Chapter 41

On the competition stage at the Central Arena in Shrek City.

Yu Longheng slumped on the ground, his face as pale as paper.

I lost.

I actually lost!

These four words exploded in his mind like a thunderclap, leaving his thoughts a complete blank.

He was a genius of the Blue Lightning Overlord Dragon Clan, the pride of the Shrek Academy outer court, and in the eyes of countless people, a future Title Douluo.

Yet now, he had lost in the very first round, defeated by an unknown, cold-faced girl—defeated so cleanly, so thoroughly.

The surrounding cheers surged like a tide, but he could not make out what those voices were cheering for.

He only saw the referee's hand raised high, the back of the expressionless girl as she turned to leave, and the incredulous gazes from the spectator stands.

"Yu Longheng... lost?"

"Spirit Pagoda won the first round? Did I see that right?"

"What is that girl's background? Her strength is terrifying!"

The whispers reached his ears like countless needles pricking his heart.

Yu Longheng lowered his head, his hands clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white.

He recalled the bold declarations he had made before the match.

"Teach the Spirit Pagoda how to behave," "Drink the Sea God Lake dry if I win"...

Those words seemed utterly ridiculous now.

At this moment, his teammates stepped forward to help him off the stage.

Xu Lizhi patted his shoulder, wanting to offer words of comfort, but he did not know where to begin.

Ye Xinglan merely glanced at him indifferently before looking away, as if none of this had anything to do with her.

Yu Longheng remained silent, not saying a word.

In the following two matches, Yuanen Yehui was unstoppable.

Three consecutive victories.

The entire arena was in an uproar!

On the viewing platform, Cai Yue'er's expression could no longer be described as "ashen"—it was practically "pitch black." She stared fixedly at the petite figure below, gritting her teeth:

"Good, a very good Spirit Pagoda... a very good Titan Giant Ape..."

Leng Yaozhu continued to sip her tea elegantly, the smile at the corners of her lips impossible to suppress.

Ya Li watched Yuanen Yehui with great interest, a flash of appreciation in her beautiful eyes: "This girl has a good temperament; she is neither arrogant in victory nor discouraged in defeat. Truly rare."

However, just as everyone thought Yuanen Yehui would continue her winning streak and lock in the victory for the Spirit Pagoda.

In the fourth round, the contestant sent out by Shrek Academy finally changed.

It was a youth who looked to be fourteen or fifteen years old, with a slender build and delicate features, yet he carried a composure that belied his age.

He carried a heavy sword on his back that was nearly as tall as he was; the blade was pitch black, with faint flame patterns flowing across the scabbard.

The moment he stepped onto the competition stage, the temperature of the entire venue seemed to rise by several degrees.

He walked to the center of the stage, slowly unslung the heavy sword, rested the tip on the ground, and looked at Yuanen Yehui with a calm gaze.

"Shrek Academy, Xiao Yan. Martial Soul—Exotic Flame, level 25 Soul Grand Master."

His voice was not loud, yet it reached everyone's ears clearly.

A gasp erupted from the spectator stands.

"Xiao Yan! It's that Xiao Yan!"

"I heard his Martial Soul can absorb different Exotic Flame types; the power is terrifying!"

"Level 25? Only level 25? Isn't that several levels lower than Yuanen Yehui?"

"Level isn't everything! His Exotic Flame Martial Soul is too special; he's practically invincible at the same level!"

Yuanen Yehui looked at her opponent with an expressionless face, but alarm bells were ringing in her heart.

She could feel that this person... was different.

The referee announced the start of the match.

"Boom—!"

In an instant, blazing fire erupted from Xiao Yan's body!

It was not ordinary fire, but an Exotic Flame that appeared pale cyan, with a shockingly high temperature!

The fire soared into the sky, condensing into the phantom of a burning green lotus behind him!

He drew his heavy sword, the blade also burning with pale cyan flames, and with a single swing, a wave of fire lunged toward Yuanen Yehui like a giant dragon!

Yuanen Yehui did not dodge or evade; she threw a punch!

The fist wind collided with the waves of fire, producing a deafening roar!

The fire waves were scattered, but charred marks were left on Yuanen Yehui's fists, accompanied by a faint, burning pain.

There is something wrong with this fire.

Yuanen Yehui frowned slightly.

Ordinary flames could not harm her in the slightest, but this Cyan Exotic Flame was actually able to burn through her protective soul power?

Xiao Yan did not give her time to think, swinging his second and third swords in rapid succession! Each strike carried monstrous waves of fire, layered one after another, as if he intended to turn the entire competition stage into a sea of flames!

Yuanen Yehui was forced to dodge.

Although her strength was immense, facing this kind of area-of-effect attack, resisting head-on would only lead to sustained injuries.

"Roar--!"

She let out a low growl, her third soul ring lit up, and her Titan Giant Ape martial soul erupted with full force! Her figure surged in height, her muscles bulged, and she charged toward Xiao Yan like a small giant, throwing a punch!

This punch was enough to split monuments and shatter stones!

