The Gap Between Shrek Academy and Sun Moon Royal Soul Sage Academy

The host's impassioned voice rang throughout the arena:

"Next, let us welcome the Skysea Alliance's reigning champion team!"

Seven figures in silver uniforms marched neatly onto the stage—five men and two women. Their steps were steady, their gazes sharp.

Their captain was a tall young man with the confidence of a battle-hardened veteran between his brows. His Soul Power Fluctuation was powerful, clearly indicating that his cultivation was not low. He looked about the same as Shrek's captain.

But at twenty years old, his cultivation was only about equal to that of a fifteen-year-old... Wasn't that far too embarrassing?

As both sides took their positions, the referee raised his right hand.

"Match, begin!"

The instant the referee's arm fell, Shrek Academy's seven members sprang into action like arrows released from the same bowstring.

The first to strike was unexpectedly Xu Lizhi, the harmless-looking little fatty.

"Buns coming right up!" Xu Lizhi's right hand traced smooth arcs through the air.

Two yellow Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet, and the First Soul Ring blazed brightly.

Seven tiny golden buns, as though guided by invisible threads, flew precisely toward his six teammates.

Yu Tianxuan opened his mouth and caught the incoming bun, swallowing it with a roll of his throat.

At the same time, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda in the hands of the girl at the center of the team shone brilliantly. Three gorgeous streams of Soul Ring light wrapped around Yu Tianxuan like rainbows.

"Seven Treasures have names. First: Strength."

"Second: Speed."

"Third: Soul."

Under the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's Martial Soul amplification, Yu Tianxuan's body underwent a terrifying transformation.

His arms swelled at a visible rate, blue-purple Dragon Scales surging out from beneath his skin as fine arcs of electricity darted through the gaps between them.

Four Soul Rings rose: yellow, yellow, purple, black!

Seeing the strength of Shrek's captain, Zhao Tianyu, the captain on Sun Moon Royal's side, swallowed hard.

"A black Soul Ring! I never expected his Spiritual Power to have already reached the standard needed to absorb a Ten Thousand Year Soul Spirit while only at four rings."

"By the way, does anyone on our team have a Ten Thousand Year Soul Spirit?" Xu Ming asked quietly, pushing up his glasses.

Everyone fell silent.

Almost all of them had only hundred-year or Thousand-Year Soul Spirits.

Even Zhao Tianyu, their captain with forty-ninth-rank Soul Power, had not reached the Spiritual Power standard required to absorb a Ten Thousand Year Soul Spirit.

"Then this is probably going to be a little difficult."

Xu Ming spoke in a low voice.

"Zhao, your level is a bit higher than his. You should be able to make up for the gap between your Spirit Souls."

Zhao Tianyu said nothing. He merely watched Shrek's Exhibition Match in silence.

On the stage, Yu Tianxuan's dragon roar swept through the entire arena with the pressure of an ancient ferocious beast. Thousands of Lightning Snakes burst forth from the point of impact, thunder and lightning running rampant as blue-purple light nearly swallowed the entire battlefield.

The three Tianhai Academy members at the front did not even have time to release their Martial Souls before being blasted away by the violent lightning. Their silver-white uniforms charred and curled beneath the electrical currents as they crashed into the barrier like scraps of paper torn apart by a hurricane.

A tidal wave of shocked cries erupted from the stands.

Yu Tianxuan was like a thunder god descended upon the world. With every step he took, a new thunderstorm formed, and Tianhai Academy's carefully arranged formation collapsed at an astonishing rate.

The seven members of the Skysea Alliance could not even organize a proper resistance. The three four-ring Soul Ancestors had only just released their Martial Souls, their Soul Rings barely lighting up, when they were submerged by the overwhelming thunder.

Their defenses were as fragile as paper before Yu Tianxuan's assault.

There was no process to this match—only a result.

Not only did the lightning not fade, it became even more violent, as though the entire stage had fallen under the dominion of an Ancient Thunder Dragon.

A minute later, everything came to an abrupt halt.

The lightning receded, leaving only Tianhai Academy's members sprawled across the stage. Their silver uniforms were charred and torn, and some were still twitching slightly, their nerves clearly paralyzed by the Thunderclap Power.

Meanwhile, Shrek Academy's seven members remained standing where they were, their formation completely undisturbed.

At the very front, Yu Tianxuan looked calm, as though the devastating attack just now had nothing to do with him.

A crushing victory.

An utterly complete crushing victory.

The entire arena fell silent.

In a stadium packed with countless people, even the sound of breathing could be heard clearly.

Everyone had been left speechless by that overwhelming victory.

The gap was far too great.

The Skysea Alliance youth division champions had not even lasted a minute against Shrek Academy's junior division.

This was no longer merely a difference in Soul Power Levels. It was an all-around crushing advantage in Martial Souls, combat awareness, and team coordination.

"Are you afraid?"

Amid the team's silence, Zhao Tianyu, as captain, was the first to speak and break it.

