Mu Xuanheng Appears Again, Orange Spirit Ring Shocks All

Before the semifinals even began, the atmosphere surrounding the tournament was already thick with clamor.

Both the Sun Moon and Di'ao teams boasted Soul Emperor-level soul masters, while the Star Luo National Academy team consisted entirely of Soul Ancestors.

Shrek, however, was the subject of a different kind of speculation. After Gu Yuena swept through Zhengtian Academy, she claimed that Mu Xuanheng would take the stage. This made countless people fixate on Mu Xuanheng, all guessing at his true strength.

"He couldn't possibly have a hundred-thousand-year soul ring too, could he?"

"Impossible. Having one such genius is already incredible. How could two appear at once?"

Voices of doubt and speculation were endless.

The semifinals arrived amidst the anticipation of the masses.

The opponents they faced were still the Star Luo National Academy.

"Mu Xuanheng will replace Xiao Xiao. There's no need to discuss tactics; with the two of you here, we absolutely cannot lose." Wang Yan abandoned the idea of tactics altogether, as all strategy is predicated on the gap between the two sides not being too vast.

The combat power of Mu Xuanheng and Gu Yuena was simply too high.

On the high platform, the emperor of the Star Luo Empire sat upright. He spoke with the surrounding ministers from time to time.

"Do you think we can win this match, Star Luo?"

"Your Majesty, I believe we can. Shrek only has one Soul Ancestor, and she is an auxiliary-type soul master at that. She has no combat power at all. In a seven-on-seven team battle, we have a massive advantage."

Xu Jiawei nodded; as the emperor, he could never admit that his country's team would lose.

"What do you think, brother?"

Dai Hao had returned from the western frontier and sat beside Xu Jiawei.

"I recall your eldest son was supposed to participate in this Soul Fighting tournament, was he not? Why is he nowhere to be seen?"

Dai Hao replied, "Your Majesty, my eldest son encountered an Evil Soul Master at the Soul Saint level while executing a Shrek mission. He was severely poisoned and unable to fight. He is still recuperating at Shrek."

"A Soul Saint-level Evil Soul Master? Did you send troops to eliminate them, or was it the Shrek teachers?"

Dai Hao shook his head, as he did not know the facts. "Shrek has never clarified. The letter I received from home only stated that the person responsible for covering the retreat in that battle was Mu Xuanheng."

The emperor and his ministers looked toward the Shrek side.

Among the seven people taking the stage, the figure of Mu Xuanheng appeared.

"He's on, he's actually on. That bastard actually dared to show his face?"

"He dared to steal my goddess; this is a grudge over a stolen wife."

Mu Xuanheng waved his hand. "Why are there even more people now, and so many cursing me?"

Bei Bei said with a grin, "Do you have no idea what you've done? You announced it in front of everyone; anywhere else, you'd be getting beaten up by a mob."

Gu Yuena stood a bit further away from him than usual. "Once you show your strength, few people will question you."

"Uh, isn't that what's happening today? I was just recovering from my injuries for a while."

He hadn't fought at the start because of the injuries from the Evil Soul Master; he hadn't fought in the last match because he had made up an excuse after being beaten by Gu Yuena.

"Will both teams please take their positions." The voice of the Heavenly Fiend Douluo interrupted Mu Xuanheng's teasing of Gu Yuena.

They took their places and saw the lineup of the Star Luo Empire. The golden-haired princess stood right in the center.

Heavenly Fiend Douluo: "The match begins!"

Starlight ignited from Xu Jiujiu's forehead, and a magnificent crown descended upon her head, shimmering with starlight. Two yellow, two purple, and one black soul ring revealed that she was indeed a powerhouse at the Soul Ancestor level.

Every single contestant from the Star Luo National Academy was a Soul Ancestor.

Despite being a princess, despite having a royal martial soul, and despite her formidable strength, at this moment, no one's eyes were on her.

Her teammates, and even she herself, were staring intently at the young man opposite them.

"This is impossible!" The teacher from the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy stood up and shouted in disbelief.

Xu Jiawei and Dai Hao also stood up and moved closer to the arena.

The audience stood up in unison, rubbing their eyes to ensure they weren't seeing things, even pinching themselves to confirm they weren't dreaming.

"How can there be an orange soul ring?"

Even though Mu Xuanheng had exposed his orange soul ring for a year, who would dare believe it without seeing it with their own eyes?

White, yellow, purple, black, and red were the colors known to exist in soul rings; gold only existed in legends. And now, an orange one had appeared.

