The afternoon sun blazed fiercely, bleaching the surface of the sea white.
The stands above the arena were packed, with even the aisles crammed full of standing spectators.
No one wanted to miss Shrek's first official match.
The announcement board displayed the matchup—First Round of the Two-Person Match: Shrek Academy (Yun Jingheng, Ye Xinglan) versus Haidong Academy (Wang Jinxi, Zhang Yangzi).
The buzzing discussions in the stands never stopped. Most people were talking about Yun Jingheng—a ten-year-old Soul Elder with two purple rings and one black ring.
In Eastsea Academy's rest area, Tang Wulin sat at the front, still clutching that document in his hand.
He had read it countless times, yet whenever he saw the words "Soul Elder," his hand could not help trembling.
Xie Xie sat beside him, his leg shaking.
Xu Xiaoyan stood by the railing, standing on tiptoe to peer toward the arena.
"Why aren't they out yet?" she asked softly.
Xie Xie said irritably, "What's the rush? It's not like they're going to run away."
Xu Xiaoyan ignored him.
She craned her neck, her gaze sweeping back and forth over the competitors' entrance.
Gu Yue sat at the very back, holding a cup of water. Her expression was calm, but her eyes were also fixed on the entrance.
Then Yun Jingheng emerged.
He walked behind Ye Xinglan, dressed in that silver-white coat, his hair draped over his shoulders.
Sunlight fell over him, making his whole body seem to glow white.
He did not walk quickly, but every step was steady, forming a sharp contrast to Ye Xinglan's forceful stride beside him.
Xu Xiaoyan's mouth fell open.
Her face visibly reddened, the flush spreading from her neck all the way to the tips of her ears, like a boiled shrimp.
Both hands gripped the railing until her knuckles turned white, while her eyes sparkled as though stars might spill from them.
"So... so handsome..." she murmured, her voice soft as if she were dreaming.
Xie Xie's mouth twitched as he looked at her. "Hey, snap out of it." Xu Xiaoyan did not hear him.
Xie Xie took a deep breath and gave up.
On the field, Yun Jingheng and Ye Xinglan walked to the edge of the arena and took their positions.
Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi were already standing opposite them.
"It's you?"
Yun Jingheng froze for a moment, then looked closely.
Aang~
So it was them.
"Hello."
"State your names." The referee's voice rang out.
"Shrek Academy, Yun Jingheng."
"Ye Xinglan."
"Haidong Academy, Wang Jinxi."
"Zhang Yangzi."
"Match begin!"
The referee's whistle sounded.
Ye Xinglan moved first.
She never waited. The instant the Stargod Sword appeared, a golden streak of sword light had already slashed toward Wang Jinxi.
Wang Jinxi twisted aside to evade it. The Bone Dragon King's fists were covered in grayish-white bone scales as he threw a punch toward Ye Xinglan's side.
Ye Xinglan turned her sword tip, colliding with his fist. The ringing clash of metal echoed throughout the arena.
Yun Jingheng stood behind her without moving.
His Moonlight Sword hung at his side, its tip touching the ground. Three soul rings floated behind him, and he stood there quietly.
He occasionally swung out a Crescent Slash, not to attack, but to seal off Zhang Yangzi's routes and assist Ye Xinglan.
Zhang Yangzi moved as swiftly as a black shadow, constantly cutting in from the flanks, but each time, Moon Blades forced him back.
Someone in the stands saw what was happening.
"Why isn't that boy moving?"
"He doesn't need to. Look at his Moon Blades. Every one of them blocks Zhang Yangzi in the most uncomfortable position possible."
Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi exchanged a glance.
They had realized it—Ye Xinglan was charging at the front and looked fierce, but the one truly preventing their coordination from taking shape was the person in the rear.
His Moon Blades precisely interrupted Zhang Yangzi's attack rhythm every time, preventing them from forming a pincer attack.
They had to deal with the one in the back first.
Wang Jinxi suddenly withdrew his fist and stepped back.
Just as Ye Xinglan was about to pursue him, Zhang Yangzi rushed in from the side. He crossed his twin blades to block and forcibly received one of Ye Xinglan's strikes.
He was knocked back two steps, but he had bought Wang Jinxi enough time.
Wang Jinxi circled around Ye Xinglan and charged straight at Yun Jingheng.
Zhang Yangzi moved as well. Rather than attacking Ye Xinglan, he rushed toward Yun Jingheng alongside Wang Jinxi.
Both of them switched targets at once—focus fire on the one in the rear.
Cries of alarm rose from the stands.
"They're both attacking that boy!"
"There's no time to save him!"
Ye Xinglan truly did not have time.
Zhang Yangzi's block had delayed her for an instant. By the time she turned around, Wang Jinxi had already reached Yun Jingheng.
Her expression changed. "Yun Jingheng!"
Wang Jinxi threw both fists forward at once. Bone Dragon King scales covered his entire forearms, while bone spikes extended wildly, like two savage dragon heads.
Zhang Yangzi cut in from the side, silently stabbing toward Yun Jingheng's back.
One before him, one behind him—one overt, one hidden.
Yun Jingheng moved.
His second soul ring lit up.
Silver-white light spread from beneath his feet. It did not spread outward in all directions, but condensed into a ring of light that precisely enveloped Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi.
