Devouring Fortune!

The Soul King referee gave Jiang Dongjun a long, searching look before taking the Gold Soul Coin he offered.

Coating it with soul power, he flicked his finger and sent it flying toward the medical station outside the arena.

Then he continued presiding over the matches.

"If no more first-years step up to challenge within ten breaths, the challenges will move on to the second-years."

Having awakened their martial souls last year and already spent more than half a year in their first year of school, there were still one or two who had reached level 10 Soul Scholar.

But for various reasons, they had yet to obtain soul rings. Having missed this chance to win a Gold Soul Coin, they could only watch those ten breaths slip away, wringing their hands in regret.

Once the time was up, the Soul King referee moved the matches along.

"Second-years, starting now, anyone with a hundred-year soul ring may step forward to challenge."

Among the second-years, those with innate soul power of level six or seven had generally obtained soul rings after a year and a half, or even nearly two years, of cultivation following their martial soul awakening.

Students with such talent would become the elite backbone of the soul master world. However unreliable the Shrek faction's conduct might be, they would not fob these students off with ten-year soul rings. And with the Star Dou Great Forest conveniently nearby, they would hunt down a two- or three-hundred-year soul ring for them.

"I'll do it!"

Another burly child stepped out of the crowd.

On the Douluo Continent, human development was heavily influenced by martial souls. A soul master's build and bearing were usually enough to reveal what type of soul master he was.

He was muscular, not fat. Most likely, he was another defense-type soul master.

"Dong Xiong!"

"Jiang Dongjun!"

The Soul King referee called, "Begin!"

Dong Xiong gave a low roar and activated Martial Soul Possession. His body abruptly grew taller and bulkier, bursting through his clothes. Coarse, stiff, dark yellow fur sprouted across his skin, along with chunks of brown crystal, while a pale yellow soul ring pulsed around him.

A bear-a Rock Bear martial soul!

Jiang Dongjun's unwillingness to attend school did not mean he refused to learn. The soul beast and martial soul encyclopedias he had memorized since childhood let him identify his opponent's martial soul instantly.

All right, this mystery box has revealed its contents. Next.

Spiritual Shock!

The bizarre scene from the first match repeated itself. Before Dong Xiong's soul ring could even light up, he grunted and toppled over stiffly.

Thud!

The entire crowd erupted.

Students from both the lower and upper years watched as though lost in clouds and mist, unable to understand what had happened.

"Jiang Dongjun wins!"

Once the referee announced the result, Dong Xiong's homeroom teacher rushed into the arena, scooped him up, and hurried to the medical station.

Jiang Dongjun had wanted to toss the Gold Soul Coin over along the way, but considering that impolite, he still chose to press it into the Soul King referee's hand and let him pass it on.

"Next!"

Without waiting for the Soul King referee to speak, Jiang Dongjun urged them on himself.

Defense-type soul masters all seemed to possess some inexplicable confidence in themselves. Another squat, muscular boy stepped out.

"I'll do it. I'm Zheng Lei!"

"Jiang Dongjun!"

His martial soul was a Stone Monster: slow and clumsy, without a head, and with spiritual power so poor it was absurd.

One Spiritual Shock. Carry him away. Next.

Wang Hu, Golden Tiger martial soul, level 12 soul master. Carry him away.

Li Qingsong, Dragon Pattern Staff, level 12 soul master. Carry him away.

Four consecutive takedowns among the second-years brought clarity to many students' eyes. They realized that the figure in the middle of the Playground was a monster beyond their understanding.

The talented fourth- and fifth-year soul masters who stood a chance of getting into Shrek Academy sensed a threat and instinctively gathered together. They were no useless wine sacks and rice bags. After a round of brainstorming, they pinpointed the method Jiang Dongjun was using.

Spiritual attacks!

But what good did knowing the answer do? The problem remained unresolved.

Faced with Jiang Dongjun's unstoppable, domineering display, even those with two soul rings felt uneasy. None was sure he could withstand that spiritual attack.

Jiang Dongjun waited a while, but still no student stepped forward.

"Is that all for the second-years? Can I now consider myself the ruler of your year?"

Through the special perspective of the Light of Time and Space, a great momentum above the academy was about to gather into an embryonic form. Once the conditions were met, it could harvest that momentum and condense it into soul liquid.

But there was still a nail lodged among the second-years, obstructing its formation.

"I hear the second-years have a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon soul master with exceptional talent, the undisputed top student of the year. Is he not here today?"

