Champion

In the Shrek rest area, Xuan Zi was furious. The aura of a Level 98 Super Douluo erupted, "Ye Yulin! Tell that brat to stop right now! Otherwise, I'll fight you to the death, even if it costs me my Martial Soul Origin!"

Just as Ye Yulin was about to refuse, Bao Liang's voice suddenly echoed in her mind.

Upon hearing Bao Liang's voice, Ye Yulin changed her tone and mocked Xuan Zi, "Hmph, Xuan Zi, don't try to mislead me."

"It was clearly that little girl from Shrek who fell into the trap of becoming Evil Soul Master. Our Bao Liang had no choice but to intervene to ensure the safety of the hundreds of thousands of innocent spectators present."

"Besides, Little Meng was on stage too. As Little Meng fiancé, he was just trying to protect her. What's wrong with him being a little too rough?"

"If you have to blame someone, blame your so-called Shrek, which is determined to eradicate all Evil Soul Master, for producing an Evil Soul Master!"

"You! You're talking nonsense! Xiaotao isn't Evil Soul Master! No matter what, she's not Evil Soul Master!"

Xuan Zi is very annoyed, but also helpless.

Ma Xiaotao's downfall was something he never expected, but the most important thing right now is to bring Xiaotao back to Shrek as soon as possible, otherwise it will really be too late!

"Boy! Aren't you going to loosen your foot? Or do you want me to loosen it for you myself?"

Faced with Xuan Zi's threat, Bao Liang simply shrugged, showing no concern.

"Oh dear, Taotie Douluo, you flatter me! Your good captain hasn't lost his ability to fight back yet. If I let go and cause others to get hurt, my sins would be enormous!"

Bao Liang's cryptic remarks gave Xuan Zi a splitting headache. "Let go of my foot, and I'll find a way!"

"Okay~" Bao Liang jumped off Ma Xiaotao, and as he did so, he kicked her to Xuan Zi. "Come on, catch her carefully~"

"Sun Moon little devil, born evil!"

Just as Xuan Zi was about to start cursing, he realized that Ma Xiaotao's attack target was actually himself— the Black Phoenix instinctively attacked the nearest strong person.

There was no other way but to suppress Ma Xiaotao first. He slapped her on the back to seal her Soul Power and then pulled her unconscious body into his arms.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry."

"Your family is so scary, I couldn't help myself... hehe." Bao Liang clapped his hands, smiling innocently like a 200-pound child.

Xuan Zi was furious. He couldn't care less about anything else. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was panting heavily. He glared at Bao Liang fiercely, then released his Soul Power to sweep up the other students in the Shrek rest area— Bei Bei, Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, Ling Luochеn, Dai Yueheng —and then soared into the air, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Only one sentence echoed in the air above Star Luo Plaza, carrying with it resentment, anger, and a deep sense of powerlessness:

"For the remainder of the match, I, on behalf of Shrek Team, concede defeat!"

beat?

There's absolutely no need to continue fighting.

Their last hope was gone, and Ma Xiaotao had fallen into a crisis of moral decay due to an unexpected situation. Shrek had been defeated, and utterly defeated—defeated in terms of strength, mentality, and even more so in terms of morale.

The atmosphere on the Sun Moon Team's side exploded instantly. Before the audience could even react, Ma Rulong and his teammates were hugging each other and popping champagne.

"Sun! Moon!!!"

"We are the champions!!!"

"Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, eternal god!!!"

Cheers, shouts, and whistles converged into a deafening wave that washed over the entire Star Luo Plaza.

Xuan Zi's sudden departure left most of the people present somewhat at a loss, especially those who had supported Shrek from beginning to end. It was as if something they had been holding onto had suddenly collapsed.

Although they witnessed Shrek's disheveled state and Shrek predicament, to be honest, they still supported Shrek in their hearts; otherwise, they wouldn't have watched the competition from the start until now.

However, whatever Xuan Zi's reasons or motivations for suddenly leaving, Shrek was undoubtedly at a complete disadvantage in their previous clash with the Sun Moon Team. Therefore, in their eyes, Xuan Zi's behavior was tantamount to desertion after defeat.

They didn't even dare to attend the awards ceremony after the competition, and they didn't even want the runner-up prize.

It must be said that Xuan Zi's actions have truly disappointed those who have been supporting Shrek Academy.

Since you've chosen to fight to the death, then go ahead and fight!

You're running away before you've even started to struggle? Are you trying to make a fool of us idiots?!

Geneva, refund!

Of course, this excludes those who have been completely brainwashed. They will only think that Xuan Zi rushed to take Ma Xiaotao for treatment because her injuries were too serious, which is simply too considerate of the students!

This is Shrek Dental Clinic, a place filled with love and deeply respected by its students!

But only Shrek die-hard fans would think that way; any normal person could see Shrek's disheveled state.

This once glorious, top academy on the continent, which had shone for millennia, has ultimately begun its decline...

The VIP seating area for the Star Luo Imperial Family.

"Hmph! Damn it, why did Shrek have to decline at such a sensitive time? And why did they have to cause one problem after another when it was our Star Luo Empire's turn to host the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament!"

Xu Jiawei sat on the dragon throne, crushing a jade teacup in his hand. The tea scalded his palms, turning them red, but he was completely unaware.

He wanted to curse, but he felt as if he had lost even the strength to curse, leaving only an empty exhaustion.

The foreshadowing that Bao Liang had laid earlier finally came into play.

Of course, this is also thanks to Shrek itself for being inhuman for thousands of years. Relying on its status, it doesn't take the major empires seriously at all. Those who Shrek Academy are inevitably brainwashed and forget their roots. A series of actions have long made the major empires quite dissatisfied with it.

If Shrek continues to be strong, it will be fine. They can help the three great empires resist the invasion of the Sun Moon Empire, so they will still be of some use.

But now even Shrek himself is showing signs of decline, and his performance after the defeat has been so poor and disappointing.

So...

All the discontent will erupt at this moment.

Now, Xu Jiawei only had one thought in his mind: Shrek was no longer reliable and no longer worthy of trust.

Instead of relying on Shrek, it's better to find your own way. Mountains may crumble, and people may run away!

If Shrek hadn't been Blood One plundering the Star Luo Empire's talents every year for the past thousands of years, their strength would definitely be much greater than it is now, and their development wouldn't have stagnated to this point!

"You won't even attend the awards ceremony, and you don't want the prize money from the competition. Do you look down on the paltry sum I've offered?"

Xu Jiawei chuckled, a hint of self-mockery in his voice. He had also abandoned his previous plan to befriend Shrek using Soul Bone.

"Fine, consider this a way of saving me Soul Bone. If Shrek doesn't want it, I won't give it to them!"

He stood up, his gaze piercing through the rain, landing on the cheering figures of the Sun Moon Team in the distance, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

"It seems... we need to find another way out..."