Invited to Participate in the Individual Competition

"Rather than let a genius like En Zuo go, it would be better to arrange a marriage with Linger and make him an imperial son-in-law."

Dai Tianling calculated inwardly. Given En Zuo's age, he would surely astonish everyone when the next tournament began.

By then, Linger would also be old enough to have her engagement decided. The two already had some connection, and with his encouragement, this match might not be impossible.

With Long Yue, who would be twenty by the next tournament, Monster Academy would have two supreme talents. With their sights set on Shrek, victory might not be out of reach.

It would be better to require that Linger's future husband be selected from among the top performers in every category of the next tournament. That would be perfectly justified and silence those with ulterior motives.

The look Dai Tianling gave En Zuo became far more kindly. He patted the seat beside him. "En Zuo, come sit next to me."

"Come to think of it, I'm your senior disciple too. You can call me Senior Brother from now on."

Dai Tianling felt somewhat sentimental. If he had not become En Ci's disciple, he might not have stood out among his many brothers and ascended to the throne.

"Senior Brother."

En Zuo called out softly. He had no other concerns. The owner of this body was merely a twelve-year-old boy. All he needed to show in his conduct was obedience and innocence.

He simply had to do as his elders told him.

Overthinking things would only be unnecessary.

Sitting on Dai Tianling's other side, Dai Linger complained, "Father, why does it feel like you look at En Zuo more gently than you look at Fourth Brother?"

Dai Tianling's expression stiffened. This little padded jacket is letting the wind through.

He put on a stern face, but when he saw his daughter's pitiful expression, the words of reprimand slipped away like floodwater.

Dai Tianling sighed helplessly. "You, you... If you keep this up, who will be able to control you in the future?"

"I'll have your Fourth Brother discipline you more at the academy."

"No way."

Dai Linger stood up and trotted behind En Zuo, making a face at Dai Tianling.

En Zuo sat upright and watched the matches, not daring to make any excessive movements. He could feel the old father's anger.

At the center of the arena, every appearance by one of Monster Academy's Heavenly Kings always drew thunderous cheers from the sea of spectators. Fang'er, the popular commentator from the previous tournament, took great pride in Monster Academy's unstoppable battles.

The disappointment in En Zuo's eyes deepened. This tournament had never possessed any real value.

Calling it unstoppable sounded nice. Put less kindly, it was simply crushing weak opponents.

It had no value as a reference at all.

After calming his emotions, Dai Tianling asked the match-watching En Zuo, "In your opinion, which contestants stand out in this tournament?"

"Senior Brother, Long Yue..."

To spare Dai Tianling's pride, En Zuo decided to lower his standards and say a few things against his heart. "Tiger King Dai Yueyan's strength should not be underestimated either. It would not be an exaggeration to call him the strongest beneath Senior Brother."

"And Fox King Su Mu..."

"They have all performed exceptionally well in the tournament."

Dai Tianling smiled. "If the next Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament begins, are you confident you can defeat them?"

Having already displayed his talent, En Zuo made no effort to conceal his ambitions and expectations.

He was the disciple of God's Domain Douluo En Ci. A genius ought to possess the pride of a genius.

En Zuo said respectfully, "At the next tournament, I ask Senior Brother to specially approve Monster Academy's right to field two competing teams."

"Oh?"

Dai Tianling raised an eyebrow. Recalling the rumors his son had brought back, he asked with interest, "Are you planning to establish another soul master team to participate in the tournament?"

En Zuo answered with absolute certainty, "Yes. I will lead my team to win the championship of the next tournament for Monster Academy, trample Shrek beneath our feet, and make Monster Academy the number one academy in Star Luo and even the Douluo Continent."

"The laws of our ancestors cannot be changed... Allowing Monster Academy to field two teams would be far too unfair to the contestants from other academies."

Dai Tianling's tone shifted.

"However... if you are willing to participate in an individual match, I can make the decision myself and add a new rule to the next tournament."

"Every academy may send a soul master team composed of veteran students aged twenty, as well as a soul master team composed of new students aged fifteen, to engage in a melee."

"En Zuo, what do you think?"

The answer was obvious.

En Zuo agreed to Dai Tianling's proposal. He made this choice so Long Yue could also face Shrek's students in a proper, head-on battle.

Three years from now, he was certain that Long Yue would never be a match for the soul master team he assembled.

Only by letting Long Yue personally experience the monster from Shrek Academy—Tang Wulin—could he fully awaken him from his blind confidence in Monster Academy.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Dai Tianling cried out three times in succession, filled with admiration. He liked young soul masters who dared to challenge others.

Such an accomplished young genius was so much like himself in his younger days.

He could also take this opportunity to see how the genius praised by his teacher and his fourth son truly performed in actual combat.

Dai Tianling waved over one of the tournament staff members and instructed, "Register En Zuo for an individual soul master match. Set the time for this afternoon."

In truth, this already carried an obvious element of favoritism.

But for the organizers, it was standard practice. To build anticipation among Star Luo's audience, certain highly popular contestants could only meet during the final rounds.

It was all tied to tournament ticket sales and whether the broadcast could reach new heights.

Because of Dai Tianling's words, En Zuo received a match number plate marked "One."

In other words, he would be the first contestant to take the stage in the individual competition this afternoon.

It might sound arrogant.

But among all the soul masters participating in this tournament, aside from his Senior Brother Long Yue, there was not a single one capable of making him take things seriously.

So what if they were five-ring Soul Kings?

How could years of painstaking cultivation compare to this indestructible body, tempered and refined countless times by immortal herbs?

Dai Tianling comforted En Zuo.

"En Zuo, don't feel pressured once you take the stage. Just go with the flow. You will always be Monster Academy's most promising seed contestant."

En Zuo's words revealed all the pride of a genius. "Senior Brother, I understand. But in this tournament's individual competition, there are not many opponents worth making me focus."

Dai Tianling felt that his concern had been unnecessary. Of course—a genius who had reached the Soul Elder rank at merely twelve years old.

How could he not possess some pride?

Not a single soul master of the same age was participating in the tournament. The soul masters able to stand on the stage were generally at least five years older than En Zuo.

Yet their soul power cultivation had only barely reached the Soul Elder realm, and that was without even comparing the disparity in their soul rings.

After all, all four of En Zuo's soul rings were genuine ten-thousand-year soul rings.

His first soul ring granted a ten-thousand-year soul skill, not a hundred-year soul skill.

The difference between them was obvious at a glance.