Douluo: Reborn as a Dragon, I am the Lord of Soul Beasts

Chapter 111 Underground Competition
Xiao Hongchen's metal liquid twisted in the water, trying to break free from the whirlpool. A trace of determination flashed in his eyes, and with a thought, the metal liquid suddenly condensed, forming a metal barrier to resist the pressure of the water. His body gradually returned to its original state, and his hands formed seals again. The fifth soul skill, Gold Sacrifice, was activated instantly, burning the controlled metal and causing a lot of damage.

Under Xiao Hongchen's control, the metal barrier turned into countless metal spikes, stabbing towards Xu Sanshi with a strong killing intent. Xu Sanshi did not dare to be careless. He held the Xuanwu shield tightly with both hands and pushed it suddenly. The powerful force shook the metal spikes away. At the same time, his body suddenly shook, and the sixth soul skill Xuanwu Domain was strengthened again. The black water flow quickly expanded, forming a larger water vortex, trapping Xiao Hongchen firmly in it.

Xiao Hongchen felt the powerful pressure from the Xuanwu Realm and gritted his teeth in his heart. He knew that he had to find a breakthrough, otherwise he would not be able to get rid of Xu Sanshi's oppression. A hint of coldness flashed in his eyes, and he formed seals with his hands again. His sixth soul skill, Gold Attachment, was activated again. His body instantly liquefied and turned into a stream of metallic liquid, quickly avoiding the pressure of the water flow.

However, Xu Sanshi had already anticipated Xiao Hongchen's actions. His body suddenly shook, and he clenched the Xuanwu Shield with both hands. He swung it violently, and the powerful force quickly shrank the vortex of water flow, trapping Xiao Hongchen's metal liquid firmly in it. At the same time, he formed seals with both hands again, and the Xuanming Replacement was activated instantly. He appeared in front of Xiao Hongchen in an instant, and the Xuanwu Shield slammed into the metal liquid fiercely.

Xiao Hongchen's metal liquid vibrated violently under the powerful impact, unable to maintain its liquid state, and gradually returned to its original shape. His body suddenly shook, and a trace of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, but the fighting spirit in his eyes remained undiminished. He formed seals with his hands again, and activated his fourth soul skill, Sacrifice of Gold, again, burning the soul power in his body, greatly increasing the power of the metal spikes, and with a strong killing intent, he fiercely stabbed at Xu Sanshi.

Xu Sanshi's body suddenly shook, but he did not retreat. He held the Xuanwu shield tightly with both hands and pushed it hard, with a powerful force that shook the metal spikes away. At the same time, his body suddenly shook, and the sixth soul skill Xuanwu Domain was strengthened again. The black water flow quickly expanded, forming a larger water vortex, trapping Xiao Hongchen firmly in it.

Xu Sanshi did not relax at all. He knew Xiao Hongchen's cunning and tenacity. He formed seals with both hands again, and Xuanming Replacement was activated again, instantly shortening the distance between himself and Xiao Hongchen. The Xuanwu Shield hit hard again, and Xiao Hongchen was forced to recover from the liquid state.

Xiao Hongchen's body was hit hard again, but he was not knocked down. A hint of madness flashed in his eyes, and he secretly decided in his heart that he must do his best. He formed seals with his hands again, and the boiling of gold was activated instantly. His own soul power boiled, and the power of metal control increased significantly. The metal elements around him quickly condensed, forming a series of metal spikes, which rushed straight to Xu Sanshi.

Xu Sanshi didn't dare to be careless, and held the basalt shield tightly with both hands, forming a strong defense. However, Xiao Hongchen's metal spikes were extremely fast and powerful, and actually broke through the defense of the basalt shield. Part of the metal spikes pierced Xu Sanshi's body. His body suddenly shook, and blood gushed out of the wound, but he still did not retreat.

Xiao Hongchen was delighted to see that his attack was effective. He formed seals with his hands again, and the power of the boiling gold increased again. The metal spikes pierced towards Xu Sanshi like raindrops. Xu Sanshi's body had been severely injured many times, and it was difficult for him to withstand these powerful attacks. He held the basalt shield tightly with both hands and tried to defend himself, but he knew that he had reached his limit.

At this moment, Zheng Zhan's voice rang out: "Xiao Hongchen wins!"

Hearing this, Xu Sanshi's body suddenly relaxed, and he put down the Xuanwu Shield with trembling hands. His face was pale, and blood was constantly pouring out of the wound, but there was no regret in his eyes, only admiration for Xiao Hongchen.

