Soul Fighting Zone Assembly

Tang San faced the Goddess of Life, who was suspended in mid-air, and nodded slightly.

"Goddess of Life, I brought this kid here because I need your help with something."

He turned to the side, gestured toward Ji Jing, and got straight to the point.

"He wants to learn forging, and I intend to teach him personally. However, he lacks a suitable pair of hammers. The common metals of the God Realm are not worthy of him, so I would like to ask you to step in and custom-craft a pair of divine artifacts for him."

The Goddess of Life's gentle gaze fell upon Ji Jing, filled with such tenderness and affection that it was as if she were looking at a beloved junior.

Facing the child born to the first deity of the God Realm, the Goddess of Life harbored boundless doting.

She smiled, her voice as soft as a spring breeze.

"I thought it was something major. Since Ji Jing needs them, I shall naturally do my utmost. I accept this task."

Her response was crisp and decisive, without a hint of hesitation or the mention of any conditions, which actually left Ji Jing feeling a bit embarrassed.

"This..."

Just as Ji Jing was about to say something, the Goddess of Life turned back to Tang San.

"Sea God, since the matter is settled, you may send Ji Jing back now."

She said softly, "The forging of divine artifacts will take some time. Once the hammers are finished, I will deliver them to him personally."

"Very well." Tang San nodded, skipping any formalities. He knew that given his relationship with the Goddess of Life and their shared regard for Ji Jing, there was no need for further words.

Seeing this, Ji Jing stopped being overly modest and bowed respectfully to the Goddess of Life. "Thank you, Auntie Green."

Tang San raised his hand, and a familiar golden light enveloped Ji Jing once more. He glanced at the Goddess of Life as a form of farewell, then waved his hand to send him off.

The golden light wrapped around Ji Jing's body, instantly tearing through the space and vanishing from this Divine Domain filled with the aura of life.

When the familiar atmosphere of the Douluo Continent enveloped Ji Jing again, he found that he had returned to his dormitory at Shrek Academy.

Outside the window, the horizon was already tinged with a pale white; dawn was breaking, and the air carried the dampness and chill unique to the early morning.

Clearly, his trip to the God Realm had consumed an entire night.

Mental exhaustion washed over him like a tide; his confrontation with the God King Tang San and the intense concentration of his mental power had drained a vast amount of his energy.

He glanced at Wang Dong, who was still fast asleep in the adjacent bed, then walked silently to the desk, picked up a pen and paper, and quickly scribbled a note:

"Dong'er, I want to sleep. I won't be going to class today; please ask for leave for me."

Placing the note gently on the bedside table, Ji Jing threw himself onto his bed, pulled the quilt over his head, and began to sleep soundly.

Another day passed, and Shrek Academy summoned all core disciples to gather at the Soul Fighting Zone.

Inside the spacious Soul Fighting Zone, the atmosphere was somewhat solemn.

Dozens of figures stood quietly, neatly divided into several areas according to their grade.

Ji Jing, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, and Huo Yuhao stood at the very front of the first-year formation.

Ji Jing scanned the area and noticed that Zhu Lu was no longer in the first-year ranks.

With Dai Huabin dead, she naturally had no desire to remain at the academy.

Aside from these familiar faces, there were many more seniors from the higher grades.

Each of them possessed a steady aura and sharp eyes; the invisible pressure they radiated made the air in the entire Soul Fighting Zone feel heavy.

Such a large-scale assembly of all core disciples was extremely rare in the history of Shrek Academy.

Wang Dong stood beside Ji Jing and couldn't help but lower his voice to ask curiously:

"Ji Jing, why did the academy suddenly call so many of us here? What exactly are they planning?"

Although the surrounding students didn't ask, they all pricked up their ears, clearly eager to know the answer.

Ji Jing's expression, however, remained exceptionally calm. He glanced at Xuan Zi on the high platform not far away and replied indifferently:

"The new Continental Advanced Soul Master Tournament is about to begin. They are likely here to select the new generation of the Shrek Seven Devils."

"The Shrek Seven Devils?"

Wang Dong was somewhat surprised.

This was more than just a title; it was the supreme honor of Shrek Academy.

Hearing this, Xiao Xiao, who was standing nearby, felt a trace of nervousness appear on her small face. She asked softly:

"Doesn't that mean... the competition will be intense?"

Her gaze drifted involuntarily toward the seniors with their profound auras; just standing there, she could feel immense pressure.

Ji Jing shrugged indifferently and said in a relaxed tone:

"It's alright."

His nonchalant attitude made Xiao Xiao pout, turn her head away, and stop looking at him.

She did not think that the "average" Ji Jing spoke of would be a simple matter for her.

Just as everyone was lost in their own thoughts and whispering to one another, an aura as imposing as a mountain rose from the center of the high platform.

The crowd felt a blur before their eyes, and an old man in somewhat slovenly clothes was already hovering in mid-air above the Soul Fighting Zone.

He was still clutching that iconic wine gourd in his hand, yet his murky eyes flashed with a heart-stopping brilliance.

It was none other than Xuan Zi.

He looked down at the dozens of the academy's top elite disciples below and, without a single word of nonsense, announced in his gravelly voice:

"From this moment on, you will engage in a no-rules free-for-all. The last seven people remaining will advance and stay. As for the rest, you can get lost."

Simple, brutal, and unreasonable.

The moment his voice fell, the entire Soul Fighting Zone plunged into a deathly silence, followed immediately by an explosive commotion.

Although Xuan Zi did not state the purpose of this, anyone could figure out with their toes that this was absolutely critical.

Almost instantly, everyone braced themselves with twelve-fold focus.

A thick scent of gunpowder permeated the tense air. The students moved rapidly, their eyes scanning everyone around them with vigilance as they began to group together in twos and threes based on their usual relationships, searching for allies they could trust.

Right at the start of this chaos, one figure rushed to Ji Jing's side immediately.

"Hehe, Big Brother Ji Jing!"

Xu Sanshi rubbed his hands together, an undisguised, sycophantic smile plastered on his face.

"Everything from here on out depends on you!"

Ji Jing looked at him with a sense of speechlessness.

How could this guy be so thick-skinned?

However, he did not object.

After all, Xu Sanshi's talent and strength among mortals were indeed top-tier, and the defensive power of his Black Tortoise martial soul was an indispensable link for any team.

Immediately after, Beibei also walked over quickly, bringing Jiang Nannan with him.

As for Jiang Nannan beside him, although she had not personally witnessed the terrifying scene of Ji Jing instantly killing a Soul Emperor and Soul King, the image of him heavily injuring Xu Sanshi with a single punch during the freshman assessment was still fresh in her mind.

Therefore, she chose to come over with Beibei.

At this point, Ji Jing, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, Huo Yuhao, plus the newly joined Beibei, Xu Sanshi, and Jiang Nannan—not one more, not one less—made exactly seven people.

A preliminary Shrek Seven Devils team had already begun to take shape.