I Won't Hold Back

Ma Xiaotao frowned. "At first, I thought he only had a wind-type Martial Soul. Now it's clear that isn't the case at all."

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

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

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

He shook his head. "Back at the academy, he barely stayed ahead of the other students in his year thanks to his higher Soul Power Level and skill with a blade."

"But since his Martial Soul changed, he's gained plenty of strange new abilities. He also seems to have set aside his swordsmanship, and 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 can feel that I'm about to reach level sixty-eight. Against an overwhelming advantage in level and strength, all those fancy tricks are useless."

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

"Sister, you're not well. Why did you come in person?" the man asked with concern.

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

"Who would've thought that insignificant little wretch would turn out to be so talented? 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. That's made me even more curious about them."

The man sighed. "If you'd told the family sooner, we would've handled it for you. Don't worry."

The woman smiled faintly. Her gaze settled on the young man on the arena, her eyes glinting.

"That must be his cousin, right? Judging by his strength, even an ordinary Soul Emperor might not be able to defeat him."

"He really is a rare genius. His talent is extraordinary."

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

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

The woman sighed. "If I'd known back then, I should have... Never mind. There's no point dwelling on it."

"I heard that boy has already joined the Body Sect. That makes things tricky."

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

"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 masses of light fell from the sky like countless meteors, covering the entire arena.

The ground shook violently. Fragments of stone flew in every direction, and the air thundered beneath the crushing force.

The Star Luo Team's Defensive Soul Tools overloaded and collapsed in an instant, shattering their formation.

Ma Xiaotao's eyes turned cold. A fiery phantom of the Evil Fire Phoenix soared into the sky.

"Phoenix Meteor Shower!"

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

Scorching waves swept across the arena. The cracked stone tiles melted under the heat, and the air grew stifling.

Crushed by the two Soul Skills, the Star Luo Academy fighters had no way to resist. Their Soul Power shields shattered instantly, and they could only retreat in disarray.

Within minutes, every member of the Star Luo Team had lost the ability to fight.

The spectators erupted. Everyone had seen for themselves how terrifying Shrek's two Soul Emperors were.

Many privately wondered whether Just Sky Academy or Sun Moon Academy could have stood against Shrek if its starting lineup had not met with disaster.

After a night's rest, the individual elimination matches of the semifinals began the next day.

Yesterday's Team Battle loss had left the entire Sun Moon Team grim-faced.

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

The teammates murmured among themselves. "We absolutely can't lose again today..."

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

"Yesterday, we underestimated them and let them catch us off guard. They disrupted our rhythm. But today's an individual match. Those underhanded tricks won't work anymore."

With that, he shot Xu Sanshi, on the Just Sky Academy side, a vicious glare.

Xu Sanshi was halfheartedly listening to Song Que explain his analysis when he felt someone staring at him.

He turned to meet Xiao Hongchen's dark glare, grinned, and raised his middle finger. Xiao Hongchen seethed with rage.

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

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

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

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

"For this individual match, our order is me, Ye Wuqing, Yu Mengdi, Tang Xiaolei, Tang Ya, Xu Sanshi, then Bei Bei."

Before long, the fighters from both sides took their places on the arena.

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

Song Que raised an eyebrow. "I thought Xiao Hongchen would go first. He certainly didn't look happy about yesterday."

Meng Hongchen looked at him with smiling eyes. "What's wrong, Brother Song Que? Aren't you happy to see me?"

"That's not it." Song Que shook his head. "I'm just surprised."

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

Meng Hongchen laughed teasingly. "Is it really that serious? Are you going to be so cruel to a delicate flower, Brother Song Que?"

"I'm afraid so," Song Que replied with a smile. "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 signature technique. For a moment, her thoughts were in disarray.

How is that possible? How does he know? I've never shown anyone that move!

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 her team's formation. She had come nowhere close to showing her true strength.

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

Either way, with all her support Soul Tools and the deadly venom of the Vermilion-Eyed Ice Toad, Meng Hongchen was arguably one of the most troublesome members of the Sun Moon Team.

Both fighters took their positions. The Referee raised a hand and called for the match to begin.

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

Meng Hongchen was about to attack, but she stopped and stared at him in confusion.

Song Que glanced back at her. "I'm sorry, Meng Hongchen. You're too dangerous. I won't hold back in this fight."