Yan Shaozhe

Amid the clamor of the arena, a figure in a plain white robe suddenly appeared on the elevated spectator platform.

The newcomer was Yan Shaozhe, dean of Shrek's Outer Court.

Upon hearing that Yu Chen, an eleven-year-old four-ring Golden Dragon Soul Ancestor, intended to publicly spar with Xu Sanshi, one of the Outer Court's Twin Stars, he immediately set aside his work and rushed over. Eleven years old, a Soul Ancestor, and a Golden Dragon with unmatched strength... He had to witness such a peerless prodigy's true combat power for himself.

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 silently.

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

When facing 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 gather 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 his Xuanming Shield and turtle up.

He did not summon his martial soul or use a soul skill. Relying solely on the explosive power of his body, Yu Chen charged straight at Xu Sanshi's face and unleashed an incomparably fierce palm strike!

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

In his haste, Xu Sanshi hurriedly activated his soul power. The black light of the Xuanming Shield before him surged as he gritted his teeth and growled, "Arrogant! Let's see how you plan to break my defense barehanded!"

In the stands, Yan Shaozhe's eyes narrowed, a flash of admiration crossing them as he silently watched the youth's fierce offensive.

Faced with Yu Chen's thunder-fast close-range assault, Xu Sanshi's pressure soared. No longer daring to hold back, he let out a deafening 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, while rich defensive soul power piled upon itself, forming an impenetrable, heavy shield wall that guarded his entire body without a gap.

This was his proudest defensive move, specifically designed to counter ambushes and powerful assaults. Even the consecutive bombardment of an assault-type Soul Master at the same level could never shake it in the slightest.

Boom—!

The next second, Yu Chen's palm, carrying nothing but pure physical strength, smashed viciously into the center of the shield array!

A violent shockwave swept across the arena. The Soul Fighting Platform trembled as dust billowed into the air. A piercing, dull impact exploded, making the eardrums of the front-row spectators buzz.

But the expected crushing victory did not come. The layered, seemingly impregnable Xuanming Shield Array actually trembled violently under that seemingly ordinary palm strike! Black light wavered across the shields, their patterns flickering bright and dim, while fine cracks spread over their surfaces!

Xu Sanshi was shaken until his blood and qi churned. Both arms went numb, and his face filled with horror. "How is that possible?! You didn't summon your martial soul, and yet with just your body..."

Others merely assumed Yu Chen had been born with immense strength. Only Yan Shaozhe, on the high platform, suddenly saw his eyes light up as he instantly grasped the truth.

An ordinary Soul Master's physical blow could at most knock an opponent back. It could never shake the defensive foundation of the Xuanming Shield Array. Yu Chen's palm strike was far more than simple brute force.

The Golden Dragon, a branch of the Dragon God's bloodline and the dragon-type martial soul closest to the Golden Dragon King! A body tempered by such a bloodline was already far beyond ordinary people's, not to mention that he 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. Before the power of annihilation, your defense is utterly worthless."

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

Ultimate strength erupted. His body shot forward again like a streak of golden lightning. This time, it was no longer a single palm strike. Both fists came crashing down in rapid succession, each punch instantly blasting apart the air with a shrill detonation!

Bang! Bang! Bang—!

A relentless barrage of heavy fists poured down upon the trembling shield array like torrential rain. Under the dual impact of ultimate strength and the annihilation attribute, the cracks on the Xuanming Shield Array rapidly widened.

Xu Sanshi's face turned deathly pale. He frantically squeezed every last drop of soul power from his body into his martial soul, trying to stabilize the formation, but under the erosion of annihilation power, his soul power was nothing more than a drop in the ocean.

Crack—!

A crisp shattering sound rang throughout the arena.

The Xuanming Shield Array, condensed at the cost of a massive amount of Xu Sanshi's soul power, exploded and collapsed, turning into countless black motes that scattered through the air.

Facing Xu Sanshi, whose defenses were completely open and whose face was filled with despair, Yu Chen's final punch abruptly stopped, his fist hovering steadily an inch from Xu Sanshi's chest.

The violent gust of wind struck him head-on, freezing Xu Sanshi's entire body. He even forgot to breathe and did not dare move in the slightest.

The entire arena fell silent.

In the stands, Huo Yuhao remained calm. This had been well within his expectations. Wang Dong stared wide-eyed, never imagining that an eleven-year-old could possess such terrifying combat power. Tang Ya and Bei Bei exchanged emotional looks, thoroughly confirming in their hearts the title of peerless genius for this new student.

On the high platform, Yan Shaozhe, dean of the Outer Court, slowly rose to his feet, his eyes filled with shock and burning excitement.

"A Golden Dragon martial soul, and such terrifying combat instinct..." He drew in a deep breath and muttered, "What a monster, what an unrivaled prodigy! Shrek has found a treasure!"

A gust of wind stopped an inch before his chest, carrying bone-piercing chill.

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

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

In his eyes, Yu Chen had been nothing more than a freshman who had just enrolled. His aura was restrained and unremarkable, making him seem no stronger than a two-ring Great Soul Master.

Yet he, one of the Outer Court's Twin Stars, a three-ring Soul Elder wielding the top-tier defensive martial soul Xuanming Shield, had activated his second soul skill, Xuanming Shield Array, and layered his defenses upon defenses—only to have a freshman who appeared to possess just two rings crack his shield array and shatter his defense with his bare fists!

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

He suddenly clenched his teeth, his eyes turning bloodshot. He would never accept such a defeat!

"I underestimated you!"

A furious roar exploded across the arena!

The two yellow and one purple soul rings around him all lit up at once. His soul power surged wildly without restraint as black Xuanming frost swept across the arena!

"First Soul Skill—Xuanming Shock!"

Buzz!