"Ancestor" Yang Wudi!

Zhou Yi said nothing more. She only gave a signal with her eyes, then turned and walked out of the classroom first. Her swift, decisive bearing made her look like a Female General about to march to the battlefield.

Driven by that invisible presence, all the students of Class One immediately moved as well. They made no noise and held no discussions. They simply tidied their seats quickly, then marched in neat steps filled with High Fighting Spirit, like a disciplined legion, following closely behind Zhou Yi.

That unprecedentedly united aura called "collective honor" made the students from other classes who were still clamoring in the corridor turn to look.

The Battle Zone reserved for Shrek Academy New Students was located in the academy's central area. It was a massive circular building large enough to hold thousands of people. Built entirely from hard dark green-black granite, it looked both grand and solemn. At this moment, the Battle Zone was already packed with voices. Nearly five hundred new students from the ten classes of the New Student Area had gathered clearly around the field according to their class order.

A faint, peculiar air mixed with tension and excitement pervaded the place. Every face was filled with longing for the battle that was about to come.

When Zhou Yi led the team from Class One into the venue, the originally somewhat noisy atmosphere instantly fell quiet.

"It's Teacher Zhou! The people from Class One are here!"

"Look! Those two at the front are Long Yao and Wang Dong!"

"Wang Dong! Huo Yuhao! Long Yao!" Hearing Tang Ya's loud shout, Long Yao knew the two of them had to be here too.

Countless gazes focused over in an instant. Teacher Zhou's infamous reputation as the "Devil Teacher," along with the astonishing record Long Yao and Wang Dong had set in yesterday's assessment, had already made their Class One the absolute focus of every new and senior student's attention.

Zhou Yi ignored the gazes around her completely. She only led her students to the designated area that belonged to Class One, then stood there like an Ice Sculpture, quietly waiting for the ceremony to begin.

Wang Dong followed closely beside Long Yao. All the shyness and nervousness had long since faded from her Beautiful Pink Blue Eyes, replaced by blazing, soaring Fighting Spirit. She could clearly sense the undisguised challenge radiating from the Geniuses of the other classes around them. Far from making her afraid, it made the blood in her body start to boil with excitement!

As for Huo Yuhao, he stood silently at the rear of the line. The First Moment he entered the venue, his Spirit Eyes swept rapidly through the crowd like the most precise instrument. Soon, his gaze fixed on the team from Class Two.

There, he saw Dai Huabin.

At this moment, the arrogance and sorry state from before were gone from Dai Huabin's face, replaced by a cold, venomous resentment like a poisonous snake's. He was staring fixedly in Class One's direction, that gaze as if he wanted to swallow Long Yao alive. When he noticed Huo Yuhao's Line of Sight, he made no attempt to hide it, dragging a hand across his throat in a gesture filled with insult and Killing Intent.

Huo Yuhao only shifted his gaze away expressionlessly.

Soon, an elderly teacher in charge of hosting the drawing ceremony walked onto the High Platform at the center of the Battle Zone. He announced the rules of the competition succinctly. There was only one core rule—random draw, one-on-one matches, winners advanced, losers were eliminated, until the final champion was decided!

"Now, representatives selected by each class, please step forward and draw your first-round opponents!"

At the old teacher's command, two representatives stepped out from each of the ten classes. They walked onto the High Platform and reached into a huge drawing box forged from a special metal.

"Let's go up too," Long Yao turned his head and said softly to Wang Dong.

"Mm." Wang Dong nodded hard.

Under the attention of hundreds of gazes from the entire venue, the two of them walked Side by Side onto the High Platform. Long Yao looked completely at ease, relaxed and comfortable, as if he had not come to take part in a life-and-death battle that would decide class honor, but to attend a leisurely garden party.

He casually reached into the drawing box, stirred it around inside, then took out a token carved with a number and made from warm, smooth wood.

