Douluo: The Ultimate Self

After a short period of rest, Tang San returned to the group. His injuries clearly weren't severe.

Though Tang San had lost this time, he was deeply dissatisfied. This was just an ordinary soul battle, and Master Yu Xiaogang had restricted him from using hidden weapons beforehand. Otherwise, Yang Xiong wouldn't have stood a chance.

Moreover, Tang San now possessed an external soul bone and even a second martial soul. In contrast, Yang Xiong's body-type martial soul seemed to lack any ranged attack capabilities and could easily be restricted by his Blue Silver Grass—just as at the start of the fight when he used the control abilities of his Blue Silver Grass to restrain Yang Xiong. Unfortunately, his current soul power level was still too low.

Compared to Tang San, everyone else glanced at Yu Xiaogang with awkward expressions.

Earlier, Yu Xiaogang had spoken at length about the strength of control-type soul masters, only for Tang San to be immediately defeated by Yang Xiong. From the entire process, Yang Xiong didn't seem injured at all. This indirectly proved that control-type soul masters weren't absolutely invincible.

Yu Xiaogang had claimed that unless their martial soul was countered, control-type soul masters were the strongest. However, Yang Xiong's martial soul hadn't countered Tang San's Blue Silver Grass. Instead, Tang San's Blue Silver Grass had been shattered effortlessly by Yang Xiong.

Dai Mubai, who had observed the entire battle, originally felt dejected after losing to Tang San. But now, after analyzing Yang Xiong's fighting style, he realized there were aspects he could learn from. Especially since his second soul skill, White Tiger Fierce Light Wave, was relatively effective against Blue Silver Grass.

Seeing the group lost in thought, Yu Xiaogang cleared his throat with a few coughs.

"Ahem, both Yang Xiong and Tang San performed exceptionally well in their battle. At the Soul Elder level, they would both be hard-pressed to find worthy opponents. Their combat abilities left me astonished. I hope you all strive to learn from them."

"Especially notice how both of their physical conditioning is incredibly strong. Their mastery of their bodies and martial souls is highly proficient, showcasing their extraordinary physiques."

"I want to emphasize one key point: for soul masters, the body is fundamental. We must prioritize physical training. Only with a strong physique can we wield stronger soul skills and adapt to more intense battles."

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After finishing his speech, Yu Xiaogang turned to Yang Xiong. "Yang Xiong, your performance in the battle was outstanding. However, I'd like to ask why you didn't use any soul skills throughout the fight? From what I know, whether during the entrance exam or in the soul arena, you've never used a soul skill."

Yang Xiong replied, "Apologies, Master. My martial soul is rather unique, so I prefer not to use soul skills. Additionally, for my own safety, I won't use my soul skills unless it's a matter of life and death."

Yu Xiaogang said, "Soul masters should primarily rely on soul power and soul skills. I don't know what soul skills you currently possess, but if you ever need to acquire soul rings in the future, I might be able to offer some guidance."

Seeing Yu Xiaogang's confident demeanor, Yang Xiong couldn't help but respond, "Master, I truly apologize, but my soul rings and soul skills are planned by my teacher. My teacher will assist me in acquiring them."

Yu Xiaogang asked curiously, "Who is your teacher? I have considerable knowledge of martial souls and soul skills, and my theoretical understanding is second to none."

Yang Xiong sighed inwardly before finally responding, "Master, my teacher is Gu Rong, the Bone Douluo."

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes widened in shock. Yang Xiong's teacher was a Title Douluo—a position of immense prestige in the world of soul masters.

However, Ning Rongrong, the mischievous little princess, shot Yang Xiong a glare. How could her beloved Bone Grandpa possibly take Yang Xiong, this little bear, as a disciple? Moreover, she hadn't heard a single whisper of this news, clearly indicating that Yang Xiong was lying.

Still, seeing Yang Xiong's serious expression, Ning Rongrong decided not to expose him.