"That captain with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul—if I faced him head-on, I would definitely lose. But I'm not afraid!"

"I'm not afraid of failure. What I fear is being so intimidated by the enemy that I don't dare face them or accept the outcome of failure."

"What about you? Are you afraid?"

"Not afraid." The girls were the first to step forward. Su Yu, who possessed the Wind Demon Bird Martial Soul, said coldly, "Isn't it just a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon? I specialize in beating geniuses!"

"Since they can take out their opponents in one minute, we'll do it in thirty seconds," Xu Ming immediately said. "My amplification may not compare to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, but I'm not weak either."

Gu Yue Na did not take them seriously at all.

"Perfect. We can see exactly where the gap between them and us lies."

"Well said!" Battle intent surged in Zhao Tianyu's eyes. "Let's crush those Shrek bastards!"

"We're the Continent's Number One Academy!"

Lu Jun silently watched everything unfold without taking the initiative to speak.

If I said what I was really thinking right now, they'd probably think I was showing off.

It would be better to prove it with actions.

"Next, please welcome the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy representative team!"

The host's voice echoed through the stadium, but the response from the spectators was nowhere near as enthusiastic as when Shrek Academy had taken the stage.

Seven figures slowly walked onto the arena. Zhao Tianyu led them at the front, his expression composed and his gaze resolute.

Behind him, Su Yu, Xu Ming, Gu Yue Na, and the others followed closely, each with an unyielding sharpness in their eyes.

However, the moment they stepped onto the stage, murmurs rose from the stands.

"Sun Moon Royal? Can they do it?"

"Shrek just crushed the Skysea Alliance champion team. They're only fighting the runner-up team."

"Exactly. Champions and runners-up aren't even in the same league, are they?"

Meanwhile, in the waiting area on the other side, Shrek Academy's members lounged lazily against their seats, casually glancing toward the stage.

"Sun Moon Royal?" Yu Tianxuan gave them an indifferent look before withdrawing his gaze. "We should take a proper look. They'll be facing us in an Exhibition Match tomorrow."

The girl beside him, who possessed the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect Martial Soul, said softly:

"We should still show them some respect. They are the continent's second-ranked academy, after all."

"Second?" Yu Tianxuan shook his head. "The gap between second and first is more than just one level."

"Match, begin!"

The instant the referee's voice fell, both teams immediately entered Martial Soul Possession, their Soul Rings shining brightly!

The Skysea Alliance Runner-up Team had four four-ring members and three three-ring members. Their Soul Ring configurations were uniformly yellow, yellow, purple, purple. Though not top-tier, they were still considered elites.

On Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy's side, the senior students with four rings all had four purple Soul Rings.

Although that was already the best possible configuration, it still lacked the sheer shock of a ten thousand year Soul Ring.

The anticipation in the spectators' eyes gradually turned to disappointment.

"As expected, they still can't compare to Shrek..."

"They don't even have a single black Soul Ring. How are they supposed to fight? Sun Moon Royal Academy is definitely going to lose tomorrow."

In the waiting area, Yu Tianxuan's gaze swept over Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy's seven members. When he saw their Soul Ring configurations, a trace of boredom flickered through his eyes, and he shook his head.

"Looks like this doesn't even count as a warm-up."

"Other than us, Shrek, no other academy has even one decent genius."

However, in the next instant, an extremely cold Soul Power Fluctuation suddenly spread from Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy's team.

Lu Jun slowly raised his hand, and the First Soul Ring beneath his feet lit up.

"First Soul Skill, Ice Abyss Domain."

His voice was very soft, yet it carried an irresistible pressure.

In an instant, the temperature across the entire stage plummeted!

"Crack, crack, crack—"

Frost spread at a visible speed. The ground, the air, even their opponents' Soul Power Fluctuations—all of it froze!

The seven Skysea Alliance members had not even had time to release their Soul Skills before their bodies stiffened. Their limbs seemed bound by invisible chains, and their movements became incredibly sluggish.

"Th-this... what Soul Skill is this?!" The leading captain stared wide-eyed in horror.

What came next was even more terrifying.

Lu Jun's Third Soul Ring, also purple, suddenly lit up.

"Third Soul Skill, Ice Abyss Storm."

A terrifying Ice Snow Storm erupted from around him in an instant.

The entire stage was immediately swallowed by the Blizzard.

Everyone in the stands widened their eyes, and even Shrek Academy's members abruptly rose to their feet.

"What?!" Yu Tianxuan's pupils shrank sharply.

The coverage of this Soul Skill...

Was even larger than Yu Tianxuan's lightning attack just now!

Wind and snow raged. The seven Skysea Alliance members did not even have a chance to struggle before being completely frozen!

Seventeen seconds later, the storm dispersed.

The entire stage was deathly silent.

Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy's seven members remained standing where they were, without having moved even a single step.

Across from them stood seven Ice Sculptures, lifelike in every detail.

The entire Skysea Alliance Runner-up Team had been frozen!

Seventeen seconds. The battle was over!