Soto Grand Hotel, top-floor suite.
Night fell. The room was dark, lit only by strange green glows and flickering blue-violet arcs of electricity.
"Mm... So comfortable..."
An aged yet deeply satisfied sigh rang out.
On the sofa, a tall, thin old man with a head of green hair sat with his eyes closed. A translucent emerald serpent coiled around him, greedily devouring the toxins being drawn out of the air.
He was none other than Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo, a Titled Douluo renowned as the world's greatest master of poison.
Across from him, Yu Tianyu withdrew the lightning power from his hand.
"Old Poison, there's a lot less toxin built up in your body this time than there was last time."
Yu Tianyu wiped the sweat from his forehead (just for show), picked up the teacup beside him, and took a sip. "Looks like my 'Dragon Slayer Secret Art: World-Cleansing Thunder Flame' is working well. The backlash has been suppressed."
Dugu Bo opened his eyes. His once sinister green gaze was now remarkably clear.
He looked at the young man before him, his expression complicated. There was gratitude in his eyes, along with a measure of respect one might show an equal.
"Little Monster, I have to say, your methods are downright bizarre."
Dugu Bo rose and stretched his limbs, which cracked loudly. "That vicious poison backlash that plagued me for decades was actually burned away by your lightning-charged fire. I feel twenty years younger."
"With Yan Yan by your side, I can finally rest easy."
At the mention of Dugu Yan, Dugu Bo's expression softened, but it quickly turned fierce again.
"However, I heard some fools have been causing trouble for you lately?"
"What were they called again... the dung beetle academy?"
Yu Tianyu smiled. "It's Shrek Academy. What, you've heard of them too?"
"Hmph. Yan Yan wrote to me to complain."
Dugu Bo snorted. A terrifying killing intent instantly plunged the room's temperature to freezing.
"She said some ignorant brat tried to use poison to ambush her? And some so-called 'Grandmaster' has been bossing you around?"
"There are two kinds of people I hate most: those who are terrible at poison but think they're clever, and those who have no real ability but love to lecture others."
"You have a match tonight?"
Yu Tianyu nodded. "A major one. I'm fighting Tang San one-on-one."
"Good."
A cruel glint flashed in Dugu Bo's eyes.
"I'll be sitting in the stands tonight."
"I want to see which little brat dares show off in front of me, Dugu Bo. If he dares use underhanded tricks to hurt you..."
"I'll show him what it means for poison to overwhelm the world!"
Great Soul Arena, Shrek resting area.
The atmosphere was so heavy it felt like water might drip from it.
Ever since Yu Tianyu humiliated him that day, Grandmaster had shut himself in his room for two whole days.
Tonight, he had finally emerged.
His beard was scruffy, his eyes sunken, and his gaze burned with an almost insane obsession.
"Xiao San."
Grandmaster gripped Tang San's shoulders tightly. "Tonight's battle concerns not only your honor, but also your teacher's dignity—and the validity of my Ten Core Competencies!"
"Don't worry, teacher."
Seeing his teacher's haggard appearance, fury surged in Tang San's heart. "I'll win for sure. Yu Tianyu is far too arrogant. I'll make him pay."
"Listen to me, Xiao San."
Grandmaster lowered his voice, as if imparting some peerless secret art.
"I've studied him. Yu Tianyu may have tremendous explosive power, but he has one fatal weakness—arrogance."
"He never bothers to dodge attacks. He always meets them head-on. That's your chance!"
"Your Blue Silver Grass might not be able to restrain his strength, but you can use it as a conductor."
A keen glint flashed in Grandmaster's eyes. "Use the Blue Silver Grass to obscure his view, then unleash your hidden weapon techniques. Don't use ordinary hidden weapons. Go straight for your trump card—the Godly Zhuge Crossbow (though it might not have been finished yet at this point in the original story, assume Tang San rushed out a prototype or another powerful hidden weapon for the sake of the conflict)."
"And if the hidden weapons don't work..."
Grandmaster gritted his teeth. "Use your External Soul Bone, the Eight Spider Lances."
"The Eight Spider Lances are poisonous. All you need to do is nick him, and even if he's a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, he'll lose the ability to fight in an instant."
"Remember, anything goes in war! This is Soul Fighting, not a friendly spar. Winning is the only truth!"
