Dolou Dalu 26

As Lin Fan arrived, Liu Erlong greeted him with excitement.

"Xiao Fan, Teacher Yi Ran told us that you're participating in the Soul Master Elite Competition. That's amazing! I've always wanted to compete, but I was never ranked among the top seven in my family or the Haotian Sect. Thank you for giving me this chance, Xiao Fan. Of course, I'm willing to fight alongside you."

Lin Fan nodded. "Thank you, Erlong." He then turned to the other two girls.

Ye Keke quickly spoke up, "Xiao Fan, count me in as well. I may not have strong combat abilities, but I'll do my best to support the team."

Lin Fan smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, Keke, I'll protect you."

Shui Yue'er, her voice calm and composed, added, "I want to compete too. I've represented my family in the Elite Soul Master Competition before, but this time, I want to push myself further and achieve a higher ranking."

Lin Fan met her determined gaze and responded, "Yue'er, we're teammates now. Let's give it our best."

Shui Yue'er glanced at him but remained silent.

Lin Fan had chosen these three girls as his teammates because, after their journey to the Star Dou Great Forest, they had built a strong bond of trust. In the competition, trust and teamwork would be just as important as strength. Besides, apart from these three and Tang Yiran, he had no real friends in the entire Haotian Sect.

Liu Erlong, Ye Keke, and Shui Yue'er were by no means weak. Since returning from the Star Dou Great Forest, their soul power had increased. Liu Erlong had reached level 42, Ye Keke was at level 41, and Shui Yue'er had advanced to level 47. While they were not as powerful as the Soul King-ranked teams from the Haotian Sect or the Spirit Hall, their strength surpassed most teams competing in the tournament.

Tang Yiran sighed. "I can't believe you three are actually joining Xiaofan in the competition. Do you know how many soul masters get seriously injured or even die in the Elite Competition each year? The rules prohibit further attacks after an opponent surrenders, but in real battles, some never get the chance to concede. They end up completely restrained by their opponent's soul skills, and the attacker isn't punished in such cases."

Lin Fan's expression turned serious. "Don't worry, Sister Yiran. I'll protect them. I understand the risks, but we aren't easy targets either. No one will put us in a position where we can't even surrender."

Shui Yue'er glanced at him but remained quiet. Before their journey to the Star Dou Great Forest, she would have dismissed his confidence as arrogance. But now, she knew that Lin Fan's true combat power exceeded her own, making his words far more credible.

Tang Yiran studied Lin Fan for a moment before nodding. "Your performance in the Star Dou Great Forest surprised me. Your second martial soul, combined with that ten-thousand-year soul skill, has a lethality that even some Soul Kings would struggle against. Fine. I'll take you to the Elder Hall to register for the competition."

The four of them exchanged determined glances. They were about to challenge the Haotian Sect's original seeded team—a team consisting of two combat soul masters, one support, and one control-type master. This battle would not only test their individual strengths but also the trust and synergy they had built together.

Following Tang Yiran, the group walked for twenty minutes before arriving at the Elder Hall. The Haotian Sect was enormous, and the hall itself was a grand structure adorned with intricate metalwork and luxurious decorations, rivaling even the Pope's Hall of the Spirit Hall. In front of the hall stood two massive stone statues and, in the center of the square, an enormous iron-and-stone Haotian Hammer, nearly a hundred meters long.

By the time they arrived, five to six hundred people had gathered in the stands. Most were high-ranking members and direct disciples of the Haotian Sect, with only a few inner-court disciples present. The sect's inner court had fewer than 800 disciples in total, with over 500 of them being direct descendants. It was notoriously difficult for outsiders to gain admission to the inner court, and even those who did were often looked down upon by the direct disciples, who believed their martial spirits gave them an overwhelming advantage.

The front rows were occupied by the most influential figures of the Haotian Sect, including several elders, the acting sect master Tang Xiao, Tang Hao, and Tang Yuehua. Given that this challenge would determine the sect's representatives for the Elite Competition—one of the most prestigious tournaments in the soul master world—the leadership was taking it very seriously. If not for Tang Yiran's personal request, Tang Xiao would never have allowed Lin Fan's team to compete for a spot.

As Lin Fan and his teammates stepped onto the square, murmurs spread through the crowd.

"Four outer disciples challenging our sect's seeded team? Are they insane?"

"This is ridiculous. Our Clear Sky Hammer martial spirits are strong enough to rival Soul Kings, even at level 40. These four don't even match our seed team's level. They have no chance."

"Haha, let's just enjoy the show. Our Haotian Sect's seed team only fears the Spirit Hall, not some outsiders."

"If they actually win and take one of the top 100 spots in the Elite Competition, it would be an embarrassment for the sect."

Among the audience, some of the inner-court disciples who had also entered the sect through their own efforts remained silent. Though they understood the struggle of being an outsider, they, too, had little hope for Lin Fan's team. The difference in talent, background, and martial spirit was like an egg smashing against a rock.

An elder sitting beside Tang Xiao muttered in disbelief, "Is that the lowest-ranked outsider we admitted into the inner court? He's only at level 30. How does he expect to defeat two Soul Kings? This is absurd. If it weren't for Tang Yiran, I never would have let him join the inner court. Tang Xiao, you shouldn't have agreed to this challenge."

Meanwhile, Tang Hao, watching from the stands, chuckled. "That kid is something else. He might just surprise all of us."

As Lin Fan and his team stood ready, the challenge was about to begin.