Every young man dreamed of being a soldier. Soldiers who had no ambitions of becoming generals were not good soldiers. In their youth, everyone had dreams of becoming a general one day. Tang Wulin was no exception. When he saw the two bars and three stars presented before him, he could not stop a dash of excitement from appearing on his face.

Blood One changed his military rank for him personally. The other eight Blood Gods could not help but smile slightly.

Blood One said, "Since your military rank has already surpassed that of a lieutenant colonel, from now on, you're promoted from Blood God Battalion supernumerary personnel to a preparatory member. Your next target will be him."

As he said this, Blood One pointed at Blood Nine. "Outside of the nine Blood Gods, a preparatory member is the highest status one can have, but the highest rank you can receive is that of a colonel. It's simple if you want to move up a rank. You'll just have to defeat a Blood God. With that, you can replace them and become an official member of the Blood God Battalion. Do you understand?"

Tang Wulin turned to look at Blood Nine, who was also looking back at him. Blood Nine raised his eyebrows at him as the smile on his face thickened.

Blood Nine had come from the Battle God Hall. Without question, he was a Title Douluo-ranked expert and a three-world battle armor master. The gap between them was still quite wide at the moment.

However, what Tang Wulin thought about was that, with the improvement in his cultivation base, what he needed most right now was a powerful opponent. Only under pressure from a powerful opponent in actual combat, would his cultivation base be brought out quicker. It was the only way he could maintain his fast-paced improvement.

"I understand. Thank you, senior officer. Senior officer Blood Nine, anytime that you're free, I would like to challenge you to a battle in the Star Dou Battle Network. This is because we can only fully unleash our strengths inside the Battle Network. There'll be no need to hold back," Tang Wulin immediately said.

Blood Six could not help but laugh. "Wulin, you haven't learned to walk yet, but you want to run!" Similar to Blood One, he had come from the Tang Sect and had naturally taken a liking to Tang Wulin. He meant to remind him not to reach for what was beyond his grasp.

Tang Wulin put on a smile that said he would not hurt a fly. "I only want to see just how great the gap between senior official officer Blood Nine and I is so that I can make him a goal I can reach for."

Blood Nine said with a faint grin, "Sure! I'm free today. I'll spar with you later." He did not think much about what Tang Wulin had said. The clear difference between their cultivation bases had made him accept Tang Wulin's words completely.

Blood One was the only one whose eyes looked excited. He was the one who had personally experienced the entire process of Tang Wulin condensing his soul core.

The condensation of a soul core was the mark of a seven-ringed Soul Saint. Although Tang Wulin did not possess a Soul Saint-ranked soul power cultivation base yet, the density of his soul power far exceeded that of a normal soul master's. With the addition of his soul core, his actual strength was already equal to a Soul Saint's. When his Golden Dragon Spear, the improvement of his battle armor with his Saint Craftsman skills and the existence of his bloodline power were factored in, he was definitely different from ordinary two-word battle armor masters, even though he appeared to have a standard two-word battle armor master's cultivation base.

"Alright, everyone, please go to the Star Dou Battle Network to witness this battle of theirs and give Tang Wulin some pointers," said Blood One.

Tang Wulin said, "Senior officer, I remember that there aren't any allocations for spectators for normal competitions, right?"

After he said this, the Blood Gods broke into laughter. Blood Three said gently, "We of the Blood God Battalion have our own special rights. We can watch any match. You don't have to worry about that."

They had special rights? As expected of the Blood God Battalion, they were in another league altogether!

Blood One looked toward Blood Nine. "Wulin isn't as simple as you think. Don't lose!"

Blood Nine was astonished. He laughed hysterically and said, "Captain, don't scare me like that! I'll be very sad if I become a preparatory member." As he said this, he even cowered behind Blood Eight and made a terrified face. His antics made everyone break into laughter.

Blood Two glared at Blood Nine. "Since Big Brother has told you not to be careless, you better get a hold of yourself. You have been serving for long enough. Why are you still so flippant after all these years?"

Blood Nine's expression turned peculiar. "Got it."

