Brutal.
Absolutely brutal.
A shrill scream of agony rang out across the arena.
Tang Hao, who was fighting "Sin Shadow" nearby, instinctively glanced over just in time to see his captain's cock fly and eggs shatter. A phantom pain shot through his own crotch, and he reflexively clamped his legs together.
That blow had been anything but weak.
A thousand-year soul skill of the Clear Sky Hammer martial soul.
Over twenty thousand years ago, the Clear Sky Hammer had been widely recognized as the world's greatest power attack-type tool martial soul. That title had been considerably inflated, however. The Seven Kill Sword, for instance, was no less formidable. The reputation owed more to the Clear Sky Sect being one of the Upper Three Sects at the time, the considerable number of people who possessed the Clear Sky Hammer martial soul, and Tang Chen's influence.
Now, in this golden age of emerging geniuses, there were plenty of tool martial souls that could rival or even surpass the Clear Sky Hammer. Xu Qingjia hated Tang San and his ilk, but in terms of offense, the Clear Sky Hammer truly deserved to be called a top-tier martial soul.
Even an ordinary thousand-year soul beast would have suffered heavily from that blow. And Yu Diheng had never practiced any protective art like the Iron Crotch Technique.
The sharp crack of his pelvis shattering was drowned out by his screams. Under the Clear Sky Hammer's immense force, bone, muscle, and marrow were pulverized into mush. The reproductive organs and buttocks in that region were reduced to an indistinct mass of bloody pulp as well.
The mighty roc that had spread its wings to soar had finally become a bird without its bits.
Yu Diheng lay on the ground like a dead dog, his lower body a mangled mess. His face had frozen into a hideous mask of agony under the overwhelming surge of emotion. Two trails of tears flowed from his eyes. Even though some soul power still lingered within him, nothing else mattered anymore. He had lost his little brother.
Xu Qingjia employed the Heavenly Dipper Big Dipper Steps, retreating like a phantom to avoid the splattering blood.
"How cruel."
Looking perfectly unruffled, Xu Qingjia shook his head gently, as though he could not bear to watch, and said to Tang Hao, "Who would have thought? To win this match, you'd even throw away your friendship with this fellow. How ruthless."
"You-" Tang Hao, who had just driven Sin Shadow back with an all-out strike, almost choked on his own rage. "You're spitting blood to slander me! You were the one using our captain as a human shield!"
Xu Qingjia retorted, "Are you incapable of controlling your own soul skills?! We were obviously so close together, yet you attacked without a care."
Xu Qingjia looked utterly innocent, his frank tone making him difficult to refute. "Fighting three people on my own puts me under enormous pressure. How could a single first soul skill completely immobilize another Soul Elder of the same rank and rob him of all ability to resist? If he could still resist, naturally, he wasn't eliminated."
"And with him struggling constantly like that, while I also had to divide my attention between you two, of course I couldn't keep him far away. He might have broken free."
He was merely a "fragile" Soul Elder. How could he possibly withstand so much pressure?
"..."
It seemed there was nothing wrong with that.
Tang Hao clashed with Sin Shadow again and demanded through gritted teeth, "Then why did you lower our captain at that exact moment?!"
"He broke free of my control through his own hard work and sweat," Xu Qingjia said without blushing or missing a heartbeat.
The spectator stands were utterly silent.
Apparently, perhaps, probably, there was nothing wrong with that.
Whose first soul skill could instantly take down another Soul Elder with a top-tier martial soul?
A single Soul Elder fighting three Soul Elders with top-tier martial souls really was a difficult undertaking.
"Inherently evil brats from Shrek Academy! You'd stoop to anything for victory, even attacking your own teammates. You truly have no conscience!"
The referee used his soul power to move the despairing Yu Diheng off the field.
The referee silently shook his head.
His lower body had practically become a lump of minced flesh.