Tang San nodded and touched the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges at his waist, where his carefully prepared "gift" lay.
"I understand, teacher."
"I'll make him pay for looking down on the Tang Sect."
Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong had been listening to the teacher and student talk. A chill ran through their hearts.
So this was the so-called Grandmaster?
He taught his students to exploit an opponent's "arrogance" to launch a sneak attack? And even to use poison?
If this was Shrek's teaching philosophy, then the academy was rotten to the core.
"Ladies and gentlemen, tonight's main event!"
"On one side, the captain of the recently acclaimed World Burial team—codename 'Dragon Slayer' (Yu Tianyu)!"
"On the other, the heart and soul of the Shrek Seven Devils—Thousand Hand Asura (Tang San)!"
"This is a clash between two geniuses! Let's wait and see!"
The cheers erupted like a tidal wave.
In the arena.
Yu Tianyu was still dressed in black. He wore no mask (since he'd already revealed his identity, he couldn't be bothered with one), and his expression was indifferent.
Across from him, Tang San wore a fitted outfit. Purple light shimmered in his eyes, and every muscle in his body was taut, like a bow pulled to its limit.
"Yu Tianyu."
Tang San spoke coldly. "Today, I'll repay you a hundredfold for humiliating my teacher."
"Enough talk."
Yu Tianyu beckoned with a finger. "Come on. Let's see if that pile of worthless junk you call hidden weapons can even touch me."
"Arrogant!"
Tang San barked.
"First Spirit Skill: Bind!"
Several thick strands of Blue Silver Grass shot from the ground like venomous snakes, instantly wrapping around Yu Tianyu's legs.
"Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track!"
Tang San blurred into several afterimages. A cold flash gleamed in his hand as ten Bone Piercing Nails fanned out toward the vital points all over Yu Tianyu's body.
His movements were seamless, his coordination perfect.
In the stands, Grandmaster clenched his fists with excitement. "It worked! The first step succeeded! Restrict his movements and seal him off with hidden weapons!"
But...
Yu Tianyu didn't even blink.
"Zzzzt—"
The Blue Silver Grass wrapped around his legs suddenly began to smoke.
The next instant, a violent current surged back along the Blue Silver Grass!
"What?!"
Tang San, who had been using Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, suddenly felt his feet go numb. His movements faltered.
"Didn't your teacher teach you?"
Yu Tianyu's voice rang out over the rumbling thunder. "Plants conduct electricity too. Especially flimsy weeds like yours, full of water."
"Break!"
Boom!
The Blue Silver Grass wrapped around his legs exploded into powder.
As for the incoming Bone Piercing Nails...
Yu Tianyu raised his right hand and didn't bother to dodge. Instead, he made a grasping motion.
Hum!
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
The ten Bone Piercing Nails, each carrying tremendous force, stopped dead ten centimeters from Yu Tianyu's face, as if they'd struck an invisible wall!
"Clink, clink, clink, clink, clink!"
The next second, every nail lost its momentum and clattered to the ground.
"So these are your hidden weapons?"
Yu Tianyu crushed one of the nails underfoot and sneered. "They're too light even for a child's toy."
Tang San's expression changed drastically.
Both the Blue Silver Grass's restraint and the hidden weapons' sneak attack had failed?
"Since that's the case..."
A ruthless glint flashed in Tang San's eyes.
His hands swept across his waist with lightning speed.
"Sand-Shooting Shadow! Silent Sleeve Arrow! Back-Mounted Floral Crossbow!"
In an instant, Tang San seemed to turn into a porcupine. Countless gleaming blades, steel needles, and crossbow bolts poured out like a storm, sealing off every avenue of escape for Yu Tianyu.
"Good! Now he can't dodge!" Grandmaster exclaimed, jumping to his feet.
Facing the rain of arrows.
Yu Tianyu sighed.
"Boring."
He took a deep breath.
He didn't use Dragon Roar. Instead, he compressed the lightning and fire elements in his body to their absolute limit.
Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Roar of the Lightning Flame Dragon!
Rumble—!!!
A pillar of lightning mixed with golden flames erupted from Yu Tianyu's mouth!
It was like using a cannon to swat a mosquito.
The countless hidden weapons instantly melted, were blown away, or evaporated in the face of that terrifying torrent of energy!
And the roar's shockwave kept going, hurtling straight toward Tang San.