Halfway through his punch, Wang Jinxi suddenly felt an irresistible force slam into him from behind and drag his entire body forward.
His skill was interrupted.
Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi slid toward Yun Jingheng at the same time, their shoes scraping two white marks across the stone floor.
They tried to break free, but that force was as resilient as moonlight. They could not escape it at all.
Three meters.
Two meters.
One meter.
They were dragged before Yun Jingheng, close enough to see the color of his eyes—very dark, very bright.
Yun Jingheng's third soul ring lit up.
He charged forward. He was not running; he was launching an assault.
The instant he charged, his body became translucent, like a streak of moonlight passing between Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi.
The two only felt a chill sweep past their waists. Looking down, they saw a cut in each of their clothes and a shallow red mark on their skin.
It was not deep, but it hurt.
Yun Jingheng stopped fifteen meters behind them. The patterns on his Moonlight Sword changed.
The dimness of the New Moon became the hook-like curve of the Crescent Moon. A faint frost-white radiance surfaced on the blade, while tiny ice crystals drifted around its edge.
The passive had stacked up—Crescent Moon Realm. Every strike now carried icy power.
Wang Jinxi looked down at the wound on his waist, where a thin layer of frost covered the cut.
The chill seeped inward through the wound, slowing his movements by several degrees.
Zhang Yangzi was in even worse shape. His speed was suppressed by the cold, and even his shadow had faded.
He looked up at Yun Jingheng. The boy stood behind them, the frost-white radiance on his Moonlight Sword especially conspicuous beneath the sunlight.
Ye Xinglan had already rushed over.
She looked ahead, ran to Yun Jingheng's side, and asked, "Are you okay?"
Yun Jingheng shook his head. "I'm fine."
Ye Xinglan glanced at him, then at the frost covering Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi.
The corners of her lips curved upward. "Crescent Moon already?"
Yun Jingheng nodded. "Mm."
"Then... shall we finish them in one shot?"
Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi: "..."
She was talking about one-shotting them right in front of them?
This was intolerable!
Get them!
Wang Jinxi stepped back while Zhang Yangzi moved forward.
The two stood shoulder to shoulder. Bone Dragon King scales spread from Wang Jinxi's arms to his shoulders, a grayish-white layer of bone covering his upper body like a savage suit of bone armor.
Zhang Yangzi fully unleashed his Dark Phantom Eagle martial soul. Pitch-black wings spread behind him, while shadows surged from beneath his feet and spread like a tide.
"Fuse," Wang Jinxi said in a low voice.
Zhang Yangzi nodded.
Their Soul Power erupted simultaneously. Grayish-white and pitch-black Soul Power intertwined, spun, coiled, and fused.
Wang Jinxi's body began to transform—pitch-black eagle wings grew from his bone armor, a clearly segmented dragon tail extended behind him, and his hands turned into massive bone dragon claws, their fingertips gleaming with icy light.
His eyes turned the same dim violet as Zhang Yangzi's, dark radiance flowing in the depths of his pupils.
Dark Eagle Dragon, their Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
Cries of alarm erupted from the stands.
"A Martial Soul Fusion Skill!"
"Those two from Haidong Academy actually have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill!"
"Shrek is in trouble now!"
Wang Jinxi raised his head, his dim violet eyes fixed on Yun Jingheng and Ye Xinglan.
His voice became low and hoarse, like an echo from beneath the earth.
"Let us show you the bond between us!"
He moved.
Pitch-black eagle wings spread wide as he shot forward close to the ground, so fast that only an afterimage remained.
His bone dragon claws plowed three deep furrows into the ground, sending shattered stone flying.
He charged straight toward Yun Jingheng.
Ye Xinglan stepped in front of him.
She raised the Stargod Sword, golden sword light meeting that black shadow.
Clang— The metal-on-metal impact shook the spectators in the stands until they covered their ears.
Ye Xinglan staggered back three steps, her palm numb.
Gritting her teeth, she thrust out her second strike.
Clang— She retreated another three steps.
In the Dark Eagle Dragon state, Wang Jinxi's strength and speed had more than doubled.
When Wang Jinxi swung down his third claw, Ye Xinglan did not take it head-on.
She twisted aside. The bone dragon claw grazed past her shoulder, carrying away a strand of golden hair.
She retreated to Yun Jingheng's side, breathing hard. "Too fast. I can't keep up."
Yun Jingheng looked at the wound on her shoulder, then at Wang Jinxi charging toward them.
He raised his Moonlight Sword. His first soul ring lit up. Crescent Slash—three Moon Blades flew out at once, sealing Wang Jinxi's attack route.
Wang Jinxi swung his bone dragon claw, shattering all three Moon Blades like three pieces of glass.
Yun Jingheng raised an eyebrow.
His third soul ring lit up.
New Moon Assault—he charged forward, his body turning translucent like a streak of moonlight brushing past Wang Jinxi.
The Moonlight Sword swept across Wang Jinxi's ribs, leaving a shallow wound.
But Wang Jinxi was too fast. The instant Yun Jingheng passed him, he had already turned around, his bone dragon claw sweeping horizontally.
Yun Jingheng had no time to dodge.
The shield around him was shattered, triggering invincibility as the shield exploded.
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