All Eyes on the City, Glory at Stake

Overnight, Soto City went completely mad.

The two words "Thunder Dragon" seemed to have grown wings, flying from the Great Soul Arena into every street and alley, slipping into every tavern, and becoming the only topic on every soul master's lips.

A mysterious powerhouse was going to challenge Shrek Academy's entire preparatory team all by himself!

This news was even more intoxicating than the strongest tequila, plunging all the soul masters of Soto City into a frenzy of excitement.

"Have you heard? Tomorrow at noon, in the Great Soul Arena's central main fighting zone! Thunder Dragon versus the Shrek Seven Monsters Preparatory Team!"

"Holy crap! Is that for real? One person against a whole team? Does he have a death wish?"

In a tavern in the southern part of the city, a burly man who had just downed a huge mug of ale slammed the table, his face flushed red.

A more refined-looking soul master across from him pushed up his glasses and lowered his voice. "The news is absolutely true! I personally saw the match placard posted by the Great Soul Arena! Tickets have already been scalped for five hundred gold soul coins each—and those are standing-room tickets!"

"Hiss..." A chorus of sharp inhalations rose from the surrounding crowd.

Five hundred gold soul coins! That was enough to buy a decent soul tool!

"Has everyone gone insane? That's Shrek! The continent's number one academy, monsters among monsters! No matter how strong this Thunder Dragon is, there's no way he can defeat a well-coordinated team alone, right?" someone questioned. That was what most people thought as well.

"Heh, then you don't know the half of it." A skinny man who looked like a Great Soul Arena know-it-all leaned over mysteriously. "That Thunder Dragon is freakishly strange! You haven't seen it—since he started fighting in the arena, he's had forty-nine matches, and every single one ended in a one-hit kill! Just one move: a black fireball, then his opponent dropped! No one has even seen him summon his martial soul!"

"That outrageous?"

"But it's Shrek!" the first burly man stubbornly insisted. "I heard their team has an inheritor of the Light Sacred Dragon martial soul, as well as an invincible defensive Black Tortoise! And two geniuses who can use a martial soul fusion skill! How is one person supposed to fight them?"

Arguments rose one after another. The entire tavern, and even all of Soto City, split into two clearly opposing camps.

One side firmly believed that Shrek's glory, built up over thousands of years, could not be shaken. That "Thunder Dragon" was nothing more than an arrogant clown who would be taught a harsh lesson by reality tomorrow.

The other side was filled with blind confidence in the mysterious and unfathomable "Thunder Dragon," who always used only a single move, eagerly hoping he would create an unprecedented miracle.

No matter whom they supported, everyone made the same choice—sell everything they owned if necessary, but get a ticket for tomorrow!

What should have been a team sparring match between academies had, amid everyone's fanatical anticipation, clearly escalated into a century-defining showdown with both sides' glory and dignity on the line!

Unlike the uproar and frenzy outside, Shrek Academy's temporary residence in Soto City was deathly silent.

The atmosphere was heavy enough to feel leaden.

In the living room, Wang Yan paced back and forth with his hands behind his back like a wild beast trapped in a cage. His face was livid, his eyes bloodshot; he had clearly not slept all night.

Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, Huo Yuhao, and Xiao Xiao sat on the sofa like four statues, not saying a word.

Every face was filled with humiliation, fury, and a trace of profound exhaustion.

Wang Dong'er had not returned.

She had simply followed that man away, without the slightest hesitation, under everyone's watchful eyes.

That fact was like a vicious slap across every one of their faces, leaving them with a burning pain.

Bang!

Wang Yan suddenly slammed his palm against the table, and the loud crash made everyone jolt.

"Pull yourselves together!"

With bloodshot eyes, Wang Yan roared at his students like a furious lion. "Look at the state you're in! It's only a setback! There are no words like 'admit defeat' in Shrek's dictionary!"

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down as his sharp gaze swept across each of them.

"I've already formulated a strategy! That Thunder Dragon is strong—absurdly strong! His attacks are bizarre and unimaginably destructive! So..."

His finger suddenly pointed at Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi.

"Bei Bei! Xu Sanshi! You two are our first line of defense, and the most important one! Your Light Sacred Dragon, his Black Tortoise Swap—tomorrow, I don't need you to attack. The only thing you need to do is hold him off! Hold him back with everything you have! Even if you have to risk your lives, create an opportunity for the people behind you!"

"Yes, Teacher!" Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi shot to their feet, resolute flames burning in their eyes.

Wang Yan turned to Xiao Xiao and Huo Yuhao.

"Xiao Xiao, your Three-Life Soul-Calming Cauldron will handle control! Huo Yuhao, your Mental Detection and Soul Shock are the key! The moment Bei Bei and the others hold him back, you must find even a tenth of a second of weakness! Use every means possible to restrict his movements!"

"Understood!" Xiao Xiao and Huo Yuhao answered in unison.

Finally, Wang Yan's gaze fell on Huo Yuhao. His expression became incomparably complicated, containing both expectation and the madness of one final desperate gamble.

"Huo Yuhao... and Wang Dong'er! Your martial soul fusion skill, the Golden Road beneath the Goddess of Light, is our only—and strongest—trump card! Our only hope of turning defeat into victory!"

He practically shouted the words, as though he were trying to convince himself while forcibly instilling confidence into his team.

Although Wang Dong'er had already demonstrated her betrayal through her actions, Wang Yan still included her in his strategy—or rather, he had no choice but to include her.

Because he knew very well that without that fusion skill, against that unfathomable man, their chances of victory... were zero!

It was as if all the air had been sucked out of the room.

Everyone was infected by Wang Yan's hysterical intensity, and a tragic, blazing fire rose in their chests.

"This battle is no longer a simple sparring match!"

Wang Yan walked before them, his voice hoarse, yet every word hard as iron.

"The whole city outside is watching! Spies from every academy are watching! The name 'Shrek' behind us, the glory of the continent's number one academy, will not allow us to lose!"

"This is a battle for our academy's glory! A battle for ourselves!"

"Victory only! No defeat!"

"Victory only! No defeat!!"

Bei Bei and the others roared along with him, turning all their humiliation, resentment, and fury into that resolute cry.

The next day, at noon.

The Great Soul Arena of Soto City was packed to the brim, roaring with noise.

From above, the entire arena looked like a gigantic beehive crammed full, a sea of heads shifting beneath it. Even the aisles were packed with people. The thunderous cries rising into the sky seemed capable of scattering the clouds overhead.

On the central main fighting platform, under the gaze of countless spectators, the five members of the Shrek Preparatory Team already stood solemnly in formation.