Gu Qing VS Shrek! Enemies Meet!

The dim corridor echoed with the roaring clamor from outside.

Qian Renxue clutched the wooden plaque, her eyes revealing a hint of helplessness.

The blinding white light piercing through the iron bars ahead signaled that her first match was about to begin.

The heavy iron gate rose slowly, emitting a harsh, grating sound.

A burly man with a massive frame stood waiting on the Great Soul Arena stage.

He was bare-chested, his knotted muscles gleaming with a bronze luster under the lights.

Four striking soul rings rhythmically pulsed up and down beneath his feet.

The pressure of a four-ringed Soul Ancestor swept across the arena without restraint.

The audience in the stands erupted into a mountain-shaking, sea-roaring cheer.

In contrast, Qian Renxue, who had just stepped onto the stage, appeared petite and plain in appearance.

Only three faint soul rings flickered on her body.

The burly man looked down at his opponent, his eyes filled with nothing but contempt.

"Where did this wild girl come from? Not even fully grown and you dare to come to the Great Soul Arena to throw your life away?"

"A level thirty daring to take my challenge? Don't come crying for your mother when I break your bones later."

The crude mockery drew a burst of uproarious laughter from the surrounding stands.

Qian Renxue did not even spare the man a glance, merely stretching her slender wrists in silence.

Having long held a position of high authority, such vulgar language could not stir even the slightest ripple in the lake of her heart.

The moment the referee swung his hand down, the action began.

The burly man stomped, cracking the stone floor beneath him, and charged forward like a rampaging rhinoceros.

The wind generated by his momentum stung the cheeks.

Qian Renxue tapped her toes, her figure moving like a light, fluttering leaf as she narrowly dodged past the man's fist.

"Remember, try not to use your martial soul easily."

"Rely purely on your body's instincts to dodge and feel the openings in the opponent's moves; hone your combat intuition."

Gu Qing's voice, carried by a wisp of soul power, slipped silently into Qian Renxue's ear.

Qian Renxue, who had been planning to gather her soul power for a counterattack, paused abruptly.

Her slender fingers tightened.

She forcibly suppressed the surging power of the Six-Winged Angel within her.

Relying only on basic soul skills and the purest physical strength, she wove back and forth through the man's storm-like onslaught.

Figures intertwined on the soul arena.

Every strike from the burly man weighed a thousand pounds, shattering the hard stone floor and sending debris flying.

Yet, he could not even touch the hem of Qian Renxue's clothes.

Though it appeared perilous, Qian Renxue was actually gradually finding her rhythm amidst this extreme pressure.

As a top-tier god-level martial soul, the Six-Winged Angel granted her physical attributes far beyond those of an ordinary person.

Even without manifesting the martial soul itself, the explosive power of her muscles and the resilience of her bones were far superior to any ordinary Soul Ancestor.

Time ticked away, second by second.

After fifty rounds of frantic attacking, the burly man's breathing began to grow heavy.

Sweat beaded on his forehead and slid down his cheeks, and his movements inevitably began to lag.

Now.

A flash of brilliance ignited in Qian Renxue's clear eyes.

Instead of retreating, she surged forward, closing the distance directly against the man's heavy punch.

Her arms coiled around his defense like agile snakes.

Her clenched right fist struck with pinpoint precision against the softest vital point on the man's abdomen.

A muffled thud exploded across the stage.

The man's massive frame felt as if it had been struck by a giant hammer, his feet instantly leaving the ground.

Under the stunned gazes of countless spectators, he flew over ten meters through the air, crashing heavily onto the ground outside the arena.

The entire arena fell into a deathly silence.

No one had expected that a seemingly frail level thirty Soul Elder could actually bridge a ten-level gap to defeat a Soul Ancestor.

Qian Renxue stood at the edge of the stage, gasping for air.

A lock of hair on her forehead was soaked through with sweat, clinging tightly to her flushed cheek.

Although her muscles ached all over from the high-intensity dodging, a brightness never seen before shimmered in the depths of her eyes.

The thrill of casting aside all status and soul power suppression, relying purely on technique and instinct to defeat an opponent, was something she had never experienced in the past twenty years.

Walking down the corridor, Gu Qing was leaning against the stone wall in the shadows.

A bottle of water, still cool to the touch, was held out before her.

"Well fought."

Gu Qing's tone was calm, but the affirmation in his words stirred a strange sense of satisfaction in Qian Renxue's heart.

"Naturally."

Qian Renxue took the water bottle, tilted her head back to gulp down more than half, and a remarkably brilliant smile bloomed on her pale face.

Even with her disguised, ordinary features, she looked exceptionally moving at this moment.