Xiao Hongchen also stopped attacking, his body panting violently, obviously he had reached his limit. A trace of relief flashed in his eyes, he knew that he finally won the game. He looked at Xu Sanshi and nodded slightly to show his respect for his opponent.

"The Sun Moon Royal Soul Instructor Academy wins!" The voice of referee Zheng Zhan sounded again, announcing the final result of the game.

The audience of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Instructor Academy erupted in cheers, and the team members stood up and cheered for Xiao Hongchen's victory. Meng Hongchen even ran up excitedly and gave Xiao Hongchen a warm hug.

"Well done, brother! You are a hero of our Sun and Moon Empire!" Meng Hongchen said excitedly, his face full of joy.

The other team members also gathered around and patted Xiao Hongchen on the shoulder to express their admiration and gratitude. Xiao Hongchen smiled slightly. Although he was physically exhausted at the moment, his heart was full of a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.

However, in the Tang Sect camp, the atmosphere was completely different. The Tang Sect players all looked gloomy, with faces full of loss and frustration. As a former champion team, they never thought they would stop in this tournament.

Xu Sanshi came down from the competition stage, his face pale and his steps staggering. Huo Yuhao immediately went up to him and supported him.

"You've tried your best, Third Brother." Huo Yuhao comforted him, his tone full of concern.

"I'm sorry, I didn't win." Xu Sanshi said in a low voice, with a trace of regret in his eyes.

“This is not your fault. We have tried our best.” Huo Yuhao shook his head with a firm look in his eyes. “This failure is only temporary. We will become stronger and will be able to regain the glory that belongs to us next time.”

The other team members also gathered around and comforted each other. Although they were filled with loss, they knew that this failure would not defeat them, but would make them more resilient and stronger.

Jiang Nana walked up to Xu Sanshi, hugged him gently and said, "You did a great job. We all saw your efforts. Next, we will work together to become stronger."

Xu Sanshi nodded slightly, with a hint of determination in his eyes. He knew that this failure was only temporary, and they would definitely become stronger in the future and stand on the top again.

After the game, the Tang Sect players left the field silently, their hearts filled with expectations and determination for the future. On the other side, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Instructor Academy players were cheering and celebrating, enjoying the joy of victory.

Although this game is over, there is still another game waiting for the Tang Sect.

In the Tang Sect's lounge, Huo Yuhao looked at Nana in front of him and asked, "Any clues?"

Nana said, "Master, the situation is not very good. I have contacted several black market dealers in the past few days. They are not willing to sell rare metals to us. They said that the output of rare metals is too small, and those we want are very rare."

Huo Yuhao frowned slightly and asked, "Are they asking for more money, or is there another reason?"

Nana said, "I inquired carefully and heard that taking advantage of the opportunity of the Continental Youth High-level Spirit Master Elite Competition, several of the largest black markets in Mingdu also organized an underground competition. The rewards for the underground competition are very generous, because rare metals are more important hard currency in the underground world, so they all use them as bets. It is indeed very difficult for us to buy."

Huo Yuhao asked doubtfully, “Do they need to organize a competition to place a bet? Isn’t the Continental Youth High-level Spirit Master Elite Competition enough for them to bet on?”

Nana said, "Master, you don't know. The Sun Moon Empire has issued a strict order that this competition cannot be used as a bet, whether it is openly or on the black market. Otherwise, it will be confiscated."

Huo Yuhao was stunned for a moment and said, "Why is that? I remember that the Xingluo Empire was also open for gambling."

Nana said, “It is said that the current regent hates gambling. So, the underground black market had no choice but to organize a competition.” Huo Yuhao said, “All the soul masters participate in the Continental Youth High-level Soul Master Elite Competition. Where do they find people to compete? Without strong enough contestants, the competition seems to be meaningless.”

Nana said, "They are not competing in combat. It seems to be a competition to make soul guides. This is also a feature of Mingdu, which is not found in other countries. The requirement is that you are under 30 years old, and soul guides of all levels can participate. The competition system is a pure elimination competition. The rules of each round seem to be different."

Huo Yuhao's heart moved, and he said, "Tell me in detail what their competition is like, and what the reward system and gambling system are like."

Nana had lived in Mingdu since she was a child and was very familiar with the place. She was also good at getting information. At that moment, she described the underground black market competition in detail.

It turned out that in order to make a fortune by taking advantage of the popularity of the Continental Youth High-level Soul Master Elite Competition without offending the Regent King Xu Tianran, these black markets set up a competition of their own, under the pretext of promoting the development of soul guides in the Sun-Moon Empire.

