Arc 7The Abyss Cult’s Tournament Run

Lu Yuan completed the Ice Empress’s sacrifice, gained a Million-Year Soul Ring, and led the Abyss Cult through the tournament’s knockout rounds. After humiliating Shrek Academy and forcing an apology, he learned that the group draw had placed Shrek and the Abyss Cult together, while Star Luo National Academy prepared to face them.

  • Lu Yuan gave the Ice Empress the Ice Jade Scorpion Soul Bone, and after she mastered Ice Explosion, she sacrificed herself to the Snow Empress Martial Soul, though Electrolux’s Soul Chains left her reborn as a tiny, forgetful scorpion.
  • Lu Yuan formed a second soul core and raised a God-Bestowed Soul Ring into a Million-Year Soul Ring, then took Bi Ji, Gu Qiu’er, and Xiao Xiao to Mingdu to register the Abyss Cult for the tournament.
  • Xiao Xiao defeated the Chongtian Sect’s Feng Ling, and Gu Qiu’er later broke the Heavenly Armor Sect’s Seven-in-One shield and defeated all seven members without using a soul skill.
  • Lu Yuan defeated Nan Qiuqiu in the individual match, then revealed his nine soul rings and rank ninety-six Titled Douluo strength, forcing the Earth Dragon Gate to concede the team match.
  • Wang Yan accused Lu Yuan and the Abyss Cult of being evil soul masters, but Lu Yuan challenged Shrek’s accusations, pressured Wang Yan into apologizing publicly, and made Shrek sign an IOU for ten million gold soul coins.
  • The Abyss Cult advanced undefeated to the round-robin stage, and Lu Yuan spent the rest day with Gu Qiu’er, Xiao Xiao, Ji Juechen, and Jing Ziyan while Shrek’s members seethed over their humiliation.
  • Wang Chun’er pretended Lu Yuan had hurt her when Huo Yuhao confronted them, and Huo Yuhao took her away after threatening Lu Yuan.
  • The organizers placed the Abyss Cult and Shrek Academy in Group One, and Xu Jiujiu planned for Star Luo National Academy to concede its individual matches and use Star’s Guardian and a high-grade soul cannon against Lu Yuan’s team.
Chapters 151–175 Vol. 2 Read

Ch. 151Time Was Like a Wild Donkey

With the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament six months away, Lu Yuan lounged with Bi Ji at Emerald Lake and insisted he would take Wang Qiu'er and Xiao Xiao to compete. Bi Ji suggested seeking the Ice Empress’s help, and Lu Yuan brought out an Ice Jade Scorpion left arm bone, planning to use it to help the Ice Empress master Ice Explosion and advance her cultivation.

  • Bi Ji teased Lu Yuan for lounging while Wang Qiu'er and Xiao Xiao were in seclusion, and pointed out that young Emerald Swans were copying his lazy poses.
  • Lu Yuan flirted with Bi Ji and told her he intended to take Wang Qiu'er and Xiao Xiao to the tournament, where he hoped to defeat Shrek.
  • Bi Ji suggested Lu Yuan seek outside help from the Ice Empress because his cultivation was progressing slowly.
  • Lu Yuan produced an Ice Jade Scorpion left arm bone he had bought at auction and planned to let the Ice Empress study its Ice Explosion skill.

Ch. 152Ice Explosion

Lu Yuan brought Bi Ji to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, where he gave the Ice Empress an Ice Jade Scorpion soul bone containing the rare Ice Explosion skill. The Ice Empress began studying it and asked after the Snow Empress, who refused to come out, while Lu Yuan and Bi Ji discussed her devotion to her.

  • Lu Yuan and Bi Ji flew to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well without telling Gu Yuena.
  • The Ice Empress confronted Lu Yuan for arriving late, and he gave her an Ice Jade Scorpion Left Arm Bone he had bought at auction.
  • Lu Yuan explained that the soul bone contained Ice Explosion, a skill the Ice Empress had long wished to awaken, and she accepted it to study.
  • The Ice Empress asked why the Snow Empress had not come to see her, but the Snow Empress refused to leave Lu Yuan's mind.
  • Lu Yuan and Bi Ji discussed the Ice Empress's devotion to the Snow Empress while the Snow Empress listened from the Mental Sea.

