The entire arena erupted in an uproar!
"A pure test of strength!"
"Now this is going to be good! The Great Strength Giant Elephant relies most on its physical strength. This is the perfect way to test Su Ming's fundamentals!"
"A mysterious, formidable new student against a beast that relies purely on brute force—what a perfect match!"
Everyone stared intently at the arena, eyes burning with excitement.
At the referee's signal, the assessment officially began!
The cage gates swung open with a thunderous crash, and heavy footsteps made the ground tremble!
The Great Strength Giant Elephant, its gray hide covering a mountain-sized body, charged out in a frenzy. Its four feet pounded the ground as it barreled straight toward Su Ming with overwhelming, unstoppable force!
Its enormous head and thick tusks could easily send a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor flying!
Faced with such a savage head-on charge, everyone instinctively felt their hearts leap into their throats. They assumed Su Ming would dodge, block, or circle around to wear it down.
But in the next instant, everyone's pupils shrank!
Su Ming didn't dodge, didn't evade, and didn't retreat!
Pale silver light instantly covered his body. Armor took shape, its patterns glinting with a cold sheen, and the fierce, domineering Snow Mastiff Armor assembled around him in a flash!
The silver-white, hulking armor stood in place like a human-shaped giant beast, calmly awaiting the elephant's charge!
"Is he crazy? He's going to take the Great Strength Giant Elephant's charge head-on?!"
"That's too reckless! This is a thousand-year Great Strength Giant Elephant charging at full force!"
The teachers and students in the arena all tensed, anxiously clenching their hands as they held their breath for him.
The next instant!
Boom—!
A deafening crash exploded!
Man and elephant collided head-on in a clash of overwhelming brute strength!
A violent shock wave burst outward from the point of impact. Rocks flew, dust soared, and a cloud of smoke instantly swallowed most of the arena, blocking everyone's view.
The entire arena fell silent.
When the dust slowly cleared, the sight before them made everyone's eyelids twitch wildly!
In the center of the arena, the silver-white Snow Mastiff Armor stood absolutely motionless, as steady as a mountain!
Su Ming had his arms locked around the Great Strength Giant Elephant's two thick, sharp tusks. With his feet rooted to the ground, he had stopped the charging beast dead in its tracks!
The giant beast's four feet slid backward, gouging two deep furrows into the ground. It struggled and roared with all its might, but couldn't push Su Ming back even half a step!
White armor, towering form, strength to rival a giant elephant!
This wasn't a Soul Master duel. It was a human-shaped, land-bound tank!
The teachers seated in the stands stared in shock, unable to hold back their cries of astonishment.
"Good grief! His physical strength is terrifying!"
"Taking a thousand-year giant elephant's charge head-on with nothing but his body—I'm shaken just watching!"
"This is nowhere near the level of a new student. Even a Five-Ring Soul King might not win a pure contest of strength!"
In the arena, the elephant continued to roar and strain, unleashing its savage strength again and again. But Su Ming's body was like a pillar cast into the earth, standing firm without so much as a tremor.
After holding the stalemate for a moment, Su Ming's gaze sharpened. He stopped passively holding his ground.
First Soul Skill! Golden Mastiff Defense!
Brilliant golden light covered his armor, boosting his defense once more. His physical strength stacked higher and higher, and his Soul Power surged through his entire body!
Second Soul Skill! Gravity Squeeze!
An invisible gravitational field instantly enveloped the Great Strength Giant Elephant, and a crushing weight suddenly bore down on it!
With both boosts in effect, Su Ming's arms erupted with terrifying force!
"Haah!"
A low shout shook the entire arena!
The Great Strength Giant Elephant, locked in the stalemate, suddenly lost its balance!
Boom!!
The several-ton beast was forcibly flipped into the air and slammed heavily into the ground, making the entire Beast Arena shudder!
Before the elephant could get up, Su Ming stepped forward. His heavy fists came down one after another, each blow precise, each blow suppressing the elephant's ability to fight back.
A few punches later, the Great Strength Giant Elephant's ferocity and fighting spirit were completely crushed.
Seeing that the victor had been decided, Su Ming eased up and slowly released his hold on the elephant.
But the instant he let go!
The Great Strength Giant Elephant, usually clumsy, mild-mannered, and slow-moving, seemed to unlock its top speed. Its massive body shot forward in a flash!
It bolted at an absurd speed, practically matching the Ghost Shadow Leopard from earlier!
In a puff of dust, it raced back into the depths of its beast cage without even looking back, hiding away and not daring to face Su Ming again.
After a moment of dead silence, the entire arena erupted!
"He's incredible!!"
"So this is his true strength!!"
"Su Ming! Su Ming! Su Ming!"
Everyone throughout the Shrek Beast Arena shouted his name in unison. Their cheers surged like a tidal wave, echoing without end.
The lingering force of the clash slowly faded from the arena, leaving faint traces of Soul Power in the air.
Su Ming stood tall and composed, walking down from the towering platform with steady steps.
His clash of strength with the Great Strength Giant Elephant had drawn everyone's attention. Only when he stepped off the platform did they seem to remember the rest of the world.
Many of the students nearby still had their eyes fixed on him, their gazes filled with shock and disbelief.
No one had expected this Outer Court student to crush the Great Strength Giant Elephant Soul Master head-on in a pure contest of strength, despite the beast's reputation for dominating new students through sheer physical power.
Before Su Ming could even steady himself, two familiar figures hurried over.
Bei Bei stood with his hands behind his back, warm features touched with admiration as he looked at Su Ming with approval.
Xu Sanshi was even more exuberant. He strode up to Su Ming and gave him a gentle punch on the shoulder with his broad fist. The force was just right, the gesture brimming with the easy familiarity and respect of a peer.
"Not bad, Old Su!" Xu Sanshi said in astonishment, his voice tinged with rueful amusement.
"The Great Strength Giant Elephant is most proud of its brute strength. It's almost never lost a pure strength contest to an older student.
And today, it actually lost to you! I'm completely dumbfounded. Your physical strength is just absurd—I can't begin to gauge it!"
Right behind them, Tang Ya approached with a bright smile, accompanied by the cool and composed Jiang Nannan.
Tang Ya blinked her lively eyes and offered her sincere congratulations. "Su Ming, you were incredible! That clash had me on the edge of my seat, but you won so easily. You're amazing!"
Standing beside her, Jiang Nannan's cool face softened into a faint smile. She nodded in agreement. "Your strength speaks for itself. You deserved this win."
As the first generation of the Shrek Seven Devils showered him with praise, Su Ming showed no trace of pride or smugness. Instead, he waved a hand with feigned nonchalance, as if it were only natural.
"Come on, it was nothing. Not worth mentioning."
His tone was relaxed, full of youthful ease, but there was confidence in his eyes.
"It was only a thousand-year Great Strength Giant Elephant Soul Beast. If I couldn't handle an opponent at that level, if I couldn't even win the simplest contest of strength, then there'd be no point in hanging around the Shrek Outer Court."
As he spoke, his gaze shifted slightly, as if he had just remembered something important. His eyes suddenly brightened.
"Oh, right. The matches here are all over. I've got some personal business to take care of, so I'm heading out!"
Before anyone could say another word, Su Ming's figure blurred. Soul Power stirred beneath his feet, and he moved like a swift gust of wind.
With a whoosh, he darted away, putting distance between himself and the others in the blink of an eye. He left Bei Bei and the rest with nothing but his brisk, carefree silhouette.
No one knew that Su Ming had already worked out his entire plan, with his goal clear in his mind.