Chapter 148: The Sinister Gem (Bonus) - Douluo: Manifesting the Black Abyss and White Flower at the Start - NovelsTime

Douluo: Manifesting the Black Abyss and White Flower at the Start

Chapter 148: The Sinister Gem (Bonus)

Author: AbsoluteCode
updatedAt: 2025-08-24

Haiyuan City's atmosphere grew ever more intense as the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Battle Tournament entered its final stage.

After the semifinals concluded, both St. Freya Academy and Shrek Academy were given two days to rest.

Due to the surge in crowd numbers, Haiyuan City urgently expanded its military forces to maintain order. Xu Jiawei, with a grand gesture, shipped in large quantities of supplies from nearby cities to make up for Haiyuan's shortages.

This month-long soul master tournament brought deep, all-round benefits to Haiyuan City.

Whether it was the city's rapidly skyrocketing fame, drawing endless attention, or the leap in economic income driving prosperity in every sector, the results were remarkable.

All of this more than justified the great effort Lu Jingming had put in to win the right to host the tournament in Haiyuan City.

Now, with the finals stage already set up, only two teams remained in the spotlight—Shrek Academy and St. Freya Academy.

Shrek Academy, the undisputed strongest academy in the soul master world, boasted the legendary title of "Number One for Ten Thousand Years," with a staggering number of fans.

Meanwhile, St. Freya Academy, the local powerhouse of Haiyuan City and the previous tournament's dark horse champion, also had its own legion of passionate supporters.

Fans from both sides fiercely debated who would ultimately claim the crown, each convinced that their own team was invincible and destined to win.

At last, the grand finals officially began.

On finals day, the entire coastline was packed tight with fervent spectators from early morning.

The crowd was so dense it looked like a moving sea of people, stretching as far as the eye could see.

St. Freya Academy and Shrek Academy's team members arrived in cool, tech-filled soul-guided airships, descending slowly onto the Eye of Abyss.

The airships traced dazzling arcs across the blue sky as if heralding the magnificent prelude to this peak showdown.

The finals' schedule was tight and demanding: three matches—team battle, individual elimination, and the two-two-three battle—all to be completed within a single day.

This high-intensity format tested the competitors' stamina, soul power, willpower, and teamwork to the fullest, ensuring that only the strongest of the strong would emerge victorious.

This meant no chance to catch their breath; every fight had to be fought with everything they had, with no room for slacking.

St. Freya Academy kept their original lineup without any changes.

On Shrek Academy's side, they fielded Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yaoheng, Ling Luocheng, Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, Bei Bei, and Xu Sanshi.

Xi Xi, one of Shrek's main team members, had mostly recovered after a month of treatment, but considering the final's importance and brutality, she chose to give this precious chance to Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi.

Bei Bei possessed the Holy Light Dragon state, and Xu Sanshi's Black Tortoise martial soul was also extremely powerful—neither inferior to Xi Xi, and in some aspects, even stronger.

More importantly, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong had a unique Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Shrek's secret weapon for this tournament.

As Huo Yuhao followed the team onto the stage, his body suddenly jolted uncontrollably, his gaze locked on a figure on the main platform.

That man, with blond hair and blue eyes, tall and imposing in a crisp military uniform, exuded the unique might and dominance of a battle-hardened soldier.

He was none other than the White Tiger Duke, Dai Hao, stationed at the Mingdou Mountain Range frontline. He now stood quietly beside Xu Jiawei, gaze fixed on the stage.

White Tiger Duke Dai Hao was famed throughout the soul master world, long stationed at the Mingdou frontlines in confrontation with the Sun Moon Empire, with many military exploits to his name.

This time, despite his busy schedule, he had come specifically to watch the soul master tournament finals—mainly because his son, Dai Yaoheng, was competing.

As a father, he wanted to see how much Dai Yaoheng had grown under Shrek's training.

However, Dai Hao didn't recognize the other young man on stage—his own son, Huo Yuhao. He didn't even know he had another son!

Dai Yaoheng soon spotted his father, excitement and fighting spirit flaring instantly in his eyes.

Both Dai Yaoheng and Dai Huabin—though proud and arrogant outwardly—deep down felt immense reverence and admiration for their father, the White Tiger Duke.