The teacher on the High Platform took the token, glanced at it, then raised his voice. In a resounding voice infused with Soul Power, loud enough for everyone present to hear clearly, he announced:

"First round, first match! First Year Class One versus..."

He paused, seeming to be surprised by the result as well. Then, with a complicated look filled with amusement and sympathy, he glanced toward Class Two below.

"...First Year Class Two!!"

As soon as this result was announced, the entire Battle Zone first sank into Deathly Stillness. Immediately after, an uproar like Mountain Shouting Sea Roaring burst out, even more intense than anything before!

"Oh My God! The first match is Class One against Class Two!"

"A fated showdown! Now this is going to be good!"

"That Long Yao offended Dai Huabin so badly. Dai Huabin's going to beat him half to death on the field now, isn't he?!"

Listening to the gloating discussions around him, in the Class Two team, Dai Huabin's face, already somewhat twisted by resentment, instantly bloomed into a ferocious and ecstatic beastlike smile!

He stared fixedly at Long Yao on the platform and mouthed silently, word by word:

"You—are—dead!"

"Ha, looks like my luck is really bad." Long Yao sighed regretfully, though he was actually feeling sorry for Dai Huabin. "Looks like the Kitten really likes getting her fur ruffled." With a Light Laugh, he looked toward Dai Huabin and said slowly.

If Long Yao's previous words had been a sharp blade, then this airy, pitying, mocking "Kitten" was a tremendously heavy siege Great Hammer soaked in a scorching Brand Iron, smashing down viciously and mercilessly onto Dai Huabin's already precarious pride.

"Bzz—!"

A surge of white Soul Power more violent and ferocious than ever before erupted from Dai Huabin's body like a volcano that had built up for ten thousand years and could no longer be suppressed! That powerful Soul Power impact even formed a ring of visible white airwaves, shaking the Bluestone Slabs beneath his feet until fine Cracks appeared across them!

His blood-red eyes, almost ready to Bleed Out, glared fixedly at the Cloud Light Wind Light Youth on the High Platform. From his throat came a low growl like the most primitive, most venomous sound of a wounded beast. Beside him, that alluring Young Girl Zhu Lu had already been frightened pale by his terrifying Aura and subconsciously took a step back.

Yet in the face of this pressure, enough to make an ordinary Soul Grandmaster's courage shatter, Wang Dong on the High Platform did not even blink.

She merely stood quietly beside Long Yao, her Beautiful Pink Blue Eyes flashing with an unprecedented, dazzling radiance. Within that radiance were surprise, excitement, and laughter she could hardly hold back, but even more than that was an undisguised worship and fascination that came From the Heart.

She looked at Long Yao's side profile with its faintly wicked smile, watching him use the most relaxed tone to say the most piercing words, toying with a rank thirty-seven Soul Elder whose Soul Power was far above theirs in the palm of his hand. At this moment, she felt as if the heart of this Young Girl had been given the sweetest candy, and what melted through her was a scorching Warm Current Named "heart-stirring."

She felt that the Youth before her was truly... far too charming.

In the stands, Tang Ya had already laughed so hard she could not straighten up. Her whole body was hanging off Bei Bei as she laughed and pounded Bei Bei's arm, mumbling indistinctly, "Kitten... haha... how... how did he even think of that..."

Bei Bei also looked torn between laughter and tears. He shook his head helplessly, and the way he looked at Long Yao was filled with deep admiration. He could now be completely certain that this Long Yao was absolutely the "Monster" most skilled at using words to shake an enemy's mind that he had ever seen in his life.

Even the ever-silent Huo Yuhao had a faint, almost imperceptible smile flash beneath his lowered eyes.

Beside the platform, Zhou Yi's cold phoenix eyes narrowed slightly. She looked at Long Xiaoyao, her eyes flashing with a complicated light that was Extremely Dangerous yet filled with appreciation. She knew very well just how terrifying this tactic of completely breaking an opponent's mentality before the battle even began was, and just how... effective.