Ch. 153I did it! This empress did it!

Lu Yuan and Bi Ji waited at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well while the Ice Empress studied Ice Explosion from a Soul Bone. After two and a half months of practice, the Ice Empress mastered the skill and celebrated by blasting a mountainside apart.

  • Lu Yuan checked the Fire Dragon King's recovering Dragon Egg in the Sun Spring, then discussed travel plans and team uniforms with Bi Ji.
  • The Ice Empress studied the Ice Jade Scorpion Soul Bone to uncover the principles of Ice Explosion, while Lu Yuan and Bi Ji cultivated nearby.
  • Over two and a half months, the Ice Empress repeatedly tested the skill, receiving occasional guidance from the Ice Dragon King.
  • After three quiet days, an icy-blue pillar appeared and the Ice Empress announced that she had mastered Ice Explosion.
  • The Ice Empress detonated dozens of ice particles at once, blasting a vast crater into the mountainside.

Ch. 154Your Achievement? A Thief of Its Fruits!

The Ice Empress mastered Ice Explosion and began sacrificing herself to become a Soul Ring for Lu Yuan’s Snow Empress Martial Soul. As Electrolux started the ritual, the Snow Empress secretly asked him to recreate the mishap that had once turned her into a little girl.

  • The Ice Empress demonstrated Ice Explosion by destroying a boulder from within, and Lu Yuan praised her power before reminding her to keep her promise and sacrifice herself.
  • The Ice Empress agreed to the sacrifice because it would let her stay beside the Snow Empress, and Electrolux said his spells could preserve her self-awareness.
  • The Snow Empress privately asked Electrolux to deliberately cause a small problem like the one that had made her a little girl before, and he agreed.
  • The Snow Empress checked that the Ice Empress truly wanted to give up her freedom, then let her proceed with the sacrifice.
  • The Ice Empress began transforming into streams of icy light, while Lu Yuan guided her power toward the Snow Empress Martial Soul and Electrolux chanted the spell.

Ch. 155The Snow Empress Who Loved Playing Mother

Lu Yuan completed the Ice Empress’s sacrifice, reached soul power level 90, and gained two soul rings for the Snow Empress. The Ice Empress reappeared as a tiny, chirping Ice Jade Scorpion, and the Snow Empress happily treated her like a daughter.

  • Electrolux used Soul Chains to keep the Ice Empress’s soul intact as she sacrificed herself and transferred her essence to Lu Yuan.
  • Lu Yuan’s soul power rose to level 90, while the Snow Empress gained two orange-gold soul rings and the skills Ice Explosion and Martial Soul Avatar.
  • Lu Yuan released the Ice Empress from his mental sea as a palm-sized Ice Jade Scorpion, and Electrolux admitted that his Soul Chains had gone slightly wrong.
  • The tiny Ice Empress eagerly climbed into the Snow Empress’s palm, and Electrolux indicated that she no longer remembered who she was.
  • The Snow Empress embraced the little Ice Jade Scorpion and asked her to call her Mommy, but the creature only chirped in response.

Ch. 156Yin-Yang Complementary Dual Soul Cores, Titled Douluo

Lu Yuan successfully condensed a fire-attribute soul core, forming yin-yang complementary dual soul cores with his ice core. He then joined Snow Empress in using God-Bestowed Soul Rings to raise their soul power, and his level ninety bottleneck broke.

  • Snow Empress took the little Ice Jade Scorpion to play while Lu Yuan prepared to condense a second soul core.
  • Lu Yuan formed a fire-attribute soul core and adjusted both cores into a circulating yin-yang complementary cycle.
  • Lu Yuan stopped Bi Ji from celebrating and took out the God-Bestowed Soul Rings to continue raising his power.
  • Lu Yuan gave Snow Empress two God-Bestowed Soul Rings and suggested she focus on sword-type soul skills.
  • Lu Yuan and Snow Empress began using their God-Bestowed Soul Rings, and Lu Yuan broke through the level ninety bottleneck as a soul ring appeared and changed color.

