitou, who was best suited to use it.
Because Xu Zihuang required a higher-grade milk bottle to replenish his vast reserves, Wang Yan had gone out of his way to acquire this Level Five one.
He did so in preparation for the upcoming semifinals and finals.
With Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, and Chen Zifeng leading the charge at the front, as the team's control-type Soul Master, Yu Tianhuang would have plenty of opportunities to use the milk bottle mid-battle to restore his energy — offering the team greater assurance.
In Wang Yan's eyes, although Yu Tianhuang's soul power was only at Rank 43, his performance in the previous rounds had already proven his true strength.
He was, without question, the absolute core of this team.
"This is something I specially ordered from Qing Ya the auctioneer a few days ago," Wang Yan explained as he handed the Level Five milk bottle to Xu Zihuang, his expression serious.
"Tianhuang, are you certain your current cultivation can handle using a Level Five milk bottle safely?"
"Don't worry, Teacher Wang. You know my physical condition isn't inferior to most Soul Kings."
Xu Zihuang replied with a gentle smile as he accepted the milk bottle and stored it away in his soul guide storage device.
After more than a year of close cooperation, Wang Yan knew this student's temperament well and did not press further.
"All right, once you finish dinner, go rest early and recover your energy for tomorrow's semifinals."
After saying this, Wang Yan left the restaurant.
The moment he was gone, everyone relaxed considerably.
Although Wang Yan was normally mild and easygoing, his identity as their teacher — and the obvious generation gap — always brought a subtle sense of restraint.
Xu Sanshi, sprawled lazily in his chair, called out loudly, "Order the dishes! The semifinals are tomorrow, so tonight we've gotta eat something good!"
His loud enthusiasm made Jiang Nannan frown beside him.
Once someone harbors a prejudice against another, everything that person does becomes annoying — that was simply human nature.
Moreover, Xu Sanshi had practically glued himself to her side earlier, insisting on sitting next to her like a piece of sticky taffy. Naturally, she didn't show him a pleasant expression.
Xu Sanshi and Beibei volunteered to handle the ordering.
Across the table, Chen Zifeng smiled good-naturedly at Xu Zihuang and Ning Tian.
"Tianhuang, Ning Junior Sister — things are moving fast between you two, huh?"
Having long grown used to such teasing, Ning Tian only responded with a calm, gracious smile.
"Not that fast. We've known each other for over a year now — ever since we entered Shrek Academy, we were in the same class."
Xu Zihuang looked gently at her, and right before everyone's eyes, he reached across the crystal tabletop and intertwined his fingers with hers.
Since Ning Tian clearly wanted to make their relationship public before everyone, he saw no reason not to oblige her.
After keeping her guessing for so long, it was only fair to give her a proper acknowledgment.
Ning Tian hadn't expected Xu Zihuang to do this so openly.
Meeting his gaze, her azure eyes shimmered with a mix of shyness and happiness, her heartstrings trembling faintly.
Naturally, the group broke into louder teasing.
Xu Sanshi even gave Xu Zihuang a big thumbs-up.
"Tianhuang, you've got guts. I'm impressed — totally impressed!"
Ma Xiaotao shot Xu Zihuang a glance, feeling a faint irritation in her chest.
It wasn't that she had romantic feelings for him, nor jealousy over Ning Tian — rather, it was a sense of disparity deep inside.
The scene from that day, when she fell into the Sea God Lake and he saved her, still remained vividly engraved in her memory.
From childhood until now, Xu Zihuang had been the first man to have such close contact with her.
Though she never admitted it aloud, a trace of unfamiliar emotion had lingered within her heart ever since.
Yet the man who had once embraced her so closely now acted so calm and distant — even deliberately indifferent.
And now, before everyone, he publicly confirmed his relationship with Ning Tian.
Didn't that mean that, in Xu Zihuang's eyes, she was still not as important as Ning Tian?
And Yan Shaozhe's well-intentioned words back then — weren't they nothing more than self-delusion on their part?
With her straightforward personality, Ma Xiaotao couldn't hide her emotions.
Those around her — Dai Yueheng, Chen Zifeng, Gongyang Mo, and even Beibei across the table — all noticed her discomfort.
But none dared to provoke her temper.
Another who was lost in thought was Wang Dong.
Having been overconfident and never disciplined since childhood, he had been forced to face reality through this Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament.
He had barely spoken these past few days.
Though he, too, possessed twin martial souls, the difference between him and Yu Tianhuang was simply enormous.
Yu Tianhuang was a core member of the main team, while Wang Dong hadn't even earned the chance to represent Shrek Academy in a match.
Repeated blows from reality had numbed him.
As his thoughts wandered, maids began serving dish after dish.
On the surface, the dinner appeared harmonious enough.
Yet of all those present, perhaps only Xu Zihuang remained completely composed from start to finish.
After dinner, everyone returned to their rooms to rest.
The next morning, the semifinals arrived on schedule.
Shrek Academy was fortunate enough to draw Dou Ling Imperial Academy.
Their lineup — five Soul Kings and two Soul Ancestors — was simply no match for Shrek Academy.
The result was obvious.
In the team battle, Xu Zihuang only used his second soul skill, Mirror of Ruin, once, coordinating perfectly with his teammates to unleash a storm-like sweep of destruction.
In the individual matches, Ma Xiaotao alone defeated three opponents in succession.
Before such overwhelming strength, tactics and strategy were meaningless.
Thus, Shrek Academy advanced smoothly into the Finals.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are the chapters for today (づ￣3￣)づ╭～
"Don't forget there are 40 early chapters available on Patreo
[email protected]/facficmax10