Ji Juechen Instantly Defeats His Opponents

Upon returning to the palace, Xu Jiawei said nothing more, but silently entered the imperial study and dismissed all the servants.

He was left alone in the vast palace. The emperor of the Star Luo Empire finally shed all his majesty and pretense, and leaned wearily against the dragon throne.

After a long while, he took a deep breath, summoned his personal guard, and ordered in a hoarse voice:

"Go and invite Nebula Douluo here."

Nebula Douluo is Xu Jiujiu's exclusive guardian and a level 92 Titled Douluo who has watched Xu Jiujiu grow up since childhood. His strength may not be top-notch, but his loyalty to the Star Luo Empire is beyond question.

She was originally responsible for secretly protecting Xu Jiujiu outside the auction house, but the sudden explosion not only destroyed the auction house, but also caused her to lose contact with Xu Jiujiu.

Xu Jiawei couldn't imagine what would happen if something really happened to his sister...

"Your Majesty." Nebula Douluo arrived quickly, her face equally pale, clearly still shaken by what had just happened. "Her Highness the Princess..."

"Jiujiu is alright." Xu Jiawei waved his hand, indicating that she didn't need to say anything more. "I have already comforted her."

"Nebula Worshipper, from this moment forward, you must never leave Princess Jiujiu's side."

Even if I were to order your death, you must first ensure your Jiujiu safety.

"Yes." Nebula Douluo knelt on one knee, his voice firm, "This old one obeys."

Xu Jiawei nodded, and then issued a series of orders.

Those bodyguards who had been secretly protecting the area near the auction house for Xu Jiujiu were all recalled and punished.

As secret guards carefully trained by the royal family for many years, they failed to fulfill their protective duties and almost caused a major disaster.

But Xu Jiawei also understands that being overly critical won't solve the problem.

He immediately selected a group of elite guards from the palace guards to supplement Xu Jiujiu's guard team.

"Your Majesty, this..." The head of the secret guards looked troubled. "Her Highness the Princess's safety is certainly important, but aren't you being a little too anxious? After all, that is..."

"After all, that's the Sun Moon Empire, isn't it?" Xu Jiawei coldly interrupted him. "Do you think I don't know what you're thinking? Do you think I don't understand how much of a threat the Sun Moon Empire poses to us?"

The commander of the secret guards immediately lowered his head, not daring to say another word.

"Listen," Xu Jiawei stood up, walked to the window, and looked in the direction of the Starlight Auction House in the distance, "It's a fact that Bao Liang saved Jiujiu, but we can't let them do whatever they want. We must keep the decision-making power firmly on our side."

"Moreover, I know all too well how dangerous he is."

"He can kill Cheng Gang with a flick of his wrist, make Xuan Zi suffer, and even get those two old monsters Jing Hongchen and Ye Yulin, to fight for him... If such a person were to become an enemy of the Star Luo Empire, the consequences would be unimaginable."

He paused, his voice low:

Therefore, the thank-you gift must be sent as soon as possible.

"Moreover, we must show enough sincerity to leave Jing Hongchen with nothing to say."

"Otherwise, once he realizes what's happening, the price the Star Luo Empire will have to pay will be far more than just a few cricket-shaped Gold Soul Coin."

Xu Jiawei turned around, his gaze falling on a list on the table.

That's the bracket for tomorrow's Round of 16 knockout stage.

"As for tomorrow's match..." Xu Jiawei's lips curled into a bitter smile, "It seems the originally arranged matchups will need to be adjusted."

"As for the Sun Moon Team... let them face off against another high-level Soul Master Academy from the Heavenly Soul Empire."

He waved his hand, signaling everyone to step back.

Silence returned to the Imperial Study.

Xu Jiawei sat on the dragon throne, his fingers lightly tapping the armrests, his mind constantly calculating.

Cheng Gang's death, Xuan Zi's disarray, Jing Hongchen and Ye Yulin's alliance... If this news were to reach Shrek, who knows what kind of uproar it would cause.

