You and Elder Ma had just gotten ready to rest when someone gently knocked on the door. A servant dressed in fine clothes respectfully handed you a gold-embossed invitation: the Starlight Auction House's top-tier auction.
You glanced at the invitation and tossed it aside.
"I'm not going."
You refused without hesitation. According to the original "script," the Snow Empress Embryo would make its grand appearance as the auction's final item and eventually end up in Mingde Hall's hands.
Since the outcome was set, why waste your time? You might as well rest up at the hotel.
So the Sun Moon Team split into two groups. Elder Ma took the main force to see the excitement, leaving only you, Xiao Hongchen, and Meng Hongchen in the room.
For a while, the atmosphere was... downright strange.
Xiao Hongchen sat cross-legged in the corner, his Soul Power surging around him as he gritted his teeth and trained.
Ever since losing to you, this favored son of heaven had made "train until you crush him" his motto, vowing to reclaim his pride the next time you faced off.
Meng Hongchen's thoughts, meanwhile, were much simpler.
She rested her chin in her hand, her beautiful eyes practically glued to you. She'd finally gotten the chance to be alone with you (even if there was a third wheel around). How could she possibly let it go?
It was just that...
Meng Hongchen shot her own brother in the corner a resentful glance. Why did this third wheel have to be so conspicuous? Couldn't he take a hint and go train somewhere else?
Elder Ma and the others returned.
You casually asked about the auction's final item, but got an answer that surprised you—there had been no Snow Empress Embryo!
Was this the butterfly effect...
You stirred inwardly. It seemed that your involvement had already shifted the original timeline.
In that case, a trip to the Far North was essential once the tournament ended. You had to see for yourself what had happened to the Heavenly Snow Woman.
A day later, the quarterfinals began!
At last, you, who had remained behind the scenes until now, made a rare appearance.
Facing your opponents, you didn't even use your Martial Soul. You crushed them with ease using nothing but your physical abilities and Soul Tools. Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy charged into the semifinals!
Your opponent in the semifinals was an old powerhouse—Di'ao Academy.
This time, you didn't hold back.
"Martial Soul Possession!"
At your low shout, a terrifying wave of Soul Power swept across the arena.
The five Soul Rings that rose beneath your feet instantly plunged the noisy stadium into deathly silence!
Yellow, purple, purple, black, black!
A thousand-year Second Soul Ring and two ten-thousand-year Soul Rings!
What kind of monstrous lineup was this?!
The stands erupted.
"Good heavens! A thousand-year Second Soul Ring? A ten-thousand-year Fourth Soul Ring? How is that possible?!"
"Which academy is that kid from? With talent like that... could he be from Shrek Academy?"
"It has to be Shrek! Who else could produce a genius who defies common sense, besides that monster academy?"
Hearing the crowd's chatter, Meng Hongchen puffed out her cheeks in anger.
"What do you mean, Shrek? Brother Su Chen is obviously from our Sun Moon Empire! He's mine!"
She stamped her foot, fiercely protesting the notion that "everything originated with Shrek."
The match was over without suspense.
With you and Meng Hongchen working together, Di'ao Academy didn't even last ten minutes before suffering a crushing defeat.
The finalists were announced: Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy versus Shrek Academy!
Shrek's preparation area.
Wang Yan, the teacher leading the team, pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. His brow was furrowed, and his eyes were full of concern.
"Yellow, purple, purple, black, black... This Su Chen is no ordinary opponent. His physical abilities are probably already at the level of a Soul Emperor or even a Soul Saint."
The Shrek students, however, didn't take him seriously.
"Teacher Wang, you're worrying too much."
One student curled his lip, wearing the distinctive "glorious confidence" of Shrek.
"So what if his Soul Ring configuration is good? He's just a Soul King. We're Shrek students, from the greatest academy on the continent!"
"Exactly. We'll have beaten him before those flashy Soul Rings can scare us!"
Arrogance spread through the team. Little did they know, this was exactly what you wanted to see.
On the day of the finals, at Xingluo Square.
The plaza was packed, and the roar of the crowd shook the heavens.
"Shrek! Shrek! Shrek!"
