"Do you want to keep going?"
Xi Xi and Chen Zifeng had still been planning to fight back, but when they saw the faint traces of dragon breath before Lin Shuo, they put away their Martial Souls and raised their hands.
Bei Bei's Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul likewise dissipated. He looked down at his empty hands and gave a bitter smile, then raised both hands in surrender as well.
The entire arena fell silent.
On the high platform, the chicken leg in Xuan Zi's hand dropped silently to the ground. His usually bleary, liquor-clouded eyes were fixed on the seven-colored barrier atop the Soul Fighting Platform. His mouth hung slightly open, and he didn't even notice the wine trickling from its corner.
"A domain. A genuine domain. And within this domain, all the elements of the opposing side have been rendered useless. They weren't suppressed or weakened—they were completely nullified."
"This little monster..." Xuan Zi murmured, his voice so low that only he could hear it. "Just what is he?"
With only four rings, he could easily crush Ma Xiaotao, who had six. What would happen once he became a Titled Douluo? Would he be able to contend with a Limit Douluo?
Never mind the future. Even now, as long as Lin Shuo remained at Shrek Academy, Shrek Academy was sure to win the next two Soul Fighting Tournaments.
On the Soul Fighting Platform, the Phoenix Fire Line at Ma Xiaotao's fingertips struggled for a few moments before finally going out. She lowered her gaze to her hands. For the first time, a feeling she had never experienced before appeared in her usually proud, fiery eyes—not anger, not unwillingness to accept defeat, but bewilderment in the face of an absolute gap in strength.
She raised her head and looked at the young man opposite her, holding the Silver Dragon Spear. Sunlight spilled from behind him, gilding his silver-white robes with a faint golden edge. His handsome, almost unreal face was framed by a pair of jet-black eyes that regarded her calmly. There was no mockery or smugness in them, only an unshakable composure.
"I lost," Ma Xiaotao said, her voice hoarse.
Lin Shuo withdrew the Silver Dragon Spear. The overwhelming pressure vanished as if it had never existed. He turned and walked back toward his team.
Xu Sanshi poked his head out from behind the Black Tortoise Shield, his expression dreamlike. He looked at the trenches and shattered ice Lin Shuo had left on the ground, then at the opposing team, all of whom had raised the white flag, and finally at Lin Shuo's straight-backed figure. He swallowed hard.
Wang Dong'er stood where she was, her powder-blue eyes shining brilliantly. As she watched Lin Shuo walk back, the corners of her mouth lifted, and she couldn't suppress her smile. Her palms still retained the warmth from releasing Butterfly Goddess Light, but all her attention was now on the young man.
Across from them, Huo Yu'er looked helplessly at Ling Luochеn, who was sitting on the ground. "Why did Sister Xiaotao have to choose me?"
On the high platform, Xuan Zi cleared his throat and coughed twice, drawing everyone's attention back to him.
"Enough. Starting today, Lin Shuo will be the captain of the thirteen of you. Of course, if any of you can defeat him, the captaincy will automatically pass to that person."
"Those who lost today, don't be discouraged. You should all have felt the difference in strength between the two sides. Go back and reflect on what you did well and where you fell short. You can all head back now. Tomorrow morning, meet at the academy entrance and leave for Star Luo City to compete."
At this, Lin Shuo and Wang Dong'er looked toward Huo Yu'er. Wang Dong'er watched her with concern.
Huo Yu'er was a little surprised, but she still gave Lin Shuo and Wang Dong'er a reassuring look.
After speaking, Xuan Zi vanished in a flash. Before leaving, he didn't forget to reach out and grab another chicken leg from his storage ring.
The regular team members came to their senses and put away their Martial Souls one after another.
Ma Xiaotao walked up and stopped in front of Lin Shuo. The light had returned to her fiery red eyes.
"Lin Shuo," she said cheerfully, "you've beaten me into submission. But don't think this is over just because you won today. Once I break through to seven rings, we'll have another match."
"Suit yourself," Lin Shuo replied calmly.
After escaping the questions of the others at the Soul Fighting Arena, Lin Shuo left with Huo Yu'er and Wang Dong'er.
At dawn, the morning light had just begun to spill over the walls at the main entrance to Shrek Academy when a group of people emerged. They were the fourteen contestants, along with Xuan Zi and Wang Yan.
The sixteen of them walked in small clusters. Xuan Zi still wore that extremely disheveled white cloth robe. A wine gourd was in his left hand and a chicken leg in his right; his wild, unkempt hair streamed freely in the morning breeze.
Lin Shuo wore a silver-white robe embroidered with faint, barely visible dragon-scale patterns in fine silver thread. In the morning light, an almost imperceptible seven-colored sheen shimmered across it. A few strands of his short black hair lifted in the breeze, and a faint rainbow glow seemed to ripple through them, flashing briefly when the sunlight struck at just the right angle.
Wang Dong'er walked on Lin Shuo's right. Her long powder-blue hair shimmered like silk in the morning light. She wore a light-blue knee-length skirt, and her large powder-blue eyes drew plenty of attention.
Huo Yu'er walked on Lin Shuo's left, dressed much more plainly than Wang Dong'er. Her long, dark-blue hair was tied into a neat high ponytail with a simple Mo Lan-colored ribbon. She wore a dark-blue outfit suited for action and was no longer the little girl in rough clothes from a year ago.
Xiao Xiao wore a light-green dress, her hair tied into two braids. She was whispering to Wang Dong'er.
In the distance, Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi were chatting about something. Jiang Nannan overheard them, frowned, and moved away from the two of them.
Xuan Zi walked at the front. He took a swig of wine and wiped his mouth with his sleeve, then suddenly slowed his pace. "We're some distance from the academy now. Before we officially set out, there's something I need to tell you."
The inner-court students and Wang Yan seemed to know what Xuan Zi was about to say. They immediately stopped and grew solemn.
"The inner court of Shrek Academy has an organization called the Shrek Inspection Group. All inner-court students and teachers belong to it. This organization has only one duty: to keep watch. Anyone who joins the inner court must shoulder this responsibility. Before graduating, every inner-court student must complete thirty inspection missions. That's why there are so few students in Shrek Academy's inner court."
"Our targets are Soul Masters, and the most important among them are Evil Soul Masters. Does anyone here know anything about Evil Soul Masters?"
Seeing the bewildered expressions on most of the reserve team members, Xuan Zi continued, "An Evil Soul Master is someone with a special Evil Martial Soul. They use wicked methods of cultivation to increase their power. Perhaps some of them are kindhearted, but as far as I know, they all eventually fall into evil ways. So if you ever encounter an Evil Soul Master, don't hesitate. Strike at once."
"As reserve team members, most of you will eventually enter the inner court to study. So now I need an answer from you: join or withdraw."