I Won't Hold Back

Ma Xiaotao frowned slightly. "At first, I thought he only had a wind-attribute martial soul. Now it's clear that's not the case at all."

Yan Shaozhe's brows drew together. "I don't know how that kid suddenly awakened."

"But from what I can sense, that blade of his may have more than just those two attributes."

"And throughout today's match, he was clearly holding back. He never went all out."

He shook his head. "Back at the academy, his higher Soul Power Level and skill with a blade let him barely stay ahead of the other students in his year."

"But since his martial soul changed, he's gained plenty of strange new abilities and seems to have set aside his swordsmanship. That may not be a good thing."

"Whatever the case, his low Soul Power Level remains a serious weakness. You and Dai Yueheng still have the advantage."

Ma Xiaotao nodded. "I feel like I'm about to break through to level sixty-eight. Against an overwhelming gap in raw strength, all those flashy abilities are useless."

In another corner of the spectator stands, two figures sat together, speaking quietly.

"Your health isn't good, sis. Why come in person?" the man asked with concern.

The woman shook her head, her brow faintly furrowed. "I couldn't put my mind at ease. Since I was in Star Luo City anyway, I came to take a look."

"Who would've thought that insignificant little insect would develop such talent? If we don't deal with him soon, he'll become a serious threat."

"What surprised me even more was that the people I sent last time failed too. That only made me more curious about them."

The man sighed. "If you'd told the family earlier, we would've taken care of it. Don't worry."

The woman gave a faint smile. Her gaze settled on the young man above the arena, and a glint flickered in her eyes.

"That should be his cousin, shouldn't it? Judging by his strength, even an ordinary Soul Emperor might not be able to take him down."

"He truly is a rare genius. His talent defies all reason."

The man nodded. "Exactly. And that talent is precisely his mistake."

"If he were mediocre, we wouldn't bother with him."

The woman sighed. "If I'd known, I should have... Never mind. There's no point talking about it now."

"I hear that boy has already joined the Body Sect. That makes things a little troublesome."

The man's eyes darkened. "It doesn't matter. He can't stay under the Body Sect's protection every moment of his life."

"Assassination is what our family does best..."

That afternoon, the second match began.

Shrek Academy faced the host, Star Luo Royal Academy.

But there was almost no suspense.

"White Tiger Meteor Shower!"

"Boom!"

Silvery-white orbs rained from the sky like countless falling meteors, engulfing the entire arena.

The ground shook violently. Stone fragments flew, and the crushing force made the air roar.

Star Luo's defensive Soul Tools overloaded and collapsed in an instant, scattering the entire team's formation.

Right behind them, Ma Xiaotao's gaze turned cold. The flaming phantom of the Evil Fire Phoenix soared into the sky.

"Phoenix Meteor Shower!"

Black-and-red fireballs poured down, mingling with the silvery rain of the White Tiger Meteor Shower.

Scorching waves swept across the arena. The cracked stone tiles melted in an instant under the heat, and the air turned stifling.

Crushed beneath the two soul skills, the Star Luo Royal Academy team had no strength to resist. Their Soul Power shields shattered instantly, leaving them to retreat in disarray.

The entire fight lasted only a few minutes before every member of the Star Luo team lost the ability to fight.

The spectators erupted. Everyone had now witnessed the terrifying dominance of Shrek's two Soul Emperors.

Many privately marveled that, had Shrek's starting team not suffered an earlier mishap, even Just Sky Academy and Sun Moon Academy might have struggled to stand against them.

After a night's rest, the individual elimination matches for the final four began the next day.

Yesterday's team defeat had left the entire Sun Moon team looking grim.

Even Xiao Hongchen, usually so arrogant, sat with his eyes closed, quietly regulating his breathing, his expression tense.

A teammate murmured, "We absolutely can't lose again today..."

Xiao Hongchen snorted and opened his eyes. "Relax. We won't."

"We underestimated them in the team match yesterday. They caught us off guard with a trick and threw off our rhythm. But today is an individual match. Those cheap tactics won't work anymore."

His gaze turned icy as he glared toward Xu Sanshi on Just Sky Academy's side.

Xu Sanshi was listening idly to Song Que's analysis when he suddenly felt someone staring at him.

He turned and met Xiao Hongchen's dark glare. With a chuckle, he promptly raised his middle finger, sending Xiao Hongchen into a rage on the spot.

"Xu Sanshi, quit fooling around and listen to the plan," Song Que said helplessly.

Xu Sanshi pursed his lips. "Yeah, yeah, I know."

"But didn't you say we should conserve our strength? Seems to me you could just go up there and beat all seven of them yourself."

Song Que paused, then laughed. "You guessed it. I did put myself first."

"Our order for the individual matches is me, Ye Wuqing, Yu Mengdi, Tang Xiaolei, Tang Ya, Xu Sanshi, then Bei Bei."

Before long, both teams took their places on the stage.

To Song Que's surprise, Sun Moon's first fighter was Meng Hongchen.

Song Que raised an eyebrow. "I thought Xiao Hongchen would go first. He looked pretty unhappy yesterday."

Meng Hongchen smiled sweetly at the young man before her. "What's wrong, Brother Song Que? Don't you want to see me?"

"It's not that." Song Que shook his head. "I'm just a little surprised."

"And against you, I can't afford to hold back."

Meng Hongchen laughed teasingly. "Surely not? Are you really going to be so cruel to a girl, Brother Song Que?"

"I'm afraid I have to." Song Que smiled. "If you use the Ice-Fire Poison Dragon Drill, I won't be able to withstand it."

Meng Hongchen's heart jolted. She stared at Song Que in astonishment.

She had never imagined he knew her secret technique, and her thoughts fell into disarray.

How is that possible? How does he know? I've never used that move before.

Song Que shook his head. Others might not know, but he did.

In yesterday's match, she had only used Soul Tools to attack in coordination with the team's formation. She hadn't come close to showing her true strength.

Perhaps she had been afraid of hurting her teammates by accident. Or perhaps she had deliberately kept it hidden for today's match.

Either way, with her full set of Soul Tool support equipment and the deadly poison of the Vermilion-Eyed Ice Toad, Meng Hongchen was, in some ways, one of the hardest members of the Sun Moon team to deal with.

The two took their positions. The referee raised a hand and called for the match to begin.

But the instant the fight started, Song Que turned away. Carrying his Zanpakutō, he walked slowly toward the edge of the arena.

Meng Hongchen stopped just as she was about to attack and stared at him in confusion.

Song Que glanced back at her. "I owe you an apology, Meng Hongchen. You're too dangerous. I won't hold back in this fight."