First battle, the Body Sect (two-in-one)

"This is the tournament information... We've been drawn against the Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy, which belongs to the Dou Ling Empire. Their main team only has five Soul Ancestor and two Soul Elder."

Seeing that the academy had sent their Grandmaster, Wang Yan felt much more at ease. He slowly spoke to the Shrek members, a smile playing on his lips.

Clearly, they are quite satisfied with the teams they will face in the knockout stage.

"But five Soul Ancestor and two Soul Elder, and we are Shrek Academy, facing us head-on... they must have made thorough preparations and will definitely fight with all their might, without the slightest carelessness. You alone..." Wang Yan hesitated and looked at Lu Cheng.

"Let him go," Zhang Lexuan said softly.

I believe him.

Upon hearing this, Bei Bei's eyes dimmed, and she turned her head away. However, the eyes of the many Shrek students present were all on Lu Cheng, their eyes flashing with excitement. They did not notice the genius who was once one of the Outer Court Twin Stars and was known as Thunderbolt Bei Bei.

After all, the former's title of "Outer Court Great Demon King" was earned through sheer hard work. He annihilated Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast and crushed Xu Sanshi, a Soul Ancestor, with his mere physical strength, yet he escaped from the encirclement and pursuit of a group of Soul Douluo and Soul Saint...

One case after another, one incident after another.

This led to Lu Cheng's unprecedented prestige in the outer academy, and his frequent travels outside, Star Dou Great Forest, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Far North, and his infrequent appearances in the academy, further deepened his sense of mystery.

Therefore, Xiao Xiao, Ning Tian, and the others were also looking forward to a visual feast. Seeing the person they admired dominate the field would make them feel proud as well.

Wang Yan nodded slightly upon hearing this.

After all, if Lu Cheng wins... the popularity of the Shrek Academy taxis will soar to unprecedented heights. Although this is tantamount to walking a tightrope, he has no other choice.

early morning.

As the first rays of sunlight pierced the darkness, the entire Star Luo City gradually came alive. The city was brimming with peak vitality because of the tournament, and today, the Continental Soul Master Academy Tournament officially began.

At Star Luo Plaza.

Countless heavily armored taxi soldiers formed a human wall, surrounding the area. With a soft shout from the general, the human wall slowly opened a gap, and the sea of people began to pour into the square.

On the inner city wall of the Star Luo Empire, several figures stood, looking down at the surging civilians below like a tide.

"This is my Star Luo Empire..."

Xu Jiawei had an arrogant look in his eyes, a heroic and dashing appearance, and wore a dragon robe, exuding an air of imperial grandeur.

"Registration is now completely closed. Shrek Academy has decided to accept only these team members." An elegant and dignified girl in a long court dress glanced with her golden eyes at the Shrek Academy, which was located at the front of the rest area for all the academies.

Many truly exceptional individuals have already gathered.

What surprised her was that the reserve team captain, whose profile name was Lu Cheng, held a ridiculously high position...

"That little guy is actually at the Soul King level?" Xu Jiawei noticed his sister's expression and frowned slightly.

They only received the information yesterday, after undergoing a bone age test.

A thirteen-year-old Soul King is simply... too monstrous.

Throughout the history of this continent, there has never been a single person like him.

"If I'm not mistaken, he must be the next successor of the Sea God Pavilion, and there's also a nineteen-year-old Soul Saint and a twenty-nine-year-old Titled Douluo powerhouse. Shrek Academy... is full of monsters." Dai Hao, who stood imposingly beside him and wore general's armor, said in a deep voice.

"Has the general seen him?" Xu Jiawei asked softly.

"I've seen him. He's proud but not arrogant, and his demeanor is calm and composed. He's clearly superior to the elite students of the Shrek Academy's inner court," Dai Hao pondered.

"It's a pity he's not one of us from the Star Luo Empire..." Upon hearing this, Xu Jiawei became even more envious of the young man.

I'm truly envious.

Nonsense! This means that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Shrek Academy will undoubtedly continue to prosper for hundreds of years, remaining at the pinnacle of the continent, proud and unyielding.

His eyes were bloodshot.

Let's take a look first...

Xu Jiawei withdrew his gaze and spoke softly.

"That little guy must be Shrek Academy's hidden trump card."

Firecrackers crackled and drums resounded.

After Xu Jiawei's brief speech, the referee took over the presiding duties.

"Now, the first match is about to begin. The two teams are the Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy team from the Dou Ling Empire, and the Shrek Academy team, the number one academy on the continent, with countless honors and having won almost every major competition in the past thousand years."