In truth, Yang Xiong was also feeling helpless. He didn't want to attract Yu Xiaogang's attention. Whether it was personality or other factors, the two simply weren't suited to interact. Yang Xiong had too many secrets, especially regarding the uniqueness of his body-type martial soul. His soul skills couldn't be revealed easily.

On the other hand, Yu Xiaogang was extremely high-profile. To showcase his research abilities, he wanted to publicize every discovery he made, turning them into his contributions to the study of soul masters and martial souls. This was completely at odds with Yang Xiong's preference for discreet development. Rather than dealing with potential complications later, Yang Xiong decided to invoke the name of Bone Douluo. After all, Ning Fengzhi had already expressed interest in having Bone Douluo take him as a disciple.

Seeing Yang Xiong bring up Bone Douluo, Yu Xiaogang refrained from saying anything further and continued with the lesson.

Next, Dai Mubai faced off against the combined teams of Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong, followed by Ma Hongjun and Oscar.

Inspired by the earlier battle between Yang Xiong and Tang San, Dai Mubai displayed incredible strength throughout the process. After a brief rest, he consecutively defeated all three opponents.

However, these opponents were far from weak. Especially the combination of Ma Hongjun and Oscar—Oscar's sausages worked exceptionally well with Ma Hongjun. After consuming the sausages, both could fly, which was highly effective against ordinary soul masters like Dai Mubai.

The three battles took over an hour. Meanwhile, after taking some medicinal herbs and resting for an hour, Tang San's injuries had already healed significantly, and he no longer seemed affected by pain.

Yang Xiong was surprised. It seemed that Tang San's Xuan Tian Technique was even more profound than he had imagined—it truly allowed for endless regeneration, rapidly restoring soul power and even healing wounds.

At this thought, Yang Xiong realized he needed to further refine his Yin-Yang Meditation Technique. Perhaps when this cultivation method reached its peak, his training speed would increase significantly once again.

After observing everyone's battles, Yu Xiaogang appeared outwardly calm but criticized everyone except Yang Xiong.

He analyzed each person's performance, pointing out the flaws in their fighting styles—an evaluation that was relatively objective.

For some of the newly enrolled students, combat experience was lacking. They focused more on meditation and lacked practical training, resulting in poor judgment of opportunities.

Yu Xiaogang particularly criticized Xiao Wu, Oscar, and Tang San. Xiao Wu was too playful and careless, missing critical chances during her battle with Dai Mubai. With her teleportation ability, she might not have defeated Dai Mubai, but she wouldn't have fallen too far behind either. As for Oscar, being a food-type soul master, he struggled to protect himself.

As for Tang San, though he was Yu Xiaogang's disciple and someone he was generally satisfied with, the previous battle had clearly unfolded according to Yang Xiong's rhythm, failing to leverage his control advantages.

After delivering his critique, Yu Xiaogang appeared visibly angry. "Are you really the group of prodigies I've heard about? You've disappointed me greatly. You'll be punished—run ten laps back and forth to Suotuo City. If you fail, you won't eat lunch."

Yang Xiong felt exasperated. This was probably what was known as stone-carrying running training. While it seemed decent, it was overly simplistic and lacked any technical depth.

What no one knew was that Yang Xiong had fought Tang San while carrying an additional hundred pounds of weight. Without it, his speed would have been even faster, and the power of each strike would have increased by at least twenty percent.

As in the original storyline, everyone carried stones and ran ten laps to Suotuo City and back. Everyone except Yang Xiong collapsed from exhaustion. Even though Yang Xiong carried the heaviest load and helped others carry some of their stones, this kind of training was nothing to him—he had endured such exercises since childhood.

The focus was on Ning Rongrong, whose physical conditioning was the weakest among the group. She fainted during the last three kilometers.

Without hesitation, Yang Xiong transferred all the stones from her back into his large bamboo basket and then carried her as he continued running.

Ning Rongrong gradually regained consciousness in Yang Xiong's arms and began to struggle. "Little Bear, what do you think you're doing? Put me down—I can run myself!"