"Oh no!"
Tang San was horrified. He hurriedly activated his Purple Demon Eye to follow the attack's trajectory, while using Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon in an attempt to redirect the energy.
But the energy was too immense. There was no way a Soul Grandmaster like him could redirect it.
Bang!
Though he barely managed to dodge the direct hit, even a glancing blow scorched half his clothes. He tumbled helplessly more than ten meters away.
The entire arena fell silent.
How was this Soul Fighting? It was a one-sided slaughter!
Those supposedly exquisite hidden weapon techniques were a joke in the face of overwhelming power.
"I don't believe it! I can't lose!!"
Tang San struggled to his feet, his eyes bloodshot.
For his teacher and for the Tang Sect's honor, he couldn't lose to the man who'd insulted him.
Rrrip!
The clothes on Tang San's back tore apart.
Eight sinister, purplish-black lances burst from his body!
External Soul Bone—the Eight Spider Lances!
Each lance shimmered with a faint purple light: the deadly poison of a Man Faced Demon Spider.
"You're finally showing your trump card?"
Yu Tianyu looked at the eight spider legs, a greedy glint flashing in his eyes (This thing would make good material if I dismantled it for Osler). "An External Soul Bone really is a fine thing. Too bad it ended up with the wrong owner."
"Die!"
Tang San went berserk. The Eight Spider Lances swept toward Yu Tianyu like the reaper's eight scythes, trailing a foul wind.
At the same time, the Purple Demon Eye unleashed a mental attack, trying to disrupt Yu Tianyu's judgment.
"You want to play with poison?"
Yu Tianyu stood his ground and actually reached out with both hands, grabbing the two Eight Spider Lances stabbing toward him!
He'd grabbed the poisonous lances with his bare hands!
"Zzzzt—"
The poison instantly spread from his palms.
Tang San was overjoyed. "He's been poisoned! Even a Soul Ancestor can't withstand the Man Faced Demon Spider's poison!"
In the stands, Grandmaster also breathed a sigh of relief. "We've won. The Eight Spider Lances' poison is incurable. He'll have to cut off both his arms to survive."
But...
In the next moment, Tang San's smile froze.
He felt a terrifying suction force coming from where the Eight Spider Lances connected.
No purplish hue appeared on Yu Tianyu's palms. Instead, a faint pattern of dragon scales surfaced across his skin.
Iron Wall of the Poison Dragon (Pseudo) + Devouring Constitution!
After absorbing Dugu Bo's poison cultivation (though it had happened in reverse while treating him) and possessing the Dragon Clan's bloodline, Yu Tianyu was a freak. A little spider venom was nothing more than a tonic to him!
"The taste's a little bitter."
Yu Tianyu smacked his lips, as if he'd just tasted a dish that wasn't particularly delicious.
"Here, take them back!"
Crack!
Yu Tianyu suddenly put all his strength into both hands.
A bone-chilling snap rang out.
The External Soul Bone was as hard as metal and stone, yet Yu Tianyu had snapped two of its limbs with his bare hands!
"AAAHHHH!!!"
The External Soul Bone was connected to the spinal nerves. The pain of breaking it was ten times worse than breaking a bone.
Tang San let out a bloodcurdling scream. His whole body convulsed with pain as blood sprayed from his mouth.
"We're not done yet."
Yu Tianyu showed him no mercy.
He grabbed the two broken spear tips and tossed them to the ground like trash.
Then he stepped forward, seized Tang San by the throat, and lifted him into the air like a chick.
"Those Hidden Weapons you were so proud of? Useless."
"The poison you relied on to survive? I eat it for dinner."
"And your teacher's laughable theories? Now they've turned you into nothing but a useless coward who only knows how to take shortcuts."
Yu Tianyu leaned closer to Tang San's face, twisted with pain and suffocation.
"Go back and tell Yu Xiaogang."
"Tell him to stop coming around and disgusting me."
"Otherwise, next time I break something, it won't be your bones. It'll be his neck."
Thud!
Yu Tianyu casually flung Tang San, who had already passed out, off the stage.
He landed right at Grandmaster's feet.
"Xiao San!!"
Grandmaster screamed and threw himself over Tang San. When he saw the broken Eight Spider Lances on Tang San's back and his body covered in charred black patches, his heart bled.
