Winning Without Lifting a Finger
"Yay, we won!" Ma Hongjun and Oscar jumped up at the same time, put their arms around each other's shoulders, and bounced and spun around on the ring.
The others also smiled. Ma Hongjun released Oscar and waved to Tang San: "Third Brother, go collect your award!"
Tang San smiled and nodded, then turned and walked towards the organizing committee.
Half an hour later, the eleven people stood outside the Great Soul Arena waiting.
Dai Mubai and Tang San walked out of the gate side by side, each holding an advancement certificate. Dai Mubai handed the certificate to Oscar, Oscar took it and opened it. Ma Hongjun immediately leaned over to look.
"Wow, ten thousand Gold Soul Coin!" Ma Hongjun suddenly looked up at Flender, "Dean, you're not going to take this away, are you?"
Flender scoffed, putting his hands behind his back, his tone dismissive. "Who cares about this little bit of money?"
Dai Mubai added with a laugh, "Dean Flender has made a fortune this time; he doesn't even care about this little bit."
Tang San smiled and added, "The reward is more than ten thousand Gold Soul Coin. The captain and vice-captain will be granted the title of viscount, and the remaining team members will be granted the title of baron."
Everyone gasped in amazement. Tai Long, Huang Yuan, Jing Ling scratched their heads, looking somewhat embarrassed. Tai Long said sheepishly, "We didn't contribute much, yet we're getting rewarded..."
Dai Mubai spoke Youyou, "You singled me out. I'm still the captain."
Everyone burst into laughter.
Back at the academy, the Grandmaster gathered everyone together and announced the upcoming arrangements, "The qualifying rounds are in one month. Erlong will be training you all for this month, so work hard. Take a couple of days off first."
Unexpectedly, the next day, a familiar figure appeared at the academy gate. He had long, dark green hair, emerald green snake eyes, and was tossing a metal ball in his hand.
"Hahaha, Little Monster, your Mother-Child Soul-Chasing Life-Taking Orb are really useful!" Dugu Bo strode in, clearly in a very good mood.
Tang San looked up at him. "You used it?"
"I caught an enemy and had a fight with them." Dugu Bo tossed the metal ball into the air and caught it again. "Any more?"
Tang San took out another one from his storage bag and handed it over. Dugu Bo took it and nodded in satisfaction. "Haha, not bad. Little Monster, I also brought you some information— the Spirit Hall has two participants at level 52 and one at level 51 this time. They all meet the age requirements for the competition."
Xiao Wu raised an eyebrow. "So, just like Boss Dai, he's Soul King."
Dugu Bo was taken aback upon hearing this. "Oh? You also have Soul King? Haha, this time we'll give the Spirit Hall a good surprise. Call me if you need anything, I'll be going now." With that, a flash of green appeared, and he was gone.
Wang Xingyu's lips twitched as he watched the direction Dugu Bo had disappeared in. Did he come here wanting a Hidden Weapon?
On the third day, training began. Liu Erlong stood in the center of the open space behind the mountain, facing the entire Shrek Eight Monsters. Dai Mubai was the first to step forward; his bones were cracking from holding it in for the entire preliminary round. "I'm about to suffocate!"
His Fifth Soul Ring lit up first, combining the White Tiger Demon God Transformation, the White Tiger Vajra Transformation, and the White Tiger Protection Barrier —three amplifications stacked simultaneously, and the white Soul Power around him condensed into a tangible aura. He turned his head. "Xingyu, Fatty!"
Both nodded simultaneously. Wang Xingyu activated his Third Soul Skill, Symbiosis Transfer, completely transferring the effect of Ma Hongjun's Phoenix Wings Soaring to Dai Mubai.
Ning Rongrong's Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda followed closely behind, and two streams of light, Second: Speed First: Strength, landed on Dai Mubai at the same time.
Dai Mubai unfurled a pair of fiery wings, leaping into the air like a burning meteor straight towards Liu Erlong: "Teacher Erlong, watch out!"
Liu Erlong's lips curled into a smile, "Interesting." The Seventh Soul Ring lit up, and the Martial Soul Avatar. A crimson fire dragon soared into the sky, its claws reaching forward.
With a loud bang, the entire dragon was knocked back half a body length. But its claw steadily caught Dai Mubai's punch, flames and white Soul Power exploded between the claws, and the shockwave caused the surrounding tree branches to bend backward.
