Wang Yan's expression grew serious as he hesitated, "Elder Xuan, I recall you once said that a golden-level body martial soul second awakening has historically only been achieved by the sect master of the Body Sect, and only upon reaching the Titled Douluo level. Tianhuang's situation…"
"Those conclusions came from our predecessors' dealings with the Body Sect. We aren't the Body Sect, with millennia of research on body martial souls, so those conclusions may not be entirely accurate," Elder Xuan replied, the confusion in his dark red eyes clearing, replaced by a piercing gleam.
"But the ability Yu Tianhuang used just now was undoubtedly a golden-level body martial soul second awakening. The most telling sign is that when he used it, his soul power, mental strength, and even life force were being rapidly depleted. Only a golden-level body martial soul second awakening would drain a soul master's life force."
"Draining life force?!" Wang Yan exclaimed in shock.
Compared to ordinary people, soul masters' bodies, nourished by soul power over time, possess far greater life force. For instance, a wound that would take months or even half a year for an ordinary person to heal might only require ten days to a fortnight for a soul master. A more direct example is lifespan—super powerhouses like Elder Xuan could easily live for two or three hundred years.
However, if a soul master depletes a large amount of life force, the consequences are severe.
Losing lifespan is secondary; the real issue is the impact on future potential. It's not uncommon for Titled Douluo to suffer severe injuries, lose excessive life force, and find their cultivation stalled.
This was especially concerning for Yu Tianhuang, who was only at the Soul Ancestor level.
Elder Xuan's gaze returned to its usual calm, though it now carried a hint of coldness.
"No need to panic. With the pill provided by the Body Sect, replenishing the life force Yu Tianhuang lost earlier is more than feasible. In fact, his cultivation might even improve slightly because of it. The life essence of a 100,000-year plant-type soul beast amounts to only a few dozen drops at most, the culmination of 100,000 years of cultivation. Even for a Titled Douluo, it's highly valuable. The pill just now contained at least three drops—the Body Sect has truly spared no expense this time. In other words, by offering such a precious pill, they're signaling their confidence in claiming us and their determination to take Yu Tianhuang."
Hearing Elder Xuan's words, a trace of worry flashed in Wang Yan's eyes.
Since the final between Shrek Academy and the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy consisted only of the team battle and individual elimination matches, the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament concluded before noon.
Star Luo City gradually returned to calm.
As the runner-up, the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, led by Elder Ma, collected its rewards that afternoon and immediately left Star Luo City to return to the Sun Moon Empire.
Though the Star Luo Empire sent healing-type soul masters to treat Xiao Hongchen, Elder Ma didn't trust them.
Relations between the Sun Moon Empire and the original three empires of Douluo were historically strained, and Xiao Hongchen was a once-in-a-millennium genius of the Sun Moon Empire. Elder Ma couldn't take the risk.
Returning Xiao Hongchen to Mingde Hall for treatment was the safest option.
The runner-up's reward was a soul bone, while Shrek Academy, as the champion, received far richer rewards.
Not only did they receive a million gold soul coins, but they could also select three soul bones from the Star Luo Empire's treasury.
The Shrek Academy team wasn't in a rush to claim their rewards, but that evening, Emperor Xu Jiawei of the Star Luo Empire personally visited them.
His visit was low-key, attracting little attention.
Following him was an elderly woman with white hair and a wrinkled face, her true age indiscernible.
Apart from her, Xu Jiawei brought no other Consecrated Douluo from the Star Luo Empire, demonstrating full trust and respect toward Shrek Academy.
Wang Yan led the Shrek Academy team to greet them. The only ones absent were Elder Xuan and Ning Tian. Elder Xuan stayed out to avoid entanglement with the Star Luo Empire's royal family, while Ning Tian remained by Xu Zihuang's side.
"Your Majesty, what brings you here?" Wang Yan asked in surprise.
"Noticing that Shrek Academy's Yu Tianhuang fell unconscious after the match, I specifically invited Senior Wang to treat him," Xu Jiawei said with a slight smile, then introduced the elderly woman.
"Elder Wang is the deputy master of our empire's Hall of Consecration. Her name is Wang Xian'er, and her title is Immortal Doctor".
Wang Yan's body trembled, his eyes filled with shock.
"Your Majesty, you mean Senior Wang Xian'er, the Immortal Doctor Douluo?"
Xu Jiawei nodded with a smile.
"Your Majesty, Senior Wang, this way, please," Wang Yan said, taking a deep breath to calm himself and gesturing for Xu Jiawei and Wang Xian'er to follow.
In this situation, it would be difficult to refuse Xu Jiawei's goodwill. Moreover, having the Healing Sage Douluo involved added an extra layer of safety. After all, this concerned his disciple's future, and exercising caution was justified.
Wang Yan, Xu Jiawei, and Wang Xian'er led the way, with the rest of the Shrek Academy team following behind, heading toward Xu Zihuang's room.
He Caitou scratched his bald head in confusion.
"Is this Immortal Doctor Douluo really that famous?"
"It's not about fame," Dai Yueheng explained with a wry smile.