Leaving aside the internal organs affected by the blow, the area that had been struck contained parts of numerous bodily systems: reproductive, digestive, excretory, and more. Treating it would be far harder than regrowing a severed limb. Only a healing-type Soul Master at the Limit Douluo level might have any hope of curing him. But where could such a person be found in the world today? Even the Holy Spirit Douluo remained stuck before the threshold of Limit Douluo. Such healers had been vanishingly rare throughout history.
Forget restoring his masculine prowess-this fellow would need medical equipment just to relieve himself. For a genius, that was truly a life worse than death.
The current situation on the field left the students of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy brimming with excitement.
Who would have thought the original three-on-one would become a one-on-one so quickly?
"Idiots!" Cai Yue'er was so angry her teeth ached.
Those idiots had thrown away an overwhelmingly favorable position.
Yu Diheng was the worst of them. As captain, he had ignored teamwork and charged into a solo duel. In the end, he had used nothing but his second soul skill from start to finish. He had contributed less than Ning Yaoyao, a support-type Soul Master.
He deserved to have his lower body crippled. She had staked her own dignity on this match, and Shrek's sacred glory had been tarnished along with it.
If this had not been broadcast so widely, she would have wanted to abandon the idiot here and leave him to his fate.
Inside the arena.
"Your turn." Xu Qingjia's gaze settled on Tang Hao.
As for Ning Yaoyao, he could ignore her. The difference in their spiritual power was simply too vast. After being struck by his Judge's Brush, she had no room to struggle whatsoever.
At that moment, a Sin Shadow almost identical to Tang Hao was locked in fierce combat with him.
Xu Qingjia's third soul skill: Mirror of Sin: Sin Shadow.
Before the Mirror of Sin, no one was innocent.
In myth and legend, this treasure could reveal the sins a person had committed during their lifetime.
When activated, the soul skill could spiritually intimidate the person reflected in it, silencing them and forcing them to repent for a lifetime of sins. The Mirror of Sin would create a reflected duplicate-an incarnation of those lifelong sins. It possessed ninety percent of the target's strength and could benefit normally from his domain and even the boosts of other people's soul skills, with its expenditure sustained by him.
"Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer!" Tang Hao growled. The Clear Sky Hammer whirled rapidly in his hands, each rebound feeding the next strike as its power accumulated layer upon layer, building a terrifying momentum.
"Hehehe, Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer!" Sin Shadow let out a sinister chuckle entirely unlike Tang Hao's. Yet, beneath his horrified gaze, it assumed exactly the same opening stance.
Bang, bang, bang-
Rhythmic collisions echoed through the arena. The two figures' movements, techniques, and even the tiny habits in their hammer swings were identical. The only difference was that Sin Shadow's strength fell slightly short of the original's. But at the Soul Elder level, that ten-percent gap
had yet to widen into a lethal gulf.
"Soul Lock."
Clatter!
Ink-black chains hurtled toward him like giant pythons striking at their prey.
A violent sense of danger stabbed through Tang Hao's mind.
Escape with Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track?
Or make one final gamble with the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer, after already stacking several layers of power!
Tang Hao leaped high and hurled the Clear Sky Hammer in his hand down at Xu Qingjia with all his might.
"Aah-"
A second howl of agony rang out.
Using the Heavenly Dipper Big Dipper Steps, Xu Qingjia had already retreated several yards by the time the Clear Sky Hammer landed.
Who said a duel between Soul Masters had to involve smashing soul skills head-on into each other? He had no peculiar fetish for that.
Meanwhile, Tang Hao collapsed to the ground clutching his lower abdomen, groaning in pain as his body curled into a ball.
Xu Qingjia watched him, the corner of his mouth twitching.
Heaven and earth could bear witness: he truly had not meant to attack his lower abdomen.
He had originally aimed to lash the other boy across the chest.
Who could have expected this fellow to leap up instead of dodging? He had already done his utmost to change the chain's direction.
"He did that to himself."
Haji Hao, you bastard. To frame me, you'd even disregard your own kidneys? How can you face your little brother?
You and your captain really are a pair of devoted mandarin ducks.
"Shrek Academy's side has lost the ability to fight. The Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy wins!" The referee's voice rang throughout the arena, carrying barely concealed excitement.