Holding him in the dragon's Dai Mubai looked up and laughed, "Teacher Erlong, why are you still using your Martial Soul Avatar?"
Liu Erlong replied with a smile, lowering her dragon head and letting out a voice from deep within her dragon throat. "Wouldn't it be a disaster if we didn't use it?" She released her claws, flicked her dragon tail, and accurately slammed Dai Mubai into the ground. With a muffled thud, a shallow, human-shaped crater appeared in the ground.
Dai Mubai lay in the pit, raising a thumb to the sky.
"Cool!"
A month later, the Shrek group arrived at the Heaven Dou Royal Hunting Ground.
The venue for the qualifying rounds was completely different from that of the preliminary rounds—there were no spectator stands, no cheers, only a wide open-air arena and the host's Amplifying Soul Tool.
The Grandmaster gathered everyone together and briefly explained the rules: a singles competition, with each side sending seven people to compete one-on-one. The winners would remain on stage to continue fighting the next opponent, until all seven members of one side were defeated.
The first match is against the Barak Academy. Grandmaster Xiao Wu is the starting lineup.
The opponent's strength was no match for Xiao Wu. With a Moon Shadow figure, she arched her Waist Bow to catch the Moonfall, Teleportation and using her soft skills. Xiao Wu was like a red lightning bolt on the stage, and the Barak Academy team members fell one after another.
One, two, three—when they got to the sixth one, all the staff stopped what they were doing and stared at the girl with the scorpion braid.
Just as Xiao Wu was about to defeat all seven opponents, Flender suddenly stood up, signaling her to concede defeat.
Although Xiao Wu was puzzled, she obediently jumped off the stage. Tang San took over and instantly killed her with a single Iron Thorn Strangulation.
Flender leaned back in his chair, a particularly satisfied smile on his face, "I had some old grudges with Barak. Now I feel good."
The second match is against the Blazing Fire Academy.
The Grandmaster arranged for Tang San to start. Huo Wushuang was the first to step onto the stage. The two stared at each other, Huo Wushuang's eyes filled with the ruthlessness honed from their previous crushing defeat.
The match began. Huo Wushuang's fists erupted with Lie Yan, but this time the flames were not merely burning, but compressed—he compressed his fiery Soul Power layer by layer into a high-density fireball, which exploded the moment it struck the Blue Silver Grass. The shockwave from the explosion shattered the vines, rendering his fire immunity ineffective.
But Tang San didn't give him a second chance. With a mistake in his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon Capture in close combat, and no matter how fierce Huo Wushuang's flames were, they couldn't burn him. After a few rounds, Huo Wushuang was slapped off the stage by a palm strike.
Next came the second, then the third. Tang San defeated six opponents in a row, reaching the seventh match. Huo Wu stepped onto the stage, her gaze calm, without anger or unnecessary words.
As soon as the match started, Huo Wu launched a fierce and relentless offensive. Tang San's Soul Power was significantly depleted after six consecutive battles, and his speed was noticeably slower than usual.
Huo Wu seized the opportunity and used a series of fireballs to force Tang San to the edge of the arena, then pushed him into the air.
She gave Tang San no chance to adjust—all four Soul Ring lit up simultaneously, Ring Fusion. All her Soul Power condensed into a giant fireball, hurtling towards Tang San in mid-air with the force to incinerate everything.
Tang San didn't dodge. Blue Silver Grass shot out from his palm, accurately wrapping around Huo Wu's waist, pulling her in front of him and shielding her from the fireball.
In the audience, Feng Xiaotian angrily slammed his fist on the railing in front of him, exclaiming, "That Tang San is too cunning!"
Wang Xingyu said slowly from the side, "Prince of Lanling, don't be anxious. Don't worry, it won't hurt your Huo Wu sister."
Huo Wu neither dodged nor evaded, but instead locked Tang San's body tightly with both hands. At the last moment when he was locked, Tang San suddenly flipped over, switching their positions—he turned his back to the fireball and shielded Huo Wu in front of him.
The fireball slammed heavily onto Tang San's back. Flames exploded, and the two fell from mid-air.
Tang San knelt on one knee, his back charred black, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Huo Wu, protected by him, escaped fatal injury.
She knelt on the arena, looking at Tang San, wanting to say something, but before she could speak, Wang Xingyu Teleportation over, his purplish-black Soul Ring lit up, and Willow Shade Blessing and countless Blue Silver Grass wrapped around Tang San.
Wang Xingyu said with a half-smile, "Referee, we concede."