"An interesting Kid..." she gave him an extremely high evaluation in her heart.

On the High Platform, the hosting teacher looked at the strange scene below, so tense yet full of absurdity, and his head throbbed. He cleared his throat and used all his strength to draw everyone's attention back.

"Silence!"

"Since the matchups for the first round have been decided! Then the first match of the New Student Competition..."

He Took a Deep Breath, his gaze sweeping back and forth over the representatives of the two classes before he finally brought his arm down hard.

"—begins now!"

"Both teams, take the stage!!"

At his command, the enormous fighting platform in the center of the Battle Zone, forged from a single piece of Obsidian and over thirty meters in diameter, slowly raised a pale-yellow defensive barrier.

"Roar—!!"

Dai Huabin let out another roar filled with overwhelming Killing Intent. He no longer suppressed his soul power, and his entire body turned into a white afterimage as he was the first to land heavily on the fighting platform! Zhu Lu and Cui Shi immediately followed behind him. The three of them took their positions in a Pin Zi Shape, their eyes like three of the fiercest hungry wolves as they locked tightly onto Long Yao and Wang Dong on the High Platform.

"I'll take the main attack in a bit. You support me and look for chances to harass them," Long Yao said to Wang Dong. "Whoosh!" The Soul Breaking Spear was directly summoned by Long Yao. "Oh, right, I forgot to tell you. My martial soul will bring you a little surprise," he said with a wicked, grinning smile. "But you'll understand in a bit."

That casual, understated whisper, yet filled with extreme contempt, was like the final fuse. It ignited the flame Named "admiration" in Wang Dong's heart, and it completely detonated the last shred of reason in the "bristling Kitten" below the fighting platform.

Almost the instant Long Yao's words fell, the Bell Sound signaling the start of the match was struck heavily by the Referee!

"Clang—!!!"

Before the lingering echo of the bell had even faded, just as everyone present thought both sides would first probe each other, adjust their Positioning, and release their martial souls for a standoff, Long Yao moved!

His figure gave no warning whatsoever. In an instant, he turned into a streak of black lightning almost impossible for the naked eye to catch! Fast! Incredibly fast! So fast that in the eyes of most of the freshmen present, only a blurred, elongated afterimage remained!

Standing beside him, Wang Dong only felt a gust of Strong Wind brush past her. The next second, Long Yao had already vanished from where he stood. Her heart gave a violent leap. The instruction "I'll take the main attack in a bit. You support me" was still echoing beside her ears, while the "surprise" he had spoken of was now unfolding before her eyes in the most shocking, most direct way possible!

"Whoosh!"

Accompanied by a faint, sharp sound of air being torn apart, a long spear appeared out of thin air in Long Yao's hand. Its entire body was Ink-Black, its Spear Body long and slender, with lines of Dark Gold demonic patterns coiling over it like living things, slowly circulating. The instant that Soul Breaking Spear appeared, an icy, razor-sharp aura that seemed capable of freezing the soul itself suddenly spread out!

"Oh, right, I forgot to tell you. My martial soul will bring you a little surprise."

"But you'll understand in a bit."

That voice, carrying a hint of teasing mockery, seemed to still linger by Wang Dong's ear, yet he himself had already crossed a distance of over ten meters as if by Teleport and appeared before Dai Huabin, who had just released the White Tiger Bodyguard Barrier out of extreme rage!

"Roar—! Die!" Dai Huabin's eyes were blood-red. He did not take Long Yao's mere Level 24 soul power seriously at all. He was even too lazy to use a Spirit Skill. He merely pushed his soul power to the extreme, preparing to use his thick Soul Elder-level soul power to directly smash this Kid who dared insult him into pulp!

However, the violent collision he had expected did not occur.

What greeted him was that long spear, Ink-Black and radiating an ominous aura.

"Shhk—"

A Light Sound like a hot knife cutting through butter rang out, grating on the ears.

