One Against Six—Rumormongers Have No Balls!

"What!?"

Everyone present was startled by Li Yu's words.

Did Li Yu mean she wanted to challenge the entire Shrek Seven Devils alone?

Wasn't she asking to be beaten up?

No matter how strong she was, she was still only one person.

And although the Shrek Seven Devils were missing Dai Mubai, they still had six people!

While none of those six had reached the Four-Ring Soul Ancestor level, they were all Three-Ring Soul Grandmasters—and among Three-Ring Soul Grandmasters, each of them possessed top-tier talent and combat strength!

They might have been somewhat weaker than Li Yu, but none of them were weak!

How did Li Yu dare to do this?!

That was what nearly everyone was thinking.

Prince Xue Xing was displeased as well.

Li Yu, your talent might indeed be exceptional, and the strength you had displayed was impressive, but one against six?

Wasn't that a little too arrogant?!

You're determined to send this bunch from Shrek into Heaven Dou Royal Academy, aren't you?!

Then what was the point of my coming here?

Wasn't this a slap in my face?

Besides, I'm right here. Since when did a mere Crown Prince Consort get to make the decision?

Prince Xue Xing's dissatisfaction had reached its limit, but Li Yu had already spoken. No matter how little regard he had for her, she truly was the Crown Prince Consort!

If he stopped her now, he would appear ungentlemanly and cause the Heaven Dou Imperial Family to lose face.

So, he remained silent.

Unlike the others.

Having witnessed Li Yu's true strength, Dugu Yan was full of confidence in her.

And although Xue Beng was worried, he could only think: Miss Li Yu is beautiful and badass. I love her even more now!

Meng Shenji placed great importance on Li Yu's talent. Seeing her say something so arrogant, he immediately tried to dissuade her.

"Your talent is peerless, miss. Given time, you will surely achieve remarkable things. Why must you use such a method to display your strength?"

"Hehe."

Li Yu glanced at Meng Shenji. "Chief Meng, you misunderstand. I merely wish to stand up for my younger brother and sister. I have no other intentions."

"Even so..."

Meng Shenji still wanted to persuade her, but Li Yu had already grown impatient.

She looked calmly at the Shrek group. "What's wrong? Are these the so-called geniuses? You don't even dare fight six against one?"

As soon as those words were spoken.

Meng Shenji said no more.

The Shrek group was instantly enraged as well.

Tang San stepped forward. "What would Shrek not dare to do? Never mind that you are only a Soul Ancestor—even if you were a Soul King, we would not fear you!"

The other Seven Devils were brimming with fighting spirit as well.

Tang San was usually the backbone of the Seven Devils.

With Dai Mubai seriously injured and unconscious, he naturally took on the role of decision-maker.

As for this, the Shrek Academy teachers—Flender, Yu Xiaogang, and Zhao Wuji—did not stop them.

They had absolute confidence in the strength of the Shrek Seven Devils.

They had not spoken earlier because this was someone else's territory, and from Li Yu's words, she was also a member of the Imperial Family.

They still needed to establish themselves in the Heaven Dou Empire afterward, so naturally they had to consider others' attitudes.

Thus, they had neither agreed nor refused immediately.

But now, Meng Shenji of Heaven Dou Royal Academy had already attempted to stop it, yet Li Yu still insisted.

And Prince Xue Xing, who represented the Imperial Family, had not intervened either.

As teachers of Shrek Academy, naturally they would not stop the Shrek Seven Devils from accepting the challenge!

This was not only confidence in the Shrek Seven Devils, but also because they did not wish to extinguish the Seven Devils' competitive spirit!

For a Soul Master, the will to fight for victory and refuse to yield was extremely important.

If they chose to retreat whenever they encountered trouble, how could they grow?

"Very well."

Li Yu nodded, then looked toward Meng Shenji. "Chief, please arrange a venue."

"This..."

Meng Shenji was somewhat troubled. He was very unwilling for this battle to take place, but both sides had already reached an agreement, so it was difficult for him to stop them again.

He sighed. "Follow me, then!"

Then he paused, his gaze falling on Li Yu. "Will this battle... be public?"

In Meng Shenji's view, Li Yu had been hidden away by the Heaven Dou Imperial Family for so long. She should not reveal herself so easily before others!

Yet now, Li Yu had taken the initiative to expose her talent here.

That left him uncertain of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's stance.

That was why he asked.

Li Yu merely shook her head indifferently. "As you wish."

For her, hiding herself had no great meaning.

On the contrary, the stronger she appeared, the safer she would be!

As long as she displayed her talent, with her current status as the Crown Prince Consort.

The Heaven Dou Imperial Family would certainly protect her with all its strength!

And while Qian Renxue was at odds with Bibi Dong, she was ultimately part of Spirit Hall's faction.

Now that Li Yu was Qian Renxue's Crown Princess Consort, she naturally counted as part of Spirit Hall's faction as well. Spirit Hall's attitude toward her would naturally be friendly!

