The Twenty-Year-Old Soul Saint!

When the referee announced that Shrek Academy had advanced to the finals, all of Heaven Dou City erupted.

As expected, Shrek Academy had once again made it to the finals of the Advanced Soul Master Elite Competition.

And they had done so in an almost overwhelming fashion.

Five Soul Emperors with Ultimate Attributes—there had never been anything like it in the history of the competition.

Everyone eagerly awaited the finals and the climactic showdown between Shrek Academy and Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy.

At that moment, however, the atmosphere was unusually tense at Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy's residence elsewhere in Heaven Dou City.

Smoke hung thick in the meeting room.

Xu Hao, the team's instructor from Sun Moon Academy and a Level 7 Soul Engineer, stared grimly at the Soul Tool screen before him.

It was replaying footage of Shrek Academy's match that morning.

"Five Soul Emperors with Ultimate Attributes..." Xu Hao crushed his cigarette butt, his voice hoarse. "That's not strength any ordinary Soul Master should possess.

"And that Ma Xiaotao who joined them at the last minute has the Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul. She's no pushover either."

The students in the meeting room kept their heads down. No one spoke.

Fear was written plainly across their faces.

They were the geniuses of Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy, carefully cultivated prospects of Mingde Hall.

They had the most advanced Soul Tools and the finest instructors.

Yet after witnessing the five Shrek girls unleash their world-shattering Ultimate Attributes, they had lost all confidence.

Ultimate Attributes were so rare that only a handful had appeared in thousands of years!

In all of Shrek's ten thousand years of history, there had only been three.

"Teacher, can we... can we win?" one female student asked timidly, her voice trembling. "They're too strong. Ordinary Soul Tools can't possibly stand up to those Ultimate Attributes."

"That's right, Teacher. Wu Ming's Sun Golden Crow can burn through even a Level 5 Soul Tool shield. And that Baise's Styx Martial Soul is terrifying—it can swallow anything."

"And Mu Yue can control metal. I couldn't even control my Level 5 Soul Tool Armor."

The students babbled among themselves, their voices full of despair.

They had already faced Shrek during the round-robin stage.

Xu Hao slammed a hand on the table and barked, "Quiet!"

The meeting room fell silent at once.

Xu Hao drew a deep breath, then spoke more calmly. "I know you're afraid.

"Shrek's strength has indeed exceeded our expectations.

"But don't forget—we're Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy!

"We represent the pinnacle of Soul Tools!"

"No matter how talented a Soul Master is, they're still made of flesh and blood. Soul Tools, on the other hand, can give ordinary people power that surpasses Soul Masters!"

He stood and walked to a corner of the meeting room, where he opened a locked case made of a special metal.

Intricate Soul Tool patterns were etched into its surface, giving off a faint golden glow.

Inside lay a jet-black device shaped like a metal spider. Fine patterns covered its surface, and three deep-purple crystals were set into its core, radiating a disquieting aura.

Every student stared at the device, eyes wide with shock.

"Teacher, what is that...?"

A cold smile appeared on Xu Hao's face.

"This is the latest Level 7 Soul Tool I've developed, and the ultimate trump card I brought for this competition."

"This Space Soul Tool is powerful enough to capture a Soul Saint alive.

"I'd planned to wait until it was completely stable before using it in combat. But now, to win this match and bring glory to the Sun Moon Empire, I have no choice but to use it ahead of schedule."

Xu Hao gently stroked the cold metal surface, a feverish light gleaming in his eyes. It was the finest Soul Tool he had ever created.

"With this, forget five Soul Emperors with Ultimate Attributes—even a Soul Saint would be doomed."

"The competition rules don't restrict the level of Soul Tools Soul Engineers can use."

In principle, that was true. But would any faction really be extravagant enough to enter a competition with a high-level Soul Tool?

At present, a Level 7 Space Soul Tool was priceless on the continent.

Only someone like Xu Hao, a top Soul Engineer of Mingde Hall, could bring one out.

"Tomorrow, I'll show them what a real Soul Tool can do!"

The metal case slowly closed, sealing away the disquieting aura.

The meeting room was dead silent.

The team members knew that Instructor Xu Hao had clashed with Shrek Academy when he was young.

He wanted to defeat Shrek even more than they did!

Outside the window, the night grew darker.

Tomorrow's finals were bound to be anything but peaceful.

The next morning, the main arena in Heaven Dou City was already packed with spectators, with not a seat to spare.