However, in any case, the Star Luo Empire must repair its relationship with the Sun Moon Empire as soon as possible.

At the very least... we can't let war break out now.

The next morning, at the central square of Star Luo City.

The enormous Soul Fighting arena had already been erected, and every seat around it was filled.

After last night's earth-shattering battle, the number of spectators watching the game today is higher than ever before.

Everyone wanted to see how the Sun Moon Team would perform today, after the upheaval last night.

The draw for the Round of 16 has already taken place.

As the champion and runner-up of the previous competition, Shrek Team and Sun Moon Team became the top teams in their respective groups, automatically securing favorable positions in the round of 16 and the quarterfinals.

The two teams won't have a chance to meet until at least the semifinals.

As for the other teams' group assignments, they appear to be completely random on the surface, but in reality...

What's the point of guessing?

"Who fights whom is just a matter of Xu Jiawei's word," Bao Liang, a faint smile playing on his lips as he sat in the rest area. "If he wants someone to meet Shrek earlier, he only needs to tamper with the lottery box."

"That's true." Xiao Hongchen raised an eyebrow. "So, are you sure you don't want to guess who our opponent is this time?"

"Alright, alright, I guess it's another high-level Soul Master Academy in the Heavenly Soul Empire, okay?" Bao Liang smiled.

"Fine, whatever makes you happy." Xiao Hongchen shrugged helplessly. "By the way, what exactly happened last night? You've been keeping the whole story a secret all night."

"Aren't you just teasing us?"

"That's right, that's right!" everyone echoed.

"Sigh, I just can't do anything with you guys."

Bao Liang shrugged and then briefly recounted what had happened the previous night.

When Cheng Gang heard that Bao Liang's Ultra Bomb, Meng Hongchen's eyes lit up, while Xiao Hongchen whistled.

"Not bad, Bao Liang." Xiao Hongchen patted him on the shoulder. "Not only did you buy Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast Embryo, but you also took care of a Titled Douluo while you were at it."

"That's right." Bao Liang raised his chin smugly, "But that Xu Jiujiu is indeed quite interesting."

"Her brother was almost scared to death, but she herself was quite calm."

Just then, the referee's voice rang out:

"Please bring the Sun Moon Team and the Heavenly Soul Bright Moon Advanced Soul Master Academy to the stage!"

"Hey~ I guessed right!"

"Damn! You're pretty good!"

Everyone except Bao Liang stood up and walked towards the Soul Fighting Arena.

Alongside them were seven members of the Heavenly Soul Bright Moon Advanced Soul Master Academy.

These team members all looked quite young, the oldest being only around twenty years old. They all looked tense, clearly under considerable pressure facing a formidable opponent like the Sun Moon Team.

"The rules of the match are as follows," the referee announced loudly. "The round of 16 will be played in a best-of-three format."

"The first round is a team battle, seven against seven; the second round is an individual battle, one against one; the third round is a 2-2-3, with three players from each team participating."

The first team to win two matches advances.

"Now, the first team fight begins!"

At the referee's signal, both teams quickly took their positions.

However, to everyone's surprise, the Sun Moon Team abandoned all their previous steady tactics and launched a fierce attack right from the start.

Ji Juechen, who had been relegated to sitting for half the game, was finally able to be released.

After randomly pairing up a few teammates, Ji Juechen became unstoppable as soon as he stepped onto the field.

Without releasing Soul Ring or Soul Skill, relying solely on the level-nine melee Soul Tool, the Sword of Judgment, and his swordsmanship, he repeatedly felled the seven members of the Heavenly Soul Bright Moon Advanced Soul Master Academy as if cutting melons and vegetables.

The subsequent one-on-one and two-on-two-three matches were basically Ji Juechen's solo stage.

After being sidelined for so long, Ji Juechen's mood improved significantly after being released from the bench.

When I returned to the rest area, the speed at which my Soul Power circulated was much faster.

It was just tough on the students from other colleges. Watching Ji Juechen chop vegetables on stage all by himself must have left them with immense psychological trauma.