Zhengtian Academy Defeated

Ye Qingchen, Wang Dong, and Bei Bei strode onto the competition stage. Zhengtian Academy had already sent out four members, leaving the remaining three led by their captain, Ye Wuqing. This was also Ye Wuqing's first time stepping onto the stage as captain.

At Ye Wuqing's sides stood a man and a woman. The male contestant was somewhat ugly, and his name was Shangguan Can. He was an auxiliary control-type Tool Soul Master. The female student on Ye Wuqing's other side was far prettier. Her name was Yan Er, a power attack-type Battle Soul Master who specialized in long-range attacks.

The two sides faced one another on the stage. Since they already knew each other's identities, Zhengtian Academy's captain, Ye Wuqing, spoke first.

"Shrek is still Shrek. Although I don't know why Shrek Academy sent people like you to compete, even if you lose, you won't bring shame to Shrek Academy. My name is Ye Wuqing, captain of Zhengtian Academy."

Ye Qingchen replied calmly, "We'll find out after the match."

The cold look in Ye Wuqing's eyes flickered slightly. He raised his right thumb, then slowly turned it downward.

The referee promptly interrupted the two sides, who had begun competing before the match had even started. "Fall back and prepare for battle."

The moment Ye Qingchen turned around, his expression changed. "I'm definitely breaking that thing later."

Both sides retreated, quickly reaching the edges of the freshly repaired stage. The match had yet to begin, but the air was already thick with gunpowder. For either side, this was a battle they could not afford to lose.

After staring at the three from Shrek Academy, the referee took a deep breath and shouted, "Begin!"

As that shout rang out, both sides released their Martial Souls at the same time.

Martial Soul Avatar!

Elements covered Ye Qingchen's entire body along with silver dragon scales, while purple dragon wings unfurled behind him. Behind him, Bei Bei and Wang Dong each released their Martial Souls as well: the Silver Dragon King, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, and the Light Goddess Butterfly. All three Martial Souls were among the strongest.

The three led by Ye Wuqing from Zhengtian Academy also released their Martial Souls. It could be said that all three of their Martial Souls were rather unusual. Zhengtian Academy, which devoted itself to Martial Soul cultivation and rejected Soul Tools, truly had its own unique methods when it came to selecting and training students.

On the left, Shangguan Can half-closed his eyes. In that instant, a faint mist spread over his entire body. The mist curled and rose, making his figure seem indistinct and filling him with an air of mystery.

A string of crisp "ding-ling-ling" sounds rang out as an ancient-looking bell appeared in his right hand. It was an exceptionally peculiar Martial Soul.

Two yellow and two purple soul rings rose and fell around his body. Taking half a step back, Shangguan Can narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze landing first on Ye Qingchen.

On the other side, Yan Er's Martial Soul was indeed related to fire. Her body floated into the air, and beneath her feet was an enormous fireball nearly half a meter in diameter. Her Martial Soul was a fireball. It was not an elemental Martial Soul like Ling Luochen's, but it was only slightly inferior—a tangible elemental Martial Soul.

Compared to theirs, Ye Wuqing's Martial Soul did not seem particularly unusual. A long, narrow golden leaf floated quietly before him, while his soul rings hovered around his body. He raised his right hand and pinched the leaf between his index and middle fingers.

Yan Er was the first to attack. She swiftly brought her hands together before her chest and cried, "Go!"

The two fireballs in her palms immediately merged into one. As they fused, they became a massive fireball a foot in diameter and shot toward Bei Bei. Shangguan Can was not idle either. He gently shook the Soul-Seizing Bell in his hand, producing a string of ding-ling-ling sounds. Bei Bei, Ye Qingchen, and Wang Dong all felt a wave of irritation rise within them, their minds going blank for an instant.

Spiritual Interference?

"Quiet down." Ye Qingchen gave a cold shout and counterattacked without hesitation. Silver-white light instantly spread from his body, aimed directly at Shangguan Can, the Soul-Seizing Bell Soul Master.

The silver-white light burst forth in an instant. Shangguan Can felt an irresistible, piercing spiritual force slam into his mind, and blood immediately spurted from both nostrils. He staggered, and the first Soul Skill he had been using, Soul Ripple, was immediately interrupted.

