Is the Outer Court Really This Weak?

Xu Sanshi opened his mouth, intending to retort that he had genuinely sensed something was wrong, but his mind suddenly went blank.

But he swallowed the words back, sighed, and slumped his shoulders.

Yes, the winner is king and the loser is a thief. Now that he has lost, anything he says sounds like an excuse.

But he still felt a surge of anger, sensing that Bei Bei was acting strangely today, completely unlike her usual self.

Bei Bei stood to the side, feeling a warm glow in her heart as she watched Tang Ya protect her.

Although he still didn't understand why the victory had come so suddenly, he couldn't contradict Tang Ya since she had said so.

So he straightened his back, patted Xu Sanshi on the shoulder, struck a victorious pose, and said in a feignedly magnanimous manner, "Alright, alright, there are always winners and losers in competitions. We'll compete again next time."

Huo Yuhao stood quietly behind Bei Bei, a simple, honest smile always on his face, looking like a well-behaved junior student.

Bei Bei's voice rang out again. "Xu Sanshi, forget everything else, when is the Profound Water Pill coming?"

Xu Sanshi waved his hand dismissively, looking completely unconcerned. "Don't worry about it. Although the Profound Water Pill is very precious, to me it's just an ordinary pill, nothing special. I'll bring it to you tomorrow, and you'll get your share."

After saying that, he secretly glanced at Jiang Nannan, hoping to see a hint of emotion on her face.

Even a single glance or a word of comfort would have made him feel that losing the Profound Water Pill was worthwhile.

But Jiang Nannan still didn't look at him.

Her gaze remained fixed on the ground, her long eyelashes drooping down, concealing all the emotions in her eyes.

Xu Sanshi's smile froze on his face, and he felt a pang of sadness, as if something had stabbed him in the heart.

He straightened his collar, trying to appear calm, and gave Jiang Nannan what he thought was a very dashing smile.

He turned around, strutted with an air of indifference, and swaggered toward the exit of the Soul Arena.

However, his back view didn't look as dashing as he appeared, and his steps were heavier than usual; he even almost tripped on the steps.

Watching Xu Sanshi flee in disarray, Tang Ya couldn't help but burst out laughing.

She grabbed Bei Bei's arm and said triumphantly, "See? I told you he wouldn't dare renege on his debt."

Bei Bei smiled and nodded, but she still had some doubts in her heart.

He felt that things weren't as simple as they seemed on the surface, but seeing Tang Ya's happy expression, he didn't ask any more questions.

One by one, the lights on the Soul Arena's dome went out, and the deafening shouts gradually faded away, leaving only the occasional footsteps and the clanging of staff cleaning up the arena.

The clock on the wall already pointed to 11:30. Most of the audience had long since left and gone home, with only a few students who were obsessed with the Soul Fighting still sitting in their seats, reluctant to leave, discussing the match that had just taken place.

Lin Ye leaned back on the sofa, stretched, and his joints made a series of soft cracking sounds.

Only the two of them remained in the private room. Of the people who came with him, Ning Tian and Wu Feng had left two hours earlier.

Xiao Xiao was also pulled away by her roommate half an hour earlier. She was reluctant to leave, clearly not having seen enough.

In the end, only Lin Ye and Wang Dong'er remained to watch the last match of the day.

In fact, Wang Dong'er had already prepared to return to her dormitory to cultivate after the duel between Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi ended.

But since Lin Ye said he wanted to see the true level of the upperclassmen from the Outer Court, she didn't say much, but just sat down quietly and watched with him.

Lin Ye did indeed stay with an attitude of observation.

Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi are known as the Outer Court Twin Stars, and their fame has spread throughout Shrek City. Many lower-grade students regard them as the ceiling of the Outer Court.

But Lin Ye knew in his heart that although these two people had impressive reputations, their actual strength was not among the top tier in the senior students of the Outer Court.

Competition at Shrek Outer Court has always been fierce; none of those who have made it from first year to sixth year are mediocre.

Every year, a large number of students are eliminated because they do not meet the Soul Power requirements for advancement. Those who remain are all the best of the best who have fought their way through the competition.

Lin Ye had always been curious about just how strong these students, who were known as the best students in the Outer Court academy of the continent's number one academy, really were.

It just so happens that the Soul Arena has scheduled three matches for sixth-year students today. Upon learning this, Lin Ye immediately decided to stay and watch them all.

The first match was a duel between two Power Attack System Soul Master.

Both were level 43 Soul Ancestor, and their Soul Ring configurations were the standard yellow-yellow-purple-black. They released their Martial Soul simultaneously upon entering the arena.

Various colored Soul Ring lit up on his body, and Soul Skill were unleashed one after another on his opponent.

In an instant, flames soared into the sky on the arena, ice shards flew everywhere, and the special effects were so elaborate that the younger students in the audience gasped in amazement.

But Lin Ye just shook his head.

The fight between the two was indeed exciting, but it was a pure battle of Soul Power from beginning to end, with absolutely no skill involved.

You unleash a Soul Skill, and I'll counter it with another Soul Skill. Whoever runs out of Soul Power first loses. Forget about positioning, prediction, and finding weaknesses; even the most basic power generation techniques are a complete mess.

The one who ultimately won did so simply because their Soul Power was slightly greater than their opponent's; the victory required absolutely no skill.

The second match was a duel between two Control System Soul Master.

This match was slightly better than the previous one; at least the two knew how to use their Soul Skill to restrain each other, but it was only slightly better.

Their Soul Skill were extremely clunky; often, after releasing one Soul Skill, it would take several seconds before the next could be released, giving the opponent ample time to react.

Moreover, the accuracy of the control was ridiculously poor; several times, even when it could have hit the opponent's vital parts, it missed.

The fight lasted a full twenty minutes before ending when one of them ran out of Soul Power.

The third match was a two-on-two team battle, which was also the most disappointing for Lin Ye.

A combination of an Power Attack System and a Control System should theoretically produce good synergy.

As a result, when the four players took to the field, they each played their own game, with absolutely no teamwork whatsoever.

The Power Attack System charged forward recklessly, while the Control System frantically unleashed their Soul Skill from behind, nearly hitting their own allies several times.

The whole match was a mess; it was less of a team battle and more of a chaotic brawl between four people.

Throughout the three matches, Lin Ye's brow remained furrowed.

Finally, the last match ended, the referee announced the winner, and the main lights of the Soul Arena went out completely, leaving only the emergency lights in the corridor still on, emitting a dim yellow glow.

"Let's go back."

Lin Ye stood up, dusted himself off, and said to Wang Dong'er beside him.

Wang Dong'er nodded without saying a word, silently following behind Lin Ye as they walked towards the exit of the Soul Arena.