The competition system was not too strict. The first thing to do was the qualifying round. All soul guides under the age of 30 could participate. The requirement for the qualifying round was to produce a level 4 soul guide device to enter the next round and be qualified for the real competition.

After listening to Nana's explanation, Huo Yuhao fell into deep thought. He knew that this competition might be their only chance to obtain rare metals. Thinking of this, he raised his head, and a hint of determination flashed in his eyes.

“Nana, we must participate in this competition. Only in this way can we get the rare metals we need.” Huo Yuhao said firmly.

Nana nodded, "Okay, Master. I'll go sign you up right away."

Huo Yuhao stood up, walked to the window, and looked at Mingdu in the distance. Although this city was prosperous, it was full of dangers and conspiracies. Participating in this underground competition would undoubtedly make them fall into a deeper vortex, but for the development of the Tang Sect, he had no choice.

“Nana, you have to be careful and make sure our whereabouts are not discovered,” Huo Yuhao warned.

"I understand, master." Nana smiled slightly, then turned and left the lounge.

Huo Yuhao looked at Nana's back and felt a little uneasy. He knew that this competition was not only for obtaining rare metals, but also for the future of the Tang Sect. He had to go all out to find a glimmer of hope in this crisis.

Not long after, the Tang Sect members also got the news and gathered in the lounge. Beibei, Wang Donger, Xu Sanshi, He Caitou, Xiao Xiao, Jiang Nannan and others gathered together to listen to Huo Yuhao's detailed account of the underground competition.

"Yuhao, are you planning to participate in this competition in person?" Beibei asked, her face full of worry.

Huo Yuhao nodded. "Yes, this competition is related to the future of our Tang Sect. Only by obtaining those rare metals can we continue to develop."

"But this is a black market competition after all, and the risks are huge." Wang Dong'er frowned.

“I know, but we have no choice.” Huo Yuhao said firmly, “I will handle it carefully and will definitely win the game and bring back what we need.”

Xu Sanshi patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder and said, "We believe in you, Yuhao. No matter what difficulties you encounter, we will support you."

"Yes, we are all part of the Tang Sect and are willing to give everything for the Tang Sect." Xiao Xiao also said firmly.

Huo Yuhao looked at his companions and felt touched and powerful. He knew that with their support, he would be able to overcome all difficulties and achieve the final victory.

The day of the competition soon arrived. With the help of Nana, Huo Yuhao successfully signed up for the competition. The competition venue was set up in a secret underground arena in Mingdu. It was heavily guarded and only people with special passes could enter.

Huo Yuhao and Nana entered the arena together and saw that many contestants and spectators had gathered around. The atmosphere of the competition was extremely tense, and everyone had a serious expression on their faces.

The rules of the qualifying round were simple. Each contestant needed to make a level 4 soul guide within a limited time. After the competition began, all contestants took out their tools and materials and began to work hard to make soul guides.

Although Huo Yuhao was a little nervous, he quickly adjusted his state and began to concentrate on making his own soul guide. His technique was skillful and his movements were smooth, and he soon completed an exquisite fourth-level soul guide.

The referee carefully checked Huo Yuhao's work and confirmed that it was qualified, and he successfully entered the next round of the competition. Huo Yuhao breathed a sigh of relief and secretly rejoiced in his heart.

The rules of the following competitions became more complicated, with different requirements and challenges in each round. Huo Yuhao gradually stood out in the competition with his wisdom and strength. He encountered many powerful opponents, but he always remained calm and responded flexibly, and finally won one victory after another.

When the competition reached the final round, there were only a few contestants left. Huo Yuhao's last opponent was an elderly soul guide who was extremely powerful and had made very sophisticated soul guides.

Huo Yuhao knew that this battle would be the most difficult one. But he did not back down, but became more determined. He took a deep breath and began to work hard on making his soul guide.

The time of the game passed quickly, and Huo Yuhao was fully focused. The soul guide in his hand gradually took shape. He used the knowledge and skills he had learned to bring the power of the soul guide to its extreme.

Finally, the competition time was over and the referee began to examine the works of the two contestants. After careful evaluation, the referee announced that Huo Yuhao's work was more exquisite and he won the final victory.

Hearing this result, Huo Yuhao heaved a sigh of relief and a gratified smile appeared on his face. He knew that he had finally completed the mission and won hope for the future development of the Tang Sect.

(End of this chapter)