One Person Crushes a Team

On the competition stage, Xia Ming and his teammates remained unfazed by the uproar surrounding them.

Dai Yueheng and Chen Zifeng exchanged a glance, a hint of playful schadenfreude flickering in their eyes.

They understood this situation all too well.

After all, they had initially looked down on the young Xia Ming, assuming he was merely someone who had pulled strings to get in.

But after being soundly beaten a few times, who would dare to underestimate him now?

Wouldn't it be wonderful to let everyone else experience exactly what they had felt back then?

Regardless of the doubts being raised, the match had to proceed.

The referee dispatched by the Heaven Dou Empire was already prepared; he gathered both teams in the center of the arena to announce the rules.

"The first round is a knockout tournament, team battle."

"Both sides may use most types of Soul Tools during the match."

"However, in the heat of combat, if one side admits defeat, the other must cease all attacks immediately."

"Soul Masters are prohibited from using high-lethality equipment such as fixed-projectile Soul Tools. Is that understood?"

"Understood," Zhang Lexuan replied.

The captain of Plant Academy, his face grim, also gave his assent.

The referee nodded and said, "Good. Both sides, retreat to opposite ends of the arena. Wait for my command to begin. Before I announce the start, no one is to release their Martial Soul. Failure to comply will result in an automatic loss."

Soon, both teams retreated to the edges of the arena.

At the same time, one hundred and eight Soul Masters from the Heaven Dou Empire, who had been waiting off-stage, pressed their hands against the metal pillars in front of them.

A layer of white light cascaded down, instantly enveloping the entire competition stage.

The referee shouted, "The match begins! Both sides, release your Martial Souls!"

The seven members of Plant Academy let out a low cry in unison, their soul power erupting!

Behind their captain, a dark brown phantom of a vine spiraled upward, accompanied by four soul rings—two yellow and two purple.

The remaining six members were at least Soul Elders, including two Soul Ancestors, all possessing the optimal soul ring configuration.

The vitality and resilience characteristic of plant-type Martial Souls permeated the arena.

The eyes of the entire audience focused on the Shrek team.

They immediately released their Martial Souls, and their soul rings rose from beneath their feet in succession.

Dai Yueheng, a level 47 Soul Ancestor, activated his White Tiger transformation, his presence fierce and imposing.

Chen Zifeng, a level 42 Soul Ancestor, had his Soul-Chasing Sword hovering at his side, sharp and menacing.

Gongyang Mo, Xixi, Ling Luochen...

The fluctuations of Soul Ancestors and Soul Elders intertwined; while impressive, they did not cause a sensation.

That changed when two anomalies appeared.

Zhang Lexuan stepped forward, her six soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black—circling her like stars.

A level 69 Soul Emperor!

When that final, deep black ten-thousand-year soul ring emerged, a collective gasp of shock rippled through the spectator stands.

On the other side, Xia Ming raised a hand.

Two purple soul rings rose silently from beneath his feet.

Those with keen perception in the audience immediately grasped his level of soul power.

Level 30? Just one soul ring away from becoming a Soul Elder?

Yet, compared to his cultivation, most were even more shocked by his soul rings.

A thousand-year first ring? How could this be possible?

One had to understand that, aside from Evil Soul Masters who could use secret arts to increase soul ring age, the standard optimal configuration was widely considered the absolute limit.

Although it was known that Whale Rubber could increase the threshold for soul ring absorption, it had a hard cap.

Even if one ate enough Whale Rubber to vomit, the most one could achieve was a thousand-year second ring.

And those who actually possessed a thousand-year second ring were few and far between.

Many of the world's greatest powerhouses, even those who possessed multiple hundred-thousand-year soul rings—such as the Dragon God Douluo Mu En or the Body Douluo Du Busi—had only possessed hundred-year second rings.

One could only imagine the sheer shock that a thousand-year first ring caused!

At the very least, after Xia Ming revealed his soul rings, the members of Plant Academy felt significantly less contempt for him.

This was a monster of a Soul Grand Master who possessed two thousand-year soul rings!

