This was the power of battle armor.
One-Word Battle Armor, Two-Word Battle Armor, Three-Word Battle Armor—each advancement was a qualitative leap.
A set of Two-Word Battle Armor was enough to grant a Soul Emperor the strength to contend with a Soul Douluo.
At that moment, the long whip in Shen Yi's hand lit up.
Dark green light burst from the whip's body, while the green pearl at its tip suddenly expanded and erupted with dazzling radiance.
With a flick of her wrist, the long whip tore through the air as it lashed viciously toward Han Li on the platform.
The whip's shadow traced an arc through the air, moving so fast that it was nearly impossible to follow with the naked eye.
The power contained within it was enough to shatter a massive boulder.
If it struck a person, it would surely break tendons and bones.
Yet in the face of Shen Yi's attack...
Han Li's blood essence surged from within him.
Golden blood essence poured from his body, transforming into a towering pillar of golden light.
The pillar rose from above his head...
And shot straight into the heavens.
It even dyed the sky a brilliant gold.
Within the golden radiance came a thunderous roar like a dragon's cry, shaking the air violently.
Then...
The blood essence transformed into a tidal wave and crashed toward Shen Yi!
The golden blood essence poured down like a tsunami, carrying overwhelming force as it bore down upon Shen Yi from all directions!
The tidal wave of blood essence contained the power of the Golden Dragon King, tyrannical and blazing...
As if it would crush everything in its path!
Boom!
The long whip shattered.
The instant the dark green whip touched the golden blood essence, it exploded into countless fragments that scattered in every direction.
Shock appeared on Shen Yi's face, and for the first time, genuine fear surfaced in her dark green eyes.
She did not even have time to react before the golden tidal wave of blood essence had already crashed down before her.
"Boom—!"
Golden light swallowed everything, engulfing Shen Yi entirely.
The tidal wave of blood essence slammed into her with unstoppable force. Her Two-Word Battle Armor groaned under the strain within the golden light as cracks spread from her breastplate to her limbs and helmet.
Her body lost all control beneath the immense force and flew backward before being violently smashed into the ground.
The ground exploded, sending dust flying.
A massive crater had been smashed into the ground, web-like cracks spreading outward from its center in every direction. Mu Jins and dirt were flung several meters away.
At the center of the crater, Shen Yi lay amid the rubble. More than half of her Two-Word Battle Armor had shattered, her helmet hung crookedly, her breastplate was dented, and a thin trail of blood ran from the corner of her mouth.
Her gaze was unfocused and dazed. She lay motionless at the bottom of the crater, as though she had lost all consciousness.
The entire venue fell into a terrifying silence.
It was quieter than at any previous moment.
Eighty thousand people stared at the youth on the platform.
They stared at the enormous crater that had been blasted into the ground.
Every sound was crushed beneath that scene...
And became silence.
After a moment, someone began to clap.
One, two, three—the applause went from sparse to dense, then from dense to deafening.
It was praise and awe born from the heart.
It was a cheer for the courage and strength of one person standing against all of Shrek.
Han Li stood on the platform, looking at the unconscious Shen Yi in the crater with calm eyes, without saying a single word.
He turned and left.
A moment later, Han Li returned to the area where the Eastsea Academy delegation was gathered.
Tang Wulin was the first to rush over. Excitement still lingered on his face, his hands unconsciously clenched into fists, and his voice was filled with obvious exhilaration.
"Han Li! You were incredible!"
"That was a teacher from Shrek!"
"You actually punched her straight into the ground!"
Xie Xie followed right behind him, his expression exaggerated and complicated, filled with both amazement and emotion.
"Class monitor, what kind of monster are you?"
"That teacher was wearing Two-Word Battle Armor!"
"Two-Word Battle Armor!"
"Any one of those things is enough for an ordinary person to struggle for a lifetime to obtain, yet you smashed hers apart with one punch..."
"Why do I feel like I'm not even the same species as you..."
Xu Xiaoyan stood behind them with both hands over her mouth, her large eyes sparkling. Though she said nothing, the worship in her gaze explained everything.
Han Li swept his gaze over them and nodded, acknowledging their enthusiasm.
But just then...
A cold voice rang out from the side.
"Han Li, you went too far."
The voice carried obvious chill and displeasure, sounding particularly abrupt amid the cheerful atmosphere.
The smiles on Tang Wulin and the others' faces instantly froze as they all turned toward the voice.
At some point, Wu Changkong had come near them, his eyes filled with intense dissatisfaction and anger.
His gaze fixed directly on Han Li, his tone carrying rare severity and reproach.
"Shrek Academy has stood for twenty thousand years and holds an exalted position on the continent."
"Whatever Teacher Shen Yi may have done, she is ultimately still a teacher of Shrek."
"You beat her into such a state in front of eighty thousand people, causing her to lose all face before the world..."
"Is that something a junior should do?!"
Tang Wulin and the others stood rooted to the spot.
Xie Xie's mouth opened as if he wanted to say something, but he swallowed the words back down.
Tang Wulin looked at Wu Changkong, then at Han Li. The excitement on his face turned into confusion and disbelief.
Xu Xiaoyan cautiously looked at Wu Changkong's stern face and unconsciously took half a step back.
Gu Yue's brows furrowed slightly, and a strange glint flashed through his eyes.
They did not understand...
Why would Wu Changkong say something like that?
Shen Yi had clearly been the one to jump out and accuse the Skysea Alliance of rigging the competition. Shen Yi had clearly been the one to provoke Han Li, the one who attacked first and wanted to kill him. How had it become Han Li's fault in Wu Changkong's eyes?
Han Li merely sneered.
He turned around to face Wu Changkong directly, his gaze calm yet edged with sharpness.
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. There was no warmth in that smile, only the cold detachment of someone who had seen through everything.
"Teacher Wu, as a student of Shrek, it is only natural that you would stand on Shrek's side."
"I understand your position."
The moment those words were spoken.
Tang Wulin and the others were stunned once more.
A student of Shrek Academy?
Xie Xie's eyes widened as his gaze shifted back and forth between Han Li and Wu Changkong.
Tang Wulin's mouth parted slightly, his expression changing from confusion to shock.
Gu Yue narrowed his eyes slightly, deep in thought.
Wu Changkong was a student of Shrek Academy?
They had always thought Wu Changkong was merely an ordinary academy teacher.
After all, no one had ever told them Wu Changkong's true identity, and Wu Changkong himself had never mentioned it.
But now...
Han Li had revealed Wu Changkong's identity outright.
Only then did they learn...
Wu Changkong was actually a student of Shrek.
Wu Changkong's expression changed instantly.
His brows knitted tightly.
He did not deny it.
That allowed everyone present to understand...
Han Li had spoken the truth.
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