However, Xiao Yan's footwork was bizarre; his figure flashed like a ghost, barely avoiding the lethal blow while his heavy sword swept horizontally, slashing fiercely into Yuanen Yehui's waist!

"Sss--!"

The sound of flames searing flesh was teeth-grinding.

Yuanen Yehui let out a muffled groan, staggered a few steps from the slash, and a charred wound was left on her waist.

Yet she still did not fall, throwing another punch with a backhand!

Xiao Yan dodged again, but the wind from the punch grazed his shoulder, causing his expression to shift slightly.

This girl's strength was truly terrifying; even a slight graze was enough to make him suffer.

The battle entered a white-hot stage.

Yuanen Yehui pursued madly, every punch capable of being fatal.

But Xiao Yan's movement technique was too bizarre; he could dodge at the last second every time, while simultaneously using the Exotic Flame Sword Technique to continuously exhaust and counterattack.

Time ticked away second by second.

Yuanen Yehui's wounds grew more numerous, and her soul power consumption became increasingly severe.

As for Xiao Yan, he remained like a burning flame, giving his opponent no chance to catch her breath.

Finally--

"Boom!"

Another heavy sword strike landed on Yuanen Yehui's shoulder, blasting her entire body away and slamming her heavily onto the edge of the competition stage.

Yuanen Yehui struggled to climb up, but every inch of her body was screaming in pain, and her soul power was nearly bottomed out.

"Give up." Xiao Yan's voice came, devoid of mockery, only a calm statement, "You have done your best."

Yuanen Yehui did not answer, still trying.

Ten seconds.

Twenty seconds.

Thirty seconds.

Finally, amidst the referee's countdown, she exhausted her last ounce of strength, collapsed to the ground, and could no longer rise.

"Fourth match, Shrek Academy, Xiao Yan wins!"

The audience erupted into thunderous cheers! The fans of Shrek Academy had finally waited for this moment.

They had not been swept!

Xiao Yan sheathed his heavy sword and walked off the stage silently, pausing slightly as he passed by Yuanen Yehui.

"You are very strong," he said, his voice very soft, "but your martial soul is countered by my Exotic Flame. This is not your fault."

After saying this, he left.

Yuanen Yehui lay on the ground, gasping for air. She had done everything she could, but she still lost...

A hand reached out in front of her.

She looked up and saw the face of Luo Yang with a gentle smile.

"You worked hard," Luo Yang said, "You did very well."

Yuanen Yehui stared at him blankly, and a moment later, she gripped his hand and used the leverage to stand up.

"I lost," she said in a low voice.

"Losing to an elemental counter is not your fault," Luo Yang patted her shoulder, "Leave the rest to me."

Fifth match, Spirit Pagoda's Luo Yang, versus Shrek's Xiao Yan.

The moment Luo Yang stepped onto the competition stage, a wave of discussion broke out in the audience.

"Is this the last contestant from the Spirit Pagoda? He looks so young!"

"Six or seven years old at most? A kid this small is here to compete?"

"Probably just making up the numbers. Even Yuanen Yehui lost, what could he possibly do to turn the tables?"

Xiao Yan looked at the boy standing before him, who was more than a head shorter than himself, and frowned slightly.

He could sense that there was something indescribably... off about this boy.

But as a representative of Shrek Academy, he had to win.

"Shrek Academy, Xiao Yan." He announced his name once more, holding his heavy sword horizontally before him. "Martial Soul: Exotic Flame. Level 25 Soul Grand Master."

Luo Yang smiled slightly, a bright, sunny, and harmless expression:

"Spirit Pagoda, Luo Yang. As for my Martial Soul... Undead Scourge. As for my level, it's not important."

Xiao Yan's brow furrowed even deeper.

Undead Scourge? What kind of Martial Soul was that? It didn't sound like anything proper.

But he didn't dwell on it. He leveled his heavy sword, and the Exotic Flame ignited around his body once again. "Before the match starts, I want to say one thing: if you're afraid, there's still time to forfeit. Go down obediently to avoid getting hurt."

A burst of laughter erupted from the spectator stands.

Yet, Luo Yang continued to smile.

"Afraid?" He shook his head. "Doesn't exist."

He raised his hand and snapped his fingers lightly.

"Come out, little guy."

"ROAR--!!!"

A deafening roar suddenly exploded!

The entire arena trembled!

Golden light burst forth, so blinding that it was nearly impossible to keep one's eyes open!

When the golden light dissipated, a golden beast over five meters tall, with a Crimson Flame King Mark on its forehead, stood imposingly at Luo Yang's side! Its golden beastly eyes swept coldly over Xiao Yan, as if looking at an ant that didn't know its place.

Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff Emperor!

That savage, violent, and oppressive aura swept across the arena like a mountain-toppling tsunami!

The spectator stands fell into dead silence.

And then--

"Holy crap--!!!"

"What kind of monster is that?!"

"A Soul Beast?! Are you allowed to bring Soul Beasts into the match?!"

"No, that's not right, Soul Beasts can't be contracted like this... could this be a Soul Spirit?!"