What a powerful spiritual attack Soul Skill! In shock, Shangguan Can shook the Soul-Seizing Bell in his hand fiercely. The piercing bell chimes carried powerful soundwaves, making Bei Bei and Wang Dong feel as though their scalps were about to explode.

This was the Soul-Seizing Bell's second Soul Skill, Soul Grief. At that very moment, Yan Er's fireball had already reached Bei Bei.

Bei Bei raised his right hand, and a claw-shaped bolt of blue-purple lightning shot forward to meet it, colliding with the fireball in a thunderous explosion. Bei Bei was not stopped, but his Thunder Dragon Claw was completely consumed by the fireball.

Ye Wuqing attacked as well, and his method took everyone by surprise. He flung out the leaf pinched between his fingers. As he did so, his second soul ring lit up. Yet after the dazzling Golden Leaf was thrown, it displayed no power at all. Most strangely, it seemed to have missed, landing two or three meters short of its target.

Ye Wuqing's timing was excellent. He acted at the precise moment Shangguan Can unleashed his second Soul Skill, Soul Grief.

Under the effects of Soul Grief, the Golden Leaf fell to the ground.

"Ding—" The Golden Leaf struck the ground with a crisp ring. Then, it unexpectedly bounced up. Its original golden color abruptly turned reddish gold, and its speed suddenly tripled as it shot straight toward Bei Bei.

However, the Golden Leaf did not reach Bei Bei. An ice blade appeared, seemingly by coincidence yet with extreme precision, directly along the Golden Leaf's path.

The two collided. The Golden Leaf paused briefly, then a violent explosion erupted, transforming it into a burst of reddish-gold flames that scattered in every direction.

Wang Dong and Bei Bei paid no attention to the Golden Leaf and continued charging forward. Bei Bei suddenly accelerated, reducing the distance between the two sides to within thirty meters. Ye Qingchen also unfolded his domain at the right moment. Shangguan Can's Soul-Seizing Bell could interfere with them, but they could naturally affect their opponents as well.

The intense pressure made Ye Wuqing's trio freeze for a moment. Yan Er even thought Shangguan Can, who had been continuously shaking the Soul-Seizing Bell, had targeted the wrong people, and she instinctively looked toward him.

The Golden Leaf in the air suddenly descended, chasing after Bei Bei, but another ice blade appeared precisely in its path.

The Golden Leaf's destructive power was certainly formidable, but what use was it if it could not hit its target?

Zhengtian Academy's three members consisted of one support and two long-range attackers. Distance was naturally important to Bei Bei, Ye Qingchen, and Wang Dong. Ye Qingchen accelerated as well, but he did so by compressing space.

Zhengtian Academy's trio was extremely wary of Ye Qingchen. At least so far, no one had been able to figure out exactly what his abilities were.

Ye Qingchen's target was simple: Shangguan Can. The sound of Shangguan Can's Soul-Seizing Bell abruptly changed, becoming shrill as his third Soul Skill activated. The piercing bell chimes were like countless needles stabbing at their eardrums.

Bei Bei, who was charging forward, was immediately affected. Wang Dong was as well. Only Ye Qingchen remained unaffected. Before he even arrived, a beam of white light shot toward Shangguan Can like lightning.

Naturally, Ye Wuqing and Yan Er would not stand by and watch Shangguan Can be attacked. Yan Er's aura abruptly changed. The huge fireball beneath her feet suddenly flew out, splitting into five fireballs in midair and bombarding Ye Qingchen.

Not only that, she clasped her hands before her chest as her third soul ring lit up. An enormous purple fireball gradually condensed before her. A Golden Leaf, much like the earlier ice blade, accurately intercepted the white beam Ye Qingchen had fired.

However, when the Golden Leaf cut through the beam that appeared to be a Soul Tool ray, something bizarre happened. The Golden Leaf passed straight through it as if it had encountered no obstruction at all.

Ye Wuqing had originally intended to use the Golden Leaf to block Ye Qingchen's attack. Upon contact, his Golden Leaf would explode. With the explosive force of a metal storm, he was confident he could stop Ye Qingchen's continued assault. Meanwhile, he himself was preparing to unleash an even stronger Soul Skill against Ye Qingchen and Bei Bei.

