Douluo: The Ultimate Self

On the viewing platform, both Dai Mubai and Tang San wore serious expressions. Clearly, Yang Xiong's combat strength had once again exceeded their expectations.

Dai Mubai's face darkened with anger. "I specifically told Yang Xiong to hold back, yet he still went so hard on her."

Tang San shook his head. "Yang Xiong didn't go all out. Otherwise, Zhu Zhuqing wouldn't have escaped without injury. Moreover, I feel like Yang Xiong has become even stronger."

Dai Mubai was puzzled. "How is that possible? His soul power hasn't changed much, and his speed is about the same as during our usual battles."

Tang San replied, "It's not about speed or strength. Yang Xiong's techniques have become smoother, and his transitions between moves are faster and more natural. His self-created soul skill, which uses softness to overcome hardness, seems to have been successfully developed."

Tang San himself practiced Controlling Crane, Capturing Dragon. At this moment, he felt that Yang Xiong was no weaker than him in this area, and perhaps even stronger in some aspects.

When Yang Xiong and Zhu Zhuqing returned to the group, Dai Mubai seemed displeased. "Yang Xiong, didn't you promise me you'd go easy on Zhuqing? How did she lose so quickly?"

Before Yang Xiong could respond, a somewhat dejected Zhu Zhuqing spoke up. "This time, I asked him to use his full strength. My affairs are none of your concern."

Hearing this, Dai Mubai immediately became awkward and quickly apologized. "Sorry, I misunderstood you."

"Are you alright, Zhuqing?"

Zhu Zhuqing glanced at everyone and turned away, leaving the scene. Dai Mubai hurried after her.

Yang Xiong watched the two leave, shaking his head helplessly. These two had completely opposite personalities—Dai Mubai was rebellious and unruly, while Zhu Zhuqing appeared gentle but was equally stubborn. It was hard to imagine how they ended up together.

Before Yang Xiong could react, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his waist. Ning Rongrong had pinched him hard.

Ning Rongrong's face showed clear displeasure. "Little Bear, how dare you bully Zhuqing? Do you think we won't beat you up together?"

Yang Xiong sighed helplessly. "It was Zhuqing's request. She wanted me to use my full strength to test the gap between us. Besides, I held back at the end; otherwise, she wouldn't have just fallen off the stage."

Ning Rongrong snorted. "If she told you to use full strength, you should have gone easy on her! If you had, it would have boosted Zhuqing's confidence in training. Maybe she'd have thought about working harder to catch up to you. But look what happened—you used your full strength, and now Zhuqing will likely be discouraged."

Yang Xiong looked at Ning Rongrong's angry expression and felt utterly speechless, as if he couldn't win no matter what he did.

Oscar quickly approached. "Brother Xiong, our match is about to start. You'll be fine, right? You can handle two Soul Elders, correct?"

Yang Xiong followed Oscar reluctantly to prepare for the next match.

Oscar winked mischievously. "Brother Xiong, have you been single your whole life?"

Yang Xiong was confused. "What does being single have to do with anything?"

Oscar immediately adopted a sage-like tone. "Brother Xiong, though you're strong, you clearly don't understand girls. I thought you and Ning Rongrong were close to something special, but it seems you still need to study girls' minds more carefully."

"Sometimes you need to show weakness or intentionally let girls win. Who knows, Ning Rongrong might get excited and fall into your arms."

"Especially with someone like Ning Rongrong, who's proud and acts like a little princess. You can't be too strong-willed around her, or you'll push her away."

Yang Xiong found Oscar's words baffling, but upon reflection, he realized there was some truth to them. No wonder Oscar managed to win over Ning Rongrong in the original story.

In the end, Yang Xiong shook his head. "I'm not thinking about these things right now. My only goal is to grow stronger as quickly as possible."

Oscar looked at him with frustration. "If you miss this opportunity, it'll only get harder. When she returns to her sect, she'll be treated like a princess again. Then you'll really be in trouble."