Yang Xiong remained calm. "They're almost done. You're the only one left at the back. Either let me carry you, or I'll leave you here. If you don't complete this punishment, Master might impose an even harsher one."

Ning Rongrong squirmed in Yang Xiong's arms, nearly falling. Fortunately, Yang Xiong reacted quickly and caught her.

Her face flushed with embarrassment. "Little Bear, you scoundrel! Are you taking advantage of me? Can't you just carry me on your back?"

Without hesitation, Yang Xiong placed Ning Rongrong on the ground and pointed to his bamboo basket. "Look, my basket is already full of stones. Besides yours, there are stones from others too. Do you think anyone else could handle this weight?"

"Moreover, everyone's stamina is at its limit. Besides me, no one else could carry you for the remaining distance."

The surrounding group exchanged glances, remaining silent.

Both Yang Xiong and Ning Rongrong hailed from the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect and had been classmates since childhood. Clearly, their relationship was closer than with others, making it awkward for others to interrupt. One by one, they lowered their heads.

As Yang Xiong had said, his enormous bamboo basket was already filled with stones, weighing over a hundred kilograms. Along with his own load, it included all of Ning Rongrong's stones and part of Oscar's.

Initially, Yu Xiaogang had calculated the loads based on everyone's endurance. Yang Xiong's stones were meant to be the heaviest, followed by Tang San, Dai Mubai, and Ma Hongjun—all battle-type soul masters. Then came Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Oscar, who carried lighter loads, with Ning Rongrong bearing the least.

But Yu Xiaogang had clearly underestimated the situation. During the battle between Yang Xiong and Tang San, Tang San had sustained significant injuries and was unable to carry additional weight, especially since he also had to look after Xiao Wu.

Given this weight distribution, it was likely that only Yang Xiong, Tang San, and Dai Mubai could complete the task. The others had no chance.

However, this weight was negligible for Yang Xiong. He had helped Oscar carry a substantial amount of stones, including all of Ning Rongrong's.

Zhu Zhuqing, as an agility-type soul master with weaker endurance, struggled to keep up near Yang Xiong. Yang Xiong considered helping her carry some stones, but this proud girl firmly refused.

Yang Xiong stopped worrying about it. His bamboo basket was already the heaviest, and he simply let her continue on her own.

Ning Rongrong, utterly exhausted, was on the verge of fainting again. The others remained silent—none of them could carry her to complete the test. The other two girls were also nearing their limits.

Finally, after much struggling, Ning Rongrong, feeling weak and fatigued, gritted her teeth and spoke. "Little Bear, carry me through the final stretch of the test. But I want to sit in your bamboo basket."

Yang Xiong sighed. "My basket is already full. Do you think we have any other options?"

Ning Rongrong snapped, "Of course we do! I'll sit directly on the stones. Just be careful not to jolt me too much."

After some discussion, Ning Rongrong positioned herself atop the basket, gripping Yang Xiong's shoulders in an awkward posture.

Yang Xiong sighed inwardly, holding Ning Rongrong's hand with one hand while handing her basket to Oscar. Carrying a basket full of heavy stones and the precariously perched Ning Rongrong, he pressed onward.

However, Ning Rongrong's small hands were smooth and delicate. Though not as comfortable as being held, gripping her soft, white hands gave Yang Xiong, who had been single for two lifetimes, a strange sensation.

Her hands were tender, adorable, and almost translucent—a testament to her pampered upbringing as the little princess of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.

Ning Rongrong seemed to sense something and angrily shouted, "Little Bear, stop daydreaming and hurry up! Otherwise, we'll fall too far behind the others."

Yang Xiong inwardly complained. When you were unconscious on the ground earlier, you didn't seem to care about completing the task. Now that you're on my back, your temper has grown.

Ultimately, Yang Xiong refocused and continued forward. With the added weight of another person, his total load exceeded 250 kilograms. Even with his exceptional physical conditioning, he could only move slowly.

The others watched Ning Rongrong's situation with whispers, their curiosity brimming with gossip.

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