Yan Shaozhe

Amid the clamor of the arena, a figure clad in a plain white robe suddenly appeared atop the spectator stands.

The newcomer was none other than the dean of Shrek Outer Court, Yan Shaozhe.

Upon hearing that Yu Chen, an eleven-year-old four-ring Golden Dragon Soul Ancestor, was about to spar publicly with Xu Sanshi, one of the Outer Court's Twin Stars, he immediately set aside his work and hurried over. Eleven years old, a Soul Ancestor, and a Golden Dragon with unrivaled strength... He had to see this peerless genius's true combat ability for himself.

After finding a spot with an excellent view, Yan Shaozhe fixed his gaze on the two figures confronting each other at the center of the Soul Fighting Platform and watched in silence.

The instant the referee finished speaking, the battle erupted in full!

Against a defense-type Soul Master, there was only one trick: if you could not break their defense, break their rhythm first.

Yu Chen gave Xu Sanshi no chance to stabilize his defense or build up momentum. The ground beneath his feet suddenly trembled as he burst forward! He was so fast that only a faint afterimage remained where he had stood, leaving Xu Sanshi no opening to raise the Xuanming Shield and hunker down behind it.

Without summoning his Martial Soul or using a soul skill, Yu Chen charged straight at Xu Sanshi's face on sheer physical explosive power and unleashed an incomparably fierce palm strike!

Xu Sanshi's pupils contracted sharply. He had thought Yu Chen's arrogant words were merely a bluff, that he only needed to crush him with absolute defense. Never had he expected this brat's attack to be so swift and ruthless, aimed entirely at disrupting his defensive stance!

In his haste, Xu Sanshi hurriedly channeled his Soul Power. Black light surged from the Xuanming Shield before him as he gritted his teeth and growled, "Arrogant! Let's see how you plan to break my defense with your bare hands!"

In the stands, Yan Shaozhe's gaze sharpened, and a flash of admiration crossed his eyes as he silently watched the youth's fierce offensive.

Facing Yu Chen's close-range assault, swift as thunder, Xu Sanshi's pressure rose sharply. No longer daring to underestimate him, he let out an earthshaking roar:

"Second Soul Skill, Xuanming Shield Array!"

His second yellow Soul Ring lit up abruptly, and the pitch-black Xuanming Shield instantly split into three shields, layered and interlocked. Dense, dark Xuanming patterns covered their surfaces as thick defensive Soul Power piled atop itself, forming an impenetrable wall of heavy shields that guarded him without the slightest gap.

This was the defensive move Xu Sanshi was proudest of, specially suited to countering surprise attacks and frontal assaults. Even a barrage from a same-rank attack-type Soul Master could not hope to shake it in the slightest.

Boom—!

The next moment, Yu Chen's palm, driven by pure physical strength, smashed viciously into the center of the shield array!

A violent shockwave swept through the entire arena. The Soul Fighting Platform trembled, dust flew everywhere, and a piercing dull boom exploded through the air, making the eardrums of the front-row spectators ring.

Yet the expected crushing outcome never came. The layered, impregnable Xuanming Shield Array actually shuddered violently under that seemingly ordinary palm strike! Black light flickered across the shields, the Xuanming patterns flashed bright and dim, and fine cracks spread across their surfaces!

Xu Sanshi's blood and qi churned from the impact, and both arms went numb. His face was filled with horror. "How is this possible?! You didn't even summon your Martial Soul, just your physical body..."

Everyone else assumed Yu Chen had simply been born with immense strength. Only Yan Shaozhe, high above in the stands, had his eyes light up as he instantly saw through the truth.

An ordinary Soul Master's physical attack could at most knock an opponent back; it could never shake the very foundation of the Xuanming Shield Array's defense. Yu Chen's palm strike was far more than brute force.

The Golden Dragon—a branch of the Dragon God's bloodline, a Dragon Clan Martial Soul closest to the Golden Dragon King! A body tempered by such a bloodline naturally far surpassed that of ordinary people, let alone one who had perfectly mastered ultimate strength.

In the arena, Yu Chen stood tall, his robes snapping in the blast of air, his expression utterly calm. "I told you. I don't need to use my Martial Soul to beat you. Your defense is utterly vulnerable before the power of destruction."

Before his words had faded, Yu Chen exerted force beneath his feet once more!

Ultimate strength erupted. His body shot forward again like a golden bolt of lightning. This time, it was no longer just a palm strike—his fists rained down in rapid succession, each punch blasting the air apart with a piercing explosion!

Bang bang bang—!

Relentless heavy fists poured down upon the trembling shield array like a torrential storm. Under the dual impact of ultimate strength and the destruction attribute, the cracks across the Xuanming Shield Array rapidly widened.

Xu Sanshi's face turned deathly pale. He madly squeezed every drop of Soul Power from his body into his Martial Soul, trying to hold the formation together, but under the erosion of the power of destruction, his Soul Power was like a cup of water against a blazing cartload.

"Crack—!"

A crisp shattering sound rang throughout the arena.

The Xuanming Shield Array, condensed with an enormous amount of Xu Sanshi's Soul Power, shattered and collapsed with a bang, turning into countless black specks of light that scattered into the air.

Facing Xu Sanshi, whose defenses had been completely exposed and whose face was full of despair, Yu Chen's final punch abruptly stopped, its fist held steady an inch from his chest.

The violent gust of wind struck him head-on, making Xu Sanshi's entire body stiffen. He forgot even to breathe and no longer dared move in the slightest.

The entire arena fell silent.

In the stands, Huo Yuhao remained calm. This had been within his expectations all along. Wang Dong was dumbstruck, never imagining that this eleven-year-old youth possessed such terrifying combat power. Tang Ya and Bei Bei exchanged moved glances, completely confirming in their hearts the reputation of this newcomer as a peerless genius.

High above the arena, Yan Shaozhe, the dean of the Outer Court, slowly rose to his feet. His eyes brimmed with shock and blazing excitement.

"A Golden Dragon Martial Soul, and such terrifying combat instinct..." He took a deep breath and muttered, "What a monster, what a peerless prodigy! Shrek has found a treasure!"

A gust of wind stopped an inch before his chest, its chill piercing to the bone.

Xu Sanshi's entire body was rigid, his pupils trembling violently.

He stared fixedly at the youth before him, his heart filled with nothing but boundless absurdity and humiliation.

In his eyes, Yu Chen had been nothing more than a freshman who had just enrolled from beginning to end. His aura was restrained and placid, and at most, he seemed to possess the strength of a two-ring Soul Grandmaster.

Yet he, one of the dignified Outer Court Twin Stars, a three-ring Soul Elder wielding the top-tier defensive Martial Soul, the Xuanming Shield, had activated his second soul skill, the Xuanming Shield Array, and layered his defenses again and again—only to have an apparent two-ring freshman crack his shield formation and crush his defense with bare hands!

Overwhelming shame, indignation, unwillingness, and disbelief instantly shattered all of Xu Sanshi's composure.

He suddenly clenched his teeth, his eyes turning bloodshot. He refused to accept such a defeat!

"I underestimated you!"

An enraged roar exploded across the arena!

The two yellow and one purple Soul Rings around him all lit up at once. His Soul Power surged forth without restraint, and black Xuanming chill swept across the arena!

"First Soul Skill—Xuanming Shock!"

Buzz!