Moreover, Dugu Bo owed her an enormous favor.

It could be said.

As long as Li Yu did not seek death herself, there were very few people who could touch her now!

She had elephants' thighs backing her up; one move, and no one would dare make a sound.

"What?"

Qian Renxue was still playing the role of Xue Qinghe. She abruptly rose to her feet and stared at the subordinate who had come to report.

"Your Highness, it is indeed true!"

The subordinate bowed, his eyes filled with shock. "The Crown Prince Consort did indeed return to the city with Dugu Yan, Vice Captain of Heaven Dou Royal Academy's Seed Battle Team, early this morning!

The two then seemed to visit a tavern before heading straight to Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

On the way, they encountered Prince Xue Xing and the Fourth Prince, then proceeded together to the Education Committee's office.

Afterward, to stand up for Dugu Yan and the Fourth Prince, she revealed her strength and released four Soul Rings—three purple and one black—easily knocking Dai Mubai, the leader of the Shrek Seven Devils, unconscious!

She then challenged the remaining Shrek Seven Devils, preparing to fight six alone..."

The subordinate repeated the intelligence he had gathered.

As a trusted aide of the Crown Prince who specifically handled intelligence gathering, he naturally knew a great deal.

For example, regarding Li Yu, although he had not previously known her strength, he knew that she was the Crown Prince Consort and that the Crown Prince cared deeply for her.

And the Shrek Seven Devils—the ones who had defeated Heaven Dou Royal Academy's Seed Battle Team—were naturally people he had investigated deliberately.

He had even personally visited Suotuo City.

If the Crown Prince wished to ascend the throne, he naturally had to seize every source of support.

Gifted young talents were naturally among them.

Yet Crown Prince Consort Li Yu had appeared out of nowhere, possessing such talent and such strength.

He was naturally shocked, but he was also happy for his own master.

Inwardly, he even mocked Xue Ye. He had forced this marriage upon His Highness, thinking it would drive His Highness out of the running, yet he had instead delivered such a powerful ally to him.

Judging by the talent the Crown Prince Consort had now displayed, becoming a Titled Douluo seemed only a matter of time.

Furthermore, she and Dugu Yan now seemed as close as sisters.

It could be said that she had indirectly eased the relationship with Poison Douluo Your Majesty, who had previously been at odds with the Crown Prince!

The situation seemed to have reversed!

At this moment.

Qian Renxue was also deeply shocked.

Unlike her subordinate, she knew Li Yu's circumstances far more clearly.

She had personally witnessed Li Yu's first three Soul Rings being purple.

But...

In just a few days, Li Yu had risen from level 31 to level 40. She had even absorbed a Soul Ring—and directly absorbed a Ten Thousand Years Soul Ring!

How could anyone cultivate that quickly?!

How could her Fourth Soul Ring be a Ten Thousand Years Soul Ring?!

But Li Yu had been at Dugu Bo's side this entire time. If anything abnormal had occurred, Dugu Bo would certainly have noticed.

Yet when Dugu Bo had come last time, he had only said that Li Yu had improved enormously. Clearly, there had been nothing abnormal.

Every bit of Li Yu's improvement was reasonable!

Twenty levels of Soul Power in half a month, with three purple Soul Rings and one black Soul Ring.

Reasonable?

Qian Renxue herself did not believe it, but it had truly happened right before her eyes.

And the protagonist of this fantastical event was her... wife!

For a moment, she did not know what expression to wear.

"Dugu Bo, Dugu Bo... is this what you called a little improvement?"

Only after a long while did Qian Renxue regain her senses. While smiling bitterly inwardly, she had to admit that Li Yu's talent might surpass even her own!

"Where is she now?"

At last, Qian Renxue asked again.

The subordinate immediately answered, "By the time this subordinate received the news, Chief Meng Shenji had already brought the Crown Prince Consort and the others to Heaven Dou Royal Academy Soul Arena!"

Qian Renxue immediately set off, her destination clear—

Heaven Dou Royal Academy Soul Arena.

Every seat was filled.

To stir up the students' fighting spirit and let ordinary students see the gap between themselves and true geniuses.

After receiving Li Yu's answer of "as you wish," Meng Shenji did not hesitate to spread the news that "a genius would fight one against six at the Soul Arena, facing the Shrek Seven Devils."

The students of Heaven Dou Royal Academy were unfamiliar with the Shrek Seven Devils.

It was true that Dugu Yan and the others had lost to the Shrek Seven Devils at the Soto Grand Soul Arena, but young people cared about their pride.

After returning, naturally they did not talk much about it.

Only a small number of people knew about the matter.

But.

While the students did not know who exactly the Shrek Seven Devils were, nor did they know their strength, "one against six" was already an incredibly enticing spectacle!

What was more, the person fighting six alone had already been given the title of "genius." The Shrek Seven Devils could not possibly be too weak.

Otherwise, how could that person be called a genius?