The moment the announcement was made, the atmosphere at Star Luo Plaza reached its peak.

Shrek Academy is a legendary institution in the eyes of many, the eternal number one academy on the continent, especially in the hearts of ordinary people. The Star Luo Empire also needs Shrek to boost its popularity, so it is well-deserved to be the first to appear.

Let's welcome both teams to the field!

The cheers and jubilation of hundreds of thousands of people resounded through the sky.

On the side of the Heavenly Spirit Advanced Team, everyone's face was pale and their legs were weak, forced to go on stage.

However, things were rather strange at the Shrek Academy.

The expected elite troops did not appear. Instead, only a thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy with an unbelievably handsome face, wearing a wolf tail and looking somewhat lazy walked slowly onto the stage.

"Shrek Academy... only one person?!" The referee was stunned for a moment before he reacted.

Meanwhile, the Sun Moon Empire Team, which shares a wall with Shrek's rest area, was also completely bewildered.

Ma Rulong's eyes twitched. To be honest, under these circumstances, he was confident he could crush the opposing group. But this was, after all, an elimination tournament, and the pressure was immense, making everyone break out in a cold sweat. No one could afford the consequences of losing, let alone Shrek Academy...

"How dare he?" To one side, a muscular, burly old man with white hair and a ponytail, dressed in the red and black uniform of a leader of the Sun Moon Empire, stood with his arms crossed, looking bewildered and incredulous.

A thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy, facing this kind of pressure alone.

If it were him, he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat for them.

"His steps were steady and solid, without the slightest hint of hesitation, indicating that this young man was confident and not just putting on a show. But I just can't understand... how did he dare to do that?"

Those guys from the Shrek Academy are notorious for treating the championship like their life depends on it. For the first elimination round, they should at least have enough players, if not their main squad, right?

This leaves absolutely no room for error.

"Keep it up..."

Wang Yan waved his arms.

Xiao Xiao, Ning Tian, and the others all leaned against the railing, watching Lu Cheng's departing figure with hopeful eyes.

At the Shrek Academy, they were already dazed by the Great Demon King's reputation. Now... it's time for these guys to see what the Great Demon King of the Shrek Academy really is.

"You... are you alone?"

The referee took a deep breath; he wouldn't dare bear such immense pressure if Shrek Academy were to lose.

I fear that by the next day, the moat Star Luo City will be filled with the corpses of many gamblers.

"Yes."

A warm smile appeared on Lu Cheng's handsome face, and he nodded slightly.

Her stunning looks immediately attracted a lot of attention, with many young girls cheering and waving flowers in their hands, exchanging flirtatious glances.

"Being handsome isn't everything."

On the other side, the Heavenly Spirit Advanced Team saw that Lu Cheng was alone, but their previous tension had disappeared, and their negative emotions gradually turned into anger.

One of them muttered a complaint under his breath.

"Let's go!" The captain of the Heavenly Spirit Advanced Team, a tall, ordinary-looking man, glanced indifferently at Lu Cheng and led his team members to retreat to the back of the arena.

This is a blatant insult to the Shrek Academy.

Just wait, I'll make you pay the price for underestimating Tianling Academy...

"Everyone step back to the edges of the field."

The referee spoke softly.

The members of the Heavenly Spirit Advanced Team exchanged glances, noticing the growing elation in each other's eyes. If they could defeat Shrek Academy, they would be the first to reap the rewards, and upon returning, the Emperor of the Dou Ling Empire would personally receive them, along with countless cultivation resources. The prestige of Tianling Advanced Academy would also soar to unprecedented heights!

They suddenly realized that this might be their only chance in their lives to defeat Shrek Academy, and they had to seize it.

Lu Cheng's eyes remained calm, a smile playing on his lips.

The cheers and applause of hundreds of thousands of people were truly breathtaking. In his previous life, he would most likely have been so nervous that his palms would have been sweating, but at this moment, he was extremely calm, feeling the abundant Soul Power flowing through his body and the vast Spiritual Power in his Sea of Consciousness. This was the source of his confidence to stand here.

"The match begins!"

"Soul Tool can be used, but deadly weapons like Stationary Soul Cannon are prohibited."

With the referee's command, the disciples of many Heavenly Spirit Advanced Team all surged with unprecedented momentum, assuming the classic two-two-three formation.

Two strong attackers or tanks in front, one agile attacker on each side, and one support and one controller in the middle and rear.

