Advanced Soul Master Tournament, Shrek Seven Monsters Make Their Debut

The opening ceremony of the Star Luo Empire Advanced Soul Master Tournament was held grandly at Central Arena Square. The hundred thousand spectator seats were completely filled, colorful flags fluttered, and waves of cheers rose and fell. The main arena in the center of the square was forged from Star Luo's black-pattern meteorite iron and could withstand soul power impacts at the level of a Titled Douluo. The defensive soul tool array engraved upon it glimmered with pale golden light.

The Shrek Seven Monsters wore matching fitted azure outfits, with the small words "Shrek Academy" embroidered over their chests. They kept a low profile, but their sharpness could not be concealed. Tang Wulin stood at the front of the team, his gaze sweeping over the competing teams from every major power—there was the Golden Battle Team from the Star Luo Empire Royal Academy, an elite soul tool team backed by the Hall of Bright Virtue, a foreign soul master group from the Dou Ling Empire, and even several teams with strange auras that appeared to be connected to the Holy Spirit Cult.

"Contestants, welcome to the Star Luo Empire Advanced Soul Master Tournament!" The host's voice spread throughout the venue through a soul tool amplifier. "This tournament will be divided into three stages: group matches, elimination matches, and the finals. The winners will receive generous rewards provided by the Star Luo royal family, including ten-thousand-year soul bones, top-grade soul tools, and the qualification to cultivate within the Star Luo Royal Secret Realm!"

As soon as his words fell, the entire venue erupted into enthusiastic cheers once more. Dai Yun'er, dressed in a bright yellow princess gown, sat at the center of the VIP seating. Her eyes were fixed directly on Tang Wulin, and a provocative smile curled across her lips. Beside her, Star Luo's crown prince, Dai Yueyan, swept his sharp gaze over the Shrek Seven Monsters, his eyes full of scrutiny.

The group match assignments were soon announced. The Shrek Seven Monsters had been placed in Group B, and their first opponent was the second team of the Star Luo Empire Royal Academy. Every member of this team was a Soul King, skilled at teamwork, while their captain was a power-attack Soul King with thousand-year soul rings.

"Running into a tough opponent in the very first match. It seems the Star Luo royal family wants to put us in our place," Yue Zhengyu said quietly. The outline of the Angel Sacred Sword had already appeared in his hand.

Xu Lizhi patted his belly and grinned. "Don't worry. With me here, I'll make sure everyone stays full of energy!" As he spoke, he took out a pile of soul tool ingredients and quickly began preparing food that could boost soul power.

Tang Wulin nodded slightly. "Just perform normally. Remember, hide our strength and stop at the right point." He looked at Gu Yue, and their gazes met in perfect understanding.

The whistle signaling the start of the match sounded, and Tang Wulin led the others swiftly onto the arena. The captain of the Royal Academy's second team stepped forward and said arrogantly, "Shrek Academy? I've long heard of your reputation, but on Star Luo Empire territory, you're destined to be nothing more than background decoration!"

Gu Yue spoke calmly. "Enough nonsense. Make your move."

A flash of anger crossed the opposing captain's eyes. He shouted, "Soul skill, Mad Lion's Roar!" The phantom of a massive golden lion appeared, and its deafening roar swept toward the Shrek Seven Monsters, attempting to disrupt their minds.

"Blue Silver Grass, bind!" Tang Wulin flipped his wrist, and countless Blue Silver Grass vines burst from the ground, instantly wrapping around the opposing captain's limbs. At the same time, the soothing aura released by the Blue Silver Grass neutralized the mental impact of Mad Lion's Roar.

"Soul skill, Star Wheel Slash!" Ye Xinglan's figure flashed. The Star God Sword in her hand shone with silver-white light, transforming into a fierce streak of sword radiance that cleaved directly toward the enemy agility-attack soul master. Though her battle armor was only half complete, its enhancement had already raised her offensive power to the level of a Soul Emperor.

The enemy agility-attack soul master's expression changed. He hurriedly used his movement technique to evade, but the sword light still grazed his shoulder, and blood instantly seeped out.

