One Against Seven

One Against Seven

One-on-one? Upon hearing this format, the spectators' eyes lit up, and nearly all of them turned their gazes toward Ye Qingchen, who had already entered the waiting area and was stuffing himself with food.

They all hoped Ye Qingchen would be the first to take the field. Better yet, if he could take down all seven opponents by himself, that would be truly satisfying! Who wouldn't want to experience the shock of a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring once more?

Wang Yan said confidently, "Ye Qingchen, you're up for the first match."

"Leave it to me. I'll take all seven of them down." Ye Qingchen spoke as he walked onto the competition stage.

The first student sent out by Cloud Luo Academy was not tall, but his shoulders were broad, and he was even somewhat overweight. Facing Ye Qingchen, his face was full of nervousness. Beads of sweat had already appeared on his forehead.

No matter which academy faced Shrek Academy, they would probably be nervous. There was simply no avoiding it.

Ye Qingchen had displayed overwhelming strength. Especially seeing Ye Qingchen's calm expression, the student felt even more uneasy. He subconsciously wiped away his sweat with his sleeve, drawing a burst of laughter from the spectators.

The referee called the two of them forward and said in a deep voice, "The rules of the individual Knockout Tournament are as follows: once one side loses, they must immediately leave the stage. The winner may choose to continue fighting or withdraw and be replaced. Each side sends out seven members, and the match continues until all seven members of one side have lost. Do you understand?"

"Understood," Ye Qingchen answered crisply. His opponent, however, stammered, "U-Understood."

The referee said, "All right. Both sides, move back and await my command to begin. Fixed Soul Devices and other high-damage soul tools that rely on materials for their power are prohibited."

With that, the referee retreated. However, the Cloud Luo Academy student forced out a smile and said to Ye Qingchen, "I-I'm Ma Yingjun. Please go easy on me."

Ye Qingchen nodded. "All right. I'll be gentler later."

"Ah." Ma Yingjun happily backed away.

Ye Qingchen walked to the opposite side of the stage and took his position.

"Match, begin!" the referee shouted as he withdrew to the edge.

Ma Yingjun of Cloud Luo Academy reacted swiftly. He raised both arms, and three thumb-thick metal barrels unfolded from each arm. Two more metal barrels as thick as arms unfolded from each shoulder. A pair of folded wings instantly spread from his back, while six metal barrels unfolded from each of his thick legs. A metal soul tool resembling a heart-protecting mirror also appeared over his chest—it was clearly a Soul Tool Shield.

"Damn, you're going fully armed? Was that really necessary?"

Ye Qingchen's transformation was naturally nowhere near as complicated. His Silver Dragon Martial Soul instantly possessed him, effectively forming a suit of armor around him. Four black and one red soul rings shone around his body.

The moment Ye Qingchen's Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring appeared, the spectators in the distance let out cries of amazement. Among these viewers, soul masters accounted for less than one in a thousand! Most were merely there for the spectacle. Very few truly understood how precious a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring was.

Before taking the stage, Ma Yingjun had already planned his strategy. Its purpose was simple: fight while moving and wear Ye Qingchen down. He believed that, with the speed enhanced by the Flying Soul Tool on his back, he would be satisfied as long as he could use his soul tools to drain some of Ye Qingchen's Soul Power.

When the match began and he saw Ye Qingchen standing still, Ma Yingjun launched a dense barrage from his long-range soul tools at him.

Facing the dense barrage of soul tool rays, Ye Qingchen did not panic at all. To ensure the fairness of the tournament, he had used all his Divine Power to expand his Small World. All he had left was his physical body and Soul Power at just over level fifty.

Ye Qingchen raised his left hand. The space before him rippled slightly before instantly caving inward. The dense soul tool rays did not strike Ye Qingchen; instead, they were directly absorbed by that distorted space.

"These are your own attacks, so I'll give them back to you."

Ye Qingchen raised his right hand, and space caved inward once again. The soul tool rays that had just been absorbed emerged from this space and shot back toward Ma Yingjun of Cloud Luo Academy. Thanks to his defensive soul tool, Ma Yingjun was merely blasted out of the arena and was not injured...

The people in the waiting area were completely dumbfounded. Nearly in unison, they said, "That works too?"

The moment Ma Yingjun's body flew off the stage, the entire venue suddenly fell silent. At least a hundred thousand people had their mouths hanging open, and even His Majesty the Emperor was no exception.

On the stage, the referee was dumbfounded as well. Less than a minute had passed since he announced the start, and one contestant was already gone.

Ye Qingchen spoke three words from the corner of his mouth. "Next one."

