This punch has twenty years of training behind it. Can you withstand it?

As soon as those words fell, the challengers in the Soul Fighting Arena appeared one after another, including the newly registered Ye Xingchen, Tang San, and the others.

"There are so many new faces this year. Which academy are they from? They look so young, yet they're already here to compete in the Soul Fighting Arena!"

"Don't look down on them. What if they're really strong? Let's just watch the show and enjoy the gossip!"

"Exactly. Those beauties are gorgeous. Are the four of them together? That boy is way too lucky. My heavens!"

Standing on the raised platform, Tang San glanced at the token in his hand and sighed inwardly.

He turned to glance at Xiao Wu standing beside Ye Xingchen, and the flames of jealousy in his heart grew fiercer.

"Now, please welcome challenger number one, the Stunning Tang Sect!"

The smartly dressed host glanced at the number card, then announced:

"And their opponents are the Hammer Brothers, known for their invincible iron fists!"

Ye Xingchen paused. Seeing that their turn had come so quickly, he nodded and led the three girls to the center of the stage.

His white robes and handsome face, together with the three girls' breathtaking beauty, immediately drew countless screams.

Under the lights, their group looked almost excessively glamorous.

"This year's team certainly looks distinguished! Every one of them is a beauty or a handsome young man, but can they take a beating?"

The host onstage looked Ye Xingchen and the others over, smiled faintly, and teased:

"Next up are the Hammer Brothers. This is going to be an exciting battle!"

"Two against four-who will win, and who will lose? Let's look at their odds!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the odds for the Stunning Tang Sect and the Hammer Brothers appeared on the public screen.

Some spectators who had been about to bet on the Stunning Tang Sect stopped with their chips still in hand when they saw that this was Ye Xingchen's group's first Soul Fighting Arena match!

"All four of them are newcomers? They haven't won a single match. Even four against two, they might not win. The Hammer Brothers are seasoned veterans!"

"I'd better bet on the Hammer Brothers. That's safer. If I lost money on these four newcomers, I'd die of injustice!"

"Exactly. All four are so pretty, they don't look like fighters at all. And it's three girls and one boy. Their chances are far too low!"

Amid the crowd's discussion,

The Hammer Brothers slowly walked onto the platform. Looking at their opponents, the two felt a trace of confusion.

The elder brother leading the way smiled and thumped his chest.

"Kid, you're so pretty. Are you planning to protect all three girls by yourself? This is the first time I've seen a team like yours!"

Ye Xingchen remained calm, not the least bit angered by his words.

He glanced at the Hammer Brothers, spread his hands slightly, and teased:

"We don't know who'll win yet. Don't beg for mercy later!"

The Hammer Brothers found that hilarious and burst out laughing.

Ning Rongrong, standing nearby, felt a little displeased. She folded her arms, stepped forward, and mocked them:

"Two muscle-bound simpletons. You'll get what's coming to you soon enough. Go ahead and act arrogant while you can!"

Seeing Ning Rongrong defend her husband so fiercely, Xiao Wu felt a trace of envy.

She glanced back at the white-robed figure, an unusual light appearing in her eyes.

"Do the three of us even need to fight? These two look pretty weak. You should be able to handle them, right?"

With her arms folded, Zhu Zhuqing glanced at the Hammer Brothers, then turned to ask Ye Xingchen:

"I feel like we might just drag you down if we joined in."

Ye Xingchen nodded calmly. Hearing Zhu Zhuqing's words, he smiled.

"Just lie back. Leave the damage-dealing to me..."

Lie back?

Zhu Zhuqing's pretty face immediately flushed. She looked at the white-robed figure before her, shyness appearing in her eyes.

"Are both sides ready? We're about to begin!"

"Whether you win or lose, I hope you'll give it your all. After all, those are the Soul Fighting Arena's rules!"

The smartly dressed host glanced at both sides, then flew high into the air, clearing the center of the stage.

With a sweep of his hand, the duel officially began.

The Hammer Brothers grinned and charged without hesitation, their great hammers in hand.

With a lift of their arms, they unleashed the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer, hammering ferociously toward Ye Xingchen!

