A new round of team combat erupted!
The two sides clashed once again.
This time, Yu Tianheng fought harder and more fiercely, once again locking into a bitter struggle with Shrek.
After several exchanges, he gradually discerned Shrek's true core: Tang San, who controlled the field throughout and directed everything like a general in his command tent!
So he stopped fixating on attacking their support and decisively redirected all his attacks, relentlessly hammering at Tang San!
Yet Tang San anticipated every attack and deftly neutralized it, leaving him stifled, with strength he had nowhere to unleash.
Led around by the nose the entire time, hampered at every turn, he grew increasingly furious and agitated as the fight wore on.
Dugu Yan, who had been controlling the field and assisting her teammates from the side, also felt anger flare within her, filled with bewilderment and resentment.
Their entire team had clearly eaten the shop's enhancement food before the match, they held an advantage in soul power levels, they had Nine Heart Begonia's absolute healing, and on top of all that, her ten-thousand-year soul skill weakened the enemy!
With every advantage on their side, Shrek had still fought them into this situation.
Dugu Yan could no longer tolerate it!
She summoned the right-hand piece of her One-Word Battle Armor from her Storage Soul Tool.
With the enhancement from that single piece, her soul power had risen from level forty-eight to level fifty!
Then, while everyone was still wondering what it was-
She raised her hand and flicked a finger. A streak of jade-green soul power shot out, swift as lightning, and struck Ning Rongrong squarely.
Ning Rongrong did not even have time to react before she was blasted out of the arena and slammed heavily onto the ground below.
The entire venue instantly fell silent.
Tang San's pupils abruptly contracted, his gaze sharpening slightly as he reassessed Dugu Yan.
He had already clenched a Hidden Weapon in his palm, weighing whether to use it.
Yet in that single moment of hesitation, Dugu Yan raised her hand again, sending another streak of jade light sweeping out.
It struck the somewhat talented female agility attack system Soul Master squarely. Her petite figure flew out on impact and likewise landed below the stage.
Shrek instantly lost two members.
Deafening cheers erupted from the spectator stands.
No one had expected the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Team, which had fallen into a disadvantage and was about to lose, to strike back from the brink, instantly mount an overwhelming comeback, and reverse the battle in one stroke.
Only in Shrek's spectator section was the atmosphere suffocatingly silent.
Flender's face was livid as he turned to Yu Xiaogang and asked gravely:
"Xiaogang! What is that thing on the girl's arm?"
Yu Xiaogang's brows knitted tightly, his eyes fixed on the armor on Dugu Yan's arm. After pondering for a moment, he said:
"Perhaps it's some kind of Soul Tool that can increase its wielder's soul power level and also has offensive capabilities."
"A Soul Tool?"
Flender froze, then said angrily:
"Isn't that a blatant violation of the rules? I'm going to find the organizers!"
"There's no need."
Yu Xiaogang raised a hand to stop him, then shook his head.
"The organizers didn't call a halt the moment she summoned that thing, which means they had already tacitly permitted this."
"Even if we went to argue, we'd only be inviting humiliation."
Hearing this, Zhao Wuji slammed his fist against the railing and spat through gritted teeth:
"Those bastards! And they're supposed to be from Heaven Dou Royal Academy. How shameless!"
Yu Xiaogang's gaze returned to the arena, and he sighed softly.
"Now..."
"All we can do is hope the Little Monsters can work a miracle and turn defeat into victory."
Meanwhile, in the arena.
The Heaven Dou Royal Academy teammates were equally astonished, all turning to look at Dugu Yan beside them.
Yu Tianheng, who had been fighting desperately, immediately disengaged and retreated, asking curiously:
"Yanzi, what's with the armor on your arm? We've never seen you use it before."
Dugu Yan did not even glance at him. She merely stared at Tang San's slightly clenched right hand, a mocking smile rising on her lips.
"What, are you going to use your Hidden Weapons?"
Tang San's pupils contracted, and he abruptly tightened his grip on the poisoned Silent Sleeve Arrow in his palm.
"You..."
"I heard about it from Zhu Zhuqing and Yiran."
Dugu Yan sneered, her tone dripping with undisguised contempt.
"You stole your Hidden Weapons, didn't you? You really are a shameless, despicable little man."
"That's nonsense!"
Tang San's expression changed drastically, his voice trembling slightly with rage.
"They weren't stolen! You're spitting blood to slander me!"
With that, he flicked his wrist, and the Sleeve Arrow shot through the air.
Unfortunately for him, Dugu Yan was already prepared. The One-Word Battle Armor armguard on her arm instantly turned into a stream of light and returned to her Storage Soul Tool. She summoned the breastplate instead, and with a light ding, the Sleeve Arrow was easily deflected.
