Shrek Academy, Outer Court Soul Duel Zone.
All core disciples of the Outer Court under fifteen had gathered here. There were twenty-six from the Spirit Soul Department in total, thirteen of them second-year students: Ning Tian, Wu Feng, Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, Xie Huanyue, the Lan Sisters, Huang Chutian, Cao Jinxuan, and Zhou Sichen. It was clear that the talent of this cohort would stand out even across Shrek Academy's ten-thousand-year history.
Yet standing at the very front of the Spirit Soul Department, the three fifth-year Soul Ancestors—Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and Jiang Nannan—possessed the most imposing and magnificent presence.
Standing distinctly apart from the twenty-six Spirit Soul Department students was He Caitou, a tall, dark-skinned boy. He was the Soul Guidance Department's sole representative and the only genuine Soul Engineer present.
Twenty-seven core disciples from the two departments were competing for seven spots. Everyone was each other's rival, and the faint scent of gunpowder quietly filled the air. Ning Tian and Wu Feng stood amid the crowd, accompanied by Xie Huanyue, Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, and Huang Chutian. All six had lost to Huo Yuhao in the freshman challenge tournament, so they had temporarily joined forces as the Alliance of the Disgruntled.
In the distance, an elderly figure who swayed every three steps slowly entered the Soul Duel Zone. Most of his face was hidden beneath his disheveled hair, but the iconic image of a chicken leg in his left hand and a wine gourd in his right perfectly revealed his identity: Taotie Douluo Xuan Zi.
Xuan Zi staggered along, and the students could not help wondering whether the old man would trip over his own feet and fall flat on his face the next second.
After glancing over the core disciples, Xuan