As for the sense of urgency, that stemmed from the changes brought about by Huo Wushuang and Huo Wu.
One thing had to be acknowledged—Soul Masters had varying levels of talent, and comparisons between individuals weren't always fair.
However, anyone who could enter Blazing Fire Academy was at least somewhat gifted. At the very least, they were among the elite of their age group.
Even those at the bottom of the academy weren't weak in terms of cultivation talent, let alone the students chosen for the Blazing Fire Team—they were among the best in the entire academy.
When all members were considered top-tier students and were close in age, being one major rank below the captain in soul power was already tolerable. But if the gap widened to two major ranks, that would be simply unacceptable.
Otherwise, when standing on the Soul Master Tournament stage, if the captain had five rings while they only had three, even if no one else commented, they themselves would feel ashamed.
Looking at past Soul Master Tournaments, while there were vast differences in strength between teams from different academies, the gap between the strongest and weakest members within the same team had never spanned two major ranks.
Therefore, compared to the original story, with Huo Wushuang and Huo Wu already advancing to the five-ring Soul King level, they naturally became motivating examples. As a result, Huo Yun and the other three members of the team had a much stronger drive to cultivate.
With greater motivation and the additional soul power gained from their over-limit soul rings, it was only natural that their progress exceeded that of the original timeline.
It was also worth noting that this phenomenon wasn't exclusive to the Blazing Fire Team—the Sky WaterTeam had undergone similar changes.
In the original Soul Master Tournament, the Sky Water Team had only three four-ring Soul Ancestors: their captain Shui Bing'er, vice-captain Xue Wu, and team member Yu Hairou.
But now, among the four members who originally hadn't reached the four-ring level, aside from the cheat-boosted Shui Yue'er, the remaining three had all cultivated to level 39, reaching the peak of the three-ring Soul Elder stage.
Qiu Ruoshui, who had just entered level 39, would likely struggle to break through to level 40 before the tournament began. However, the other two, who were already at the peak of level 39, had a high chance of advancing to the four-ring Soul Ancestor level either before or during the competition.
In fact, this wasn't just happening in the Blazing Fire Team and the Sky Water Team—other top students from advanced Soul Master academies across the continent were also improving beyond their original levels.
After all, no serious advanced Soul Master academy was completely destitute. While they might not have the resources to provide all their top students with over-limit soul rings, they could certainly afford to invest in one or two of their best talents.
Even after the secret of Whale Glue was exposed and its already high price surged several times over, it still hadn't reached a level that advanced Soul Master academies couldn't afford.
The first to notice Mu Yang's arrival was Yan Zhenming. Upon seeing him, Yan Zhenming's expression froze for a moment. He repelled Huo Wu and the others' attacks, announced a pause in training, then turned to Mu Yang and said, "Kid, why don't you join us?"
"Alright! But I'll only be a food-type Soul Master, Uncle Yan, so go easy on me."
Mu Yang responded with a grin.
Hearing his voice, the six members of the Blazing Fire Team finally noticed Mu Yang standing at the edge of the training ground.
"Xiao Yang, so you finally let go of your little girlfriend?"
Huo Wushuang teased.
"Brother, that's not Xiao Yang's little girlfriend—it's his big sister!"
Huo Wu added with a smirk.
"Right, right! And she's part of a pair of sisters too!"
Huo Wushuang nodded seriously, playing along.
Clearly, the siblings were somewhat displeased that their younger cousin Mu Yang spent most of his time at Sky Water Academy, barely returning home more than two or three times a year.
If he had been a younger sister getting married off, that would have been understandable. But Mu Yang was a man—how could he go to Sky Water Academy and become a live-in son-in-law?!
This kind of improper trend had to be firmly corrected!
Mu Yang quickly waved his hands in denial. "You two, stop making things up! There's nothing like that between me and Yue'er.
Especially you, Wushuang-ge—be careful that Bing'er doesn't hear you. If she decides to teach you a lesson, I won't step in to stop her."
"You won't stop her? If you ask me, the best I can hope for is that you'll just stand on the sidelines and not help her beat me up out of respect for our years of being cousins."
Huo Wushuang rolled his eyes at Mu Yang—he hadn't forgotten that the two of them had a Martial Soul Fusion Technique together.
"Ahem—enough joking, we're in the middle of training!"
Clearing his throat, Mu Yang walked onto the field.
"Good, now the full seven-member team is here. You have three minutes to come up with a battle strategy."
Nodding slightly, Yan Zhenming said with a smile.
"Xiao Yang, how do you want to play this?"
Huo Wushuang asked Mu Yang directly.
"You're still the captain for now—you make the call."
Mu Yang waved his hand nonchalantly.
"I'm still the captain for now? What do you mean by that?—Wait a minute! You little brat, are you trying to take my captain's position?"
Huo Wushuang's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Wushuang-ge, just tell me—how did you become the captain in the first place?"
"Obviously because I was the strongest! That's why I became captain!"
Huo Wushuang responded without hesitation.
Of course, if they were talking about true strength, his sister Huo Wu—who was a level higher than him and possessed the special talent Ring Fusion—was actually a bit stronger. But as his younger sister, Huo Wu had let him take the captain's position.
"Exactly. The captain's position belongs to the strongest!"
With a nod, Mu Yang smiled mischievously. "Let me reintroduce myself—Mu Yang, level 58 Food-type Soul King. I know just a tiny bit of self-created soul skills."
Bing'er was the captain of the Sky Water Team, so wasn't it only fitting that he should also be the captain of the Blazing Fire Team? Ice and fire—just like his own Iceflame Fire!
"Level 58?!"
The moment Mu Yang finished speaking, Huo Yun and the other three stared in disbelief.
Huo Yun, in particular, was utterly shocked—he clearly remembered that when he had broken through to three rings, Mu Yang had only just reached two rings. Back then, his soul power was ten whole levels higher than Mu Yang's.
Yet in less than six years, he was only at level 44, while Mu Yang had already reached level 58?!
They were both human—how had Mu Yang gained 24 more levels than him in the same amount of time?
What the hell did he eat to cultivate this fast?!
"I'm done for… I'm doomed…"
At that moment, Huo Wushuang's face was filled with grievance.
The Blazing Fire Team had never been weak, but they had never been among the absolute strongest either. In the qualifiers and advancement rounds, they were always one of the standout teams.
But once they reached the finals, they would basically become background characters, with little chance of actually winning the championship.
Now, for once, the Blazing Fire Team had truly risen, and their hopes of winning were extremely high.
And yet… he, the captain, was about to be dethroned?!
This is so unfair!
"Don't worry, Wushuang-ge. Once I take the captain's position, I'll make you the vice-captain."
Mu Yang patted Huo Wushuang's shoulder reassuringly, speaking with great generosity.
"Vice-captain?"
Huo Wushuang raised an eyebrow.
That… actually didn't sound too bad?
But just then, the queen of last-minute stabs, Huo Wu, delivered the finishing blow:
"No way! I'm the vice-captain—no one can take that from me!"
Huo Wushuang: "…"
Damn it, Sis, have some mercy!
For additional chapters....
Versatile mage {40 chapters}
Douluo Dalu:This Soul Master is to Weird {30 Chapters}
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