Twenty-Three Seconds

The sound of the blade leaving its sheath was very soft.

The Agility-type Soul Master was rushing towards Jiang Zhu changed direction halfway there.

A stream of water wrapped around his waist, gently lifting him to the right. He swung his claws to try and cut the water, but the wind had already caught his wrists, preventing him from even raising his Martial Soul.

Another Agility Attack pounced on Tang San's back, only to find a scabbard suddenly appearing before him.

Yuan Yu stood beside Tang San, his sword sheath pressed against Tang San's shoulder.

"Go back."

As the Wind Pattern lit up, the Soul Master sent flying backwards along the path he had come from, crashing right into the arms of the Ironclad Lion Soul Master who had just gotten up. The two tumbled together, sliding to the edge of the arena before coming to a stop.

The timer has ticked down to nineteen seconds.

The Royal Second Team's control-type Soul Master's expression turned even uglier upon seeing this. His Fourth Spirit Skill could only temporarily stiffen the Blue Silver Grass; after Tang San re-injected his Soul Power, the vines on the arena had regained their vitality.

"Charge out with all your might!"

The seven team members could no longer care about their formation. Those who could move released their Soul Skill at the same time. Flames, fist shadows, and several beast-shaped Soul Power were squeezed together and rushed straight towards the back row of Shrek.

Yuan Yu gripped the Sun Wheel Blade in reverse, and Water Pattern flowed from the back of the blade to its tip.

"Water Breathing - Third Form, Flowing Dance"

Clear water followed his steps around half the arena. The blade did not touch anyone's body, but passed between the seven Soul Skills. Crimson Flame was carried up by the water, the force of his fist hit the Rock Wall, and the remaining Soul Power attack was also deflected in the flowing water curtain.

Explosions rang out one after another outside the arena.

The seven Shrek members stood in the middle of the water, without changing their positions.

Tang San tightened his right hand.

Blue Silver Grass rose from the water and once again entangled the waists and legs of all the Royal Second Team members. The current made the Bluestone slippery, and several team members lost their balance at the same time.

"Boss Dai."

"Leave it to me!"

Behind Dai Mubai, the phantom of White Tiger raised its claws. White Tiger Fierce Light Wave swept over the crowd and slammed into the Rock Wall behind the Royal Second Team. The intense shockwave bounced back from the wall, throwing all seven people off balance.

Xiao Wu and Jing Ling, one on each side, kicked the two Agility Attack who were trying to get up off the stage. Tai Long grabbed the Mighty Ape Soul Master's belt, lifted him over his head, and placed him outside the boundary.

He originally intended to throw it, but remembering Qin Ming's pre-match emphasis that he shouldn't intentionally injure his opponent, he changed his mind and let it go.

The movements were a bit clumsy, but the effect was quite clear.

The captain of the Royal Second Team knelt on the ground, most of the armor plates on his arms shattered. He looked up at Yuan Yu, his eyes still filled with resentment.

"You weren't even using your full strength."

Yuan Yu sheathed his Sun Wheel Blade: "You didn't even let me use it."

The captain's face turned pale and then red, and he tried to stand up. Tang San's Blue Silver Grass had already wrapped around his wrist, firmly pressing him back to the ground.

The Referee glanced at the seven Royal Academy Team Member lying on and off the stage, then raised his hand to stop the match.

Shrek Academy wins the First Round of the Preliminary Tournament!

The Soul Tool stopped.

Twenty-three seconds.

The Great Soul Arena fell silent briefly before being completely drowned out by shouts.

Many viewers were expecting to see how a level 65 Soul Emperor would single-handedly crush seven Soul Elders, but Shrek's answer was even more surprising than a solo sweep. Yuan Yu was only responsible for sealing the field and receiving the final burst of power, Tang San completed the control, and Dai Mubai, Xiao Wu, Tai Long, and Jing Ling were responsible for defeating them.

From the beginning to the end, the seven people never changed their positions once.

The emcee paused for a few moments before picking up the Amplifying Soul Tool again.

