One against seven?

The fourth day of the tournament, Star Luo Plaza.

The weather today was exceptionally clear, with sunlight spilling onto the massive arena and reflecting a dazzling brilliance. As the defending champions, Shrek Academy was naturally the focus of everyone's attention.

"First round of the round-robin, first match! Shrek Academy versus Yunluo Advanced Soul Master Academy!"

As the host's high-pitched voice rang out, the cheers of the entire crowd erupted like thunder.

"Will both team captains please come to the stage to draw lots!"

Huo Yuhao walked onto the arena. Opposite him, the captain of Yunluo Academy, Situ Yu, appeared somewhat nervous, with a fine layer of sweat even seeping from his forehead.

Facing a behemoth like Shrek, any academy would feel the pressure, especially when they were up against this monster of a captain who possessed a heaven-defying soul ring configuration.

The results of the draw were revealed quickly.

"Match format—Individual Elimination!" the host announced. "Will both sides please send out their first contestant!"

Situ Yu's face turned pale; individual combat was definitely bad news for their Soul Tool academy. After all, soul masters were better at team-based firepower coverage.

Huo Yuhao did not leave the stage, merely nodding to the referee. "I'll stay right here."

"Shrek Academy, Huo Yuhao enters the fray!"

On the side of Yunluo Academy, after a brief commotion, a slightly chubby student walked out.

"Yunluo Academy, Ma Yingjun."

Although his name meant "handsome," Ma Yingjun looked quite comical.

But he couldn't laugh at all right now; looking at the youth standing opposite him with his hands behind his back, he only felt his legs go weak.

"Match begins!"

At the referee's command, Ma Yingjun bristled instantly, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"Click, click, click—"

A series of metallic mechanical sounds rang out, and over a dozen cannon barrels of varying thicknesses instantly appeared on Ma Yingjun's body, while he raised a heavy soul tool shield in his hands, making him look like a mobile arsenal.

Three yellow and one purple, four soul rings pulsed beneath his feet.

"I... I'm not afraid of you!" Ma Yingjun roared as if to bolster his own courage, aiming all his cannon barrels at Huo Yuhao simultaneously.

However, Huo Yuhao just watched him quietly, the corners of his mouth curling into a faint, imperceptible smile.

The next second, Huo Yuhao's eyes brightened slightly, as if they were two brilliant stars.

Soul Shock!

"Urgh..."

Ma Yingjun's roar came to an abrupt halt, as if someone had suddenly choked him by the throat.

Immediately following, his eyes rolled back, and without even letting out a scream, he fell straight backward.

"Thud!"

The sound of a heavy object hitting the ground was exceptionally clear in the quiet arena.

The entire venue was deathly silent.

The spectators hadn't even seen clearly what had happened.

No flashy soul skills, no intense collision—the fully armed Soul Ancestor had just fallen like that?

"Mental type! He's a mental-type soul master!" On the stands, a sharp-eyed soul master exclaimed in shock.

The referee stepped forward to check, then announced, "Ma Yingjun is unconscious, Shrek Academy wins!"

Huo Yuhao stood where he was, not having moved a single step, nor even having raised his hand.

"Next!" he said indifferently.

On the side of Yunluo Academy, everyone's expressions were ugly to the extreme.

The second to enter the arena was a tall girl named Shang Yue. A four-ring Soul Ancestor, two yellow and two purple.

As soon as she stepped onto the stage, without a word, she reached out her hands, and two gleaming long blades appeared in her grasp. These were level-three melee soul tools, incredibly sharp.

"I will avenge Yingjun!" Shang Yue shouted, her figure moving like lightning as her twin blades, carrying a fierce gust of wind, struck directly at Huo Yuhao's throat.

Huo Yuhao shook his head. "Too slow."

He grabbed at the empty air with his right hand, and a heavy, ink-black greatsword appeared out of thin air.

This greatsword had no decorative patterns, and its entire body exuded a heavy, oppressive aura.

Level-five melee soul tool—Dawn's Edge!

Facing the oncoming twin blades, Huo Yuhao did not dodge, simply swinging his sword in a horizontal sweep.

"Clang—!"

A piercing sound of metal clashing echoed throughout the arena.

In the horrified gaze of everyone, the two level-three soul tool blades in Shang Yue's hands shattered into countless fragments like fragile glass.

Immediately after, a terrifying, immense force surged forward.

