Shock

Shock

"Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom..." Salutes thundered from the city walls, continuing for a full one hundred and eight blasts before finally stopping.

The Star Luo Emperor led the officials a few steps back. The seats had already been arranged, and he and the Empress took their seats before gesturing to the Prime Minister beside him.

"According to the rules of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament, the first round will be a Knockout Tournament. This year, a total of one hundred and thirty-three advanced soul master and soul engineer academies have registered. By drawing lots, one academy has received a bye in the first round. There will be sixty-six matches in total. The first round will follow a knockout format. The losers will end their journey in this tournament immediately. Now, the first match is about to begin. The competing sides are the Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy Team from the Dou Ling Empire, and the Shrek Academy Team—the continent's number one academy, holder of countless honors and nearly every tournament championship over the past thousand years."

The moment the host made this announcement, the atmosphere in Star Luo Square erupted to its peak.

"Shrek! Shrek! Shrek..." The cries for Shrek Academy echoed through virtually every corner of the square.

Faced with such a scene, everyone in the reserve team except Ye Qingchen was somewhat dumbfounded.

Just then, the host's voice rang out. "Let us first welcome the members of Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy onto the stage."

From a position toward the back of the competitors' area, a team of pale-faced young contestants emerged. As they walked out of the competitors' area, even their steps seemed unsteady.

Ma Xiaotao chuckled and said to Ye Qingchen and the others, "Look, those are your opponents. Did you notice? Some of their calves are shaking like sieves. Show them your courage and strength. Shrek will win."

"Shrek will win!"

"Alright, the members of Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy have taken the stage. At this moment, under the watchful eyes of all, let us welcome the continent's number one academy, the true king among academies—the Shrek Academy Team!" The host's impassioned voice pierced the clouds, and Star Luo Square instantly became a sea of cheers for Shrek.

Ye Qingchen, Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and He Caitou led the group. Ye Qingchen had replaced Xiaoxiao, who was originally meant to compete. At last, the platform was right before them.

Ye Qingchen did not step onto the platform immediately. Instead, he turned around and said casually, "Relax. Leave it to me."

The seven members of each side gathered at opposite corners of the arena, staring at one another from afar. When the Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy students saw that Shrek Academy had sent out such a young lineup, they could not help but freeze for a moment.

Was this Shrek Academy's reserve team? But this was a knockout match! Weren't they afraid?

The Star Luo Emperor wore a look of astonishment as he asked in confusion, "What is Shrek Academy doing? Why haven't they sent out their main force? Why isn't Dai Hao's son competing either?"

A match was still a match. No matter how many people were confused, it had to continue. The referee sent by the Star Luo Empire was already in position and gestured for both sides to step forward.

The seven students from each side quickly gathered in the center of the field. From this close distance, the Shrek Team could see their opponents' unpleasant expressions even more clearly.

The referee said in a deep voice, "First round, Knockout Tournament, team battle. Both sides may use most soul devices during the match. However, if either side surrenders during combat, the other side may not continue attacking. Soul engineers may not use highly destructive equipment such as Fixed Soul Devices in battle. Do you understand?"

"Understood," Ye Qingchen answered first.

The captain of Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy was a slender young man who appeared to be around twenty years old. Among the opposing seven, only his expression remained relatively normal. He also responded after Ye Qingchen.

The referee nodded. "Good. Both sides, retreat to the edges of the arena. Begin when I give the command. Before I announce the start, no one may release their martial soul ahead of time. Otherwise, they will be declared defeated."

The two sides slowly widened the distance between them. On the other side, Tianling Academy made its final arrangements as it retreated. Soon, both teams had reached the edges of the arena.

As the referee raised his hand, the members of both teams immediately took their positions.

On Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy's side, the seven quickly spread out. Three soul masters stood in front, clearly either assault-type or defense-type. Two soul masters stood slightly behind on either flank, likely agility attack-types. The remaining two soul masters stood in the center at the very back, one before the other.

Shrek Academy's formation, on the other hand, looked disorganized. There was no particular arrangement; the six stood in a straight line, with Ye Qingchen at the very front.

"Referee, can we begin?" Ye Qingchen asked the referee calmly.

