Shrek's Information

The news spread faster than Shen Yi had imagined.

She had only just returned to the contestant area when her communicator began to ring.

One after another, the calls came from the lead teachers of the various academies.

She did not answer, instead silencing the device and tucking it into her pocket.

The scoreboard above the arena lit up.

A new schedule appeared on the giant screen, with a small line of text added at the bottom: Shrek Academy (Exhibition Match, not participating in rankings).

The stands fell silent for a moment.

Then, the sound of discussion surged forward like a tide.

"Shrek is competing? Isn't this supposed to be an exhibition?"

"Read it clearly, they aren't participating in the rankings. They're just here to fight."

"Doesn't that make it miserable for the other academies? Fighting Shrek—there's no benefit to winning, and it's embarrassing to lose."

"They aren't ranked, so what does it matter if you win or lose?"

"How could it not matter? Losing isn't shameful, but winning? That would mean you beat Shrek!"

The volume of the discussion grew louder and louder.

In the contestant area, the leaders and members of each academy stared at the scoreboard with varying expressions.

In the Skysea Academy rest area.

The captain had just finished gathering the fragments of his shield when he looked up at the board, causing another piece to slip from his hand.

"Shrek... is still going to fight?" His voice trembled slightly.

A teammate beside him patted his shoulder. "They aren't participating in the rankings, so it has nothing to do with us."

The captain let out a breath of relief, but stopped halfway through. "What if they get matched against us?"

No one answered.

The entire rest area was so quiet that the sound of the ocean waves could be heard.

A few girls huddled together, staring at the scoreboard.

"Shrek..."

A girl with twin tails whispered, "I really want to fight them."

Her teammate pulled on her arm. "Are you crazy? That's Shrek." The girl with the twin tails didn't speak, but her eyes were shining.

The leader of Haidong Academy was a middle-aged man wearing glasses; he pushed them up the bridge of his nose, stared at the small text on the board, and remained silent for a long time.

Then, he turned his head to look at the tallest boy on his team.

"If you encounter Shrek, do not be afraid." The boy nodded.

The leader added, "It is no shame to lose. But if you can last for one minute, that is a victory."

The boy nodded again, though his hands were shaking.

Behind them, Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi exchanged a glance.

In the furthest corner, the Eastsea Academy rest area.

Long Hengxu stood before the scoreboard, his expression shifting several times.

When he first saw the word "Shrek," his face went pale, and his instinct was to find the organizers and protest.

Then he saw the line of text behind it—"Exhibition Match, not participating in rankings."

He froze.

He read it again.

Shrek was not participating in the rankings, which meant they weren't here to snatch resources or compete for slots; they were simply here to fight.

His complexion shifted from white to red, from red to green, and finally settled into an indescribable expression.

"Teacher Long?"

Tang Wulin stood nearby, asking cautiously, "Is Shrek going to compete?"

Long Hengxu did not answer.

He stared at the scoreboard, his mind racing.

Since Shrek was not participating in the rankings, it would have no impact on Eastsea Academy's standing.

But if Eastsea Academy could have a match against Shrek—even if they lost—the value of that experience for his students would be worth more than ten championships.

He took a deep breath, turned around, and looked at his students.

Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, Xie Xie, and Xu Xiaoyan.

The four children stood before him, each with a different expression.

"You have seen it."

Long Hengxu said, "Shrek is participating. Although they won't be ranked, they will be holding exhibition matches against various academies."

He paused, "We might run into them."

Tang Wulin's eyes lit up, "Really?"

Xie Xie took a step back, "Teacher Long, you aren't serious, are you?"

Xu Xiaoyan tugged at the corner of her shirt, looking somewhat nervous.

Gu Yue stood at the very back, her expression indifferent.

Her gaze drifted past Long Hengxu and landed on the small line of text on the bulletin board.

Watching the reactions of his team members, Long Hengxu took a deep breath.

"Whoever encounters Shrek is forbidden from backing down."

Tang Wulin was the first to nod. "Yes!"

Xie Xie made a bitter face, "Yes..."

Xu Xiaoyan and Gu Yue didn't speak, but both nodded.

"This is an excellent opportunity for you to clearly see the gap in strength."

Wu Zhangkong walked over slowly, holding a small stack of papers in his hand.