"Listen to me, Brother—I've been through this. I suggest you act soon. Otherwise, the cooked duck might fly away."

(T/N: Cooked duck flying away is a euphemism to describe something that's almost guaranteed not going your way. Dw, it's not a Gordon Ramsay shoutout lol)

Yang Xiong: …

At this moment, Yang Xiong was utterly speechless. In the original story, Oscar and Ning Rongrong were the official pairing—a combination that was both stunning and sympathetic, as they were both support-type soul masters who had to overcome countless obstacles to be together. Yet somehow, here Oscar was giving him advice on pursuing Ning Rongrong?

---

The next few doubles soul battles proceeded smoothly, with Yang Xiong winning easily. Even when paired with Oscar against two Soul Elders, it didn't take much effort from Yang Xiong.

Through this period of training, especially from battling with others, Yang Xiong's combat experience had grown significantly.

Almost everyone from Shrek Academy had impressive records, except for Zhu Zhuqing. Everyone else, whether in doubles or team battles, had achieved victories, making the teachers extremely pleased.

According to the academy's arrangements, everyone stayed at a hotel in Suotuo City overnight. Yang Xiong booked a luxurious suite—partly to facilitate meditation and rest, and partly to allow for other personal cultivation practices.

Under Yu Xiaogang and Flender's second-phase training plan, since the final soul battle of the night would end late, everyone would stay in Suotuo City. During the day, they could manage their own time.

For Soul Grandmasters, they could claim ten gold spirit coins per month from the Spirit Hall, while Soul Elders could claim one hundred. With the purchasing power of gold spirit coins, staying at a hotel was no issue, especially since each victory in soul battles came with rewards. After five consecutive wins, each match awarded one hundred gold spirit coins.

After the soul battles ended, everyone gathered for a celebratory meal, and spirits were high. Especially Dai Mubai, who treated everyone and thanked Tang San in particular, likely for his assistance in the team battles with him and Zhu Zhuqing.

This was Yang Xiong's first time drinking alcohol recently. Even without using soul power to dissipate the effects, his robust physique and prior experience with drinking left everyone astonished by his tolerance.

Amid laughter and joy, most people got drunk, including several of the girls.

Surprisingly, one girl drank heartily, her alcohol tolerance shocking everyone. She downed glasses with ease, exuding a devilish charm that even intimidated some of the boys.

In the end, only Yang Xiong and Ning Rongrong remained sober. Oscar, emboldened by the alcohol, teased them, saying they should no longer be called the "Seven Treasures Combination" but rather the "Drunkard and Glutton Combination," as Yang Xiong and Ning Rongrong had consumed the most alcohol and food among everyone.

---

Early the next morning, after Yang Xiong returned from his exercise, there was a sudden knock on his door.

When Yang Xiong opened it, he was surprised to see three girls standing there, their expressions serious.

As Yang Xiong looked on in confusion, Ning Rongrong spoke first. "Little Bear, Zhuqing wanted to come find you today. Xiao Wu and I came along to make sure you didn't bully her."

Yang Xiong led the three into the room and poured each a cup of tea in the small living area outside.

"Classmate Zhuqing, may I ask why you've come to see me today?"

Zhu Zhuqing hesitated before speaking. "Yang Xiong, how much of your true strength did you display in yesterday's battle?"

Yang Xiong took a sip of tea before replying. "About seventy percent."

By Yang Xiong's estimation, he had displayed roughly seventy percent of his strength in yesterday's arena battle. However, if it came to a life-or-death fight, his true strength might not even reach fifty percent. Yang Xiong always liked to conceal thirty percent of his abilities, especially since no one knew his true combat power due to his weighted training.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing's face turned pale. "I knew the gap between us was large, but I never imagined it was this big. I unleashed two soul skills consecutively and still couldn't withstand you."