Only then did the referee snap back to his senses. His raised right hand came down as he shouted, "Begin!"

With the referee's shout, the students on both sides released their martial souls almost simultaneously.

Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy's seven members truly could not be considered weak. Rings of mainly yellow and purple light shone with dazzling brilliance. Of the seven, five had four rings, while only two were at the three-ring level.

At this moment, no one paid attention to Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy's situation. Nearly every spectator's gaze was fixed on Ye Qingchen as he strode forward.

After Ye Qingchen removed the mask from his face and crushed it in one grip, an indescribably terrifying aura suddenly appeared on the arena. Blood-red light illuminated the entire platform in an instant, and an aura filled with cruel, murderous, frenzied, and other terrifying undertones erupted without warning.

With every step Ye Qingchen took, another soul ring appeared: black, black, black, black, red. Five soul rings slowly emerged.

What did red signify? It signified the pinnacle of soul rings, terrifying strength, and a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring! Moreover, his earlier soul rings had all begun at the ten-thousand-year level. It would have been easier to accept if he possessed Twin Martial Souls, but what if he had only one martial soul?

Cries of shock rose from hundreds of thousands of mouths at once like crashing tidal waves. The deafening sensation was overwhelming. Even the Star Luo Emperor, the Empress, and the civil and military officials atop the city walls rose to their feet in shock as if by prior agreement.

One of Ye Qingchen's five soul rings suddenly blazed with brilliant light. The seven Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy students all groaned at almost the same time.

"Fifth Soul Skill, Silver Dragon's Roar!"

Their emotions had already been stretched to the limit, and the visual shock had brought the Tianling Academy students to the brink of mental collapse.

The phantom of the Silver Dragon King gradually appeared behind Ye Qingchen. Its dragon head bent slightly, as though gathering strength. The next moment, a terrifying dragon roar attacked forward in a fan-shaped sweep. Within the roar, every element raged violently, different elements fusing and repelling one another as they inflicted immense elemental damage upon the Tianling students.

Of Tianling Academy's seven members, the two three-ring soul masters collapsed almost instantly, multicolored lights bursting repeatedly from their bodies. It seemed that protective soul devices were exploding one after another. The soul rings of the other five were sealed, and even their protective barriers showed signs of shattering.

Ye Qingchen stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes filled with arrogance. He calmly said to the referee, who was already stunned stiff beside him, "Announce the result. They may need treatment."

"Huh?" Only then did the referee react.

Who knew how many people had screamed impossible in their hearts upon seeing the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring? Yet at this very moment, Shrek was Shrek. Number one on the continent, invincible across the land—Shrek.

After the match ended, the blood-red soul ring that made breathing difficult instantly withdrew. He slowly walked down from the arena and returned to where the Shrek Academy members had been standing, not even waiting for the referee to announce the result.

Wang Yan seemed somewhat reproachful as he said, "Wasn't that a little too harsh?"

"Harsh? I don't think so. I only made a slight move. I didn't expect they couldn't endure even that. It seems I'll have to suppress my strength further."

Ye Qingchen's voice was loud enough for the students of Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, as well as those academies positioned nearer the front, to hear.

Wang Yan's eyes shifted slightly. "Do you want to stay and watch the others compete?"

Ye Qingchen said coldly, "There's nothing worth watching. Let's go back." With that, he headed straight out.

As he passed the academy teams one after another, his gaze swept over them seemingly at random. Yet not a single person dared meet his eyes.

The others from Shrek Academy followed behind him. After the very first match had ended, they simply left.

"Who is that person? Why have I never heard his name before? Investigate him. Find out everything about his background, no matter the cost." The Star Luo Emperor watched Ye Qingchen leave the entire time.

The ones most shaken were the members of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy. Every one of them wore an expression so grim it was frightening.

Even Xiao Hongchen, who had always been immensely proud, looked livid. His fists were clenched tight as a voice echoed relentlessly in his heart.

"How is that possible? How could there possibly be someone more talented than me in this world? No, absolutely not. He's fake. Fake, fake, fake!"

Fake? He really was fake. Even the soul rings had merely been fabricated by Ye Qingchen—but no one could be deceived by his aura...