Just past noon, the square in the Pope's Palace was already packed. Sunlight poured down from the dome-like sky, shining on the granite arena and giving it a dazzling white glow.
The teachers and students from the eight viewing teams had already taken their seats on the side, and the crowd spoke in hushed tones, enveloping the entire square in a low hum.
Feng Lingtian stood in the Godwind Academy team's formation, raising his hand to shield his eyes from the glaring sunlight, his gaze sweeping from the edge of the arena to the preparation area opposite. The seven members of Shrek were already lined up.
Tang San stood at the front, his hands hanging naturally at his sides, his face expressionless. Dai Mubai stood to his right, his arms crossed, his chest rising and falling slightly, as if he were adjusting his breathing.
Ning Rongrong stood in the middle of the line, her back ramrod straight, but her fingers were gently twisting the fabric of her sleeves. Oscar stood next to her for a moment, then moved half a step forward; neither of them spoke.
"Please welcome the members of the Godwind Academy and Shrek Academy to the field."
The referee's voice came from the center of the ring. Feng Xiaotian walked at the front, his steps were not fast, but each step was steady.
Su Mei'er Feng Lingtian followed closely behind, with Jiang Lin, Cheng Luo, Lu Qing, and Zhong Yue in a row. The seven of them stood in a line on the arena.
Fifteen steps away, the seven members of Shrek were already in position. The referee raised his hand, signaling both sides to release their Martial Soul.
On Shrek's side, the seven Martial Soul —White Tiger, Hell Spirit Cat, Soft Bone Rabbit, Evil Fire Phoenix, Blue Silver Grass, Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, Sausage —simultaneously lit up.
Dai Mubai's White Tiger phantom roared in front of him, Tang San's Blue Silver Grass spread out silently, and Ning Rongrong's Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda floated in her palm, its nine-colored light illuminating half of the arena.
Then it's Godwind Academy's turn.
The moment Feng Xiaotian released his Martial Soul, the phantom of the Gale Twin-Headed Wolf appeared behind him, and five Soul Ring lit up in succession—two yellow, one purple, and two black—undisguisedly displaying his level 58 Soul Power.
Su Mei'er was possessed by the Wind-Winged Spirit Fox, with five tails spreading behind her, and five-colored attribute light flowing at the tips of the tails, two yellow, one purple and two black, at level 53.
Feng Lingtian, Jiang Lin, Cheng Luo, and Lu Qing released their Martial Soul in turn, each with two yellow, one purple, and two black rings. Finally, Zhong Yue released his, with the phantom of the Wind Armor Black Tortoise solidifying behind him, his Fifth Soul Ring being a ten-thousand-year-old black ring.
Seven Soul King. Not a single person spoke.
There was a full two seconds of silence in the stands, then it erupted into chaos.
In the Godwind Academy rest area, Shi Yan leaned back in his chair, a forced smile playing on his lips, "I've been holding it in all this way, finally I don't have to hide anymore. Zhong Yue is truly amazing; he doesn't speak unless he's absolutely sure of something, and when he does, it's a resounding success."
Ye Qingyu leaned closer and asked Bai Yu, "When did Zhong Yue break through? I remember he was only level 49 when we set off."
Bai Yu looked at Zhong Yue's back on the arena and smiled slightly, "He broke through the night before we arrived at Spirit City. Senior Dugu Bo hunted Soul Beast overnight for him to absorb, and he finished absorbing it before dawn."
Zhong Yue said not to make a fuss yet, and to reveal it during the finals. Ji Ning glanced at Bai Yu and casually added, "That's right, don't you know who's watching from below?" Bai Yu blushed, while Ye Qingyu and Su Ran chuckled beside her.
The gasps of amazement from the stands hadn't subsided. In the Blazing Fire Academy's rest area, Huo Wushuang leaned against the railing, silent for a long while, before finally uttering, "This year, Godwind Academy is truly strong."
Huo Wu stood beside him, her gaze falling on Su Mei'er's five-colored tail, and suddenly smiled, "I'm getting more and more excited to fight them."
In the rest area of the Skywater Academy, Shui Bing'er sat in the front row, her gaze fixed on Feng Xiaotian, the corners of her mouth curving slightly more than usual.
Shui Yue'er glanced at the level 58 captain on the arena, then at her sister's expression, and secretly smiled to herself.
In the Shrek's rest area, Yu Xiaogang's tactical notes lay open on his lap, his fingers pressing against the paper until his knuckles turned white. Seven Soul King — Godwind Academy had kept them hidden throughout the entire qualifying tournament, just to reveal them in the finals.