In their eyes, even if his soul power cultivation was lacking and his strength might not yet match a true Soul Ancestor, he was at least comparable to a high-level Soul Elder, making him no worse than most of the participants on their own team.

After releasing their Martial Souls, Dai Yueheng and Chen Zifeng charged toward the opposing side in an instant.

They knew very well that if they did not move quickly, there would be no chance for a fight once Xia Ming made contact with the opponents.

However, while the two of them were fast, Xia Ming was even faster!

Although his speed was far inferior to his attack and defense, it was still incomparable to other Soul Masters of the same rank.

With the assistance of Gongyang Mo, his speed surged even further, and in the blink of an eye, he arrived before the captain of the Plant Academy.

The opponent's Martial Soul was a type of vine, and seeing Xia Ming rush before him in an instant, his expression could not help but change.

The first soul ring on his body lit up immediately, and a vine coiled around Xia Ming.

"First Soul Skill: Entangle!"

Dark brown vines burst from the soil, coiling around Xia Ming like venomous snakes!

"He's restrained!" one of the Plant Academy members cheered.

The captain, however, felt his heart sink.

The sensation transmitted through the vines was wrong.

It was not the solid feeling of binding flesh and blood, but rather like coiling around a piece of refined steel.

Xia Ming looked down at the vines on his body, then raised his eyes and smiled at him.

Then, he gave a gentle struggle.

"Crack, crack—"

The vines, tough as iron chains, shattered inch by inch!

"What?!"

The Plant Academy captain was greatly shocked and prepared to unleash his other soul skills.

However, Xia Ming had already arrived before him and threw a punch.

He deliberately held back, not even unleashing the "full strength" required for this match—that is, the limit of a normal Soul Ancestor.

Yet even so, the Plant Academy captain still felt an incomparable force surging from the opponent's fist.

"Boom—!"

The next moment, his entire body was struck as if by a battering ram, flying backward to slam into the white light barrier with a teeth-gritting thud.

Judging by his appearance, he had clearly lost his ability to fight.

The expressions of the remaining six members of the Plant Academy went blank in an instant.

They knew their captain's strength better than anyone.

Perhaps he could not compare to those true genius Soul Masters, but he was a genuine high-level Soul Ancestor.

How could he have been insta-killed by the opponent in a single exchange?

And the person who defeated him was that Soul Grand Master on the opposite side who looked so young?!

But they had no time to be surprised, for Xia Ming had already turned to look at them.

"Stop him!" a Soul Ancestor roared, his third soul ring shining brightly, "Third Soul Skill: Poison Vine Prison!"

Countless purple-black vines rose from the ground, weaving into a cage that enveloped Xia Ming.

Xia Ming did not stop his pace, waving his left hand casually.

"Rip—!"

The vine cage tore apart as if it were made of paper.

"Fourth Soul Skill: Flower Shadow Maze!" another Soul Ancestor shouted, as orchid phantoms bloomed and mental interference spread.

Xia Ming's eyes remained as clear as before; he stepped on and shattered several orchids, arriving before her.

One punch.

She flew out of the arena.

"Third Soul Skill: Rock Root!"

"Second Soul Skill: Flying Leaf Blade!"

"First Soul Skill..."

Soul rings flashed frantically; vines, roots, sharp leaves, poisonous powder, phantoms...

The remaining five members of the Plant Academy erupted in a desperate struggle, their control-type soul skills pouring out like a tidal wave.

Xia Ming walked among them, completely unhindered.

He did not even use a soul skill, relying only on the simplest and most direct close-quarters punches.

"Bang!" "Boom!" "Thud!"

Muffled sounds rang out in succession.

One figure after another was sent flying, crashing into the light barrier and rolling off the stage.

As the final member of Plant Academy flew beyond the boundary, Xia Ming retracted his fist, standing in the center of the arena.

From start to finish, it had taken less than a single breath.

Dai Yueheng and Chen Zifeng had just begun to charge forward when their footsteps froze.

The two exchanged a glance; Dai Yueheng twitched the corner of his mouth, while Chen Zifeng expressionlessly sheathed his sword.

They had rushed out for nothing.