Ch. 157Ninety Is Ninety, a Hundred Is a Hundred

Lu Yuan pushed his God-Bestowed Soul Ring to its limit and successfully raised it to one million years, then woke after two and a half days of absorption. The Snow Empress waited to absorb her own ring until after his breakthrough, while Bi Ji worried over Lu Yuan.

  • Lu Yuan used his martial soul and five soul bones to raise his God-Bestowed Soul Ring past nine hundred thousand years.
  • The Snow Empress told Bi Ji that she was waiting for Lu Yuan to finish so her own God-Bestowed Soul Ring could reach a higher age.
  • Lu Yuan pushed past his limit and transformed the ring into a Million-Year Soul Ring before absorbing it.
  • Lu Yuan woke after about two and a half days, and Bi Ji embraced him in relief before letting go when he said he could not breathe.
  • The Snow Empress praised Lu Yuan, and he joked that she should have absorbed her eighth soul ring first so he would not have had to work so hard.

Ch. 158How Many? Three Competitors?!

Lu Yuan returned to the Star Dou Forest with Bi Ji after helping the Snow Empress absorb her God-Bestowed Soul Ring, and revealed his Million-Year Soul Ring to Gu Qiu'er and Xiao Xiao. He then traveled with them to Mingdu for the tournament, where the hotel clerk was shocked that the Abyss Cult had only three competitors.

  • Lu Yuan sent Electrolux into the Void Realm to recuperate, then the Snow Empress entered with the little Ice Jade Scorpion to absorb her God-Bestowed Soul Ring.
  • Lu Yuan and Bi Ji left the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and returned to the Lake of Life, where Gu Qiu'er and Xiao Xiao saw his eight hundred-thousand-year Soul Rings and golden Million-Year Soul Ring.
  • Bi Ji told Gu Qiu'er that Lu Yuan had nearly died several times while obtaining the Million-Year Soul Ring, and Gu Qiu'er warned him not to risk himself like that again.
  • Lu Yuan, Bi Ji, Gu Qiu'er, and Xiao Xiao departed for Mingdu after Gu Yuena and Di Tian wished them well.
  • Lu Yuan registered the Abyss Cult at the Bright Delight Grand Hotel as a team with three competitors, astonishing the clerk.

Ch. 159An argument over accommodations

Lu Yuan, Gu Qiu'er, and Xiao Xiao registered as competitors for the Abyss Cult and received rooms on the tournament’s top floor. The Shrek team challenged the special accommodations, and Lu Yuan left with his companions while the argument continued.

  • The receptionist tested Gu Qiu'er, Xiao Xiao, and Lu Yuan’s bone ages and confirmed all three were eligible to compete.
  • The Abyss Cult team registered, and the receptionist gave them three top-floor suites arranged by the Organizing Committee.
  • Xu Sanshi objected to the accommodations, and Huo Yuhao and other Shrek members questioned why the unfamiliar Abyss Cult received such treatment.
  • The receptionist defended the Organizing Committee’s decision and said the Abyss Cult was known on the Sun-Moon Continent.
  • Lu Yuan snapped at the Shrek team and went upstairs with Bi Ji, Gu Qiu'er, and Xiao Xiao while the Shrek members continued cursing them.

Ch. 160Hissing Yuhao, role-play

After meeting the Shrek group in Mingdu, Lu Yuan reunited with his Sun Moon Academy friends and prepared for the tournament. The tournament then officially began, with Ju Zi delivering the opening address.

  • Wang Chun'er reminded the Shrek group that Lu Yuan and his companions were the people they had encountered, and Huo Yuhao reacted with rage over Sister Xiaotao's death.
  • The Shrek group argued over receiving second-class rooms because they had placed second in the previous tournament, then went to their assigned rooms.
  • Lu Yuan, Gu Qiu'er, and Xiao Xiao visited Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen, Ji Juechen, and Jing Ziyan at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy.
  • The group shared a meal and discussed the tournament, and Xiao Xiao remembered Ye Guyi, whom they had lost contact with in Mingdu.
  • Lu Yuan sparred with Ji Juechen at the academy's training grounds and easily defeated him before returning to the hotel late at night.
  • The tournament officially began, and Ju Zi delivered the opening address as Lu Yuan and his companions watched from excellent seats.