"This must be fake, right? Isn't there someone who can change the color of soul rings?"

Xu Jiawei stood where he was, unable to sit down. This was a major event that would absolutely change the understanding of the soul master world.

Because changing the color of a soul ring only involved modifying known colors; no one would be foolish enough to change it to a color that had never appeared before. Moreover, he could feel a tremendous power emanating from those two rings.

"Investigate!"

He didn't just want to investigate the color of the soul ring; he wanted to know who Mu Xuanheng really was, and why he was the first to possess an orange soul ring.

This changed common knowledge and would affect the entire world. The sooner he knew, the better.

As for the members of the Star Luo Academy facing Mu Xuanheng, they were under immense pressure. They knew nothing of the strength of an orange soul ring, but they had a good reference point: Gu Yuena.

Xu Jiujiu: "Don't be afraid. No matter how strange his soul rings are, he is only a Soul Ancestor. Third soul skill, Star Shine Art."

A beam of light formed beneath her feet, carrying a massive amount of light mist, which then dispersed onto the other six members.

A Soul King let out a roar as black markings surfaced on his body. He was Huang Heyun, the strongest member of the Star Luo Academy, and his Martial Soul was the Dark Demon Tiger.

He charged forward, attempting to break through to Gongyang Mo's position.

As the only Soul King and support-type Soul Master on the team, the assistance provided by Gongyang Mo was no less than the Star Shine Art of the Star Crown Martial Soul.

The Rainbow Dragon's Martial Soul lit up, and red and orange halos appeared above the heads of the Shrek members. Both their attack power and speed were enhanced.

Bei Bei's confidence surged as a result, and he activated his Thunder Dragon Claw to clash with Huang Heyun.

The moment their fists met, Bei Bei sensed something was wrong. His attack had been weakened.

"Second Soul Skill, Butterfly Goddess Light!" Wang Dong, positioned slightly further away, provided cover for Bei Bei.

He Caitou also set up his artillery once again.

However, his artillery became the target of the opponent's Lightning Falcon Soul Master, as the agility-attack Soul King toyed with his firepower.

Combined with the enhancement of the Star Shine Art, He Caitou was unable to exert his full strength at all.

After Bei Bei was pushed back, he stood near Gongyang Mo and Huo Yuhao, acting as a bodyguard.

The Lightning Falcon Soul Master also refrained from troubling Gongyang Mo precisely because of Bei Bei.

Meanwhile, Huang Heyun did not pursue Bei Bei; he had a more important task.

"Nine Transformation Soul Changing Instrument?" Wang Yan, watching from below the stage, recognized this Soul Tool.

It could concentrate the power of several Soul Masters onto one person, though it was limited to use by Soul Masters below the seventh ring.

Dugu Shangshan went straight for Mu Xuanheng; as an unknown variable, he needed to be held back.

Xu Jiujiu said, "With only one Soul Emperor-level combatant among you, you have already lost."

Gu Yuena replied, "Are you mistaken about something?" A violent gale carrying flames pressed down toward Huang Heyun.

This was the reason the wind and fire dual-controllers had not made a move. As long as Gu Yuena was still there, the wind and fire dual-controllers were meaningless.

Chen Xiaojie, acting as the Lightning Falcon agility-attack Soul Master, suppressed the remaining few, while Huang Heyun led three others to suppress Gu Yuena, waiting for Dugu Shangshan to break through so they could defeat them one by one.

It was a very beautiful fantasy, but Dugu Shangshan's opponent was Mu Xuanheng.

A single close-quarters strike from the Chaofeng Dragon Claw left Dugu Shangshan bleeding profusely.

Mu Xuanheng remarked, "What a fine Star Shine Art, it has weakened my attacks quite a bit."

The dragon claw broke through his defense, leaving several bloody gashes on Dugu Shangshan's arm.

"Second Soul Skill, Star Fall Art." Following the guidance of the starlight, the stars seemed as if they were about to crash down upon the two of them.

But something unexpected happened: the starlight did not land on them. This was because both of them had simultaneously controlled the light.

Xu Jiujiu knew that they absolutely could not drag this out any longer.

The moment Dugu Shangshan fought Mu Xuanheng, he knew that Mu Xuanheng was definitely also a Soul Emperor-level combatant.

Relying on Dugu Shangshan alone, it was impossible to defeat Mu Xuanheng; on the contrary, he would only be broken through quickly. This was because they still had Gongyang Mo providing buffs.

"Then it has to be this. Fourth Soul Skill, Star Protection!"