"Support soul master, buff us!" the control-type soul master of the Royal Academy's second team shouted urgently. Two beams of light that boosted soul power and speed descended upon his teammates.

"You want buffs? Did you ask me?" Xu Xiaoyan's figure swayed, and she was already behind the enemy support soul master. Faint starlight shimmered at her fingertips. "Soul skill, Star Chain Binding!" Several chains of starlight shot out, tightly binding the enemy support soul master and preventing her from using her soul skills.

At the same time, Xie Xie became an afterimage, his twin swords dancing as he tangled with the opposing agility-attack soul master. He was incredibly fast, darting about like a ghost and leaving his opponent scrambling to keep up.

Xu Lizhi tossed out several golden soul tool candies at the right moment. Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, and the others caught and swallowed them, instantly replenishing their soul power and making their auras steadier.

"Soul skill, Elemental Fusion!" Gu Yue formed seals with both hands. The powers of water, fire, earth, wind, and lightning gathered in her palms, forming a dazzling multicolored ball of energy that slammed fiercely toward the enemy defense-type soul master.

The defense-type soul master hastily used his soul skill, summoning a heavy earth-yellow shield. But the multicolored energy ball was far more powerful than he had imagined. Cracks instantly spread across the shield, and he was blasted backward again and again, coughing up blood.

"It's over," Tang Wulin said softly. The Golden Dragon Claw appeared beneath his feet. His figure flashed, and he appeared behind the opposing captain. Golden soul power gathered in his palm as he tapped lightly. The opposing captain only felt his soul power seize up completely. He could no longer mobilize any strength and collapsed onto the arena.

The entire process had taken only three short minutes. The Shrek Seven Monsters defeated the Royal Academy's second team with absolute superiority, without exposing any of their trump cards. They had not even used a fusion skill.

The audience was stunned at first, then thunderous applause broke out. A trace of surprise flashed through Dai Yun'er's eyes in the VIP seats before being replaced by defiance. Dai Yueyan frowned and told the guard beside him, "Investigate them. Find out everything about the Shrek Seven Monsters."

After the match, the Shrek Seven Monsters left quietly and returned to their assigned residence.

"During the match just now, I sensed a familiar evil aura in some corner of the spectator stands," Gu Yue said gravely. "It should have been someone from the Holy Spirit Cult."

Tang Wulin nodded. "I noticed it too. It seems the Holy Spirit Cult really is watching this tournament. Their target may be the tournament rewards, or perhaps they intend to take advantage of the tournament to cause trouble."

"We need to be even more careful in the coming matches," Yue Zhengyu said. "We have to conceal our strength while also dealing with any unexpected situations that may arise."

Xu Xiaoyan took out a map of Star Luo City, marked with several red dots. "This is what I found during my earlier investigation. The soul tool energy fluctuations in these places are abnormal. They're very likely secret bases of the Holy Spirit Cult. We can investigate them during breaks between matches."

Tang Wulin looked at the map, a sharp gleam flashing through his eyes. "Good. Tonight, Gu Yue, Xie Xie, and I will check out one of the bases. Yue Zhengyu, Xu Xiaoyan, Ye Xinglan, and Xu Lizhi will stay behind. Be careful."

Everyone nodded and began making their own preparations.

Night fell, and Star Luo City was shrouded in silence. Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, and Xie Xie changed into night clothes and disappeared into the darkness like three shadows. Their target was an abandoned soul tool workshop in the northwest corner of the city. According to Xu Xiaoyan's investigation, unidentified people had been active there recently.

The abandoned workshop was pitch-black, with only a few faint soul tool lamps flickering within. Tang Wulin and the other two held their breaths and carefully slipped inside. Before long, they heard voices coming from deeper within.

"...We must get the tournament's ten-thousand-year soul bone. It is vital to Lord Bishop's cultivation."

"Don't worry. The people we arranged have already made it into the elimination matches. As long as nothing goes wrong, the championship will definitely be ours."

"And the Star Luo Royal Secret Realm. They say it contains remnants of the Dragon God's aura. If we can obtain them, our Holy Spirit Cult will be able to control the entire Douluo Continent!"