Ch. 161The Tournament Opens

Ju Zi opened the Continental Tournament, and Lu Yuan’s trio drew the obscure Chongtian Sect after the tournament rules and first match were announced. The Abyss Cult members argued over who would compete first, leaving their opening bout about to begin.

  • Lu Yuan, Gu Qiu'er, and Xiao Xiao teased one another while Zhongli Wu and Long Xiaoyao admitted they could not discern Lu Yuan’s strength.
  • Ju Zi finished her address, the referee explained the tournament format, and the preliminary matches began.
  • Meng Hongchen entered the opening match for Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy against the Dragon Slaying Sect, while Xu Tianran questioned Jing Hongchen about the academy’s chances.
  • After hours of matches, the Abyss Cult trio was paired with the Chongtian Sect for its first bout.
  • Lu Yuan, Gu Qiu'er, and Xiao Xiao all volunteered to compete first, then argued over who should enter the arena.

Ch. 162Soul Ancestor Feng Ling

Xiao Xiao fought Feng Ling of the Chongtian Sect and revealed herself as a Soul Sage with seven Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings. After she overwhelmed Feng Ling, the Chongtian Sect forfeited the rest of the match, and Xu Tianran questioned whether the Abyss Cult’s members were fellow practitioners of the Imperial Preceptor.

  • Xiao Xiao won rock, paper, scissors against Gu Qiu'er and Lu Yuan and went to face Feng Ling.
  • Feng Ling flirted with Xiao Xiao, then activated his armor and Soul Cannon when the match began.
  • Xiao Xiao revealed seven Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings and attacked Feng Ling with her Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron.
  • Xiao Xiao battered Feng Ling until he surrendered, earning the Abyss Cult a point and two minor points.
  • The Chongtian Sect forfeited the remaining match, and Xu Tianran asked whether the Abyss Cult shared the Imperial Preceptor’s path.

Ch. 163Information cocoons

Xiao Xiao, Lu Yuan, and Gu Qiu'er learned that Sun Moon’s publicity had downplayed their role in the previous tournament, leaving many spectators unable to recognize them. The next day, Gu Qiu'er volunteered to fight the Heavenly Armor Sect, but its fearful team hesitated to face her.

  • Xiao Xiao, Lu Yuan, and Gu Qiu'er wondered why spectators treated them like strangers after their match.
  • Meng Hongchen explained that Sun Moon’s publicity had credited the championship mainly to its own Soul Masters, especially the Hongchen siblings.
  • Xiao Xiao, Lu Yuan, and Gu Qiu'er laughed and seemed to plan another surprise for the spectators.
  • The next day, Gu Qiu'er won rock-paper-scissors and went to face the Heavenly Armor Sect in the knockout round.
  • Gu Qiu'er waited on the arena with her Golden Dragon Spear while Han Jian and his six teammates remained seated, afraid to stand.

Ch. 164Was She About to Lose a One-on-Seven Fight?

Gu Qiu'er overwhelmed Han Yu in the individual elimination round, then chose to face the Heavenly Armor Sect alone in the team match. The sect formed its Seven-in-One combination skill, leaving spectators and opponents expecting Gu Qiu'er to struggle against their giant shield.

  • Han Jian sent Han Yu to test Gu Qiu'er, but she battered him until his Heavenly Armor Shield shattered and he was thrown from the arena.
  • Han Jian conceded the individual elimination round and advanced the Heavenly Armor Sect to the team match.
  • Gu Qiu'er told Lu Yuan and Xiao Xiao she would fight the team match alone, and they accepted her decision.
  • The Heavenly Armor Sect's seven members formed their Seven-in-One combination skill, creating an enormous shield as spectators questioned whether Gu Qiu'er could defeat it.

Ch. 165How could she show off this much?

Gu Qiu'er faced the Heavenly Armor Sect’s seven-in-one martial soul fusion skill and defeated the team without using a soul skill. The fight ended with Han Jian and his teammates injured, while Gu Qiu'er stood unscathed in the arena.