Dai Huabin's white bodyguard barrier, condensed from vigorous soul power and strong enough to withstand a full-power strike from a Soul Elder of the same level, was as fragile as a thin sheet of Window Paper before that Black Spear! Without the slightest obstruction, without even an instant of stagnation, the spear tip pierced through that layer of white light with effortless ease!

[Armor Break]!

"Wha...?!" Dai Huabin's pupils shrank to the size of pinpoints in an instant!

Before he could recover from that tremendous shock, the spear tip that had broken through his defense abruptly turned into several black phantoms within his field of vision!

"Swift Shadow Stab!"

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

A series of dull sounds of Sharp Blades entering flesh rang out densely in the span of a spark!

Dai Huabin only felt Severe Pain erupting at the same time from both shoulders, his right arm, his left Leg, and even the side of his waist, as if icy awls had been driven viciously into him! That long spear was like a maggot clinging to bone, ignoring the muscles and Bones made incomparably tough by his White Tiger Martial Soul. Every strike was precise and vicious as it pierced through his body!

[Pierce]!

"Aaaaaaaah—!!!"

The intense pain, far beyond anything he had imagined, made Dai Huabin let out a shrill scream that sounded inhuman! But this was still not the most terrifying part!

The most terrifying part was that as Severe Pain came from those wounds, an indescribable, bone-deep chill and sense of weakness surged madly from his wounds into his Limbs and Bones and invaded his Meridians like a flood from a Dike Break! He could clearly feel the vigorous soul power inside his body being devoured and extracted by those tiny wounds at a horrifying speed—madly, greedily...

[Soul Devour]!

In merely an instant of exchange, he, a Level 37 Soul Elder, had nearly half of his soul power crippled by the other side!

"Hehe, was I found out?"

A voice carrying a Light Laugh rang beside his ear like a Demon's whisper.

Dai Huabin used all the strength in his body to barely lift his head. What he saw was Long Yao's Face with a trace of teasing amusement. Immediately after, the other party's figure leapt backward like a ghost and drifted lightly back to the center of the field, instantly pulling over ten meters away from him, as though that Earth-Shattering lethal strike just now had been delivered casually.

Silence.

The entire Battle Zone fell into Deathly Silence.

Everyone stared at this scene in dumbfounded shock, their minds completely Mind Blank.

A Level 24 Soul Grandmaster had, in the very first second of battle, broken head-on through the defense of a Level 37 Soul Elder, and in an instant, in a way no one could understand, heavily injured him?!

This... what the hell was going on?!

Only after Dai Huabin's shrill screams continued to echo through the arena did the crowd seem to wake from a dream, erupting into an uproar and cries of shock like Huge Waves!

"Impossible! That's absolutely impossible!"

"Dai Huabin's White Tiger Bodyguard Barrier... was broken just like that?!"

"What martial soul is that?! What Spirit Skill is that?! Why does Dai Huabin look like he's in so much pain?!"

In the stands, Bei Bei's usually gentle, refined face was now filled with disbelief and shock. He murmured despite himself, "So... so fast! Such a strange attack! That Spear... there's something wrong with it!"

Wang Dong, meanwhile, had instinctively released her martial soul the instant Long Yao launched his attack. Those brilliant, enormous Goddess of Light Butterfly Wings suddenly spread behind her, and two spirit rings, yellow and purple, spiraled upward, setting off her petite figure until she looked like a fairy Descending to the Mortal World. She stared blankly at the Youth in the arena, who held a long spear and wore an utterly relaxed expression, then looked at Dai Huabin in the distance, swaying on his feet and screaming miserably. Those Beautiful Pink Blue Eyes were filled with unprecedented shock!

So this was... his surprise?!

Was this his True Strength?!

"Sorry, Ancestor Yang Wudi. I inherited his martial soul, the Soul Breaking Spear." Long Yao smiled with the spear behind his back in one hand. Since I'm using your martial soul, I'll inherit your will too! He charged straight at him again, constantly shifting position during that time to dodge his attacks. "Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!" Seven or eight Spear Shadows instantly shot toward him.

"Yang... Yang Wudi?! Soul Breaking Spear?!"

Those five words were like five bolts of thunder from the highest heavens, striking hard and true into Dai Huabin's mind, which had already been burned into chaos by rage and Severe Pain!

Yang Wudi!

The clan leader of the Breaking Clan, who existed only in legend, renowned throughout the world for ultimate attack power and penetration, who had once terrified countless top-tier Defense System Soul Masters! The Soul Douluo who wielded a Soul Breaking Spear, swept across the continent, and was known as "breaking all things"!

Severe Pain and the loss of Soul Power had nearly made him faint, but the tremendous impact of that legendary name made him feel even more shattered with terror than any injury could! The matchless pride that came from the bloodline of the Duke White Tiger was torn to pieces in an instant before the three words "Soul Breaking Spear"!

No wonder... No wonder his White Tiger Bodyguard Barrier had been so vulnerable! No wonder his Soul Power had been devoured so wildly!

So what he was facing was this legendary, ferocious martial soul specialized in countering all defenses!

A chill called "powerlessness," stronger than at any previous moment, instantly swept through his entire body.

However, Long Yao gave him no chance to breathe or think at all.

"Take this! Swift Shadow Stab!"

Along with a light shout full of Mocking amusement, that Black Figure moved again! This time, his movements were even more elusive, even stranger! His body left behind one blurred afterimage after another, and with strange footwork that constantly folded and turned in a way completely contrary to common sense for Soul Masters, he instantly closed in before Dai Huabin, completely ignoring the tiger claws he desperately swung in an attempt to block!

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

Seven or eight Pitch Black Spear Shadows, condensed to the extreme as though they could pierce space itself, struck like venomous snakes flicking their tongues, sealing every route Dai Huabing could use to dodge from all directions, aimed straight at the vital points across his body!

"Protect Brother Bin!!"

A sharp cry came from the flank! Zhu Lu, who had been searching for an opportunity all along, finally moved! Her enchanting figure flickered, and her entire body seemed to turn into a blurred ghost without substance, skimming along the ground at extreme speed! She circled around Long Yao's front, and her sharp cat claws, flashing with cold, dark-blue light, carried a tearing whistle through the air as they went straight for Long Yao's completely unguarded back!

But as fast as she was, someone was faster!

Wang Dong, who had been focused and on guard the whole time, all her attention locked onto Long Yao, reacted almost the instant that ghostly shadow moved. The magnificent Goddess of Light Butterfly Wings behind her suddenly beat hard!

"Don't even think about it!"

The Young Girl's crisp yet icy voice rang across the whole arena! Her first Yellow Hundred-Year Spirit Ring suddenly shone!

She did not advance. Instead, the Butterfly Wings behind her abruptly folded forward, then suddenly spread open! Two Golden Light Blades, like the sharpest Side Wing Sabers and condensed from ultimate Light Power, broke free from her wings with a shrill sound of tearing air. Faster than Zhu Lu, one from the left and one from the right, they sealed off every route Zhu Lu could take with perfect precision!

[First Soul Skill, Side Wing Saber]!

Zhu Lu's expression changed dramatically. She could clearly sense the terrifying energy contained in those two light blades, energy filled with holiness and Sharp Aura! She did not dare clash with them head-on and could only forcefully twist her body halfway through, rolling aside in a miserable dodge and perfectly missing the best chance for her sneak attack.

At the same time, facing those seven or eight life-taking Spear Shadows, the Iron Tower-like Youth Cui Shi, who could no longer make it in time to rescue him, let out a beast-like roar! He abruptly stepped forward and planted himself heavily in front of Dai Huabin! The heavy Basalt Armor on his body blazed with light, and his third Purple Thousand-Year Spirit Ring flashed wildly as if it had gone mad!

"Roar!

[Third Soul Skill, Turtle Shell Wall]!

"

A huge rock shield half a meter thick, shimmering with an Earth Yellow glow and covered in tortoise-shell patterns, appeared out of thin air before him!

However, before the Soul Breaking Spear, how could there be any perfect shield?!

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

A dense series of crisp impacts, like a furious storm pounding banana leaves, exploded madly against that heavy rock shield! Every Spear Shadow that landed made the shield tremble violently once, sending large sprays of stone chips flying!

In only three seconds! The Turtle Shell Wall, known as an invincible defense among Soul Masters of the same level, was covered at a visible speed in Spiderweb-like, horrifying cracks that made the heart tremble!

"Pfft—!"

Cui Shi sprayed out a mouthful of blood. His entire body was shaken backward again and again by that immense, irresistible penetrating force. With every step, he left a deep footprint in the hard Obsidian spirit-fighting platform! His honest Face was filled with disbelief and horror!

Just seven or eight Spear Shadows had nearly shattered his strongest defensive soul skill completely!

Below the podium, Zhou Yi's icy phoenix eyes already held Huge Waves that had been forcefully suppressed!

"It really is... the Soul Breaking Spear..." she murmured despite herself. "Just how many secrets is this little Monster still hiding?"

Time: Douluo Calendar Year 2030 Season: Autumn Second Day of Enrollment 10:30 AM

Location: Shrek Academy, Central Plaza

Audience: 510,000

Equipment: Shrek Academy Uniform x1, True Vast Sea Ring (Divine Tool), Student Emblem x1

Items: Shrek Academy Uniform x1, Student Emblem x1, Dormitory Key x1

First Martial Soul: Soul Breaking Spear [Traits: Armor Break, Soul Devour, Penetration]

Second Martial Soul: Chaos Holy Dragon (Hidden) [Traits: Strength, Time, Space]

Soul Power: Level 45 (Soul Ancestor) [Status: True Vast Sea Ring Shielding, External Perception is Level 24]

Spirit Rings: [Soul Breaking Spear] First Soul Ring (Yellow Hundred-Year), Second Soul Ring (Purple Thousand-Year), Third Soul Ring (Black Ten-Thousand-Year), Fourth Soul Ring (Black Ten-Thousand-Year)

[Chaos Holy Dragon] First Soul Ring (Black Thirteen-Thousand-Year), Second Soul Ring (Black Twenty-Eight-Thousand-Year), Third Soul Ring (Black Forty-Six-Thousand-Year), Fourth Soul Ring (Rose Gold Hundred-Thousand-Year)

Spirit Skills: [Soul Breaking Spear] First Spirit Skill: Swift Shadow Stab, Second Spirit Skill: Whirlwind Spear, Third Spirit Skill: Armor Breaking Spiral, Fourth Spirit Skill: Thousand Spirit Spear Rain

[Chaos Holy Dragon] First Spirit Skill: Star Ring, Second Spirit Skill: Holy Dragon Claw, Third Spirit Skill: Void Claw, Fourth Spirit Skill: Time and Space Roar

Spirit Bones: None

Soul Spirits: None

Reward Stash: [Million-Year Spirit Beast Inverse Scale] x1, [Starlight Sapphire Brooch] x1, [Tsundere Princess Strategy Manual Platinum Edition] x1, [God-Bestowed Soul Ring (Hundred-Thousand-Year)] x1, [Spring of Life (Concentrated Liquid)] x1, [Calming Incense (First Thaw on Snowy Mountain)] x1, [Dragon Blood Body Tempering Pill] x10, [Space Storage Bracelet (Couple's Edition)] x1, [God King Level Space Law Comprehension Crystal] x1, [Super Divine Artifact: Time and Space Wheel Fragment] x1, [God King Godhead (Incomplete)] x1