"Twenty-three seconds! Shrek Academy wins the first match of this Preliminary Tournament in just twenty-three seconds!"

The Medical Soul Master at the edge of the main arena immediately entered the arena. The seven members of the Royal Second Team looked disheveled from the fall, with most of their injuries coming from the shock and the impact after losing their balance. Before leaving the arena, Jiang Zhu gave the Mighty Ape Soul Master a second treatment to prevent him from twisting his back when Tai Long put him off the field.

Tai Long looked a little embarrassed and said, "I've already put it very lightly."

Jiang Zhu put away the Scepter: "He's heavier than you, so he landed on his waist first. It'll be easier to throw him next time; at least he can adjust his posture himself."

"Teacher Qin will not allow the opponent to be seriously injured."

"I didn't tell you to throw it on your head."

Jing Ling chuckled beside him. Tai Long scratched the back of his head and decided to go back to the academy to find some stones to practice how to safely send people across the border.

The Royal Second Team's Healing Soul Master checked on his teammates and nodded to Jiang Zhu. The two sides fought quickly on the field and did not continue to argue after leaving the arena. The captain who had boasted at the Registration Office looked grim, but still handed over the most seriously injured teammate to the medical staff first, and walked last himself.

This improved Dai Mubai's impression of him slightly.

Losing a match is okay, you can go back and practice again. Only someone who doesn't care about their teammates deserves to be a captain. Dai Mubai didn't go forward to comfort him, but simply nodded to the young man as they left the field. The young man paused for a moment, then raised his hand to return the gesture.

Inside the Shrek Academy spectator area, Ma Hongjun was laughing so hard he could barely stand.

"One minute? They didn't even last half a minute."

Oscar handed the Wine Gourd to Ning Rongrong: "Keep an eye on this. Yuan Yu will definitely look for this first when he comes back."

"I didn't steal any water."

"The fat guy was trying to sneak a drink just now."

"Oscar!"

The two were bickering, with Flender standing at the front, trying to suppress his smirk several times. Shrek had made a name for itself in their first match, and sponsorships, enrollment, and the academy's reputation would follow suit.

In the VIP section, Xue Ye's eyes showed a hint of approval.

"Sect Master Ning has his eye on Shrek?"

Ning Fengzhi smiled and said, "His Majesty has already seen it."

"A level 65 Soul Emperor, a 10,000-year-old fourth-ring Soul Master, plus the team's coordination. Qinghe, you've had contact with Shrek, how far do you think they can go?"

Xue Qinghe stood up and replied, "It will be difficult to stop them in the Preliminary Tournament. The Finals still have the Spirit Hall Academy and the Star Luo Royal Academy; the outcome will only be known after they face each other."

Salas glanced at him sideways.

There's nothing wrong with this answer. The Crown Prince neither excessively praised Shrek nor failed to acknowledge their strength.

Amidst shouts, the seven members of Shrek stepped down from the main arena. The captain of the Heaven Dou Second Team, supported by his teammates, paused briefly as he passed Yuan Yu.

"Next time, I won't underestimate you again."

Yuan Yu glanced at him. "Focus on healing your injuries first. Next time we talk about time, remember to give yourself some extra time."

The young man opened his mouth, but in the end said nothing and left with a dark expression.

Back in the lounge, Ning Rongrong tossed the Wine Gourd over.

Yuan Yu reached out and caught it, shaking it twice. "Why is it missing?"

Ma Hongjun immediately pointed at Oscar: "He drank it."

"I've been holding it the whole time!" Oscar almost jumped up.

Just as the laughter began, a soft sound came from Yuan Yu's waist.

It's very thin, like a crack appearing on metal after being hit hard.

He bent down and drew his Sun Wheel Blade.

Six fine, hair-like lines appeared on the surface of the blade, extending precisely along the six elemental patterns of water, fire, lightning, wind, rock, and mist. Yuan Yu touched them with his finger but couldn't feel any cracks.

The six lines lit up simultaneously, sinking deeper into the blade.