"He Who Has the Grandmaster Has the World" (A Joke)

"You little brat! I'll kill you!"

Liu Erlong's roar, carrying boundless fury, exploded across the arena like rolling thunder.

Pale blue flames of Soul Power no longer merely circled her. They surged from her body like an erupting volcano, making her look like a battle goddess bathed in fire.

Her eyes stayed fixed on Yang Teng, who still stood where he was, his expression so calm it was almost bored. Her killing intent had nearly become tangible.

"Seventh Soul Skill: Red Dragon True Body!"

With a near-hysterical howl, the seventh black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring beneath her feet suddenly blazed with profound light.

She merged with the blue fire dragon's phantom behind her, her figure swelling rapidly amid blazing red light!

In an instant, a far larger dragon, its scales wreathed in raging flames, replaced Liu Erlong on the stage!

This was the defining skill of a Soul Saint: Martial Soul Avatar! Its power was worlds apart from her normal state!

Many spectators turned pale beneath the pressure, struggling to breathe.

In the VIP seats, quite a few powerful figures also looked shaken. The fearsome reputation of Liu Erlong, the "Horn of Slaughter," was no exaggeration!

Gu Yuena's silver hair stirred, and a trace of coldness passed through her violet eyes.

She took a small step forward. The elements around her stirred soundlessly, as if another elemental storm would erupt at the slightest provocation.

But a cool, composed figure moved even faster, stepping between Yang Teng and the enraged Crimson Dragon.

It was Shui Yunxia, the dean of Skywater Academy!

This woman, tempered by the years, had learned to take the high road!

A chill spread quietly from Shui Yunxia—not fierce, but exceptionally resilient.

"Seventh Soul Skill: Ice Mantis True Body."

Shui Yunxia's voice was not loud, yet everyone heard it clearly.

Beneath her feet, a deep black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring lit up as well. But unlike the furious, blazing transformation of Liu Erlong, Shui Yunxia's figure turned hazy and swift in the ice-blue light.

When the light faded, a giant mantis appeared before the crowd, elegant and slender, its whole body seemingly carved from dark ice!

The Ice Mantis was not as tall as the Red Dragon, but its enormous forelegs drew the eye: a pair of ice-crystal scythes gleaming with a sinister chill. The space around their edges seemed to warp slightly from the extreme cold.

So Dean Shui Yunxia's Martial Soul was a top-tier insect-type Martial Soul with an ice attribute.

"Nine Ice Mantis!"

The Ice Mantis True Body raised one huge ice-crystal scythe foreleg and precisely blocked the Red Dragon True Body's flaming claw, swung in fury!

Boom!

The clash lasted only a brief moment.

Thud, thud, thud!

The enormous Red Dragon True Body staggered backward three steps, leaving deep claw marks scorched into the ground.

The Ice Mantis True Body slid back only a short distance before standing firm. Its pair of ice-crystal scythes still gleamed with cold light.

It was clear who had the upper hand!

From within the Ice Mantis True Body came Shui Yunxia's still-calm voice, now tinged with unmistakable disappointment.

"Liu Erlong, the Horn of Slaughter... You've truly disappointed me. As a teacher, you lost your temper when your student was defeated and attacked a contestant in defiance of the rules. Over the years, have you grown nothing but a temper and not a brain?"

"You...!"

Liu Erlong's roar, shocked and furious, came from within the Red Dragon True Body.

She had never expected Shui Yunxia to be so powerful—to suppress her Red Dragon True Body in a head-on clash! Even harder to bear was the mockery and contempt in Shui Yunxia's words.

"Shui Yunxia! Don't forget our Golden Iron Triangle!"

Flender's anxious voice rang out. He and Yu Xiaogang had rushed to the edge of the stage as soon as Liu Erlong lost control. Now, seeing her at a disadvantage, they could no longer hold back. Both leaped onto the stage and stood beside the somewhat battered Red Dragon True Body.

Seven Soul Rings—two yellow, two purple, and three black—rose beneath Flender's feet, with a Cat Eagle phantom behind him. Yu Xiaogang's Soul Power was weak; he did not even release his Soul Rings.

The three took their places, forming the rough shape of a triangle as their Soul Power began to resonate and link in a peculiar way.

