The Master of Beasts

It had been a year since Chen Jiuge agreed to Ao Mei's banquet.

Throughout that year, Ao Mei had pulled strings left and right, finally gathering five people for the team. Ao Chun, in particular, made significant contributions, though his eyes filled with sorrow every time he looked at the soccer team.

The rules for the Heavenly Realm's soccer competition were simple: six players per team, with no substitutes. During matches, participants could only use their physical strength and Physical Body Divine Powers. Considering that not all sects possessed strong Body Refiners, players were permitted to use Spiritual Energy solely to strengthen their bodies; this was not considered a violation. Furthermore, participants' cultivation was restricted to the True Immortal level; those above or below could not participate. Additionally, Spiritual Beasts were prohibited from reverting to their true forms.

Wearing airtight, full-body protective armor, Ao Mei stood before the elites he had recruited over the past year and declared, "Our Four Seas team is now officially established! To win in the preliminaries, we'll start with our first training session: kicking the ball!"

THUMP!

The tremendous weight caused a slight tremor in the earth. Thankfully, the ground, reinforced with numerous arrays, was not damaged.

The ball on the ground looks like a soccer ball from my previous life—same size, black and white, Chen Jiuge thought. But this thing is made of Star Origin Stone, indestructible even by Heavenly Immortals! I've truly underestimated this world.

"Now, let's take turns kicking it to see whose attack is strongest. Whoever that is will be our forward!" Ao Mei announced.

As soon as Ao Mei finished speaking, the shadow of a White Dragon solidified behind him. His mighty qi and blood surged skyward. With one kick, the Star Origin Stone ball zipped into the distance, creating a tremendous noise.

"Six points!" The Dragon Palace's Prime Minister, a Heavenly Immortal, chuckled as he returned the ball and announced the score.

"Only six points. More training is indeed necessary," Ao Mei said, a bit vexed.

Chen Jiuge stared at the large hole torn in the protective armor on Ao Mei's foot, unsure what to say. That's True Immortal Level protective armor! It might not be the sturdiest, but tearing a large hole in it with a single kick... that's some serious power. Since Spiritual Energy couldn't be used, the armor's defensive capabilities weren't fully active, but this was still outrageous.

"Next, Ao Wei."

Ao Wei had competed in the previous tournament and had some practical experience. As a result, the ball he kicked curved magically on its own!

Chen Jiuge watched numbly as the Prime Minister awarded it seven points.

"Next, Wang Jiao."

Wang Jiao was Wang Hai's cousin from the Qiongqi clan. He was originally a contestant for his clan, but Ao Chun's offer had been too generous to refuse, compelling him to become a turncoat.

"Let me show you the might of the Qiongqi!" Wang Jiao declared proudly. The Dharma Image of a Qiongqi sprouted wings behind him, and a huge gust of wind rose as Wang Jiao shouted, "This is my special move, Hurricane Impact!"

A giant tornado, with the ball at its core, charged forward, slamming directly into the Prime Minister's sturdy shell.

"Eight points! Eight points!" exclaimed the Prime Minister, clearly excited by its power.

"Eight points, not bad at all," Ao Mei said, his face beaming.

The next two were brothers—Ju Han, the elder, and Ju Ze, the younger—both great blue sea monsters. Their primary role was to harass opponents and attack when opportunities arose. Both were quite strong and also received a six-point score.

"The last one is the Human Clan cultivator, Chen Jiuge," Ao Mei said, his voice tinged with anticipation. This human's qi and blood are even stronger than Wang Jiao's. I'm confident he'll bring us a surprise!

Kicking a soccer ball with all his might is actually quite embarrassing for me, Chen Jiuge thought, but the reward Ao Chun offered was simply too good to refuse.

A thousand-foot-tall giant, adorned with dark green patterns, materialized above Chen Jiuge. With a flick of its massive foot, the giant lofted the ball into the air for a volley.

CRACKLE! BOOM!

The resounding noise had yet to fade when the ball slammed into the Prime Minister's shell.

"Nine points! Nine points!!!" Seeing the faint mark on his shell, the Prime Minister shouted with the joy of a New Year's celebration.

"I knew it! I wasn't wrong about you! Hahaha," Ao Mei laughed heartily, shedding all the noble composure he had displayed at the banquet.

When ordinary people play soccer, the worst they might do is break an opponent's bones. But what if Immortals were the ones kicking? If such a ball struck a small asteroid, the impact would be comparable to a meteorite strike.

Seven years passed under Ao Mei's rigorous training.

"The Four Seas team will definitely make it out of the preliminaries!"

Chen Jiuge mumbled the chant along with his pumped-up teammates, feeling a bit awkward. This is so childish, he thought.

「Desolate World」

As one of the most unique regions in the Heavenly Realm, the Desolate World was incredibly vast. It was home to the territories of almost all top-tier Divine Beasts, Fierce Beasts, Immortal Beasts, and Disaster Beasts—virtually every kind of creature imaginable. The Heavenly Realm's soccer competition, held once every three thousand years, took place here.

"To think, I just took a nap, and it's already time for the competition again. Time really flies," remarked a Golden Immortal Xuanwu lazily, flicking its serpentine tail.

"Well, well! I didn't expect a layabout like you to be the first one here!" exclaimed a surprised voice. Its owner was none other than Jun Linseng, the Sect Master of the Myriad Beasts Sect!

"Hahaha, I haven't arrived too late, have I?" laughed Xing Zongning, the Sect Master of the Galaxy Sacred Land.

"Since you've arrived, please take your seats. The first match is about to begin," declared Long Yuquan, the Clan Leader of the True Dragon Clan, his voice grave.

"I wonder who's in the first match?"

"Do you even need to ask? It has to be the Four Seas Dragon Palace's team."

"Is their opponent perhaps from the True Dragon Clan?"