"What?"
Dugu Yan raised an eyebrow, her tone growing even more cutting.
"Did I hit the mark, so now you're lashing out in shame? Surely not, surely not. You're already in your forties, yet you're still so narrow-minded."
"Young lady."
Tang San gritted his teeth, his gaze as dark as a freezing pool.
"I have no quarrel with you. Why must you be so aggressive?"
"No quarrel?"
Dugu Yan snorted coldly, her eyes brimming with chill.
"Hmph! I just can't stand you. What of it? And that bullshit teacher of yours, Yu Xiaogang, doesn't even understand the most basic conditions for twin martial souls to arise. Only fools like you would believe his nonsense."
"Heh, relying on that armor to spout such arrogant nonsense. You really think you're invincible."
"Exactly! You even dare insult Grandmaster! Take a look at what you are first."
The Shrek members chimed in one after another, filled with righteous indignation.
Dugu Yan paid them no mind and was about to retort again when Yu Tianheng frowned beside her and spoke with a hint of reproach.
"Yanzi, how could you say that about my uncle!"
Seeing Yu Tianheng defending Yu Xiaogang with such admiration on his face, a trace of disappointment flashed through Dugu Yan's eyes. She spoke coolly, cutting off what he was about to say next.
"Rather than arguing with me about these useless matters, you should lead the team to finish off the remaining Shrek members and end this soul fight."
Yu Tianheng choked on his words, then realized he had misspoken. He hurriedly composed himself and said apologetically:
"Sorry, Yanzi. I'll take care of them right away!"
With that, he immediately led his teammates in a joint advance against Shrek's remaining members.
The battle, originally even in numbers, became completely unbalanced with Ning Rongrong and the female agility attack system Soul Master's elimination.
Dai Mubai, Xiao Wu, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar resisted desperately, but without their support Soul Master, under the level suppression and interference from Dugu Yan's fourth soul skill, they ultimately fell one by one and were blasted off the stage in succession.
Before long, Tang San was the only one left onstage.
Yu Tianheng halted his offensive and looked at this tenacious opponent before him, a rare hint of respect entering his voice.
"As expected of my uncle's disciple. Holding out this long with a blue silver grass martial soul is already impressive."
"Tang San, admit defeat."
His tone was sincere, his manner entirely that of someone who cherished talent.
Yet as Dugu Yan watched from the side, she had already begun silently considering whether this relationship should end here.
Tang San panted heavily, his fists clenched.
He refused to concede, but Dugu Yan's earlier remark about him being in his forties had thrown his mind into turmoil.
He did not know whether his Shrek companions would question him. If he told them about his previous life, would they distance themselves from him? Would they think he was some kind of aberration?
The more he thought, the more muddled he became, and the more muddled he became, the less he could concentrate.
Yu Tianheng and his teammates attacked together. Unable to dodge in time, he was struck in the chest by a bolt of lightning and staggered backward, finally missing his footing and falling off the stage.
"All seven of the Shrek Seven Devils have been eliminated!"
"Heaven Dou Royal Academy wins!"
The referee announced the result loudly. The venue fell silent for an instant before cheers erupted like roaring mountains and surging seas.
Dugu Yan snorted coldly and turned away without looking back, leading her teammates back to the preparation area.
Qin Ming, who had been waiting for some time, immediately strode up to Dugu Yan, his eyes filled with astonishment and admiration as he eagerly questioned her.
"Dugu Yan, your performance today was truly astounding!"
"In less than a few short days, your soul power actually increased by a full ten levels! And that unusual suit of armor you just used had both offensive and defensive capabilities, as well as an enhancement effect. It's truly miraculous!"
Listening to his praise, Dugu Yan raised her eyes to Qin Ming before her, this man hailed as a genius.
Lin Yue's words instantly surfaced in her mind: the Shrek group, along with anyone connected to them, all had something wrong with their heads to some degree.
Thinking it over carefully, Teacher Qin Ming, as a gifted Soul Master, should have headed for a cultivation site with top-tier resources and deep foundations.
Yet he had willingly remained at a shoddy academy that did not even have the most basic Mimicry Training Ground, and took pride in it, often boasting about it to them.
To Dugu Yan, such a choice was truly ignorant and absurd.
Though she inwardly grumbled, Dugu Yan wore a sweet, faint smile and gently shook her head, brushing the question aside with a laugh.
"Teacher Qin, that's an ancestral secret of our Dugu Family."
The moment she turned her head after speaking, the gentle smile vanished from her face, replaced by cold indifference.
Her teammates beside her saw it and exchanged glances, all privately wondering why Dugu Yan was acting so strangely today.
Not long afterward, Qin Ming said he was going to console and check on the Shrek Team, and Yu Tianheng followed him without another word.