  • Gu Qiu'er revealed six black soul rings and one hundred-thousand-year red soul ring, shocking the spectators and the dignitaries watching from the elevated platform.
  • Gu Qiu'er’s spear strike cracked the Heavenly Armor Shield, prompting Han Jian to order his team to counterattack with Heavenly Armor Needle.
  • Gu Qiu'er met the combined attack with her Golden Dragon Spear and broke through it with a single thrust.
  • Gu Qiu'er pierced the Heavenly Armor Shield, and its backlash injured and hurled away all seven members of the Heavenly Armor Sect.
  • Han Jian recognized that Gu Qiu'er had defeated his team without using a soul skill and bitterly resented her display of power.

Ch. 166Let's test your skills

Gu Qiu'er defeated the Heavenly Armor Sect alone, sending the Abyss Cult into the next Knockout Round, while Shrek's team argued over how to face the powerful trio. Later, Lu Yuan took Xiao Xiao for a private flute lesson that ended with fermented mung bean juice spraying her face.

  • Gu Qiu'er defeated all seven members of the Heavenly Armor Sect, earning the Abyss Cult five points and advancing them to the next Knockout Round.
  • Ning Tian questioned whether Shrek could challenge the Abyss Cult, and Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, He Caitou, and Huo Yuhao urged her to defend Shrek's glory.
  • Wang Chun'er comforted Ning Tian, then asked Bei Bei how Shrek could overcome Lu Yuan, Xiao Xiao, and Gu Qiu'er; He Caitou proposed using soul tools to make up the strength gap.
  • Huo Yuhao reminded Shrek's team to prepare for their match and their secret search for rare metals in Mingdu.
  • Lu Yuan sent Gu Qiu'er to share Xiao Xiao's room and took Xiao Xiao aside to teach her to play his Nine-Dragon Contest Flute.
  • Lu Yuan accidentally made fermented mung bean juice spray from the flute, soaking Xiao Xiao's face.

Ch. 167Wok tossing and flash-frying

Lu Yuan teased Xiao Xiao with suggestive cooking jokes before leaving her to rest and heading to the tournament with Gu Qiu'er. As the Abyss Cult prepared to face the Earth Dragon Gate, Nan Qiuqiu struggled to decide whether to surrender or test Lu Yuan's strength.

  • Lu Yuan playfully tossed Xiao Xiao around the kitchen and joked about teaching her more dishes.
  • Lu Yuan left Xiao Xiao sleeping in Bi Ji's care and went with Gu Qiu'er to the competition venue.
  • Lu Yuan and Gu Qiu'er learned that the Abyss Cult would face the Earth Dragon Gate, whose inherited martial soul carried the annihilation attribute.
  • Nan Qiuqiu recognized Lu Yuan from his earlier visit and worried that he had become far stronger since their last meeting.
  • Nan Qiuqiu's teammates debated surrendering, while her mother Nan Shuishui silently encouraged her from the stands.
  • Nan Qiuqiu decided to face Lu Yuan in the individual match and surrender if she could not beat him, then proceed to the team match.

Ch. 168Rouge Dragon, the Unique Annihilation Attribute

Nan Qiuqiu challenged Lu Yuan in the tournament, hoping the Earth Dragon Gate could avoid elimination, but his flames overwhelmed her annihilation attacks. The match continued as she summoned the Hand of Annihilation to stop his sword energy.

  • Nan Qiuqiu decided the Earth Dragon Gate would fight rather than surrender and entered the arena to face Lu Yuan.
  • Lu Yuan greeted Nan Qiuqiu as an old acquaintance, and spectators recognized him as the fighter who had used six Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Rings in the previous tournament.
  • Wang Yan warned Shrek Academy’s team to study Lu Yuan’s combat style, while Huo Yuhao watched closely.
  • After the referee began the match, Nan Qiuqiu charged and attacked Lu Yuan with her Light of Annihilation and Annihilation Chain Explosion.
  • Lu Yuan summoned the Sun-Chopping Flame and destroyed Nan Qiuqiu’s attacks, explaining that his flames could annihilate her energy decomposition.
  • Lu Yuan sent several arcs of sword energy toward Nan Qiuqiu, who activated Annihilation Protection and summoned the Hand of Annihilation.

