It's the Death Spider Emperor Martial Soul!

Looking back through the history of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Competition, Shrek Academy's most formidable opponent has always been the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.

One has been number one for a millennium, the other number two for just as long.

No wonder Xiao Hongchen had said, "Sooner or later, the Sun Moon Empire will unify the entire continent."

The Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy had swallowed this bitterness for a full thousand years, and their hunger for the championship had long since been etched into their bones.

Shrek Academy, on the other hand, had always treated honor as its very life. Before this competition even began, they had lost four outstanding inner courtyard students, yet relying on the strength of Ma Xiaotao, Ling Luochen, and Dai Yueheng, they still held firm as a top-tier combat force in this tournament.

The matches that followed were some worth noting, others utterly boring.

Emperor Xu Jiawei had left as early as the end of Shrek Academy's first match, and only returned belatedly when the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy finally took the stage.

As the most powerful rivals among the three empires of the Douluo Continent, they always managed to unveil new soul tools in every competition, and this year was no exception.

In recent years, the three empires had gradually come to realize the convenience of soul tools and their crucial role in warfare. Though they scrambled to catch up, they had already fallen too far behind.

Thus, whenever an auction featured soul tools produced by Mingde Hall, the three empires would always snap them up immediately, handing them over to their own soul engineers to dismantle and study. If they could replicate them, they would count it as their own gain.

Thankfully, this era had no concept of intellectual property rights; otherwise, on this point alone, the Sun Moon Empire would have sued the three empires into bankruptcy.

Soon, under the watchful eyes of over a hundred thousand spectators, Ma Rulong, Lin Xi, Chen Fei, Li Yan, Mika, Xiao Xiafeng, and Qin Chuan slowly walked onto the stage.

Their opponents were the Ning'an Advanced Soul Engineer Academy.

A lineup of five men and two women, their clothing semi-metallic, some soul tools left unconcealed, recognizable at a single glance.

"Crude," Ma Rulong said flatly, offering that assessment.

"You!" The captain of the Ning'an Advanced Soul Engineer Academy wanted to retort but dared not. The other side indeed had the right to judge.

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 tool technology. No one could surpass them in this field.

Seeing this, the referee didn't bother with much introduction either. Adhering to the principle of finishing quickly and getting off work early, he immediately announced:

"The Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy versus the Ning'an Advanced Soul Engineer Academy. The soul fight begins!"

"Let's settle this with real skill, then."

The man snorted coldly. Two yellow and two purple soul rings lit up beneath his feet, and his six teammates released their Martial Souls as well. They were all Soul Ancestors, their soul ring configurations also two yellow and two purple.

Two of them raised fifth-grade soul tool shields at the front, two more set up soul tool artillery platforms, their dark muzzles aimed at the seven opponents across from them. The remaining three all bore Flight Soul Tools, soaring into the air to provide fire support at any moment.

Almost everyone's gaze was fixed on the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy side. Many hoped they would lose, but the result was unexpected.

The leading members of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy did not reveal their Martial Souls immediately. Instead, it was Qin Chuan, standing at the very end and seemingly unremarkable, who made the first move.

"What kind of Martial Soul is that?! Why does it look so terrifying!"

"Heavens!"

Under the horrified gazes of countless onlookers, Qin Chuan's soul rings appeared beneath his feet: one yellow, one purple, and two black.

The crowd marveled at Qin Chuan's soul ring configuration—his First Soul Ring was a hundred-year, and his second was directly a thousand-year (previously, Wang Dong of Shrek Academy had the same setup)—but his third and fourth soul rings were ten-thousand-year from the start.

This scene deeply shocked many of the participating academy teams. They exchanged bewildered glances, momentarily unable to figure out Qin Chuan's identity or his corresponding background information.

The Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy was hiding their strength well.

What left them even more dumbfounded was yet to come.

Black armor spread across Qin Chuan's chest, and his face was similarly encased in black armor. A pair of scarlet eyes locked onto the seven opponents, and beneath those eyes were four more green, gleaming orbs.

Qin Chuan's legs disappeared. From his abdomen downward, his body transformed into a massive, round sphere. From this sphere grew eight thick, long legs, covered in tufts of green fur and a nauseating slime that dripped to the ground with a constant pfft pfft sound, highly corrosive.

Under the Martial Soul Possession of the Death Spider Emperor, Qin Chuan exuded a chilling, terrifying aura, casting a gloomy atmosphere over the entire venue.

"What in the world is that Martial Soul?!" Xu Jiawei shot to his feet, his eyes filled with shock.

Even Elder Xuan, who was hiding in the shadows to protect Shrek Academy, now wore a deeply serious expression, his gaze profound as if lost in thought.

"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 holding shields immediately stepped in front of the others, channeling their soul power into the fifth-grade soul tool shields in their hands.

The soul tool shields gleamed with a heavy radiance, and a layer of earthen-yellow barrier rose up, shielding everyone behind them tightly, ready to withstand the first wave of attack from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.

