"How dare you look down on us? I'll make you regret it!" the burly senior substitute standing at the front shouted harshly.
Then he turned and loudly ordered the ten behind him, "Senior Power Attack System members up front, Control System in the middle, Defense and Agility Attack on the wings, Support in the rear applying buffs!"
"Right!" the other ten answered in unison. Clearly, this substitute commanded considerable respect.
He shouted at Qian Chen again, "Qian Chen, remember this! My name is Wang Biao, and my Martial Soul is the Piebald Tiger!"
With that, he led the ten straight forward. The corners of Qian Chen's mouth lifted, and he advanced to meet them with his wooden stick.
Wang Biao roared, "Take my strongest blow! Fifth Soul Skill, Fierce Tiger Shattering Strike!"
The fifth, black Soul Ring beneath Wang Biao's feet lit up, and his right arm instantly took on a tiger's form, becoming a fearsome tiger claw.
Qian Chen raised his wooden stick to meet it, but instead of taking it head-on, he deftly nudged Wang Biao's tiger claw aside with the stick, borrowing its force to redirect it.
Wang Biao's tiger claw instantly veered off course and slammed heavily into another senior Power Attack substitute charging at Qian Chen alongside him.
"Aah!" A scream rang out, and the substitute struck by Wang Biao lost the ability to fight on the spot.
Taking advantage of the senior substitutes' momentary daze, Qian Chen plunged straight into the rear, charging into the formation of the junior Shrek Seven Devils.
Dai Yueheng inwardly cursed those useless seniors for letting him break through so quickly. Without slowing his steps, he immediately moved to meet Qian Chen.
Qian Chen raised the wooden stick in his hand and lashed out with a plain, unadorned strike. Dai Yueheng's White Tiger Vajra Transformation and White Tiger Protection Barrier could not withstand the blow at all and shattered under it. His body then tumbled several times through the air before crashing heavily to the ground, unable to rise again.
Seeing this, Qian Chen thought, Oops, I hit a little too hard.
Then Qian Chen swept his stick across, knocking Yao Haoxuan, Chen Zifeng, and Xi Xi straight to the ground.
Qian Chen continued charging toward the rear, about to eliminate the team's support. The next moment, bone-chilling cold swept across the entire arena as Ling Luochеn made her move. In the next instant, she erected an ice wall.
With the ice wall in place, Ling Luochеn and Gongyang Mo, hiding behind it, finally breathed sighs of relief. At last, they felt a little safer.
Outside the ice wall, Qian Chen gave a cold laugh. Isn't it just an ice wall about three meters high?
He bent his knees slightly and sprang into the air, jumping straight inside the ice wall.
Gongyang Mo cried out involuntarily, "Ah! Senior, how did you get in here?"
"I jumped in," Qian Chen answered bluntly, then added, "Who said an ice wall had to be broken? Why not just jump over it?"
The next moment, Qian Chen grabbed Gongyang Mo's arm with one hand and Ling Luochеn's wrist with the other, then hurled them straight out of the Soul Fighting Arena. Both were thrown out of bounds on the spot.
Without their support buffs, the Shrek members' speed, strength, and defense attributes plummeted instantly.
At that moment, the two remaining uninjured senior substitutes charged forward again alongside Han Ruoruo.
Qian Chen thought, Perfect timing to try the Seven Kill Sword Technique I just learned last night.
Then he wielded his stick like a sword and jabbed it precisely into one substitute's body. Agonizing pain shot through the substitute's entire body, and he collapsed instantly.
Qian Chen turned and delivered a backhanded strike with his stick. This was a sword move that involved turning and swinging at the lower body. Had he been holding a real sword, the target would certainly have lost both legs.
Most of his earlier attacks had relied on finesse rather than direct clashes. Only this final turning sword slash was a genuine head-on collision. With a crack, the wooden stick shattered into splinters on the spot. The substitute struck in both legs fell to the ground, unable to hold back his cries of pain.
Now, only Han Ruoruo remained facing Qian Chen. She could not accept it. So many of them had actually been routed just like that. She screamed shrilly, "Aah! For Shrek's glory! The Shrek Seven Devils never admit defeat!"
