Shrek City's Central Arena, on the competition stage.
Yu Longheng sat sprawled on the ground, his face as pale as paper.
I lost.
I actually lost!
Those four words exploded again and again in his mind like thunderclaps, leaving his thoughts utterly blank.
He was a genius of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, the pride of Shrek Outer Court, and the future Titled Douluo in the eyes of countless people.
But now, he had actually lost in the very first match—to an unknown, cold-faced girl. He had lost so cleanly, so completely.
The cheers around him surged like a tide, but he couldn't make out what they were cheering for.
He saw only the referee's raised hand, the cold-faced girl's departing figure, and the disbelieving looks in the stands.
"Yu Longheng... lost?"
"The Spirit Pagoda won the first match? Am I seeing things?"
"Who's that girl? Her strength is terrifying!"
The whispers reached his ears, each one like a needle pricking his heart.
Yu Longheng lowered his head and clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.
He remembered the bold claims he'd made before the match.
"Teach the Spirit Pagoda how to behave," "If we lose, I'll drink the Sea God Lake dry"...
Looking back on those words now, they were laughable.
Just then, his teammates came over and helped him off the stage.
Xu Lizhi patted him on the shoulder. He wanted to offer some words of comfort, but didn't know what to say.
Ye Xinglan merely glanced at him, then looked away, as though none of it had anything to do with her.
Yu Longheng fell silent, not uttering a word.
In the next two matches, Yuanen Yehui swept through her opponents.
Three consecutive victories.
The entire arena erupted!
On the viewing platform, Cai Yue'er's face could no longer be described as "ashen"—it was practically "pitch-black." She glared at the petite figure below, grinding her teeth.
"Good, good. What a Spirit Pagoda... What a Titan Giant Ape..."
Leng Yaozhu continued to sip her tea elegantly, unable to suppress the smile at the corner of her mouth.
Ya Li watched Yuanen Yehui with great interest, a hint of admiration flashing in her beautiful eyes. "This girl has a fine temperament. She doesn't grow arrogant in victory or discouraged in defeat. That's rare."
However, just as everyone assumed Yuanen Yehui would keep winning and secure the victory for the Spirit Pagoda—
In the fourth match, Shrek finally sent out a different contestant.
He was a boy who looked about fourteen or fifteen, with a tall, slender build and delicate features, yet a steadiness beyond his years.
Strapped to his back was a heavy sword almost as tall as he was. Its blade was pitch-black, and faint flame patterns shimmered across its scabbard.
The moment he stepped onto the competition stage, the temperature across the arena seemed to rise by several degrees.
He walked to the center of the stage and slowly took off the heavy sword. Resting its tip on the ground, he looked calmly at Yuanen Yehui.
"Shrek Academy, Xiao Yan. Martial Soul—Heavenly Flames, Soul Grandmaster, twenty-fifth level."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to everyone present.
A wave of gasps rippled through the stands.
"Xiao Yan! It's that Xiao Yan!"
"I heard his Martial Soul can absorb different Heavenly Flames. Its power is terrifying!"
"Twenty-fifth level? Only twenty-fifth? Isn't he several levels below Yuanen Yehui?"
"Level doesn't mean everything! His Heavenly Flames Martial Soul is so special that he's practically invincible among those at the same level!"
Yuanen Yehui watched her opponent without expression, but alarm bells rang in her heart.
She could sense that this person... was different.
The referee announced the start of the match.
"Boom—!"
In an instant, fierce flames burst forth around Xiao Yan!
They weren't ordinary flames, but pale cyan Heavenly Flames of astonishing heat!
Flames surged into the sky and gathered behind him into the phantom image of a burning cyan lotus!
He drew his heavy sword. Pale cyan flames burned across its blade as he swung it, sending a wave of fire rushing toward Yuanen Yehui like a giant dragon!
Yuanen Yehui neither dodged nor retreated. She threw a punch!
Her fist wind collided with the wave of fire, unleashing a deafening boom!
The flames scattered, but her fist was left scorched black, and a faint burning pain spread through it.
There was something wrong with this fire.
Yuanen Yehui furrowed her brows.
Ordinary flames couldn't harm her at all, but this cyan Heavenly Flame had actually burned through her protective Soul Power?
Xiao Yan gave her no time to think. His second and third strikes followed in quick succession! Every swing brought a sky-filling wave of fire, one upon another, as if the entire stage would be engulfed in flames!
Yuanen Yehui was forced to dodge.
Though her strength was immense, enduring an attack that covered such a wide area would only leave her more and more injured.
"Roar—!"
She let out a low growl, and her third Soul Ring lit up as the Titan Giant Ape Martial Soul erupted at full force! Her body grew taller and her muscles swelled. Like a little giant, she charged toward Xiao Yan and threw a punch!
That punch could split stone and shatter monuments!
