Final Begins

The Finals Begin

The next day, Star Luo Imperial Academy directly conceded the one-on-one matches.

No one found it surprising.

Ma Xiaotao's crushing performance in the team battle the day before had already made everything clear. A Soul Saint against a Soul Emperor, Ultimate Fire against an ordinary Martial Soul—any team leader with even half a brain would not send their members up to take another beating. Star Luo Imperial Academy had preserved the last of its dignity.

Shrek Academy advanced to the finals.

Their opponent was, as expected, Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy—the perennial runner-up, the team that always stood opposite Shrek. This year, they had once again made it to the final stage.

That night, the lights in Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy's conference room burned brightly.

"There is no retreat in tomorrow's finals." Elder Ma sat at the head of the table. His voice was not loud, but every word weighed heavily on their hearts. "We prepared for five years for this day. The team battle is our top priority. As long as we can win the team battle, we will still have room to maneuver in the following two rounds."

Elder Ma looked at Ma Rulong and Xiao Hongchen. "You two will be responsible for holding Ma Xiaotao back. Ma Rulong, engage her head-on at close range with your Judgment Sword. Xiao Hongchen, support him from afar with soul tool rays. Do not try to defeat her. You cannot beat her. But if you can hold her off for three minutes and let the others take out Shrek's remaining members, we will have a chance to turn this around."

Ma Rulong nodded without saying anything.

Beside him, Xiao Hongchen leaned back in his chair with his arms folded, his face equally expressionless. Yet the fingers gripping the armrest had turned slightly pale.

Elder Ma turned to Meng Hongchen. "Your Ice Toad Poison is the variable in this battle. Do not worry about Ma Xiaotao. She possesses Ultimate Fire, so poison is useless against her. Focus on the others. As long as you can poison her teammates, then with seven against one, we may still have a chance at victory."

"Yes, Elder Ma." Meng Hongchen lowered her head and answered softly.

The conference room fell silent for a moment.

At last, one of the reserve team members could not hold back any longer. He asked in a low voice, "Elder Ma, if we hold Ma Xiaotao back and poison the others, can seven of us really defeat her?"

No one answered him.

The silence itself was an answer.

Compared to the heavy, stifling atmosphere in Sun Moon's conference room, Shrek's side was entirely different.

When Yan Jingzhe and Wang Yan pushed open the door, they nearly thought they had entered the wrong room.

Every main team member in the conference room held a glass of red wine and swirled it about. The reserve team's boys were not idle either, lounging on the sofas with bottles of fruit wine in hand as they chatted and laughed. Ma Xiaotao stood on the table with a wineglass raised, delivering some sort of "championship speech." Halfway through, she spotted the people at the door, and her voice abruptly cut off.

The entire room fell silent at once.

Yan Jingzhe stood in the doorway, staring at the sprawled-out students. His expression gradually darkened. He said nothing, but the pressure belonging to a Limit Douluo suddenly emerged and flooded the entire room.

The next instant, everyone except Wang Yan was forced face-first to the ground.

Ma Xiaotao had the highest cultivation and was the first to react, trying to brace herself. But the pressure was so immense that she could not even straighten her knees.

She struggled to raise her head from the floor, her face flushed red. "Martial Uncle, what are you doing?"

"What am I doing?" Yan Jingzhe walked in, withdrawing some of his pressure without fully releasing it. "I should be asking what you are doing. Have you already won the championship? Are you holding a victory banquet here? Giving championship speeches?"

No one dared answer. Wang Yan stood far away, and even the tea in his cup rippled from the pressure, but he wisely kept silent.

"The finals have not even begun, and you are already popping champagne at halftime?" Yan Jingzhe's voice was not loud, but every word was crystal clear. "Do you have any idea what day tomorrow is? Sun Moon is still holding meetings through the night, while you are drinking and celebrating here. If you get slapped in the face on stage tomorrow, will it be your own face you disgrace, or Shrek's?"

The people lying on the floor exchanged glances. Someone began admitting fault in a small voice. "Dean Yan, we were wrong."

Yan Jingzhe looked at them for several more seconds before finally withdrawing his pressure completely.

Everyone scrambled to their feet. Some dusted off their knees, while others hurriedly gathered the wineglasses from the table and shoved them into a corner.

