The toxicity of Die’er’s poisonous mist was not very potent. Its main effect was to knock her targets out cold, as if they were drugged. Tang Wulin had been affected, but his powerful physical capabilities had suppressed its effects to the minimum amount possible. As he continued fighting, the problem was naturally solved.
“Grawww!” came the dragon’s roar. Tang Wulin stomped heavily on the floor with his right foot. Beams of golden light emanated outward on the ground. The brilliant beams formed little golden dragons which pounced straight toward Die’er.
“Ahhh!” Die’er exclaimed in surprise. She fluttered her wings and flew toward the sky.
But the eight little dragons were already under her. They spiraled as they moved about, creating a suction force from the floor’s surface.
Not only could the Golden Dragon Shakes the Earth’s suction travel upward, it could also pull downward at the same time.
Back in the day, the Scarlet Dragon Douluo had used the same skill to specifically fight against flying soul masters. If this soul skill was cultivated to the extreme, even a flying soul master thousands of meters in the air could be forcibly pulled down by the giant dragon’s suction force.
Die’er’s physical strength was obviously insufficient to fight against the Golden Dragon Shakes the Earth. Her butterfly wings had only struggled for a short while before she started falling from the sky.
Just then, her fourth soul ring lit up. Her delicate frame spun quickly as she fell downward. Her pair of butterfly wings enlarged to three times their original size. Not only did a large amount of poisonous mist burst forth from the surface of the wings, they were also enhanced with the special attribute of sharpness.
“Clang!” A Golden Dragon Claw suddenly stabbed through the mist of the rapidly spinning butterfly wings.
The butterfly wings struck against the Golden Dragon Claw, creating a large display of sparks. Nevertheless, their movements were stopped abruptly when they were grabbed by the Golden Dragon Claw.
Tang Wulin stomped on the ground with his right foot again. The tremendous vibrations blew away all the poisonous mist in the air. Die’er was also shaken until her blood essence surged, and her entire body went stiff.
“The match is ended. Pair number 116 has won.”
Forty seconds, that was the total duration of this battle!
In truth, Meng Xiaoran and Die’er had not coordinated much throughout all this, they had taken their opponents too lightly. However, the powerful endurance of Tang Wulin’s body had also left a very strong impression in everyone’s minds.
“Mission accomplished, boss.” Tang Wulin smiled as he returned to Gu Yue’s side.
Die’er had already recovered at that point. She did not get off the competition stage directly. Instead, she chased after them as they left.
“Hey handsome, although we’ve lost, can you at least tell me your name? You’re so strong, you’re really a perfect little man. Can I be your fan in the upcoming matches?”
Tang Wulin was slightly stunned. “You want to make glass noodles [1] for me? How much do I have to eat before I’m actually full?”
Die’er was stunned, but Gu Yue was laughing uncontrollably and stamping her feet. She laughed so hard that her stomach started to ache. To have mentioned food in front of this glutton was truly…
In the end, Die’er did not learn Tang Wulin’s name. She was pulled down the competition stage by Meng Xiaoran with her face covered by him. He had always felt that he was unreliable already, but Die’er was truly even more so.
The Shrek team had quite good luck in the first round of the two-against-two contest. After them, Ye Xinglan, Xu Lizhi, Yue Zhengyu, and Xu Xiaoyan were not faced with opponents that were too strong. They had passed without much trouble and qualified for the next rounds.
Meanwhile, at the rostrum…
“These students from Shrek Academy truly have some fine qualities. They live up to the name of the best academy on the Douluo Continent. Are the results of the data analyses out yet?” Dai Tianling asked.
“They’re out. From their performances in the previous matches and the solo competition, the strongest among them should be their captain Tang Wulin. He is the little fellow who made a scene during the welcoming ceremony.” The old man beside him had a data sheet in his hands.
“In the first round of the solo competitions, he had defeated Ling Wuxie. Although Ling Wuxie did not originate from Monster Academy, he is also regarded as one of the outstanding members of our younger generation. He is a one-word battle armor master.”
“This Tang Wulin can even defeat a one-word battle armor master?” Dai Tianling immediately found this strange. Even with all her foolishness, his daughter definitely had a keen eye!