With a series of loud shouts, yellow and purple Soul Ring rose from the soles of his feet.

All of them were the best combination, and the captain of the leading Heavenly Spirit Advanced Team had four Soul Ring— yellow, yellow, purple, and purple—slowly rising from the bottom of his feet, his sharp eyes scrutinizing the wolf-tailed boy opposite him.

He felt his whole body boiling with excitement, and only one thought occupied his mind: defeat him!

Even now, he could already picture himself leading the team back to the academy, with countless junior students lining the streets to welcome him, enthusiastic applause, and dazzling wreaths around his neck. He would be the academy's hero.

Spectator area.

Two figures in black robes mingled in the crowd, positioned in a corner, arms crossed, leisurely observing the scene.

"Brother, what tricks do you think this kid is up to?" asked the middle-aged man, who was even more muscular and had a particularly thick right arm.

"Since this is Shrek Academy, there's no room for tricks. Just watch patiently. Hopefully, this competition will produce a few decent prospects," another man, small in stature with an enormous head resembling Big Head, said in a low voice.

The start of each competition marks their recruitment season.

After all, Body Martial Soul are extremely hard to find, especially in this era where ordinary people cannot awaken their Martial Soul. Therefore, their Body Sect body relies entirely on the genes left by their ancestors to open blind boxes. Of course, the blind boxes they open are mostly related to body parts.

Therefore, they are generally self-sufficient.

External recruitment is basically an add-on; it's better to have it, but it doesn't really matter if you don't.

"Wrong..."

Lang Ya's pupils suddenly contracted. "His initial Spiritual Power... what terrifying Spiritual Power strength! This guy..."

The atmosphere in the stadium was unusually eerie, eerily quiet.

Yu Tao looked bewildered. "Big brother, what exactly is this kid's Martial Soul? Why is it so strange?"

Lang Ya, whose Martial Soul was the Brain, suddenly narrowed his eyes, goosebumps rising all over his body. His gaze, burning with a frenzied intensity, was fixed on the wolf-tailed boy below. He swallowed hard and uttered, "It's... eyes!!!"

The captain of the Heavenly Spirit Team roared angrily.

He suddenly swung out his soul-guided spear, unleashing a torrent of power, aiming straight for Lu Cheng's chest. Lu Cheng's Martial Soul was also unusually strange; he wielded a dark green long blade and fought back against him.

"Isn't this A Lin's longsword? Strange... it's so similar." The captain frowned slightly, his eyes filled with a strange look, but soon, this feeling of unease was overshadowed by the murderous intent in his mind, and the thought of defeating the boy and gaining victory took over his mind.

That's it?

Another shot landed, piercing the young man's longsword squarely. The latter looked panicked and kept begging for mercy.

But the captain grinned menacingly, paying no heed to anything else, and fired another shot that pierced the latter's abdomen. He watched helplessly as blood gushed from the latter's mouth, his eyes filled with helplessness and confusion. At that moment, the evil thoughts in his heart reached their peak.

Those who dare to underestimate us will pay the price.

But the next moment...

"Pfft~"

The captain suddenly felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, and curled up like a shrimp, slowly bending over. His eyes were blank and astonished as he looked at his abdomen. A light blue soul-guided spear had pierced through his abdomen. It was clearly Ling'er's weapon.

Then he looked behind him.

It was as if the world had been shattered and then reassembled, and a sense of eeriness immediately welled up in his heart. Behind him was Ling'er, whose eyes were filled with fervor and madness. The blood from his abdomen stained Ling'er's hands along with the spear, but she was completely unaware.

"Wait... no, that's not right!!"

When he abruptly turned his head to look at the boy whose abdomen he had pierced, the boy had suddenly become a completely different person...

"A Lin!!"

He was one of his teammates.

But when he looked into the distance again...

The incredibly handsome young man, his eyes now gleaming with a scarlet light, still wore a warm smile as he gazed at them quietly and gently.

"Pfft, no, that's not right..."

Blood trickled from the captain's mouth again, while the rest of the team members were frantically killing each other.

They were in an illusion from beginning to end.

When was it awarded?

The captain's eyes gradually lost their focus, a hint of terror welling up in them as he looked at the wolf-tailed boy. If it were a complete and utter defeat in terms of combat skills, he would at most feel resentment, but now... he felt more terror and a deep sense of powerlessness.

Facing such an opponent.

You have no idea when you've been hit; you need to be constantly on edge, and you might not even know whether you're fighting an enemy or a teammate.

That's fucking insidious.