One and a half years later, at the first training ground of Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
"Third Spirit Skill: Leopard Shadow Clone!"
The third thousand-year spirit ring suddenly emitted purple light. Osler instantly split into two figures and simultaneously attacked the knife-wielding girl in the center of the arena.
After a short exchange, even though she was a support-type character, he no longer dared to underestimate her.
Yet a curse remained stuck in Osler's heart that he could not help but utter inwardly.
Was this really a support class?
Shouldn't a cute support girl hide behind everyone and release soul magic with a whoosh?
Why did this person bring a knife and start slashing?
The most ridiculous part was that he could not even defeat her.
It was laughable—an agility and attack-type soul master unable to beat a support-type soul master.
Yet this astonishing scene was unfolding right before their eyes.
At that moment, countless flower petals danced in front of Osler, and he caught a faint fragrance.
However, this did not ease Osler's tension; his expression grew even more severe.
A beam of light shot from the pale purple long sword in Ye Lingling's hand. Arc-shaped slashes poured out continuously from the blade, rapidly spreading outward from the center of her body!
The trajectories of those sword flashes intertwined in the air, blooming like flowers, eventually forming a spherical barrier made of countless plum blossom petals.
Flower Breathing – Third Form – Emperor Plum Shadow!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The combined attack from the two clones and Osler's main body struck the petal-like barrier like steel plates being hammered, producing sharp metallic sounds.
Upon closer inspection, the moment Osler attacked, Ye Lingling's long sword moved with astonishing speed and precision to parry every strike.
This created the illusion of an impregnable fortress.
Mastering this level of skill required extremely accurate judgment and reaction speed.
But for Ye Lingling, who had trained extensively with Lin Yang, this was basic.
Clang!
Ye Lingling once again deflected Osler's attack with her long sword, then seized the brief lapse in his concentration, changed her sword stance, and slashed quickly.
Not good!
By the time Osler reacted, the slightly slender pale purple long sword had already been gently lowered onto his neck.
The sharp aura emanating from the long sword made Osler's body stiffen.
The long sword in Ye Lingling's hand was a weapon forged by Lou Gao, a renowned craftsman of Gengxin City, combining the claw blades of the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear with rare metals. It perfectly matched her usage habits, had just the right weight, and exceptional sharpness.
It could not be called a divine artifact, but it could easily break through the defense of an agility-type soul master.
Osler raised his hand with a somewhat dejected look.
"I admit defeat!"
Ye Lingling nodded lightly, flicked her wrist to twirl the sword, sheathed it, and retreated as if nothing had happened.
"Lingling, you're amazing!" Dugu Yan whispered in her ear.
Ye Lingling said nothing, but the faint smile on her lips clearly showed she was in a good mood.
Although she had only defeated a speed-type soul master with lower spirit power than herself, it was more than enough to justify the over-a-year of harsh training she had undergone.
Who said support characters couldn't kill people?
At that moment, Qin Ming also stepped forward, cleared his throat, and spoke.
"Everyone has now witnessed the strength of the team's reserve members. Does anyone still have objections?"
The four, including Osler, shook their heads. A support-type character had already defeated an agility-type character—what else was there to say?
"Good. Welcome to the reserve team of the Royal Combat Division." Qin Ming said with a smile. "As usual, let's start with self-introductions to get to know each other."
Upon hearing this, the most physically imposing twin stepped forward first.
"Hei Mo (Stone Mortar), Martial Soul: Black Tortoise Turtle, Level 34 Defense Combat Soul Master."
Next was Osler, who had just fought.
"Osler, Martial Soul: Ghost Leopard, Level 33, Agility-Type Battle Soul Master."
Finally, a slender but handsome youth appeared.
"Yu Feng, Martial Soul: Wind Chime Bird, Level 33 Agility Attack-Type Battle Soul Master."
Meanwhile, Lin Yang and the others stepped forward one by one.
"Lin Yang, Martial Soul: Nichirin Blade, Level 47 Power Attack-Type Battle Soul Master."
Level 47? Soul Ancestor?
The four opposite them gasped in shock. Another expert? And he looked so young.
But this was only the beginning.
"Xiao Wu, Martial Soul: Soft Bone Rabbit, Level 42 Power Attack-Type Battle Soul Master."
Another Soul Ancestor member?
"Dugu Yan, Martial Soul: Azure Phosphorus Poison Dragon, Level 42 Control-Type Battle Soul Master."
The four were completely dumbfounded.
"Ye Lingling, Martial Soul: Nine Heart Begonia, Level 39 Support-Type Tool Soul Master."
Whoosh—!
The four breathed sighs of relief.
Fortunately, if they had all been Soul Sages, these "geniuses" would have seemed useless.
But the current situation was not much better.
The eight people standing here were all reserve members of Heaven Dou Royal Academy's team.
The four from Osler's group were all students carefully selected by Qin Ming. Their martial souls, talent, and training level were all top-notch.
As for Yu Tianheng, the young clan leader of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan… Feeling he had no chance of defeating Dugu Bo and sensing immense pressure, he had left Heaven Dou Royal Academy a year ago.
Qin Ming had tried his best to persuade him to stay, but the other party was determined to leave, so he could only agree.
Afterward, Lin Yang and the others did not know where Yu Tianheng had gone, nor did they pay much attention.
Currently, the reserve team had eight members, while the official team had only seven, so one reserve spot was needed.
But that was not particularly special right now.
There was still half a month until the opening of the "Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Competition."
The Elite Tournament was proposed by the Heaven Dou Empire and Star Luo Empire, with the Spirit Hall cooperating. It was jointly hosted by the three major powers.
The competition was held every five years, with participants required to be under 25 years old.
The preliminary and qualifier rounds were almost the same each year, but the final venue rotated among the three hosts.
The previous one was held in Star Luo City of the Star Luo Empire, and the one before that in Spirit City of the Spirit Hall.
This time, the finals would naturally be held in Heaven Dou City.
Although the competition had not yet begun, the final venue was already being prepared.
Discussions about Heaven Dou City had surged recently.
Today, Heaven Dou Royal Academy's two teams represented not only the academy's reputation but also the royal family's face.
Emperor Xue Ye valued this competition highly and had generously offered a ten-thousand-year spirit bone as the final reward.
However, both its age and quality were quite average.
In Lin Yang's view, it was the kind of thing that was neither tasty nor worth discarding.
Considering that the next Spirit Hall event would award three spirit bones, even Lin Yang could not help but complain about how meager this reward was. Each of those spirit bones far surpassed this one.
Of course, no one else knew that.
They planned to advance from the reserve team to the main team after this competition ended.
The next major tournament would be their biggest stage to showcase their talents.
Lin Yang and Xiao Wu also qualified for this year's Elite Competition.
However, Qin Ming and the three education committee members unanimously decided not to use them this term.
Except for Lin Yang, the spirit power levels of Xiao Wu and Dugu Yan were not considered outstanding among many teams.
Revealing themselves now would only expose their true strength prematurely.
Their age was an advantage. Even if they did not reach Soul King level in the next competition, they would still be difficult opponents at the Soul Ancestor level.
Therefore, playing it safe and securing the championship next time would be the wiser choice.
Emperor Xue Ye had high expectations for this year's session, but the three education committee members were not optimistic.
This was not to boost morale but to maintain a realistic perspective.
However, who could blame the emperor? In any case, the spirit bone was not provided by the academy, so if he wanted to give it away, they would let him.