Among all the past All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournaments, Shrek Academy's strongest opponent had always been the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
One had been first for a thousand years; the other, second for a thousand years.
No wonder Xiao Hongchen had said, "One day, the Sun Moon Empire will unify the entire continent."
The Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy had endured this humiliation for a full thousand years. Their yearning for the championship had taken deep root.
Shrek Academy had always regarded honor as its very life. Before this tournament even began, it had already lost four outstanding Inner Court Students. Yet, thanks to the strength of Ma Xiaotao, Ling Luochеn, and Dai Yueheng, it still stood firmly among the tournament's top contenders.
Some of the matches that followed were worth watching; others were utterly dull.
The emperor, Xu Jiawei, had left as soon as Shrek Academy's first match ended. He didn't return until the final match, when the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy took the field.
As the strongest opponent of the three kingdoms on the Douluo Continent, the Sun Moon Empire always brought out different Soul Tools at every tournament. This year was no exception.
Over the years, the three empires had gradually come to recognize the convenience Soul Tools offered and the crucial role they played in war. They had tried their hardest to catch up, but they were already far behind.
As a result, whenever a Soul Tool made by Mingde Hall appeared at an auction, the three empires would always buy it immediately, so their own Soul Engineers could take it apart and study it. If they managed to reproduce it, they could call it their own.
Fortunately, intellectual property rights didn't exist in this era. Otherwise, the Sun Moon Empire would have sued the three empires into bankruptcy over this alone.
Soon, under the gaze of more than a hundred thousand spectators, Ma Rulong, Lin Xi, Chen Fei, Li Yan, Mika, Xiao Xiafeng, and Qin Chuan slowly walked onto the arena.
Their opponents were from Ning'an Advanced Soul Engineer Academy.
The team consisted of five men and two women. Their outfits were half metal, and some of their Soul Tools were plainly visible, recognizable at a glance.
"Crude," Ma Rulong said flatly, offering his assessment.
"You!" The captain of Ning'an Advanced Soul Engineer Academy was furious but didn't dare speak out. His opponent was certainly qualified to judge them.
Soul Tools had been introduced to the Douluo Continent by the Sun Moon Empire, and the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy had always led the continent in advanced Soul Tools. No one could rival them in that regard.
Seeing this, the referee didn't bother with a lengthy introduction. Eager to get the match over with and go home early, he immediately announced:
"The Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy versus Ning'an Advanced Soul Engineer Academy. Soul Fighting begins!"
"We'll settle this on the field."
The man gave a cold snort. Two yellow and two purple Soul Rings lit up at his feet, and his six teammates released their Martial Souls as well. They were all Soul Ancestors, and their Soul Ring Configurations were also two yellow and two purple.
Two of them stood at the front with Level Five Soul Tool Shields in hand, while another pair deployed Soul Tool Cannons, their dark muzzles aimed at the seven opponents. The remaining three all wore Flight Soul Tools on their backs, soaring overhead and ready to provide fire support at any moment.
Nearly every eye in the arena was fixed on the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy. Many hoped they would lose, but the result was surprising.
The leading members of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy didn't reveal their Martial Souls right away. Instead, Qin Chuan, who stood at the very back and seemed utterly unremarkable, made the first move.
"What kind of Martial Soul is that?! Why does it look so terrifying?"
"My god!"
As countless spectators watched in horror, Soul Rings appeared at Qin Chuan's feet: one yellow, one purple, and two black.
The crowd marveled at Qin Chuan's Soul Ring Configuration—the First Soul Ring was a hundred-year ring, and the second was already a thousand-year ring. Wang Dong of Shrek Academy had had the same configuration. But Qin Chuan's third and fourth Soul Rings were both ten-thousand-year rings.
This sight deeply shocked the teams from the many participating academies. They exchanged glances, unable to figure out Qin Chuan's identity or the background behind him.
The Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy had been hiding its strength.
Even more astonishing sights were still to come.
Black armor covered Qin Chuan's chest and face. His pair of crimson eyes fixed on the seven opponents, and beneath them were four more, glowing green.
Qin Chuan's legs disappeared, his body from the abdomen down transforming into a huge, round orb. Eight thick legs grew from it, covered in clumps of green fur and coated with nauseating mucus. Droplets fell to the ground with a steady popping sound, eating into the surface with intense corrosive force.
With the Death Spider Emperor Martial Soul Possessed, Qin Chuan gave off a chilling, terrifying aura. A gloomy atmosphere settled over the arena.
"What kind of Martial Soul is that?!" Xu Jiawei sprang to his feet, his eyes full of shock.
Even Xuan Zi, who had been hiding nearby to protect Shrek Academy, wore a grave expression. His gaze was deep as he silently pondered something.
"Everyone, be careful! Form a defensive formation!"
At the Ning'an Advanced Soul Engineer Academy captain's command, the two Soul Engineers at the front immediately raised their shields and stood in front of the others, channeling Soul Power into their Level Five Soul Tool Shields.