The Advanced Soul Master Elite Competition finals—Shrek Academy against Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy—had drawn the attention of the entire continent.

The Shrek Seven Devils filed onto the stage. Wu Ming stood in the vice-captain's position and glanced at the empty spot beside her, frowning.

"It's this late, and Big Sister still isn't here? She was late for the preliminaries last time, too. And now she's cutting it close for the finals? She really takes her time."

As soon as she finished speaking, Zhang Lexuan appeared at the arena entrance, walking toward them in a moon-white dress.

"Sorry. I had to return to the academy with Elder Song first, so I'm late."

Wu Ming rolled her eyes, still unable to resist a jab. "Good thing we managed to hold out this long. If you'd been any later, the referee would've forfeited the match for us."

Zhang Lexuan smiled but didn't argue. She went straight to Ma Xiaotao's side. "Xiaotao, switch places with me."

Ma Xiaotao was reluctant, but she knew her senior sister's strength and standing. She silently stepped off the field and yielded the central position to Zhang Lexuan.

At least the reserve team members in previous years had gotten a chance to gain experience on the field. This year, aside from her having the advantage of being a girl, even someone as strong as Dai Yaoheng could only watch from the sidelines. He had no chance to compete.

What had happened to these senior sisters?

At the referee's signal, the match began.

The Sun Moon Academy team didn't rush into a direct attack. Instead, they all raised their hands and activated their Soul Tools.

In an instant, black spatial patterns spread wildly from the arena's center. The Level 7 Space Soul Tool unfolded, enveloping the entire platform.

Space was forcibly divided into seven separate domains. Layers of mist surged, blocking sight and cutting off Soul Power perception. Each Shrek member was trapped alone on a silent battlefield.

The Sun Moon students concealed themselves in the mist. The cold glint of Soul Cannons flickered in the darkness as one long-range ambush followed another.

The Shrek team members fought separately. Their Ultimate Attributes were powerful, but the divided space kept them from supporting one another, leaving them at a disadvantage.

Just as the situation turned perilous, Zhang Lexuan stood at the center of her own spatial fragment, the starlight and moonlight around her flaring brightly.

Seventh Soul Skill, Star Moon True Body.

"Let there be light!"

Her clear voice rang across the arena. A bright moon hung high overhead as countless stars descended. Holy, radiant starlight and moonlight swept in every direction like a flood, tearing through layer after layer of mist and illuminating every divided space.

The dark illusion created by the Level 7 Soul Tool was no match for the light of the stars and moon. The entire arena was lit as bright as day, leaving the Sun Moon students with nowhere to hide.

In the VIP seats, Xiao Xiao's mouth fell open. "Big Sister is amazing!"

Zhang Lexuan's attack was powerful enough to rival the attribute effect of one of the four Soul Skills the Wind Dragon King had bestowed upon Xiao Xiao: Wind Tunnel Domain.

Xue Yuheng nodded. In his perception, Zhang Lexuan's domain-like attack was strong enough to contend with a mid-level Soul Saint.

The entire audience erupted, their cheers deafening. No one had ever expected this.

A Soul Saint!

Wasn't Shrek's captain only twenty years old?

A twenty-year-old Soul Saint!

The instant the mist cleared, Wu Ming, Baise, Mu Yue, Su Tong, Hua Yao, and Zhang Lexuan all activated their Martial Souls.

Golden-red Ultimate Fire, pitch-black Ultimate Water, the keen edge of Ultimate Metal, the icy chill of Ultimate Ice, the vitality of Ultimate Wood, and brilliant star-and-moon power—six dazzling beams of entirely different energies shot skyward. Their attributes intertwined and collided, surging toward the spatial barrier with irresistible force.

The Level 7 Space Soul Tool's seal shattered with a loud crack.

In the blink of an eye, the entire Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy team was swept up in the flood of Ultimate Attributes. Every member lost the ability to fight and was rendered completely helpless.

Chu Qingtian rubbed his nose. The finals still had nothing to do with him. He was used to it by now.

In the stands, Xu Hao's face turned livid, and his entire body trembled.

He had poured countless hours of painstaking effort into crafting his greatest work. He had meant to use it to crush Shrek and avenge his past humiliation, yet it had been broken so easily.

His eyes bloodshot, he stared at the fallen students on the stage, then leapt to his feet and shouted at the referee:

"Referee, I want to file a complaint!

"Everyone saw how much stronger the Shrek team became in such a short time!

"They must have taken banned drugs, compromising the fairness of the competition!"