The Grand Competition Begins

"They're here!"

Wu Feng opened the door with a complicated expression, her fiery red hair swaying slightly under the corridor lights.

She looked at Xia Ming, her face a mask of conflicting emotions.

"Yo... Young Master."

She gazed at Xia Ming, her small face flushed, though not from shyness, but from a sense of humiliation.

Having grown up in the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect as a proud daughter of heaven, with a grandfather who was a Titled Douluo, when had she ever been forced to address someone else so obsequiously?

Not to mention her, even Xia Ming himself, with the mindset of someone who had lived two lifetimes, felt a bit awkward at this moment.

But since he had already accepted the benefits, Xia Ming couldn't very well chase her away now.

He pondered for a moment and asked, "What are your arrangements for the night?"

"I... I'll just sleep on the sofa." Wu Feng averted her gaze, her voice muffled.

"Forget it." Xia Ming shook his head. "I don't usually rest at night anyway; I use meditation to replace sleep."

"The bed is empty, so you might as well sleep on it while I meditate."

"I can meditate too!" Wu Feng suddenly looked up, her tone filled with a stubborn refusal to admit defeat.

Seeing this, Xia Ming smiled and said nothing more.

To completely replace sleep with meditation—how could it be that easy?

While it was true that meditation could restore energy.

For most soul masters, meditation was far more mentally taxing than deep sleep.

Even adult soul masters found it difficult to sustain for long periods, let alone Wu Feng, who was only a seven-year-old child.

He walked straight to the open space in the room and sat down cross-legged.

His soul power began to circulate, and his aura gradually deepened.

Wu Feng bit her lip, sat down on the floor not far from the bed, and closed her eyes to focus.

The night passed in silence.

As the morning light filtered through the window, Xia Ming slowly opened his eyes.

After a night of meditation, he felt refreshed, his soul power having advanced by a sliver.

However, since he had not yet obtained a soul ring, this progress in soul power would not be manifested.

He stood up to stretch his limbs, only to see Wu Feng on the floor opposite him, hugging her knees, staring at him with dark circles under her eyes as if she were looking at a monster.

She had barely managed to hold on for one night and felt like she couldn't take it anymore, yet judging by his tone, he treated this as a normal routine?

"Get up." Xia Ming's expression remained unchanged. "The tournament opens today; we need to gather in the conference room first."

"...Mm."

Wu Feng rubbed her stiff legs and followed behind him.

In the conference room, everyone had already arrived.

When Xia Ming pushed the door open, followed by the little girl with fiery red hair and an awkward expression, the air in the room froze for a subtle moment.

Except for Zhang Lexuan, who already knew and remained calm, the other main team members all wore expressions of surprise.

When had such a person been added to the Shrek team?

But Dragon God Douluo Mu En sat at the head of the table, smiling without a word.

Since he hadn't spoken, no one dared to ask.

Seeing the two arrive, Mu En smiled gently:

"Alright, since everyone is here, I will give you one piece of advice: just maintain a normal state of mind."

"As long as we perform to our usual standard, we will undoubtedly be the champions."

"Yes!"

In front of the main gate of the Heaven Spirit Empire's imperial capital, a competition stage measuring one hundred meters in length and width had already been prepared.

The perimeter of the stage was lined with one hundred and eight metal pillars; once the match began, one hundred and eight soul masters would inject their soul power into them to form a protective barrier.

After the fixed procedures were completed, the first match officially began.

One side, as per tradition, was naturally Shrek Academy.

The other side was the Plant Academy from the Heaven Spirit Empire.

"Plant Academy..." Mu En looked at the seven figures slowly stepping onto the stage opposite them and sighed softly.

"This is also an old-established academy with ten thousand years of heritage; its history might even be longer than our Shrek's."

He turned his head slightly and whispered to Xia Ming beside him:

"Thousands of years ago, they once collaborated with the Tang Sect, attempting to cultivate a powerhouse with a Blue Silver Grass martial soul to walk the path of the Sea God once more."

