The Humiliated Reserve Team and the Terrifying Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion

In the hotel conference room.

"Chi Hong! Zhengtian Academy has three Soul Kings and four Soul Ancestors! We drew a seven-person team battle, and you still want to go in alone? It's far too risky!"

Wang Yan planted both hands on the table and shouted anxiously.

Chi Hong folded his arms, his expression calm.

"Teacher Wang Yan, I told you the others would only get in my way. As for Zhengtian Academy, they're just a stepping stone on my way to the championship."

A team battle against three Soul Kings and four Soul Ancestors was perfect for bringing out Greninja's potential. He couldn't let anyone else spoil it.

Wang Yan hesitated.

"Still... one against seven is too much. Why not let a few others go in to support you? They wouldn't have to act at first."

His teaching career had become a nightmare. The starting lineup was injured and unable to compete, and now the Reserve Team was at odds with each other and unwilling to cooperate.

Dai Huabin finally lost patience. No one wanted to fight more than he did.

He turned to Chi Hong.

"You selfish bastard! You want all the glory and cheers for yourself, and you don't care about the academy's honor. Are you even fit to be a Shrek student?"

"Huabin, don't talk like that."

The injured Dai Yueheng frowned.

Though he stopped his brother aloud, he still wanted Huabin to take the field. His brother could compete in his place and win some honor for the White Tiger Duke's household.

Beibei stepped in to smooth things over.

"We're comrades fighting side by side. Let's not quarrel."

He smiled at Chi Hong.

"Chi Hong, maybe you should trust us for once. Trusting your teammates will take us farther."

Chi Hong glanced around. The others said nothing, but their expressions made it clear they wanted to fight too.

After all, Shrek's glory was all they could think about.

"Phew—"

Chi Hong breathed out softly. Without answering anyone, he walked toward the door.

With every step, the temperature in the conference room plunged.

"Wait, Chi Hong. Hear us—"

Wang Yan reached out, then shuddered violently. His throat went painfully dry, and breathing became quick and difficult.

"Wh-what's happening?"

Wang Yan's teeth chattered from the cold.

He looked around and found everyone else in the same state.

Wang Dong hugged his arms around himself.

"That's strange. Why did it suddenly get so cold?"

A few seconds later, the temperature dropped even further.

Ice crystals formed on the walls, while tiny flakes of frost drifted through the air.

Ma Xiaotao and Ling Luocheng both recognized where that familiar aura came from. But this cold was far stronger. It suppressed them so thoroughly that neither woman even wanted to release her Martial Soul.

"It's you!"

Beibei realized what was happening and pointed a trembling finger at Chi Hong.

Everyone looked over. With each step Chi Hong took, ice spread beneath his feet, racing across the entire conference room.

"Ultimate Ice. You have Ultimate Ice too?!"

Dai Yueheng's eyes widened, but his body had gone stiff. Even with his cultivation, he struggled to circulate his Soul Power.

The Reserve Team fared even worse.

Zhu Lu sank to her knees in the cold and instinctively reached for her fiancé beside her.

Dai Huabin was fighting to stay upright. The cold seemed to be targeting him deliberately, and his legs trembled uncontrollably.

When Zhu Lu tried to steady him, he could hold out no longer. His knees buckled, and he dropped to the floor.

Dai Huabin's eyes reddened as he roared,

"Who told you to touch me, bitch?!"

Kneeling brought back an ugly memory, and he lost control of his emotions again.

Xu Sanshi and Beibei released their Martial Souls and gritted their teeth against the cold. The Black Tortoise and Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon struggled with all their might.

But this was more than the pinnacle of ice. It carried the ferocity of a supreme beast.

Chi Hong stepped through the doorway and looked back. Nothing but indifference remained in his jade-green eyes.

"If you want to fight, go ahead. Follow me."

It was only a casual glance.

Yet everyone felt as though a hand had clenched around their hearts. Their hearts stopped for an instant, then hammered wildly.

In that moment, they all saw that terrifying jade-green figure.

The absolute ruler at the top of the food chain gazed down upon them like ants.

"The Ice... the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion."

Ice coated Wang Yan's glasses, but he recognized it all the same.

"What... was that?"

Beibei had to brace himself against the table to keep from falling. Fear still gripped him.

"The Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion, second among the Three Heavenly Kings of the Far North! A four-hundred-thousand-year-old Ferocious Beast, ranked eighth! I never imagined Chi Hong had Twin Martial Souls!"

Wang Yan was both delighted and worried.

Chi Hong was even stronger than he had thought, but what if this completely shattered the Reserve Team's confidence?

After all, what Chi Hong had done was humiliating.

"Damn it."

Dai Huabin slammed his fist into the floor. Tears of humiliation welled in his eyes, but the moment they appeared, they froze against his eyes, making him feel even worse.

He wasn't alone. Every Reserve Team member had taken a crushing blow. They had thought they could help Chi Hong.

Instead, they couldn't even walk onto the Soul Arena.

For these proud talents, already stung by defeat, it was another bitter setback.

At the Soul Arena.

Chi Hong stood at the front with his hands behind his back.

Greninja and Lucario stood on either side of him.

Ye Wuqing, the captain of Zhengtian Academy's team, frowned.

"Chi Hong, even against a team with three Soul Kings, Shrek is sending only you? That's absurdly arrogant!"

Chi Hong smiled faintly.

"Enough talk. All of you, come at me together."

Ye Wuqing's expression turned cold.

"Hmph. Today, Shrek will fall to Zhengtian Academy. Everyone, release your Martial Souls!"

The entire Zhengtai Team released their Martial Souls. The pressure of three Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings spread through the arena, fierce and overwhelming.

"Wow, another one-against-seven fight. Is this guy really that brave? Even you couldn't do that, could you, Brother?"

Curiosity flashed in Meng Hongchen's eyes.

"Hah. He's just relying on the advantage of his Martial Soul. I'll prove that I'm the greatest genius on the entire continent!"

Xiao Hongchen's mouth twitched, but he stubbornly held his ground.

Chi Hong swept out his hand and called,

"Lucario, stack Swords Dance. Greninja, use Double Team and disrupt them."

"Greninja!"

Greninja answered and sprinted forward, forming hand signs as he ran. Several illusions appeared in an instant and charged alongside him.

"A cheap trick."

Shangguan Can sneered from the opposing side. As a spiritual-type support Soul Master, he only needed a single sweep to dispel illusions like these.

But when his broad Spiritual Shock swept across all seven figures, his Inner Focus registered nothing at all.

"Shangguan, have you found the real one?"

Ye Wuqing called out, his eyes scanning the arena, ready to lock onto his target.

"No! They're immune to my Inner Focus! I can't find the real one!"

Shangguan Can cried out.

By then, Greninja's figures had surrounded all seven of them.

"Same as always. Open with Smokescreen."