Scarier Than Shrek

"Sixth Soul Skill: Phoenix Meteor Shower!"

Ma Xiaotao spread her wings to their fullest. Amplified by her second and third Soul Skills, Phoenix of Rebirth and Phoenix Wing Sky Dance, her black Sixth Soul Ring shone brighter than ever.

Countless crimson fireballs formed out of thin air high above. Like meteors, each trailing a long tail of flame, they poured down toward the seven opponents.

The entire arena turned scorching hot in an instant, as though it had become a sea of hellfire.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Deafening explosions rang out one after another.

Flames surged skyward, blotting out the sun. The seven opponents vanished beneath the sea of fire.

Seeing the danger, the Referee immediately stepped in to protect them. But even as a Seven-Ring Soul Sage, he nearly failed to hold back the raging flames.

"Ma Xiaotao, stop!"

From the sidelines, Mu Jin shouted urgently, afraid she would lose control and cause serious casualties.

Fortunately, Ma Xiaotao withdrew her attack the next moment, and clarity gradually returned to her crimson eyes.

The Referee breathed a long sigh of relief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. After checking the seven opponents' injuries, he declared the match over.

"Shrek Academy wins this match!"

The stands erupted.

Some marveled at Shrek Academy's strength. Others were stunned by Ma Xiaotao's terrifying combat power.

Many also muttered that she had gone too far.

After all, of the seven from Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy, five had four rings and two had three. Their overall strength was relatively weak.

But the Shrek Team paid no attention to that.

This year's Shrek Team had suffered setback after setback, leaving most of its main lineup unable to compete. They only wanted to win as decisively as possible, intimidate the other teams, and improve their chances in the matches ahead.

High on the viewing platform, Xu Jiawei, emperor of the host Star Luo Empire, could not help but sigh at the sight.

"Shrek lives up to its name. I'd heard Dai Hao's son had already reached the level of a Soul Emperor, but I never expected this young woman to be even more formidable."

"At full power, she can't be far behind a Soul Sage."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the square, the entire Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy team looked grim.

Even Xiao Hongchen, the most arrogant among them, had lost his smile.

"Elder Ma, I don't think our information mentioned this student, did it?"

The elder leading Sun Moon Academy exhaled a puff of smoke and shook his head.

"Shrek Academy truly lives up to its reputation. Its reserves run deep."

Captain Ma Rulong scanned the Shrek Team and frowned slightly.

"Their captain from the last tournament, Dai Yueheng, doesn't seem to be here."

"Apart from that girl Ling Luochеn, the rest are unfamiliar. Most of them look rather young, too."

Xiao Hongchen snorted. "Do they think the other teams aren't worth taking seriously?"

"They look like a batch of reserves."

"They'd better not meet us in the round-robin stage. If they do, we'll make them regret it."

Elsewhere, at the Just Sky Academy viewing area, Ye Wuqing, Yu Mengdi, and the others were still marveling at Ma Xiaotao's strength.

Song Que stood off to one side, quietly speaking with Huo Yuhao.

"Any word from Sect Master Du?"

Huo Yuhao shook his head. "He hasn't appeared yet, but Senior Sister Vena and Senior Brother Ao Tian are here. I'm sure Master is nearby."

Song Que chuckled. "Good. That should keep things from getting awkward later."

"Get ready. Our match is this afternoon."

Huo Yuhao nodded.

An announcement rang out across the arena.

"Next match: Just Sky Academy versus Earth Ze Academy!"

Ye Wuqing, Yu Mengdi, Yan'er, Shangguan Can, Xu Sanshi, Wang Dong, and Huo Yuhao entered the arena one after another.

Once inside, Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xu Sanshi stood side by side at the very front of the formation. The other four took positions behind them on either flank, surrounding the three like guards.

The strange formation caused an immediate uproar. No one could make sense of Just Sky Academy's strategy.

Most striking of all were Huo Yuhao's and Wang Dong's still-childish faces.

The Earth Ze Academy team, who had been somewhat nervous, relaxed at the sight and gradually regained their confidence.

"Hey, Just Sky Academy! Are you sure about this lineup? If you send two kids up here, don't expect us to go easy on them!"

Earth Ze Academy's Soul King captain asked as if testing the waters, though he plainly feared they might change their minds.

Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong exchanged a glance. Proud smiles appeared on their faces as they gave him a cool look and said nothing.

The Referee waited no longer and announced the start of the match.

The Shrek Team watching from the sidelines looked surprised too.

Dai Huabin curled his lip. "See? They really are a No-Name Academy. They actually put Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong in the match."

Mu Jin shook his head. "I wouldn't be so sure. Ye Wuqing is still out there. Even quite a few teachers in Shrek Academy's inner court have recognized his talent. If he joined Shrek, he'd have a good chance of entering the inner court."

Dai Huabin snorted and said nothing more.

He stared coldly at Huo Yuhao in the arena, his desire to kill him growing stronger.

Beside him, Ma Xiaotao frowned slightly and turned toward Song Que below the platform, her gaze complicated.

Then a sudden wave of startled cries snapped her out of her daze. She looked up at the arena.

"How is that possible?!"

Blood-red light illuminated the entire stage in an instant, and a suffocating, terrifying pressure filled the arena.

One, two, three, four, five, six!

Six blood-red Soul Rings appeared around the boy whose face still held traces of childhood.

"A Six-Ring Soul Emperor?!"

"They're all 100,000-Year Soul Rings?!"

"How is that possible!"

The crowd erupted. Everyone stared with mouths agape, unable to believe their eyes.

At the same time, Wang Dong and Xu Sanshi, standing on either side of Huo Yuhao, revealed their own Soul Rings.

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black. Their six rings were not as explosive a sight as Huo Yuhao's blood-red ones, but they still stunned the entire arena.

"Two more Six-Ring Soul Emperors?!"

"How is that possible!"

"How is this Just Sky Academy even scarier than Shrek Academy?!"

The spectators were stunned again and again, left speechless by what they saw.

The seven from Earth Ze Academy turned deathly pale.

The Soul King captain included, they all trembled from head to toe. Their legs went weak, and they could barely stand.

The seven stood frozen, staring blankly at the blood-red halos surrounding Huo Yuhao.

The next second, the scene in the arena changed abruptly.

Huo Yuhao stepped forward, and the Soul Power within him surged at full force.

A layer of hexagonal, diamond-like ice crystals rapidly covered his body. A faint emerald glow emerged from within him and spread outward.

The enormous phantom of an Ice Empress Scorpion slowly took shape behind him.