The shields shimmered with a heavy glow as an ochre barrier rose up, protecting everyone behind them. They intended to use it to withstand the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy's first assault.
"Xiao Chuan, once you've used your Soul Skill, leave the rest to me..." Ma Rulong's eyes widened in disbelief as he watched what was happening before him.
Qin Chuan's third Soul Ring lit up. The black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring sank into the ground, transforming into a streak of black light that shot toward the seven opponents.
The ground beneath the seven cracked apart. One by one, spikes covered in black thorns suddenly burst from the earth.
"What is this?!"
"Ahhh!!!"
Wretched screams rang out. The spikes pierced several people's feet, and the moment the deadly Death Spider Emperor poison entered their bodies, their faces turned from rosy to ashen.
Every one of them grew dizzy, their vision doubled, and their breathing grew increasingly labored. At last, their legs gave way and they collapsed, barely breathing, with only a thread of life left.
Qin Chuan didn't take things too far. He walked straight among the seven. Under the referee's watchful gaze, he spread his arms, and thin strands of black, ribbon-like venom seeped from the fallen team members' wounds and flowed into his palms.
Their faces quickly regained some color, but their brows remained furrowed and their lips were purplish-blue. Even though Qin Chuan had immediately removed the Death Spider Emperor poison, the seven were bound to fall seriously ill soon afterward.
"Referee, I've removed the poison from their bodies. Their lives aren't in danger." Qin Chuan returned to his human form and smiled faintly as his feet touched the ground.
The referee didn't understand the details either. After medical personnel confirmed that the seven weren't in mortal danger, he nodded and loudly announced, "The Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy wins this match!"
There was no applause from the crowd, only a buzz of whispers as many people tried to guess what Qin Chuan's Martial Soul was.
Judging from the effect of his third Soul Skill, his Martial Soul must have been... poison. There was no doubt about that.
"Xiao Chuan, you've really opened our eyes. Your third Soul Skill is a group attack!" Ma Rulong gave Qin Chuan a thumbs-up and praised him.
"My third Soul Skill is called Hell Extreme Thrust. It's also an instant Soul Skill. I can use it however I want; as long as I point in a direction, those thorns will sprout up like bamboo shoots after the rain."
There was one thing Qin Chuan hadn't mentioned: the Death Spider Emperor poison on the thorns could kill. One minute was all it took to make someone die in agony.
"Teacher Zhou, you're widely traveled and knowledgeable. Do you recognize that person's Martial Soul?" Bei Bei asked Zhou Yi.
Zhou Yi watched Qin Chuan leave with the others, her gaze assessing him. Only after he was gone did she slowly shake her head. "When it comes to studying Martial Souls, Wang Yan is the true expert... It's a pity."
Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, and Ling Luochеn's hearts clenched. Guilt welled up within them. If not for them, Teacher Wang Yan wouldn't have died.
"Judging from his Martial Soul Possession, it should be a demonic spider-type Martial Soul. Such Martial Souls are extremely poisonous. The seven from Ning'an Advanced Soul Engineer Academy being poisoned is the best proof."
Just as Zhou Yi finished speaking, an old, resonant voice rang out.
"It's the Death Spider Emperor Martial Soul."
They turned to look and saw Xuan Zi approaching with his hands behind his back.
"The Death Spider Emperor Martial Soul!" Bei Bei's pupils contracted, and his expression turned grave. "Wouldn't that be the Martial Soul of Bibi Dong, the Pope of Martial Soul Hall who was Tang Sect's greatest enemy ten thousand years ago?"
"That's right. Ten thousand years ago, Bibi Dong, who became the Rakshasa God, was a rare wielder of Twin Martial Souls. They were the Death Spider Emperor and the Soul Devouring Spider Emperor." Xuan Zi stared after Qin Chuan and the others from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, his expression growing even graver.
"I never thought the Death Spider Emperor Martial Soul would be passed down ten thousand years later. Qin Chuan might even be a descendant of that pope from ten thousand years ago."
Zhou Yi then asked, "Elder Xuan, if Qin Chuan really is a descendant of Bibi Dong, the Pope of Martial Soul Hall, what does that mean for our academy...?"
Xuan Zi waved a hand and said indifferently, "The days of Martial Soul Hall were ten thousand years ago. It vanished into the dust of history long ago. Our greatest enemy now is the Sun Moon Empire. He's just a youngster with the Death Spider Emperor Martial Soul. His Soul Ring Configuration is astonishing, but that's all. There's no need to dwell on it."
"Besides, he's only eleven or twelve, yet already a Soul Ancestor. Everyone knows that Soul Masters in the Sun Moon Empire use potions to force their Soul Power Levels higher. It'll be very difficult for that child to break through to Titled Douluo when he grows up."
Xuan Zi gave his final verdict, waved a hand, and paid it no further attention.
"Your Majesty, we've found out who he is. His name is Qin Chuan. He entered the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy at the age of six. Everything else is blank."
"Blank?" Xu Jiawei asked in surprise.
"Yes. There are no records of him from birth until he was six. He shouldn't be from our Star Luo Empire."
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