Douluo Dragon King: Embarking on the Path to Godhood from the Start

Chapter 98: Xu Xiaoyan's Abilities

"The SkySea Alliance Grand Tournament?"

Nighttime, at the edge of the grove of trees at Donghai College. Moonlight and starlight filtered through the sparse branches, casting dappled shadows.

Yu Chen, Gu Yue, Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and the newly joined Xu Xiaoyan sat together.

Because Xu Xiaoyan mentioned that her martial spirit could only unleash its true power at night, everyone agreed to come here to find out.

Taking this opportunity, Yu Chen also shared the more information about the competition that he had received from Mu Chen that afternoon.

"Um,"

Yu Chen nodded, and using the soft light elemental energy held in Gu Yue's palm as illumination, explained to his companions,

"Our Sun and Moon Federation has a vast territory, divided into five major regions: East, South, West, North, and Central. Each region has several first-tier major cities as its core."

"In the central region, there are only two first-tier cities—Tian Dou City and Shrek City."

"Although they are the fewest in number, they hold a very important position in the Federation, especially Shrek City, which is considered a holy land by almost all Soul Masters."

"Our eastern region has the most first-tier cities among the five major regions, a total of five, all of which are important coastal or near-shore cities."

"The so-called 'Sky Sea Alliance' is an alliance formed by these five major coastal cities in the east—including our Donghai City."

"As the second largest city on the East China Sea coast, our Donghai City is naturally an important member of the alliance. This competition is a contest and showcase of young soul masters from the five cities within the alliance."

"It sounds like a huge scale..." Xu Xiaoyan exclaimed softly.

"How wonderful it would be to participate in the once-every-five-years 'Federal Continental Elite Youth Soul Master Tournament'!"

Upon hearing this, Xie Xie's eyes revealed a look of longing.

"That's the highest-level competition for young Soul Masters in the entire Federation, gathering the most outstanding geniuses from across the continent—that's a real stage!"

Tang Wulin nodded in agreement: "Yes, this is a rare opportunity."

Seeing this, Yu Chen smiled and deliberately spoke in a lighthearted and teasing tone:

"The Federation Grand Competition is of course top-notch, but speaking of which, I seem to remember a rumor, whether true or not... It is said that Shrek Academy has not participated in such a large-scale Soul Master competition officially hosted by the Federation for a long time."

"Huh? Why?" Xu Xiaoyan asked curiously.

"Rumor has it that ten thousand years ago, in a crucial competition, Shrek Academy lost to the then-dominant Tang Sect team. Feeling they had lost face, they simply stopped participating, since their superior status didn't need to be proven through competitions anyway."

Yu Chen shrugged. "Of course, it's just a rumor. Just take it as an interesting story."

His intention was to alleviate the slight sense of disappointment caused by everyone's desire for high-level competitions.

"If we participate in this Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition, do we have a good chance of getting a good ranking?" Xu Xiaoyan asked with a bright look in her eyes.

Upon hearing this, Xie Xie immediately switched to "pouring cold water" mode, analyzing the situation on his fingers:

"Xiao Yan, you're thinking too simply! First of all, we're too young!"

"Although the Tianhai Alliance Tournament doesn't have the same strict restrictions as the Federation Tournament, the age range of participants is generally from twelve to eighteen years old. We are only a little over ten years old on average, putting us at a disadvantage in terms of soul power level, physical development, and combat experience!"

"Secondly, how many talented Soul Masters are there in the five first-tier cities? The scions of those big families and sects have better resources and more time to cultivate than us... With our current strength, it would be good enough if we could show our skills and accumulate experience. To get a high ranking is difficult, extremely difficult!"

"really,"

Yu Chen lazily chimed in from the side, leaning against a large tree, his expression somewhat nonchalant.

His true thought was that instead of wasting time on matches that might be one-sided and fail to provide pressure or breakthroughs, he should focus his energy on more efficient training.

Of course, he would take it seriously if the college required it, but he wouldn't be as enthusiastic.

"Ouch!"

Yu Chen suddenly felt a light but not heavy blow to his calf.

He turned his head and saw Gu Yue retracting her foot, glaring at him with a hint of reproach.

Gu Yue had some doubts: Yu Chen seemed to be getting more and more "unconventional"?

She was completely different from the calm, collected, and occasionally aloof person she was when we first met.

Is it because he's been hanging out with Tang Wulin and Xie Xie, those clowns, for too long that his true nature has been revealed?

Or... did you relax after confirming your relationship with yourself?

No, that's not right!

She is the Silver Dragon King, symbolizing the wisdom of the dragon god and the other half of the elemental ruler!

How could it be my fault that he "became childish"? It must be Xie Xie and the others who led him astray!

Therefore, Gu Yue immediately turned his attention to Xie Xie, and said righteously:

"Xie Xie, look! It's all because you keep saying these discouraging things that you've corrupted my Chen! You have to take responsibility! Who says an eleven-year-old can't win a championship? Aren't rules meant to be broken?"