Thus, in only a short time, the Soul Arena was packed to the brim.

They were all waiting to see what kind of genius would dare to fight six alone!

"Say, brothers, who exactly are these Shrek Seven Devils? Why does that team name make me want to laugh?"

"Hahahaha, who knows?"

"No, isn't the real question why the Shrek Seven Devils only have six people?"

"Damn, you noticed the key point!"

"Don't underestimate the Shrek Seven Devils. I heard our academy's Seed Battle Team lost to them before!"

"What?! You little hater, can you take responsibility for what you say? Could Senior Dugu Yan possibly lose?"

"Rumormongers have no balls! My Brother Tianheng is so strong—how could he possibly lose?!"

"..."

Before the battle's main characters had even appeared, the crowd was already clamoring noisily.

And the few who knew the truth had begun exposing the fact that Heaven Dou Royal Academy's Seed Battle Team had once lost to the Shrek Seven Devils.

However, not many believed them.

In their hearts, the Seed Battle Team led by Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan was invincible among their peers, an existence that could not be defeated.

Thus, anyone spreading such claims was labeled as someone with "no balls."

"Silence!"

At that moment.

Chief Meng Shenji appeared in the air above the Soul Arena with a single step. With just one sentence, the entire venue fell silent.

All the students looked at Meng Shenji, who stood suspended in the air, their eyes burning with excitement.

Standing in midair.

That was something only Soul Masters at the Soul Saint level or above could barely accomplish.

But to truly gain aerial combat ability, one generally needed a flying-type martial soul or to reach the rank of Titled Douluo or above.

And now—

Meng Shenji, already a Soul Douluo, had come to oversee this Soul Duel Competition!

That alone showed the true caliber of the "prodigies" and the "Shrek Seven Devils"!

Naturally, the students grew even more excited.

"Today's Soul Duel Competition carries extraordinary significance!"

Meng Shenji swept his gaze across the crowd before speaking. "As agreed beforehand, if Shrek Seven Devils win, they will join Heaven Dou Royal Academy, become your fellow students, and become strong contenders for places on our academy's Seed Battle Team!"

"Join Heaven Dou Royal Academy?"

"Since when did enrollment require this kind of test?"

"Six against one—this isn't just going through the motions, is it?"

"..."

Hearing this, the students began questioning it.

Meng Shenji seemed pleased to see such a scene. Only after they had discussed it for quite some time did he raise a hand, signaling for them to stop.

Once the crowd quieted down, Meng Shenji slowly said, "Next, let me introduce both sides in this Soul Duel Competition!"

As he spoke, he pointed toward the passage on the left. Everyone followed his gesture and saw six people in yellow-green uniforms walking onto the stage in formation.

"That uniform..."

"What kind of taste is that?"

"I'm speechless, guys."

"..."

The Shrek Seven Devils had long grown used to such comments, so their expressions did not change. Inside, however, they had already flogged Flender's corpse countless times.

Fortunately, Meng Shenji's introduction began at that moment.

"You may not be familiar with Shrek Seven Devils, but just over two months ago, they defeated our Heaven Dou Royal Academy's Seed Battle Team at Soto Grand Soul Arena!"

Meng Shenji bluntly tore open Dugu Yan and the others' wounds, bringing tears to the eyes of the insiders who had previously been mocked for having no balls.

At that moment, they looked at those who had mocked them, their faces full of grievance yet also a hint of pride. "See?"

The crowd's expressions turned strange, and the yellow-green filter through which they viewed Shrek Seven Devils faded considerably.

Meng Shenji looked around again and said with great solemnity, "And now, their average age is only around fifteen!"

"Ah!"

"How is that possible..."

The crowd erupted in uproar.

Meng Shenji gave them no chance to continue discussing it. "I hope you see the gap between yourselves and true prodigies! And I also hope you stop looking down on everyone else just because you are members of Heaven Dou Royal Academy!"

After a brief pause, he pointed toward the passage on the right.

Li Yu walked gracefully onto the arena. He still wore a Veil.

Meng Shenji had already asked Li Yu's name on the way over, so his introduction no longer sounded so unfamiliar. "Her name is Li Yu, and she is a prodigy among prodigies!

As for why I say that, watch the match that follows!"

Meng Shenji did not explain much about Li Yu, instead leaving the answer for Li Yu himself to reveal.

What he was thinking was: This old man was shocked by it already, so naturally I have to open the eyes of you little brats too!

With that thought, Meng Shenji looked over both sides once more and declared, "Now, I announce that the match shall beg—"

Just then, a voice suddenly rang out:

"Wait!"

Note: To make it easier to write and more immersive, from now on, when the protagonist is in Female Attire, his name will consistently be Li Yu. Even though he is also in Female Attire when called Li Yu, it somehow still feels like he is male, and I really can't bring myself to write verbs like "striking flirtatious poses" after it...

However, it is also made clear that Li Yu is male by nature, and his pronouns will remain fixed as "he"!