Ch. 169Matching You with an Evenly Matched Opponent

Nan Qiuqiu conceded her individual match to Lu Yuan, then led the Earth Dragon Gate into the team match. Lu Yuan revealed that he was a rank ninety-six Titled Douluo with eight hundred-thousand-year soul rings and a million-year ring, leaving the Earth Dragon Gate team and the spectators in terror while Huo Yuhao seethed with resentment.

  • Nan Qiuqiu conceded to Lu Yuan, giving the Abyss Cult the first individual match victory.
  • Nan Qiuqiu forfeited the rest of the individual knockout round, and the referee awarded the Abyss Cult three points before announcing the team match.
  • Nan Qiuqiu led six teammates into the team match, where all seven Earth Dragon Gate fighters summoned their dragon martial souls.
  • Lu Yuan summoned the Lord of Eroded Primal Fire and revealed his nine soul rings, including eight hundred-thousand-year rings and one million-year ring.
  • Lu Yuan announced that he was a rank ninety-six Titled Douluo, and his pressure made Nan Qiuqiu and her teammates collapse while the crowd and Shrek Academy reacted in shock.
  • Huo Yuhao watched Lu Yuan’s million-year soul ring and blamed him for the life and power he believed had been stolen from him.

Ch. 170The Only Way to Defeat Lu Yuan-Who Dares Accuse This Official in His Own Court?!

Lu Yuan led the Abyss Cult to an 8–0 victory over the Earth Dragon Gate, advancing to the group stage and drawing attention from powerful figures. Wang Yan tried to have Lu Yuan and the Abyss Cult disqualified as evil soul masters, but the crowd and other teams refused to support him, leaving Xu Tianran to ask Zhongli Wu for his view.

  • Nan Qiuqiu conceded after Lu Yuan’s overwhelming pressure, and the referee declared the Abyss Cult the 8–0 winner over the Earth Dragon Gate.
  • Nan Qiuqiu broke down in Nan Shuishui’s arms, while Xu Tianran, Jing Hongchen, and Zhongli Wu considered Lu Yuan’s strength and possible allegiance.
  • Wang Yan decided Shrek Academy could not defeat Lu Yuan directly and publicly demanded that the Organizing Committee disqualify Lu Yuan and the Abyss Cult as evil soul masters.
  • Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and Huo Yuhao welcomed Wang Yan’s tactic, but spectators jeered and no other academy or sect backed his demand.
  • Xu Tianran asked Zhongli Wu what he thought as Wang Yan found himself isolated.

Ch. 171The first punch that stunned Douluo

At the tournament, Shrek Academy accused Lu Yuan of being an Evil Soul Master, but Xu Tianran rejected its claims as unsupported and exposed rumors about Shrek's own leaders. When Huo Yuhao demanded that Lu Yuan prove his innocence, Lu Yuan turned the accusation against Soul Masters, arguing that their cultivation depended on killing Soul Beasts.

  • Zhongli Wu mocked Wang Yan's claim that Lu Yuan was an Evil Soul Master, and Ju Zi asked Wang Yan for evidence.
  • Wang Yan cited Shrek Academy's arrest warrant, but Xu Tianran said a warrant was not proof and brought up Xuan Zi's devouring ability and Yan Shaozhe's Black Phoenix rumors.
  • Huo Yuhao challenged Lu Yuan to prove he was not an Evil Soul Master, while Lu Yuan watched the Shrek contingent from the rest area with Gu Qiu'er.
  • Lu Yuan answered Huo Yuhao by pointing out that Soul Masters killed Soul Beasts for Soul Rings and Soul Bones, then asked why that killing was considered acceptable while Evil Soul Masters' killings were condemned.
  • Lu Yuan called Shrek Academy the world's largest Evil Soul Master training ground, leaving the arena silent.

Ch. 172Unearthing Shrek's spirit of bowmanship: truly, deeply sorry

At the tournament, Ju Zi rejected Shrek Academy’s unsupported accusation that Lu Yuan was an Evil Soul Master and warned them to stop disrupting the matches. Lu Yuan forced Wang Yan and Shrek’s students to apologize publicly to the Abyss Cult, leaving Huo Yuhao furious and Shrek humiliated before the crowd.