"Cheating! This is cheating!!"
Grandmaster jerked his head up, pointed at Yu Tianyu on the stage, and shrieked hysterically, "Referee! He used an illegal move! He deliberately crippled his opponent! Someone like him should be banned for life!!"
Flender also strode forward with a dark expression, his Spirit Saint aura surging. "Kid, I don't care whose family you belong to. You went too far today. You owe us an explanation!"
Shrek Academy might have been poor, but they still stood up for their own.
Zhao Wuji clenched his fists, ready to charge onto the stage and teach the arrogant brat a lesson.
Just then—
"An explanation?"
A cold, ancient voice rang through the Great Soul Arena, as if it had come from the depths of the underworld.
"My granddaughter's husband won the match. What explanation could you trash possibly demand?"
BOOM—!!!
A cloud of green poison instantly spread across the front rows of the stands.
Within the poisonous mist, two yellow, two purple, and five black Spirit Rings rose slowly into the air, swaying gently.
The final, pitch-black ninth Spirit Ring radiated a suffocating pressure.
A Titled Douluo!
The entire arena fell silent. Even the sound of breathing vanished.
Flender and Zhao Wuji had just released their Spirit Saint auras, but faced with the might of a Titled Douluo, they were snuffed out in an instant, like candle flames battered by a hurricane.
Their faces turned deathly pale, and their legs trembled. They didn't dare move.
Grandmaster, who was closest to the poison, collapsed to the ground. A warm trickle spread through his pants—he had wet himself in fright.
The poisonous mist cleared.
Dugu Bo stood with his hands behind his back, walking through the air until he reached Yu Tianyu's side.
He glanced contemptuously at the Shrek crowd below, as if they were a colony of ants.
"Flender. Zhao Wuji."
Dugu Bo called their names without emotion. "The Golden Iron Triangle and the Immovable Bright King used to be worth something. Why have you only gotten worse with age? Can't accept losing?"
"N-no, we wouldn't dare..." Cold sweat poured down Flender's forehead, and his voice quavered. "Lord Poison Douluo... we didn't know he was one of yours..."
"You know now?"
Dugu Bo snorted. "Take that useless loudmouth"—he meant Grandmaster—"and that crippled brat, and get out."
"If I ever hear that anyone from Shrek has targeted my granddaughter's husband again..."
"I'll wipe out every last member of Shrek Academy."
"Get out!!!"
His final word exploded like thunder.
Flender and Zhao Wuji didn't dare say another word. They hauled up the unconscious Tang San and the limp Grandmaster, then fled the Soul Fighting Arena without even a parting remark.
Watching the Shrek crowd flee in such a sorry state,
in a corner of the stands,
Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing, who hadn't left with them, were overwhelmed with conflicting emotions.
"A Titled Douluo..."
Ning Rongrong covered her mouth, her eyes full of shock. "So his backer is Poison Douluo Dugu Bo! No wonder he's so confident..."
Compared with Shrek's Grandmaster, who did nothing but brag, and Tang San, who did nothing but cause trouble,
Yu Tianyu had strength, connections, and an overbearing manner—yet he stood up for his own. They were worlds apart.
"Rongrong..."
Zhu Zhuqing's voice was a little hoarse. She looked at the black-clad young man commanding everyone's attention on the stage, then recalled what he had said to her in the alley that day.
"Can you survive by relying on a good-for-nothing like that?"
Today, Tang San—the genius she had once believed in—had been left with broken bones.
Dai Mubai, whom she had once thought was formidable, hadn't even dared to take the stage.
And Grandmaster had wet himself in front of a Titled Douluo.
Was this Shrek? Was this the so-called Monster Academy?
No.
It was a garbage heap.
"I'm going to find him," Zhu Zhuqing said suddenly, her gaze more determined than ever.
"Huh? Now?" Ning Rongrong was stunned.
"Mm."
Zhu Zhuqing took a deep breath and turned toward the Imperial Fighting Team's waiting area. "I don't want to waste any more time in a garbage heap."
"I'm coming too!"
Ning Rongrong gritted her teeth, remembering that Aromatic Silk Beauty. "I've had enough of those stinky men and their lousy sausages, too!"
That night,
Tang San's bones were broken, and Grandmaster lost his nerve.
And Shrek Academy finally lost the last two girls who were truly talented.
Before you continue