Douluo Dalu 1: The Tang Family Rebel

The entrance exam for Shrek Academy consisted of four stages:

First Stage: The most basic requirement for admission: reaching level 20 soul power before the age of 12. In other words, candidates with soul power below level 21 or those older than 13 were disqualified. The threshold was extremely high!

Second Stage: Assessment of soul power and martial soul evaluation. Even with the same martial soul, the development path can vary, resulting in different future achievements. A person's potential is limitless, so strong soul power alone cannot define one's future development. The evaluation also considers the martial soul itself and the choice of soul skills.

Third Stage: Testing the candidate's control and application of their martial soul. While soul power and martial soul evaluation are important, they are not sufficient. The test also examines one's control over their martial soul. Only then is one considered a qualified soul master.

However, if a candidate's soul power exceeded level 25, they would automatically pass the second and third stages regardless of whether they possessed a weak martial soul or otherwise. After all, achieving level 25 soul power before age 12 was a testament to their genius.

Thus, Tang San, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong easily passed the second and third stages.

Under Dai Mubai's guidance, they arrived at the fourth and final stage: practical combat assessment.

Theoretical knowledge is useless without practical experience. Candidates needed combat experience to pass this stage. That said, reaching the fourth stage generally implied acceptance into the academy. Only candidates who were woefully inadequate would fail at this stage.

After all, combat experience could be nurtured, and those who made it this far were undoubtedly true prodigies. Prodigies were worth investing in.

"We're here," Dai Mubai said, halting. Tang San and the others looked ahead.

They saw an open area smaller than the one used for the second stage, about 200 square meters in size. A black-haired youth in white had been waiting there for some time.

"Teacher Tang, these are the candidates for the fourth-stage assessment," Dai Mubai said.

"It's you? You're the examiner for the fourth stage?" Ning Rongrong exclaimed in surprise, staring at the young man who smiled back at her.

"What, surprised?" Yun Chuan replied with a smile, then turned to the four young candidates and said, "My name is Tang Chuan, and I'm the examiner for this stage. You can call me Teacher Tang."

"This is the final stage. Pass my test, and you'll officially become students of Shrek Academy. However, my test isn't easy. Practical combat experience is essential for a soul master's strength. This test will assess your abilities in that regard."

"Now, I'll give you one incense stick's worth of time to get to know each other and strategize. Once the incense burns out, the test begins. The test is for the four of you to work together and withstand my attacks for one incense stick's duration. As long as one of you remains standing at the end, you pass. Let me be clear: don't try to cheat. No one can escape this area with speed alone. Also, don't think you can hold off my attacks alone. Coordinated teamwork is your only chance for success," Yun Chuan explained calmly.

"Teacher Tang, isn't this a bit excessive?" Dai Mubai asked hesitantly.

Yun Chuan glanced at him indifferently. "What's excessive about it? Do you think I'd use my full strength against these little minnows? Enough. I'm lighting the incense now. Time is short, so prepare yourselves." With that, he retrieved an incense stick from his soul tool, ignited it with a flick of his fingers, and planted it firmly into the ground without the slightest tremor.

Tang San and the others felt an intense pressure. They had seen this teacher in action during the earlier scuffle at the academy gate, where he demonstrated the strength of a Soul Sage. For a Soul Sage, capable of effortlessly taking on tens of thousands of ordinary soldiers, their power was unimaginable.

Now, they were expected to withstand his attacks for an entire incense stick's duration. It felt like an impossible challenge for these youngsters who hadn't even reached the Soul Elder rank.

Dai Mubai, too, looked serious. He turned to the group and said, "Come here."

The four candidates gathered around him.

"Teacher Tang is a new addition to the academy, so I don't know much about him. I only know he's young—just 25 years old—and already a level-71 Soul Saint."

"Twenty-five years old?!"

Tang San and the others were visibly stunned. Such a young Soul Sage was beyond anything they could comprehend. Previously, they had assumed Yun Chuan's youthful appearance was due to some secret technique or the nature of his martial soul, believing he was likely over 40 years old.

But learning that he was only 25 left them utterly shocked.

This level of talent—this Teacher Tang was the true monster!

Xiao Wu exclaimed in disbelief, "He's really only 25? That's impossible! How could someone so young reach Soul Sage level? He must be at least 40!"

Dai Mubai smiled wryly. "Age doesn't always matter. Talent can be wildly unfair. Sometimes the difference between people is greater than the difference between humans and soul beasts. Anyway, you don't have much time. Discuss your strategy now. Otherwise, you might not even survive his first wave of attacks."

Tang San and the others grew even more solemn. Facing a level-71 Soul Saint was no joke.

Tang San was the first to regain his composure. Realizing they had little time, he said, "Let's introduce ourselves first—name and abilities—so we can figure out how to work together to withstand Teacher Tang's attacks."

With that, he began, "My name is Tang San. My martial soul is Blue Silver Grass, level-29 Control System Battle Soul Master."

Xiao Wu followed, "Xiao Wu. Martial soul: rabbit. Level-29 Power Attack System Battle Soul Master."

Ning Rongrong hesitated before saying, "Ning Rongrong. Martial soul: Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda. Level-26 Auxiliary System Tool Soul Master."

Lastly, Zhu Zhuqing, her expression as cold as ever, said flatly, "Zhu Zhuqing. Martial soul: Nether Spirit Cat. Level-27 Agility Attack System Battle Soul Master."

After the introductions, everyone, including Dai Mubai, turned their attention to Ning Rongrong. Her martial soul, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda, had instantly piqued their interest.

Tang San asked in surprise, "Your martial soul is the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda? So, you're from the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan?"

The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda is a martial soul passed down through generations. On the entire Douluo Continent, only direct descendants of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan can possess it.

The universal evaluation of this auxiliary martial soul is summed up in a single phrase: the strongest auxiliary martial soul across the continent, and the best partner for any combat-oriented soul master!

Among the six symbols on the token of Spirit Hall, one is the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda, signifying the prominence of this clan in the world of martial souls.

Realizing she had become the center of attention, Ning Rongrong playfully stuck out her tongue and said, "Stop staring at me. I'm no different from an ordinary person. I ran away from home. Let's focus on passing this test first. My martial soul is the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda, with two soul rings. I can enhance everyone's speed and strength attributes by approximately 30%. I can maintain it for the duration of the incense stick without any problem."

A 30% enhancement was already an impressive figure, but Tang San knew the true reason why the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda was regarded as the strongest auxiliary martial soul. Master once explained that with each additional soul ring, not only could the martial soul enhance one more attribute, but the boost provided by all previously enhanced attributes would also increase by an additional 10%.

This meant that if Ning Rongrong's soul power reached level 30, she would not only be able to enhance a third attribute but would also increase the boost for all attributes to 40%.

And so on. By the time she reached level 70, she would be able to simultaneously enhance seven attributes by 80%. The effect was absolutely terrifying!

With a Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda soul master providing assistance, one's strength could essentially double instantly. The stronger the soul master, the more impactful the boost provided by the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda.

Throughout both empires, the appearance of a Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda soul master would immediately attract the attention of every soul master organization, making them a figure of great interest and reverence.

Fortunately, the enhancement effects of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda cannot be stacked. In other words, if there were two Seven Treasures Glazed Tile soul masters present, only the one with the higher soul power would provide the boost. The greatest weakness of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul is its lack of offensive capability, requiring protection from battle soul masters. However, many willingly serve as protectors of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan, including at least two of the top-tier soul masters—Titled Douluo!

(End of Chapter)