Shang Yue felt as if she had been struck by a rampaging dragon-elephant; she flew backward like a kite with a broken string, soaring straight out of the Soul Fighting Arena and crashing heavily onto the ground.

One move!

Another instant kill!

And it was an instant kill achieved through a head-on collision using a Soul Tool!

"Is... is this the strength of Shrek Academy?"

"That heavy sword... it has to be at least a Level 5 Soul Tool, right? How old is he? How could he possibly control a Level 5 Soul Tool?"

The resting area of Yunluo Academy was shrouded in gloom.

"I'll go!"

Captain Situ Yu took a deep breath and stood up.

As the captain, he could not watch his team lose without putting up any resistance.

The moment Situ Yu stepped onto the stage, he immediately displayed an aura completely different from the previous two contestants.

"Fortress Tactics!"

Accompanied by a series of dense metallic clanking sounds, a large quantity of metal plates flew out from his storage Soul Tool, rapidly assembling and interlocking around his body.

In the blink of an eye, Situ Yu had transformed into a humanoid steel fortress. Countless cannon barrels extended from every angle, and there was even a baby bottle device specifically designed to restore soul power.

This was the Soul Cannon Turret Tactics! A powerful strategy touted as invincible among those of the same rank, and even capable of challenging those of higher ranks!

"Huo Yuhao, I know you are strong, but my Fortress Tactics are nothing to sneeze at!" Situ Yu roared, and dozens of soul cannons began charging simultaneously. The terrifying fluctuations of soul power caused the surrounding air to distort.

"Boom, boom, boom--!"

The sky-filling artillery fire poured down like raindrops, instantly blanketing the area where Huo Yuhao stood.

However, facing this overwhelming web of firepower, Huo Yuhao simply smiled.

Spiritual Detection activated!

Within his field of vision, the trajectories of the seemingly impenetrable barrage became crystal clear; even the landing point and blast radius of every single shell were calculated with absolute precision.

"Too slow, too scattered, full of openings."

Huo Yuhao flickered, relying on the speed granted by his superior physical fitness to stroll leisurely through the dense barrage. Every dodge was perfectly timed, as if he were dancing on the tip of a blade, yet not even a corner of his clothes was grazed.

He was close!

Ten meters, five meters, three meters!

Watching the figure that remained unscathed and rapidly closing in amidst the artillery fire, the confidence in Situ Yu's eyes finally turned to terror.

"This is impossible! How could you possibly dodge that?!"

Huo Yuhao did not answer; he had already arrived in front of Situ Yu.

The heavy sword in his hand was raised high, but it did not descend. Instead, he turned the blade and tapped it lightly against Situ Yu's thick soul shield.

"Hum--"

A terrifying shockwave of force was transmitted through the shield.

Situ Yu felt a tightness in his chest, and his entire body's soul power was instantly scattered.

The soul cannons that were in the middle of charging also misfired one after another due to the loss of control.

Huo Yuhao rested the heavy sword on Situ Yu's shoulder, looked down at him, and said calmly, "Do you want to continue?"

Although Huo Yuhao was only a four-ringed soul master, the composed and domineering aura he exuded made Situ Yu feel a sense of suffocation akin to facing a Spirit Emperor or even a Spirit Saint.

Situ Yu glanced at Huo Yuhao, who was completely unscathed and hadn't even broken a sweat, then looked at his own Soul Tools that had been neutralized before they could unleash their full power, his heart filled with bitterness.

The gap was too vast.

This was not a gap in equipment, but an all-encompassing suppression of awareness, technique, and strength.

"I... I concede."

Situ Yu spat out these three words with difficulty, as if it had drained every ounce of his strength.

The referee announced, "Huo Yuhao of Shrek Academy wins!"

Situ Yu struggled to stand up and glanced at the four remaining team members behind him. Their faces were ashen, and there was no longer any fighting spirit in their eyes.

Even their strongest captain had been defeated as if he were a toy; if they went up, they would just be serving themselves up on a platter.

"For the remaining matches... we forfeit." Situ Yu lowered his head, his voice filled with helplessness.

The entire arena was in an uproar.

A one-man sweep! And he had completely crushed the opponent's spirit.

Huo Yuhao stood in the center of the arena, his expression as calm as water. To him, this level of intensity didn't even count as a warm-up.

"I accept your concession."

Huo Yuhao bowed slightly, turned, and walked off the stage.

Shrek Academy had achieved victory in their first round-robin match, shaking the entire arena!