Jiang Dongjun called him out directly, staring straight at the refined-looking boy with dark blue hair in the crowd.

You're the one. I'll beat you into submission. Don't even think of stopping me from devouring the Elementary Soul Master Academy's fortune!

"Bei Bei, get up there!"

"Bei Bei, our whole year is counting on you! Show some spirit. Don't disgrace us!"

"Bei Bei, lightning is mighty and righteous, the greatest bane of evil! You can definitely break through his sinister tricks!"

"..."

Amid the clamoring, the refined-looking boy stepped forward with a wry smile and stood five zhang away from Jiang Dongjun, announcing his name and challenge outright.

"Second year, Bei Bei!"

"First year, Jiang Dongjun!"

At the Soul King referee's command, Bei Bei activated Martial Soul Possession first.

Dazzling blue light shone from between his brows, spreading across his entire body. Streaks of blue-violet lightning burst forth like little snakes, winding around him.

Having learned from the previous challengers, Bei Bei lit up his first soul ring immediately as his martial soul possessed him.

His right arm changed at once. Illusory dragon scales emerged, making it look tremendously thick and powerful, while blue-violet lightning gathered around his forearm and palm into a savage dragon claw a foot long.

It was no secret art, merely a different application of his first soul skill.

Bei Bei raised his Thunder Dragon Claw to shield his head, lowered his gaze to the grass beneath his feet, and charged with explosive speed.

Approval showed in Jiang Dongjun's eyes.

As expected of the eldest brother of the second-generation Shrek Seven Devils. He already knows how to fight with his head at this age.

To see through his method and devise a potentially workable strategy in such a short time was already impressive.

Unfortunately, he still lacked tempering and had not thought it through.

First, avoiding eye contact did not grant immunity to Spiritual Shock.

The technique treated spiritual power as an alternative form of energy, projecting it outward to blast into an opponent's head. It did not specifically require the eyes as an entry point; meeting the opponent's gaze simply made the intrusion easier.

Second, elemental powers such as lightning, fire, and light could indeed weaken or even annihilate projected spiritual power.

Provided those elemental powers were strong enough!

For instance, with Ma Xiaotao's Phoenix Flame enveloping her body, the one-ring Huo Yuhao's Soul Shock could not penetrate that layer of flame at all.[Note 1]

Attaching a ranged attack to his right arm and holding it before his head was the correct approach.

But Bei Bei had overestimated the strength of his lightning and underestimated Jiang Dongjun's spiritual power.

Spiritual Shock!

Without the slightest suspense, the concentrated spiritual power pierced the lightning barrier and invaded his mind.

Having charged just over two zhang, Bei Bei stumbled and fell facedown, then lay motionless.

"Carry him away. Next!"

"Second-years, I've defeated your top student. Have I beaten you into submission? Anyone who refuses to accept it, step forward within ten breaths! Otherwise, once time is up, we move on to the third-years."

Jiang Dongjun was in an excellent mood.

Epic monsters and elite monsters truly could not be mentioned in the same breath. The fortune he had intercepted by taking Bei Bei down had actually condensed straight into one drop of soul liquid.

Heavens, I have to make friends with Bei Bei, spar with him more, and improve together!

The ten breaths passed quickly.

After five consecutive defeats, the demoralized second-years abandoned all resistance.

At that moment, Jiang Dongjun felt that one-fifth of the entire academy's fortune lay beneath his shadow!

Quick! Quick! Quick!

Today, I'm going to rule the kindergarten!

Serve me the third-years while they're hot!

Among the academy's third-years, some had awakened their martial souls at six and enrolled the following year. Now, more than halfway through their third year, they had already passed their ninth birthdays, yet not one had cultivated to level 20.

Nine One-Ring Soul Masters with hundred-year soul rings, nine encounters, nine Spiritual Shocks. Without exception, every last one dropped straight into slumber.

After that, not a single third-year dared step forward.

By this point, two-fifths of the academy's fortune had fallen into Jiang Dongjun's hands.

"All right, next are the fourth-years. Let me see how much weight these promising candidates supposedly capable of entering Shrek Academy really carry."

But most of the students already feared Jiang Dongjun as though he were a demon. For a while, not a single fourth-year dared be the first to step forward.

On the dais, Du Weilun's dark expression grew darker still. At last, he could no longer hold himself back.

[Note 1]: Chapter 15, Tian Meng's Finger.