The Struggling Shrek Seven Monsters!

After exchanging a few pleasantries in the plaza, Ning Rongrong invited Haiming to the Shrek Seven Monsters' lounge. Because of Haiming's interruption, they no longer had time to participate in an individual soul fight.

Upon arriving at the Shrek Seven Monsters' lounge, they found that, because they carried the hopes of the Great Soul Arena, all the attendants treated them with great respect. The Shrek Seven Monsters themselves were also tensely preparing for battle.

"Hey, Rongrong, Zhuqing, you're back? Grandmaster was just telling us about some key points to watch out for."

The moment they entered, a girl who could practically be represented by the color pink darted over to Ning Rongrong and the others, then looked curiously at Haiming behind them.

He was pretty handsome, just a tiny bit better-looking than Third Brother. But who was he?

(No matter how the author wrote it, Tang San would always be the best in Xiao Wu's eyes, so there was no way I could create cheap drama between these two. Besides, Xiao Wu's sacrifice in the latest update was truly... all I can say is, damn!)

"Hello, everyone. My name is Haiming. Um... I suppose I'm Zhu Zhuqing's friend."

Faced with the hesitant looks from the group, Haiming remained completely at ease and casually introduced himself.

"Hello, I'm Tang San."

Tang San was the first to step forward, extending his hand toward Haiming.

Looking at the ordinary-looking Tang San before him, Haiming's smile was exceptionally "sincere."

"Nice to meet you, Tang San."

The two shook hands. In the distance, Dai Mubai frowned, while Oscar beside him nudged his arm.

Everyone at Shrek Academy knew that Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing definitely had some history, but since neither of them said anything, the others found it awkward to ask. Now that a handsome young man who was clearly no less attractive than Dai Mubai had suddenly appeared beside Zhu Zhuqing, how could they not read into it?

Zhu Zhuqing merely gave a soft snort, pulled Xiao Wu along, and sat down on a sofa to one side. Though it did not seem deliberate, she had chosen the spot farthest from Dai Mubai!

Crack!

Dai Mubai clenched his fists, then slowly relaxed them.

He did not understand what had happened. Zhu Zhuqing had clearly come to urge him on—or perhaps assess him—but from the instant they met, Dai Mubai had sensed her deep disgust toward him!

Ning Rongrong, who was also seated on the sofa, had a smile in her eyes, yet no one could understand the look in her gaze.

She had never told anyone that she had once helped Zhu Zhuqing investigate Dai Mubai. With the influence of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, investigating a prince of the Star Luo Empire within the Heaven Dou Empire had been effortless.

Whether Zhu Zhuqing and Dai Mubai fell out or made up was none of her concern. The only thing she cared about was her mother's jade pendant.

Five years of guilt and depression over losing that pendant had stained this little princess with a touch of darkness!

Haiming blinked and released Tang San's hand. He had noticed that the Shrek Seven Monsters seemed somewhat off?

Why was Oscar still sporting that big beard? Why did Dai Mubai look at him as if he wanted to eat him alive? Ning Rongrong did not seem like she had truly opened her heart either, and Zhu Zhuqing was even colder than described in the original work...

So among the supposedly unshakably close Shrek Seven Monsters, the only normal ones were Xiao Wu, Tang San, and Ma Hongjun?

Completely unaware of what he had done, Haiming sat down under Grandmaster's hospitality. Since he was Zhu Zhuqing's friend, there was no possibility that he was a spy from the opposing team.

Grandmaster then repeated the key points he had mentioned earlier to Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong.

The more Haiming listened, the more interesting it became. So the opponents the Shrek Seven Monsters were about to face were the Imperial Battle Team?

The Imperial Battle Team whose poison control Tang San broke with wine, forcing them to reveal both their Shrek Martial Soul Fusion Skill and External Soul Bone?

"Interesting."

Casually picking up a banana and slowly peeling it, Haiming narrowed his eyes.

Could this cold and proud Zhu Zhuqing, along with the clearly off-balance Dai Mubai, really complete a Martial Soul Fusion Skill?

The key still lay with Tang San!

At the instant he had shaken Tang San's hand, Haiming's right arm bone had clearly trembled. That was the sign of sensing poison!

It seemed that this chosen son of heaven had, as expected, obtained the most precious kind of Soul Bone: an External Soul Bone!

Haiming had originally considered getting there first and finding that thousand-year Man-Faced Demon Pearl, trading a Hundred-Thousand-Year God-Bestowed Soul Ring for the Eight Spider Lances. But after thinking it over, whether Kyogre had eight spider legs or eight wings, it would look bizarre, so he abandoned the idea.

Time passed bit by bit, and the soul fight began.

The Shrek Seven Monsters and the Imperial Battle Team stepped onto the stage at the same time. Haiming could clearly see from below that the atmosphere among the surrounding spectators was exceptionally heated!

That was because they had placed enormous bets. As long as Shrek lost, many people would become rich overnight!

After the two sides exchanged a few "pleasantries," the battle was on the verge of erupting!

First came a brutal, fist-to-fist battle between Dai Mubai, the captain, and Yu Tianheng of the Imperial Battle Team. Then Tang San devised a tactical shift that left Yu Tianheng isolated and surrounded. After that came the Imperial Battle Team's counterattack...

"They're having a hard time."

Watching the Shrek group struggle, Haiming saw that even though they had severely injured Yu Tianheng, they had no means of rapidly clearing the field. Under the outbreak of Dugu Yan, the Imperial Battle Team's control-type Soul Master, Yu Tianheng was rescued and placed in the rear to be treated by the Nine-Heart Begonia Soul Master.

Dai Mubai looked toward Zhu Zhuqing more than once, but received no response at all. He could only continue charging into the Imperial Battle Team's formation in a berserk state.

After Tang San used wine to break Dugu Yan's poison, he discovered that his side had no way to quickly defeat the Imperial Battle Team's members. With no other choice, he took a desperate risk and unleashed the Tang Sect's secret techniques, using Blue Silver Grass as hidden weapons to continuously harass the Imperial Battle Team. Some attacks even shot directly toward Yu Tianheng and Ye Lingling, who were still receiving treatment!

Zhu Zhuqing, a speed-attack-type Soul Master, had been searching for a chance to break into the rear, but she was held back by the Imperial Battle Team's own speed-attack-type Soul Master. Worse still, that Soul Master's martial soul was the Ghost Leopard—the superior martial soul of the Black Panther Brothers who had once hunted Zhu Zhuqing—suppressing her in both martial soul and Soul Power!

If not for Ning Rongrong's amplification from behind, Zhu Zhuqing would most likely have lost after their exchange!

"Yes, they are."

Grandmaster clenched his fists, his gaze falling on Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing, who stood on opposite sides of the battlefield.

It seemed that this first trump card could not be used after all!

No matter how profound his research into martial souls was, Grandmaster was ultimately still an ordinary man—an ordinary man incapable of even resolving his own emotional issues. From the very beginning, the Martial Soul Fusion Skill had never been able to serve as a trump card!

On the battlefield, Tang San's anger was also provoked. Xiao Wu was struck and injured by the opposing defense-type Soul Master during her rapid assault, and the brutality hidden within Tang San emerged!

Forcing down the urge to release his hammer, Tang San recalled Grandmaster's warning before they took the stage.

Even if he exposed the Eight Spider Lances, he could not reveal the hammer in his left hand!

In that case!

"Eight Spider Lances! Activate!"

"Seven Monsters, go wild!"