Soon, when they were still a hundred kilometers away from the Ming Capital, Ye Yu and the others descended from the sky.
This was because they were nearing the territory of the Ming Capital. As the capital of the Sun-Moon Empire, and a nation proficient in soul-guiding devices, the capital had defense systems.
There were ground defenses and aerial defenses. Hence, there was a clear rule in the Ming Capital that no outsiders were allowed to fly above it, otherwise the defense systems would launch indiscriminate attacks.
After traveling for half a day, Ye Yu and the others decided to rest and eat.
Huo Yuhao skillfully made a fire to cook, while the others prepared firewood and went to catch fish.
Ye Ran said, "Brother Yu, try Huo Yuhao's grilled fish, it's really good. We all love it."
Ye Yu naturally knew that Huo Yuhao's grilled fish was great; his own son wasn't a transmigrator, but Ye Yu himself was once an Earthling.
"Alright, I'll give it a try."
Soon, the grilled fish was ready, and Huo Yuhao sprinkled on his secret seasoning. As Ye Yu tasted it, his eyes lit up; it was indeed delicious—crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, with various flavors: spicy, numbing, sour-spicy, and even sweet-and-sour grilled fish.
"Dong'Er, here, this piece has no bones, you can eat it," said Ye Ran as he held a piece of fish to Wang Dong'Er's mouth.
Wang Dong'Er looked blissful as she opened her mouth to eat it.
Seeing this, Xu Sanshi felt envious and then turned to Jiang Nannan.
"Darling, open your mouth, let me feed you too."
"Get lost!" Jiang Nannan kicked Xu Sanshi, sending him flying.
Xu Sanshi lamented, "Ah, Nannan, you're still the same, but that's what I love about you."
He Caitou gently offered a piece of meat to Xiaoxiao.
Soon, everyone started showing affection, spreading the love.
Beibei said helplessly, "Have some consideration, spare a thought for us, Yuhao, Boss Yu, the three of us single ones."
Wang Dong'Er corrected, "Yuhao isn't single. He found someone he likes while studying at the Sun-Moon Soul Mentor Academy."
Immediately, Xu Sanshi asked excitedly, "Who is it?"
Huo Yuhao looked a bit embarrassed but had a happy smile, clearly very fond of the person.
"Her name is Ju Zi. We'll meet her when we reach the Ming Capital."
Beibei said bitterly, "Looks like it's just Boss Yu and me who are the single ones."
Ye Yu helplessly thought, I'm not single at all; I even have a son and a beautiful wife.
Ye Yu and the others had a lively and warm lunch.
Thud, thud, thud...
At this moment, the sound of hooves echoed from afar.
Huo Yuhao employed a soul technique, Spiritual Detection, and shared it with Ye Yu and the others, instantly revealing the scene detected by Huo Yuhao's spiritual probe in everyone's minds.
In the distance, a cavalry approached, totaling fourteen people, all clad in black outfits, riding horses that weren't ordinary but soul beasts.
Xiaoxiao marveled, "Horned Scale Horses, it seems these people are quite wealthy."
Huo Yuhao asked curiously, "Why?"
"Because Horned Scale Horses are a type of soul beast, known for their endurance, speed, and strong defense, but they lack attack power. Each horse is worth about ten thousand Gold Soul Coins."
Xu Sanshi was surprised, "Then these people must be really rich."
Soon, the cavalry arrived and saw Ye Yu and the others. The leading elder rode the largest hundred-year-old Horned Scale Horse.
The elder smiled and asked, "Judging by your ages, are you heading to the Ming Capital for the All Continent Advanced Soul Master Elite Contest?"
Beibei nodded, "Yes, we are representing the Tang Sect in the competition."
The elder was initially puzzled about the lack of elder leaders but now understood.
"The Tang Sect, oh, that ancient sect. We are from the Celestial Armor Sect."
He recalled the Tang Sect, knowing it was an ancient sect now in decline, and understood why there was no elder leading them.
