Jinhsi hesitated. She had a good impression of Lu Jingming, but taking the initiative—maybe even sneaking out—made her feel uneasy.

Castorice was still lost in thought, while Firefly quietly clenched her fists, a look of determination flashing across her face, as if she’d made up her mind about something.

Of the seven, only March 7th was completely oblivious, acting silly and totally unaware of the subtle shift in atmosphere.

…

Elsewhere, Tang San surveyed those around him, his expression unusually grave.

He could clearly sense the threat emanating from the people nearby; it was obvious that no one here was weak.

Clear Sky Douluo Tang Hao had been unfortunate enough to fall to Black Castorice’s soul skill; death energy invaded his body, leaving him on the brink of death.

With no other choice, Tang San brought Tang Hao to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, using its vast life energy to barely suppress the rampaging death energy.

But this was only a temporary fix. While it could stave off the corrosion for now, it couldn’t truly solve the problem.

That death energy clung to him like a maggot to bone. Without some special method, it would be almost impossible to purge it completely.

At present, all Tang San could do was let Tang Hao borrow the well’s power just to stay alive.

What’s worse, Tang Hao’s will to live was extremely weak. If it weren’t for Tang San’s determined efforts to save him, he would probably have already wanted to return to Ah Yin’s side and face death peacefully.

After receiving Xiao Wu’s message, Tang San decided to enter this Battle Royal Tournament, aiming for the highly tempting hundred-thousand-year soul bone and hundred-thousand-year stigmata.

If Tang Hao could successfully refine either, it might grant him a breakthrough.

With the powerful force from martial soul evolution, there might be a chance to drive out the death energy; even if it couldn’t be eradicated, it could at least be further suppressed.

With that in mind, Tang San signed up for the tournament without hesitation.

Moreover, since the tournament was held in a simulated universe, he could participate even while physically remaining at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

However, to obtain the soul bone and stigmata, winning the championship was a must—hence Tang San’s grim expression.

The Shrek Seven Monsters were formidable, but their age put them at a disadvantage. In a tournament full of powerful opponents, standing out would be no easy feat.

Soon, the tournament rules were projected clearly in mid-air, ensuring every participant could see them.

At the start, one hundred teams would be randomly deployed onto an island below. Teams with bad luck might be thrown straight into fierce combat upon landing.

At the edges of the island, the simulated universe would release a poisonous zone, which would gradually shrink towards the center as time passed, forcing teams to move toward the middle and ramping up the competition.

Of course, teams could try to resist the poison with their own cultivation.

But as time went on, the poison would only get stronger. In the end, even a Poison-type Titled Douluo would struggle to withstand it.

So, teams were forced to move inward, making encounters with other teams much more likely.

The rules were clear: the last team standing out of a hundred would be crowned champion.

In addition, the simulation scattered plenty of mid- and low-level soul tools and resources across the island—things to restore soul power, heal, or even resist poison.

If a team gathered enough supplies, even if their power was weaker, they could still do well in the tournament.

At certain times, even higher-quality resources would be dropped—like Invincible Golden Body, Teleport Rings, and Soul Tool Armor—strategic items that everyone coveted.

But whenever these appeared, their locations would be broadcast to all teams, guaranteeing fierce competition.

To make things more interesting, the simulation also set up a few resurrection points.

Each participant carried a resurrection chip. As long as one teammate survived, they could bring the chips of fallen teammates to a resurrection point and revive the whole team, getting everyone back into the fight.

This battle royale mode was incredibly engaging. It tested not just strength, but luck, strategy, teamwork, and cooperation.

Not only were the contestants excited, but the audience was, too.

Compared to the traditional arena-style tournaments for soul masters, this was clearly far more fun and appealing.

Everyone was hooked, eagerly awaiting the start.

When the three-minute countdown ended, beams of light enveloped each team. The simulation began random deployment, officially opening the tournament.