Yang Xiong shook his head. "Everyone has their strengths. You don't need to obsess over the gap between us. Take Ning Rongrong, for example—her support abilities are excellent, but she doesn't have much combat strength."

Ning Rongrong frowned. "Little Bear, stop comparing me to her! Or I'll tell Grandpa Sword that you bullied me."

Yang Xiong chuckled. "Perhaps that comparison was flawed. Your martial soul and cultivation lean toward speed, and your stealth abilities are also remarkable. While your strength may not shine in the arena, it would truly manifest in intelligence gathering, assassination, and especially nighttime operations."

Zhu Zhuqing shook her head. "I know you're trying to comfort me, but I've worked so hard. It feels like the gap between us is insurmountable. Among everyone, I've always been at the bottom."

Yang Xiong smiled. "Why be so fixated? People perform differently in different situations."

Zhu Zhuqing sighed bitterly. "But so what? My fate feels like a heavy shackle. If I don't work hard to become stronger, I might not even survive."

Before Yang Xiong could respond, there was another knock on the door. This time, it was Tang San and Dai Mubai. They had been looking for the two girls and eventually arrived at Yang Xiong's room.

Dai Mubai seemed anxious. "Zhuqing, I'll figure out a solution for our situation. Don't worry too much."

Zhu Zhuqing remained silent. Though Dai Mubai was at level thirty-seven, the gap between them and their enemies was still immense.

After inviting the two to sit, Yang Xiong glanced at everyone present and sighed. As an outsider, it wasn't his place to interfere too deeply in their affairs.

Zhu Zhuqing finally spoke. "Yang Xiong, how did you become so strong? Why are you so much stronger than me?"

Yang Xiong thought for a moment and removed a wrist guard from his hand, placing it on the table.

Everyone examined the wrist guard and was astonished—it weighed ten kilograms despite appearing ordinary.

Yang Xiong said, "I'm not more talented than any of you. In fact, my innate soul power is the weakest among everyone here. But ever since becoming a soul master, I've trained with weights. The so-called weight training of the first phase is something I've experienced countless times since childhood."

"I know each of you has your own background and pressures. But I'm just the son of an ordinary outer sect steward of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. For years, I've worked hard to become stronger, to take control of my own destiny."

Ning Rongrong was puzzled. "Little Bear, isn't the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect safe enough for you?"

Yang Xiong smiled. "There's no such thing as true safety in this world. Relying on others for safety is like grasping at moonlight reflected in water. Nothing compares to strengthening oneself. Parents, friends, siblings, lovers—they may offer support, but ultimately, you must rely on yourself."

"Besides, though the soul master world appears peaceful, those who've experienced its history know better. This calm is merely the quiet before the storm. One day, a massive battle might engulf us all. Without sufficient strength, we risk losing our loved ones, our friends, and even our lives."

---

After everyone left deep in thought, Ning Rongrong remained alone in the room, looking somewhat upset.

"Little Bear, what did you mean earlier about taking control of one's destiny?"

Yang Xiong stared intently at Ning Rongrong. "Rongrong, you've never understood what kind of person I am. I've always strived to grow stronger, made countless plans, because I refuse to live my life under anyone's shadow—no matter who they are."

Ning Rongrong seemed startled by his words.

Yang Xiong's declaration today had been brewing for a long time. Lately, his relationship with Ning Rongrong had grown closer, and in the eyes of others, they were practically a couple. Yet Yang Xiong had never been overly proactive.

This wasn't just due to his personality. Yang Xiong's ultimate goal wasn't to remain forever in the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect as some guardian Title Douluo or dedicate his entire life to the sect.

Yang Xiong had shown no hostility to anyone, not even Tang San, whom he regarded as a mere competitor. He harbored no deep hatred.

Instead, Yang Xiong seized every opportunity to grow stronger. He vowed to never submit to anyone—not even the gods. He aimed to become the strongest person, even the strongest god.

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