With an elder, these children would be safer.
Entering a Soul Master contest, the biggest fear was encountering a battle beforehand, as injuries could prevent participation, hinder true performance, and cost the championship, rendering all efforts futile.
Thus, teams always had a strong leader.
He was one of the Celestial Armor Sect elders, an eighty-two level Soul Douluo.
The elder addressed the thirteen young men and women behind him, "Let's rest here a while too."
The young folks dismounted, each displaying pride; they were obviously the elite of the younger generation of the Celestial Armor Sect, all full of ambition.
The elder didn't mind their high spirits; on the contrary, this was how it should be—they needed that confidence.
The elder praised, "You're in great shape; even when we reach the Ming Capital, you must stay like this, never lose your momentum."
"Got it, Elder Ma!"
Beibei said with anticipation, "This All Continent Advanced Soul Master Elite Contest should be exciting, with many strong participants, given that sect elites will also compete. Your Celestial Armor Sect should be formidable."
"Not should be, it definitely is."
A twenty-year-old man boasted and advised, "To meet here is fate, so it's best not to face us in the contest, or you'll surely lose."
"Haha, we're not bad either," Beibei responded with a friendly smile.
Xu Sanshi scoffed, "Better not boast prematurely, or you'll regret it if you get embarrassed later."
Xu Sanshi's words irked the young Celestial Armor Sect members, who were prideful and naturally wanted to prove themselves, to win respect.
The leading young man declared, "Then, let's all release our Martial Souls and let the Tang Sect folks see what we're made of, as a warning."
"Alright!"
With that, they released their Martial Souls, all of which were defense-type soul beasts.
Among the thirteen, ten were over level fifty Soul Kings, and three were just over level sixty Soul Emperors.
Their ages were capped at twenty, and with the sect's medicinal cultivation, they had reached such levels, clearly not caring about the future, only the present.
Though they knew medicinal boosts severely affected the future, they were aware becoming Titled Douluos was impossible, so they took the medicine to gain fame.
By gaining fame in the contest, the Celestial Armor Sect would surely prosper, attracting more disciples.
Five-Ring Soul Kings, Six-Ring Soul Emperors, all with optimal Soul Ring configurations.
"How about us? Not bad, right?" The leading young man smiled proudly.
The elder said nothing, his face showing pride, satisfaction, and contentment.
"Is that all you have?" Wang Dong'Er was the first to release her Martial Soul, a beautiful Bright Goddess Butterfly, at the level of a Five-Ring Soul King, only fifteen years old.
Immediately, the Celestial Armor Sect's elite young men and women were astonished by the Soul Ring configuration: yellow, purple, purple, black, black.
"My goodness, her Second Soul Ring is a Thousand-Year Soul Ring, and the Fourth one is already a Ten Thousand-Year Soul Ring."
They were shocked, thinking optimal Soul Ring configurations were the best, like yellow-yellow, purple-purple, black, but they hadn't imagined such a configuration existed.
Xu Sanshi sighed, "You all are making a fuss. If my Brother Ran or Boss Yu released their Martial Souls, you'd be scared to death."
They were even more flabbergasted—there was something even more outrageous?
Ye Ran immediately released his Martial Soul, and the Nine Treasures Exquisite Tower appeared, surrounded by six Soul Rings pulsing: black, black, black, black, red, red.
The entire Celestial Armor Sect, including the Soul Douluo elder, was astounded, left speechless!
Ye Yu said, "I won't hold back either."
The next second, the entire Celestial Armor Sect instinctively staggered back in sync, nearly kneeling.
They saw Ye Yu's Martial Soul, a towering golden begonia-like figure emerge, surrounded by seven Soul Rings.
Soul Ring configuration: red, red, red, red, red, red, red!!!
The Celestial Armor Sect's elite young men and women were all shaken, their minds blown, questioning their reality as if dreaming, their pride wiped away.
They all turned to the elder, utterly defeated.
"Elder Ma, I want to go home..."