The Champion Who Slew Dragons Becomes a Dragon

Fortunately, Xiao Hongchen said this while the surrounding crowd was in full uproar; otherwise, just that one sentence would have been enough to make him a target of public criticism.

"Xiao Hongchen, watch your words!" Elder Ma shot Xiao Hongchen a fierce glare.

Xiao Hongchen turned his head away dismissively, quickening his pace, only wanting to reach Star Luo Square as soon as possible. His mood grew more irritable—why was this road so endlessly long?

"My brother, honestly." Meng Hongchen shook her head with some helplessness.

She then looked at Qin Chuan walking beside her and said softly, "When we go up later, the main thing is to gain experience. Be careful above all else."

"I know, my little sweetheart." Qin Chuan said with a smile.

Meng Hongchen's face instantly flushed red at that, earning a blank expression from Xiao Hongchen.

Qin Chuan walked over to Ma Rulong ahead, leaned in, and whispered quietly, "Later on..."

Ma Rulong glanced at Qin Chuan in surprise, then nodded. "Alright, but you have to be fast."

"Thanks, Old Ma."

"Old Ma? Do I look that old to you?" Ma Rulong shook his head with a chuckle.

When everyone arrived at the area designated for the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy and took their seats, Meng Hongchen sat beside Qin Chuan and asked, "What did you say to the captain just now? So mysterious."

"Nothing much." Qin Chuan deliberately kept it vague, then looked toward the Shrek Academy area not far away, a hint of smugness in his gaze.

"So those are the people from Shrek Academy?" Qian Renxue cast a subtle glance, covertly sizing up the group led by Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng.

As the main force that had destroyed Martial Soul Hall ten thousand years ago, not only did Tang San and the Shrek Six Devils behind him come from Shrek Academy, but the most ironic thing was that over the long course of its development, Shrek Academy had unwittingly become a second Martial Soul Hall.

This was what they meant by the dragon-slaying champion eventually becoming the dragon.

An academy that could influence a country, even determine the continent's landscape, was all too similar to Martial Soul Hall from ten thousand years ago.

Just as Qin Chuan had said earlier, if not for the Sun Moon Empire, Shrek Academy's position would have made it a thorn in the side of the three empires.

Qian Renxue's gaze grew colder. She turned her head to look at the city walls of Star Luo City.

At this moment, the vast Star Luo Square was already packed with over a hundred thousand people, and the number was still increasing.

Xu Jiawei stood with his hands behind his back, smiling as he watched it all. Recently, the empire's finances had grown significantly, and the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Competition was held once every five years, rotating between different countries. Now it was finally Star Luo Empire's turn to host.

"Silence!"

A deep, weighty voice rang out, and in an instant, the entire venue fell silent. Everyone looked up at the city wall, their gazes converging there.

"His Majesty arrives—"

"Whoosh—"

The over a hundred thousand spectators and the tens of thousands of soldiers maintaining order knelt in perfect unison—a sight both magnificent and imposing.

The academies belonging to Star Luo Empire also knelt, while students from other empires and Shrek Academy bowed in salute. The students from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy of the Sun Moon Empire offered a respectful gaze.

Xu Jiawei looked down at the vast sea of people below, along with the leading teachers and students of one hundred and thirty-three academies, a surge of pride rising in his heart.

"All subjects, rise."

His voice, amplified through a sound-amplifying soul tool, spread across the land. The people rose one after another, and the soldiers stood upright with their spears, their eyes filled with reverence and respect.

"I have waited twenty years for this day. I am very pleased that this year's Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Competition will be hosted in my Star Luo Empire. Here, on behalf of Star Luo Empire, I welcome all of you, including Shrek Academy and every participating academy. I hope that in the upcoming matches, you will present us with one thrilling contest after another."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." The leading teachers and students of the one hundred and thirty-two participating teams bowed in salute, their emotions fully stirred, each person's eyes burning with fighting spirit.

Xu Jiawei raised both hands above his head, and his hearty laughter spread through the soul tool: "I now declare this year's Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Competition... begun!"

Star Luo Square erupted into a frenzy. Everyone shouted "Long live!" at the top of their lungs, the momentum overwhelming. Accompanied by the roar of one hundred and one ceremonial cannons, Star Luo Emperor Xu Jiawei and the Empress took their seats on either side, followed by the civil and military officials behind them, who also sat down, their gazes fixed on the enormous arena below.

At that moment, the referee slowly walked onto the arena.

"This competition features a total of one hundred and thirty-three teams. After the first round of the drawing ceremony, one academy receives a bye. Next, there will be sixty-six elimination matches. The losers will be directly eliminated from this competition. And now, the first match of this year's Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Competition is about to begin. The competing sides are the Heaven Spirit Advanced Soul Master Academy representative team from the Heaven Spirit Empire, facing off against—"

The referee deliberately drew out his voice, as if afraid everyone wouldn't know it was Shrek Academy.

"—the Shrek Academy, with its countless honors."

Qin Chuan picked at his ear, listening to the lengthy introduction with a blank expression.

Thanks to the information relayed by Bibi Dong, combined with the fact that Qin Chuan had just fought a fierce battle with Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, and the others not long ago, he watched the seven people slowly walking onto the arena.