Ma Xiaotao smoothed down her hair, which had been disheveled by the pressure, and stood there with her head lowered, not daring to meet his eyes.

"I do not object to you gathering together." Yan Jingzhe walked over and took the seat at the head of the table, his tone easing somewhat. "But that comes after you win the championship. Once tomorrow's finals are over, I will not care if you drink until dawn. But before then, keep yourselves sharp."

"Yes, we understand." Everyone answered in unison.

"Wang Yan." Yan Jingzhe turned to the teacher standing in the corner. "Arrange tomorrow's tactics. Make sure there are no problems in the details. I am leaving first."

He stood and walked to the door. After pausing for a moment, he spoke without looking back. "Go back and rest properly tonight. If anyone gathers to drink again, you will return to the academy tomorrow."

After the door closed, the conference room remained quiet for quite some time.

Wang Yan cleared his throat, walked to the table, and pulled out the tactical diagram that had been soaked by the base of a red wineglass. He spread it open and sighed. "All right, sit properly. Come on, let's go over tomorrow's tactics one more time."

The following morning

Star Luo City reached peak congestion on the day of the finals. Everywhere, people were packed shoulder to shoulder.

Under the escort of soldiers, the teams from Shrek Academy and Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy passed through the crowds toward the waiting areas.

Citizens on both sides crowded behind the barricades, stretching out their hands and shouting. Some called Shrek's name, while others called for Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy. The two waves of cheers blended together, impossible to tell which was louder.

Atop the city walls, the Emperor of Star Luo had already taken his place with the civil and military officials. A red carpet stretched from the gates of the imperial city all the way to the competition stage, standing out sharply beneath the gray skies. Xu Jiawei stood at the front with his hands behind his back, looking down at the boiling plaza below. Once both teams had entered their waiting areas, he slightly turned his head and signaled to the prime minister.

"Silence. The match is about to begin. Please allow His Majesty to speak." Amplified by a soul tool, the prime minister's voice overwhelmed the clamor of the entire crowd.

Xu Jiawei stepped forward and stood at the edge of the city wall, his gaze sweeping across the sea of heads below. "According to tradition, the winner of this tournament will receive three Soul Bones and one million Gold Soul Coins. I have selected ten Soul Bones from the imperial treasury, from which the eventual champion team may choose."

He paused, raising his voice slightly. "I will spare you any further formalities. Now, let us enjoy together a battle that is certain to be recorded in history."

As his words fell, a flash of light streaked across the city wall. The next moment, Heavenly Fiend Douluo appeared in the center of the competition stage and announced:

"For the finals of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament, I, Huang Jinxu, will serve as the referee."

"I will now announce the rules of the finals. The finals consist of three matches: a team battle, an individual elimination match, and the 2-2-3 Battle Formation. The first side to win two matches will be the champion. Each side will send seven members into the team battle. After it ends, both sides will have one chance to replace team members, but only once. In the following two rounds, both sides may only use the fixed team of seven and may not make any further substitutions."

"Now, both sides prepare yourselves. In one minute, the team battle participants will take the stage."

In Shrek's waiting area, Wang Yan rose to his feet. Looking at the fourteen young faces before him, filled with excitement and nervousness, he walked up to each of them and patted their shoulders. Finally, he stood before the main team members and spoke.

"Shrek will win."

"Shrek will win." All seven answered at once.

Ma Xiaotao walked at the front. Her fiery red hair had been tied into a high ponytail that swayed behind her with every step. As she passed through the corridor of the waiting area and stepped onto the competition stage, the cheers erupting from the crowd seemed to brighten even the gloomy sky.

Across from them, the seven members of Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy also stepped onto the arena. They wore identical black uniforms, and the sun-and-moon emblem on their chests still reflected a dim golden gleam beneath the weak light.

Ma Rulong walked at the front, his expression calm. But at his waist hung a sword that had never appeared in any previous match—a completely black scabbard without any decoration, yet it faintly exuded an unsettling aura.

The two teams took their positions on opposite sides of the competition stage, staring at one another from a hundred meters apart.

Heavenly Fiend Douluo stood between the two rows and raised his left hand. "Both sides, prepare."

Everyone's breathing slowed for a beat.

"The match begins!"