"Xiao Chuan, after you release your soul skill, leave the rest to me..." Ma Rulong's eyes widened, filled with disbelief as he watched the scene unfold before him.

Qin Chuan's third soul ring lit up. The black, ten-thousand-year soul ring instantly sank into the ground, transforming into a streak of black light that shot toward the seven opponents.

The ground beneath the seven cracked open, and thorny black spikes abruptly burst forth from the earth.

"What is this!?"

"Ahhh!!!"

Screams of agony rang out. The spikes pierced the feet of several people, and the moment the lethal Death Spider Emperor poison entered their bodies, their complexions shifted from rosy to a deathly gray.

Every one of them felt dizzy, seeing double as their breathing grew increasingly labored. Finally, their legs gave way, and they collapsed to the ground, their breaths faint, barely clinging to life.

Qin Chuan didn't take things to the extreme. He walked straight into the midst of the seven, and under the referee's wary gaze, he extended his arms. From the wounds of the fallen seven, thin black, ribbon-like toxic threads emerged, flowing into the palm of his hand.

The seven's faces instantly regained their color, though their brows remained furrowed and their lips were blue and purple. Even though Qin Chuan had promptly removed the Death Spider Emperor poison, it was inevitable that the seven would fall gravely ill not long after.

"Referee, I've already cleansed the lethal poison from their bodies. Their lives are not in danger," Qin Chuan said with a slight smile as he reverted to human form, his feet touching the ground.

The referee didn't understand these matters either. After having the medical personnel confirm that the seven were out of danger, he nodded and then announced loudly, "This match is won by the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy!"

There was no applause at the scene, only hushed whispers, with many speculating about what Qin Chuan's Martial Soul actually was.

Judging by the effects of his third soul skill, his Martial Soul's attribute should be... poison—there was no doubt about that.

"Xiao Chuan, you've really opened our eyes. Your third soul skill is actually a group attack skill." Ma Rulong gave Qin Chuan a thumbs-up in praise.

"My third soul skill is called: Hell Extreme Thrust. It's also an instant-cast soul skill, completely at my will. As long as I point in a direction, those thorns will spring up like bamboo shoots after rain."

Qin Chuan didn't mention one thing—that the Death Spider Emperor poison on the thorns could kill a person, needing only a minute to leave them dying in agony.

"Teacher Zhou, you're well-traveled and knowledgeable. Do you recognize the Martial Soul of that person from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy?" Bei Bei cast a questioning look at Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi's gaze was scrutinizing. She silently watched Qin Chuan follow the group away before slowly shaking her head: "If anyone studies Martial Souls, it's Wang Yan... what a pity."

Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, and Ling Luochen's hearts clenched, a wave of guilt washing over them. If it weren't for them, Teacher Wang Yan wouldn't have died.

"From the look of his Martial Soul Possession, it should be a demon spider-type Martial Soul. This type of Martial Soul is the most deeply poisonous—the seven people from Ning'an Advanced Soul Engineer Academy being poisoned is the best evidence."

As Zhou Yi finished speaking, a hoarse and weighty voice suddenly came through.

"It's the Death Spider Emperor Martial Soul."

Everyone turned to look, seeing Elder Xuan walking slowly with his hands behind his back.

"Death Spider Emperor Martial Soul!" Bei Bei's pupils contracted, his expression turning extremely grave: "Isn't that the Martial Soul of Bibi Dong, the Pope of the Martial Soul Hall from ten thousand years ago, our Tang Sect's greatest enemy?"

"Correct. Bibi Dong, who became the Rakshasa God ten thousand years ago, possessed the rare Twin Martial Souls: Death Spider Emperor and Soul Devouring Spider Emperor." Elder Xuan gazed at Qin Chuan and the departing figures of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy members, his expression extremely solemn.

"Who would have thought that after ten thousand years, the Death Spider Emperor Martial Soul has been passed down. It's not impossible that this Qin Chuan is a descendant of that Pope from ten thousand years ago."

Zhou Yi then asked, "Elder Xuan, if this Qin Chuan really is a descendant of the Martial Soul Hall Pope Bibi Dong, then our academy..."

Elder Xuan waved his hand, speaking dismissively: "The Martial Soul Hall is a matter of ten thousand years ago, long buried in the dust of history. Our current greatest enemy is the Sun Moon Empire. He's just a brat with a Death Spider Emperor Martial Soul. Though his soul ring configuration is astonishingly skillful, it's nothing more than that—not worth our overthinking."

"Besides, judging by his age, he's only eleven or twelve and already a Soul Ancestor. As everyone knows, soul masters from the Sun Moon Empire forcibly raise their soul power levels by taking potions. This child will have great difficulty breaking through to Title Douluo when he grows up."

Elder Xuan directly closed the matter, waving his hand and paying it no further mind.

"Your Majesty, we've found out. That person's name is Qin Chuan. He entered the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy at age six. The rest is a complete blank."

"A complete blank?" Xu Jiawei was surprised.

"Yes, from his birth to age six, there has never been any record. He is most likely not a person of our Star Luo Empire."