"That gamble nearly bankrupted the entire academy. Fortunately, they withdrew in time, which allowed them to preserve the last of their vitality."

Hearing this, a faint glimmer flickered in the depths of Xia Ming's eyes.

This academy had indeed existed ten thousand years ago, and had even faced Shrek in a tournament match.

He simply hadn't expected this academy to have endured for ten millennia without fading away.

However, collaborating with the Tang Sect to cultivate Blue Silver Grass soul masters?

He nearly laughed out loud.

If others didn't know the truth, how could he not?

Tang San's martial soul was never Blue Silver Grass, but the Blue Silver Emperor!

Ordinary Blue Silver Grass was indeed a trash martial soul, but Tang San's Blue Silver Emperor was one of the super martial souls!

And even then, in his early days, he had nearly crippled his own martial soul due to the soul rings he had attached.

Attempting to emulate him by attaching soul rings and pouring resources into cultivating Blue Silver Grass soul masters was nothing more than a bottomless abyss; no matter how much was invested, it would be useless!

Even the Tang Sect itself had declined for this very reason, let alone a mere ordinary academy.

Just as his thoughts were racing, Mu En's voice echoed in his ears:

"Leave this match to Xia Ming. The rest of the reserve team will go as well. Lexuan, you go to oversee the situation."

"Yes."

Aside from Yao Haoxuan, the remaining six members of the reserve team and Zhang Lexuan stepped onto the competition stage.

Upon their appearance, the entire arena erupted in cheers for Shrek.

In contrast, the seven members of the Plant Academy standing opposite them all turned deathly pale.

A person's name is like the shadow of a tree; Shrek Academy had been the champion for ten thousand consecutive years, and any team that encountered them was bound to be terrified.

Even in the original story, a few members of the reserve team could intimidate a host of competing teams just by using that name.

Many had even believed the six hundred-thousand-year soul rings simulated by Huo Yuhao, which showed just how immense Shrek's deterrent power was.

Of course, as an academy, Shrek was undoubtedly beyond the scope of what it should be.

However, upon seeing Xia Ming take the stage, everyone wore a look of stunned disbelief.

Even though the growth rate of soul masters far exceeded that of ordinary people under the stimulation of soul power.

Xia Ming's age was still too young, and his Soul Power Level was not considered particularly high; he still looked no older than ten.

Never mind the official team members who were approaching twenty.

Even the fourteen or fifteen-year-old reserve team members looked much older than him.

Voices of doubt surged forth.

"Is this a member of Shrek's fighting team?"

"He can't be more than eight or nine, has he even enrolled yet?"

The Heavenly Soul Emperor, standing on the viewing platform, also looked down with a face full of astonishment: "Shrek Academy, what are they trying to do?"

Just as he was about to inquire with the old man beside him, he noticed that the man's gaze was not fixed on Xia Ming.

Instead, he was staring at the lead teacher of Shrek Academy in shock, as if he had seen something inconceivable.

"...Senior?"

There were also some who felt the anger of being slighted.

Especially the seven participants from the Plant Academy, and the members of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy who were watching the match.

"This is going too far!"

In the Plant Academy team, a sturdy youth was filled with rage, and the others nodded heavily in deep agreement.

Even if they were reserve team members, given Shrek Academy's ten-thousand-year undefeated reputation, they wouldn't have said much, nor would they have felt they had any hope of winning.

But this person before them—whose age was likely not even half of theirs—dared to step onto the stage to compete?

One had to know that normal soul masters only awakened their martial souls and began cultivation at age six.

Even if the opponent was nine now, his cultivation time was not even a quarter of theirs.

No matter how strong his talent was, how could he possibly bridge such a massive gap?

Of course, in reality, Xia Ming had only been cultivating for a year, while their cultivation time since awakening was more than ten times his.

However, the advantage of time could not compensate for the gap in their talent.