But he had miscalculated. After encountering that seemingly powerful beam, the Golden Leaf simply passed through it as though no collision had occurred. The beam was about to reach Shangguan Can.

Shangguan Can knew better than anyone how powerful the Golden Leaf was! He no longer cared about using his Soul-Seizing Bell. With a diving forward roll, he lunged miserably to the side.

The beam suddenly twisted in midair and struck Ye Wuqing with perfect accuracy. Ye Wuqing felt his entire body go numb as paralysis seized him. Now, Bei Bei, Ye Qingchen, and Wang Dong only had Yan Er to face at the same time.

Even if the Soul Tools Ye Qingchen made were not particularly impressive, paralyzing Soul Masters for at least a minute would not be a problem.

Five massive fireballs arrived in an instant. Less than a meter from Ye Qingchen, they suddenly collapsed and burst into sparks that filled the sky. The terrifying impact even made Ye Wuqing, whose body was still paralyzed, stagger backward.

At that moment, Wang Dong's wings displayed their tremendous utility. With a flap, she changed direction and lunged toward Yan Er. Wang Dong and Bei Bei's targets were not Ye Wuqing and Shangguan Can.

Yan Er's only advantage was the enormous purple fireball that had already taken shape before her. Its blazing heat scorched the air, causing even her own figure to distort like rippling water.

Faced with such an unfavorable situation, Yan Er did not panic. She swiftly retreated diagonally backward, yet even as she retreated, she did not allow the distance between herself and Ye Wuqing to widen. At the same time, she did not release the thousand-year Soul Skill, Purple Flame Ball, gathered before her. Instead, she kept it there, ready at any moment to block her opponents' attacks. She soon realized that she had miscalculated.

The originally scorching temperature on the competition platform suddenly plummeted in an instant, as if a cold current had abruptly swept onto the stage. The Purple Flame Ball before Yan Er actually shrank by a third in an instant, and even its heat could no longer be released outward.

Ye Qingchen's originally purple eyes had completely turned ice-blue. With the domain's enhancement, its intensity could even crush ultimate ice. He flashed toward Yan Er and directly slapped both hands toward the Purple Flame Ball before her.

Yan Er only felt her fire-element Soul Power being greatly affected by the icy aura emanating from those palms. It actually showed signs of completely contracting inward.

How was this possible? How could this be possible?

Yan Er finally could not hold herself together any longer. She thrust both hands forward and hurled the Purple Flame Ball at Ye Qingchen. By the time it reached him, its diameter was less than half a foot.

His right hand sliced directly into it. Thick white smoke rose from Ye Qingchen's right palm, and then, propelled by his Soul Tool Thruster, he burst through the smoke and arrived before Yan Er.

Yan Er truly began to panic. The pressure of ultimate ice upon her was even greater than that of Ye Qingchen himself. During that time, Ye Wuqing finally recovered from his paralyzed state, while Shangguan Can, who had barely avoided the Golden Leaf explosion, climbed back to his feet.

They both saw Yan Er's predicament as Ye Qingchen forced her back. Unfortunately, neither of them could go to her aid now, because Bei Bei stood before them, with Wang Dong in the air above.

Just as Ye Qingchen flashed to Yan Er's side, Bei Bei lunged forward as well. However, his target was not Yan Er, but Ye Wuqing.

Thunderous Might. Without hesitation, Bei Bei unleashed this area-of-effect skill at close range. Enormous bolts of lightning raged through the air, forming a huge electric net. Even Ye Wuqing found it impossible to release a single Golden Leaf.

Ye Wuqing's eyes suddenly turned golden. At the same time, the first and third Soul Rings on his body lit up simultaneously.

At least dozens of Golden Leaves shot from his hands, instantly forming a golden net in the air as they fiercely met Bei Bei's Thunderous Might head-on.

Because of the powerful explosive force the Golden Leaves had displayed earlier, Bei Bei could not help but stop. He had no desire to be surrounded and bombarded by so many Golden Leaves.