Behind Shui Yunxia, the Ice Mantis showed no sign of backing down.

Just as both sides stood on the brink of a fight...

"Enough!"

A low, imposing shout, laden with unquestionable fury, boomed from the highest point of the VIP seats!

It came from Xue Ye!

The supreme ruler of the Heaven Dou Empire had risen at some point.

He released no Soul Power pressure, yet the imperial authority cultivated through years in power, along with the unconcealed fury on his face, formed an aura more unnerving than the pressure of a Titled Douluo.

His eyes, sharp as a hawk's, swept slowly over the people facing off on the stage. Wherever his gaze fell, the air seemed to freeze.

"What do you think a Soul Fighting tournament is?!"

Xue Ye's voice echoed across the silent arena.

"Is it a slaughterhouse where you can run wild, ignore the rules, and openly try to kill contestants?! The three of you from Shrek Academy—do you have any regard for the laws of the Empire? Do you take this Continental Advanced Spirit Master Elite Tournament seriously at all?"

Each question landed like a hammer on their hearts.

Flender went pale and instinctively reined in his Soul Power.

"And you, Dean of Skywater Academy—do you have no regard for the law either?"

Shui Yunxia also dispelled her Ice Mantis True Body and returned to human form. She inclined her head slightly toward Xue Ye, then stepped back twice, still standing between Yang Teng and Gu Yuena.

Yang Teng raised an eyebrow. The elements rippling beside Gu Yuena gradually settled.

The stage, tense just moments ago, was now as calm as still water.

Such control over the entire situation, such commanding presence—imperial authority could indeed inspire more awe than brute strength.

Seeing that everyone had been cowed, Xue Ye's anger eased somewhat, but his authority remained undiminished.

Yu Xiaogang took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

He stepped forward and bowed toward Xue Ye. His posture was respectful, but his voice carried a deliberately measured confidence.

"Your Majesty, I am Yu Xiaogang. I once put forward the Ten Core Competitiveness Theories of Martial Souls. The Soul Master World has been kind enough to honor me with the modest title of 'Grandmaster.'"

He paused, seemingly weighing his words. But Yang Teng, who had been watching him closely, caught the faint, hard-to-hide pride in his eyes—the pride born of that title.

His skin's thick enough to stop a blade!

"Grandmaster?"

Xue Ye murmured, as if recalling something.

"Oh... I believe I've read some of your published works. They contain a few rather original insights."

Hearing the emperor of the Empire personally acknowledge his theories, Yu Xiaogang's tightly drawn face finally broke into a smile.

His theories had finally earned recognition at the highest level!

Just then, Ning Fengzhi, the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, who had been sitting quietly beside Xue Ye, rose and stepped over to him, leaning forward slightly.

"Your Majesty, this man is Tang San of the Shrek Team's teacher. Those children—including Tang San, who possesses a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring as his fourth—are said to have all been trained by him."

Ning Fengzhi's voice was gentle, yet every word was clear.

"He who has the Grandmaster has the world."

At this tournament, the Shrek children had reached the Soul Ancestor realm at such a young age, nearly every one of them. Their potential was indeed astonishing.

Listening to Ning Fengzhi, Xue Ye looked once more at the unconscious Shrek Seven Devils on the stage. Then he glanced toward Skywater Academy. Aside from Shui Bing'er, Yang Teng, and Gu Yuena, the other girls on the team did seem relatively ordinary.

He found himself nodding inwardly.

Just as the balance in Xue Ye's mind began to tip, and he considered whether to take this opportunity to win over the "Grandmaster" and show his disciples favor, binding these gifted young people to the Empire...

"Father."

A clear, warm voice rang out.

The Crown Prince, Xue Qinghe, had appeared at the front of the VIP seats at some point. He first bowed respectfully to Xue Ye and Ning Fengzhi, then leaned close to Xue Ye's ear and spoke quickly and clearly in a very low voice.

Xue Ye's pupils contracted abruptly. An unmistakable look of shock flashed across his face.

"To go from Soul Elder to Soul Ancestor in a month, and to have two purple and two black Soul Rings... Even Spirit Hall has no such prodigy!"