Next to Take the Stage-

Yan Shaozhe turned and smiled at Jin Hongchen. "I never imagined your academy hid its talents so well, to have a student this gifted. Even at Shrek, she would qualify as a genius."

Jin Hongchen waved a hand, his manner humble. "Not at all, Dean Yan. You flatter us. These sword techniques are merely a few little tricks of Ji Xueyi's. Compared with Shrek Academy's soul master techniques, such as Ring Stacking, they fall somewhat short. Those are what soul masters truly ought to learn."

"Excessive modesty is excessive pride." Yan Shaozhe looked at her, her tone measured. "That student is indeed quite good."

Jin Hongchen smiled, his gaze falling on Ji Xueyi as she lowered her sword in the arena. Suddenly, he sighed softly. "A pity, though. Her innate soul power was only rank three. Without an extraordinary stroke of fortune, breaking through to Titled Douluo in this lifetime will be all but impossible."

The smile on Yan Shaozhe's face faltered slightly.

Level 3 Innate Soul Power.

She could not help glancing at Ji Xueyi again.

That number really was far too low.

Innate soul power was directly linked to martial soul quality. Rank-three soul power meant that her sword martial soul itself was as ordinary as could be.

For a soul master with rank-three innate soul power to cultivate to the Soul King realm was proof enough that she had put in far more effort behind the scenes than ordinary people.

But effort alone was not enough to cross the threshold of Titled Douluo. Talent and opportunity were also needed.

Ji Xueyi lacked both.

Yan Shaozhe inwardly regretted that for a moment, but did not let it show. She merely nodded. "Innate soul power isn't everything. Having made it this far, she has already surpassed many people with greater talent."

Jin Hongchen did not reply, merely smiling faintly.

Just then, another student stepped forward from Shrek's side.

He was a slender youth with stern features, dressed in the Inner Court's standard uniform, with a sheathed longsword at his waist.

He vaulted onto the platform, his gaze settling on Ji Xueyi, and cupped his fist toward her.

"Shrek’s Inner Court, Chen Zixuan. Martial soul: Soul-Chasing Sword. Rank fifty-five Power Attack Soul King. Please instruct me."

Gu Xingyue's eyelid twitched when he heard the words "Soul-Chasing Sword."

He turned to glance at the youth, a memory from the original story surfacing in his mind.

Soul-Chasing Sword Chen Zixuan-wasn't he the poor bastard the Supreme Elder got killed in the original story?

In the original story, Chen Zixuan was a fairly talented sword martial soul master. Later, thanks to the strongest Soul King in history and Shrek's Supreme Elder's combination bond skill, he had been screwed over and killed on the spot. It had been quite an injustice.

Hopefully, he can escape the Supreme Elder's clutches in this parallel world.

Gu Xingyue gathered his thoughts and looked back at the platform.

Chen Zixuan's Soul-Chasing Sword and Ji Xueyi's martial soul were both swords, but there was a clear difference in quality.

The Soul-Chasing Sword was one of the high-grade sword martial souls. Judging by its name, it should possess some tracking and locking-on properties.

Ji Xueyi's sword martial soul, on the other hand, was merely the most basic sword, without any additional attributes.

By rights, Ji Xueyi should have had a very difficult time in this spar.

And that was indeed the case.

On the platform, Chen Zixuan drew his sword. A deep blue sheen rose over the blade, its sword energy remaining concentrated without dispersing, carrying a hint of tracking.

Ji Xueyi still countered movement with stillness, her sword tip pointing down as she waited for Chen Zixuan to strike first.

Chen Zixuan stood on no ceremony, unleashing his full strength with his very first strike. The Soul-Chasing Sword's energy traced an arc through the air, bypassing Ji Xueyi's frontal defense to stab at her from the rear flank.

Ji Xueyi's brows shifted slightly, and she turned to block. The blades met with a crisp ring.

Chen Zixuan's sword attacks flowed without pause, one strike following another. Every strike carried that tracking property, forcing Ji Xueyi to adjust her position frequently to meet them.