At that moment, Bei Bei had only one feeling: if he fell into that formation of leaves, his entire body would be sliced into pieces. At that critical moment, a smile appeared at the corner of Bei Bei's lips. Rather than retreating, he charged forward in an instant, rushing straight at Ye Wuqing.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye. On the other side, Ye Qingchen had already achieved a decisive result. He had reached Yan Er.

The pressure of ultimate ice filled Yan Er with terror. As she retreated in a panic, she desperately fired one fireball after another at Ye Qingchen. Ye Qingchen was far faster than Yan Er, and at last, he reached her. His right hand struck out, aimed at Yan Er's shoulder.

"You fell for it. Flame Cage. Let's go down together." As she spoke, a massive blaze suddenly rose from the ground, enveloping both Ye Qingchen and Yan Er. She intended for them to be eliminated together. As long as Ye Qingchen was eliminated, victory would practically be within reach.

"Heh, you're the one who's too naive. I can control all elements—you didn't forget that, did you? Your Soul Skill poses no threat to me at all. Now that you're done talking, you can go down too." Ye Qingchen spoke calmly.

Ye Qingchen directly dismantled the original Flame Cage and turned it around to envelop Yan Er instead. With a push of his hand, he sent her, cage and all, tumbling out of the arena.

Just as Ye Qingchen eliminated one opponent, the battle on the other side had also entered a fever pitch.

Facing the incomparably sharp formation of leaves, Bei Bei advanced instead of retreating, charging straight at it. While both men had their own thoughts, Bei Bei had already slipped into the Golden Leaf formation.

A scene that shocked Ye Wuqing unfolded. Bei Bei's figure suddenly became illusory. The Golden Leaves relentlessly pursued his body, yet they always missed by the slightest margin. In the blink of an eye, Bei Bei slipped out of the Golden Leaf formation like a loach and arrived before Ye Wuqing.

No matter how strong Ye Wuqing was, he specialized in long-range attacks. Although Bei Bei's cultivation was far below his, as a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon soul master, close-range combat was what Bei Bei excelled at most.

A piercing Soul-Seizing Bell rang out at that moment, attempting to disrupt Bei Bei's advancing steps. However, the bell only rang a few times before abruptly cutting off.

Amid a muffled groan, two streams of blood spurted from Shangguan Can's nose. He stumbled and collapsed onto the ground as Ye Qingchen's silver light slowly faded away.

A thick right arm covered in blue-purple dragon scales and crackling with electricity instantly struck toward Ye Wuqing. All the Golden Leaves were still pursuing Bei Bei from behind, yet Bei Bei acted as though he had not seen them at all.

Ye Wuqing's face remained expressionless. He did not retreat. Facing Bei Bei's attack, he suddenly raised his left hand, clenched it into a fist, and met Bei Bei's dragon claw head-on.

Bang— Before Bei Bei's astonished eyes, his Thunder Dragon Claw was forcibly blocked by Ye Wuqing's fist.

"Come back!" Ye Qingchen shouted. He made a grasping motion with his right hand, and space behind Bei Bei rippled, pulling Bei Bei in. In an instant, he appeared beside Ye Qingchen.

"Leave the rest to Wang Dong and me." Ye Qingchen said as he patted Bei Bei on the shoulder.

Wang Dong had also arrived beside them. The two looked at each other and smiled. Ye Qingchen pulled Wang Dong closer, and their Soul Power began to merge continuously. What Ye Qingchen fused with was not the Light Goddess Butterfly, but the Clear Sky Hammer.

Martial Soul Fusion Skill—Heavenly Emperor's Hammer!

Ye Qingchen and Wang Dong shouted simultaneously. A gigantic black hammer appeared behind them, then flashed down the very next second. Its violent blow slammed into the competition platform, and the arena's protective barrier trembled on the verge of collapse under the powerful attack. Ye Wuqing and Shangguan Can had long since been blasted off the platform by the shockwaves it generated.

Several minutes later, after confirming that everything was fine, the referee announced the result. "Two-two-three format, third match: Shrek Academy wins. Shrek Academy advances."

After returning to the resting area, Ye Qingchen gave a signal, then turned and returned to the hotel with the others...