Eight Against Eight, the Official Shrek Seven Devils Team!

Just as Huo Yuhao was about to hit the ground outside the arena, Xuan Zi flashed over and caught him.

"Huo Yuhao, eliminated." Xuan Zi put away his chicken leg and announced the result.

Huo Yuhao landed outside the arena and stared blankly into the combat area.

He had endured countless hardships, even risking severe injury to obtain his second martial soul. He had thought he finally had what it took to make a name for himself in this selection. Instead, before he had even figured out its true purpose, Gu Mingyuan had knocked him out with a single palm strike.

In the Sea of Spirit, Yu Xiaogang fumed. "Gu Mingyuan won unfairly! He was just relying on his higher Soul Power Level and brute force. Don't lose heart, Yuhao!"

Huo Yuhao ignored Yu Xiaogang's chatter. He simply stared into the arena at the seven figures left standing.

Xuan Zi surveyed the field, finally tossed aside the chicken bone in his hand, and clapped.

"Stop fighting."

"Gu Mingyuan, Cao Jinxuan, Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan, He Caitou, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao. You seven, stay."

Xuan Zi glanced at the unwilling look on Huo Yuhao's face outside the arena, then at Zhou Sichen, who still looked a little stiff. He added casually, "Huo Yuhao, Zhou Sichen, you two stay as well."

"Everyone else may leave."

Only after all the eliminated students had gone did Xuan Zi clear his throat and face the seven winners. Without hurry, he revealed the true purpose of the melee—

"Congratulations. From this moment on, you're the reserve team for the new generation of the Shrek Seven Devils."

Seeing their astonishment, he explained further:

"Officially, the reserve team only needs seven people. But we're about to attend the Soul Master Tournament, and Huo Yuhao's support abilities really are strong. He also has a Martial Soul Fusion Skill with Wang Dong. Zhou Sichen's summoning technique is fairly rare, too. We're taking students out to broaden their horizons anyway, so bringing two more won't hurt."

Xuan Zi took a swig of wine and gave Gu Mingyuan a meaningful look. "Besides, this isn't the final roster. Bei Bei is still lying in the infirmary, after all."

Just then, the steel doors on the other side of the Assessment Area slowly opened.

Seven students in blood-red Inner Court uniforms entered one after another. Ma Xiaotao led them, followed by Dai Yueheng, Chen Zifeng, Ling Luochen, Yao Haoxuan, Xi Xi, and Gong Yangmo.

The two groups met and briefly exchanged names, cultivation levels, and martial souls. Only then did the reserve team truly feel the pressure of the Inner Court's starting lineup: two Soul Emperors and five Soul Kings. Even the weakest among them was far beyond any Outer Court student.

Xuan Zi took a drink, then announced, "Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, you two will be captains. Pick from both the starters and the reserves, then fight a mixed-team match with no rules."

Xuan Zi had expected Gu Mingyuan, given the strength he had just shown, to be the first person both captains fought to recruit.

But Ma Xiaotao barely hesitated. She raised a finger and pointed straight at Huo Yuhao outside the arena. "I want him."

Gu Mingyuan and the others reacted, and even Xuan Zi frowned. Huo Yuhao had been eliminated in the selection. Strictly speaking, he was not on the reserve team.

"His Spiritual Detection Sharing is irreplaceable in a team battle," Ma Xiaotao said offhandedly. "And I want to see how valuable Ultimate Ice is in a real fight alongside the starters."

As she spoke, she cast Gu Mingyuan a sidelong glance. There was hostility in her eyes that she had not quite managed to hide.

Clearly, she had not forgotten how Gu Mingyuan had humiliated Huo Yuhao.

Xuan Zi saw the personal motive behind her choice but did not object. He, too, wanted to use the pressure of the starting Seven Devils to reassess Huo Yuhao's and Gu Mingyuan's combat value.

"All right." Xuan Zi nodded.

"Since Huo Yuhao is joining, Zhou Sichen can stay too. Eight against eight—just the right number. But let me make this clear: those two are only joining this match temporarily. It doesn't restore their places on the reserve team."

Both sides soon finished choosing their members.

Ma Xiaotao's team: Ma Xiaotao, Gong Yangmo, Xi Xi, Wang Dong, He Caitou, Xiao Xiao, Jiang Nannan, and Huo Yuhao.

Dai Yueheng's team: Dai Yueheng, Chen Zifeng, Ling Luochen, Yao Haoxuan, Gu Mingyuan, Cao Jinxuan, Xu Sanshi, and Zhou Sichen.

The split was not unbalanced. Ma Xiaotao's side had only three starters but five Outer Court students; Dai Yueheng's had four of each.

Still, Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection, his Martial Soul Fusion Skill, and Gong Yangmo—the Inner Court's best all-around support—were enough to close that gap.

Xuan Zi gave both sides half an hour to rest and plan their tactics.

Ma Xiaotao handed tactical command straight to Huo Yuhao, then turned to Xi Xi. "Once it starts, keep Gu Mingyuan occupied. That kid's defenses are too tough to break quickly. Just hold him there, and I'll lead the others in taking his teammates apart first."

Huo Yuhao was wary of Gu Mingyuan's overpowering fighting style, but he raised no objection. He quickly steadied himself and began arranging their attack around everyone's strengths.

On the other side, Dai Yueheng said only, "Leave Ma Xiaotao to me," before going off to prepare.

Gu Mingyuan did not bother devising an elaborate formation. He simply told those beside him, "Old Cao, stay close to me. Zhou, get your summoning setup in place as fast as you can. Senior Xu, look for an opening and disrupt their formation."

"Huo Yuhao has Spiritual Detection. He can see every move we make, so there's no point trying to hide what we're doing." Gu Mingyuan's gaze swept over the opposing team.

"We just need to land our attacks before they can react."

Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.

"Begin!"

At Xuan Zi's command, Huo Yuhao immediately activated Spiritual Detection Sharing.

An invisible mental network instantly spread across Ma Xiaotao's team.

Xi Xi, Gong Yangmo, and the other starters experiencing this remarkable skill for the first time all looked surprised. The entire battlefield became a clear three-dimensional image in their minds. They could even detect the slightest tensing of their opponents' muscles and changes in the flow of Soul Power before the attacks came.

Gong Yangmo followed by releasing his Rainbow Dragon martial soul.

Huge rainbow-colored wings unfurled behind him. Rings of red, orange, and yellow light swept over his teammates like ripples, greatly boosting their strength, Soul Power recovery, and speed.

The golden-red evil flames around Ma Xiaotao suddenly surged. She became a dazzling streak of fire and slammed straight into Dai Yueheng, who had activated White Tiger Vajra Transformation. At the two Soul Emperors' first clash, scorching waves of flame and violent white tiger Soul Power roared outward on both sides.

The melee erupted in an instant.

He Caitou set up a Heavy Soul Tool Cannon to suppress the enemy with long-range fire. Xiao Xiao's Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron crashed down, blocking their charge, while Jiang Nannan and Wang Dong darted forward from both flanks.