One against three-a complete rout!
"Xu Qingjia! Xu Qingjia! Xu Qingjia!"
Cheers erupted from the stands like mountains roaring and seas surging. Countless students of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy rose to their feet and waved their arms, their cheers merging into an ocean of joy.
What a rush!
Bright smiles spread across the faces of students and teachers alike.
They had finally vented their pent-up resentment today!
Their Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy had finally enjoyed a day when it could raise its head with pride.
On the dais, a dignified middle-aged man flattered the white-haired elder seated in the center. "Elder Shen, your descendant's brilliance truly rivals yours in your youth!"
Others might not have seen it clearly, but how could old fellows like them fail to understand? This battle had hardly taxed Xu Qingjia at all. He had crushed them from beginning to end and probably had not even shed more than a few drops of sweat.
"Hehe." Elder Shen gazed at the spirited youth below, unmistakable pride in his aged voice. "I had no such ability back then."
"Elder Shen," the middle-aged man on his other side asked quietly, "how should we handle Cai Yue'er?"
"Make her kneel. I can bear the honor," Elder Shen said, a cold gleam rising in his eyes. "Let's see whether that fellow Yun dares openly attack our Mingdu."
The final reports on Yun Ming's battle in Mingdu years ago had merely described a fight against a mysterious organization. But if Shrek's Sea God Pavilion Master openly attacked the Federation's capital...
Cracking down on organized crime required a list of names. Suppressing a rebellion required only coordinates.
Besides, they were far from the only ones who wanted Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect destroyed. Those two organizations were truly outrageous, having managed to make enemies of the entire world.
Elder Shen's gaze rested on the youth in the arena.
Chen Xinjie was ultimately an outsider, hailing from a family descended from the old Sea God Island.
The Federation needed an invincible Quasi-God of its own.
On the competition grounds.
Amid the crowd's cheers, Xu Qingjia left the arena under countless watching eyes.
The name "Xu Qingjia" was destined to dominate today's headlines-debuting at the pinnacle, trampling Shrek's honor beneath his feet, and shattering its twenty-thousand-year legend of invincibility.
But this incident was far from over.
After the main character departed, everyone's attention shifted to the spectator stands.
Shen Xi's bright eyes were full of amusement. "Isn't it time certain people honored their wager?"
Cai Yue'er's aged face was so tightly wrinkled that it looked capable of crushing a mosquito between its folds. Veins already bulged on her wrists. But with one wave of Spirit Domain Realm spiritual power after another locking onto her, she dared not utter so much as a threat despite her fury. She could only suppress her anger and say, "I need to take my students back to the academy first and get them settled."
"And then Shrek Academy will issue a statement saying you've suddenly gained some insight and need to enter extended seclusion?" Shen Xi sneered. "Shameless bitch."
Who did not know what Shrek Academy was like?
If Cai Yue'er were allowed to return, she would certainly never come back out.
"How dare you!" Cai Yue'er snapped, her humiliation turning to rage.
Make her kneel? How could that possibly happen?
She had never intended to honor the wager from the beginning. But if the other side lost, they had to honor it. No one had ever been allowed to renege on a wager with Shrek, and no one had ever been able to make Shrek kneel!
A crescent moon abruptly appeared behind her. Terrifying waves of soul power swept outward like a tsunami. Nine soul rings-four purple, four black, and one red-lined up in perfect order. The pressure of a Super Douluo instantly silenced the entire arena.
Almost simultaneously, an icy voice laden with anger rang out. "Insolence!"
Just as the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy's students felt those Super Douluo soul power fluctuations, a lustrous silver radiance suddenly appeared, like moonlight descending from the heavens into the mortal world. A barrier formed from moonlight instantly enclosed Shen Xi and Cai Yue'er. A full silver moon hovered behind Shen Xi, and even more terrifying soul power fluctuations locked onto Cai Yue'er. Her lavish soul ring configuration of six black and three red completely overwhelmed the other woman's.
