Sibling Showdown

The next day, as usual, Yue brought Meng to the assessment area right on time. As soon as they arrived, they saw Lin Muxue and the other two waiting for them.

The three of them saw Yue Hongchen arrive and walked over, looking uneasy.

"I agree to what you asked. Before the end of this semester, the Hongchen Family will send someone to negotiate with the White Tiger Duke."

After returning last night, he had sent a Soul Douluo from the agility attack system to infiltrate the White Tiger Duke's Mansion and investigate the three girls' backgrounds thoroughly. When he got up this morning, three dossiers had appeared on the living room table. The findings were even worse than what the girls had told him. The White Tiger Duke was rarely at his mansion, and Dai Huabin did whatever he pleased, relying on the fact that he was the Duchess's child. His older brother was in Shrek Inner Court, and there was no one who could keep him in check.

After reading the dossiers this morning, Yue Hongchen had sent someone to report the matter to his grandfather.

"So remember this: you're not joining Mingde Hall, you're joining the Hongchen Family."

After saying that, Yue ignored the three girls and led Meng into the assessment area by the hand.

As for why he was using the Hongchen Family's name—

Although his grandfather controlled Mingde Hall, the institution was part of Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, and the crown prince wielded some influence there. Even though his grandfather had tightened his control over Mingde Hall after Yue's warning, completely kicking the crown prince out was impossible in the short term.

So rather than sending these three geniuses to Mingde Hall, bringing them directly into the Hongchen Family was the best option for now. As for Xing Yueyao, she wouldn't be leaving the academy after the semester ended. By the time Yue took her back to the Sun Moon Continent, he was sure the task he'd assigned to his grandfather and Xiao would be nearly complete.

Back at the assessment area—

There was still some time before the elimination matches began, but the viewing stands were already full.

Compared with yesterday, there were many more unfamiliar faces in the seats reserved for Shrek's senior staff. Of course, some were familiar: Yan Shaozhe, Wang Yan, and Pu Shibo were all there.

Wang Yan was standing beside a disheveled-looking man who was wolfing down a chicken leg.

"Shrek's second-strongest fighter, Level 98 Taotie Douluo Xuan Zi. I didn't expect him to come today, too." Meng Hongchen looked curiously at Xuan Zi above them.

She had read about the Sea God's Pavilion members at Jing Hongchen's place, so she recognized Xuan Zi. But hadn't he fallen into a state of despair because of a past mistake?

Noticing the doubt in Meng Hongchen's eyes, Yue stroked her hair as he explained, "He probably wants to see whether there are any students in this year's freshman class who catch his eye. Mu En is nearing the end of his life, and Xuan Zi wants to find a few promising students before he passes away."

Meng Hongchen nodded, only half understanding, then stopped paying attention to Xuan Zi. She had no desire to keep looking at a filthy old man.

Next came the usual draw, followed by the elimination matches in their assigned areas. By this stage, only a handful of strong teams remained. Yue Hongchen was lucky: both the sixteen-to-eight and the eight-to-four matches pitted him against ordinary teams made up entirely of Soul Grandmasters.

He wrapped up that day's elimination matches with ease and made it into the semifinals. The other three teams to reach the final four were announced as well. One was his younger sister Meng Hongchen's team, followed by Huo Yuhao's team and the team led by Dai Huabin, the second young master of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion.

The night passed in a flash, and soon it was time for the semifinals and final. Another figure had appeared on the viewing stand today. If Yue Hongchen remembered correctly, he was the Sea God Pavilion Master, Mu En—the strongest person in Shrek.

The semifinals, with four teams competing for two spots, would take place in the morning. In the afternoon, the last two teams would compete for the championship.

Du Wilun was no longer in charge of the draw today. Instead, it was Yan Shaozhe, the Martial Soul Department dean who had brought Yue and Meng to Shrek.

Yan Shaozhe smiled and nodded at Yue and Meng before speaking. "Hello, young people. My name is Yan Shaozhe, and I'm the 261st dean of Shrek Academy." He had a gentle air about him, seeming like nothing more than an ordinary old man.

"I know you're wondering why I'm here. Normally, even at the final stage of the freshman assessment, having a vice dean attend would be enough to show how much the academy values you. But I have to say, I'm very pleased with this year's freshmen. They're the most talented batch we've seen in nearly a century. I'm very interested in you, so I came. And I'll be watching every match today. I hope you'll surprise me. All right, let's begin the draw."

With that, Yan Shaozhe picked up the box of lots and took a few steps forward.

"Freshman Class Nine: Yue Hongchen's team, step forward to draw." This time, the students didn't come up to draw on their own. Yan Shaozhe called each team up one by one.

Seeing Yan Shaozhe looking at him, Yue Hongchen returned a polite smile. He led Meng Hongchen forward by her little hand.

Yan Shaozhe froze for a moment, but said nothing. After Yue Hongchen drew his lot, he announced, "Freshman Class Nine: Meng Hongchen's team, step forward to draw."

As he spoke, he personally held the box out to Meng Hongchen, signaling that she could draw.

Yan Shaozhe's gesture stirred up a wave of gasps. Apart from the Sea God Pavilion elders, who knew the inside story, every teacher and student was shocked.

But when Yan Shaozhe's aura spread through the area, everyone obediently fell silent.

After both of them had drawn, a mischievous smile flickered across Yan Shaozhe's face, then vanished at once.

"All right, next up, Freshman Class One: Huo Yuhao's team. Step forward to draw..."

Yue caught the fleeting smile on Yan Shaozhe's face. As soon as he and Meng returned to their seats, he picked up the lots he and Meng had drawn.

As expected, the old fox was up to no good.

The lot in Yue Hongchen's hand was marked with a one, while Meng's was marked with a two.

"Looks like we're facing each other in the semifinals, brother." Meng grinned and waved her wooden lot in front of Yue. "I don't think we've ever fought before. Should we decide the winner this time?"

Meng knew Yue Hongchen wouldn't lay a hand on her, but since they'd drawn against each other, she couldn't resist teasing him.

"Sure." Yue Hongchen nodded. "Once the match starts, I'll capture you first. Without you, even if I can't use either hand, Wu Feng and Ning Tian won't be a match for me. Then I'll carry you off the stage, and I'll win."

Yue Hongchen said it with a mischievous grin.

Hearing Yue Hongchen's plan, Meng rapped him on the chest in exasperation.

"Even if you capture me, I can still hinder you a lot. Wu Feng and Ning Tian might still have a chance."

"Is that so?" Yue leaned closer until his face was almost touching Meng Hongchen's. At the same time, he released a trace of his aura.

Feeling that trace of aura, Meng Hongchen's eyes widened. "You're Level 40?!"

Yue Hongchen nodded. "Still think you have a chance of winning?"

"Hmph!" Meng crossed her arms and turned away from him. "It's only because cultivating with an extreme attribute Martial Soul is so slow between Level 30 and 70. Otherwise, could you really have gotten this far ahead of me?"

"Yes, yes. My little Meng is far more talented than I am. At the same level, I wouldn't stand a chance against you."

Yue's words pleased Meng, and she nodded with satisfaction. "You should be asking who's standing right in front of you!"

While Yue and Meng were flirting, Huo Yuhao and Dai Huabin finished drawing their lots. They glared furiously at each other, then tossed their wooden lots at each other and headed toward Area Two.

"Uh..." Yue and Meng exchanged a look and shook their heads helplessly.

After Huo Yuhao and the others left, Yan Shaozhe had already flown into the air. He looked at Yue and Meng. "The four-team semifinal in Area One is about to begin. Both teams, please enter the arena."