No referees or hosts were needed; spectators could watch from their favorite team’s perspective or from a god’s-eye view over the whole competition.

…

As the light faded, Lu Jingming and March 7th’s group found themselves atop a seaside cliff.

Their luck wasn’t great—they were right at the island’s edge, with the poison zone looming behind.

This meant they’d have to move toward the center, unlike luckier teams who could wait in safety.

But they hadn’t entered to win; they were just here for the experience.

Just as Lu Jingming was about to speak, another team appeared in the distance.

Lu Jingming paused, then showed a look of interest.

Not only did he spot them, but the other team noticed him as well.

When the other team saw another squad at the same location, one member immediately showed a twisted, sinister grin—eyes flashing with open killing intent.

Suddenly, the black-robed youth leading that team raised a hand to stop his eager companions, his face grim. “Stop. Let’s go.”

“Holy Son, what’s the meaning of this?” asked Tang Dai, wearing a skull mask, his expression darkening.

He’d never been convinced by Huo Yuhao, whose soul power was lower than his. If not for Huo Yuhao being favored by the Supreme Elder and made a disciple—then named the Blood-Eyed Holy Son by the sect leader—Tang Dai would never have accepted him as team captain.

On the surface, he listened to Huo Yuhao, but in reality, aside from the Blue Silver Saintess, no one in the team respected Huo Yuhao as captain.

The Holy Spirit Sect revered strength; the evil soul masters were rebellious by nature. If not for Huo Yuhao’s status, Tang Dai wouldn’t pay him any mind.

Now, Huo Yuhao was stopping him from having a little fun—Tang Dai was thoroughly annoyed.

“You dare defy me?” Huo Yuhao’s face turned cold, his eyes glowing blood-red, a chilling murderous intent radiating from his crimson pupils.

He’d long wanted to establish authority within the team, and here Tang Dai was, presenting the perfect opportunity.

Stared down by Huo Yuhao’s blood-colored eyes, Tang Dai—despite being a Soul King while Huo Yuhao was only a Soul Ancestor—felt a chill run through him, goosebumps rising.

He instinctively glanced at a white-haired youth nearby, the one he truly recognized as captain, not Huo Yuhao.

“Listen to the Holy Son,” Yan Feng said coolly.

As the cult leader Zhongli Wu’s disciple, Yan Feng knew many secrets.

This Huo Yuhao was favored not only by the Supreme Elder, but also by the Supreme Sect Leader. Rumor had it he was personally brought back by the Third Elder—his background was deeper than anyone could imagine.

Yan Feng wasn’t pleased either, but he had to tolerate it; he didn’t dare cross Huo Yuhao in public.

Unlike the puppet-like Blue Silver Saintess, who was just a tool for the sect’s future, Huo Yuhao, as the Holy Son, held real power—he might even succeed the Holy Spirit Sect leader one day.

“Yes!” Tang Dai lowered his head. Among the young generation of the Holy Spirit Sect, Yan Feng was the true leader, far more respected than Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao gave Yan Feng a deep look. He thought to himself that this guy would be tough to handle, but if he could win him over, he’d have a powerful ally.

He was confident he could suppress Yan Feng, though not right now—Yan Feng was a Soul Emperor-level evil soul master, his combat power rivaling a Soul Sage.

With the internal conflict resolved, Huo Yuhao glanced warily at Lu Jingming’s group—who were watching from afar but showed no sign of attacking—then turned and led his team away in the opposite direction.

“Heh, things are getting more and more interesting,” Lu Jingming mused, watching Huo Yuhao and Tang Ya’s team leave. Remembering that Wang Dong and Bei Bei were also competing, he felt this tournament would be a lot of fun.

“Xiao Ming, I really can’t stand those guys. Why don’t we just eliminate them?” March 7th had wanted to fight them, finding Huo Yuhao’s team’s aura instinctively repulsive.

She wasn’t alone—Robin and Jinhsi also disliked Huo Yuhao’s group.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep