"Battle!"

The night's chaos finally sank into deep darkness amid utter exhaustion and peace.

When the first faint ray of dawn, like the gentlest golden feather, passed soundlessly through the window lattice and spilled onto that gorgeous White Jade Bed, Wang Dong finally drifted awake from that chaotic dream filled with tears and pounding heartbeats.

Her eyelids felt as heavy as if they were lead-filled, and her head throbbed dully from the violent emotional outburst of the night before. Out of habit, she tried to stretch like she usually did, but the moment her arm lifted, it bumped into something soft and familiar.

It was a pillow.

It was the pillow she had clutched tightly in her arms and slept with all night.

That realization was like a switch, instantly opening the door sealed all night in her mind, the one named "memory."

Everything that had happened last night, like a flood from a broken dike, surged into her still-not-fully-awake brain in an instant, carrying with it that sky-high sense of shame that made her want to die on the spot.

Him pretending to sleep...

Her peeking...

That demonic whisper, full of mockery and amusement...

That hysterical, utterly undignified outburst...

And...

And that sudden, solid embrace, so warm it made her heart tremble...

As well as his gentle, patient soothing, and those eyes that had watched her at the end, deep as the sea...

Boom—!!!!

Wang Dong's small face, already carrying a faint flush from sleep, turned explosively red again at a speed visible to the naked eye, becoming a brilliant, fully ripened morning glow. That familiar hot stream that left her helpless shot once more from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head.

"Eek—!"

Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, she suddenly sprang upright from the bed. Her heart, which had been quiet all night, once again began beating madly, violently, like a drum, utterly failing her.

Subconsciously, she looked toward the other end of the room.

The ordinary wooden bed that belonged to him was already empty. The quilt had been folded neat and square, with sharp edges and corners, like a standard block of tofu in a military camp.

He... he was already up?

Just then, the washroom door opened from the inside with a soft "click."

A figure slowly stepped out from the hazy water vapor.

It was Long Yao.

He had already changed into a brand-new, clean Shrek Academy Uniform. His black short hair, which always seemed a little casual, still carried a trace of damp water vapor at the moment, but it had been tidied until it looked refreshed and neat. His handsome face also looked especially refreshed after his morning wash. A strand of golden morning light happened to shine in from outside the window, falling across his straight nose bridge and sharply defined side profile, gilding his whole body with a dazzling golden outline that made people afraid to look straight at him.

He seemed to have only just noticed the stiff "Little Rabbit" on the bed who had already woken up. His movements paused slightly, and then that expression she knew all too well surfaced on his face again, calm and composed, carrying the faintest hint of a smile.

Their eyes met.

Wang Dong's brain crashed again.

She looked at his refreshed, calm appearance, as if nothing at all had happened last night, then thought of her own sorry state right now, with messy hair, sleepy eyes, and a suspicious blush still hanging on her face. An indescribable, enormous sense of shame and defeat instantly drowned her completely.

She practically scrambled out of bed on all fours. Without even having time to put on her slippers, she bared her small, fair feet and, like a panicked fawn whose tracks had been discovered by a hunter, lowered her head, blushed, and said nothing as she tried to "slip" past him along the edge of the room, fleeing into the safe washroom where she could temporarily hide from all of this.

But in the instant she brushed past him, his pleasant voice, carrying a trace of mockery, rang out again at an unhurried pace.

"Morning, little calico cat."

Boom—!!!

Wang Dong stumbled hard and nearly fell flat on the spot. She used all the strength in her body to steady herself. Without giving any response, she only buried her head even lower, then plunged into the washroom at a speed almost like she was "running for her life." With a bang, she slammed the door shut heavily, as though some savage flood-beast were chasing her from behind.

Inside the washroom, Wang Dong leaned motionless against the cold door panel, gasping for breath. Her useless heart thumped and thumped, beating even more violently than before.

She raised a hand to cover her face, which was so hot it could almost ignite the air. Through the gaps between her cold fingers, she saw her wretched reflection in the mirror.

Her hair was a mess, like a bird's nest. Her pretty face was as red as a monkey's butt, and those beautiful pink blue eyes that were always clear and moving were now... just as he had said, red and swollen, like two ripe, pitiful little peaches.

Subconsciously, she lifted a hand and gently touched the Butterfly Loves Star Sea in the hair beside her ear, which was still fixed there steadily.

That cool, solid touch was incomparably real.

A vast, indescribable complex emotion mixed with shame, annoyance, and sweetness once again drowned her completely like a tide.

She dawdled in the washroom for a full half hour. She rinsed her face with cold water again and again, trying to make that scorching heat go down. Then she carefully used Soul Power to stimulate the blood circulation around her eyes, hoping to make that hateful redness and swelling fade a little faster.

When she finally sorted herself out, gathered every ounce of courage in her body, and walked out of the washroom again, Long Yao was already sitting leisurely beside the small table, unhurriedly wiping the Pitch Black Soul Breaking Spear he had never shown anyone before.

The atmosphere in the room was still filled with a subtle, sticky silence that made one's heart panic.

Wang Dong still lowered her head, not daring to look at him. She pretended to tidy her bed, but her movements seemed somewhat clumsy and stiff because she was overly nervous.

"Let's go. Time for breakfast."

Just as she was about to be driven mad by the silence, Long Yao's calm voice finally broke the suffocating quiet. He had already put away the spear and stood up, and he was looking at her.

"...Oh."

Wang Dong squeezed out a syllable from her throat as faint as a mosquito's buzz, then followed step by step behind him, leaving together the dorm room where she had spent the longest and most shameful night of her life.

When they arrived at the dining hall, Bei Bei, Tang Ya, and Huo Yuhao were already waiting there.

"Long Yao! Wang Dong! Over here!" Tang Ya spotted them from afar and waved her arms excitedly.

"Ah, Wang Dong, did you not sleep well last night?" As soon as they drew near, Tang Ya immediately leaned in, staring curiously at Wang Dong's eyes, which had been treated in a hurry but still showed a little redness and swelling, and blurted out, "Why do your eyes look like peaches? Were you too excited last night and so worked up you couldn't sleep?"

"I... I didn't!"

Wang Dong's face flushed bright red again with a whoosh. Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, she instinctively raised her voice to retort. But that guilty look only made her seem even more suspicious.

"All right, all right, Xiao Ya, stop teasing her." Bei Bei, standing beside them, smiled helplessly and stepped in just in time to smooth things over. He pushed a plate of steaming hot meat buns in front of Wang Dong and said gently, "Eat up. After we finish, we still have to go to the Battle Zone. Today is the semifinals and finals, so we can't be late."

Under everyone's well-meaning teasing and concern, Wang Dong's heart, which had been so tense it felt ready to explode, finally calmed a little. She lowered her head and silently ate her breakfast in small bites, but the corner of her eye kept slipping, uncontrollably and furtively, toward the hateful culprit who was currently chatting animatedly with Bei Bei as if nothing at all had happened.

After breakfast, the group once again arrived at the packed New Student Battle Zone under Zhou Yi's icy, overseer-like stare.

Today's atmosphere was even more heated than yesterday's. The entire Battle Zone was nearly full, and every face carried excitement and anticipation. Because today, the ultimate champion of this year's New Student Competition would be decided!

On the High Platform, four flags representing the top four fluttered in the wind, and among them, the flag belonging to First Year Class One was especially eye-catching.

Their first opponent was Class Seven—the biggest dark horse team of this tournament, made up of an Attack System Soul Master and a Food System Soul Master.

As the hosting teacher's passionate voice rang out, the semifinals officially began!

"Next! Let us welcome the two sides of the first semifinal match with the warmest Cheers!"

"They are! The favorites to win this tournament! A pair of twin stars with Tacit Understanding and unfathomable strength! From First Year Class One—Long Yao! Wang Dong!"

Amid the audience's Mountain Shouting Sea Roaring cheers, Long Yao and Wang Dong walked side by side onto the familiar, broad dueling platform.

Wang Dong took a deep breath and forcefully drove all those chaotic, flustering thoughts from her mind. She raised her head, and in those beautiful Pink Blue Eyes, still slightly swollen but still bright as stars, there once again burned the proud, blazing Fighting Spirit of a genius soul master!

No matter what, they had to take the championship today!

The Soul Breaking Spear, its entire body pitch-black as though it could Devour All Light, tore through the air in Long Yao's hand like a bolt of black lightning.

"Zheng!"

A metallic tremor rang out across the entire dueling platform, crisp to the extreme yet carrying boundless tyranny and sharpness!

The incomparably hard floor, paved with special granite, was as fragile as tofu beneath that peerlessly sharp spear tip. Without the slightest resistance, the spearhead had already sunk deep into the stone slab, leaving only a small section of the Spear Body still flashing with a chilling cold light, standing proudly like a totem of death and ending grown from the abyss of hell.

The entire Battle Zone, where the cheers had been like Mountain Shouting Sea Roaring moments ago, fell into a strange Deathly Stillness that lasted a full second because of this visually shocking, endlessly domineering scene. Everyone's gaze was firmly drawn to that long spear radiating an ominous aura, and to the Youth who casually removed his hand from the Spear Shaft and folded both arms across his chest.

What kind of absolute confidence was that? What kind of arrogant stance?

He did not even deign to hold his own weapon in his hand.

Wang Dong stood beside him, less than half a step away. That clear Spear Cry exploded beside her ear like sudden thunder, making Her Heart, already unsettled because of last night's turmoil, shudder violently. She could clearly sense an invisible, incomparably sharp edge sweeping across the entire dueling platform with that long spear at its center. That sharpness was cold, domineering, and full of aggression, yet in the instant before it touched her body, it silently receded like the gentlest tide, not letting her feel even the slightest discomfort.

She subconsciously raised her head and looked at him beside her.

Morning Light fell gently over his sharply defined profile. His arms were folded across his chest, his figure straight as a pine, his chin slightly lifted as he casually swept a nearly disdainful, languid gaze over the far end of the dueling platform—the empty area that belonged to their opponents.

On his face was once again that expression she knew so well, calm and composed with the faintest hint of a smile, as if all things in the world were within his grasp.

In this moment, he was entirely different from the Youth who had held her under the moonlight last night and clumsily comforted her in a voice so gentle it was a complete mess.

One was a radiant, incomparably domineering Peerless Expert who made all enemies tremble.

The other was gentle and considerate, a boy next door who would even reveal heartache and helplessness because of her tears, who would say, "It was my fault, okay?"

These two utterly different yet fatally attractive images flashed and alternated madly through Wang Dong's mind like a revolving lantern, and in the end, they overlapped perfectly, forming a complete him, full of contradiction and charm, that made her heart uncontrollably skip another wild beat.

Her cheeks, uselessly, began to heat up once again. In those beautiful Pink Blue Eyes, whose swelling had only just gone down, a hazy, infatuated, mist-like and moving light once again rippled beyond her control.

Just then, she heard His Voice.

"I wonder who our opponents will be. A Food System and an Attack System, huh."

His Voice was light and casual, as though he were discussing what to eat for lunch, and he showed absolutely no concern for the important semifinal that was about to arrive and decide whether they could enter the finals.

Yet it was precisely this absolute, almost arrogant confidence that was like the strongest and most reassuring power, instantly scattering the tiny trace of nervousness that had risen in Wang Dong's heart because of the coming battle.

That was right...

With him here, what was there to be afraid of?

As long as she could stand by his side, no matter who it was, no matter how powerful the enemy, she feared nothing.

This thought occupied her entire heart in an instant, like the strongest vine.

Her wildly pounding heart miraculously calmed. Her eyes, which had grown slightly hazy from shyness and admiration, once again gathered the proud, sharp light that belonged to a genius soul master. Silently, she straightened her slender back and, imitating him, cast her gaze toward the other end of the dueling platform.

Although she did not say a single word, those beautiful eyes and that slightly raised, confident corner of her mouth had already explained everything.

[Livestream Bullet Comments]

[This Lord Is Proud—What Can You Do]: Holy crap! Streamer's spear-planting move gets full marks from me! Too damn handsome! The style points are maxed out!

[Medical Miracle]: This isn't even a matter of style points anymore. This is naked provocation! It means: I've put my weapon right here. Are you even worthy of making me pick it up?

[Killing Intent in Crotch]: Did you guys see little Wang Dong's eyes?! My freaking god, that look was insane! From a startled Little Rabbit at the start, to an infatuated little fangirl, and then finally into a Queen full of Fighting Spirit! Streamer's playing hard-to-get move was truly 666!

[Professional Tea Appraiser LV8]: Sweet! Too sweet! I'm eating this dog food! Look, Streamer doesn't even need to do anything. As long as he stands there, he can give Wang Dong endless Sense of Security and confidence! This is the charm of a top-tier good man!

Amid the whispers of the entire audience and Long Yao and Wang Dong's oppressive, silent wait, the hosting teacher's passionate and inflammatory voice finally resounded across the venue once again from the High Platform!

"It seems our Class One twin stars can hardly wait! Then, let us welcome their opponents with equally enthusiastic applause! The greatest dark horse of this New Student Competition! They have fought their way through every challenge and have never known defeat! From First Year Class Seven—"

"Tie Shi! Tang Wan'er!!"

Along with the host-teacher's drawn-out, suspenseful final note, two figures finally walked out slowly, side by side, from the competitor passage on the other side of the battle stage.

The moment everyone saw what the two of them looked like, a small commotion filled with surprise and wonder broke out across the entire Battle Zone.

Walking on the left was an exceptionally tall and burly youth. He looked about the same age as Long Yao, but his frame was a full two sizes broader. He wore a simple gray fitted outfit that outlined every detail of muscles that seemed cast from steel and filled with explosive power. His skin was a healthy bronze from years of wind and sun. He was not handsome, even a little ordinary, but that face, chiseled as if by blade and axe with sharp edges, was filled with a steadiness and resolve far beyond his years. With heavy steps like boulders striking the ground, he walked onto the battle stage one step at a time. His small but unusually bright eyes stayed fixed on Long Yao from beginning to end, and on... the Soul Breaking Spear planted in front of him, radiating an ominous aura. There was not the slightest fear in his gaze, only a rock-like, unshakable gravity and fighting spirit.

He was Class Seven's Attack System Soul Master, Tie Shi.

And walking beside him, in stark contrast to his tall, burly build, was an exceptionally petite and delicate young girl.

She looked even a little younger than Wang Dong. Her long, glossy black hair was simply tied into a neat ponytail hanging behind her head. She wore a pink, modified school uniform resembling a waitress dress, adorned with cute lace trim, and a pair of small white leather boots on her feet. On her small, delicate face, fine as white porcelain, there was still a trace of adorable baby fat that had yet to fully fade. Her large, round eyes were like black grapes, clear and without the slightest impurity. A sweet, harmless, adorable smile always hung at the corners of her mouth, one that made anyone who saw her feel fond of her.

She hopped and skipped just like that, following behind Tie Shi as she stepped onto the battle stage. Her eyes were full of curiosity toward the world. One moment she looked at the sea of spectators below the stage, and the next she looked up at the towering dome overhead, as if she had no idea at all that she was currently in a cruel battle that would decide life, death, and glory.

She was Class Seven's Food System Soul Master, the greatest mystery of this tournament, Tang Wan'er.

When this pair, so full of intense contrast, came to a stop at the other end of the battle stage, thunderous applause and cheers erupted once again below.

"Both sides, state your names!" the host-teacher on the high platform shouted.

Tie Shi's steady voice, like muffled thunder, sounded first. "First Year Class Seven, Tie Shi, Level Twenty-Five Attack System Battle Soul Master."

Immediately afterward, Tang Wan'er's sweet voice, crisp and pleasant to the ear like an oriole leaving the valley, also rang out. "First Year Class Seven, Tang Wan'er, Level Twenty-One Food System Artifact Soul Master. Please... please take care of me~"

As she spoke, she even gave Long Yao and Wang Dong an adorable smile so sweet it could melt an iceberg, and even playfully blinked those large, round eyes of hers.

Wang Dong looked at the two opponents across from them, whose styles were completely different, and an almost imperceptible gravity flashed through her beautiful pink-blue eyes.

That youth named Tie Shi gave her the feeling of a mountain: steady, heavy, and full of a sense of power that was difficult to shake. As for that seemingly harmless young girl named Tang Wan'er, she instinctively made Wang Dong feel a trace of... incongruity.

Her intuition told her that this seemingly innocent and lively Food System Soul Master was definitely not as simple as she appeared on the surface.

Just then, Long Yao's voice, carrying a hint of laughter, sounded by her ear once again.

"First Year Class One, Long Yao."

He only gave his name, not even bothering to mention his soul power level or soul master type. That extreme arrogance, sunk deep into his bones, made the audience below break into another round of good-natured laughter.

Wang Dong took a deep breath, and her cool, clear voice, like the tinkling of an icy spring, sounded right after him. "First Year Class One, Wang Dong, Level Twenty-Two Attack System Battle Soul Master."

Her cool and proud bearing, together with Long Yao's lazy and casual arrogance, formed a strange, perfectly complementary harmony that made everyone who saw them unable to help sighing inwardly:

They really were... a match made in heaven.

"Both Sides Retreat! Prepare for the match!"

At the host-teacher's order, the four of them slowly retreated to opposite ends of the battle stage.

The relaxed, theater-watching atmosphere in the air instantly vanished without a trace. In its place came a deathly silence filled with killing aura.

Everyone held their breath.

Everyone knew that a fierce battle between dragons and tigers was about to unfold before their eyes!

Time: Douluo Calendar Year 2030 Season: Autumn Third Day Since Enrollment 9:25 AM

Location: Shrek Academy, Central Plaza

Audience: 590,000

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

Items: Shrek Academy Uniform x1, Dormitory Key x1

First Martial Soul: Soul Breaking Spear [Traits: Armor Breaking, Soul Devouring, 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]

Soul 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)

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

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

Soul 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 (Concentrate)] x1, [Calming Incense (First Thaw of Snow Mountain)] x1, [Dragon Blood Body Tempering Pill] ×10, [Space Storage Bracelet (Couple Edition)] ×1, [God King Level Space Law Comprehension Crystal] ×1, [Super Divine Artifact: Time and Space Wheel Fragment] ×1, [God King Godhead (Incomplete)] ×1, [Playful Rabbit Ear Headband] ×2