But Xiao Yan's footwork was strange. His figure flickered away like Gui Mei, narrowly evading the deadly blow. At the same time, his heavy sword swept across and slashed hard into Yuanen Yehui's side!
"Shhk—!"
The sound of flames scorching flesh made one's teeth ache.
Yuanen Yehui grunted and staggered several steps from the blow. A charred wound marked her side.
But she still didn't fall. She turned and threw another punch!
Xiao Yan dodged again, but the wind of her punch grazed his shoulder, making his expression shift.
This girl's strength was truly terrifying. Even a glancing hit would be enough to hurt him badly.
The battle reached a fever pitch.
Yuanen Yehui pursued him relentlessly, every punch powerful enough to kill.
But Xiao Yan's footwork was far too strange. Each time, he managed to dodge at the last possible moment, while using the Exotic Flame Sword Technique to wear her down and counterattack.
Time passed second by second.
Yuanen Yehui's wounds grew more numerous, and her Soul Power was rapidly draining.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yan remained like a blazing flame, giving his opponent no chance to catch her breath.
At last—
"Boom!"
Another blow from his heavy sword struck Yuanen Yehui's shoulder, sending her flying and crashing hard at the edge of the stage.
Yuanen Yehui struggled to get back up, but every inch of her body screamed with pain, and her Soul Power was nearly gone.
"Give up," Xiao Yan said. There was no mockery in his voice, only a calm statement of fact. "You've done all you can."
Yuanen Yehui didn't answer. She kept struggling.
Ten seconds.
Twenty seconds.
Thirty seconds.
At last, as the referee counted down, she exhausted her final shred of strength and collapsed face-down, unable to rise again.
"Fourth match, Shrek Academy's Xiao Yan wins!"
Thunderous cheers erupted from the stands! At last, Shrek's fans had their moment.
They hadn't been swept!
Xiao Yan put away his heavy sword and walked off the stage in silence. As he passed Yuanen Yehui, he paused briefly.
"You're strong," he said softly. "But my Heavenly Flames counter your Martial Soul. It isn't your fault."
With that, he left.
Yuanen Yehui lay face-down, panting heavily. She'd done everything she could, but she'd still lost...
A hand reached out in front of her.
She raised her head and saw Luo Yang's face, wearing a warm smile.
"Thanks for the effort," Luo Yang said. "You did very well."
Yuanen Yehui stared blankly at him. After a moment, she took his hand and used it to pull herself up.
"I lost," she said quietly.
"You were at a disadvantage because of the elemental counter. It wasn't your fault." Luo Yang patted her shoulder. "Leave the rest to me."
The fifth match: Luo Yang of the Spirit Pagoda versus Xiao Yan of Shrek.
When Luo Yang stepped onto the competition stage, a wave of murmurs rose from the stands.
"Is that the Spirit Pagoda's last contestant? He looks so young!"
"He's at most six or seven, right? They're letting a child that young compete?"
"He's probably just there to fill out the roster. Yuanen Yehui already lost. Does he really think he can turn things around?"
Xiao Yan looked at the boy standing before him, who was more than a head shorter, and furrowed his brows slightly.
He could sense something about the boy was... off.
But as Shrek's representative, he had to win.
"Shrek Academy, Xiao Yan." He introduced himself again, holding his heavy sword across his body. "Martial Soul: Heavenly Flames, Soul Grandmaster, twenty-fifth level."
Luo Yang smiled faintly, his expression bright and sunny, utterly harmless.
"Spirit Pagoda, Luo Yang. As for my Martial Soul... Undead Scourge. My level isn't important."
Xiao Yan's brows drew together even more.
Undead Scourge? What kind of Martial Soul was that? It didn't sound like anything normal.
But he didn't dwell on it. He leveled his heavy sword, and the Heavenly Flames flared around him once more. "Before the match starts, I want to say this: if you're scared, it's not too late to give up now. Go down quietly, and you won't get hurt."
Laughter rippled through the stands.
But Luo Yang kept smiling.
"Scared?" He shook his head. "Not a chance."
He raised a hand and snapped his fingers lightly.
"Come on out, little one."
"Roar—!!!"
A deafening roar suddenly exploded!
The entire arena trembled!
Golden light burst forth, so dazzling that people could barely keep their eyes open!
When the golden light faded, a golden beast over five meters tall stood beside Luo Yang, its body gleaming gold and a Crimson Flame King Mark blazing on its forehead! Its golden eyes swept coldly over Xiao Yan, as if looking at an ant that didn't know its place.
The Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff Emperor!
Its aura—primeval, savage, and crushingly oppressive—swept across the arena like a landslide and tsunami!
The stands fell utterly silent.
Then—
"Holy shit—!!!"
"What kind of monster is that?!"
"A Soul Beast?! Can you bring a Soul Beast into the match?!"
"No, a Soul Beast can't be contracted like that... Could it be a Soul Spirit?!"