“Yes, I went over the recordings in detail. This Tang Wulin has very rich actual combat experience, but because of his young age and insufficient cultivation base, he is still falling short on his battle armor. That being said, when he was faced with a battle armor master, he suppressed Ling Wuxie so well that he could not fully utilize the advantages of his armor. At the same time, he had displayed an ability for continuous explosive force. Judging from the damage on Ling Wuxie’s battle armor, this Tang Wulin has incredibly formidable offensive power. He is far greater than an ordinary four-ringed soul master. His physical capabilities must be very special. As for his golden soul rings, we will have to observe further. We don’t know what they are yet, but they are definitely not the legendary million-year soul ring.”
Dai Tianling smiled. “An interesting young fellow. Shrek Academy is indeed a place where monsters are produced. Pay more attention to his matches.”
He had felt, for the first time, that his daughter’s mischief was somewhat understandable. As someone who sat on the throne, he was always thirsty for talent. Although Tang Wulin was a student of Shrek Academy, he himself was still the ruler of an empire. If he had the confirmation that this young fellow was the core talent that would be nurtured by Shrek Academy in the future, then…
“Tang Wulin.”
The two-against-two competition had ended. Tang Wulin and his companions walked out of the competition grounds. They had barely made it out when he heard his name being called.
Tang Wulin turned to look. He saw Dai Yun’er in casual attire waving at him forcefully as she hid behind a corner.
Frankly, he did not have a very good impression of the royal princess. This was especially true on that day at the ball, when she had purposefully made him the target of public scorn. Although the effects were not so apparent, when the number of contestants started to reduce as they progressed in the contest, the possibility of being seen as an enemy by the Star Luo Empire elites would continue increasing.
However, she was a princess after all. He had best not be too rude to her. He had no choice but to walk over while his companions stayed put. They looked at Tang Wulin and this princess with curiosity.
Gu Yue’s expression was calm. She shoved her hands into her trouser pockets and merely looked at them silently.
“Hello princess. Is anything the matter?”
“I saw your match, and I’ve also watched the recording of your solo match. You’re good!” Dai Yun’er smiled sweetly and beautifully as she spoke to Tang Wulin while he made his way toward her.
Tang Wulin said perfunctorily, “I’m just average.”
Dai Yun’er smiled. “You must work hard, okay? If you emerge as the champion in the solo competitions, I might just make you the emperor’s son-in-law.”
Tang Wulin rolled his eyes. “I’m sorry your highness, I’m a citizen of the Douluo Continent. I have no intention to stay here. Whatever you do, please don’t pick me. You’re not my type.”
When Dai Yun’er heard Tang Wulin’s blatant rejection, she could not help but be astonished.
She had watched Tang Wulin and the others’ two-on-two matches. She had also watched the recording of his solo fight. She had taken a great interest in him.
She had always heard that Shrek Academy was the best academy on the Douluo Continent. Its legacy spanned over twenty thousand years. Tang Wulin was her equal, but he had displayed strengths that far exceeded his own peers. Even a one-word battle armor master was defeated by him. In addition to that, Tang Wulin truly was truly marvelous to look at. This made Dai Yun’er feel excited in her heart. She had run over eagerly with the hopes of having a chat with him. However, she had not foreseen that she would be put down so coldly.
Ever since she was a little girl, as the most beloved daughter of the Star Luo Empire’s emperor, Dai Tianling, she was the target of everyone’s affection. Not only did her father love her, her elder brothers had also treated her as a bright pearl in their palms. They listened to her and let her do whatever she wanted. No matter how peculiar the accidents she caused, she always had her brothers to bear the blame.
Nobody had ever rejected her in this manner before. In Tang Wulin’s eyes, she saw an unmistakable hint of boredom, even impatience. His attitude of keeping as far as possible from her had deeply hurt her feelings.
She herself had never seriously thought about making Tang Wulin the emperor’s son-in-law. It was just her nature to tease him out of habit. However, Tang Wulin’s direct rejection had struck an extremely heavy blow to her self-esteem.
“You…” Dai Yun’er stood arms akimbo as she glared angrily at Tang Wulin. There was a faint glisten of tears gathering in her beautiful eyes.
“Your Highness, if you don’t have anything else to say, then I’ll go back and rest, okay?” Tang Wulin had absolutely no intention of forming any ties with the princess. He waved at her, turned, and left.
[1] Fan and clear noodles use the same Chinese characters.