After a brief silence, the entire audience erupted. Was this the power of Shrek Academy?

As the saying went, amateurs watched the excitement, while experts watched the technique. The members of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, seated not far from Shrek Academy, had roughly guessed the purpose of this skill. The Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy students grew tense again.

"First match of the individual Knockout Tournament: Shrek Academy wins."

The Cloud Luo captain turned and said, "Shang Yue, you're up."

"Yes." A female team member from Cloud Luo Academy sprang to her feet and swiftly headed onto the competition stage.

When Ye Qingchen saw a girl come up against him, his eyes immediately lit up. The referee promptly shouted for the match to begin and retreated.

Shang Yue's fighting style was completely different from Ma Yingjun's. A pair of long blades was strapped to her back. She charged forward, reached behind her with both hands, and drew the blades, sending two arcs of blade light slashing toward Ye Qingchen.

Below the stage, Wang Yan nearly blurted out, "Melee Soul Tools. Watch carefully. Any soul engineer who uses Melee Soul Tools has extremely strong close-combat abilities. Their Soul Skills may be weaker, but their close-range fighting strength is formidable. The best way to deal with them is to keep them from getting close whenever possible. Otherwise, they'll be quite troublesome."

Clang! Clang—

On the stage, Shang Yue's twin blades viciously struck Ye Qingchen's dragon scales, erupting in intense incandescent light.

At this moment, Shang Yue's soul rings emerged as well: three yellow and one purple. Her martial soul was somewhat strange. Her transformation seemed primarily centered on her hair, which changed from golden to iron-gray.

Her twin long blades swept out like a raging storm, crazily striking Ye Qingchen. Thunderous booms rang out continuously across the stage. Ye Qingchen was completely on the defensive, taking blow after blow, leaving the spectators in an uproar of confusion.

Activating soul tools consumed Soul Power, and the stronger a Melee Soul Tool was, the more Soul Power it consumed. Shang Yue's twin blades were third-grade Melee Soul Tools with considerable offensive power.

However, no matter how strong her cultivation was, there would eventually come a time when her strength ran out. After that storm-like barrage, she could already feel the excessive depletion of Soul Power within her body.

It was not as though Shang Yue had not tried to find a flaw in Ye Qingchen's defenses, but his dragon scales were extraordinarily tough. No matter how she attacked, she could not break through them.

Shang Yue's four soul rings had been flashing in alternation throughout her earlier attacks, yet no visible Soul Skill had appeared. Her final two soul rings lit up simultaneously. The incandescent glow emanating from her twin blades now carried a faint bluish tint, and the intense Soul Power fluctuations even warped the surrounding air. She swung both blades, striking at Ye Qingchen with all her strength.

I've won! The moment Shang Yue unleashed those two slashes, nearly everyone from both her side and Cloud Luo Academy shared the same thought.

They knew Shang Yue's attack power. Even a Soul King-level expert might not be able to withstand such an all-out attack head-on. Yet just as the thought of victory arose in their hearts, it instantly turned into astonishment.

Just as Shang Yue's twin blades were about to strike Ye Qingchen, Ye Qingchen's dragon claws directly seized the two Melee Soul Tools. With a fierce squeeze, the twin blades shattered. His claws then grabbed for Shang Yue's neck and flung her straight off the competition stage.

Ye Qingchen said to the referee, "I won. Next match."

The referee's gaze turned astonished as well. Crushing a Class 3 Soul Tool with his bare hand... Just then, the captain of Cloud Luo Advanced Soul Engineer Academy stepped onto the competition stage and strode up to Ye Qingchen.

Facing Ye Qingchen, his expression was frosty and solemn, but he did not lose his temper. Instead, he gave Ye Qingchen a slight bow. "Cloud Luo Advanced Soul Engineer Academy, Situ Yu."

Ye Qingchen's expression grew slightly more restrained. "Shrek, Ye Qingchen."

Situ Yu said in a deep voice, "As Cloud Luo Academy's captain, I hope to have an honorable match with you, so that I may know the gap between us. If you defeat me, there will be no need to continue today's remaining matches."

"As you wish."

The referee stepped forward at that moment and said gravely, "Both sides, fall back."

Situ Yu watched Ye Qingchen slowly retreat. Yet as he backed away, his gaze grew sharper and sharper, his entire body emanating a piercingly sharp aura.

Ye Qingchen was backing away as well, leisurely retreating without attaching any particular importance to his opponent.

Waiting area.

Wang Yan had completely relaxed by then. Since they were so close to the competition stage, they had heard the exchange between Ye Qingchen and his opponent.

Onstage, Ye Qingchen and Situ Yu had each retreated to the edge of the competition stage.