Watching the two receding figures, Dugu Yan withdrew her gaze, glanced over her remaining teammates, and said:
"All right, the irrelevant people are gone. I'm sure you're all curious about what I brought out today, as well as my increased soul power."
Hearing this, everyone nodded, their eyes full of anticipation.
The corners of Dugu Yan's lips lifted slightly. Then she slowly raised her hand, and light flashed in her palm.
A small, exquisite mouse martial soul appeared, its body covered in orange-red fur with golden stripes.
The Treasure-Seeking Mouse blinked its round eyes and looked everyone over, lively and adorable.
"Is that... a treasure-seeking mouse martial soul?!"
"Sister Yan, you actually have twin martial souls?!"
Two of her teammates cried out involuntarily.
Dugu Yan rolled her eyes at them in exasperation and withdrew her martial soul.
"Twin martial souls, my foot."
"Listen carefully. The ten-level surge in my soul power today, the One-Word Battle Armor I used, and every other fortuitous opportunity I've received all came from a Mysterious Shop."
"A Mysterious Shop?"
Everyone voiced their confusion in unison.
Dugu Yan nodded. "It's near the most remote town on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest. Believe it or not, that's up to you. In any case, I've told you."
With that, she turned and headed out, preparing to return to the hotel where she was staying.
But when she reached the doorway, she paused and looked back, her tone carrying an undisguised warning.
"As for Yu Tianheng, none of you are allowed to tell him! If I find out you did, you know what will happen."
Under her stare, everyone shuddered in unison and nodded repeatedly, indicating that they would not reveal a single word.
Only then did Dugu Yan leave in satisfaction, walking alone through the streets of Suotuo City.
The evening breeze was slightly cool, and pedestrians were sparse.
Just as she passed the entrance to an alley, a figure stepped out of the darkness and blocked her path.
The newcomer wore a tattered gray cloak, his hair and beard unkempt. An invisible pressure instantly enveloped the surroundings.
"Little girl."
The cloaked man's voice was low and hoarse, yet a sharp, cold light shone from the depths of his murky eyes.
"Hand over that armor. An opportunity like that is not something you deserve."
Dugu Yan's heart tightened, but her expression remained unchanged as she bowed slightly.
"Please don't joke, Senior. It's only ordinary armor. There's nothing special about it."
The cloaked man could not be bothered to waste more words. He raised his hand and reached for her, soul power surging in his palm as a suffocating pressure rushed toward her!
Yet before that hand could so much as touch Dugu Yan, a jade-green figure flashed in front of her and fiercely thrust out a palm to meet it.
Boom!
The two forces of soul power collided, whipping up a gale.
Dugu Bo stood with his hands behind his back, shielding his granddaughter, cold light blazing from his eyes.
"Do you take me, Dugu Bo, for a dead man? You dare attack my granddaughter? You're courting death!"
The cloaked man withdrew his hand and scoffed.
"In my eyes, you're nothing but a snake, an ant."
Dugu Bo's pupils abruptly contracted. Without the slightest hesitation, he raised his hand and fired a streak of jade phosphor soul power straight at the cloaked man's face amid spreading poisonous fumes.
Yet the man neither dodged nor evaded. He merely snorted coldly, and the pitch-black phantom of a Clear Sky Hammer instantly appeared behind him. With a slight swing, it dispersed the jade phosphor poison mist into nothing.
"The Clear Sky Hammer..."
Dugu Bo's gaze sharpened, and his expression darkened.
"I was wondering who it was. So it's Clear Sky Douluo, Tang Hao."
Tang Hao's expression was indifferent, his tone cold and sinister.
"Enough chatter. I'll only cripple one of your granddaughter's arms. Then hand that thing over, and I'll spare your lives."
Dugu Bo snorted coldly, but did not rush to attack. Instead, his eyes shifted, and the corners of his lips suddenly curled upward.
"You wish. But then again..."
He deliberately drew out his words before continuing, "Don't you want to know where these things came from, and the secret behind my granddaughter raising her Soul Power by ten levels in one go?"
Tang Hao fell silent for a moment, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Let's hear it."
Dugu Bo spoke unhurriedly.
"Near the most remote town on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, there's a Mysterious Shop. That's where we found our opportunity."
"If your luck is good enough, you might get something ten or even a hundred times more precious than what we got."
Tang Hao's gaze flickered. Though he was only half convinced, he ultimately could not suppress that sliver of greed.
He narrowed his eyes and said coldly,
"Fine. Then lead the way. If I get there and find you've dared to deceive me, none of you will leave alive."
[Thanks to reader Tako for the nine recommendation votes yesterday. Without you, I wouldn't even have the motivation to keep updating. Thank you for your support!]
Before you continue