Barak's Old Debts

On the day the Promotion Tournament began, the training grounds at the center of the Royal Hunting Grounds opened early.

The competition venue was a circular open space with a diameter of thirty meters. There was no elevated platform like in the Preliminary Tournament, nor were there any complex Soul Power protective shields around it. A ring of red flags was planted around the outer edge of the venue, and leaving the area within the red flags meant losing.

Xue Ye sat on the temporary platform erected on the north side, with Xue Qinghe, Ning Fengzhi, and Salas also present. Five hundred Royal Knights surrounded the training ground, while the other thirteen academy teams sat on either side according to the order drawn by lot.

Shrek and Barak were the second match of the day.

The first match was between the Blazing Fire Academy and a team from Duchy. Huo Wu was scheduled to go second. Her first teammate had just won, but voluntarily conceded defeat due to exhaustion of Soul Power.

After entering the arena, Huo Wu defeated four opponents in a row.

Her Fire Resistance Ring is especially powerful in singles matches. As soon as an opponent steps into its range, they will be completely knocked off the field. If the level difference is less than ten levels, it is very difficult to resist it head-on.

In the end, the two couldn't even force her to use Huo Wu's Sunflare.

When Huo Wu walked out of the competition venue, she first glanced at Tang San, then fixed her gaze on Yuan Yu.

Yuan Yu waved his Wine Gourd at her as a congratulatory gesture.

Feng Xiaotian, who was sitting in his seat at the Godwind Academy, immediately moved forward to block Huo Wu's view when he saw this action.

Ma Hongjun chuckled, "If Feng Xiaotian put all that effort into cultivation, he might actually be able to unleash the thirty-sixth strike last time."

The first match ended, and Shrek and Barak stood up at the same time.

Tai Long strode to the center of the field.

He wasn't wearing his usual tight-fitting school uniform today; instead, he wore a shorter top that allowed for more movement. After the Mighty Gorilla Martial Soul Possession, his shoulders, back, and arms rapidly expanded, and three Spirit Ring —yellow, yellow, and purple—rose from beneath his feet.

Barak's starting lineup only has three rings, and their Martial Soul is the Iron-Stem Flower.

His hands transformed into two dark green flower stems covered in short thorns. As soon as the Referee announced the start, the flower stems lashed out at Tai Long's ankles, trying to trip him.

Tai Long took a step forward and grabbed the flower stem with both hands at the same time.

The short thorns pierced his palm, leaving only a few white spots. He roared and forcefully pulled his opponent off the ground.

Barak's team immediately removed the flower stem and then released an iron leaf in front of them.

The blades were sharp, slicing repeatedly across Tai Long's chest. Tai Long shielded his face, not even retreating, charging forward despite the blades, and shoving someone off the red flag with his shoulder.

In the first match, Tai Long won.

The second player Barak, is level 38, and his Martial Soul is Dandelion. White seeds cover the field, and each seed can absorb a small amount of Soul Power.

Tai Long didn't chase after the seed floating in the air. He activated his first Soul Skill, his power increased again, and he bent down to pick up a hundred-pound stone from the ground.

The opponent's expression immediately changed.

Tai Long doesn't have long-range Soul Skill, but he can throw them.

The stone whistled through the air and hurtled towards the right side of the arena, forcing the Dandelion Soul Master to dodge hastily. Meanwhile, Tai Long circled around to the left, around the densest area of seeds, and punched his opponent in the abdomen before he could regain his footing.

They won against two opponents in a row.

Tai Long had several cuts on his chest from the iron blade, but he still had nearly 60% of his Soul Power left. He punched Shrek Academy in the face and remained on the field.

Barak's third person Karo, a level 39 Agility Attack type Soul Elder, Martial Soul is Golden Needle Flower.

After he entered the ring, he kept circling around Tai Long, his golden needles aimed specifically at the back of the knees, wrists, and eyes.

Tai Long shielded his vitals and took four needles with his bare hands. When Karo entered the five-meter range for the third time, he slammed his fist into the ground.

The earth and rocks cracked, and Karo's feet wobbled.

Tai Long bumped into him, wrapped his arms around his waist, lifted him above his head, and threw him off the court in one breath.

When the Referee announced the third win, Tai Long's right knee buckled slightly.

A flower needle was stuck below the knee, with a small drop of blue sap still attached to the end of the needle.

In the rest area of the Barak Academy, several teachers leading the group were already getting restless.

They originally thought Shrek would send out the Seven-Ring Soul Sage directly, with the other six just filling in. No one expected that Tai Long, who rarely appeared before, would win three consecutive victories with the simplest strength and judgment.

The surrounding colleges also began to review Shrek's roster again.

The team's perfect record of 15 wins in the Preliminary Tournament rounds was clearly not solely due to Yuan Yu and Tang San.

Tang San stood up and glanced at it. "It has a paralyzing effect. Tai Long, get off the field."

Tai Long wanted to say he could still play, but his right leg was already giving way. He didn't push himself and signaled to the Referee that he was conceding defeat.

Jiang Zhu immediately rushed forward and used her healing Soul Skill to stabilize the wound. Tang San then used his Mysterious Jade Hands to pull out the flower needle and smelled the blue sap on it.

"It's just a common plant narcotic; you'll recover after two hours of rest."

Relieved, Tai Long called out to Jing Ling, who had just appeared, "Their remaining flowers are more troublesome than the ones before!"

Dai Mubai patted him on the shoulder. "Three wins in a row, that's enough. Leave the rest to us."

Jing Ling was tall and slender. After Martial Soul Possession, her speed immediately increased.

Barak's fourth opponent was a level 38 control-type Soul Master whose Martial Soul was the Silk Tree Flower. As soon as the pink flowers spread across the field, Jing Ling held her breath and cut in from a blind spot outside her opponent's line of sight.

He only used two palm strikes.

The first palm strike landed on the wrist, interrupting the release of pollen. The second palm strike stopped in front of the opponent's head, Referee immediately declared the winner.

Barak has three men left.

Aor Bai the fifth to appear.

Four Spirit Ring— yellow, yellow, purple, and purple—rose around him, and the Soul Power of the level 41 control-type Battle Soul Ancestor immediately overwhelmed Jing Ling.

His Martial Soul is a Groundspike Flower.

The flower was only the size of a bowl when it bloomed, but its roots spread rapidly underground. Jing Ling took a step to the left, and three sharp thorns emerged from where he landed.

He changed direction repeatedly, and the spiked object chased after him.

Aor Bai didn't need to turn around; he only needed to determine Jing Ling's location based on the vibrations transmitted back from the roots. After the fourth Spirit Ring lit up, more than ten earth spikes broke through the ground at the same time, blocking all of Jing Ling's escape routes.

Jing Ling bent her body as low as possible and passed between the two spikes, but still got a cut on her shoulder.

He wanted to continue his attack, but his right foot got tangled in a root that was growing out of the ground.

With a flick of his arm, Aor Bai pulled Jing Ling off the field.

Jing Ling twisted in mid-air, severing the roots with his palm strike, but he landed outside the red flag area.

"Barak Academy wins."

Aor Bai looked in Shrek's direction.

"Your turn, you're the one at level 75."

Yuan Yu got up from his seat and handed the Wine Gourd to Xiao Wu.

"Here you go."

Xiao Wu took the gourd. "Don't rush, let him finish using his Soul Skill."

I'll try my best.

Yuan Yu entered the arena, and his seven Spirit Ring rose one after another.

The Groundspike Flower beneath Aor Bai's feet had just unfurled when their petals froze for a moment before the presence of his level 75 Soul Power.