Before she could even catch her breath properly.

Gu Qing raised his hand to glance at the hourglass on the wall.

"In one minute, prepare to start the next match."

The smile on Qian Renxue's face froze instantly.

The water in her mouth nearly sprayed out.

"Do you think I'm made of iron?"

The young girl glared fiercely at the nonchalant man before her.

Her heaving chest signaled her current dissatisfaction.

She even had sufficient reason to suspect that this bastard was using the pretext of special training to settle a personal score and intentionally retaliate against her.

Gu Qing ignored her protest entirely and turned to walk toward the registration hall.

Watching that slender back, Qian Renxue gritted her teeth, but in the end, she clenched her fists and followed him.

Over the next two hours, the Soul Fighting Arena completely devolved into a trial ground for Qian Renxue.

A level 42 Power Attack System Soul Master had his soul power exhausted and was kicked off the stage by her within a hundred moves.

A level 45 Control System Soul Ancestor failed to trap that slippery, eel-like figure with his vines.

Continuous high-intensity combat brought Qian Renxue's physical stamina to an extremely dangerous critical point.

Every muscle was screaming with exhaustion.

When the fourth opponent stepped onto the Soul Fighting Arena, the atmosphere of the entire venue had been pushed to a climax.

This opponent had four extremely solid soul rings pulsing on his body, with a soul power as high as level 47.

What was worse, the opponent was an Agility Attack System Battle Soul Master who excelled in speed.

As soon as the match began, the soul master turned into a series of blurred afterimages, surrounding Qian Renxue tightly in the center.

The sound of wind breaking sounded like sharp blades whistling in from all directions.

Qian Renxue felt her vision blur, and a sharp pain shot through her right shoulder.

The sharp claw wind tore through her sleeve, drawing a string of crimson blood droplets.

The relentless attacks were like maggots on rotting bones; no matter how she dodged, she could not shake them off completely.

In just a few breaths, several wounds of varying depths had appeared on Qian Renxue's body.

Scarlet blood slowly seeped from the corner of her mouth, dripping onto the stone slabs beneath her feet.

The air in her lungs felt as if it had been completely drained, and her heavy legs made even a single step feel incredibly difficult.

The girl stared fixedly at the rapidly moving afterimages, her vision beginning to blur.

"The perception of the Angel Martial Soul exceeds that of ordinary people."

Gu Qing's calm voice echoed in her ears once again through sound transmission.

"Eyes can deceive you, but the origin of your Martial Soul will not."

"Give up those useless struggles; listen, and feel the most subtle changes in the surrounding airflow."

Qian Renxue, at the end of her rope, took a deep breath upon hearing this.

She stopped using brute force to try and keep up with the opponent's rhythm.

She actually closed her eyes slowly in the center of the Soul Fighting Arena.

A gasp erupted from the surrounding stands, as everyone thought this miracle of a winning streak was giving up resistance at this very moment.

The level 47 Agility Attack System Soul Master let out a harsh, mocking laugh.

The afterimages merged instantly, and his sharp claws struck directly at Qian Renxue's throat.

In that split second between life and death.

Qian Renxue's heart became completely still.

A layer of pale golden ripples, imperceptible to ordinary people, quietly spread from within her body.

The direction of the wind had changed.

The murderous aura and soul power fluctuations radiating from her opponent transformed into a clearly visible trajectory within her closed field of vision.

Qian Renxue jerked her head to the side.

The lethal claw grazed the tip of her nose, slicing off a few strands of falling hair.

Having missed the strike, a flicker of panic flashed in the eyes of the agility-type soul master.

The old force was spent, and the new force had yet to be generated.

In Qian Renxue's precise perception, this brief stagnation was magnified infinitely.

Without a moment's hesitation, she turned her hand into a blade and struck with pinpoint accuracy at the carotid artery, the weakest point in her opponent's defense.

The dull thud of bone colliding with bone echoed throughout the arena.

The forty-seventh-level battle Soul Ancestor didn't even have time to groan; his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed headlong to the ground.

The cheers seemed loud enough to lift the dome of the Great Soul Arena.

The moment the referee announced her victory, the taut string inside Qian Renxue finally snapped.

Every ounce of her strength was instantly drained away.

She slumped powerlessly onto the cold stone floor, gasping for air and letting the blood from her wounds stain her clothes.

Steady footsteps gradually approached amidst the noisy background.

Gu Qing walked onto the stage and, ignoring the gazes of the crowd, bent down to scoop up the slumped Qian Renxue.

The sudden sensation of being lifted into the air made Qian Renxue stiffen instinctively.

Surprisingly, however, she did not resist, simply leaning obediently against that broad chest.