The cheers swept through the arena like a tsunami.
In the hearts of hundreds of thousands of spectators, the outcome of this match was never in doubt. Shrek Academy would uphold its glory of ten thousand years and crush the Sun Moon Team with overwhelming force.
By comparison, the atmosphere around Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy was tense.
This was the closest they'd ever come to the championship trophy. If they won this match, they could shatter Shrek's myth and make history!
At the referee's signal, both teams entered the arena.
Shrek Academy had brought out all its elite fighters: Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, Ling Luochеn, Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan, and Huo Yuhao. It looked like they intended to end the match right there!
But when the spectators looked toward the Sun Moon Team, everyone froze.
One person.
You were the only one who strolled onto the platform, looking entirely unconcerned.
After a brief moment of shock, the stands erupted!
"Arrogant!"
"How dare he look down on Shrek!"
"One against seven? Is that kid crazy?"
A flood of insults and jeers surged toward you. The faces of the Shrek students turned darker than a pot, as they felt a humiliation unlike anything they'd ever experienced.
With thousands of people pointing fingers at you, your expression remained indifferent, as if you were watching a pack of ants shriek at your feet.
"Why should the strong care about the barking of the weak?"
A mocking smile touched your lips as you casually raised a hand.
"Since you brought seven people, I'll call in a few helpers too."
Buzz—!
You released your Martial Soul. Then, a chilling wind swept beneath your feet, instantly freezing the heat in the arena.
Six figures slowly emerged from the ground like ghosts, lining up neatly behind you.
Without a word, six terrifying auras shot into the sky!
Two yellow, two purple, four black...
No! Six Soul Douluo!!!
At that moment, time seemed to stand still.
Xingluo Square, packed with hundreds of thousands of people, fell deathly silent. You could have heard a pin drop.
The Shrek students' eyes nearly popped out of their heads. Their anger turned instantly into boundless terror.
Controlling... six undead Soul Douluo?! Was this even human?! Was this even a youth Soul Master tournament?!
Looking at Ma Xiaotao and the others, frozen in shock across from you, you couldn't help feeling a little regretful.
In fact, there was also an undead 98th-level Super Douluo named "Xuan Zi" still lying in your storage space.
Forget it. That one's a surprise for Titled Douluo. Using him against a bunch of kids would be too unfair—and might draw everyone's attacks.
The battle that followed could no longer be called a match. It was a one-sided slaughter.
The six Soul Douluo guards attacked at once, unleashing one devastating move after another!
Even Shrek's vaunted teamwork was powerless in the face of absolute strength.
Shrek's entire team was wiped out in a single exchange!
Dai Yueheng was knocked unconscious with severe injuries, and Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire spiraled out of control before being forcibly suppressed. The others were flung out of the arena like kites with their strings cut.
A crushing victory! A complete and utter rout!
Shrek Academy forfeited the subsequent individual matches and the two-two-three format.
Against a monster who could summon an army of Soul Douluo at will, continuing to fight would be suicide.
"We... won?"
The Sun Moon Team's members wept with joy. They'd done it!
But just as the champion was about to be announced, an unexpected turn of events occurred.
"He's an Evil Soul Master!"
"He controls the dead and desecrates their bodies! He has to be arrested!"
Someone in the stands started shouting. Countless gamblers who had lost everything and Shrek supporters joined in, their eyes bloodshot. Some powerful figures even tried to rush down from the stands and seize you.
"Let me see who dares!!!"
A thunderous shout rang out like a clap of lightning.
Jing Hongchen stepped forward and stood in front of you, his face so dark it looked as if water might drip from it.
Without saying a word, he silently pulled a huge metal cylinder from his Storage Soul Tool and hoisted it onto his shoulder.
Its cold metallic sheen radiated an aura of destruction.
A Level 9 Fixed Soul Guidance Shell!
The noisy plaza fell silent once more.
Everyone who'd been shouting fell silent at once, like ducks with their necks in a vice.
Within the reach of truth, all beings were equal.
No one dared risk their own life—or the safety of all Xingluo City—for a joke.
On this day, Shrek's myth was shattered, and a new legend rose atop the bones of the old gods!
Before you continue