"Ling Luochen, Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan, Xiao Xiao, Wang Dong, Huo Yuhao."

"So they're fielding the new blood... Could that old woman be Zhou Yi?"

"Shrek Academy actually sent Zhou Yi as the leading teacher."

The seven members of Heaven Spirit Advanced Soul Master Academy stepped onto the arena with helpless expressions. To face Shrek Academy in the very first match—the outcome was obvious.

On the city wall, Star Luo Emperor Xu Jiawei watched as the seven led by Ling Luochen walked onto the arena, while Dai Yueheng, the eldest legitimate son of Dai Hao and already a Soul Emperor, sat in the rest area with no sign of entering the match.

"What is Shrek Academy playing at?"

The fourteen students from both sides stood on the arena. Seeing this, the referee said nothing more: "Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Competition, first elimination match: Shrek Academy versus Heaven Spirit Advanced Soul Master Academy. Both sides have one minute to summon their martial souls. The fight begins!"

As soon as the words fell, the seven from Heaven Spirit Advanced Soul Master Academy were all Soul Ancestors, their soul ring qualities uneven.

In contrast, on the Shrek Academy side, with Ling Luochen as the main combatant, when the two yellow, two purple, and one black soul rings lit up beneath their feet, everyone thought, as expected of Shrek Academy—they came out with Soul Kings from the start.

But when Huo Yuhao and Xiao Xiao's two hundred-year soul rings and Wang Dong's one yellow and two purple soul rings appeared—

The scene fell into abrupt silence.

"Pfft—"

"Sorry, couldn't help it. Shrek Academy actually sent a baby team to play the match."

Someone couldn't hold back their laughter.

In an instant, a single stone stirred a thousand ripples.

"Is Shrek Academy trying to lose?"

"Have they lost their minds? Do they really want to get eliminated in the first round?"

"..."

All kinds of voices rang out. As the reigning champions of the previous tournament and for a thousand years running, every move Shrek Academy made tugged at countless hearts.

In everyone's eyes, Shrek Academy was perfect, and Xiao Xiao, Wang Dong, and Huo Yuhao were clearly three ill-timed rats in the soup, utterly unworthy of stepping onto this arena.

Listening to the gossip around him, a defiant belief rose in Huo Yuhao's heart. His first and second soul rings lit up beneath his feet.

Then, spiritual detection and spiritual lock targeted all seven members of Heaven Spirit Advanced Soul Master Academy. Beads of sweat the size of broad beans formed on his forehead as he pushed his meager spiritual power to imprint every image into Ling Luochen's mind.

A vivid, crystal-clear diagram of the opposing seven's movements suddenly appeared before Ling Luochen's eyes.

Heaven Spirit Advanced Soul Master Academy had already resigned themselves to defeat, but when they saw that Shrek Academy's team actually included two Soul Grand Masters and a Soul Elder, they thought they had a chance again. They took the initiative to attack, planning to catch Shrek Academy off guard.

After all, Soul Grand Masters and Soul Elders were extremely rare in the tournament—almost extinct. Shrek Academy was practically making history.

Unexpectedly, Ling Luochen's fifth soul ring lit up in an instant.

"Fifth soul skill, Ice Shining Ring."

A ring of deep blue ice appeared in midair. The moment it flew past the oncoming seven from Heaven Spirit Advanced Soul Master Academy, they felt a bone-chilling cold surround them. Their movements immediately slowed. Looking down, their expressions shifted to shock—without realizing it, a thick layer of ice had formed beneath their feet.

Seeing this, Bei Bei's third soul ring lit up. Thunder roared across the arena like ten thousand bolts. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, carrying irresistible power, scattered the seven opponents in disarray, ending this match that seemed absurd but left the other side powerless to turn the tide.

Even the referee couldn't help but be impressed by Shrek Academy's audacity. Sending two Soul Grand Masters and one Soul Elder into the first elimination round—were they trying to get knocked out in the first round?

After all, if Shrek Academy suffered a Waterloo, it would trigger a massive chain reaction and a serious blow to their reputation.

"First round of eliminations, Shrek Academy wins."

Even though they had won, the audience's mouths still didn't rest, chattering on and on.

Ma Xiaotao, with her fiery temper, glared with fury burning in her eyes. "These bastards always think they know everything. What business is it of theirs who Shrek Academy sends on stage?"

Dai Yueheng looked helplessly at Ma Xiaotao, then turned his gaze to the stern-faced Zhou Yi. "Do we really have to stay here the whole time?"

"If you can't even take a little gossip, how are you going to win the championship?" Zhou Yi shot Dai Yueheng a cold glance. She understood what he meant.

Those people's insults were too harsh. Even Dai Yueheng couldn't stomach them, let alone the naturally explosive Ma Xiaotao.

Zhou Yi looked at the seven approaching, led by Ling Luochen and Bei Bei, and said flatly, "All of you will continue sitting here from now on, watching until this morning's matches end."

Zhou Yi's words had two meanings: first, to temper their patience—the audience's idle chatter was undoubtedly the best catalyst for that.

Second, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy's match was not to be missed.