"Cai Yue'er!" Shrouded in silver moonlight, Shen Xi looked like a moon goddess descended to earth. She stared coldly at Cai Yue'er. "What are you trying to do, releasing Super Douluo soul power inside the academy? Attack the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy?!"
Feeling the surrounding space press down on her, Cai Yue'er gritted her teeth in fury. "The Silver Moon Divine Light Shield."
She could no longer escape.
That was the first Level 10 Soul Tool in history, and the only one publicly known to still exist.
Not far away.
Xu Qingjia watched with his two girls.
He knew that, given Cai Yue'er's character, she would never willingly accept the outcome of the wager. A confrontation was inevitable.
"Shrek is so awful," Ye Xinglan muttered.
Students with no decency and teachers with no morals.
Was this the so-called holy land of Soul Masters?
"Xu Qingjia, Xu Qingjia." White-Haired Dumpling took his arm with practiced ease and asked curiously, "Is that silver cover some powerful divine artifact?"
"You could say that." Xu Qingjia nodded.
"That's the Silver Moon Divine Light Shield, the first Level 10 Soul Tool in history. It can rival a divine artifact. Although it still
"hasn't fully transformed into something divine, a Soul Master can use it more effectively than a divine artifact and draw out more of its power."
After all, only a True God could unleash a divine artifact's full might.
The Silver Moon Divine Light Shield was the masterpiece of Kong Deming, history's first Level 10 Soul Engineer.
Elder Kong had remained childless all his life, devoting all his efforts to soul tools and the empire. In his final moments, he sacrificed his lifetime of cultivation to the Silver Moon Divine Light Shield, completely stripping away his own martial soul and merging it into the tool. It had then been passed down through successive generations of the Xu Family, the Sun Moon Imperial Family of that era.
After his mother became the Mistress of the Xu Family, this Level 10 Soul Tool had come into her possession. The strongest person in his family was not his father, the Sun Douluo, but his mother. Her rank-98 Super Douluo cultivation, combined with a Level 10 Soul Tool exceptionally compatible with her Silver Moon martial soul, gave her strength fully comparable to a demigod's. Moreover, his mother was one of the very few Super Douluos who possessed Four-Word Battle Armor.
Four-Word Battle Armor was extremely rare. After all, it could not be passed down, and there was only one Divine Craftsman. Divine Craftsman Zhen Hua did not possess the golden dragon king bloodline. Even at the peak of his physical condition, forging one set of Four-Word Battle Armor took him an extraordinarily long time. The Shen and Xu families had paid a considerable price for it back then.
Across the entire Alliance, his mother's strength fell only slightly short of older, established Quasi-Gods such as the Former Pagoda Master of the Spirit Pagoda and Chen Xinjie, as well as that fellow Yun Ming.
As for Cai Yue'er, a Super Douluo with Three-Word Battle Armor, she would simply be thrashed.
Xu Qingjia gave them a rough explanation.
These matters were hardly secrets among the Federation's upper ranks.
Xu Qingjia said, "We don't need to concern ourselves with this anymore. Just leave it to the adults."
The Federation was no soft persimmon to be squeezed.
Xu Qingjia was thinking.
Regardless of whether Cai Yue'er was made to kneel or ransomed back by Shrek Academy afterward, on which stretch of road could he kill her and splash the dirty water onto the Holy Spirit Cult?
He was simply a timid person who could not withstand a fright.
He had offended Cai Yue'er so badly today and demonstrated such outstanding talent. Given her petty nature, what if that old wretch attacked him when he traveled the continent in the future?
No. Unless Cai Yue'er died, he would never feel at ease.
And afterward, the Sea God Pavilion might implicate him while avenging her.
In that case, he would have to wipe out all of Shrek Academy.
And since the Tang Sect and Shrek Academy were one, he certainly could not spare the Tang Sect either.
To live long enough to become a god, I have to eliminate every potential threat.
He was too afraid!
Damn it, the inherently evil Shrek Academy and Tang Sect! Why did these people have to push me so hard? I can only strike first!