The dim corridor cut off the clamor of the outside world.

Gu Qing carried her to a stone bench meant for resting and set her down gently.

Several stalks of emerald-green Blue Silver Grass, radiating a rich vitality, emerged from the void.

The soft, tender leaves covered Qian Renxue's gaping wounds directly.

A cool, soothing sensation instantly permeated her skin.

Under the nourishment of this life force, the burning pain began to dissipate at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Her originally pale complexion gradually regained a hint of rosiness.

Qian Renxue lifted her head slightly, her gaze falling on Gu Qing, who was focused on controlling his soul power.

The dim light outlined the man's rugged profile.

Involuntarily, she felt that this man before her truly possessed abilities beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Tonight's series of life-and-death battles against higher-level opponents were like a hammer, completely shattering the shackles of her past cultivation.

They had tapped into the potential hidden deep within her bone marrow without reservation.

While Qian Renxue was hiding backstage to heal, the news of a thirtieth-level Soul Elder, under a disguised identity, leaping ranks to challenge multiple fortieth-level battle Soul Ancestors, spread through the entire Great Soul Arena as if it had grown wings.

Various factions were secretly inquiring about who this monster, who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, really was.

Meanwhile, at the main entrance of the Great Soul Arena.

A group of people dressed in uniform dark green team uniforms was slowly walking into the spacious registration hall.

Dai Mubai, walking at the very front, had a gloomy expression, his chest wrapped in thick bandages.

The group from Shrek Academy had arrived at the Heaven Dou City Great Soul Arena this very night for practical combat training.

As soon as the Shrek group stepped into the hall, a wave of boiling noise rushed toward them.

Almost everyone around was heatedly discussing the same name.

That newcomer called "Xue," relying on a mere thirtieth-level soul power, had beaten several long-established battle Soul Ancestors until they had no power to fight back.

All sorts of exaggerated descriptions filled the air.

Dai Mubai, walking at the head of the team, stopped in his tracks.

The heavy bandages wrapped around his chest tightened sharply due to his heavy breathing, and a wave of tearing pain immediately radiated from his wounds.

But he couldn't care less about his physical discomfort at this moment.

His evil, heterochromatic eyes narrowed slightly, a look of extreme astonishment deep within his pupils.

A thirtieth-level soul master winning consecutive matches against multiple fortieth-level Soul Ancestors.

Even with his top-tier White Tiger martial soul, he had never achieved such a crushing victory across an entire major realm in the past.

Dai Mubai clenched his fists, his knuckles popping with a crisp sound.

"Thirtieth level challenging fortieth level."

"This Great Soul Arena in Heaven Dou City is truly interesting."

Dai Mubai made no effort to hide the competitive spirit in his tone.

Draped in a tattered dark green team uniform, he held a ball of pent-up evil fire in his heart, desperately needing a bloody victory to wash away his previous humiliation.

Tang San walked beside Dai Mubai, his deep gaze sweeping across the excited crowd in the hall.

He did not marvel blindly like those around him.

With the Purple Demon Eye flashing briefly in his pupils, Tang San's mind had already begun to rapidly deduce the battle situations mentioned by the people just now.

"Mubai, you must not underestimate the enemy."

Tang San spoke calmly, his logic exceptionally clear.

"The gap in Soul Power Level is a genuine chasm."

"For the opponent to win so many consecutive matches, their strength is definitely not as simple as what they have shown on the surface."

"This person either possesses some kind of extremely domineering mutated Martial Soul, or they have mastered terrifying force-exertion techniques and combat intuition."

Tang San's words made the atmosphere within the Shrek Academy team grow slightly more solemn.

At the very end of the line, a round figure was struggling to carry bags and luggage of all sizes.

That was Ma Hongjun.

Ever since the Evil Fire Phoenix bloodline he had been so proud of was completely crippled, he had been as listless as a pile of mud.

Without the support of a top-tier Martial Soul, his status at Shrek Academy had plummeted.

The once arrogant and domineering fatty could now only be reduced to a lackey who served tea and poured water for the team.

Turbid sweat dripped in large beads down his fat-covered cheeks.

Ma Hongjun panted heavily, subconsciously lifting his head as he sought an empty spot to set down his luggage and take a short rest.

His gaze pierced through the bustling crowd and landed on a relatively dim lounge area on the second floor of the hall.

The fat on his chubby face shuddered violently.

Ma Hongjun's small, bean-like eyes widened instantly, his eyeballs nearly popping out of their sockets.

The heavy parcels in his hands hit the bluestone floor with a thud, and the water bottles inside rolled everywhere.

He stood frozen in place, as if struck by a bolt of Nine Heavens Profound Thunder.