Xie Xie: "..."

He opened his mouth, but seeing Gu Yue's "dangerous" gaze, he immediately swallowed his words of rebuttal.

A true man knows when to yield and when to stand firm!

He finally understood: within this small group, Gu Yue's favoritism was absolutely absolute—

Yu Chen is her boyfriend, so she can't argue with him; Tang Wulin is Yu Chen's adopted younger brother, and he's also cunning and hardworking, so Gu Yue usually doesn't target him.

Judging from how Gu Yue encouraged her by holding her hand earlier, the newcomer Xu Xiaoyan will probably become "best friends" with her soon.

After all the calculations, only Xie Xie was left, all alone and helpless, making him a natural "scapegoat" and "scapegoat"!

"Yes, yes, my dear boss, you're right, I was wrong!"

Xie Xie immediately admitted defeat, his attitude extremely respectful.

Gu Yue nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Yu Chen, hands on her hips, striking a "lecturing" pose, but her tone was gentle:

"Chen, did you hear that? Don't learn bad things from Xie Xie. Have confidence in yourself! Class Zero is the strongest!"

Seeing Gu Yue's adorable attempt to "maintain" her "imposing image" while also displaying a touch of domineering arrogance, Yu Chen's smile almost overflowed.

He reached out and gently ruffled Gu Yue's hair, abandoning his lazy demeanor, and replied seriously, "Okay, I'll listen to you."

Tang Wulin, standing to the side, smiled and shook his head, wisely choosing not to disturb his elder brother and sister-in-law's "communication," which was difficult for outsiders to interfere with.

He turned to look at Xu Xiaoyan, who was standing beside him, looking somewhat awkward and amused, and remembered the main purpose of tonight.

"Xiao Yan, didn't you say you could better showcase your martial soul abilities at night? Shall we begin now?"

Tang Wulin asked gently.

"Okay!"

Xu Xiaoyan snapped out of her daze and looked up at the night sky.

The moon was bright tonight, and the stars were twinkling; it was the time when the starlight was at its peak. She took a deep breath and nodded.

Actually, her family didn't want her to introduce her abilities, but since everyone in Class Zero was exceptionally talented, if she didn't show her true talent and wasn't kept after a month, she would have nowhere to cry.

Therefore, her competitive spirit and the pressure to stay led her to make this decision.

The five people walked towards the grove. The grove was dimly lit. Gu Yue raised her hand and held up a ball of golden light. A faint golden halo flowed in her palm, illuminating the surroundings.

"Don't you guys think it's exciting to come to the grove? There are so many people here."

Xie Xie, who was chosen as the subject of Xu Xiaoyan's ability experiment, talked nonsense on the side.

Xu Xiaoyan ignored him and walked to the center of the open space by herself.

Although this place is not as dense and secluded as the primeval forest of Ascension Platform, the quiet night and the real scent of grass and trees make the atmosphere even more focused.

"Then I'll begin," she said softly, as if praying to the stars.

With a wave of her hand, a yellow spirit ring rose from beneath her feet, and a long ice staff appeared in her grasp.

The golden light in Gu Yue's palm shone on the ice staff, causing it to reflect a faint golden light, filled with a sacred glow.

Xu Xiaoyan's face turned serious, and she raised her ice staff high. Her eyes suddenly lit up in an instant.

"Stars in the sky, twinkling brightly, forever radiant, bringing peace to Chang'an! Grant me strength, my star wheel."

As she softly murmured, the tip of the ice staff suddenly lit up.

Yu Chen and the others vaguely saw an inconspicuous pale golden light descend from the sky and land on her ice staff.

Now she has become noble, gorgeous, and inviolable. The spirit rings under her feet are also filled with starlight, and a golden star shines on her forehead, becoming her most beautiful adornment.

"First Soul Skill, Star Wheel Chains!"

Xu Xiaoyan gave a soft chuckle and pointed her ice staff at Xie Xie, who was not far away!

In an instant, the starlight formed a six-pointed star and controlled Xie Xie. Xie Xie hurriedly circulated his soul power to resist, but he felt that his soul power was suppressed and difficult to circulate, and it felt very heavy.

Xu Xiaoyan, pale-faced, began to introduce her martial soul, a mutated martial soul that hadn't appeared in hundreds of years, which could use the power of the Star Wheel to form absolute control.

The whole process took only a second or two. After Xu Xiaoyan released her soul skill, her face turned pale at a visible speed, and her breathing became rapid, indicating that she had consumed a great deal of energy.

She calmed herself down a bit and began to explain to her shocked companions:

"My martial soul, the Star Wheel Ice Staff, is the only mutated martial soul in my family's history of hundreds of years, and its inheritance is very unstable."

"During the day, it primarily exhibits ice-based properties, and its abilities are relatively ordinary."