Then the fifth Soul Ring beneath Han Ruoruo's feet lit up as she prepared to unleash her strongest blow. Yet before she expected it, Qian Chen was already in front of her as though he had teleported. He placed a hand on her shoulder and gently pushed backward, sending Han Ruoruo falling straight onto her backside.
Han Ruoruo's eyes went perfectly round. She could not believe what was before her at all. Unwilling to accept it, she howled, "No! No! If our Shrek Seven Devils were still here, how could things be like this!"
As she spoke, she truly missed her three dead teammates, as well as the gravely injured Xu Sanwu. They had come all this way from the reserve team, spending a full seven or eight years preparing to participate in the Soul Master Tournament.
Looking at Han Ruoruo sitting on the ground, breaking down in tears, Qian Chen left her alone and turned toward Wang Biao, who was still standing in a daze, berating himself for accidentally injuring his teammate.
"You're the only one left. Are we continuing the match?" Qian Chen asked coldly.
Wang Biao hesitated for a moment, then said quietly, "I surrender."
At that moment, Xuan Zi's voice rang out. "You haven't fallen with serious injuries, nor have you exhausted your Soul Power, yet you surrender just like that. That truly goes against Shrek's spirit. You cannot bear Shrek's glory. The four of you, leave together."
The four felt their hearts tighten at Xuan Zi's words, but then they felt relieved. With the mysterious Qian Chen joining them for this Soul Master Tournament, the championship was surely in the bag. When the time came, even if there were not enough senior members, the reserve team would be sent onto the stage to gain experience. Substitutes like them would have no chance to compete at all.
Then the four answered in unison, "Yes, Xuan Zi." They gathered their belongings and left the training ground one after another.
Xuan Zi looked at those remaining and said, "All right, everyone has seen it. Although our official members, the Shrek Seven Devils, suffered devastating losses in this attack, Qian Chen will officially join you starting today. I can tell you in no uncertain terms that victory in this Soul Master Tournament still belongs firmly to Shrek Academy! For Shrek's glory!"
"For Shrek's glory!"
"For Shrek's glory!"
The members of the Shrek Team shouted along in unison. Amid wave after wave of slogans, the entire Shrek training ground looked just like a brainwashing session.
Qian Chen watched, utterly speechless. Once the chanting ended, he walked up to Xuan Zi and Zhang Lexuan and said, "Xuan Zi, I won't be participating in training. You've just seen my combat ability. As long as I compete, victory is assured. I'll go report to the Inspection Corps now."
Xuan Zi thought for a moment, then reminded him, "Then make sure you keep track of the time. Don't miss the Soul Master Tournament."
Qian Chen nodded. "Don't worry."
Then Qian Chen turned to Zhang Lexuan. "Sister Lexuan, Bing Ling will be staying at the academy to train. Sorry for the trouble, but please look after him."
Zhang Lexuan nodded in agreement. Watching Qian Chen about to leave, she felt as though a mass of words had lodged in her heart, yet she could not get them out. There was no time to say them, nor was it appropriate.
Qian Chen turned and headed out of the training ground. He now needed to go to the Inspection Corps to obtain information on Evil Soul Masters.
Zhang Lexuan stood where she was, watching Qian Chen's retreating figure grow more distant. Suddenly, she summoned her courage and chased him out of the training ground.
"Qian Chen, wait!"
"What is it, Sister Lexuan?" Seeing Zhang Lexuan chase after him, Qian Chen stopped and asked.
"Evil Soul Masters are sinister and cunning. You must be careful, don't push yourself, and make sure you come back safely," Zhang Lexuan said, mustering all her courage.
"All right, I understand. Don't worry."
After saying this, Zhang Lexuan knew she could not linger any longer. If she kept talking, she feared she would lose control of her emotions. Having delivered her reminder to stay safe, she turned and hurried back to the training ground.
Seeing that there was nothing else, Qian Chen asked for directions along the way and finally found the Inspection Corps office. A plump teacher was sitting inside drinking tea.
Qian Chen said, "Teacher, sorry for the trouble, but please bring out all the recent missions and information on Evil Soul Masters. I'll take them all."