The two traded blows on the platform, sword light crisscrossing as their figures darted about. The fight was more than a notch above the previous match in spectacle.

So the conclusion was obvious: Xi Xi really was a bit trash.

Of course, that might not have been entirely precise. More accurately, the Agility Attack soul master path itself was a bit trash.

Across all versions of the Douluo Continent, the truly presentable Agility Attack experts and martial souls worth giving a try could be counted on one's fingers.

Agility Attack soul masters above Hyper Douluo could even be counted on one hand.

Most Agility Attack soul masters could still bully others with their speed at lower ranks. Once they reached the higher ranks, however, that speed advantage became a chicken rib-of little use-against Power Attack and Control soul masters with both offense and defense.

They could not hurt tanks, could not withstand burst damage, and could not control the field. All they could do was run around the arena as the hype squad.

So Xi Xi could not take all the blame for being trash. It could only be said that Agility Attack soul masters were a trap in the meta, the sort not even a dog would play.

Whoever played one got duped; whoever trained as one lost out.

Ji Xueyi had clearly fallen into a bitter struggle.

Under the pressure of a top-tier sword martial soul like Chen Zixuan's, the room for her nascent Sword Intent to work was greatly reduced.

But she did not panic. She maintained that almost instinctive anticipation and sense of rhythm, meeting speed with slowness and movement with stillness, neutralizing Chen Zixuan's attacks with the smallest possible movements.

They exchanged nearly a hundred moves. Chen Zixuan's Soul-Chasing Sword never managed to break through Ji Xueyi's defenses, while Ji Xueyi's counterattacks were repeatedly stopped by Chen Zixuan's sword energy.

The spectators at the sidelines watched with bated breath and rapt attention. Even Yan Shaozhe nodded slightly, acknowledging the caliber of this spar.

In the end, Ji Xueyi seized an opening as Chen Zixuan drew breath and thrust her sword, its tip touching his wrist.

Chen Zixuan's sword hand went numb, and the Soul-Chasing Sword nearly slipped from his grasp.

He retreated half a step and looked down at the faint red mark on his wrist. After a moment's silence, he lowered his sword and cupped his fist. "I lost."

Ji Xueyi likewise lowered her sword and returned the salute. Her breathing was considerably faster than before, and a thin sheen of sweat had appeared at her temples.

There was a cut on her left shoulder where the Soul-Chasing Sword had sliced through. Her clothing was torn, revealing a faint glimpse of a long, thin streak of blood.

Chen Zixuan's attacks had wounded her after all. She had simply held out to the end.

Chen Zixuan jumped off the platform and headed into the crowd.

Jin Hongchen watched Ji Xueyi win her second match, the smile on her face unchanged.

She turned toward Yan Shaozhe, her voice carrying just the right amount of concern. "Dean Yan, your academy's students really are formidable. Ji Xueyi was fortunate to win this match. Student Chen Zixuan's Soul-Chasing Sword gave her quite a hard time."

Yan Shaozhe nodded without replying.

Her gaze lingered on Ji Xueyi for a moment before turning to Gu Xingyue, and she gave him a meaningful look.

The meaning in that look was clear-it was his turn.

Gu Xingyue caught the look and raised his eyebrows.

He had only intended to watch the fun from the sidelines, but Yan Shaozhe clearly had no intention of letting him remain a spectator.

There's no time to mourn the Shrek students' defeats. Next to take the stage-

When the Inner Court disciples at the sidelines saw him step forward, they all cleared a path. A sudden buzz of hushed conversation rose.

"He's going in?"

"You can tell just from his stance that he's terrifyingly strong!"

Ji Xueyi stood on the platform, watching the youth emerge from the crowd.

Her gaze lingered on Gu Xingyue for a moment, then her eyes narrowed slightly.

Her intuition told her that this person was different from the previous two.

Her grip on her sword unconsciously tightened a little.