"Senior Wang Xian'er is renowned as the greatest healing-type soul master of our time. Even Elder Zhuang, the healing-type Titled Douluo from our Sea God Pavilion, is her junior in seniority. Elder Zhuang once praised Senior Wang as the most powerful healing-type soul master alive and the only Super Douluo-level healing-type soul master, with the martial soul Healing Angel."
The title of Super Douluo-level healing-type soul master said it all.
For healing-type, food-type, and other support-type soul masters, reaching the Titled Douluo level was far more difficult than for combat-oriented soul masters.
Combat often unlocked a soul master's potential to a greater degree, while healing, food, and support-type soul masters rarely participated directly in battles. Their cultivation relied solely on diligent training and gradual experience accumulation.
Reaching the Titled Douluo level was exceedingly rare, and achieving Super Douluo status was nearly impossible.
The Immortal Doctor Douluo reached the Super Douluo level solely because her Healing Angel martial soul was exceptionally powerful, with an incredibly deep foundation. It was a top-tier martial soul on par with the Holy Angel.
Gongyang Mo, a support-type soul master, had starry eyes. Healing and support-type soul masters shared many similarities, and guidance from the Immortal Doctor Douluo would undoubtedly benefit him greatly.
The others' expressions shifted as well. That Emperor Xu Jiawei had invited the Immortal Doctor Douluo showed how highly he valued Yu Tianhuang.
"Tianhuang's become quite the hot commodity. I'd bet if he declared his allegiance to the Star Luo Empire right now, even asking to marry Princess Jiujiu, His Majesty would agree without hesitation," Xu Sanshi whispered to Beibei with a sly grin.
Beibei rolled his eyes in exasperation but didn't retort as he usually would.
Compared to the overt goodwill of the Star Luo Empire, he was more concerned about the Body Sect.
"The Body Sect acts with extreme domineering. Tianhuang's situation won't be resolved easily," Beibei sighed softly, entering Xu Zihuang's room with the others.
Only Wang Yan, Xu Jiawei, and Wang Xian'er entered the bedroom.
The treatment didn't take long. Thanks to the pill condensed from the life essence of a 100,000-year plant-type soul beast, Xu Zihuang's body was already mostly fine.
Wang Xian'er, understanding the principle of moderation, merely used her Healing Angel martial soul to guide the pill's medicinal effects, perfectly integrating them into Xu Zihuang's body.
However, Xu Zihuang's remarkable physical condition, his efficiency in absorbing the pill's effects, and the almost abnormal quality of his soul power left even Wang Xian'er, accustomed to great events, with a look of astonishment.
She silently marveled that his talent likely surpassed the top geniuses of her era.
Those top geniuses from her time were none other than the current three Ultimate Douluo: Dragon God Douluo Mu En, Dragon Emperor Douluo Long Xiaoyao, and Death God Douluo Ye Xishui.
Wang Xian'er's eyes shimmered with emerald light. Behind her, five pairs of emerald wings unfurled, smaller than Yu Mengdi's Holy Angel wings but far more numerous.
The room was filled with a dense life force, like an ocean of vitality, making everyone feel exceptionally comfortable.
With her Healing Angel martial soul active, Wang Xian'er appeared as a youthful eighteen- or nineteen-year-old girl, her beauty radiating with life, drawing others to her.
She lowered her raised right hand, and the dense green light converging on Xu Zihuang's body dissipated.
Guided by the life essence of her Healing Angel martial soul, Xu Zihuang fully absorbed the pill's effects in just a quarter of an hour.
"Senior Wang, is Tianhuang's condition alright?" Ning Tian couldn't help but ask softly as Wang Xian'er retracted her martial soul.
"If I'm not mistaken, the pill he took earlier contained the life essence of a 100,000-year plant-type soul beast, the Heavenly Azure Vine. Even without my intervention, that pill was enough to replenish his depleted life force. All I did was guide the pill's effects to integrate more quickly with his body. With his physical condition, he should awaken within three hours," Wang Xian'er said, glancing at her with a kindly expression.
Learning from the Immortal Doctor Douluo that Yu Tianhuang would awaken within a few hours, Wang Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, and Senior Wang, for your help."
"No need for formalities, Teacher Wang," Xu Jiawei said with a warm, spring-like smile.
"Since the matter is resolved, why don't you join me to select Shrek Academy's championship rewards from the treasury?"
At Xu Jiawei's gracious invitation, Wang Yan naturally didn't decline. They were set to return to the academy early the next morning, so collecting the rewards sooner was ideal.
After informing the rest of the Shrek team about Yu Tianhuang's condition, he sent them back to their rooms to rest.
Ning Tian insisted on staying in the room to look after Xu Zihuang.
Unaware of all this, Xu Zihuang, still unconscious, found his consciousness immersed in his mental sea when he began to regain awareness. His mental sea had expanded by at least a fifth, and the golden light within it seemed to shine brighter.
Using the golden-level body martial soul second awakening with his current cultivation was indeed taxing, but the extreme depletion of his mental strength had caused his mental sea to expand on its own under such conditions.
It was somewhat akin to a soul master breaking through at their limit, except his breakthrough was in the mental realm.
However, his mental strength still hadn't reached the tangible yet intangible realm.
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