His expression remained the same as always, cold as if frozen, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

He distributed the documents to the four children, one for each.

Tang Wulin took the document and glanced down at it.

The first page was an overall introduction to the Shrek representative team, with the names of eight people listed.

He scanned it, his gaze stopping on the third line.

"Yun Jingheng, ten years old, three-ring Soul Elder. Martial Soul: Moonlight Sword (exact grade unknown). Soul Rings: two purple, one black."

Tang Wulin was stunned.

He rubbed his eyes and read it again.

A three-ring Soul Elder... at ten years old?

He subconsciously looked up at Gu Yue, who was looking down at her document with an indifferent expression, showing no reaction at all.

He looked at Xie Xie, whose mouth was open wide enough to fit an egg.

"Three... three rings?"

Xie Xie's voice was out of tune, "A ten-year-old Soul Elder? Is he even human?"

Tang Wulin looked down at the document again.

Two purple, one black—two thousand-year soul rings and one ten-thousand-year soul ring.

His hand trembled slightly.

He thought about how hard he had worked to cultivate until now, only just breaking through to two rings.

The boy across from him, who was about the same age, was already a three-ring master with a ten-thousand-year soul ring.

Xu Xiaoyan stood to the side, her hand gripping the corner of her shirt even tighter.

"Yun Jingheng... I feel like I've heard that name somewhere before," she whispered.

Xie Xie turned his head to look at her, "Heard it? Where?"

Xu Xiaoyan thought for a moment, and suddenly her expression changed.

"The Spirit Ascension Platform! A year ago, that Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear was split open by his sword!" She gasped as she finished speaking.

Xie Xie's expression changed as well.

He remembered the riot in the Spirit Ascension Platform a year ago, where their Zero Class team had been wiped out by a hundred-year Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear.

Gu Yue had been knocked out, and Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi had been knocked out as well.

Later, he heard that the bear had been split open by a boy with a single sword strike, but he had never known who it was.

Now, he knew.

"Split a Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear with one sword..."

Xie Xie's voice was dry, "He was only a two-ring master back then, right?"

No one answered him.

Tang Wulin gripped the document, his knuckles turning white. He remembered that day in the Spirit Ascension Platform, the boy who had rushed out of the woods, being chased by the bear, looking utterly pathetic.

He had thought that person was about the same as him, perhaps even worse.

But now he knew that person had split the bear that had wiped them out with a single strike.

He took a deep breath and continued reading.

Ye Xinglan, ten years old, two-ring, Soul Grand Master. Martial Soul: Star God Sword. Soul Rings: two purple.

He scanned the files of the others; they were all two-ringed, with yellow soul rings predominating.

But the boy's file was too eye-catching, like a ball of fire that made his eyes ache.

"Have you all seen it?" Wu Zhangkong's voice came from above, icy and cold.

The four children looked up, their expressions varying.

Tang Wulin was shocked yet slightly defiant, Xie Xie's face was practically written with "I don't want to fight," and Xu Xiaoyan was too nervous to speak.

Gu Yue stood at the very back, her expression still indifferent, though her gaze lingered for a moment on the name Yun Jingheng.

"A ten-year-old Soul Elder."

Wu Zhangkong said, "How many years has it been since the entire continent has seen such a thing?"

He glanced at Tang Wulin. "Do you know what this means?"

Tang Wulin did not speak.

Of course he knew.

It meant that the person was a true genius—not the kind of genius who was "a little better than others," but the kind who was "impossible for others to even catch up to."

Yet, he still wanted to try.

"I'm not afraid," Tang Wulin said, his voice quiet but firm.

Xie Xie muttered under his breath, "You might not be, but I am..."

Wu Zhangkong shot a look at Xie Xie, and Xie Xie immediately shut his mouth.

"In this exchange tournament, you may end up facing Shrek."

Wu Zhangkong said, "It's not for you to win, but for you to see the gap clearly."

Tang Wulin gripped the file, remaining silent.

Xie Xie kept his head down, Xu Xiaoyan tugged at the corner of her shirt, and Gu Yue stood at the back, her expression indifferent.

Long Hengxu listened from the side, saying nothing.

He glanced at Wu Zhangkong, then at the children.

He suddenly felt that this Sky Sea Grand Competition was far more important than he had imagined.

"Do your best."