  • Ju Zi ruled that Shrek had to provide evidence against Lu Yuan or stop disrupting the tournament, and warned that continued protests could get the academy disqualified.
  • Huo Yuhao demanded that Lu Yuan be arrested for investigation, but the crowd mocked him and other teams urged Shrek to let the matches proceed.
  • Wang Yan called the Shrek students back to their seats, but Lu Yuan demanded a public apology for their accusations and their reaction to losing.
  • Lu Yuan summoned the Lord of Eroded Primal Fire and used his nine Soul Rings to pressure Wang Yan until he agreed to apologize.
  • Wang Yan led Shrek’s seven students onto the stage and apologized to Lu Yuan and the Abyss Cult, while the crowd cheered and Huo Yuhao clenched his bleeding fists.

Ch. 173Holding On to Second Place-Even That Had Contenders?

Lu Yuan forced Shrek Academy to apologize and sign an IOU for ten million gold soul coins, while the humiliation spread across Mingdu. On the tournament’s rest day, he learned that Meng Hongchen and the other teams were training hard to secure second place, then spent the afternoon with Ji Juechen and Jing Ziyan.

  • Lu Yuan pressured Wang Yan and the Shrek students into signing an IOU for ten million gold soul coins in mental damages.
  • The tournament broadcast replayed Shrek’s apology across Mingdu, and spectators celebrated the Abyss Cult’s victory and Shrek’s humiliation.
  • The Abyss Cult advanced to the round-robin tournament undefeated after winning all three knockout matches.
  • Meng Hongchen told Lu Yuan, Gu Qiu'er, and Xiao Xiao that she and her brother were training through the rest day because many teams were contending for second place.
  • Lu Yuan, Gu Qiu'er, and Xiao Xiao invited Ji Juechen and Jing Ziyan to spend the afternoon with them.
  • Lu Yuan defeated Ji Juechen in two sparring matches, and Ji Juechen left in high spirits, eager to study what he had learned.

Ch. 174Killing the Donkey Once the Grinding Is Done

Lu Yuan met with Wang Chun'er, praised her for undermining Shrek's unity, and told her to leave the academy after the tournament. Huo Yuhao misunderstood their meeting and confronted Lu Yuan, while the chapter ended with Lu Yuan seeking comfort from Bi Ji and Gu Qiu'er and Xiao Xiao waiting for him.

  • Lu Yuan met Wang Chun'er in the hotel lobby, heard how she had weakened the Shrek team and distracted Huo Yuhao, and told her she could return to the Star Dou Forest after the tournament.
  • Huo Yuhao saw Lu Yuan and Wang Chun'er together, assumed Lu Yuan had bullied her, and angrily confronted him despite He Caitou and the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm warning him to back off.
  • Wang Chun'er pretended to be hurt and urged Huo Yuhao to leave, and Huo Yuhao took her away after threatening Lu Yuan.
  • Lu Yuan considered making Wang Chun'er Xiao Xiao's ninth Soul Ring, then put the thought aside and went to Bi Ji's room for a hug.
  • Gu Qiu'er and Xiao Xiao waited in their room and wondered where Lu Yuan had gone.

Ch. 175The Group Round-Robin Tournament

The round-robin draw placed the Abyss Cult, Shrek Academy, and several other strong teams together in Group One, while Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy received a far easier group. Star Luo National Academy drew the Abyss Cult for its first match, and Xu Jiujiu planned to concede the individual bouts and rely on a charged soul cannon in the team battle.

  • The tournament organizers drew the groups, placing the Abyss Cult, Shrek Academy, the Snow Demon Sect, and other strong teams in Group One and Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy in Group Three.
  • Lu Yuan suspected the draw had been rigged and considered causing trouble for Xu Tianran, while Jing Hongchen worried about Lu Yuan's intentions.
  • Gu Qiu'er drew Star Luo National Academy as the Abyss Cult's first opponent, and Xu Jiujiu resigned herself to facing them.
  • Xu Jiujiu ordered her team to concede the individual elimination matches and use Star's Guardian to protect teammates while they prepared a high-grade soul cannon for the team battle.
  • Star Luo National Academy's members praised Xu Jiujiu's plan, though she remained uneasy about it.
Arc 7 of 8