Chapter 158: Personally Selecting People

At this moment, only four individuals remained in the arena, apart from Xu Yang's team.

There was a pair of twin brothers who had mastered a body-tempering technique, making their bodies virtually invulnerable to swords and spears. Both were at the advanced Nascent Soul stage, resembling two small mountains of flesh. Standing beside them was an old woman, also at the advanced Nascent Soul stage. She was swinging a fish-hook-shaped object and was a puppeteer capable of controlling four Core Formation stage puppets simultaneously.

What truly caught Xu Yang's attention, however, was the little girl standing at the edge of the group, holding a drawing board. She appeared to be only seven or eight years old. With just a paintbrush and her drawing board, any weapon she depicted on its surface could transform into a real, tangible blade through the condensation of spiritual energy.

"Bringing creations to life with a stroke of the brush! This little girl is actually a rare Divine Painter, how extraordinary!"

Xu Yang waved to the little girl. For some unknown reason, after meeting Xu Yang's clear gaze, she instinctively drew closer to him.

"Hello, Big Brother!"

Xu Yang affectionately patted her little head. "You're so young to be admitted to Sacred Soul Academy! That's impressive!"

The little girl chuckled. "Because my ability is quite special; it's innate. Whatever I draw becomes real, so I got accepted! Big Brother, are you hungry? Do you want some Tanghulu? Tuantuan can draw it for you!"

"Is your name Tuantuan?"

The little girl nodded cutely, her hat framing her plump, rosy cheeks, making her utterly endearing. Not only Xu Yang but also the three goddesses standing nearby found the little girl adorable.

"Boss, have you decided?"

Bai Lianxue, who undoubtedly understood Xu Yang best, asked. Xu Yang simply nodded, without once looking at the other three individuals opposite them.

"Little one, if you draw Big Brother a Tanghulu, Big Brother will let you advance and join our team for the competition. How about that?"

Tuantuan happily nodded vigorously, then unexpectedly leaned in and planted a big kiss on Xu Yang's face. It was as if the mighty Xu Yang suddenly felt a surge of paternal love, as he immediately scooped the girl into his arms.

"From today onwards, you're a member of our team. Since your name is Tuantuan, you can be our team's beloved mascot. I guarantee you'll have all the good food and comfortable living. How does that sound?"

"Thank you, Big Brother!"

*Boom*...

At that very instant, Ling Yao made a powerful move, unleashing a wave of swords that sent the three remaining individuals flying off the platform simultaneously.

"Damn, they're too arrogant! This is practically a free-for-all now!"

"Those four knew each other beforehand; they were guest students who came together. If we'd known they were so powerful, we should have attacked them all at once from the beginning. Now they've taken advantage of us."

"Hmph, with all due respect, if even I couldn't handle them, you lot stand no chance..."

The blond man immediately fumed, "Old man, I was trying not to bully you because of your age, but watch your words from now on!"

"I might just talk a lot in the dojo, but in a free-for-all, I hit hard too. What are you going to do, bite me?"

And so, an impromptu offline brawl suddenly erupted. Long Kun hastily handed Xu Yang and his four companions their qualification certificates, then immediately rushed into the chaotic scene to break up the fight.

Xu Yang, with a helpless expression, ascended into the air with the four girls and quickly returned to their spirit ship.

"Wow! What a beautiful ship! Big Brother, do you and the big sisters usually live here?"

The three goddesses' expressions immediately tightened, a hint of instinctive vigilance appearing in their eyes.

"How did you know they were women?"

Xu Yang was clearly astonished as well. It was extremely difficult to see through Bai Lianxue and the others' disguise, even for those at the peak of the Grotto-Heaven realm. Their concealment technique surpassed their apparent cultivation level, yet this eight-year-old girl, Tuantuan, saw through it perfectly.

"I have this innate insight. Disguises appear as different colors in my vision. As long as I channel spiritual energy into my pupils, I can see the real appearances of the three big sisters. They are all top-tier beauties, just as beautiful as Tuantuan will be in the future!"

Good heavens, this girl truly left Xu Yang and his companions utterly speechless. Who could resist a doll-like child that made you want to shower her with kisses? Before a single night passed, Xu Yang found he had lost his standing in the team. The three goddesses interacted with Tuantuan whenever they had a moment, leaving a dejected Xu Yang to silently take out his little dragon python and gaze at the bright moon... It wasn't until later, when the little dragon python and Tuantuan shared a bed, that Xu Yang completely lost heart.

The peaceful days did not last long. Three days later, the team elimination tournament for the entire Sacred Soul Academy officially began. The competition comprised a total of six rounds over two days. Due to specific competition rules, the three teams with the shortest total winning time in the first day's three rounds would directly advance to the grand finals, securing their qualification to enter the academy.

And so, the real task began. Xu Yang devised a strategy centered around Tuantuan, aiming for swift victories. Due to her cultivation limitations, Tuantuan could only draw a maximum of three sword beams at a time. However, following Xu Yang's suggestion, the four of them would channel their spiritual energy into Tuantuan simultaneously, with the aid of a special magic array. This would allow the girl to draw hundreds of sword beams in an instant!

With Xu Yang and Ling Yao present, hundreds of sword beams enhanced with peak Sword Dao realm power were far from something a few Nascent Soul stage cultivators could withstand; they would undoubtedly be swept away instantly. Consequently, the first day of the competition became much easier.

At Stone Tower No. 17, Xu Yang confronted five heavily armored men.

"Hey, you guest students are truly arrogant. Bringing such a little girl to a team battle? Is it because your class doesn't have anyone stronger?"

Xu Yang didn't bother wasting words on these "nobodies," merely making a mocking gesture. "Defeating you will only take three seconds."

"Ah ha ha ha ha!"

The five burly men exchanged bewildered glances, then burst into uncontrollable laughter. "Brother, you shouldn't boast like that. Defeat us in three seconds? Even if you were the dean, it would be impossible to defeat five of us in three seconds!"

"Then, just you wait and see..."

*Clang!*

As the gong sounded, the battle at Stone Tower No. 17's platform began.

One!

Xu Yang slightly raised a finger, smiling as he looked at the five burly men who were already flying towards them. A dazzling magic array beneath their feet rumbled, as the powerful spiritual energy of the four individuals converged into Tuantuan's body.

Two!

A hundred sword beams materialized. Tuantuan's cute little finger pointed upwards, and all the sword beams truly transformed into tangible, real blades, soaring towards the five opponents.

"What?!"

The five strong men were utterly dumbfounded. What made them even more despairing was that at this very moment, Xu Yang called out the number three.

"Waaahhh!!"

*Boom*...

Wherever the sword beams passed, the five men at the far end of the platform were all sent flying.

"Game over."