"Illusion Brood? Main Brain, display the data panels for both the Illusion Brood and the Illusion Brood Lord."
Lin Fan calmed his mind and began communicating with the Hive's main brain.
[Acknowledged, my Lord.]
[Illusion Brood: A Zerg auxiliary unit. Capable of weaving illusions by emitting psychic energy, altering the perception of the surrounding environment. (Upgradeable)]
[Shi Nian: Leader-class Illusion Brood unit. Possesses enhanced illusion abilities. (Current Level: 83)]
"As expected—it worked."
Lin Fan wasn't particularly interested in the Illusion Brood's basic data. What intrigued him was the result: it was now proven that human Martial Spirit genes could indeed be integrated into the Zerg's evolution.
And the results spoke for themselves.
"Thank you, Lord Overmind."
From within the Gene Chamber, Shi Nian stepped out—his body now radiating a mesmerizing aura so potent that even Tang Hao instinctively tightened his grip on the Haotian Hammer.
Shi Nian dropped to one knee before Lin Fan, pledging his loyalty. His strength had skyrocketed—from a Soul Saint to a Soul Douluo. On the entire continent, no one else could accomplish such a feat.
This only strengthened Shi Nian's resolve to serve Lin Fan unconditionally.
"Good. Tang Hao, Shi Nian still lacks an eighth spirit ring. You'll accompany him to obtain it."
Lin Fan nodded approvingly as he observed Shi Nian's transformation. The man's body had completely recovered, his cultivation soaring to the eighty-third rank.
"Yes, Lord Overmind." Tang Hao responded immediately.
Seeing Tang Hao's obedience, Lin Fan felt a subtle sense of relief. Modifying Tang Hao had consumed considerable resources—and with the Shrek Academy vs. Spirit Hall match approaching, he didn't want any unexpected variables.
If Tang Hao were to encounter Tang San too soon, Lin Fan couldn't guarantee that fate itself wouldn't pull the father and son back together.
"For now, I'll leave control of the Hive to Davis and Zhu Zhuyun," Lin Fan said before turning to leave.
Meanwhile, inside Spirit City, both the Shrek Academy and Heaven Dou Royal Academy teams had gathered in the same room.
If Lin Fan saw this, he would've scoffed—no wonder he couldn't find them anywhere in Heaven Dou City; they'd all been hiding together.
"Uncle, the Spirit Hall team is incredibly strong," said Yu Tianheng, lying weakly on the bed. "And during our last encounter, only Li Kai actually fought. The others didn't even need to lift a hand."
A sense of helplessness clouded Yu Tianheng's face.
"Teacher," Tang San said anxiously, "the tournament finals are almost here, and we still don't even know what Martial Spirits the others have…"
Yu Xiaogang sighed heavily. He was already considering going to the Pope's Palace to ask Bibi Dong personally.
But reality was harsh. Before he even reached the palace doors, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo unceremoniously tossed him back into his quarters.
Fortunately, thanks to his protagonist's fate, Tang San broke through again three days before the match. The group then ventured to Sunset Forest to find him a new spirit ring.
"Yanyan, it's me," said Yu Tianheng softly.
"You? I don't recall knowing you."
Dugu Yan's tone was icy as she pulled her hand free from his grasp.
"What are you saying?" Yu Tianheng looked utterly stunned—he'd never expected Dugu Yan to treat him this way.
"You're disgusting. I came here to hunt soul beasts with my grandfather. Stay away from me."
Before Yu Tianheng could react, Dugu Yan had already turned and flown off toward Dugu Bo.
"Dugu Bo… wait, Yanyan and I still have a marriage agreement!"
Panicked, Yu Tianheng shouted and hurried after her, followed by his confused teammates.
Little did they know that Dugu Bo and Tang Hao were currently out in the forest searching for Shi Nian's eighth spirit ring.
"Grandfather, someone is bothering me," Dugu Yan said coldly as she approached.
Dugu Bo's expression instantly darkened. He turned toward Yu Tianheng, his gaze sharp and dangerous.
"Senior Dugu… it's not what it looks like! Yanyan and I—we have an engagement!" Yu Tianheng stammered, his face pale.
"Engagement? You mean this?"
Dugu Bo casually drew out a piece of parchment from his soul tool.
"Yes, that's—"
Before Yu Tianheng could finish, green poison mist flowed from Dugu Bo's hand, and the parchment instantly dissolved into blood-colored liquid.
"Understand now? I, Dugu Bo, hereby dissolve the engagement—unilaterally. Now get out of my sight."
"Senior Dugu, isn't that going too far?"
Before Yu Tianheng could respond, Yu Xiaogang stepped forward, his self-righteous tone cutting through the air.
But this time, he had chosen the wrong target.
"You worthless worm," Dugu Bo sneered. "My granddaughter will marry whomever she wishes. Since when does a Great Soul Master like you get to lecture me?"
He lazily dug a finger into his ear.
A moment later, Yu Xiaogang's body went flying, slapped into the distance with such force that he vanished from sight.
"Besides," Dugu Bo added with a smirk, "even a Great Soul Master is a rare sight in the Dugu family. After all, even our watchdogs are stronger than most Soul Sects."
Yu Xiaogang, sporting a vivid green handprint on his cheek, spat blood onto the ground.
"Dugu Bo, do you even know who I am!?" he roared furiously.
"Who you are?" Dugu Bo's eyes gleamed with amusement. "Aren't you the continent's number one trash, Yu Xiaogang? What gives you confidence—your Blue Lightning Tyrant Clan? Or are you trying to make sure your clan ends up with only one surviving Titled Douluo?"
His mocking tone silenced Yu Xiaogang instantly.
He knew full well—if he truly angered Dugu Bo, his clan would pay the price.
"Keep talking," Dugu Bo warned. "And you'll all die here today."
With that, he and Dugu Yan disappeared into the mist, leaving the others frozen in shock.
"The final match begins! Spirit Hall versus Shrek Academy!"
"Everyone, stay calm. Little San has already broken through to the Soul Emperor level. A six-on-six won't be too different from them," said Yu Xiaogang, his swollen, green-marked face looking almost comical.
"Xiaogang," Flender said, patting his shoulder, "don't be reckless. Your opponent isn't just any Soul Emperor. If you can't win, surrender. Losing to Spirit Hall isn't shameful."
Flender's tone was serious—winning was fine, but surviving was more important.
"Don't worry," Tang San said confidently, his gaze locked on Xie Yue and the others. "We'll give it our all. Spirit Hall is nothing to fear."
Xie Yue and his teammates merely smiled back, amusement flickering in their eyes.
As both teams stepped onto the stage, the arena erupted in cheers.
But most of the crowd favored Spirit Hall—after all, a team with four ten-thousand-year spirit rings was a terrifying sight to behold.
****
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