Tang Wulin looked at Blood Nine, then at Blood Two. He suddenly noticed that they looked alike. Also, Blood Nine was clearly afraid of Blood Two. That was genuine fear that he showed.

Blood Three snickered. "They're father and son, the two of them. Two Blood Gods from the same family. They're also a much-told tale in our Blood God Battalion."

Tang Wulin was hit with a sudden realization. 'So that's why.'

In the Blood God Battalion, the number of people who came from the Battle God Hall numbered the most. There were three of them, with Blood Two as the leader, Blood Eight and Blood Nine. However, he never expected Blood Nine to be Blood Two's son. That was truly an interesting story! He was a Title Douluo himself, and he had nurtured his son until he cultivated he achieved the same rank. That was not easy, but when he saw the fearful look on Blood Two's face when Blood Two spoke to him, he reckoned that he must have endured a fair share of hardships throughout the process of his training and cultivation.

"Everyone will be busy later. Let's enter the Battle Network right now." Blood One had decided for everyone.

Tang Wulin returned to his dorm. He felt slightly anxious but more excited. This was still his first time fighting head-on with a Title Douluo.

Title Douluos were the most powerful beings who stood at the pinnacle of the soul master realm! He only hoped that the difference between Blood Nine and himself would not be too great. Otherwise, this sparring session would not mean much either.

He entered the familiar Battle Network and logged in.

Little Tang appeared within the Battle Network. Tang Wulin calmed himself down and felt the changes in his surroundings. He prepared his form so that he would be at his best.

He had always thrived in competition-type settings. The more powerful his opponent was, the more it would stimulate him to do better. This was why although he was about to face an unprecedentedly powerful opponent, he felt more and more excited with every passing minute. He was becoming even more ready.

When he reached the stadium, he quickly located the others from the Blood God Battalion.

The nine Blood Gods had given themselves cute aliases. They were called Red One to Red Nine, simply replacing the word "Blood" with "Red".

Tang Wulin could not help but felt slightly speechless at this. However, this was good as well, as it was easier for him to remember.

Red Nine walked up to Little Tang and patted his shoulder. "You must do your best, alright? As long as you can force me into using my battle armor, we'll count it as your victory. How does that sound?"

"Alright!" Tang Wulin nodded in agreement without hesitation.

Red Nine smiled with squinted eyes as he said, "I heard that you've earned quite some merit points through forging. Why don't we make a little wager?"

This person had to be at least thirty years old, but he still acted as if his mental age was that of a child. Tang Wulin could not help but feel slightly speechless.

"Okay. How much?" He agreed without hesitation. Giving himself a challenge would not be an issue.

Red Nine gave it some thought and said, "How about ten thousand. It won't mean much if it's too little anyway."

"Hey, no bullying children!" Red Eight came toward them from the side and twisted Red Nine's ear.

"Ow! Little Eight, be gentler! He's now a two-word battle armor master and has a soul core. Isn't it enough for it to be his victory if he can force me into using my battle armor? Let us have some fun, it's not every day we get to do something exciting."

"Humph!" Blood Eight glared at him, exasperated that he would not live up to her expectations.

Blood Nine smiled flatteringly and said, "If I win, you'll get half the amount of the wager. If I lose, you won't have to pay half a point. That should be enough for you, right?"

At this, Blood Eight smiled, "That's more like it. Speak softer, don't let the captain and the others hear you."

The edge of Tang Wulin's lips twitched. What kind of people were these?

However, he was still very thankful to Blood Eight. After all, she had saved his life before! Without Blood Eight, he would not have been able to block the abyssal plane monarch's attack.

"You may begin once you're ready," came Blood One's voice. The Blood God Battalion had the responsibility of guarding the entire abyssal passage. Although the abyssal tide had just ended and there would be no danger of any powerful abyssal creatures coming to attack them, they still had to stand guard.

Blood Nine generously paid for the venue of their little match. The other eight Blood Gods disappeared as each of their bodies flickered away.

A glow flashed past. Tang Wulin and Blood Nine appeared on the competition stage and faced each other from afar.