"Brat, you're not even going to dodge? You really think you're something! If we don't teach you a proper lesson today, you won't know how high the heavens are or how deep the earth runs!"

"That's right! You think a pretty face makes you qualified to protect these flowers? You're nowhere near worthy!"

Unmoving as a mountain, Ye Xingchen found their mockery rather amusing. Watching the two great hammers approach, he slowly raised his hand, and his Heavenly Emperor Cauldron Martial Soul immediately appeared above his head.

He glanced at the two and said mildly:

"You think you two can break through my defenses? How laughable!"

Before the Hammer Brothers could react, their hammers drew close to Ye Xingchen, and a rebounding force struck their arms, instantly sending them flying dozens of meters backward.

The two froze briefly, then looked up to see a transparent great cauldron floating slowly above Ye Xingchen's head.

"What terrifying defense. So you do have some ability!"

Ye Xingchen smiled calmly. Watching the Hammer Brothers climb up from the ground, he felt rather bored.

Their hammers had not even touched the surface of his Heavenly Emperor Cauldron Martial Soul. They had merely been repelled by the peculiar force he had mobilized, formed from the spiritual power and soul power within him!

This was another defensive method he had developed through his recent research.

It could be said that almost no one below Soul Elder could come within three feet of him.

"My husband is so handsome! Why have you two stopped running your mouths? I didn't see your hammers hit anyone!"

"Even if I just stand here, I can still beat you. Doesn't that make you angry?"

Standing behind him, Ning Rongrong beamed at the sight. She looked at the Hammer Brothers and mocked them without hesitation.

The Hammer Brothers shook their heads, their expressions rather ugly. Having underestimated their opponents at first, they were now tasting the bitter fruit.

Looking at the white-robed figure before them, they grew serious.

As their martial souls slowly erupted, an immensely powerful surge of soul power attached itself to their great hammers.

"Brat, we haven't lost yet. Tell your woman to shut up!"

With those words, the Hammer Brothers immediately closed in again. The soul power gathering between them swept toward Ye Xingchen like a raging gale and tsunami.

Under that tremendous pressure, Ye Xingchen, standing unmoving as a mountain, looked particularly frail.

The Heavenly Emperor Cauldron Martial Soul above his head also began to glow faintly, standing firm like a lighthouse amid a tsunami.

Outside the arena,

Dai Mubai watched Ye Xingchen take on two opponents alone, a rueful expression on his face.

He had fought the Hammer Brothers before. They were formidable, and even for him, defeating them would not have been easy.

But seeing Ye Xingchen handle them so effortlessly now, he could not help exclaiming:

"If Brother Ye gets his third Soul Ring, he'll probably become the strongest Soul Elder!"

"With his current strength, he'll probably be the strongest in his rank every time he levels up. There's simply no answer to that!"

Standing with their arms folded, Ma Hongjun, Oscar, Tang San, and the others showed some admiration at those words.

Tang San in particular, as a transmigrator, naturally understood what it meant to be a favored son of heaven. To him, Ye Xingchen was precisely the favored son of heaven of this Douluo Continent.

"Brother Ye is far too strong. With strength like that, he definitely won't be confined to some small place in the future!"

"He might even earn a place in Spirit Hall someday. Then our Shrek Academy would really flourish!"

Ma Hongjun shook his head slightly, gazing at the white-robed figure as he praised him.

"Spirit Hall? Forget it. I think if we come from Shrek Academy, Spirit Hall probably won't accept us!"

Unconvinced, Oscar shook his head. Knowing some of the inside story, he sighed and said with a smile.

Meanwhile, in the forest at Shrek Academy.

A red-robed figure quietly arrived. Looking at the academy a short distance away, his expression darkened.

"So you're hiding here..."

"My son, you won't have died in vain. Your father will avenge you..."

After murmuring those words to himself, the red-robed figure was about to approach Shrek Academy when a strand of Sword Qi suddenly appeared before him.

Reacting with a snort, he immediately retreated a hundred meters. Looking at that strand of Sword Qi, he said warily:

"Sword Douluo of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. It's been a long time. I never expected to meet you here!"

