Dugu Yan consumed the Earth Dragon Golden Melon and the Oddity Cotton Chrysanthemum.
Her soul power increased by seven levels, reaching level forty-nine as a Soul Ancestor.
Her martial soul evolved into the Azure Phosphorus Jiao, and she also cultivated an indestructible diamond body.
As for Dugu Bo, having already cultivated to Titled Douluo with his entire strength focused on poison, it was naturally impossible for him to cultivate a constitution immune to all poisons.
He could only use the Fragrant Qiluo Immortal Herb to neutralize the Azure Phosphorus Serpent poison, ensuring it wouldn’t threaten his life.
Dugu Yan had always had a slightly higher soul power level than Yu Tianheng, but as a control system soul master, her direct combat power wasn’t as strong as his.
Moreover, using Azure Phosphorus Serpent poison against teammates was too ruthless, so she had never forcefully contended for the captain position of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
With this massive increase in soul power, Dugu Yan planned to obtain a soul ring to become a Soul King and then directly take over the captain position.
After you both stabilized your cultivation and obtained soul rings, you had become a twelve-year-old Soul Ancestor, while Dugu Yan was a twenty-year-old Soul King.
Returning to Heaven Dou City, Dugu Yan patiently reminded you not to speak of the medicine garden and the immortal herbs to anyone.
Back at the academy, Dugu Yan challenged Yu Tianheng and won the captain position.
And you, having broken through to Soul Ancestor, successfully shed your substitute status.
Just then, the Shrek Academy people arrived.
Upon hearing the news, Dugu Bo immediately came over and beat up Tang San, along with Yu Xiaogang, Flender, and the others who were protecting him.
Dugu Bo left after delivering the beating, but the Shrek Academy group felt humiliated and directly left.
Witnessing this, Qin Ming also felt he had failed his teacher Flender.
He shook his sleeves and left together with the Shrek Academy people, without even glancing back at the three educational commissioners who had supported and promoted him, nor at you students.
You were busy sucking on a lollipop and had already forgotten who these people were.
You focused on your cultivation.
Two years later, the High-Level Soul Master Tournament commenced.
Your Heaven Dou Royal First Team, as a seeded team, was once again directly advanced to the finals.
Sect Master Ning Fengzhi came to see you midway.
Because you had successfully secured a good match at such a young age and had broken through to Soul Ancestor, your status in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had naturally risen accordingly.
He planned to teach you the Split-Mind Control Technique—an essential skill for Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda soul masters who wanted to simultaneously use multiple soul techniques to assist multiple teammates.
Ning Fengzhi had always worried that you wouldn’t be able to learn it.
But unexpectedly, despite appearing dull and foolish, your mind was exceptionally pure.
You quickly mastered this secret technique.
The qualifying rounds and promotion rounds ended quickly.
In this life, Tang San hadn’t obtained any immortal herbs, so the Shrek Academy members’ strength hadn’t received a massive boost.
However, relying on Tang Sect secret techniques, Tang San still managed to lead the Shrek team through a barely successful advancement.
When Shi Nian attacked Tang San, it was Tang Hao who stepped in to save him.
Moreover, due to insufficient strength, Tang San was forced to prematurely reveal his second martial soul, the Clear Sky Hammer.
Coupled with his surname Tang, many had already realized he was from the Clear Sky Sect’s Tang family and possessed twin martial souls.
On the way to Spirit City, they unsurprisingly encountered an ambush targeting Tang San, but still managed to reach Spirit City safely despite the dangers.
As you officially participated in the competition, the fact that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul had evolved into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda could no longer be hidden.
Ning Fengzhi, in the VIP seats, stared at you with burning intensity.
If not for the ongoing competition, he would have already asked you how your martial soul had evolved.
As soon as the competition ended, Ning Fengzhi immediately summoned you for questioning.
Others also discussed whether the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect’s martial soul defect could be resolved.
Fortunately, Dugu Bo had accompanied you to Spirit City.
He helped explain that your martial soul evolution was a stroke of luck that couldn’t be replicated.
Ning Fengzhi also felt that martial soul evolution was something that could only be encountered by chance, so he didn’t press further.
However, he did regret something.
In his eyes, now that your martial soul had evolved into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, you were even more suitable to be integrated into the main lineage and pass down the martial soul.
Ideally…
you would marry his daughter Ning Rongrong, allowing the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul to be inherited through the main branch, truly transforming the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
But Ning Fengzhi had always been good at assessing situations and didn’t reveal his thoughts.
That night, your head suddenly spun.
When you woke up again, you were in a majestic and sacred great hall.
A woman sat on the papal throne above, looking down at you.
She wore a luxurious black robe embroidered with gold patterns, a papal crown on her head, and a jeweled scepter in her hand.
Her skin was fair, with long purple hair, a flawless face, and a noble, sacred aura.
Bibi Dong studied you carefully.
Seeing that you showed neither fear nor panic, she tried to find some trace of a familiar person in you.
“Who exactly are you?” Bibi Dong murmured, descending from the high platform and gripping your chin.
Outside the simulation, Fang Yuan’s brow was tightly furrowed.
In this simulation, the simulated version of himself had no connection to Bibi Dong at all.
Yet she had suddenly captured him and asked such a question.
An ominous thought emerged in his mind.
Could it be that Bibi Dong possessed memories from his previous simulations?
If that were true, not only would his future simulations start with poor conditions, they would also be in hell mode.
However, with your insufficient intelligence in this life, you had no idea what Bibi Dong was asking.
So you honestly replied, “My name is Fang Yuan.”
Looking into your crystal-clear, bottomless pupils, Bibi Dong saw her own reflection within them…
She abruptly stepped back and released her grip.
After a long moment, she waved her hand and said, “Send him back.”
A man with a feminine face, an effeminate temperament, wearing a Spirit Hall elder’s robe, walked in and replied to Bibi Dong, “As you command, Your Holiness the Pope.”
And then…
Your vision went dark again.
You slept soundly through till morning.
It was only when Dugu Yan came looking for you after you hadn’t left your room that she woke you up.
You rubbed your sleepy eyes and said you had a nightmare last night, completely unaware of what you had actually experienced.
The rest of the competition went smoothly.
In the later stages, you weren’t matched against the Spirit Hall team this time, but instead encountered the Shrek team.
Among the Shrek team, Ning Rongrong stood at the very back.
Looking at the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda in your hands, there was surprise and anticipation in her eyes.
She knew what her father Ning Fengzhi, as the sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, cared about most…
Soon, the match began.
You immediately remembered Dugu Yan’s instructions and stayed at the very back of the team to release your soul techniques.
The battle hadn’t been going on for long before Shrek Academy quickly fell into a disadvantage due to the massive level gap.
Tang San had no choice but to use his second martial soul, the Clear Sky Hammer, as well as…
hidden weapons and poison.
As long as he wasn’t caught, it would be fine.
Although the High-Level Soul Master Tournament explicitly prohibited the use of external objects, Tang San felt that as long as he wasn’t discovered, it didn’t matter.
(In the original story, Tang San had Xiao Wu use the immortal herb Yearning Heartbroken Red—which had a restraining effect on flower-type martial souls—to dominate and win against the Balak Academy.)