At those words, killing intent flashed through all three of their eyes. The Holy Spirit Cult's ambitions were even greater than they had imagined.

"Move!" Tang Wulin shouted in a low voice as he charged out first. The Golden Dragon Spear instantly appeared in his hand, and golden spear light tore through the darkness, stabbing straight toward the two speakers.

Gu Yue swept both hands outward, unleashing elemental power and trapping the other Holy Spirit Cult members in the workshop. Xie Xie turned into an afterimage and swiftly dealt with the guards around the perimeter.

The Holy Spirit Cult members had not expected a sudden attack and immediately fell into chaos. However, their strength was not to be underestimated. One of them was actually a Soul Emperor-level powerhouse whose martial soul was the Netherworld Shadow Cat commonly used by evil soul masters.

"Courting death!" The Soul Emperor roared. The phantom of a Netherworld Shadow Cat appeared, its claws carrying dense dark aura as they slashed toward Tang Wulin.

Tang Wulin showed no fear. He shook the Golden Dragon Spear, creating layers upon layers of spear shadows that collided with the Netherworld Shadow Cat's claws. With a loud clang, sparks flew everywhere. Tang Wulin's arm went numb, and he realized that his opponent's strength far exceeded that of an ordinary Soul Emperor.

"Elemental Shield!" Gu Yue acted in time. A multicolored elemental shield blocked the path before Tang Wulin, neutralizing the opponent's follow-up attack. At the same time, she chanted under her breath, and countless elemental arrows shot toward the Soul Emperor.

Xie Xie took the opportunity to circle behind him, stabbing both swords toward his vital points.

Caught between attacks from the front and back, the Soul Emperor was immediately thrown into a desperate state. Tang Wulin seized the chance, his soul power erupting at full force. The Golden Dragon Spear carried the power of the Golden Dragon Claw as it pierced fiercely through the man's chest.

After this Soul Emperor was dealt with, the remaining Holy Spirit Cult members could no longer put up any resistance and were quickly wiped out by the three of them.

"Search the place. See if there's any useful intelligence," Tang Wulin said.

Gu Yue found an encrypted document in a secret room within the workshop. After decoding it, she discovered that the Holy Spirit Cult not only intended to seize the tournament rewards and the secrets of the Royal Secret Realm, but had also colluded with certain members of the Star Luo royal family. They planned to launch a coup on the day of the tournament finals.

"The situation is more serious than we thought." Gu Yue's expression was grave. "We have to stop them as soon as possible."

Tang Wulin nodded. "After tomorrow's matches, we'll immediately contact the Tang Sect's base in Star Luo and find a way to warn the Star Luo royal family. But for now, we have to finish the tournament first. We can't alert them."

The three of them cleared away all traces from the scene, quietly left the workshop, and returned to their residence.

The next day, the group matches continued. The Shrek Seven Monsters maintained their low-key style, winning every match by only a narrow margin. They neither attracted too much attention nor had any trouble advancing into the elimination matches.

Meanwhile, the Royal Academy's first team led by Dai Yun'er displayed tremendous strength. They crushed their opponents in every match and stood opposite the Shrek Seven Monsters as the two most closely watched teams in the tournament.

The elimination match draw was announced. The Shrek Seven Monsters' next opponent was the Royal Academy's first team led by Dai Yun'er.

The news caused an uproar throughout the venue. Everyone looked forward to this peak confrontation—one side was a soul master holy land with a thousand-year legacy, while the other was the Star Luo Empire's royal elite. This match was destined to be spectacular.

In the VIP seats, Dai Yun'er looked at Tang Wulin, excitement gleaming in her eyes. "Tang Wulin, I'll definitely beat you this time!"

Tang Wulin smiled faintly without responding. He knew that this match was not only a contest of strength, but also a crucial battle that would determine the success or failure of their mission. The Holy Spirit Cult would certainly be watching in secret, and the Star Luo royal family's attitude would also become clearer after this match.

A great battle was on the verge of breaking out, and every member of the Shrek Seven Monsters was prepared. Their goal was not merely the tournament championship, but to thwart the Holy Spirit Cult's scheme in this match and protect the peace of the Douluo Continent.