As his words fell, Chen Xin slowly descended from the sky like an immortal, standing on a sword hilt, and came before the red-robed figure.

"Ci Xue, why are you here?"

Hearing Chen Xin's question, Blood Stab Douluo smiled. Somewhat wary, he clasped his hands behind his back and said mildly:

"What? Since when did Spirit Hall have to explain its affairs to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"

"There's no such rule, is there? What do you say, Sword Douluo?"

Chen Xin's brows creased slightly. Ci Xue, who should have been working for Spirit Hall, had suddenly appeared at Shrek Academy, and that left him somewhat uneasy.

He shook his head and casually waved, and a strand of Sword Qi immediately appeared in his hand.

"Since you won't talk, I'll simply beat you until you do!"

"I wonder whether you can withstand a single strike of my sword!"

Faced with such an overbearing, unreasonable Sword Douluo, Ci Xue could not help feeling somewhat alarmed.

He knew full well that the man before him was a formidable rank-ninety-seven Super Douluo. Compared with him, the difference was that between heaven and earth.

Gritting his teeth, Ci Xue said:

"There's no need for this, is there, Sword Douluo? There has been no unpleasantness between the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and Spirit Hall. I'm here on a mission, and I'm under no obligation to explain it to you!"

"If you keep this up, you may provoke a war between the two great sects. I hope you won't interfere with my affairs again!"

Leaving those words behind, Ci Xue turned into a streak of red light and vanished from the forest.

With his arms behind his back, Chen Xin shook his head slightly. Watching the departing figure, his eyes showed a trace of puzzlement.

After all, he knew that this fellow's son seemed to have been slain by his own hand in the Frozen Forest.

Coming to Shrek Academy now could only be for revenge. As for his supposed Spirit Hall mission, Chen Xin considered it complete nonsense.

His face frosty, Chen Xin shook his head, then turned into a strand of Sword Qi and left!

Inside the Soul Fighting Arena,

After several exchanges, the somewhat helpless Hammer Brothers stopped where they stood. Looking at Ye Xingchen, who remained unmoving as a mountain, the two said bitterly:

"We surrender. With you standing there without moving, there's no way to fight you!"

"But we won't accept it. Your fighting style is just that of a turtle hiding its head!"

Hearing this, Ye Xingchen smiled slightly, his hands clasped behind his back, as he looked at the two fellows who could do nothing against him.

He immediately took a step forward and said mildly:

"My unwillingness to attack doesn't mean I can't beat you. It means you can't withstand it!"

"This punch carries eighteen years of internal power. I wonder if you can take it?"

With those words, Ye Xingchen took another step forward.

Then the soul power and spiritual power within him erupted in an instant.

A formidable force belonging to a rank-twenty-nine Soul Grandmaster swept out in every direction!

Frozen in place, the Hammer Brothers felt somewhat afraid at the sight.

Yet, seeing the fellow before them take the initiative to attack, they still steeled themselves and charged.

"We've been waiting for you. Let's settle who's stronger this time!"

"Take my hammer! I'll show you what I'm made of!"

Striding forward, Ye Xingchen watched the hammers hurtle toward him and threw a punch without hesitation.

A muffled grunt rang out, and a glimmer of white light slowly spread in every direction.

Then, in disbelief, the Hammer Brothers froze as they watched their hammers shatter inch by inch before their eyes.

The elder brother leading them, in particular, looked at his shattered hammer and could not help wondering whether he would have survived if that punch had struck his body.

Looking at the white-robed figure before him, he felt fear for the first time.

"We surrender. You're too strong!"

Ye Xingchen calmly nodded at the surrendering Hammer Brothers, then walked lightly back.

Seeing this, the spectators below the stage stared openmouthed and cried out.

"I can't even. What kind of incredible strength was that? He actually smashed the Hammer Brothers' weapons!"

"What a show-off! That line-'This punch has twenty years of training behind it. Can you take it?'"

"That battle was so exciting! That's a true powerhouse for you. I'm so envious!"