After glancing at each of them, the referee shouted, "Begin!"

Situ Yu, who had been as steady as a mountain a moment ago, seemed to transform into a Thousand-Handed Guanyin the next instant. A violent series of metallic mechanical clatters rang out from his entire body. In just a few breaths, Situ Yu's body seemed to have doubled in size.

Three metal-brace-like structures extended from each of his sturdy legs. Each brace was as thick as a forearm and extremely sharp at the bottom. The moment they sprang out, they dug firmly into the ground, forming an exceptionally stable base. Then, beginning from his calves, a large number of offensive Soul Tools emerged.

As the Soul Tools appeared, at least six locations on Situ Yu's body lit up with unusual radiance, and numerous Soul Tools began attaching themselves to him.

These Soul Tools clearly had not been installed on his body beforehand. They had only just been activated. Situ Yu in his current state resembled a killing machine. That pure metallic texture gave off an icy, sinister feeling, while four soul rings—two yellow and two purple—rose from beneath his feet at the same time.

Once the referee announced the start, Ye Qingchen did not use any Soul Skill. He simply walked toward Situ Yu, closing the distance between them.

Situ Yu raised his forearms, bracing his elbows against his ribs and locking them into the metal there. Immediately afterward, six metal tubes on each of his arms simultaneously spat out intense white light. His four soul rings actually flashed in alternation.

Countless white spheres erupted almost instantly. Each was the size of an egg, forming a tidal wave of light bombs that swept madly toward Ye Qingchen.

Faced with this attack, Ye Qingchen responded in the simplest manner. His purple dragon wings instantly expanded and shielded him from the front. A rapid succession of violent explosions rang out against the wings, and purple halos spread outward.

Such powerful defense. Situ Yu's pupils contracted slightly, and every nerve in his body tensed completely. On the competition stage, his Soul Tool Turret combat style should have held a clear advantage.

Situ Yu's abilities naturally did not end there. Three short, thick metal tubes rose from each shoulder. Their muzzles swiftly adjusted under the control of his muscles, and white spheres as large as fists shot into the sky, tracing arcs as they accurately descended toward Ye Qingchen.

"Interesting. Let's see whether you're faster, or I am."

Activating two highly destructive Soul Tools at once would inevitably cause a slight pause in his attacks. Seizing that instant of pause, Ye Qingchen suddenly sprang forward, the speed beneath his feet abruptly increasing.

If the six light spheres arcing through the air continued to fall according to their original trajectories, they would certainly miss. However, these six spheres clearly possessed a locking effect. Though they fell behind Ye Qingchen, they immediately curved through the air and gave chase.

Situ Yu had faced such situations before. In that instant, every metal tube on his body lit up at once as he transformed into a Soul Tool Turret. The dazzling radiance even dyed every Soul Tool on his body a blazing incandescent white. Dozens of white beams erupted in an instant, converging on Ye Qingchen.

Faced with attacks from both front and rear, Ye Qingchen's speed suddenly surged. Then, every spectator felt their vision blur. Ye Qingchen's entire body became as illusory as lightning, splitting into at least dozens of figures at once.

"Three Thousand Thunder Illusory Body. Any one of these figures could be the real body. Your tracking is useless against me."

At least half of the Soul Tool beams and shells attacking him from the front struck empty air. Amid the violent explosions, not a single attack truly landed on him. In an instant, Ye Qingchen arrived before Situ Yu.

Situ Yu was greatly startled as well. The Class 4 Focusing Soul Tool Cannon on his chest blazed with light. It had been the only one that had not attacked earlier, because the Focusing Soul Tool Cannon consumed far too much Soul Power. But at this moment, how could Situ Yu care about consumption? His eyes were filled with madness. He launched his final strike.

Ye Qingchen's gaze turned utterly cold. At the very instant the Class 4 Focusing Soul Tool Cannon erupted, his left foot suddenly stepped to the left, and he slammed fiercely into Situ Yu's Soul Tool Turret.

Amid a violent roar, Situ Yu, who had not been far from the edge of the competition stage to begin with, was sent flying by the impact. Only when he struck the light screen of the protective barrier did he stop, before instantly falling downward.

Having transformed into a Soul Tool Turret, Situ Yu feared this sort of heavy impact most. Raising his head, he looked deeply at Ye Qingchen, nodded, and said, "I lost. I accept this defeat completely. Our Cloud Luo Academy concedes."

"Shrek Academy wins!"

Long-overdue cheers finally erupted thunderously following the referee's announcement.

Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy's resting area was completely silent. The final result was before their eyes, yet they had suffered another blow.

(End of Chapter)