With the conclusion of the match between Tiandou and Xingluo, the top three of the competition were finally announced: Tiandou Royal Academy's Emperor Fighting Team, Wuhun Hall Academy, and Shrek Academy.
No one had any doubts about the first two, but Shrek's success could be seen as a complete upset.
However, starting from the finals, with Ning Rongrong participating in every game, Shrek effectively had the strength of a full soul master, making their rise as a dark horse unsurprising.
"Nice fight, Tianheng. The match is over, and we should head back to rest. I heard His Holiness the Pope will be watching our game tomorrow" Jun Tianlin said, patting Yu Tianheng on the shoulder in congratulations.
As for the frozen Nether White Tiger, there was no need for concern. This was Wuhun City, home to many high-level soul masters, so saving two people wasn't a problem. The leader of Xingluo Royal Academy alone was a Soul Douluo.
However, something strange occurred. Yu Tianheng stood still in the middle of the arena, eyes closed. Not only did he not step down, but his soul power, which had already been depleted, started surging more and more. Yu Yuanzhen's pupils shrank. As a Title Douluo, how could he not notice that his grandson's soul power had reached a critical point?
This phenomenon was a breakthrough. Today, Yu Tianheng had pushed his soul power to the limit again and again, then restored it through the Nine Hearts Flowering Apple. His bottleneck between level 49 and 50 had been overcome through these repeated efforts.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Yu Tianheng's right wing extended from his back, its form faintly visible. His dragonization level had deepened. It was a pity that he only had one wing now. The second would emerge only after reaching level 90. The reason his dragon form had not fully solidified yet was because he hadn't obtained his soul ring. But his soul power was already at level 50.
"Haha, the feeling of breaking through after a battle is amazing!" Yu Tianheng laughed loudly. He had finally caught up with Gu Ran and entered the realm of the Soul King.
Moreover, without a soul ring, once he obtained it, his power would exceed that of Gu Ran.
"Haha, Clan Head Ning, old sword, old poison, look! My grandson has made a breakthrough!" Yu Yuanzhen exclaimed, clearly delighted. If there weren't two more matches left in the finals, he would have rushed to the Star Dou Great Forest to find the fifth soul ring for Yu Tianheng.
"Congratulations, Sect Master Yu. Your grandson is truly worthy of being called a successor to your legacy" Ning Fengzhi said sincerely.
"Damn it! He made a breakthrough at this time! What a pain!" Yan from Spirit Hall Academy grumbled in annoyance.
"Don't worry" Hu Liena said calmly. "I noticed Yu Tianheng's bottleneck had loosened before the finals began. It's normal for him to break through. The competition will continue for the next two days, and he has no time to hunt for a fifth soul ring. His real strength is still only slightly stronger than a soul master's. Without the fifth soul ring, he doesn't deserve the title of Soul King."
"Hehe, Nana is right. I was overly worried. What's there to fear from a level 50 without a soul ring?" Yan said, walking up to Hu Liena with a smile, flattering her. His earlier anger seemed to have disappeared.
In truth, Hu Liena's assessment was correct, but they had missed one crucial detail—Tianlin was carrying a 10,000-year-old Death Dragon with him.
But it wasn't their fault. After all, who would expect someone to carry such a powerful soul beast with them?
After Jun Tianlin took Yu Tianheng to say goodbye to Ning Fengzhi, Yu Yuanzhen, and others, they hurried back to their designated hotel for the Huangdou team.
"Xiaotian, why the hurry? I've used up a lot of physical and mental strength and need to rest" Yu Tianheng complained
Jun Tianlin didn't respond but instead asked Gu Ran to check the area. After confirming that no one was around, Jun Tianlin said "Of course, I have a gift for you. Take a look!"
Jun Tianlin opened his space belt, and a massive Dragon appeared before them. It remained motionless, its soul absorbed by Gu Ran, but its heartbeat was still audible, indicating it was still alive.
"This is a Death Dragon. Given its size, it's around 10,000 years old" Ye Lingling said, surprised "Xiaotian, why are you carrying this with you?"
"I'll explain later. Tianheng, what do you think about using this guy for your fifth soul ring?" Jun Tianlin smiled at Yu Tianheng
Yu Tianheng's eyes lit up "This is a Death Dragon, a powerful sub-dragon soul beast. Thank you, Xiaotian. This is amazing!"
Seeing that Yu Tianheng was pleased, Jun Tianlin nodded "Good that you like it. Just absorb it. The Death Dragon has no soul left, so there won't be any shock to your soul. It's completely safe."
"In that case, Tianheng, you should absorb it. This will significantly increase our chances of defeating Wuhun Hall Academy" Qin Ming said.
Yu Tianheng, no longer hesitating, jumped high and clawed into the Death Dragon's chest, channeling thunder and lightning into its body, crushing its heart.
A black soul ring appeared on the surface of the Death Dragon, which Yu Tianheng pulled toward himself.
After about an hour, Yu Tianheng finished absorbing the soul ring. If not for his previous exhaustion, it would've taken him only about half an hour.
"This Death Dragon soul ring is impressive. I'm almost at level 52! Haha, Gu Ran, I've finally surpassed you!" Yu Tianheng proudly said. He had reached the peak of the Royal Fight for a thousand years.
"Of course, Yu Tianheng, you were always strong. But now, what's your fifth soul skill? The Death Dragon is a soul beast with a dark aura, in contrast to your Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus's strength. I imagine your new attack will be quite strange, and your lightning may even have changed" Ye Lingling guessed
Yu Tianheng smiled and nodded "You're right. My fifth soul skill is called Demon Thunder. But this thunder is unique."
With that, Yu Tianheng activated his fifth soul ring. His lightning turned pitch-black, flowing like liquid between his fingers.
"This liquid-like lightning is special. It's thick, murky, strange, and unpredictable—like mercury spilling over the ground, seeping into every crevice. It feels corrosive, clouding the mind and weakening the will" Yu Tianheng explained.
Jun Tianlin was taken aback. Wasn't this the Chaos Water Thunder? A technique described in the Taoist thunder method, opposite to the conventional extreme yang thunder. While it lost some of the raw attack and penetration power, it became much harder to defend against, with corrosive and special properties.
Yu Tianheng had never lacked attack power, but with the addition of Chaos Water Thunder, his abilities were even more difficult to counter. It was truly the right decision to provide him with the Death dragon's body.