His arrival was like a shot of adrenaline for Dai Yaoheng, filling him with strength.

He secretly vowed: no matter how tough the match or strong the opponent, he must not lose before his father. He would give his all to win honor for Shrek and glory for his father.

Meanwhile, a storm of negative emotions surged in Huo Yuhao's mind.

He knew clearly this was yet another attack from the dark red gem's side effects.

This gem always insidiously eroded his heart, drawing out his most painful, sorrowful memories.

Though he tried to suppress his emotions, Dai Hao's appearance made it nearly impossible. His face darkened, gloom and coldness radiating from him.

Noticing this, Wang Dong grew worried.

"Yuhao, are you okay?" Wang Dong asked anxiously, concern in his eyes.

Just as Huo Yuhao was about to be drowned by these emotions, golden light flashed in his eyes. A cooling sensation, like a clear spring, surged from his heart and spread through his body, instantly quenching the turmoil.

It turned out the Skydream Iceworm had sensed Huo Yuhao's danger and used its origin power to pull him back from the edge.

"Yuhao, that gem's too sinister. Let's get rid of it!" Skydream Iceworm's voice was full of worry.

In its long life, it had seen many things, but never anything so bizarre.

The gem seemed to have its own consciousness, always striking when Huo Yuhao's willpower was weakest, trying to lure him into darkness.

"It's fine, Brother Skydream. I was careless just now, it won't happen again. Besides, these negative emotions aren't all bad—tempered by them, my mental power is becoming purer."

Huo Yuhao gently shook his head, disagreeing.

To him, though the dark red gem brought trouble, as the saying goes, "Fortune lies within misfortune." Its power wasn't wholly harmful.

On the contrary, fighting these negative emotions had toughened and purified his mind like never before.

The gem could help Electrolux recover his strength, subtly accelerate Huo Yuhao's cultivation, and let him forge his spirit through adversity to reach higher realms.

He would never abandon such a rare treasure just for a few drawbacks.

Besides, he wasn't facing this alone.

He had Electrolux, the Skydream Iceworm's million-year spiritual origin, and the Ice Empress.

He believed he could resist the negative emotions' corrosion and not be consumed.

To Huo Yuhao, these emotions were just echoes of past suffering.

From childhood, he had endured life's hardships, which had forged his unyielding character and indomitable spirit.

He was confident he could master this mysterious gem, grow stronger with its power, fulfill his dreams, and become a true powerhouse.

"Well… okay!" Skydream Iceworm nodded helplessly, still uneasy, but choosing to trust Huo Yuhao.

After all, it trusted its own million-year spiritual origin, and it had faith in Electrolux. With them there, Yuhao should be fine.

"I'm fine, Wang Dong. We absolutely can't lose this match!" With Skydream's timely help, Huo Yuhao broke free from the tide of negativity.

He slowly withdrew his gaze from Dai Hao, his expression clearing, a determined look in his eyes.

Seeing Huo Yuhao's calm return, Wang Dong let out a long breath.

He knew all about Yuhao's background—Yuhao had never hidden it from him.

He knew how shocking Dai Hao's sudden appearance was for Yuhao.

Fortunately, Yuhao didn't seem too affected, and Wang Dong's worries eased.

At this moment, as both teams lined up on the stage, Dan Heng appeared at the center right on time.

With a solemn expression, he swept his gaze over the arena, then began to announce the finals' rules, word by word.

As the rules were announced, the previously noisy venue fell into tense silence. Millions of spectators listened intently, afraid to miss a single detail—they knew the coming battle would be a heart-stopping, glory-defining showdown.

"I've explained the rules. Both sides, step back and prepare." As Dan Heng finished, both teams stepped back in unison.

Ma Xiaotao narrowed her eyes slightly, a hint of challenge in her gaze as she looked straight at Lu Jingming.

She knew they had no advantage in this match, but she would never allow herself to show weakness—her pride and stubbornness kept her unafraid even at this tense moment.

Facing her provocation, Lu Jingming smiled confidently.

To him, the outcome was already decided. No matter how Shrek struggled, nothing could change it—St. Freya would not lose.

He already knew every detail about Shrek's competitors, even their hidden Martial Soul Fusion Skills.

But above all, absolute strength was his true backing.

Novel