"But at night, especially when the stars are shining brightly, I can use a special incantation to temporarily grant my martial soul the 'star attribute' by drawing on the power of the stars."

"One of the characteristics of astrological attributes is that some skills have 'absolute validity'."

"Just like the 'Star Wheel Chain' from before, once it is successfully activated and locks onto a target in a starlight environment, it will at least produce an 'absolute imprisonment' effect for a moment, ignoring defense and resistance."

"However, my soul power is currently low, so I can only maintain it for about a second, and it consumes a lot of soul power. But as my cultivation level increases, the control time and effect will both improve."

After listening to Xu Xiaoyan's introduction, Yu Chen stroked his chin, his eyes thoughtful, and said:

"With such a special and powerful mutated martial soul, your innate soul power must be quite high, right? Are you like Xie Xie, also possessing full innate soul power?"

Xu Xiaoyan nodded, somewhat embarrassed: "Yes, it's innate full soul power."

Yu Chen glanced at Xie Xie, then at Xu Xiaoyan, and said in a slightly teasing but not malicious tone:

"I've heard that those born with full soul power have a great chance of breaking through to the second ring at the age of nine if they are diligent enough."

"Xie Xie is a bit clever, but not hardworking enough. Xiao Yan, you seem... well, you don't seem to be the cultivation fanatic type like Wu Lin. If you two could be half as diligent as Wu Lin, your soul power could increase by at least three to five levels."

"Um...I..."

Xu Xiaoyan blushed slightly at what was said, lowered her head in shame, and subconsciously glanced at Tang Wulin, who was known as the "model of diligence," next to her.

"Hey, Chen-ge, just talk about her, don't drag me into it! I'm trying my best, okay!"

Xie Xie protested, but he was already immune to Yu Chen's "lecturing" and quickly changed the subject, savoring the feeling from just now.

"But seriously, Xiao Yan, your soul skill is too overpowered! 'Absolute Imprisonment'! Although it only lasts for a second, in crucial moments, that one second could be the difference between life and death!"

"It's a pity we can only use it at night, otherwise I'd give Teacher Wu a 'surprise' tomorrow and see if he can still handle it so well."

Yu Chen also put away his joking expression and analyzed seriously:

"There are indeed many limitations: nighttime, starlight, huge energy consumption, inability to move, and short control time. But on the other hand, this kind of 'absolutely valid' control effect is extremely rare in the world of Soul Masters. Its strategic value is extremely high."

Tang Wulin nodded in agreement: "Yes. If we participate in team or doubles competitions in the future, Xiaoyan's ability can be used as a key 'control core' or 'trump card' to disrupt the opponent's rhythm and create excellent opportunities."

"and,"

Gu Yue added that, as an elemental master, she also has a certain perception of the power of the stars.

"As Xiao Yan's strength increases, the number of enemies she can control, the distance between them, and the duration of her control may all increase."

"Even in the future, if her understanding of the power of the stars is deep enough, she might be able to draw upon some of the star power during the day to weaken the restrictions."

Hearing everyone's analysis and affirmation, Xu Xiaoyan's originally uneasy heart calmed down a lot, and her face turned even redder with excitement and shyness.

"Um...by the way, Xiaoyan, after you used this, can you still move? Or rather, can you still fight?"

Noticing that Xu Xiaoyan hadn't made any further moves after controlling Xie Xie, Yu Chen couldn't help but ask curiously.

"Yeah, I just remembered that too. I saw Xiaoyan was a little out of breath earlier," Tang Wulin said, clapping his hands.

At this point, everyone looked at Xu Xiaoyan.

"Ah, that won't work, because I can't move when I use the Star Wheel's power, otherwise it will be canceled," Xu Xiaoyan said.

This is another critical issue, but generally speaking, the more powerful you become, the more unexpected things will happen.

"However, I remember that my family's records say that once my cultivation level is higher, my astrological attributes will bring other additional abilities," Xu Xiaoyan continued.

Additional abilities? (x4)

"Well, that means each of my spirit rings can have two spirit skills at night, um... it's like a kind of twin martial soul in disguise," Xu Xiaoyan said.

"So, the Star Wheel Ice Staff is still quite amazing."

"That's true. By the way, what if it's during the day?" Xie Xie suddenly asked.

"Ah... during the day, it's actually still an ice rink." Xu Xiaoyan said somewhat awkwardly.

After listening, everyone fell into deep thought.

Xu Xiaoyan's martial spirit undoubtedly has great potential, especially its "star phase" form at night, which has extremely high strategic value.

However, the limitations are also obvious: environmental dependence, huge consumption, inherent fragility, and the need for extreme coordination.

How to leverage her strengths and mitigate her weaknesses, and integrate her into the team's tactics, will be key to whether she can establish herself in Class Zero and how far the team can go in the future.

However, given that such strong abilities exist without any cheating, it's understandable that such strong constraints would also apply.