All previous tactical simulations were based on the premise that " Feng Xiaotian is the only Soul King," and now it's too late to start over.
On the stage, the referee blew his whistle.
Feng Xiaotian moved first. After being possessed by the Gale Twin-Headed Wolf, his speed had been increased to the limit, and his figure disappeared from the spot the moment the whistle fell.
Instead of charging directly into the enemy formation, he circled around to the right flank of Shrek's formation.
Dai Mubai turned around and followed his movement trajectory. White Tiger Fierce Light Wave predicted his landing point and unleashed a strike. The beam of light grazed Feng Xiaotian's afterimage and struck the arena, shattering the stone slab into a shower of fragments.
Feng Xiaotian's figure emerged from the debris, Wind Blade Slash Dai Mubai's side, forcing him to retreat and defend.
At the same time, Su Mei'er unleashed her Five Tail Blades from behind. The tips of the Ultimate Fire lit up, and three compressed fireballs shot towards the back row of Shrek in a triangular formation. Halfway through their flight, they split into nine fire lines that attacked different locations.
Tang San instantly spread out his Blue Silver Grass, dozens of Blue Silver Grass simultaneously wrapping around the fire, their leaves quickly turning black and curling under the high temperature. Taking advantage of the moment when his vision was obstructed as the Blue Silver Grass ignited, he threaded the thinnest blade of Blue Silver Grass close to the ground through the flames and wrapped it around Su Mei'er's ankle.
Su Mei'er glanced down and saw the tip of the Ultimate Ice Blade light up. The cold air flowed back through the Blue Silver Grass. Tang San immediately broke the Blue Silver Grass, but the Extreme Ice Ray had already followed the broken stem.
He dodged to the side, the icy light grazing his shoulder, leaving a thin layer of frost on it.
This exchange happened in less than three seconds. Neither side sustained any core injuries, but Tang San had already confirmed two things:
Su Mei'er's Ultimate Fire counters Blue Silver Grass, while her Ultimate Ice can interrupt his ranged control. Tang San's expression remained unchanged; he simply took a step back, tightening his formation.
Feng Lingtian flanked the enemy, his Peregrine Falcon Martial Soul maintaining a distance that allowed him to strike from any position at any moment. He didn't attack, but his very presence was a form of restraint.
Every time Xiao Wu tried to Teleportation into the Godwind Academy's back row, Feng Lingtian's position would slightly adjust, always blocking her from the Godwind Academy's back row.
Dai Mubai withstood two wind blades from Feng Xiaotian head-on, but a layer of the White Tiger Barrier aura on his arm was chipped away. He glanced back at Tang San, Tang San shook his head slightly—"Stay calm first."
Ma Hongjun's Phoenix Fire Line descended from the sky, only to be met head-on by Su Mei'er's Ultimate Fire, the red flames dissipating amidst the golden flames.
Zhu Zhuqing crept in the shadows, trying to flank them, but Jiang Lin's Spirit Eyes had already locked onto her position. No matter how she changed her angle, his gaze remained fixed on her.
Shrek's formation had no choice but to begin to tighten.
Ning Rongrong's Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was already gathering light in her palm, but she hadn't released the amplification yet—she knew that once the amplification was unleashed, she would become the first target of the Godwind Academy.
Oscar gripped the Sausage in his hand tightly, waiting for an opportunity to strike, but Godwind Academy's suppression was too dense, and he couldn't find an opening.
Cheng Luo's Wind-Binding Vine burst forth from the ground, entangled Shrek's escape routes on both sides. Lu Qing swung out his Wind Scythe, three blades slicing towards Shrek's back row, forcing Oscar and Ning Rongrong to move towards the center.
Zhong Yue took a step forward, and the defensive domain of the Wind Armor Black Tortoise pressed forward by one zhang, further compressing Shrek's formation.
Yu Xiaogang stood up on the sidelines. He looked up at Tang San Tang San, who was also looking at him.
The master and apprentice's eyes met for a moment, Yu Xiaogang said nothing, only nodding slightly.
Tang San withdrew his gaze and looked at his teammates beside him.
"Gather."
Xiao Wu, Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Zhu Zhuqing all looked at him at the same time. Ning Rongrong's fingers tightened slightly as she held the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, while Oscar silently gripped the Sausage in his hand even tighter.
"Let's begin the ultimate plan," Tang San said.