Wang Heng and Zhou Ming had been easily crushed, so naturally, they no longer had any right to refuse. The remaining five might have had objections, but Lu Guan and his companion were strong enough, and with Long Huan Tian backing them, they kept their opinions to themselves.
Shrek certainly would not refuse either. Otherwise, wouldn't that mean they were afraid?
All that remained was to wait for the right moment-
Before the competition even began, Skysea City was already boiling over.
Three days remained until the opening of the Skysea Alliance Grand Competition. Every large soul-powered screen in the city played the same promotional clip on a loop.
The imagery was intensely provocative. Shrek Academy's green monster crest filled the entire screen.
Beneath it were bold red letters: Shrek's junior team challenges the previous competition's youth division champions across age brackets!
Blanket coverage and conversations in every street and alley revolved around this exhibition match.
"Have you heard? Shrek's sending young geniuses under fifteen this time!"
"Against our Skysea Alliance's previous youth division champions? Isn't that too big a leap? There's almost a ten-year gap!"
"What do you know? That's Shrek! The Monster Academy! Isn't challenging above their level as routine as a home-cooked meal for them?"
"If Tianhai Academy loses, where will the whole East Coast hide its face?"
"Hey, have you heard? Tianhai Academy replaced two members of the championship team with two kids."
"Ha, they're afraid of losing face, so they found two kids to take the blame. How disgraceful!"
Public opinion had been set ablaze. Even ordinary people who knew nothing about Soul Master competitions had their attention captured by the enormous spectacle.
The rooftop open-air restaurant at the Tianhai Grand Hotel.
Lu Guan cut into the fried egg on his plate and glanced up at the enormous screen mounted on the outer wall of a distant high-rise.
Shrek's publicity campaign was exactly what he had expected.
Teaching quality alone had not kept Shrek firmly seated as the continent's number-one academy. This kind of all-encompassing hype was one of the ways they maintained their position.
The Skysea Alliance's true geniuses had long since left the region.
Just like the Zhou Sisters in the original story, the truly promising youngsters in the junior division had all been taken in by Shrek.
Even if they failed to enter Shrek, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, Mingdu Academy... all those academies were far more competitive than Tianhai Academy.
The junior division was for those under fifteen, and advanced academies likewise admitted students under fifteen.
Peripheral cities like those in the Skysea Alliance existed to supply talent to the central cities.
Lu Guan lifted his glass and took a sip of water.
Unfortunately, this time, they had chosen the wrong stepping stone.
Lu Guan gazed at the name Shrek on the screen, his eyes utterly calm.
"Keep building yourselves up. The higher, the better. The louder Shrek's name rings out, the greater the crash when you fall."
"This time, all your hype will be a wedding gown sewn for the Body Sect."
Every one of Tianhai Stadium's hundred thousand seats was occupied.
The roar of the crowd threatened to tear the roof off.
On the four enormous soul-powered screens at the center of the arena, Shrek Academy's iconic green monster crest flashed relentlessly.
"Shrek!"
"Shrek!"
The spectators in the stands shouted themselves hoarse, utterly unconcerned that this was the Skysea Alliance's home turf. On the Douluo Continent, the name Shrek was a faith in itself.
On the second floor, in Eastsea Academy's designated viewing area.
Dressed entirely in white, Wu Changkong rested both hands on the railing and watched the seething arena below.
Soft footsteps approached from behind.
"Senior brother, are you still going to waste your time in a little place like this?"
Shen Yi walked up beside Wu Changkong and likewise rested his hands on the railing, looking down.
Wu Changkong did not respond.
Accustomed to his temperament, Shen Yi continued on his own.
"What talent could a backwater tucked away in a corner like the Skysea Alliance possibly produce? You've stayed here so long. Is there any point?" Shen Yi turned to study Wu Changkong's profile.
"I'm leading Shrek's team this time. You really ought to take a look at the strength of the new generation."
Unconcealable pride colored Shen Yi's voice.
At last, Wu Changkong moved. He straightened and brushed the dust from his hands.
"I've been teaching a group of students."
Shen Yi froze for a moment, not understanding why he had suddenly said that.
"I'll take them to Shrek, and they'll pass the entrance examination."
Wu Changkong turned to look at Shen Yi.
Shen Yi's breath caught, and his hands abruptly tightened around the railing.
"You're coming back?"
Wu Changkong neither confirmed nor denied it. He turned back to the arena below.
It took Shen Yi a full half minute to suppress his shock. He laughed and pointed at the arena below.
"Good! Then I'll have to take a proper look."
"But before that..." Shen Yi lifted his chin. "Senior brother, you should take a look at today's Shrek too."
At the center of the arena, the host's voice rang out across the stadium through an Amplifying Soul Tool.
"Ladies and gentlemen! The moment everyone has been waiting for has arrived!"
"Next, please welcome the representatives of the continent's number-one academy, Shrek Academy!"
Boom!
All hundred thousand spectators rose to their feet at once, their cheers deafening.
Seven boys and girls in green uniforms strode out of the competitors' tunnel.
The boy at the front was tall and slender, with neat, short hair and an arrogant expression.
Four Soul Rings appeared beneath him: two yellow, one purple, and one black!
A Soul Ancestor under fifteen!
"They're so strong! That's Shrek for you!"
Cries of astonishment rose one after another from the stands.
"That's Yu Chenxiao, a disciple the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan sent out to gain experience," Shen Yi explained to Wu Changkong.
Of the remaining six, four were Soul Elders. Only the two younger members, a boy and a girl, had two rings.
Anyone who could take the field with only two rings had to possess a special talent. Coupled with Shrek's reputation for producing "monsters," this left the spectators full of anticipation.
"Those two are Ye Xinglan and Xu Lizhi. She has the Stargod Sword martial soul, and he's a Food System Soul Master with innate full soul power."
"What do you think?" Shen Yi looked thoroughly proud.
"Strong, but not enough. I see nothing surprising in them." Wu Changkong's voice was like a frigid sword.
Shen Yi laughed. "Oh? Do your disciples have something surprising about them, senior brother?"
Wu Changkong said no more. In this little Eastsea City, he had encountered two geniuses.
One was his disciple Tang Wulin. Though not strong, the boy was someone he could not see through.
And the other...
In the arena, the host continued, "Next!"
The host's voice rose an octave. "Please welcome our Skysea Alliance's previous youth division championship team!"
"They will represent the Skysea Alliance against Shrek's monsters!"
The entire crowd cheered once more.
Everyone knew that when the youth division fought the junior division, winning brought no glory, while losing brought even greater shame. Still, this was their home turf. They could not lose in spirit.
The doors to the competitors' tunnel on the opposite side slowly opened.
Seven figures emerged.
The instant the crowd got a clear look at the seven of them, the cheers cut off.
Like a duck seized by the throat, the stadium of a hundred thousand people fell into a bizarre, choking silence.
Because the one leading the way was no youth division genius in his twenties.
He was a boy who looked barely into his teens.
Beside him walked a timid little girl who looked even younger.
And the five tall, burly members of the previous championship team obediently followed behind the two children like lackeys.
Wu Changkong's eyes widened.
"Senior brother, what's wrong?" Shen Yi asked.
And the other was right there in the arena!
Before you continue